Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 336

Lee Han felt a little guilty. It was his fault he missed dance class, but the Skull Headmaster thought it was his own fault.

Lee Han said, “I’m sorry.”

“Forget it,” the Skull Headmaster replied quickly.

Lee Han continued, “It sounds like people misunderstand you because of how you usually act.”

The Skull Headmaster looked surprised. “Do you think saying that *after* you apologize makes your apology sound real?”

Lee Han’s words made the Skull Headmaster speechless.

Lee Han thought it was amazing how the Skull Headmaster could make an apology sound like an insult. He wondered who taught him to do that.

“So,” the Skull Headmaster asked, “why are you here?”

“Why else would I meet with important nobles?” Lee Han replied.

The Skull Headmaster looked tired. He took out a shiny gold coin and held it in his hand.

Without thinking, Lee Han reached for the coin. The Skull Headmaster quickly pulled his hand back and stared at Lee Han like he was crazy.

“Were you trying to steal my gold?” the Skull Headmaster asked, surprised.

“No!” Lee Han said. “I thought you were going to give it to me.”

“…Seeing you now,” the Skull Headmaster said slowly, “I understand why the Emperor sometimes gets annoyed with you… I need money.”

Magicians always need a lot of money.

They use expensive jewels and rare things to make magic items. They can’t be careful with money. They might even say, “I used all the diamonds you gave me, but it didn’t work. Can I have even better diamonds?” They say it so casually that the people giving them money get stressed!

Einroguard was full of the best magicians in the Empire, so they were also the *most* extravagant. Even though the Emperor helped Einroguard, some important people in the government didn’t like it (the people who managed the Emperor’s money got scared just hearing Einroguard’s name!). The school always needed more money. So, one of the Skull Headmaster’s jobs was to get more money.

“Really? That sounds hard,” Lee Han said, feeling sorry for him. Being a professor wasn’t just about magic and teaching. They also had to get money for the school. Lee Han thought the Skull Headmaster was actually good at that.

Lee Han thought to himself: ‘Wait… is he just trying to trick people into giving him money?’

“Why are you staring at me like that?” the Skull Headmaster asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Lee Han replied. “By the way, when are you visiting my family?”

“The Wodanaz family?” The Skull Headmaster looked at Lee Han like he was saying something silly. “There’s no reason to visit *your* family. Would a busy magician give money to *another* magician for experiments? Magicians never give money to each other. They might use it themselves, but they wouldn’t give it to someone else.”

“Oh, I see. Did Lady Kraha give you any money?” Lee Han asked.

“Not yet,” the Skull Headmaster said. “Getting money from someone else is hard. I need to visit her a few more times to convince her.” The Skull Headmaster looked very serious. He looked even more serious than when he used that powerful magic last time. Getting money was even harder than magic, it seemed.

“It sounds like it’s hard to convince her,” Lee Han said.

“Of course!” the Skull Headmaster replied. “Lady Kraha is not easy to deal with.”

“You probably already told her about Gainan,” Lee Han said. “So… do you have any other reasons to ask for money? Like, about the next semester?” Lee Han tried to ask carefully. He wanted to know what to expect. But the Skull Headmaster didn’t give in easily.

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you,” the Skull Headmaster said. “And are you suggesting I tell her about your son being sent to detention?” The Skull Headmaster looked at Lee Han like he didn’t trust him. He thought Lee Han was trying to get revenge for what happened last semester.

“No, no, it’s not that…” Lee Han said quickly. “You know, Lady Kraha… Did you know that Gainan is good at black magic?”

“Really?” Gainan’s mother asked, surprised. “Not with magic cards?”

“He’s not great with magic cards,” Lee Han said, “but he’s very good at black magic. He’s one of the best in my class.”

‘There are only a few students in that class anyway.’ The Skull Headmaster was surprised but stayed quiet.

“Duke Gonadaltes,” Lady Kraha said, “I haven’t heard anything about this?”

“Lady Kraha,” the Skull Headmaster replied, “I can’t tell everyone my students’ secrets.”

Lee Han thought to himself: ‘He’s really trying to avoid talking about detention…’

“I’ll think about giving you money,” Lady Kraha said.

“Really? Thank you so much!” the Skull Headmaster said. “I actually need some new bodies.”

Gainan’s mother smiled kindly and nodded.

The Skull Headmaster looked at Lee Han differently now. “I’m proud of you,” he said.

“Headmaster,” Lee Han said, “I don’t want to show off, but I *am* the best student this year.”

“Yes, yes, best student,” the Skull Headmaster said. “I’m proud of you. But I have to visit another family now.”

“I’m going to dance class,” Lee Han said, turning away and pretending not to hear him.

Dancing wasn’t hard. Gainan’s mother was a good dancer, and Lee Han had done much harder things when fighting monsters. Actually, if Gainan’s mother wasn’t so nice, he might learn faster. Lee Han thought: ‘It feels weird when no one attacks me if I mess up the steps.’ Gainan’s mother didn’t know what Lee Han was thinking. She said kindly, “The most important thing in dancing is the beat. If you feel the beat, you can follow the steps. One, two, three. Again, one, two, three.”

