Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 411

“Wait,” one of the dark wizards frowned, scratching his chin. “For heavy work, don’t you usually use golems?”

Lee Han saw their confused faces. *Oops.* He quickly tried to change the subject. “So,” he said, forcing a smile, “you’re here for the festival?”

But the dark wizards just stared at him, their eyes like dark stones. They didn’t seem friendly at all.

“Golems?” one finally said, sounding puzzled. “Why would we use golems for chores?”

“Magic is valuable, isn’t it?” another added. “Do wizards in Einroguard waste magic on things like that?”

“Wouldn’t it be cheaper to just hire someone to do it?” the first one asked again, still frowning.

*These guys are unbelievable,* Lee Han thought, annoyed. *No common sense at all.* He sighed quietly to himself.

The dark wizards didn’t notice Lee Han was annoyed inside. They kept asking questions.

“Anyway, we don’t use golems for chores, but we were greatly impressed to see golems doing chores in Einroguard.”

“Indeed. Golems doing chores. It sounds absurd, but when you think about it, there’s no more effective training method, is there?”

“It’s just that there was no other way…”

Lee Han tried to explain. Golems were the only way to finish the chores and get food on time.

But the dark wizards were impressed once again.

“So, golem training was the only way!”

“…No. I mean, that was the only way to do chores and get food.”

The dark wizards didn’t understand Lee Han’s joke. They just kept admiring him.

“Ah, we were so surprised that we forgot to introduce ourselves… We are dark wizards here to participate in this festival. Don’t be too alarmed just because we’re dark wizards. There are quite a few dark wizards who are skilled in summoning magic.”

The dark wizards were worried Lee Han would shout, ‘Dark wizard!’ and run away. So, they quickly said they were not bad people.

But it was pointless. The student before them was already an exceptional dark wizard.

“We specialize in golem research in particular… We would like to hear a little about how the Wardanaz student controls golems. Most of the rumors about dark wizards are malicious nonsense, so please don’t believe them too much…”

Seeing the dark wizards trying to justify themselves with every word—‘Dark wizards are actually okay’—Lee Han felt a little sorry for them.

‘I should just say it simply and be done with it.’

“Lee Han is learning dark magic too, so you don’t have to keep saying that.”

Gainando was listening and suddenly spoke.

He was annoyed that the dark wizards seemed to be ignoring Lee Han.

But the dark wizards were startled and asked again.

“You’re learning dark magic?”

“Oh? Yes.”

“So, does that mean you’re a dark wizard?”

“Uh… in a way?”

“That golem too, could it be dark magic?!”

“I don’t know about that… Lee Han? Lee Han?”

Gainando, who was calling for Lee Han, flinched.

Lee Han was staring at Gainando with eyes colder than the eternal snow of the permafrost.

“…D-Did I do something wrong?”

Lee Han didn’t answer.

“…Will skipping dinner make up for it?”

Lee Han didn’t answer.

“…Then until tomorrow morning?”

“Forget it. I’ll deal with you later.”

Gainando felt bad and offered to skip two meals to make up for it. He looked sad.

‘It’s all because of those dark wizards!’

Why did they have to come to the summoning festival and create such turmoil!

“Inanimate object summoning this way!”

“Living creature summoning, please come this way.”

“Let me compare it with the documents you submitted. Please open your reagent pouch.”

Professor Milrei’s older students were helping at the festival. These students were experts in summoning magic from Einroguard. They had to manage all the wizards who came to the Boltzmann’s Summons festival.

The Boltzmann’s Summons festival, unlike the other large festivals in the Empire, was a small festival where only wizards gathered, but in some ways, that made it more dangerous.

Wizards were bound to cause accidents even when ordinary people were around, so how much more would they cause if there weren’t any ordinary people?

“H-Here.”

“Three packets of Negeleb seeds, one packet of Harmony Tobacco, one octahedron containing a fire spirit, a Gula Kalman tentacle… Wait a minute. The Gula Kalman tentacle wasn’t on the document. What is this?”

“…Please let it slide. It’s essential if I want to summon something stronger. Just think about how powerful an entity the Gula Kalman tentacle can summon…”

“Are you crazy?! Are you trying to summon a giant sea monster behind our backs??”

“N-No. Why would you say that? It’s completely controllable.”

“Put down the reagent pouch and throw your wand on the ground! The moment you move, I’ll break something.”

“Why… why are you doing this! I thought the wizards of Einroguard would understand this much!”

“Shut up and get down on the ground?!”

“Kuh! Why my magic…!”

Some wizards tried to trick Einroguard and do dangerous magic. They were caught and taken away.

The other summoning wizards watching shook their heads.

“Those kinds of people come out every year.”

“I know, right? I understand the desire to prove their magic at the festival, but magic that they can’t control is just a disaster.”

“Ah. Professor Milrei. Hello.”

The summoning wizards all showed respectful greetings at the appearance of Professor Milrei.

Among the summoning wizards gathered here, there were plenty of people whose majors didn’t overlap.

Some specialized in inanimate objects with self-awareness.

Some specialized in giant golems among inanimate objects.

And some specialized in creatures of the spirit realm among living things…

Everyone had their own major, but Professor Milrei’s skills were so outstanding that she was respected by all those summoning wizards.

The older students from Einroguard saw how much everyone respected their teacher. They smiled at each other, feeling proud.

An excellent professor, many new students entering every year, diverse and interesting curriculum, a bright future for the school.

