Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 543

‘Is that really something to be so excited about?’ Professor Kirmin wondered. He watched Ian and Ratford happily taking apart the boxes. The professor looked puzzled. He was happy his students liked the lesson. But he couldn’t understand why they were *so* excited about something that seemed quite ordinary to him.

“Professor,” Ian asked, his voice eager, “are there any *more* difficult boxes?”

Professor Kirmin chuckled. “Wodanaz,” he teased, “are you planning to use these skills to steal something later?”

Ian’s eyes darted away for a moment. “Wh-what? No! This is for… for learning about illusion magic. It’s… academic.”

Ratford quickly agreed, “Y-yes, Professor! Just for study. Wodanaz would never do anything like that!”

Professor Kirmin smiled. “Just kidding, you two. It was a joke.”

Professor Kirmin was not like some teachers who were strict and harsh. He was a kind professor. He believed in encouraging students and also giving them challenges. He was gentle but firm.

The students had found the earlier boxes boring and difficult. Professor Kirmin wanted to make the lesson more interesting now. “You have all worked hard with those tricky boxes,” he said.

“No, it was fun!” Ian said brightly.

Behind him, Ian’s friends shot him angry looks. They couldn’t glare at him from the front, so they glared from behind instead. *Typical top student,* they thought, annoyed.

“Now,” Professor Kirmin continued, “let’s go back to the magic I taught you last time. You all remember, right?”

“Yes, Professor!” the students replied eagerly. Their faces lit up.

The boring part of the lesson was over. Now they would learn how to use the magic in a more real way.

The professor pointed to a student. “Alright,” he said, “your turn.”

The student took a breath and chanted, “…Be, be refracted!” He cast the >Projectile Refraction> spell and added a Magic Missile. Suddenly, the fist-sized blue orb, which should have flown straight, seemed to bend in the air. It looked like it was coming from a completely different direction.

This was illusion magic. It was meant to trick people and make them think magic was going one way when it was actually going another.

“Uh oh!” The student gasped. The Magic Missile looked like it was about to hit Professor Kirmin right in the face!

Ian watched, a small, curious smile on his face. *Would the professor be surprised?* he wondered.

Of course, Professor Kirmin was ready. Just as the magic was about to hit him, the professor seemed to dissolve into dust. One moment he was there, the next he was gone, like sand blowing away in the wind.

“!”

“…!!”

A wave of surprise went through the room. The students felt a sudden chill. The professor they had been talking to just seconds ago had been an illusion! When had he switched? They hadn’t even noticed!

“Good job, good job,” Professor Kirmin said. “But it was too obvious. You need to be more tricky! Great illusionists are masters of deception.”

He explained, “Imagine attacking a fortress. A strong warrior might charge in, fighting everyone head-on. But an illusionist? An illusionist would sneak in, find the leader without anyone noticing, and then pretend to *be* the leader! Instead of big, showy battles, illusion magic is about surprise and trickery. That’s what makes it powerful.”

“Okay, everyone, pair up!” Professor Kirmin announced. “One person will attack, and the other will defend. The attacker needs to trick their partner and… well, ‘win’ somehow. Understand?” He looked around. “Wodanaz, where are you going? You’re with me again. Like last time.”

“Yes…” Ian mumbled, turning back to the professor. He didn’t look happy about it.

The other students gave Professor Kirmin polite nods and greetings, happy they weren’t chosen. Professor Kirmin waved back, as if saying, *Yes, I know what you’re thinking.*

“Honestly, Wodanaz,” Professor Kirmin said, “it wouldn’t be fair if you practiced with the others. You’re too advanced.”

“Not really,” Ian mumbled, but Professor Kirmin seemed to ignore him. After teaching at Einrogard for a while, Professor Kirmin had become very good at pretending not to hear things he didn’t want to hear. It was a useful skill for a professor.

“You’ve learned so much from Professor Begreck,” Professor Kirmin continued, “that the other students would be completely lost if they tried to compete with you.”

“I didn’t learn *that* much,” Ian insisted quietly.

“Wodanaz,” Professor Kirmin said, raising an eyebrow, “have you forgotten already? Last time, you pretended to faint! You acted like you were having a heart attack! And when I came to help, you attacked me! It was ridiculous!” Professor Kirmin looked at Ian, shaking his head in disbelief. *That trick,* he thought, *it had Professor Begreck’s style all over it.*

“Alright, enough talking,” Professor Kirmin said. “Let’s begin!”

“Yes!” Ian replied. “Increase!” He cast the >Projectile Amplification> spell.

