Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 319

Lee Han didn’t reply. Instead, he strode over and tugged on Gainando’s cloak.

With his hidden face revealed, Gainando looked embarrassed.

“I-I wasn’t trying to use it. I was just curious about how it works… Yeah! I need to know so I won’t get caught later!”

“I didn’t say anything,” Lee Han replied.

“…Why are you here! You’re here to find an artifact to win at the card game too, aren’t you!” Gainando accused.

Lee Han and Yoner were speechless at Gainando’s absurd accusation.

Sometimes, nonsense is so much, you can’t react right away.

“Right?! I guessed right, didn’t I?” Gainando insisted.

“No, you didn’t,” Lee Han said flatly.

“Stop talking rubbish,” Lee Han retorted.

“…I’m not?” Gainando asked, slightly subdued.

He naturally assumed they were there to buy artifacts for the card game.

“Gainando, if you want to win at the card game, there’s another way,” Lee Han suggested.

“Huh? Really?” Gainando’s eyes sparkled.

Lee Han was known as the most successful magician card game expert in the Blue Dragon Tower.

“Change the composition of your deck a bit,” Lee Han advised.

“No! All of them are my precious cards!” Gainando protested.

He had no low-cost cards in his deck, only high-cost cards, so he was always losing quickly in the beginning, but Gainando wanted to believe in his cards until the end.

“Then there is another way,” Lee Han continued.

“What is it?” Gainando asked.

“Don’t whine when you lose, and accept defeat with grace,” Lee Han said.

“……” Gainando glared fiercely at Lee Han.

He didn’t care if he was scolded for not being able to do magic, but he couldn’t stand being criticized for his card game.

“Lee Han, look here,” Yoner called out. She had been looking around, seemingly ignoring their conversation.

“These glasses. Doesn’t it look useful?” she asked.

“Alchemist’s Glasses, huh? It certainly looks good,” Lee Han replied.

Alchemist’s Glasses: These glasses, made by refining Hoan stone from the Ikanzel Mine in the West, have a perfectly balanced design, adjusted by the best artifact artisans in the Empire. Experience the effects of a powerful ingredient analysis magic that lasts for 5 years.

‘How much is it?’ Lee Han wondered.

Price – 100 Imperial Gold Coins.

Lee Han lost his balance and staggered.

Yoner was startled. She wondered if her sister’s vicious mental attack had finally taken effect.

“Are you okay!? Is it because of my sister?!” she asked, concerned.

“T-The price… 100 gold coins,” Lee Han stammered.

“…You startled me,” Yoner admitted.

“Yoner. Don’t you think something’s strange? How is this worth 100 Imperial gold coins?” Lee Han asked, confused.

Of course, the Alchemist’s Glasses were a useful item.

Even people who couldn’t use magic could easily analyze the ingredients of various materials and reagents.

But to Lee Han, a magician, it was too expensive. It wasn’t even a permanent artifact.

‘Gathering materials, casting magic, and working on it… the cost shouldn’t even be one gold coin,’ he thought.

For such an artifact to be more expensive than all the money Lee Han had collected.

‘Isn’t it? Maybe I’m thinking wrong.’

He had heard a lot about artifacts being expensive, but if even these artifacts were this expensive…

Lee Han’s dream of a fortune might not be a dream.

“This is expensive because of the design and the decorations, Lee Han, more than the magic,” Yoner explained.

“Huh?” Lee Han questioned.

“Look here,” Yoner pointed below the glasses.

The names of the artisans who participated in the creation of this artifact, their careers, and even the various jewels used in the decorations were described in detail.

Lee Han looked at the artifact again after reading the description.

It was definitely a pair of glasses that looked expensive even without magic.

“Why the heck would they do this? You could just cast magic on copper glasses,” Lee Han grumbled.

“Well… because the buyers want this kind of thing…” Yoner replied.

“Tch,” Lee Han clicked his tongue.

He resented the Empire’s tendency to focus only on appearance and splendor without seeing the true value of magic.

If Lee Han worked hard to make something, he wouldn’t be able to sell it for such a high price.

“I understand. Stop being upset and let’s look at something else,” Yoner suggested.

