Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 500

Lee Han was about to tell his friend Asan that his song should probably be banned.

Asan replied, “That song is definitely worth showing off.”

Another student groaned, “Ugh… I’m so frustrated. If I had written a decent song, I would have shown it off too. But the professor panned my ‘A Day in the Punishment Room’.”

A friend tried to cheer him up, “Cheer up. You can write a good song next time.”

Lee Han decided to just shut his mouth.

‘He really must be someone famous, more than I thought,’ Lee Han mused.

He looked around, but sadly, Yoner wasn’t there with the other students.

‘If Yoner were here, we could share the feeling of being out of place together,’ he thought.

It would be better to be awkward together than alone, right?

Lee Han had a very rude thought about Yoner.

Creak—

At the sound of the door opening, all the students lowered their heads. Expectation sparkled in their eyes, except for Lee Han.

‘Huh? Did he really come?’ Lee Han wondered.

In fact, Lee Han didn’t really believe his friends’ words.

There were so many false rumors in Einroguard.

-Hey guys! Next week, His Imperial Majesty’s army will defeat the headmaster and liberate the school!

-Hey guys! Next week, a new headmaster will come, and the school rules will change!

-Hey guys! Starting next week, meat will be added to the menu!

…These kinds of rumors were usually never true. And if you asked, no one remembered who started them.

But surprisingly, the person who entered through the opened door was a strange outsider he had never seen before.

The elderly turtle beastman, wrapped in a slightly worn but thick coat, set down his instrument case and looked around the main building as if observing it carefully. He looked like a minstrel who had been famous for many years. You could see his calm and respected manner.

Even though he had never seen Ipadur’s face, Lee Han could be sure that the other person was Ipadur.

‘Indeed, a celebrity has a different aura,’ Lee Han thought.

Ipadur said, “This is truly a beautiful place, Gonadaltes.”

The Skull Headmaster replied, “Haha. It seems the great Ipadur is being too generous. You have seen all the spring flowers and autumn moons throughout the Empire.”

Ipadur said, “No, the history in this building overwhelms me.”

The students, unable to lower their heads any further, pressed themselves to the floor. Lee Han looked at them with scorn.

‘These guys are doing this without even knowing where the Skull Headmaster is,’ he thought.

‘Wait a minute. If a famous person is here, will the Skull Headmaster come too?’

The basics were to figure out the location of the Skull Headmaster, or, if that was difficult, to set a fire near the headmaster’s office to guide the Skull Headmaster’s path that way.

‘I’ve been spotted,’ Lee Han realized.

As the Skull Headmaster turned his gaze, Lee Han sensed that he had been spotted.

Well, considering the number of his friends, it would have been difficult not to be spotted.

‘Hiding here is something only a beginner would do. I have to trust the outsider and come on strong.’

Lee Han called out, “Headmaster! Good evening!”

The Skull Headmaster was surprised, “!?!?!?”

The friends who were lying flat on the floor were confused, “????”

The Skull Headmaster replied slowly, “Y-yes. Good evening. What are you doing there?”

Lee Han quickly thought. “Sir,” he said, “I was just walking by and noticed how dusty the floor was in our wonderful school. So, I started cleaning it!”

One of Lee Han’s friends chimed in, quickly rubbing the floor with his sleeve, “Y-yes, that’s right.”

Another friend added, “That’s what we were doing.”

The friends who were lying flat on the floor wiped the floor with their entire bodies to show that they were cleaning.

The Skull Headmaster clicked his tongue, seeing the first-year students who had secretly slipped out of their duty making ridiculous excuses.

The Skull Headmaster said, “That heart is so admirable it’s hard to believe. Will Professor Verdus be coming out to clean tomorrow?”

Lee Han asked, “Thank you. If it’s not too much trouble, may we greet the guest as well?”

Ipadur replied, “The honor is all mine. I am Ipadur.”

The students gasped, “Gasp!” “Squeak!” “Cough!”

Lee Han was flustered when the friends who were trying to get up screamed and collapsed.