This spell was similar to the >Projectile Refraction> spell they had seen earlier, but a bit harder. It was an illusion that made it look like the wizard was casting many more magical projectiles than they actually were. The illusion seemed to come from the staff itself.

“Water, come forth!” Ian chanted. Small orbs of water appeared and shot towards Professor Kirmin. They didn’t fly straight; they wobbled and twisted in the air, moving in strange, unpredictable paths. Since this was just practice, the water orbs weren’t meant to hurt, just to be tricky.

Professor Kirmin sighed, sounding a little annoyed. “You pretended to use illusion magic,” he said, “but you just launched a bunch of real water orbs, didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t,” Ian said innocently.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” Professor Kirmin waved his wand. Suddenly, the water orbs flying towards him burst apart and splashed onto the floor. They were real water, alright. Definitely not illusions.

*That was a clever trick,* Professor Kirmin thought, impressed. *Definitely deserves top marks. Though, not everyone can afford to use up magic power like that…*

*Wait… is *he* fake?* Ian wondered suddenly. He stared intently at Professor Kirmin. It wasn’t just a guess. Ian could *feel* it. There was something slightly… off about the professor. It wasn’t anything you could see easily. It was more like a tiny vibration, a slight wrongness in the air around him. It was the kind of feeling you got when magic was being used, but… different. Most wizards wouldn’t notice it, but Ian’s senses for magic were incredibly sharp.

“Hmm,” Ian murmured. He had an idea. He quickly walked over to Imirgue, the White Tiger Tower student who was practicing illusion magic with Ratford nearby. Ian gently poked Imirgue in the back with his staff.

“Ack!” Imirgue yelped, surprised.

“Sorry,” Ian said quickly. “I thought you were the professor.”

Imirgue frowned. “And *that’s* your excuse?”

“Wodanaz,” Professor Kirmin said, “it’s good that you noticed something was wrong. But you can’t just attack other students like that!” He tapped his wand on the floor to show he was serious. “Imagine if an illusionist was hiding in a village. They can’t just attack everyone they see, can they?”

Ian looked around the room again, his eyes scanning every corner. *Where is he hiding?* he wondered. He couldn’t sense the professor’s magic clearly. Maybe… maybe he should just use a wide-area spell, something that would affect the whole room?

“Wodanaz,” Professor Kirmin said, as if reading his mind, “no wide-area magic either.”

Ian glared at the professor in front of him, annoyed. “If I can’t do *anything*,” he complained, “then what am I supposed to do?”

Professor Kirmin smiled slightly. “This is an illusion magic lesson, Wodanaz. Not one of Professor Begreck’s… *explosive* lessons, remember?”

*He’s right,* Ian thought, sighing slightly. He launched another water orb at the professor, but Professor Kirmin easily blocked it.

*I need to find that… that wrong feeling,* Ian thought to himself. He focused his senses. He was looking for a magical feeling that was different from the normal magic in the air, a feeling that was… out of place. Usually, that kind of feeling was a sign of someone using magic nearby. But the problem was, everyone in the room was using magic! Spells were flying everywhere. The magical energy in the air was chaotic and confusing.

“Ogonin’s Mist, spread forth!” Ian chanted. A thick, swirling mist began to fill the air.

“!” Professor Kirmin watched, impressed. He looked almost moved. *Ogonin’s Mist!* For a first-year student to cast a 3rd Circle spell, and even Ogonin’s secret magic, so perfectly… It was amazing. Even though Ian sometimes caused trouble by breaking magic circles and classroom materials with his uncontrolled magic, moments like this reminded Professor Kirmin that Wodanaz was truly a remarkable student.

*First, I need to hide,* Ian thought. He remembered what he had learned. Even when you are attacking, it’s important to be hidden. If Professor Kirmin could see him, it would be harder to trick him. He needed to block the professor’s view, even for a moment.

“Cloak, swallow me…” Ian whispered. As the mist swirled around him, Ian seemed to vanish. He became completely invisible.

*Well done?* Professor Kirmin thought, amazed. Ian’s figure had disappeared completely into the mist. *No wonder they call him Voladi’s Only Disciple.* He was already so skilled, even after just a few lessons in illusion magic. *That’s right,* Professor Kirmin thought, *a good illusionist needs to know how to hide, even when they are on the attack.*

*Shhh!* Suddenly, with a soft whoosh, the windows slammed shut. The curtains were pulled closed, blocking out the light.

The other students, who had been practicing spells and playfully bumping into each other, stopped and turned, surprised.

