Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 432

A leaky bucket leaks inside as well as out.

A wizard who stole livestock from the village for transformation magic experiments and used the city guild’s assets for alchemy was likely to have accumulated considerable wealth, even while at Einroguard.

‘I covet that inheritance.’

While Lee Han harbored such dark thoughts, his eyes gleaming, the senior looked around at the juniors and said,

“You juniors are still in your first year, right? Most of you probably don’t know about night strolls or outings.”

No… well… never mind. Keep talking.

The Skeleton Headmaster was about to say, ‘The first years in your time are quite different from the first years now,’ but stopped himself.

“Those were the good old days. Listen, juniors. Once you break a rule once, you’ll break it twice, and if you break it twice, you’ll break it three times… You mustn’t disregard the school rules! Sometimes, friends who disregard the rules might seem cool, but that’s an illusion.”

The juniors reacted fiercely to the senior’s heartfelt sermon.

“What’s he saying? Is he really a senior?”

“He’s a stooge bought off by the Headmaster!”

“After graduating and living an easy life, he’s forgotten what his first year was like!”

“Boo! Step down! Stooge of the Headmaster!”

Trying to tell the first-year juniors, whose tempers had been sharpened by eating only rough and hard food, to ‘obey the rules’ simply didn’t work. It only backfired.

“Juniors! Calm down! You might not believe me now, but as time passes…”

“Step down! Step down!”

Gainan threw crumpled balls of paper with glee.

The Skeleton Headmaster watched with a look of disdain.

‘What a moron.’

In fact, the Skeleton Headmaster hadn’t even ordered him to do this. The Skeleton Headmaster didn’t forbid students’ rule-breaking.

Of course, he did get annoyed when students occasionally raided his storage, but… Even considering that, such grim self-discipline was the source of improved magical skills.

‘It’s fine as long as they don’t do it outside the school. Why blame the school when they can’t control themselves?’

“Juniors! Juniors! Please listen to me!”

“Boo! Step down!”

“Please listen to…”

“Step down! Step down!”

Thud!

The senior struck the floor with his wand.

Gainan’s coat transformed into dozens of birds, which began pecking at him madly with their beaks.

“Ack! Aargh! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

The friends who had been jeering immediately fell silent at the sight of Gainan.

No matter how weak he seemed, the senior before them was also a monster who had survived the hell that was Einroguard.

The senior suddenly understood what he had done. He quickly stopped the bird spell, and Gainan fell to the floor, covered in feathers. But the mood in the room had changed completely. It was now as cold as ice.

The senior turned to the Skeleton Headmaster, his voice shaking slightly. “Headmaster… was that… okay?”

The Skeleton Headmaster’s voice was flat and emotionless. “How would I know?”

Cold sweat dripped down the senior’s face. The Headmaster’s words were like a slap.

Having been dragged here as punishment for causing trouble outside, this wizard from Einroguard had to do work befitting his status.

-Attend the lectures. Clearly explain to those iron-heads why they shouldn’t cause trouble outside.

-Headmaster! But I’m a wizard who graduated from Einroguard…

-Then continue to rot in the punishment room.

-…Thank you so much for entrusting me with such a mission!

Having been offered a reduction in his sentence in consideration of his performance in the lectures, the senior was desperate.

However, the atmosphere among the first-year students was frigid. They were too scared to jeer any further, but their eyes were full of distrust.

“Juniors. I got a little carried away just now. But I’m really not a dangerous person.”

Gainan sniffled and plucked out feathers. The friends glared at the senior.

“…Does anyone have any questions? Ask me anything.”

Lee Han raised his hand alone in a situation where no one else was raising theirs. The senior’s face lit up at the sight.

“Ask away!”

“I believe you were caught after committing a crime. Where were you imprisoned?”

“Uh… Einroguard’s punishment room, of course. I don’t know if the juniors know, but here in Einroguard, there’s a punishment room…”

“Wasn’t the punishment room only for students?”

“Good question. There are different kinds of punishment rooms. At first, when you’re in the lower grades, you only go to the outer punishment rooms, but later, when you’re in the higher grades, there are hidden inner punishment rooms. Those are for wizards caught from the outside…”

Hey, you moron. Is that what you’re supposed to be talking about in the lecture?

The senior was startled and shut his mouth at the Skeleton Headmaster’s annoyance.

Lee Han looked at the Skeleton Headmaster with a disappointed expression.

“Headmaster. I was only trying to ask how harsh and painful the punishment room is for my friends’ sake. If my friends know what kind of place the punishment room is, wouldn’t they be more careful not to go there?”

The senior was impressed by those words. There was a model student among the first-year students who was helping him.

Of course, the Skeleton Headmaster was speechless with disbelief.

“Very commendable. Your friends will surely understand your intentions.”

“While we’re on the subject, could you tell us about the location of the punishment room? I’m curious to know how deep and impossible to get into it is, so the students can be careful.”

You’re forbidden from asking questions.

The Skeleton Headmaster couldn’t bear to watch any longer and silenced Lee Han.

The senior looked at the Skeleton Headmaster with a resentful gaze. ‘I was helping to create a good atmosphere…’

Turn your gaze away, you moron. He looks like he doesn’t even know what he’s going through.

The Skeleton Headmaster clicked his tongue and issued an order at the sight of the foolish graduate looking back with unwarranted resentment.

Stop doing useless things and just show them some magic. Magic they shouldn’t do outside. That’ll cover the basics.

“Ah, I understand.”

