Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 625

“Please, relax, Head of the Family,” Alshicle said, gesturing to the grand chair with a respectful bow.

He’d been welcomed like royalty himself, so it was only right to show he wasn’t expecting such formality now.

The elf, with eyes as sharp as frozen needles, nodded slowly. “I will, Peng Erinn.” His voice was quiet, like the whisper of winter wind.

“And please, just call me Wodanaz,” Lee Han added quickly, trying to sound confident even though his palms were suddenly damp.

“Thank you, Wodanaz.” The Head of the Family’s lips barely moved as he spoke.

With those brief words, they settled into their seats.

The room was large and cold, decorated with tapestries of snowy landscapes. Lee Han shivered slightly, despite the fire crackling in the hearth across the room.

Just then, a knight staying in the territory knocked on the door.

“Peng Erinn, you said you would help repair the ice wall today… Oops! Sorry!”

“No, it seems you had something else to do,” the Head of the Family said, gesturing for him to continue.

“Well, Peng Erinn said he would cast a spell to make the ice wall of the Orumbawi Cape Fortress stronger because it was getting weak. I came because it was time…”

“Ah, that’s right,” Alshicle said, realizing he had promised to help the knights with their patrols after they asked.

“I apologize, Head of the Family.”

“No, if you promised already, you should go. The Moradi Family should be thankful. Take Peng Erinn and have a good trip.”

“Yes!” Alshicle bowed, grateful that the Head of the Family was understanding and polite to everyone.

Then, he saw Lee Han’s face.

‘Uh oh!’

Lee Han was looking at Alshicle like he was looking at someone very annoying and unimportant.

“N-no, it’s not like that!”

“What isn’t?”

“This time, it’s really a coincidence, not like before!”

“Ah, yes, I’m sure,” Lee Han said, his eyes showing he thought Alshicle was a pain.

Alshicle felt bad as he noticed the change.

‘Oops.’

“I’ll be back. Let’s talk again.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“I’m telling you, it really wasn’t on purpose…” Alshicle stayed until the end, then left.

‘Hmm.’

Lee Han felt nervous being alone with the Head of the Moradi Family (even though his junior was there, they weren’t much help).

If Zicklin could make people feel uneasy in a one-on-one talk, what would the Head of the Family be like?

‘He looks cold.’

He was a cold-looking elf, so sharp that he looked like he wouldn’t bleed if you pricked him with a needle.

Lee Han remembered what he had heard about the family.

They were one of the top knight families in the North, known for being tough, cold, and never forgetting a grudge.

They were very much like the Moradi.

And the Head of the Family would be even more so.

“I heard about what you did with the Evil God worshiper, Wodanaz. The family is grateful,” the Head of the Family said.

“I didn’t do it alone.”

“Even so, it’s still impressive. I heard you’re friends with Giselle. How did you become friends when you’re in different towers?”

“Cough.”

Lee Han almost spat out his coffee. The junior next to him looked worried.

He couldn’t say ‘The Moradi kept picking on me’ in front of the Head of the Family…

“Well… we became friends while going through tough times together at Einrogaard.”

The Head of the Family listened and was quiet for a moment.

Then, as if he didn’t understand, he asked again.

“Everyone at Einrogaard goes through tough times, but I know it’s rare for people in different towers to be close. What’s different about you two?”

“The tough times the older students went through were fake, but ours were real.”

Lee Han answered boldly.

Since he had already said it, he would stick to it.

It’s not like the Head of the Family knew what really happened at Einrogaard…

‘?’

The Head of the Family paused, confused by Lee Han’s words.

He wondered if he didn’t understand because he had never been to Einrogaard himself.

‘What’s the difference between fake and real tough times?’

The Head of the Family quickly realized that wasn’t important.

What mattered now was understanding what the Wodanaz Family wanted.

“It’s amazing that Giselle made a friend, but that’s her business. I need to find out what the Wodanaz Family wants.”

“Wodanaz, how is the Head of your Family doing?”

“He is still in seclusion, exploring the outside world.”

“Excellent. I have admired the Head of the Wodanaz Family since I was young.”

Lee Han was surprised to hear that from such a cold face.

‘Does he not know how to show his feelings?’

To Lee Han, the best actor in the empire, the straightforward elf Head of the Family was strange.

“Then, what do you want to do, Wodanaz?”

“I am thinking about becoming an imperial official.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

‘He’s not telling me easily, as I thought.’

The Head of the Family wasn’t surprised or upset by the boy’s answer.

He was more used to talking to nobles than knights.

Nobles rarely show their true feelings at the first meeting.

They pretend not to be interested, and then slowly reveal their true feelings when they trust the other person.

What did the boy from the Wodanaz Family lack that made him want to become an imperial official?

That was a sign of humility.

‘Gonadaltes praised the boy from the Wodanaz Family highly. He probably wants him to be his successor. If so, then “official” is not wrong. It’s a great answer.’

The Head of the Family was impressed by the boy’s subtle way of being humble.

He was different from the other Wodanaz Family members he had met.

“That’s a great goal.”

“Do you think so?” Lee Han was happy.

He didn’t expect another family head to support him.

“Of course!”

“Thank you.”

“As a nobleman, you will be traveling around the Empire’s territories, and I would like to personally introduce you to the family’s lands.”

