Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 325

They stood just inside the warehouse door, the air thick with the smell of old wood and dust. Dirette leaned closer to Lee Han, his voice a nervous whisper.

“Junior,” he breathed, “how did you convince them to let us in?”

Lee Han shrugged, trying to look casual. “I know someone in the Black Tortoise Tower. They helped us out.”

Dirette’s eyes widened. “Really? A friend in the Black Tortoise Tower? But… wait a minute. Aren’t you supposed to be from the Blue Dragon Tower?” He frowned, confused.

Before Lee Han could answer, Gainando pointed urgently towards the back of the warehouse. “Senior! Look! Isn’t that magic leaking from the undead?”

Dirette, snapping back to attention, knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on Lee Han’s surprising connections.

“Good find. Let’s go!”

Bang!

A wooden crate burst from the warehouse, accompanied by the sound of splintering wood. Instantly, Lee Han swung his staff, conjuring a thick shield of water that enveloped the flying crate with a dull thud.

Dirette gritted his teeth.

The undead chimera, whether by design or chance, was exploiting their weaknesses. It was attacking the crates, knowing wizards were better at fighting monsters than protecting objects.

If it destroyed all the items in the warehouse, they’d be in serious trouble.

They had barely secured permission to enter, and the guild wouldn’t tolerate the destruction of their goods.

“Salco! Just try to understand if some things get broken!”

“I understand, just catch the undead! You handled the White Tiger Tower guys easily enough, why can’t you catch this undead thing!”

While Dirette was still processing Salco’s words, Lee Han unleashed a barrage of lightning magic.

Bzzzzzt!

Sensing the danger, the undead chimera darted behind a crate.

But Lee Han was relentless, not caring whether it hid behind or inside the crate.

He would smash everything in his path!

“Shine, shine, shine, shine!”

It was a storm of magic.

Dirette could only describe the scene as such. He was amazed by Lee Han’s power. Lee Han was using simple magic, but he was throwing spells one after another like a storm. It was incredible power.

As the warehouse’s interior was completely wrecked, leaving no place to hide, the undead chimera fled the premises.

Salco and the guild members, who were cautiously approaching from outside, were stunned by the sight.

“You’re supposed to sneak up, how can you not notice when you’re so openly showing murderous intent!”

“What do you expect from guild members who are neither wizards nor knights? This is good enough! Quickly, chase after the undead!”

“Anyway, thanks!”

Lee Han, putting aside his annoyance for the moment, offered his thanks. Thanks to Salco’s cooperation, they could pursue the creature.

“Let’s go, Senior!”

As Lee Han and his group rushed out, the guild members finally sighed in relief. They had been worried about an undead breaking into their warehouse.

“Will they be alright? Chasing a monster running loose in the city isn’t easy, especially when it’s not even human.”

“They’ll probably be fine. The one chasing is more of a monster himself.”

Salco said, stepping into the warehouse. He was shocked by the utter devastation.

‘Wodanaz…!! Even if I gave permission, this is a bit much!!’

At first, the undead chimera fled from magic, then from lightning. Now, it changed tactics, taking complex and winding paths to exhaust its pursuers.

“It seems to be waiting for us to tire out,” Lee Han observed.

“Hmph. It’s a mistake to think wizards would tire so easily. Everyone here is from Einroguard, right?” Dirette said.

“That’s right,” Lee Han and Imirgue confirmed.

“Hah… Hah…” Gainando panted, struggling to catch his breath. Lee Han cast a spell on him.

“Feet, wrinkle the earth.”

“Strength…! Thank you, Lee Han!” Gainando exclaimed.

The future muscle pain was a given, but Lee Han encouraged him. “It’s nothing, Gainando. Cheer up!”

“Yeah!!” Gainando replied.

“This is bad, Juniors,” Dirette said, sounding worried.

“What’s wrong?” Lee Han asked.

“It just had to be the Greenbel family’s mansion…” Dirette sighed. The Greenbel family was a powerful family in Granden City, and they weren’t easy to deal with. They liked to keep to themselves and didn’t like visitors.

‘Even if I say an undead has entered, I don’t think they’ll cooperate…’ Dirette thought.

“Junior, do you happen to know anyone in the Greenbel family?” Dirette asked, not expecting much.

Even as a member of the Wodanaz family from the Blue Dragon Tower, he couldn’t be friends with every noble family in the empire. Without connections, barging in and asking for help would be rude.

“Just a moment,” Lee Han said.

‘Could it be…’ Dirette thought, feeling a little embarrassed as Lee Han stepped forward.

Could he really have a connection?

“It’s okay. Let’s go in,” Lee Han said confidently.

“You have connections?!” Dirette asked, surprised.

“We’re not close, but I met them once before… It’s a long story, let’s go in first! We need to catch the undead.”

“O-Okay,” Dirette replied, following his junior, who seemed to have a surprisingly wide network of acquaintances, into the mansion.

Despite the news of an undead infiltration, the mansion’s steward remained calm.

“There’s no need to worry. We could have handled it even without the wizards’ help.”

Gainando bristled at the steward’s words. “You don’t know how strong and clever that undead is!”

“No matter how strong and clever it is, I doubt it can defeat the people in this mansion.”