The summoning magic school was a textbook and exemplary school within Einroguard, with nothing to criticize.

“The first-year students are doing okay, right?”

“I heard they’re doing fine.”

“We have to do well. Even if she pretends not to be, the professor will be subtly disappointed.”

During a short break in the middle of organizing, the senior students whispered.

Unlike the first-year students, the seniors who had learned under Professor Milrei for several years could somewhat guess the inner thoughts of their teacher, who had few emotional expressions.

Even though Professor Milrei was strict and didn’t seem to be happy or sad about her students’ grades, she was surprisingly proud of her students.

How disappointed would Professor Milrei be if the first-year students didn’t meet expectations in front of the wizards from outside?

In order not to disappoint their teacher, the senior students hoped that the first-year students would show outstanding performances.

“It’ll be a paper mouse or a paper bird, right?”

“I took a quick look and it was a paper bird.”

“Ah… a paper bird will be difficult, won’t it?”

“Should we help them now?”

“Forget it. It’ll backfire. If we get caught, it’s the punishment room.”

One of the senior students who was trying to write down various secrets on paper and pass them on was stopped by everyone else.

Magic skills come from hard work and practice, not just from advice.

“But I heard there’s a good first-year student? They said they’re from the Wardanaz family.”

“The Wardanaz family! …Even so, first-year students are a mess, aren’t they? Their stomachs are stuck to their backs, so they won’t have the mind to study magic or anything.”

The students recalled their own first year.

To be honest, they seemed to have looked for more food than studying in their first year.

Memorizing all the types of weeds and wild grasses rolling around on the streets, memorizing all the appearances and combat methods of the monsters that appeared near the school, desperately learning the magic that would help secure food among the magic…

…When did we really study magic?

“Ah. If it’s Wardanaz, is it that first-year student?”

“Do you know them?”

“…I heard Dirett and Coholt talking, but something’s a little strange. Coholt might be full of hot air, but Dirett isn’t someone who would make up nonsense, right? But…”

“What did you hear? That they’re not a person but a transformed dragon?”

“First of all, they said they’re taking all the lectures from various schools.”

“Oh dear.”

“Why would they do such a crazy thing?”

“There are some guys who want to destroy themselves sometimes.”

The older students felt sorry for him, more than surprised.

Wizards didn’t not listen to lectures from various schools, they didn’t listen because they couldn’t!

Because they would die if they listened to all of them!

“So, are they still alive?”

“They said they’re getting top marks in all the school lectures and are still listening to them in the second semester.”

“……”

“……”

A silence filled with terror.

“…Are they a relative of Professor Garcia?”

“They’re a Wardanaz, you crazy bastard. How could they be a relative of Professor Garcia?”

“That’s… that’s impossible.”

The seniors were in an uproar.

Einroguard was the place where the most outstanding talents in the Empire gathered, but even so…

“I heard a rumor that a monster came into the first year, but it’s not a rumor, it’s a real monster.”

“But in some ways, it’s a relief, right? If that kind of guy is in the first year, the professor won’t be disappointed.”

“That’s right. Their summoning magic skills are reliable, right?”

The student who told the story wasn’t sure if it was true from the start. So, he started to sound less confident.

“That’s true, but…”

“Why? What is it? Is there something you haven’t said yet?”

“Well, that guy, when the Frost Giant King was summoned in the first semester…”

From the Frost Giant King incident to the things that happened during the vacation.

Although the incident was quite reduced and summarized, the seniors’ expressions were distorted.

“…You’ve been deceived by Coholt.”

“That guy’s exaggerations are a bit much.”

“R-Really??”

The student who conveyed the story was also dubious from the beginning, so their voice gradually weakened.

It felt too far-fetched after all…

“Wait a minute. Why are the dark wizards gathered over there?”

“I’ll go check just in case.”

“Okay. Don’t let them insist on summoning some strange undead. Even if a strong one is summoned, things will get annoying… Huh??”

“Huh??”

The summoning magic students who were talking were flustered and hesitated.

There was a first-year student among the dark wizards.

…Why are you there!?

“Hya… It’s really amazing.”

“I know, right.”

The dark wizards who saw Lee Han controlling the golem sent gazes of admiration.

To be able to control it so precisely.

“Even if it consumes a lot of magic power, you wouldn’t just consume magic power raw, so what method do you use to save magic power?”

“…I’m just consuming magic power raw and using it.”

“Looking at it, the core of this golem is quite damaged, so how are you moving it?”

“…The core was damaged!?”

“……”

The dark wizards were so embarrassed that they didn’t know whether to admire or be dumbfounded by this student.

Lee Han controlled the golem like a master dark wizard. But his knowledge seemed like a beginner who just started learning.

“What are you all doing?”

While they were buzzing, wizards from other places approached.

At the sight, the dark wizards frowned. They were the ones who specialized in golems among the summoning wizards.

Even within the same school, there was competition if they had the same research topic, but that competition was even fiercer in other schools.

“Get lost. Don’t snoop on other people’s golems.”

“Ha. Why would I snoop on a golem summoned by dark magic? Pure summoning magic is enough.”

“Enough my foot. What was so enough that the golem you summoned last time had its legs blown off by one magic spell?”

“T-That was a temporary phenomenon that happened because I reduced the armor and changed the materials for mobility! Your golem that falls over and rolls around with one divine magic spell or… Huh?? W-What is that?”

The golem summoning wizards were shocked to see Lee Han controlling the golem to do chores.

What on earth did those dark wizards do?!