Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 486

Lee Han said, “O-okay. I understand.”

Lee Han spoke so sincerely that Professor Thunderstride was surprised.

“What were you doing, Professor?” Lee Han asked, eyeing his mentor with suspicion. “Surely you weren’t taking a break…”

Lee Han thought that having finished his own tasks, Professor Thunderstride should be tackling something else, not resting.

Seeing that look, Professor Thunderstride began to wonder if he was pushing his students too hard.

“…No. I was doing my own work. Look,” Professor Thunderstride said, gesturing towards the mansion’s window.

Outside, the garden was arranged in a typical southern style. Several fruit trees were laden with abundant fruit, while two servants cleared fallen leaves and trimmed the grass below.

Lee Han, puzzled, asked, “Were you securing the fruit?”

Professor Thunderstride was surprised by this very typical student idea from Einroguard.

“Not the trees, next to them! The opposite window!” Professor Thunderstride exclaimed.

“Ah. You meant over there,” Lee Han replied.

Only then did Lee Han notice the window Professor Thunderstride was pointing to.

Inside a spacious room of the mansion on the opposite side, members of the Maykin family and city alchemists were shaking hands. Judging by their expressions, the negotiations had clearly concluded to their mutual satisfaction.

“I was persuading the people from the Alchemist Guild. They’re the most reasonable ones, at least,” Professor Thunderstride explained.

Lee Han asked, “Are the people in the Alchemist Guild here nice?”

Professor Thunderstride replied immediately, “No. Guild members are never nice. Where would you find a nice guild member? Nice people don’t join guilds.”

Guilds are groups with strong shared goals. They don’t like to give in or change their minds easily. The Alchemist Guild was no different.

“Then why do you say they’re reasonable…” Lee Han inquired.

“Because of the circumstances. The Maykin family commissioned this request, and I’m an alchemist from Einroguard,” Professor Thunderstride said, lighting his pipe.

The Maykin family was a great noble house with a significant presence in the Empire’s alchemy world, and Professor Thunderstride was also a famous alchemist in the Empire. To resist or threaten such individuals would invite severe retaliation.

“Of course, since there are city people involved, the Maykin family wouldn’t retaliate by cutting off the supply of materials or reagents, but they’d still be wary, wouldn’t they?” Professor Thunderstride mused.

“I see. Can you retaliate too, Professor?” Lee Han asked.

“Me? I can, too,” Professor Thunderstride confirmed.

Lee Han was surprised.

Professor Thunderstride was a renowned scholar, not rich or powerful. It didn’t seem like he could fight back in that situation.

“Are you going to ask Headmaster or Professor Beggerek to arrange an attack?” Lee Han wondered.

“…Are you out of your mind!? I’d just block invitations to the Imperial Alchemy Society or something!” Professor Thunderstride retorted.

“Aww…” Lee Han said, disappointed.

It was a rather minor form of retaliation.

Of course, from Professor Thunderstride’s perspective, Lee Han seemed insane.

‘Perhaps I should reduce the time he spends with the Headmaster?’ he thought. ‘He’s only a first-year, what will he be like later…’

“It’s not like I made unreasonable demands. The Maykin family agreed to supply some rare reagents, and I agreed to improve the production methods for three types of potions. Anyway, the Alchemist Guild agreed to cooperate with our mediation,” Professor Thunderstride explained.

“I see. That’s a relief,” Lee Han responded.

“Now, the other guilds are the problem,” Professor Thunderstride said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

“The Fishermen’s Guild… well, the stubbornness of sailors is well-known everywhere. Because the emotional rift is so deep, even persuading them with benefits might not work. It’s a matter of pride…”

“About that…” Lee Han started.

“And I don’t know what the Adventurers’ Guild here is thinking. Adventurers’ Guild members are usually all over the place, but it’s especially true here… Even if they’re small, they should have a clear opinion. They need to tell us what they’re thinking so we can…”

“Well, that’s…” Lee Han interrupted.

Professor Thunderstride, who had been enthusiastically complaining for a while, finally noticed Lee Han and asked, “Why? Do you have something to say?”

