Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 301

“Huh? Is it already over?” Yoner whispered, peeking over the edge of the heavy oak table. Dust motes danced in the air, disturbed by their hurried movements as they’d scrambled for cover. Nilia, her face smudged with soot from a practice spell gone wrong, nodded, her eyes wide. “Did… did we miss it?”

They cautiously stood, brushing off their robes. Towards the center of the grand hall, where moments before the monstrous Basilisk had thrashed, there was now only stillness. It lay like a fallen tree, its scales dull and lifeless in the dim light filtering through the high windows.

Yoner quickly put away his potion and stood up. Nilia lowered her enchanted arrow and stood too.

Gainando, who had even summoned a skeleton warrior, also got up.

“Put it away, now!” someone shouted.

“What are you doing?” another voice said.

Gainando looked confused. “Hey, no… why? This is magic too!” He felt like it wasn’t fair.

Everyone had prepared to fight the Basilisk together, so why was he the only one getting scolded?

“Dark magic is still magic!”

“I know, so put it away! Other people are watching!”

Gainando sadly dismissed the skeleton warrior.

The skeleton warrior disappeared. *‘This empire hates dark magic,’* it thought angrily. *‘Summoning me is important, you know!’*

The spirit, Perguntaire, spoke sternly to Ihan before disappearing. ‘You are wasting a chance to summon me! You can only call me a few times, and then I need a long rest before you can call me again.’

Ihan asked in surprise.

“Are there other penalties besides the cooldown?”

Perguntaire was almost very angry. He almost lost his temper with the young wizard.

Forget about magic use for now! Just remember this: you will be sorry if you waste chances like this!

“I came this time because it was really dangerous. But… why did the Basilisk fall down?” He thought for a moment. *‘Maybe it was just hungry. How should I know?’*

Perguntaire looked away, pretending not to care. But he knew the Basilisk hadn’t just fallen because it was tired or hungry. He could feel strong magic on its body, like a curse that turned things to stone. It was as if the Basilisk had been hurt by its own deadly stare.

Hurt by its own stare… “Sorry, what?” Perguntaire said, surprised. “The Basilisk’s stare is very dangerous. If someone blocks it, the danger goes back to the Basilisk. Did it have something to protect itself from its own stare?”

“No,” Ihan answered.

Perguntaire suddenly understood. *‘That young wizard blocked the Basilisk’s stare just with his own magic!’* he realized.

*‘What is this… This is amazing!’* Perguntaire thought. “I have to go now.”

“But you can stay a bit longer,” Ihan said.

“No need!” Perguntaire didn’t want to say good things about Ihan, so he quickly disappeared. He looked a bit grumpy as he left.

Ihan thought, *‘If I ever get into trouble later,’* *‘I should buy a present for that spirit. What would he like?’*

“I-Is it all… all over?”

“Yes, it’s all over. Please wait here for a moment, just in case.”

Ihan called the guards who had been waiting outside. It was to ensure the Basilisk was securely locked away, just in case.

The startled guards rushed in, and the situation was roughly brought under control.

Suddenly, Prince Bogajun grabbed Ihan’s right hand tightly! Tears filled the Prince’s eyes, and he looked very eager. “Wodanaz-nim, you saved my life!” he cried out.

“No, no,” Ihan said, confused. “Even if you were turned to stone, it’s not like we are in the middle of nowhere. A healer would have come in an hour.” Ihan was very surprised by the Prince’s big reaction.

Ihan remembered how Gainando had acted when he got one sweet. *‘Maybe being dramatic is just how royal people are,’* Ihan thought.

Suddenly, Princess Judrantas grabbed Ihan’s other hand! “You saved my life too!” she said.

“Really, I didn’t,” Ihan said again.

“We must thank you! Come visit us!”

“No, come to our party!”

“I asked him first! Move away!”

“Go away and do something important, then come back!”

“How dare you be so rude! Remember that time your guard…!” The two royals pulled on Ihan, trying to drag him to their side, arguing loudly. But Ihan was much stronger than them, and he didn’t move at all.

*‘Is this normal?’* Ihan wondered. The Prince and Princess had been trying to look proper because everyone was watching. But now they were arguing like children, maybe because they were scared by the Basilisk. *‘Is it okay for royals to act like this?’*

Someone whispered, “That’s not right…” Another person said, “They are forcing Wodanaz-nim, even though he said no. How rude!”

*‘Okay, it’s not okay,’* Ihan thought. He saw the important people whispering and knew he had to stop the royals.

“You two. What you’re doing right now is a bit…”

“Ihan. Ihan.” Gainando scurried over and whispered. Ihan gave him a stern look.

“I told you to only say ‘yes,’ ‘no,’ or ‘hee hee.’”

“It’s an emergency, so I can’t help it! Mom’s here!”

Everyone stopped moving when they heard Gainando’s mother had come early. Usually, someone coming early isn’t a problem. But today was different. They were having a party at someone else’s house and had almost caused a disaster by letting a Basilisk out! The person who owned the house would be very, very angry.

Brodon, who had brought the Basilisk egg, looked down, feeling very guilty. He couldn’t even lift his head. “Everyone, I’m so sorry,” he mumbled.

“No, Brodon,” someone said. “We are all here together. It’s not just your fault.”

Ihan saw everyone looked very worried. He looked at Gainando and asked, “Is your mother really that strict?”

Gainando looked like he was about to cry. “I’m doomed… I’m doomed…”

Ihan was surprised that even Gainando was so scared.

Ihan thought, *‘This wasn’t even Gainando’s fault.’* “Why are you so worried? It’s not your fault,” Ihan said.

“She told me not to make a mess of the house while she was gone,” Gainando said sadly.

“But other people did it. She will understand that,” Ihan said.

