Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 504

Lee Han stopped, a bad feeling hitting him suddenly.

‘Could it be?’

“Is this perhaps an event just for older students?”

This event was for Transformation Magic students, but none of Lee Han’s friends knew about it. Could it be just for older students?

Professor Volardi paused, looking like he was just realizing this.

“Hmm, it looks like it.”

“I think that should have been the first thing you checked… Did Professor Lezh willingly agree?”

The professor nodded slightly.

‘He didn’t threaten him with a sword, did he?’

Lee Han was slightly suspicious.

Professor Lezh was among the more timid of the professors.

Professor Volardi was known to be forceful. Lee Han wondered if he had made Professor Lezh agree by threatening him with his sword.

“Professor, a thought just occurred to me. Professor Lezh may have willingly agreed, but wouldn’t the upperclassmen find it unpleasant?”

Einroguard students could be a bit snobbish.

Didn’t the White Tiger Tower students get petty and angry when Lee Han infiltrated their dormitory?

Just as students were too proud of their towers, the same would likely be true for their magical disciplines.

And even within those disciplines.

‘If a first-year junior keeps nosing around, they’ll probably find it unpleasant.’

People don’t like it when someone younger tries to show off.

Unless it was a unique discipline lacking manpower like Healing Magic or Black Magic, there was no way they would like a junior showing off.

“Were you worried about that? Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

“Ah. The upperclassmen said it was okay as well?”

“My intention was to discipline any student who found it unpleasant.”

“……”

Lee Han glanced at the sword Professor Volardi was wearing.

‘He wouldn’t be disciplining them by stabbing them with his sword, would he?’

“…I’ll just work hard and try to catch the upperclassmen’s eye.”

Professor Volardi patted Lee Han’s shoulder as if he were impressed.

The basilisk made a noise as if it were displeased.

The Ouroboros, a snake biting its own tail, was a beloved symbol in alchemy and Transformation Magic.

As it symbolized eternal circulation, the wizards of both disciplines loved it.

Therefore, the event for Transformation Magic users was named Ouroboros Day.

With a *whoosh*, a student’s whip became a snake, wrapping tightly around another student’s wrist.

Despite the snake coiling around his wrist, the student who was caught didn’t panic at all. Calmly chanting a spell, the snake’s teeth immediately turned into cotton.

The floor *bang*ed as the student hit it with his staff. Suddenly, the stone floor seemed to melt and bubble, turning into a sticky swamp.

The student who lost his balance dropped the snake whip and staggered. He quickly tried to transform the swamp back into solid earth, but he failed the spell and it turned into honey.

“I lost.”

“Good match.”

The student, taking his friend’s hand and getting up, looked around at the other Transformation Magic users gathered in the auditorium.

Ouroboros Day sounded grand, but the rules were actually simple.

It was a day to show off what they could do using only Transformation Magic. Such events were common in other disciplines as well.

Magical duels using only Transformation Magic, presentations of new Transformation Magic research, unique transformation abilities possessed by rare monsters of the Empire, and so on.

“Everyone, stop playing around and come here. We need to prevent the visitors from causing accidents.”

“I don’t like dealing with visitors. Can’t I just be assigned to the Death Knight…?”

“No. Endure it.”

The Einroguard Transformation Magic students frowned as they watched the visitors walking around the auditorium.

Inviting visiting wizards to such events was a normal thing, and treating those wizards as hosts was also a normal thing to do.

But the students really didn’t want to do those normal things.

It wasn’t because the visiting wizards were unpleasant or rude.

Nor was it because they had a mountain of assignments piled up.

They just…

They really just didn’t want to.

“Should we play rock-paper-scissors and the loser has to do it?”

“Hello!! Einroguard students!!”

“Ugh.”

With a *bang*, a wizard from outside came closer. He grinned widely and, in a flash, changed. First, he was an elf with pointed ears, then he became a normal-looking human. Next, his nose turned black and furry, and he had floppy ears – a person with dog ears and a tail! Finally, he grew bigger and greener, becoming a bulky orc.