“…Tch! You don’t seem to know, but Lee Han here is from the Wodanaz family, and he recently defeated a basilisk in one blow…”

“Shut up,” Lee Han hissed.

‘?????’ Dirette was sending Lee Han an astonished gaze.

They were guests, relying on the Greenbel family’s kindness, so why was Gainando trying to compete?

“It seems we have some impressive individuals here… May I ask who they are?” the steward asked, smiling.

“We have knights from the White Poplar Knights,” the steward replied.

Bickelntz, a knight of the White Poplar Knights, felt a pang of sympathy as he watched the trainee knights devour their food like they hadn’t eaten in days.

“I’m sorry, Greenbel,” Bickelntz said.

“It’s nothing. Why worry about such a small thing? They’re at an age where they eat a lot,” Alradne replied.

As Alradne said, the trainee knights were at an age where they were constantly hungry. Living as knights while still growing meant they always had an appetite.

Even so, it was a little embarrassing to see them with their faces buried in soup bowls, clutching chunks of meat in their other hands.

‘I’ll have to lecture them when we get back,’ Bickelntz thought.

“I’ve heard the White Poplar Knights’ trainees have been training around the city. Is the training going well? Do you need any help?” Alradne asked.

“I’m grateful just for your hospitality,” Bickelntz replied politely.

His answer was sincere, but it also carried a hidden meaning. Alradne might seem like a kind grandmother, but she was a shrewd woman. There was no need to create unnecessary obligations.

“Besides, students from knight families in Einroguard are here on vacation, and they’re positively influencing each other. To the point where I have nothing to do,” Bickelntz added.

Competition always sharpened skills. The Einroguard students and the trainee knights had a healthy rivalry.

The White Poplar Knights’ trainees even competed directly during the semester.

“Greenbel, there’s an intruder in the mansion…” a servant reported, rushing in.

Alradne’s expression hardened slightly. What thief would dare break into her mansion?

“Have you identified it?” she asked.

“The black mages have confirmed it’s an undead chimera that escaped from near the cemetery.”

“It’s hard to believe the words of black mages…” Alradne said skeptically.

“They’re students from Einroguard.”

“Ah. In that case…” Alradne’s attitude changed immediately. Students from Einroguard were qualified to make such pronouncements.

“And one of them is a student from the Wodanaz family, the one you mentioned last time.”

“Really? That’s unexpected,” Alradne said, surprised. She hadn’t realized Lee Han was studying black magic.

Well, the choice of magic was up to the individual.

“Allow them entry and treat them well. Leave the undead chimera to the students.”

“Will that be alright?” the servant asked.

“It’ll be enough. He’s from the Wodanaz family, and you’ve seen his skills. Besides, think about why it led it here,” Alradne said.

“Why it led it here?” the servant asked, confused.

Alradne simply smiled, offering no explanation. Lee Han of the Wodanaz family was a genius with matching ambition.

He had dared to challenge the mage of Baldore Orn, defeated the basilisk before the royals, and even tracked down and defeated an evil being from another dimension.

Even with outstanding abilities, recognition was crucial. He needed a reputation to match his talent.

In Alradne’s view, Lee Han was carefully building his reputation. It wouldn’t be surprising if he became one of the empire’s leading new mages in a few years.

Therefore, it was best to let Lee Han catch the undead chimera now. Showing consideration would earn her goodwill.

Besides, taking away his prey would be like picking a fight. There was no need to create such a formidable enemy.

“It’s a monster!!!” someone screamed.

“Don’t worry, Greenbel! We’ll take care of it!” the trainee knights shouted.

“Wait a second…” Alradne tried to stop them, but the trainee knights had already dropped their bowls and grabbed their swords at the sight of the monster outside the window.

Before Alradne could intervene, they charged out.

Bickelntz, left alone with Alradne, wiped the sweat from his brow and looked around nervously.

“I’m… I’m sorry. They’re usually not so rude, but a monster appeared…”

Alradne ignored Bickelntz’s apologies, her gaze turning cold.

Bang!

One of the trainee knights bravely charged, knocking the undead chimera off balance with a magic-infused body check.

“It’s down!”

“Cut off its legs so it can’t run away!”

The trainee knights cheered, quickly surrounding the creature. Their movements were swift and coordinated, honed by countless training sessions.

Lee Han and Dirette were impressed.

“They’re good, aren’t they?” Dirette commented.

“They’re good,” Lee Han agreed.

“Ah… No! No! Those guys just stole our prey!!” Gainando shouted in disbelief. He couldn’t understand how Lee Han and Dirette could remain so calm in this absurd situation.

“Gainando, think about it,” Dirette said calmly.

“That’s right. Junior, what’s important isn’t who caught it, but how well we prevented the damage the undead could have caused. Even if no one knows, we know no one was hurt thanks to these juniors, right?”

Lee Han, who had been nodding in agreement, paused, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“That’s not what I meant,” Lee Han said.

“Huh? Then?” Dirette asked, confused.

“Since they’re the ones who interfered with our hunt, they’ll have to apologize to us to protect their reputation after they’ve finished it off. We’ll have succeeded without lifting a finger. We can just leave them to it.”

“…Junior?!” Dirette exclaimed, shocked by Lee Han’s political skills.

He knew Lee Han was unusual, but he couldn’t believe he had made all those calculations so quickly.