Gainando looked up, his eyes full of hope. “Really? Do you think so? Can you talk to her for me?”

“No. I’m just a guest. You have to do it.”

“…Talk to her for me…! I’m too scared!” Gainando held onto Ihan’s arm tightly.

Gainando thought Ihan talking to his mother would make things much easier than if he had to talk to her himself.

“Kraha is coming!” a servant announced loudly. Everyone quickly fixed their clothes and stood up from their chairs. Even the Prince and Princess checked their clothes to make sure they looked okay.

The heavy wooden doors creaked open with a loud groan.

Gainando’s mother stepped into the hall, and suddenly, a blinding golden light filled the room. It was like the sun had decided to visit them indoors.

People who looked at the light gasped. They couldn’t help but say how beautiful she was.

“Ah…!” someone whispered.

“Her beauty is blinding!” another exclaimed, shielding their eyes.

“???” Lee Han blinked, confused. He couldn’t understand what everyone was seeing.

Everyone else looked amazed.

So much light was coming from her face that he couldn’t see well.

But everyone else was acting like this…

‘Is it some kind of charm?’

Not only monsters like incubi had charm powers. Some spirits could also make people like them.

Gainando’s mother was said to have spirit blood, so it wasn’t surprising she had this power.

Lee Han was strong against these kinds of problems, so he was okay. But…

“Gainando, don’t you have powers like that?”

“What powers?”

‘He doesn’t.’

Lee Han felt a little sad.

If Gainando had these powers, he could have gotten followers like the other royals.

The light went away.

Gainando’s mother put on a veil.

“So, what happened?”

“I’m sorry!”

Brodon, the nobleman in charge, stepped up to explain.

“It’s our fault, Lady Kraha!”

“It is our fault!”

Gainando’s veiled mother thought for a moment instead of answering.

Then she asked,

“Who fixed it?”

“Uh… Gainando and his friends…”

“Stop trying to flatter me. Who fixed it? The guards?”

“No, it really was Gainando and his friends who fixed it…”

“Didn’t I say stop trying to flatter me!”

Bang!

Gainando’s mother slammed her hand on the armrest, making a sound that made the air colder.

She strongly believed that Gainando could never have fixed it.

‘Hmm. Maybe parents really do know their kids well.’

Lee Han didn’t feel worried. But the nobles and royals were even more scared than before.

“W-Well… Lee Han of the Wodanaz family did most of it, but Gainando really did help…”

“It’s not a lie… We solved it together.”

The nobles had been hiding behind the table when it happened, so they didn’t really know what happened.

They thought Lee Han did something and just called his friends to help a little.

So, it made sense that they thought they all helped.

“No? Lee Han did it alone… Ack.”

Gainando looked confused and tried to tell the truth, but the three of them pinched his back at the same time.

Read the mood!

Only then did Gainando’s mother seem to believe that the nobles weren’t flattering her. She slowly looked at Lee Han and said,

“I’m sorry for making you listen to those harsh words when you didn’t do anything wrong. You’re from the Wodanaz family, you said?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry for being rude, but what are you to Gainando?”

“Oh, we’re friends.”

“……”

“…?”

It became very quiet.

Lee Han wondered if he had said something wrong.

‘Is ‘friend’ an insult in this house?’

“Really?”

“We’re really close! We’re best friends!”

Gainando felt like he had to say something.

Gainando’s mother ignored him and looked at Yoner, asking,

“Are they really…”

“They’re friends.”

“Why…”

“Because he’s kind?”

“Later, because of family stuff…”

“I don’t think Lee Han cares about that, so it should be okay.”

The nobles and royals didn’t understand, but Lee Han had a rough idea.

‘Hmm. Gainando must have made some of his old friends angry.’

Gainando’s mother looked at Lee Han from behind her veil.

He couldn’t see her eyes, but Lee Han felt like she felt sorry for him and was thankful.

‘It must be my imagination.’

“Thank you for stopping it from becoming a bigger problem.”

“I just did what I had to do.”

“I don’t want to seem like I’m showing off, but please take this gift. Here.”

Gainando’s mother gestured, and one of the servants carefully gave Lee Han a jewel pouch.

Lee Han thought, ‘Should I say no first and then take it? But what if they take it back?’ Gainando’s mother spoke again.

“Please, I hope you’ll take it. Please take this gift. It’s not about how much it’s worth, but about my thanks.”

“If you say so, I’ll take it.”

Lee Han put the jewel pouch in his pocket, feeling touched.

Gainando’s mother was a truly amazing person.

She was so thoughtful! Not like people who give gifts that mean nothing!

‘She is a true noble.’

“I hope you stay as long as you want. Then…”

Gainando’s mother left her seat, and the nobles finally felt relieved.

“Thank you, Lord Wodanaz.”

“We are very grateful to you today.”

He stopped the basilisk and also stopped Lady Kraha from being angry.

They couldn’t thank him enough.

Brodon and Zolbabden decided to tell everyone about the young man from the Wodanaz family at the next meeting.

Lee Han didn’t know what they were thinking. He just nodded.

“It was nothing. I just did what I had to do.”

“Lord Gainando was great too. To think he could stop a basilisk. What kind of magic did you use?”

“Oh… um… Hehe.”

“Ah, it’s a secret, I see.”

Some magic users keep their special skills secret. The nobles thought this was a good reason.

Gainando felt much better with all the praise.

“I can do that much… Hee hee…”

As Gainando spoke, he saw the two royals glaring at him, and he was scared.

‘That guy is sneakier than Adenart.’

‘To think he was hiding it even though they’re close friends?’

They were careful of Adenart because Lee Han was friends with him. But it turned out they needed to be careful of someone else.

“L-Lee Han. Those people are glaring at me…”

“Pretend you don’t see them and ignore them.”