Then, they looked at the students with expectant eyes. They expected the students to show something in response.

“……”

“……”

However, the students’ reactions were different from what was expected.

Everyone was hesitating and avoiding eye contact.

“???”

“……”

“……”

“Um, did I do something wrong?”

“Ah, ah, no!”

“Wel… Welcome! Welcome!”

“Ah… yes.”

The Transformation Magic user stepped back with an embarrassed expression.

The students looked at each other with faces full of self-loathing.

“You should have answered…! You were closer!”

“No, they looked at you. You should have answered!”

Usually, Transformation Magic students were cheerful and friendly.

Perhaps it was related to the characteristics of Transformation Magic itself.

However, the students majoring in Transformation Magic at Einroguard were a bit different.

They were very…

Introverted.

“Everyone, stop it. Ah. I should have learned Black Magic…”

“I, I feel a bit nauseous. Give me one more potion.”

“No. If you drink too much confidence potion, you’ll become a total mess.”

The Transformation Magic students just desperately wished for the event to end quickly and for the visitors to leave, so they could talk about magic among themselves.

“It’s Professor Muze!”

“What? Professor Muze?”

The students turned their heads.

The crazy professor was indeed entering with a first-year student.

“What is he doing?”

“I heard he took a student.”

“Is he watching him so he doesn’t run off?”

“Maybe… I guess so.”

But this didn’t answer everything.

Why bring a first-year student here?

It seems cruel, no matter how you look at it.

“Why did Professor Lezhin let this happen?” someone asked.

“I heard the student is good,” another student whispered. “A friend in Dark Arts said he’s from the Wodanaz family.”

“You don’t believe those stories about the Wodanaz family, do you?” a third student scoffed. “They’re just a normal rich family. Not some family teaching magic to babies.”

“Well, they are a bit different…” the second student mumbled.

While students whispered and pointed in a corner, Ethan walked in with Professor Volardi.

The hall was filled with visiting wizards. One wizard made his arm turn into a cloud of bats, and everyone clapped. Professor Lezhin stood in the center, answering questions. But Ethan noticed something was missing… the older students.

*Where are they?* he thought.

Ethan looked around, confused by the lack of upperclassmen. Then he understood.

“Professor,” Ethan asked Professor Lezhin, “Shouldn’t you… remove the Headmaster’s spell for events like this?”

He knew the Headmaster, a skeleton figure, put a spell on the older students so most people couldn’t see them. But sometimes, he removed it.

This event was definitely a time to remove it.

If a first-year student came to this and couldn’t even talk to older students… it didn’t make sense.

“Why?” Ethan asked again.

Professor Lezhin hesitated, then saw Ethan and waved him over. “Ah, Ethan.”

He pulled Ethan closer and whispered, “I’m so sorry. I really couldn’t say no to his request.” Professor Lezhin looked genuinely troubled.

“It’s alright, Professor. I understand,” Ethan replied.

Ethan knew Professor Volardi could be very persuasive. Maybe he hadn’t used a sword, but Professor Volardi definitely knew how to get his way.

“I’m truly sorry,” Professor Lezhin repeated, looking down.

“Professor, really, it’s okay,” Ethan said, feeling a bit awkward by all the apologies. It wasn’t Professor Lezhin’s fault. Professor Volardi was the one making things difficult.

“Even so,” Professor Lezhin continued, trying to sound positive, “these are amazing Transfiguration wizards. You can learn so much…”

“Let’s go,” Professor Volardi said, suddenly appearing beside them. He had vanished for a moment, but now he was back.

“Where are we going?” Ethan asked.

“I got permission,” Professor Volardi said, nodding his head towards the dueling area.

The dueling stage was just a raised platform set up in the hall. The wizards who had been showing off their skills were now looking at them, whispering to each other.

-Is that a first-year student?

-You must be wrong.