The head of the family wanted to show Lee Han his lands. He thought that if Lee Han was ambitious, he would be impressed by the Moradi family’s power.

“Oh… I gratefully accept.”

Lee Han accepted the offer without much thought. Touring the territory sounded much better than hunting with Sir Ziklin. It was also a good opportunity to flatter the head of the family.

Lee Han thought, ‘He seems to have inherited the spirit of the cold North… Hmm. Cliched. The essence of the cold North Sea…’

The head of the family noticed Lee Han was lost in thought and became even more expectant.

They moved on, soon arriving at the underground ranch.

“This is the underground ranch,” the head of the family announced.

The Moradi family, situated on a massive bedrock, had painstakingly created various facilities over a long period. Among these were rare ones that were hard to find in other northern families, like this underground ranch created by drilling deep into the cave.

“Excellent!” Lee Han exclaimed.

“Thank you,” the head of the family replied.

“To create a space by drilling through rock and then use it as a ranch. No other family could follow!” Lee Han added.

“You flatter me,” the head of the family responded politely, but he wasn’t really interested in simple praise. He wanted to know what kind of promise Lee Han would actually make.

Lee Han looked around, thinking, ‘How fascinating.’ Ranches usually needed open spaces, so you’d think of flat land above ground, but this was an underground ranch deep inside a cave. The animals raised inside weren’t just ordinary livestock but also rare species. It was indeed something to boast about.

“Magic is being used a lot too,” Lee Han observed.

“It would be a mistake to think that a knight family doesn’t use magic, Wodanaz,” the head of the family said. “In fact, the Moradi family has quite a few wizards. Of course, it’s nothing compared to the Wodanaz family…”

“We have fewer. We’re not as flamboyant to begin with,” Lee Han replied.

While the head of the family analyzed what Lee Han meant, Lee Han looked around at the animals and the magic installations. He could tell what kind of magic was installed, thanks to his rigorous training. ‘Heat generation, wind… Ah, it’s circulating the air. Is this drawing water? This seems to be a purification-type magic; I guess there are animals that dislike dirt.’

Lee Han almost felt grateful to Headmaster Skull and Professor Verdus, but he quickly corrected himself: ‘No. I’m not grateful.’

The head of the family noticed Lee Han’s interest in the magic. ‘As expected of the Wodanaz family’s bloodline,’ he thought.

“Do you have any questions?” he asked.

“Ah. I was just briefly considering whether it could be arranged more efficiently,” Lee Han said.

The head of the family was intrigued. He wondered if Lee Han’s confidence was justified or just arrogant overconfidence. Even for an Einroguard student about to become a second-year, he didn’t think he could fix that… But Lee Han was of the Wodanaz family’s bloodline, so he might show something extraordinary. ‘Either outcome is fine,’ the head of the family thought. The most important thing was that Lee Han would feel goodwill towards the kindness he had shown him.

“Then, feel free to touch it, Wodanaz,” the head of the family offered.

“Yes? No. If something goes wrong…” Lee Han hesitated.

“The family’s other wizards are not far away. Even if something goes wrong, they can fix it right away. I think it’s more important to give a young wizard experience,” the head of the family said, his expression unchanged. His coldness was intimidating, but Lee Han was too bold to be intimidated. ‘I think I can do this well enough,’ he thought.

“Um. Then I’ll try it for a moment,” Lee Han said.

He began to cut out the intricately intertwined parts of the magic circle and infuse the remaining parts with magic power close to overload. This method was only possible for Lee Han, who could cover it with his own magic power even after reducing the number of magic stones.

As the work progressed and the flow of magic power changed, the head of the family’s expression wavered for the first time. He looked at Lee Han with surprise, intuitively understanding what he was doing. ‘To reduce magic power in that way!’

“I think it’s done. Is there anything wrong?” Lee Han asked.

“No. Excellent, Wodanaz. I’m impressed,” the head of the family replied.

“Haha. Thank you. It was worth practicing at Einroguard,” Lee Han said.

The head of the family quickly calculated the number of magic stones saved by Lee Han’s work.

“Would you like to take a look at other places too? I’d like to hear your opinion,” he offered.

“But what I just did is a kind of patch, so it might be difficult for complex magic circles,” Lee Han cautioned.

“It doesn’t matter. I’d appreciate it if you could just look at it with a light heart,” the head of the family said, smiling for the first time that day.

The cooperation with the Wodanaz family that had been in his head quickly faded, replaced by thoughts of how much of the territory could be improved with Lee Han’s genius.

Elsewhere, at the training ground…

“I’m here?” Giselle said, looking around for her sister.

Ziklin was sitting in the deepest part with a troubled face.

“Giselle.”

“Yes.”

“Um. Never mind.”

“…Why? You can just tell me!” Giselle urged, wondering what her sister was worried about. Most of Ziklin’s worries were useless, but sometimes they were dangerous, like, ‘I want to compete with a giant swordsman.’

“I’m your sister. Trust me and tell me.”

“Um.”

Ziklin finally opened her mouth. Giselle listened carefully, wondering what she was worried about.

“Father keeps taking Wodanaz, so I can’t show him my swordsmanship.”

“……”

Giselle regretted asking.