Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 433

Dark clouds hung heavy in the sky, and the wind howled. Lee Han watched the students scurrying around the White Tiger Tower courtyard, their faces grim. “Everyone seems busy,” he murmured, mostly to himself, but a nearby student turned, looking confused.

Lee Han started to say, “The Black Tortoise Tower students are charging too much for supplies…” but he stopped himself. *Why am I complaining like a child?* he thought. He felt foolish for even thinking about pointing fingers, especially in front of the Headmaster.

“Yes, everyone is working hard to help each other,” Headmaster Skull replied.

“What do you mean, Wodanaz?” one student called out.

“The Black Tortoise Tower is charging us way too much because of the flood!” The other White Tiger Tower students, still wet from the rain, grumbled in agreement. Lee Han pretended not to hear them and looked away.

“Are you guys preparing well?” Lee Han asked.

“Of course. Who do you think we are?” a student replied confidently.

Lee Han hesitated, unable to answer the White Tiger Tower students’ question immediately.

The White Tiger Tower students, infuriated, shouted: “Hey, you! Why are you hesitating!”

“Sorry. I couldn’t think of what to say for a moment,” Lee Han replied.

“Just say you are a knight, Wodanaz! It’s not hard!” one student yelled, his face red. “Why can you answer all those complicated questions, but not this simple one?” Another student added, “We *are* knights of the White Tiger Tower! Be proud of it!”

As knights, the White Tiger Tower students had some ability to deal with such situations.

The White Tiger Tower students worked quickly, their boots squelching in the mud. They strained to lift heavy bags higher onto platforms, the rough rope biting into their hands. The scraping of shovels against stone echoed as they dug ditches around the tower, the damp earth smelling rich and dark. Wooden rafts were being hammered together, and oars leaned against the walls, ready for the rising water. Everyone knew the Black Tortoise Tower students were experts at this, their tower known for its defenses against floods. Even the Phoenix Tower priests, used to the temple’s routines and organization, were efficient. But Lee Han worried about the Blue Dragon Tower…

Lee Han had given instructions, but he was worried about whether they would do it properly.

Lee Han, having roughly finished his business, looked at the White Tiger Tower students and said: “Perfect timing. Come with me for a bit.”

“Oh? Are we going hunting?” a student asked.

“No. I’m going to the Blue Dragon Tower dormitory to do some work,” Lee Han replied.

The White Tiger Tower students asked, dumbfounded. “…Why would we do that?”

Unless they were hit by an arrow in the head, they would never help the Blue Dragon Tower guys.

What was so great about them…

“Since you bought expensive magic items at cost price, should I stop selling them from now on?” Lee Han threatened.

“What the…!” The White Tiger Tower students trembled at the short but powerful threat.

One White Tiger Tower student suddenly understood. *This is what Wodanaz meant by ‘monopoly’!* he thought. Wodanaz had said before, ‘If you control important things that everyone needs, you become powerful.’ At the time, the student had thought it sounded like nonsense. But now, being forced to help because of the expensive magic items, he finally understood.

“We’ll help. We’ll help…” the student said.

“Wodanaz,” another student said.

“At least tell the Blue Dragon Tower guys that we came to help them honorably as knights.”

“…O-okay. I understand,” Lee Han replied.

Gainando leaned on his shovel, yawning widely. He watched Princess Adenarte, her brow furrowed in concentration, as shimmering blue spirits swirled around her, effortlessly carving deep trenches in the earth. *Why is she trying so hard?* Gainando wondered.

“Gainando! Stop daydreaming and pick up that shovel!” Asan snapped.

“I’m… I’m gathering my mana,” Gainando mumbled, barely moving.

Gainando grumbled and grabbed the shovel at his friends’ nagging.

Lee Han wasn’t there, but there were too many friends who had only learned bad things from him.

Asan tried to encourage Gainando. “Think of the story of the ant and the grasshopper. The grasshopper was lazy and didn’t prepare, and when winter came, he had nothing.”

Gainando blinked. “Couldn’t we just… ask the ant to share?”

Asan stared at him. “Do you really think an ant would want to share with you?”

Gainando considered this. “Well, if I begged and offered to be their servant… wouldn’t they take pity on me?”

Asan almost choked. *He might actually be right,* Asan thought, imagining the fun he could have making Gainando his servant.