“Kuh! Why is it so expensive!?” Gainando exclaimed.

“?”

“?”

Yoner and Lee Han were taken aback by Gainando’s exclamation.

Gainando was not usually the type of friend to make such noises.

He was a friend with a never-ending allowance.

“You usually don’t say things like that? What’s wrong?” Lee Han asked.

“Ah. That’s…” Gainando said in a dejected voice.

After the battle with the Basilisk at the mansion…

“It wasn’t a battle. It was self-destruction,” Lee Han corrected coldly.

Other people might misunderstand if they heard it that way.

“Isn’t that enough to be a battle…” Gainando mumbled.

“No, it isn’t,” Lee Han stated firmly.

“Anyway, I got a lot of praise from my mother afterwards. She praised my friends a lot too,” Gainando continued.

“So?” Lee Han asked.

“I got excited… and told her about how I worked with my friends to earn silver coins. So she praised me even more…” Gainando explained.

Lee Han felt a little uneasy.

“Don’t tell me it’s what I’m thinking?” Lee Han asked, worried.

“…So I said I didn’t need an allowance anymore, that I would solve it with my own abilities…” Gainando confessed.

Lee Han and Yoner sighed simultaneously.

What a foolish thing to do!

Of course, they understood that he was praised and excited, but to give up his own allowance.

It was a very foolish thing to do.

To do such a thing because of pride.

“Still, I did well, right?” Gainando looked at his friends as if trying to rationalize his actions.

His eyes seemed to be saying this: Praise me!

But Lee Han answered seriously.

“Gainando. Go back and tell her you were wrong. Tell her you think a reasonable allowance is necessary,” Lee Han advised.

“That’s right. You can’t handle it,” Yoner agreed.

“Why not!” Gainando was overwhelmed by the cold answers from his two friends, who he thought would cheer him on.

“Well… you don’t really like working, do you?” Yoner pointed out.

“No, I am too! I am going to work hard as well!”

Lee Han and Yoner exchanged glances.

“No matter how I think about it, I feel like I’ll regret it.”

“True. But it’s none of our business.”

“…Aren’t you being too harsh on Gainando?”

“He needs to learn a lesson to understand.”

“Lee Han, I want to work with you too.”

“You’ll regret it.”

At Lee Han’s words, Gainando thumped his chest proudly.

“I’m an Einrogard student too. A proper wizard, I am.”

Yoner watched Gainando and thought, ‘He had it easy getting into this school because he’s from the Blue Dragon Tower…’

Listening to the stories of students from other towers, it was clear that every day was a desperate struggle for survival.

Lee Han was in the same tower, so he made sure Gainando was fed; otherwise, Gainando would have become half a corpse.

“Okay, okay,” Lee Han said to Gainando. “If I hear about any work, I’ll let you know.”

Gainando’s face lit up. “Really? Thank you, Lee Han!”

Lee Han shrugged. “Better to thank me after you’ve actually done the job. Anyway,” he turned to the counter and called, “Excuse me!” to the clerk behind it. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small, silver ring. It glinted softly in the shop’s light.

The clerk, a man with spectacles perched on his nose, hurried over. He peered at the ring. His eyes widened. “By the stars!” he exclaimed. “Is this… a ring enchanted with the Lightning Emission spell?”

“It is,” Lee Han confirmed.

The clerk picked up the ring carefully, turning it over in his fingers. “It’s beautifully crafted. Do you, by any chance, have the crafting manual that came with it?”

“Right here.” Lee Han placed the worn leather-bound manual on the counter.

The clerk was taken aback when he saw it.

“…Is this perhaps a gift presented by the Adventurer’s Guild as a sign of gratitude?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Are you perhaps Wodanaz, who recently defeated the evil being?”

Lee Han almost sighed deeply but held back.

No matter how he thought about it, there was definitely a Granden City information-sharing board.

“That’s right. Do I get a discount or something?”

The clerk chuckled softly. Then, realizing he was being too informal with a powerful wizard, he quickly became serious again. “You have a great sense of humor. I heard about it from my friend who works at the Adventurer’s Guild. I knew that the students of Einrogard were excellent wizards, but it’s rare to see someone so active from their first year.”