Lee Han said, “The Fishermen’s Guild said they would cooperate.”

“…What? Why??” Professor Thunderstride exclaimed.

If it were another student, the reaction would have been, ‘Did you sneak a drink from the warehouse while I wasn’t looking?’ but because it was Lee Han, the reaction was different. Professor Thunderstride believed him first and then asked what happened.

Lee Han said, “Um… well, it’s not confirmed yet, but the Fishermen’s Guild said they were moved by our hard work.”

“…Did a Shadow Patrol hunter risk their life to save a fisherman who fell into the water or something?” Professor Thunderstride asked, very perplexed. It didn’t seem like the stubborn fishermen would be moved by anything less.

Lee Han replied, “No, they said they were moved by me risking my life to catch monsters. They were touched that an Einroguard student was so selfless in catching monsters…”

Professor Thunderstride was speechless.

Hearing it, it seemed plausible.

‘Well, because it’s Einroguard, it seems normal, but it would look different outside!’ he thought.

“O-okay. I’ll check it out. Anyway, thank you,” Professor Thunderstride said.

“And the Adventurers’ Guild…” Lee Han continued.

“You talked to the Adventurers’ Guild too!?” Professor Thunderstride almost dropped his pipe.

He had been hunting and subjugating all morning and had just returned to the mansion for lunch. When did he persuade them?

Lee Han explained, “Yes. It seems there was some misunderstanding with the Adventurers’ Guild. They don’t want conflict and are happy to participate in gathering requests as long as they receive appropriate compensation, regardless of who it is. They don’t have any particular desires.”

“Really? That’s surprising. Why didn’t they say anything?” Professor Thunderstride asked.

Lee Han responded, “I think they were a bit intimidated by the reputation of Einroguard and the Maykin family.”

“Ah… that’s possible. Damn it. I made a mistake,” Professor Thunderstride said, clicking his tongue.

Thinking about it, it was his mistake. He should have judged more calmly how those who came with him would be perceived.

“I unnecessarily intimidated them. But it seems you resolved the misunderstanding well?” Professor Thunderstride asked, looking at Lee Han with admiration.

Einroguard students are not known for being social. Especially someone from the Wodanaz family, dispelling the misunderstandings of frightened people and gaining their favor was rare.

“Yes,” Lee Han confirmed.

“Indeed, talking directly with a young student is bound to clear up misunderstandings. An Einroguard wizard is still a person, after all,” Professor Thunderstride said.

Lee Han didn’t mention that the Adventurers’ Guild members were trembling and bowing because of the Wodanaz family and Professor Voladi. Anyway, the communication was successfully concluded.

“Then I should talk to both of them right away. Thank you so much. Wodanaz! You’re the only one I can count on!” Professor Thunderstride exclaimed.

“Yes, Professor,” Lee Han began, hesitating for a moment. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking at the stone floor of the workshop. “And… there’s one more thing.”

Professor Uregeoreum stopped sorting through the scrolls on his desk and looked up sharply. He fixed his gaze on Lee Han, his eyebrows raised expectantly. “?” he prompted, a silent question hanging in the air. The only other sound in the workshop was the gentle crackling of the magical lamps that illuminated the room.

“If news of the Sea Serpent traces reaches Professor Volardi’s ears, any negotiations and even asking for things will turn into a big argument.”

“…Al, alright. Calm down.”

Having concluded the negotiations with the two guilds, Professor Uregeoreum was overjoyed. A huge grin spread across his face, lighting up his eyes.

“Well done! Wodanaz! Well done!”

“It was just luck.”

“You deserve a rest! Relax until we return. Is there anything else you want?”

“Uh… Could you give my friends some spare time to rest as well?”

Professor Uregeoreum paused.

“The work isn’t finished yet.”

“If you calculate the schedule, there’s plenty of extra time, isn’t there?”

“That’s true. But you know as well as I do. If something happens, that extra time…”

Professor Uregeoreum, about to speak, smacked his lips and nodded.

“Alright. I should grant you this much.”

“Really?”

