Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 553

“Is this… safe?” Lee Han asked, his voice hesitant. He really didn’t want to make a deal with *that* thing.

The dark spirit didn’t seem happy about making a deal with Lee Han either.

It glared at him. Its eyes flickered angrily, burning bright and dim like a faulty lamp. It looked very dangerous.

*I hate you. I will get you back,* Lee Han imagined it thinking.

Lee Han had just tried to stab it with a spear of lightning. He definitely didn’t want to be friends with it now.

“Huh?” Siana the Priestess looked puzzled at Lee Han’s words.

“It’s dangerous, isn’t it? Look at the mess it caused in the forest when it escaped.”

Il Rendel, looking rather distressed, stepped up to defend it.

“It’s not naturally bad,” Il Rendel said, trying to explain. “It was made by magic, so it’s not born good or evil.”

Yoner, listening from the side, didn’t quite grasp the explanation.

“It escaped, though, didn’t it?”

“It was just overloaded with dark elemental energy and went berserk… It’s come to its senses now…”

Yoner lost a little respect for his senior in that moment.

“But, Master Wodanaz,” Despite the explanation, Siana the Priestess still looked perplexed.

“Didn’t you used to like dangerous things more?”

“…I did not!?” Lee Han stared at Siana the Priestess, utterly flabbergasted. Where on earth did she get such an absurd idea? Was this a lie made up by those annoying people from the White Tiger Tower?

“Well… you carry a Basilisk around on your wrist, so I thought you preferred dangerous summons…”

Il Rendel asked, hardly believing his ears. Basilisks were definitely not the sort of monster a first-year student would be carrying around. If a first-year student *was* carrying around a Basilisk, they were either mad or exceptionally skilled, or perhaps both.

“What are you talking about, Siana the Priestess? You’ll give the senior the wrong idea.”

Lee Han quickly clapped a hand over Siana the Priestess’s mouth. Lee Han knew that alchemists really wanted Basilisks because of their poison. He didn’t want anyone to know he had one.

‘Yoner.’

‘Got it.’

Yoner swiftly covered Siana the Priestess’s mouth and whispered.

“The Basilisk is a bit of an exception. Lee Han doesn’t usually like dangerous things.”

The Basilisk let out a mournful whimper from within Lee Han’s sleeve.

“Senior, why don’t you contract with it?” Lee Han quickly changed the subject, asking his senior instead. It was clear that Il Rendel was very fond of this dark spirit. When you thought about it, he had created and raised it himself, so it was only natural that he would be attached. Besides, unlike Lee Han, he was friendly with spirits…

“I can’t.” The senior, who was part Dryad, said sadly.

“I’ve tried countless times, but it just won’t contract with me.”

“Oh.”

Yoner and Siana the Priestess simultaneously had a thought flash through their minds, but they decided not to say anything.

“Hmm.” Lee Han was about to suggest, ‘Would you like to try stabbing it with a spear once?’ but stopped himself when he remembered the dark spirit’s earlier outburst. Come to think of it, the dark spirit had bound him instantly with wood; it could easily do the same to Lee Han.

“It’s a really good spirit.”

“Yes…”

“Do you know that dark spirits are extremely rare among spirits?”

“Yes…”

“Originally…” Il Rendel started talking sadly about dark spirits. He explained how rare and useful they were. He said it had been wonderful to raise this one. He would be very sad if it went back to where it came from.

“…Then just contract with it. I’ll contract with it now.”

“Really? Thank you!” Il Rendel was deeply moved. What an incredibly kind junior he was.

As the mark appeared, the dark spirit stopped flickering. It became a smooth, black sphere, like a polished stone, about the size of a child’s fist. It seemed to pulse with a faint, inner darkness.

Tears welled up in Il Rendel’s eyes beside him.

“You must be happy.”

“……” Lee Han felt extremely burdened.

“If only I had treated it better…”

“I will summon it for you when we meet next time.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Il Rendel held Lee Han’s hand tightly. His eyes were shining with tears.

“You are the kindest person I have ever met.”

“But, Senior, doesn’t it feel like that spirit is glaring at me?” It didn’t exactly have a face, being a sphere and all, but somehow Lee Han felt like the dark spirit was glaring right at him.

Il Rendel closed his eyes and nodded, making ‘uh-huh’ sounds as if he were conversing with the dark spirit.

“No, it’s not.”

“It’s not?”

“It says thank you for helping it come to its senses.”

“……” Lee Han looked at Il Rendel, not really believing him. If he weren’t his senior, he would have blurted out, ‘Don’t lie to me.’

‘It doesn’t look grateful at all.’ Lee Han felt uneasy. It was like the spirit was watching him, even though it was just a ball. He felt nervous and uncomfortable.

“Could it be like those guys from the White Tiger Tower?” Yoner whispered cautiously.

“The White Tiger Tower?”

“They say ‘thank you’ even when they’re getting beaten.”

“…Ah, no. Someone might misunderstand if they heard that.” Lee Han quickly shut Yoner up. But he understood what he meant.

-Hey, you there. Don’t doze off. Hey, I said don’t doze off, you little…

-Ack!

-I don’t want to attack you either, okay? Don’t doze off. Why are you still on that page?

-Kuh…

-You’re not getting angry at me for helping you study, are you?

-N-no. I’m grateful.

…Like the students from the White Tiger Tower, the dark spirit could grit its teeth and say, ‘Thank you for helping me come to my senses.’

‘Even more unsettling.’ Lee Han firmly resolved that no matter how useful and rare the dark spirit was, he should avoid summoning it whenever possible.