‘Is it magic?’ Lee Han wondered.

But the friends were not hit by magic. They were so happy that they didn’t know what to do and trembled.

Lee Han was merely flustered, but the Skull Headmaster was looking at them with a contemptuous look, thinking, ‘Those iron-headed fools are students of Einroguard?’

The Skull Headmaster thought, “Instead of doing magic, they’re only interested in acrobatics.”

Ipadur apologized, “I apologize, Gonadaltes.”

Ipadur, used to his followers showing such behavior, smiled slightly and apologized.

The Skull Headmaster said, “There is no need for you to apologize. You guys should learn from Wodanaz over there. Except for his bad habit of serving you meals, doesn’t that guy only focus on magic?”

‘Why is that a bad habit…’ Lee Han wondered.

‘If you focus like Wodanaz, won’t people die?’ Lee Han thought.

The Skull Headmaster said, “Let’s go, sir.”

A student shouted, “W-wait a minute!”

Originally, except for Lee Han, first-year students usually couldn’t speak in front of the Skull Headmaster.

Even excluding the Skull Headmaster’s enormous status, the intense aura he emitted as a great wizard intimidated the first-year students.

But sometimes, love overcomes fear.

With a strong affection for Ipadur, the first-year students pushed away their fear.

A student asked, “I, Ipadur-nim! Could you… could you listen to the song I wrote?”

The Skull Headmaster thought, “Oh…”

The Skull Headmaster felt ashamed for the first time in a long while.

He had called Ipadur in for magical research, after all.

Music held a rather important position in ancient, primitive, or divine magic, but not in the current Imperial magic.

Magic using music was considered quite a fringe field.

Wizards projected an image of being detached from reality, but they couldn’t actually be that way. Naturally, they were influenced by realistic factors.

Magic using music was a branch of magic that was difficult to theorize due to its variability, which changed depending on the caster and the emotions of the day.

However, recently, some senior students at Einroguard had become interested in this magic and were researching it.

Moreover, when some second-year students, influenced by their seniors, began to seriously consider this magic, the Skull Headmaster could no longer sit idly by.

It was the duty of the lord of Einroguard to create a path for wizards with a purpose to follow.

That’s why he invited Ipadur.

To talk with an excellent minstrel and create a curriculum for music-related magic.

Otherwise, there was no reason for the Skull Headmaster to invite a minstrel into Einroguard.

If he made some pointless song making fun of things and spread it throughout the Empire, dealing with the aftermath would be a pain…

Anyway, the master was enduring the annoyance and trouble for the sake of his disciples, but they were asking him to evaluate some trivial song, which was annoying.

‘If there weren’t so many people watching, this would be a punishment room offense,’ The Skull Headmaster thought.

The Skull Headmaster said, “Did you think I called him to evaluate songs? Move. Don’t get in the way.”

Ipadur asked, “Gonadaltes. Since we’ve met, couldn’t you listen to it just once before we go?”

The Skull Headmaster gnashed his teeth inwardly and nodded.

He couldn’t reveal his true colors until he had extracted what he needed from Ipadur (even the professor contract stamp, if necessary).

Until then, he had to be a kind and great archmage.

The Skull Headmaster thought, “Sing. Sing.”

Lee Han whispered, “Headmaster. You have a guest.”

At Lee Han’s whisper, the Skull Headmaster came to his senses.

For a moment, the iron-headed fools’ provocation almost brought out his usual habits.

The Skull Headmaster said, “Thank you.”

Lee Han replied, “It’s nothing.”

The Skull Headmaster thought, “But why are you here? You probably don’t even know who Ipadur is.”

Lee Han was hurt by the Skull Headmaster’s words.

Of course, he didn’t know who he was, but hearing it from the Skull Headmaster made him feel bad for no reason.

Lee Han said, “No, it’s not true. How could I not know Ipadur, the Empire’s famous minstrel? What do you take me for?”

The Skull Headmaster asked, “Tell me one song that Ipadur sang.”

Lee Han changed the subject, “…Oh. Asan is singing a song.”