“I was lucky.”

Lee Han was being serious, but he was relieved that there wasn’t some kind of city-wide gossip network in Granden City.

“Anyway, there’s no problem, but… was there something wrong with the gift from the Adventurer’s Guild…?” The clerk asked cautiously.

If there was a problem with the gift from the Adventurer’s Guild, it wasn’t just one person’s problem.

From the artisan who made the artifact to the person in charge at the Adventurer’s Guild who trusted the artisan and commissioned the work, it would be a problem for many people.

“There was no problem. It’s just that I don’t need the artifact.”

“!”

The clerk was surprised at Lee Han’s words.

Not needing an artifact didn’t simply mean that he knew how to use the magic.

A wizard casting magic required more concentration and time than one might think.

Not needing an artifact that compensated for that meant that the casting speed of the >Lightning Emission< spell was on par with the activation speed of the artifact. 'Indeed… he’s worthy of having subdued Baldrogaard’s hermit and defeated the Basilisk.' The clerk nodded, thinking that Lee Han would clutch the back of his neck if he heard that. "The guild made a mistake." "No, the thought is what matters in a gift. Actually, I would have been satisfied even if they had given me gold coins." The clerk chuckled softly. Then, realizing he was being too informal with a powerful wizard, he quickly became serious again. "You really have a great sense of humor." "Anyway, please wait a moment. I’ll go and appraise it. Is this the only artifact you’re entrusting to us?" "Ah. Please take this helmet as well." The clerk nodded and headed to the back of the store. An hour later, the clerk returned with the two artifacts. Gainando slyly overturned the card game he was about to lose. "This ring with the >Lightning Emission< spell is worth about ten gold coins." Unless it was an antique or junk shop in a remote village, there was no clumsy negotiation in an artifact shop specializing in nobles in the central district of a large city like this. If you did such a thing, you would immediately hear the noble say, ‘Are you disregarding my honor now?’ 'Not bad.' Lee Han was very satisfied. Ten gold coins! To earn that much, he would have to work at the Maykin family’s workshop several times and receive dozens of commissions. It was a gift that showed the Adventurer’s Guild’s sincerity. "Please exchange it right away." "Yes. And this helmet…" Lee Han was slightly nervous. 'Won’t it be quite expensive? It’s an Ego Artifact. Ego Artifacts are definitely rare. But it has such a shabby appearance. Damn it. Should I have decorated it with jewels? No. Tampering with it with the skills of a non-expert would only have backfired.' "...It’s a cursed artifact." "Pardon?" "A cursed artifact. To be precise, it’s an artifact with evil tendencies. It has a tendency to lead its owner to ruin… You’re lucky you weren’t hurt." The clerk looked at Lee Han with a gaze that was half concern and half respect. The fact that he was fine even while possessing such an artifact proved the strength of his spirit. Of course, Lee Han was simply dumbfounded. 'It was a cursed artifact?' "Ah… that’s why Lee Han has been meeting so many strange guys." Gainando clapped his hands as if he finally understood. He had been meeting so many unusually strong enemies, and it was all because of that helmet. It has nothing to do with me! He didn’t even listen to me…! The helmet tried to protest as if it was wronged, but the clerk quickly covered it with a silencing cloth to block the helmet’s mouth. There was no point in listening to the words of an evil artifact. "This cannot be purchased. I’m sure Wodanaz-nim will handle it well, but please be careful as it is an evil artifact." "Thank you." Lee Han glared at the helmet and took it. The helmet shut its mouth and remained silent at the gaze. After buying Gainando a cotton candy and returning to the Wodanaz family’s mansion together, the servant said to Lee Han. "Young master. You have a guest." "At this hour?" To have a guest visit so late at night. It was a visit that wouldn’t be made unless they were very close or very rude. 'It must be the former.' "Is it Asan?" "No, it is not." "Deurgyu?" "No. It didn’t seem like a friend. And it was someone I’ve never seen before." "What race are they, by any chance?" The servant hesitated, then spoke in a hushed tone, "They were a vampire." Lee Han’s face turned as pale as a vampire's at the news. He felt a chill run down his spine. What could a vampire want with him?