Lee Han was slightly surprised.

He hadn’t expected much.

“Yes. Frankly, I thought persuading them might not work even by tomorrow… But you solved it like this, so how could I refuse such a request? Even if the schedule gets tangled, we can sit down with the other professors and it will be more than enough.”

Because he didn’t need to persuade anyone anymore, Professor Uregeoreum could work with others. This would be enough time.

Besides, Professor Uregeoreum wasn’t so cold-hearted as to refuse a request from a student who had achieved this much.

And if he held a grudge towards Lee Han, he would seriously worry about his future after graduation.

Someone like Professor Verdus might not even consider the possibility of being betrayed, but Professor Uregeoreum was not like that. This hinted at an interesting backstory or personality trait.

“Let’s go together to deliver the news.”

“Yes.”

Professor Uregeoreum and Lee Han walked down the hallway towards the workshop.

The professor flung open the door and shouted.

“Kids, I have good news…!”

“…?”

Lee Han and the professor were slightly taken aback.

The workshop was almost empty.

Only a few students were sitting in their places; the others were nowhere to be seen.

“Where did everyone go? Maykin?”

Professor Uregeoreum asked, looking at Yoner.

Yoner looked down at his feet, avoiding the Professor’s eyes. He mumbled, “I… I don’t know, Professor.”

“……”

“……”

Both Lee Han and Professor Uregeoreum could immediately understand what happened.

The students had gone out to play!

Yoner and a few other top students remained, thinking, ‘We should at least finish what needs to be done’…

“Those scoundrels deserve to be in detention!”

Professor Uregeoreum fumed.

Sneaking away when the work wasn’t finished!

In the meantime, Lee Han secretly asked Yoner.

“Yoner, what were they thinking when they left? The work isn’t finished…”

“Well… you said there was extra time in the schedule, Lee Han.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Lee Han remember telling his friends about the schedule.

Having learned that, the students thought, ‘Oh? Then can we go out and come back?’ and quickly decided to go out.

‘I should keep this a secret from the professor.’

“Wait. Yoner. One more thing I’m curious about. Where did everyone get the money? They shouldn’t have any.”

This was also why Professor Uregeoreum was off guard.

Since the students didn’t have any silver coins, there wasn’t much they could enjoy even if they went out.

“Some of them borrowed it. They asked people from the Maykin family.”

“Ah. Did the Black Tortoise Tower students borrow it?”

Lee Han thought it was likely.

Being practical and not caring about appearances, they could borrow it by saying, ‘We’ll repay you with the reward money later’…

“No. The Blue Dragon Tower students.”

Yoner answered, his face slightly flushed, perhaps out of embarrassment.

“…Oh? Really?”

“Yeah. It’s not easy to ask for money unless you have a close family connection from the start…”

The Black Tortoise Tower students didn’t know the Maykin family well. It would be hard for them to ask for money.

Only the Blue Dragon Tower students could do that.

But…

“But the other kids wouldn’t be able to ask because of their pride, right?”

“Yeah. It’s a bit unexpected, isn’t it?”

Yoner swallowed the words, ‘I think some of them gained courage from watching you, Lee Han.’

It was out of respect for his friend’s honor.

“Then what about the rest?”

“The rest just went out, saying it would be nice just to go outside.”

“……”

Lee Han suddenly felt sad, thinking of his healing magic seniors.

After his initial anger faded, Professor Uregeoreum sighed and said.

“Wodanaz. Go out and tell them to play a reasonable amount and come back. Just tell them to come back before tonight.”

“Thank you.”

“!?”

The remaining students were surprised when Uregeoreum suddenly gave permission.

It didn’t even end there.

Professor Uregeoreum took out his wallet and threw it to Lee Han.

“Buy something delicious to eat. Don’t buy any strange objects or potions.”

“Thank you.”

“…!!”

Shock.

Muttering.

As the students got up in confusion, Priestess Sia approached Lee Han and whispered in a low voice.

“Per, perhaps…”

“Yes. I succeeded in the negotiations…”

“Did you threaten the professor?!”

“…No.”