-Are you really asking me to duel a first-year? Isn’t that too much?

*This is so embarrassing,* Ethan thought, his face turning red.

He could feel the eyes of all the wizards on him, a mix of worry and confusion. Professor Volardi must have begged them, “Duel my student! Please duel my student!” until someone finally agreed. But now they saw how young he was.

A dwarf wizard, who looked to be around forty, stepped forward. He looked at Ethan with a worried face. “Are you really a first-year student? I don’t want to question Einrogaard’s methods, but is this duel too soon?”

“It’s fine,” Professor Volardi said quickly, before Ethan could speak.

Professor Volardi turned and walked towards the edge of the platform, leaving Ethan alone with the dwarf wizard. The dwarf wizard whispered again, leaning closer to another wizard.

“Maybe the professor is forc… No, never mind. Forget I said anything.” He stopped himself, looking uncomfortable.

Ethan heard him and clicked his tongue softly. These wizards were kind.

That made this whole situation even worse.

* * *

* * *

“…The rules are simple. Let’s begin,” the dwarf wizard announced.

*This is crazy,* Ethan thought, his heart pounding.

He faced the dwarf wizard, his mind racing. He had dueled before, but this was different.

Only Transfiguration magic was allowed.

And Ethan’s Transfiguration skills were basic at best. He could change things into steel, change colors, and work with rocks and sand. That was about it.

Fighting a skilled Transfiguration wizard with so little magic was like going into battle with a wooden spoon.

Professor Volardi clearly wanted him to lose. Badly.

*He wants me to learn from losing,* Ethan realized. *To see all the ways I can be defeated, so I know what I need to learn.*

*Whoosh!*

Ethan gasped.

Suddenly, wings burst from the dwarf wizard’s back. He shot into the air, gliding above the platform.

At the same time, his cloak billowed out, becoming huge like a dark tent, blocking Ethan’s view. Ethan knew the dwarf wizard was about to turn into something dangerous, a monster maybe.

*I can’t let him finish the spell!* Ethan thought urgently.

He pointed his wand at the cloak, ready to cast a spell.

But then, shouts erupted from the watching wizards.

“Ah!”

“No, he shouldn’t do that!”

“Oh dear!”

“Oh no, oh no!”

Ethan was confused. He knew it was risky to cast a spell on something already changed by magic. It was much harder to change someone else’s magic than to create your own.

He was in a tight spot. He had to act fast.

*Thwack!*

Ethan’s spell hit the cloak.

Instead of just changing the cloak, something unexpected happened. The cloak twisted and hardened, turning into a heavy steel grappling hook. It shot out and wrapped around the dwarf wizard’s ankle.

The dwarf wizard, halfway through turning into a hippogriff, was completely surprised. The steel hook yanked his leg, breaking his concentration. His transformation went wrong. He ended up stuck with the body of a wizard, but the legs and arms of a bird-like hippogriff.

“Wow! Did you see that? He actually did it!” someone shouted.

“Incredible! Brilliant!” another wizard exclaimed.

*This is getting on my nerves,* Ethan thought, trying not to roll his eyes.

The wizards in the audience were now cheering for him, praising every little thing he did. At first, their worry had been nice, but now their over-the-top reactions were just irritating.

The dwarf wizard quickly tried to undo the steel hook with his wand.

But the hook stayed put. It was like the steel was too magically strong to be changed back.

The dwarf wizard looked surprised. Even experienced wizards hadn’t seen magic like this before. He stumbled as he landed awkwardly on his half-hippogriff legs.

He could have still fought, even with the hook on his ankle. But showing such a mistake in a duel was a big deal.

“I give up! I lost!” the dwarf wizard said, raising his hands. “That was amazing! How did you do that? Is it some kind of Einrogaard secret?”

Ethan wondered how to explain without sounding arrogant. But before he could say anything, Professor Volardi walked over, hiding a frown, and started talking excitedly to the other wizards.