The senior cleared his throat and raised his wand to create some space. The desks in the lecture hall disappeared, and the students gathered in a circle, ready to watch the magic.

“Alright. Everyone, watch.”

A spell was cast, and a chair transformed into a sheep. The first-year students exclaimed in admiration at the high level of transformation magic.

It was difficult to agree with the senior’s opinions, but his magical skills were undeniable.

“As you can see, this is one of the transformation magics that turns inanimate objects into living things. But there’s a very dangerous aspect to this magic.”

“What is it?”

“It’s that you mustn’t sell anything made with magic like this without telling people it was made with magic.”

The first-year students glared coldly at the senior, but the senior diligently explained why one shouldn’t create and sell fake livestock.

“And there’s more. Look. You see this gem made with magic, right?”

“Are you saying we shouldn’t sell that?”

“Excellent, juniors! Alright. Everyone, take notes.”

The first-year students muttered curses under their breath and picked up their quills. They thought they were going to learn interesting magic, but it turned out to be a ridiculous lecture.

‘Hmm. That senior is likely to go back to the punishment room.’

Lee Han, who still had something to ask, approached the senior while his friends grumbled and took out paper.

“Senior.”

“Aha.”

The senior treated Lee Han very favorably. This was the junior who had been trying to help with the lecture earlier. He couldn’t help but feel grateful.

“I know what you’re going to ask.”

“Oh. Do you?”

“Of course. You’re going to ask how to use the magic I showed you earlier, right?”

“But junior, it’s impossible to use this magic in your first year. If you really want to learn it, master Steel Transformation first.”

“Mastered… No, that’s not important right now. Senior.”

Lee Han whispered as quickly as possible, taking advantage of the students’ commotion. They had to finish communicating before the Skeleton Headmaster noticed.

“Do you happen to have left anything behind at the school?”

Only then did the senior realize that Lee Han hadn’t approached him with pure intentions.

“Left anything at the school?”

“Yes.”

“Not much, but there’s something.”

“Let’s make a deal.”

Lee Han didn’t just ask for it out of senior-junior affection. The senior was surprised by Lee Han’s offer to make a deal.

To think that a first-year student had already grasped the essence of Einroguard like this. In Einroguard, even siblings didn’t trade empty-handed.

“What kind of deal? Junior. I don’t think you have anything to give me.”

“Senior. You’re going back to the punishment room, aren’t you?”

“Are you trying to provoke me right now?”

“No. Just tell me the location. I’ll sneak in some food for you.”

The senior was impressed for the first time in a long while. To think that a mere first-year student could propose a deal so skillfully.

Indeed, from the perspective of someone who had to be locked up in the punishment room for a long time to reflect on his actions, the junior’s offer was tempting.

But…

“How can I trust that? A first-year student would barely have enough food for themselves. And more than anything, you wouldn’t be able to break into the punishment room.”

“It doesn’t matter, senior. Just tell me when I get there. Even if I fail, you won’t lose anything.”

“Are you… really a first-year?”

The senior was genuinely surprised. Judging by his actions, he looked like a fourth-year or higher…

“Alright. Deal.”

Perhaps thinking he had nothing to lose, the senior handed over a note. Letters were magically inscribed on it in a short amount of time.

“If you put it in a dark place, the letters will appear. Find me with that.”

What are you two chattering about so much?

The senior and Lee Han realized they had been caught off guard as the Skeleton Headmaster approached, sensing something suspicious.

“I… I was asking about magic and teaching him.”

Magic?

‘Damn it!’

The senior gritted his teeth. It seemed his lying skills had rusted since graduating. What a terrible lie. Who would believe that he was teaching a first-year student such transformation magic?

You too? Well, you have an eye for talent… It’s not magic teaching time, so teach him appropriately.

The senior doubted his ears. But the more surprising words hadn’t even started yet.

You were distracted during the lecture, so as punishment, you must master at least one spell. I’ll check after it’s over.

“That’s impossible!”

Impossible, my foot. You can master one. Master it.

The senior was confused, not knowing what kind of conversation was taking place.

“You’re selling waterproof cloth at this price? Really?”

“…Then don’t buy it, you bastard.”

“Ah, no… If it’s cheap, I’m grateful. Thank you, Wodanaz.”

The White Tiger Tower student bowed his head and purchased the cloth.

Lee Han sighed at the sight. ‘Damn it. I want to gouge prices like those Black Tortoise Tower guys.’

The Black Tortoise Tower friends, who usually stockpiled a lot of materials, were gleefully selling them off ahead of the flood.

The other tower students had to spend their precious food reserves to buy various wood, leather, and reagents.

But Lee Han couldn’t raise the prices like that. The acolytes were next to him.

The sight of the acolytes looking at Lee Han with their bright, innocent eyes. He couldn’t possibly say something like, ‘How many floods do you think we’ll get? We have to make a big profit this time’ in front of them.

“What did Wodanaz say?”

“He just said he’s not raising prices?”

“What’s going on? I was sure he’d raise them… During the last exam period, he doubled the price of coffee powder, saying that free market pricing develops the Einroguard economy.”

“But what’s this market… price… economy thing?”

“I don’t know either. It must be a secret of the Wodanaz family.”

“Wodanaz is a great noble, after all. Profiting from such a crisis would be beneath his dignity.”

“Hmph. I have to admit that…”

“Hey. If you’ve bought everything, get out of here.”

Annoyed, Lee Han threw water orbs to chase away the other tower students.