Tap tap-

” ?” The squirrel spirit tapped Lee Han’s shoulder and pointed to the side. From the place where the spirits had fled earlier, a clear and refreshing energy began to swirl, accompanied by light. Lee Han suddenly felt a sense of foreboding from that energy.

“…Il Rendel Senior, who is friendly with spirits? What phenomenon is that?”

“The spirits are returning to their home.” Il Rendel said in a voice filled with quiet emotion. It was rare for spirits summoned from other dimensions to return on their own accord. Most of them returned only after their power was exhausted, and conflicts often arose in the process. It was fortunate if they could be persuaded.

Then, a soft glow began to rise from the forest floor. It grew brighter, and soon, small lights, like tiny stars, began to float upwards. These were the spirits, returning home. Each light shimmered with a different color – soft blues, greens, and yellows – and they danced in the air like fireflies on a summer night.

Expressing their gratitude to the wizards who had risked their lives to help them. Like raindrops, the unique light emitted by the spirits fell from the sky in droplets.

“It’s beautiful…”

“Indeed.”

Siana the Priestess and Yoner were overwhelmed by the brilliant symphony of nature created by the spirits, blinking in awe. It was a rare sight that could only be seen when spirits were genuinely moved, not through conflict or persuasion. Seeing this, the hardships of the day suddenly felt worthwhile.

Whoooosh! The last spirit disappeared beyond another dimension, expressing its gratitude. The droplets of light flickered out, and the forest regained its original appearance. Siana the Priestess, Yoner, and Il Rendel deeply inhaled the light left behind by the spirits. It felt as if their whole bodies were filled with the spirits’ energy.

The beautiful light faded, and the forest was quiet again. Then, a soft *plop* broke the silence.

Yoner was startled and looked to the side. Lee Han sank to his knees. His shoulders slumped, and he stared at the ground, a picture of misery. Even the usually cheerful squirrel spirit looked worried, patting his arm with a tiny paw.

Professor Thunderfoot, having rounded up all the impudent students, returned to his original spot. Of course, the first-year students were nowhere to be seen. If it were other students, they would have been horrified and gone looking for them. It was dangerous enough to have come this deep into the forest under normal circumstances, let alone with the Blight rampant. But Professor Thunderfoot remained calm. Wodanaz was with them, after all.

‘Must have moved ahead because he didn’t want to wait. Impatient fellow.’ Professor Thunderfoot followed the trail.

“Hey, you lot! Why did you go off on your own… Why is Wodanaz like that?”

“Professor, the spirits have returned.”

“What?! Such a joyous…!” Professor Thunderfoot was astonished. If you genuinely moved the spirits and sent them back, their gratitude would eventually come back to you. Of course, satisfying the eccentric beings of other dimensions was not easy, so it was a very rare occurrence, but it was happening today.

“You are truly fortunate!”

“Th-that, Professor.”

“Master Wodanaz is…” Yoner and Siana the Priestess tried to cut off Professor Thunderfoot’s tactless remarks, glancing at Lee Han. However, Professor Thunderfoot continued without a care.

“It’s a once-in-a-decade event. It’s not surprising the air smells so strongly of spirits… It will be a great help to you all. After all, spirits never forget kindness.”

“Professor, Professor.”

“? ?” Professor Thunderfoot then saw Yoner pointing at Lee Han.

“Why is he like that?”

“The spirits have returned.”

“What does that… Ah!” The dwarf professor finally remembered why Lee Han had worked so hard today. He had worked so hard, and yet the spirits had returned. His back looked so miserable that Professor Thunderfoot didn’t know what to say.

“How… how did you manage to move the spirits?”

“We captured and subdued an artificial spirit that was causing trouble.”

“Who???” Yoner pointed at Lee Han again. Professor Thunderfoot was truly aghast. He had heard from the students he caught earlier that the wild spirit was very strong. The spirit itself was young, having been born not long ago, but it was rampaging due to an excess of elemental energy, wasn’t it? Even if he wanted to be popular with spirits, to risk his life against such a thing…

“You caught that??!!”

“The senior helped, though…”

“?” The professor finally noticed Il Rendel. The bright student was diligently healing the damaged trees and plants nearby.

“…Il Rendel.”

“Ah, Professor.” Il Rendel, finally noticing Professor Thunderfoot’s arrival, wiped the sweat from his brow and stood up.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Do you have anything to say about this situation?”

“I’m sorry…” Il Rendel bowed his head. Professor Thunderfoot watched him, feeling unsure what to think. He sighed and said.

“…Alright. If you’re sorry, that’s enough. You were trying to do well, too. Just don’t do it again.”

“?!” Yoner was astonished. He had been so furious, determined to catch the other seniors and make them pay the price, so why was he being so lenient with Il Rendel Senior?

“What’s wrong?” Professor Thunderfoot asked Yoner, sensing his gaze.

“Oh, were the other seniors forgiven, too?”

“What are you talking about? It’s the punishment room for them.”

“Then is Il Rendel Senior going to the punishment room, too?”

“No.”

“…?” Professor Thunderfoot, understanding the first-year’s confusion, said awkwardly.

“Il Rendel has a lot of work to do normally, so he can’t go to the punishment room.” Il Rendel, who spent more time in the forest than in the school buildings, was one of Professor Thunderfoot’s most diligent students. If such a student went to the punishment room, who would take care of the forest?

“Of course, it’s not because I’d be bothered if he went. I’m respecting and considering the work he usually does.”

“Ah, yes.” Yoner didn’t believe him, but he just nodded. Then he looked at Lee Han.

“…Perhaps… perhaps Wodanaz *can’t* go to the punishment room either.”

“What are you talking about?” Professor Thunderfoot laughed in disbelief. Then he fell into thought. After a moment.