Gainan’s mother watched Lee Han dance and smiled like a teacher who was happy with a good student. He was learning fast. “You’re very talented,” she said. “It’s a shame to waste it. Maybe you should take dance class next semester?”

“I’m already taking a lot of classes,” Lee Han said quickly. He knew that even Professor Voladi would understand if he said he was taking *all* the magic classes. It was a good excuse.

“Oh, really? That’s too bad,” Gainan’s mother said. She didn’t try to convince him more. If he was the best student, he probably knew what he was doing. Gainan’s mother thought: ‘I should talk to Duke Gonadaltes when I give him the money.’ She thought she should say something to the Skull Headmaster. Maybe it was his fault Lee Han couldn’t take dance class.

“By the way,” Lee Han asked, “is there anything I should know about the ball?” He needed advice. His friends were young and didn’t go to parties much, but Lee Han knew even less. He wasn’t interested in parties at all. So, advice from someone like Gainan’s mother was very helpful.

“First,” Gainan’s mother said, “it’s best to stay away from the royal family.”

“Oh,” Lee Han said, a little surprised. He thought: ‘Is she telling me not to be friends with Gainan?’

“I’m glad you’re friends with Gainan,” she continued, “but the royals at the ball might get jealous. They can be annoying.” Gainan’s mother gave him kind advice, as if she knew what he was thinking. Royals want to show off how great they are at parties so people in high society will think, “They are amazing! We should support them to be the next leader!” So, they really like to meet talented new students at the magic school. If you want to be important, you could become friends with a royal and choose who to support. But if you don’t want to do that, it’s best to avoid them.

“If you politely say no to dancing or talking, they will understand and respect what you want. They are very proud.”

“Huh?” Lee Han tilted his head, confused. He thought: ‘They didn’t seem proud.’ When Lee Han said no, the royals kept bothering him. They even said in front of Gainan that they would “take Wodanaz away”… Lee Han thought: ‘Were the royals I met just not very proud?’

“I see. I’ll be careful,” Lee Han said. “Besides people who are annoying to be around, are there people who are good to know?”

“The nobles from Granden City are usually good people to know,” she said. “You’ll be living here for a few years, so they can help you.”

“Ah, that’s right. They helped me when I chased that undead chimera last time,” Lee Han said. Gainan’s mother pretended she didn’t hear about the time the new student chased and caught an undead chimera. She was very good at ignoring things, like someone who knew a lot about high society.

“Some people are especially good to know…” Gainan’s mother said.

Lee Han thought: ‘Oh! She’s going to tell me the most important people in Granden City!’ He was excited to hear what she would say.

“For example, Grime from the Bood family is in charge of the materials and supplies for the magic guild. It would be good for a magician to know him…”

“!” Just hearing that made Lee Han feel like he could hear coins clinking.

“Ah, wait,” Gainan’s mother said. “I don’t think that will work for you.”

“What? Why?” Lee Han asked, confused. “Is it because I’m from the Wodanaz family?” He was worried. He had already imagined becoming friends with Grime and getting lots of jobs just for him, working happily with his friends all vacation.

“It’s not because of your family,” Gainan’s mother said. “Grime has elf blood in him. He might be scared if he talks to you up close.”

“Huh?” Lee Han was even more confused. What was she talking about? “Um… Lady Kraha,” he asked, “aren’t you talking to me right now?” He hoped she would say, “That’s true,” or “Well, I’m okay, so maybe Grime will be too.” He knew spirits didn’t like him much, but it didn’t make sense that even half-elves wouldn’t like him…

“I’m strong-minded,” Gainan’s mother said, “but Grime is shy, and his elf blood is strong…”

“…” Gainan’s mother didn’t disagree. She just made it worse.

Lee Han asked sadly, “Am I really that scary?”

“Yes,” she said.

“…”

“I’m sorry,” Gainan’s mother said, feeling bad. “But I had to be honest.”

Lee Han suddenly wondered, “Then, is Gainan also strong-minded and not scared of me?”

“No,” Gainan’s mother said. “It’s just that his elf blood hasn’t shown up yet, so he doesn’t feel it.”

“I see,” Lee Han said.

The big hall in the middle of Granden City was usually used for important city events for nobles and officials. But today, it was for welcoming new magic school students. Students arrived one by one and were amazed at how beautiful the hall was. Lee Han arrived and saw other students from his tower who were already there. He said a quick hello. Friends who knew Lee Han greeted him, and some looked away.

“Why are they avoiding my eyes?” Lee Han wondered. “Oh, it’s a misunderstanding, Wodanaz,” someone said. Lee Han always tried to fix any small problems with people.

“Nilia,” Lee Han said, seeing that his dark elf friend didn’t look well. He thought he knew why. “You don’t want to be at the ball. I understand. I don’t really want to be here either.”

“It’s not that,” Nilia said.

“Not that? Then why?” Lee Han asked.

“I won first place at the Maykin mansion…” Nilia sighed and took out a piece of paper. The paper could read something like: “There are many hunters in the north with no jobs. Send them to the southern coast… They are good at shooting from far away, so they can fight monsters… If they catch monsters, people will be happy and the government will be more stable… Sorry…”

“Why did I write this?” Nilia mumbled.