Asan looked at Adenarte.

Just as she was showing the innate dignity of a royal, Gainando had an innate patheticness…

“…But does a seemingly pathetic ability have any meaning? What is it used for?” Asan wondered.

“What? What are you thinking about?” Gainando asked.

“Your innate ability as a royal,” Asan replied.

Gainando’s face brightened. “What is it? What is it??”

“It’s… uh…” Asan was unusually flustered.

“It must be the ability to unite the hearts of other friends in one place. Right?” Gainando guessed.

“Wodanaz!!” Asan turned his head, delighted, at the voice from behind.

“Is everyone preparing well…?” Lee Han surveyed the chaotic scene. ‘Is… is this everyone’s best effort?’ he asked, his voice dangerously quiet. He sighed, a sound that seemed to deflate the already low spirits of the Blue Dragon Tower students. They shuffled their feet, avoiding his eyes like guilty children. Drainage ditches zig-zagged unevenly across the courtyard, some barely deeper than puddles. Half-finished rafts lay tilted and unstable, and piles of supplies still sat on the ground, exposed to the rain. But amidst the mess, one area stood out. Princess Adenarte’s section was perfectly organized. The ditches were straight and deep, the sandbags neatly stacked, and her raft looked sturdy and ready. She stood tall, her back straight, a flicker of pride in her eyes. But Lee Han didn’t even glance at her work. ‘Right, we need to get to work. Now,’ he said, rolling up his sleeves and immediately starting to fix a wobbly raft. Princess Adenarte stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief, then narrowing into a glare.

The White Tiger Tower students behind her whispered in confusion.

“Why is that princess staring daggers at Wodanaz?” one asked.

“Duh, she thinks he’s trying to take over,” the friend replied. “Imagine being her. She’s been in charge, doing everything right, and then he shows up and acts like it’s all a disaster.”

A third student chuckled. “It’s like a battle for who’s the boss of the Blue Dragon Tower now.”

The White Tiger Tower students nodded, thinking of Giselle.

How mercilessly the friends who challenged Giselle’s authority were trampled on.

As a royal, she was bound to be even more sensitive to power.

When Wodanaz was in the tower, she was just biding her time because he was so overwhelming, but now that he’s gone from the tower, the story is different.

She would definitely try to regain the power of the tower in her own hands.

In that situation, it was natural that she wouldn’t like Wodanaz coming back like this.

“Hehe. This is going to be fun. If the Blue Dragon Tower guys fight among themselves… Besides, that Wodanaz guy seems completely off guard.”

“Don’t tell Wodanaz,” one of the White Tiger Tower students whispered, a sneaky grin spreading across his face. “Heh heh.”

Usually, watching annoying people argue was great fun. But this was even better.

The White Tiger Tower students winked at each other, nodding in secret agreement.

“Hey! What’s going on with you guys?” A Blue Dragon Tower student frowned, noticing their strange looks. “Why are you acting so weird?”

“Uh… nothing!” another White Tiger student said quickly, maybe too quickly.

“Why are you doing this *to* us?” another Blue Dragon student asked, confused. “We’re the ones who need help!”

Lee Han stepped forward, a thoughtful look on his face. “Hmm,” he said slowly, pretending to consider. “Something smells fishy here… I see. Right! These *friends* from White Tiger Tower are here to help us.”

The Blue Dragon Tower students stared at Lee Han, their mouths hanging open in shock.

“What? Why?”

“Isn’t this a trick?”

“Now, now. Quiet. As knights, they’ve come to help their friends.”

Lee Han’s explanation only deepened the Blue Dragon Tower students’ astonishment.

“Wodanaz! It’s definitely a trick…!”

“Quiet.”

Lee Han silenced his friends with a bit of force and began the work.

Giselle led Angora and Batrek away.

All three looked utterly exhausted. Their shoulders slumped, their eyes were heavy, and they dragged their feet.

This was because Jangcliffe of the Jangcliffe family had been talking non-stop beside them.

“So, young knights… Ah, yes. Speaking of which, there’s something I missed, let me repeat…”

‘I feel like my ears are bleeding.’

Giselle hated talking too much. To her, the vice-commander of the Beech Knights was like a demon in person. She thought his title should be ‘Talkative’ or ‘Chatterbox’.