As Lee Han changed the subject, the Skull Headmaster clicked his tongue as if he expected it.

If all the students were as crazy about magic as this Wodanaz, running Einroguard would be much easier.

Asan sang, “Einroguard. Einroguard. It’s so good.”

Lee Han could clearly feel the atmosphere turning cold, just like the atmosphere suddenly became very cold.

Asan continued, “A place with warm meals and fluffy beds. Einroguard.”

The Skull Headmaster thought, “Why is that iron-headed fool singing such a silly song in front of an outsider? People will think I ordered him to do it!”

Lee Han said, “That’s probably not the case.”

But Ipadur was already looking at Asan with a bewildered face, then looking at the Skull Headmaster.

As a seasoned minstrel, he immediately realized that it was a bit strange for a newcomer from a certain group to be singing a praise song.

Ipadur asked, “Could it be that Gonadaltes…?”

The Skull Headmaster thought, “No! Why would I!”

Lee Han stepped in, “Asan just wrote it because he was purely impressed.”

Lee Han stepped in, unable to watch any longer.

If he left it like this, Asan might be dragged to the punishment room for defaming the headmaster after this was over.

Ipadur asked, “A member of a great noble family was impressed by warm meals and fluffy beds?”

Ipadur asked, as if he couldn’t believe it.

No matter how he thought about it, he suspected it was a song made through coercion and force.

Lee Han gritted his teeth and quickly made up a reason.

Lee Han said, “…There’s actually a story behind it. The truth is, friends who enter Einroguard are scared out of their wits by all sorts of rumors. In the midst of that, they realize the rumors were wrong and make a song like that.”

Ipadur exclaimed, “Aha!”

The friends next to Lee Han had very complicated expressions.

The words ‘No, there are no warm meals or fluffy beds’ were rising to their throats.

Ipadur said, “I misunderstood. I apologize, Gonadaltes.”

The Skull Headmaster replied, “It’s alright. It could happen.”

Ipadur said, “The melody is excellent, but the lyrics are a bit too… they could be mistaken for too much praise. Subtle metaphors might be better.”

While Ipadur was pointing out the flaws in Asan’s song, the Skull Headmaster looked at Lee Han and said,

The Skull Headmaster asked, “Have I ever told you that I cherish you very much?”

Lee Han asked, “Oh. What are you going to give me?”

The Skull Headmaster thought, “…I was just asking.”

Lee Han glared at the Skull Headmaster.

After listening to the first-year friends’ songs, correcting them, and even signing autographs, Ipadur said to the Skull Headmaster,

Ipadur said, “Gonadaltes. I actually have a request.”

The Skull Headmaster replied, “Tell me anything.”

Ipadur asked, “Could I perhaps take a look around the school? I think it would be a great help to my poetic inspiration.”

The Skull Headmaster asked, “Are you going to write a song about Einroguard?”

The Skull Headmaster tried not to show his emotions, but Lee Han could sense the hidden sullenness within.

Of course, writing a song about Einroguard wasn’t a bad thing.

If Ipadur only made a song of praise, how abundant would the donations and investments be that year?

But the Skull Headmaster knew very well that, basically, a minstrel’s mouth couldn’t be controlled as one wished.

If he just didn’t write a song, the worries would disappear…

Ipadur exclaimed, “That’s right!”

The Skull Headmaster said, “Alright. Let’s take a look together.”

Ipadur asked, “I’m really sorry, but could a student also accompany us? I think they would show a different perspective from what you see…”

At Ipadur’s words, the friends made expressions as if they were about to have a heart attack.

They screamed silently at each other, grabbing each other’s collars, stomping on each other’s feet, and trying to step forward.

The Skull Headmaster said, “Wodanaz. Come out.”

Lee Han replied, “Yes? Headmaster. I was going back to sleep…”

The Skull Headmaster used magic to move an outing pass into the front pocket of Lee Han’s coat.

Lee Han nodded, impressed by the magic.

The Skull Headmaster said, “Isn’t serving a guest an honor for our students as well?”