Professor Kirmin felt a sudden sense of unease. “Hey, wait a second!” he called out, a worried tone in his voice.

*Crash!!* A loud shattering sound echoed through the room. Ian had destroyed the magical lamps on the ceiling.

The lamps, which had been lighting the room, broke with a crash. Suddenly, the lecture hall was plunged into darkness.

Professor Kirmin felt a mix of emotions. He wanted to praise Ian for his cleverness, but he also wanted to call Professor Begreck and complain, *“Stop teaching him such strange things!”*

*He’s actually breaking them!* Professor Kirmin thought, half-annoyed, half-impressed.

It wasn’t completely dark, though. Some light still came through the curtains, and the faint glow of magic spells still lit the room a little.

“Darkness, flow forth!” Ian chanted again. Even darker shadows seemed to gather in the room.

“…!” Professor Kirmin chuckled softly. He admired Ian’s determination to create total darkness, even using rare dark magic. *He’s really making the most of being the attacker,* Professor Kirmin thought, smiling.

“So, Wodanaz?” Professor Kirmin’s voice echoed in the darkness. “Making it dark is a good move, but now it’s even harder to find me, isn’t it?”

“No,” Ian’s voice replied from somewhere in the shadows. “I’ve already found you.”

Suddenly, Ian appeared behind Imirgue. The mist around him vanished, and he gently tapped Imirgue on the shoulder with his staff.

Instantly, Imirgue’s face changed. His features shifted and morphed until he looked exactly like Professor Kirmin! Just then, the lights in the lecture hall flickered back on. The students near Imirgue gasped in shock.

“How did you find me?” Professor Kirmin asked, genuinely surprised. He had been sure he was well hidden. He thought Wodanaz was on the right track, but he didn’t expect him to find him so quickly. *How did he do it?*

“After I became invisible,” Ian explained, “I also used >Ogonin’s Emotion Recognition> magic.”

“Ah!” Professor Kirmin exclaimed. “>Ogonin’s Emotion Recognition>? That’s… that’s very clever!”

“Oh… yes. Ogonin… Sir,” Ian added quickly, glancing around. He realized he should be more respectful when talking about Ogonin in front of Professor Kirmin.

The reason Ian used >Ogonin’s Emotion Recognition> was simple. He guessed that if Professor Kirmin was disguised as one of the students, he would be calmer and less nervous than the real students, who were all excited and practicing magic.

Professor Kirmin clapped his hands, looking very pleased. “Yes!” he said. “You figured it out! Did you notice because Imirgue’s magic was… reacting strangely? Imirgue is good at resisting magic, but even he can’t block spells that read emotions.”

“Um… well,” Ian hesitated, “the emotion magic worked, but…”

Professor Kirmin looked surprised by Ian’s words. Since it was just a lesson, Professor Kirmin wasn’t using lots of protective magic on himself. But as an illusionist, he always used some basic security spells, just out of habit. And Ian had seen through them?

“Goodness,” Professor Kirmin said, shaking his head in amazement. “No wonder Professor Begreck likes you so much.”

“Yes???” Ian asked, suddenly looking very serious.

Professor Verdus used to call for Ian all the time, especially when he was bored. But recently, those calls had become much less frequent. Ian didn’t mind at all. He knew that if he went to see Professor Verdus and asked, “Professor, are you okay?” he would get stuck in Professor Verdus’s endless problems and complaints. Ian was happy to enjoy the quiet time. *Thank you, Senior Kettle,* he thought gratefully. *Because of you, it’s peaceful now.*

But he couldn’t avoid Professor Verdus forever.

A prime example was lecture time.

“Wodanaz, why do you look so cheerful when it’s a bestowment magic lecture?” Anglago couldn’t understand.

Wasn’t Wodanaz the one who had to go pick up the professor!

If it were Anglago, just thinking about it would give him a stomach ache…

“Ah, I just realized that I only have to see the professor during lecture time, so I’m suddenly happy,” Ian replied.

“……” Giselle, who was passing by, looked at Ian as if he were crazy.

“Professor?” Before the lecture started, Ian knocked on the door of Professor Verdus’s workshop.

Professor Verdus opened the door with a wave from afar and told him to come in.

“Oh, were you working? Should I come back next time?” Ian asked.

“No. I have to go to the lecture. They said they’d kill me if I didn’t,” Professor Verdus grumbled.

Ian didn’t ask, ‘Who?’ He simply smiled gently.

Professor Verdus grumbled and quickly finished his work.

“It’s so annoying! What madman is breaking the magic lamps in the lecture hall?”

“……”