Tap tap tap tap tap tap!

Jangcliffe stopped talking when the earth erupted before them, forming a path. The ground shook with a loud CRACK! Dirt and stones flew into the air.

The three felt their minds, which had been drifting away, return as Jangcliffe quieted down.

“It’s done… Wait, what are you all doing there?”

The three were surprised to see their friends helping with the Blue Dragon Tower’s construction and asked why.

The friends, seemingly thinking the same thing, looked very embarrassed before answering.

“…For, for the sake of honor?”

“How admirable!” Jangcliffe exclaimed, so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

“I heard that the students of Einroguard aren’t on good terms with each other, coming as they do from all over the Empire, but the knights here are different! I’m truly touched!”

“…Y-yes, that’s right.”

“We’re just like that.”

The White Tiger Tower students, holding shovels, agreed without thinking.

The Blue Dragon Tower students beside them stared with eyes that seemed to say, ‘What are you talking about?’

“When were we ever close…”

“Hey. Help us look good!”

“We helped you! Give us some credit!”

“……”

Meanwhile, Giselle frowned and turned away. *Why are they acting so weird? It’s embarrassing.* She decided not to ask.

The headache that had already started thanks to Jangcliffe would only get worse.

“Wodanaz. Let’s go soon.”

“What? Where to?”

“…Why are you pretending you don’t know, you little…”

Giselle was about to curse but realized there were too many people watching and decided to keep calm.

“…The gathering. You remember, don’t you? We agreed to attend together?”

“Are we leaving already? What about Friday’s lectures?”

“I’ll tell them I’ll have to catch up later. There are only one or two lectures on Friday anyway.”

“That’s not right.”

“……”

Giselle was speechless at Lee Han’s words. *Come to think of it, Wodanaz is different.*

“Anyway, I understand. I suppose we should leave now, considering the travel time. I can ask the other friends to inform the professors.”

“Alright. Get ready quickly.”

“Wait. Moradi.”

“…What is it, again?” Giselle asked back with an annoyed voice as Lee Han called out to her.

“A flood is coming soon, is it okay for me to leave?”

“What can you do? It’s fate.”

Suddenly, a fierce reaction erupted.

“That wicked White Tiger Tower brat!”

“He’s going out!”

“Moradi! It’s fine for you to go out, but we need Wodanaz too! How short-handed will we be without that guy!”

Giselle was shocked when even the White Tiger Tower students reacted. *These crazy bastards…*

“Prepare yourselves! Do I have to spoon-feed you everything! Is Wodanaz your nanny?”

Lee Han was hurt by Giselle’s sharp retort.

“Nanny is a bit too har… Wait? Is he really a nanny?”

Lee Han thought about the things he had done and was slightly shocked.

“Wodanaz! Don’t be fooled by a wicked person like Moradi! Our friendship isn’t like that!”

“That’s right, Wodanaz! You’re not a nanny! What kind of nanny beats people up like that!”

“…I, I see.”

Lee Han answered that way for now, but thought he should prepare to leave immediately. *His friends should be able to manage on their own!*

“That horse talks strangely.”

“…I-is that so?” As Phoneg whinnied in protest, Lee Han quickly stroked its mane to tell it to be quiet.

It seemed that telling the knights, ‘I transform a griffin into a horse and ride it,’ wasn’t a good idea.

Jangcliffe’s face beamed. His eyes sparkled, and a wide smile stretched across his cheeks, showing all his teeth. He was happy as he watched the young knights following him—or rather, those who could still be described as young.

To be moving together like this with talents who would shoulder the future of the Empire was an honor and a joy.

“To be spending a night like this with the Empire’s talents…”

‘Good heavens.’

‘Oh, God.’

‘I should have prepared something to plug my ears with.’

“…By the way, everyone. Are you keeping up well with your studies at Einroguard?”

“……”

“……”

Lee Han and Giselle were relatively confident, but the other two began to sweat.

Jangcliffe smiled knowingly. “I understand. Since you’re from knightly backgrounds, numbers and letters are bound to be difficult. But you all excel in horsemanship and swordsmanship, so there’s no need to feel inferior at all.”

“……”

This time, even Giselle started to sweat. Surprisingly, she had been losing the top spot to students from other towers in every lecture mentioned so far.