Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 629

“If you weren’t an Einrogard student, I would have appointed you as my adjutant,” the Family Head stated flatly.

The Skull Headmaster chuckled dryly. “Yes, yes. I, too, once dreamed of riding a dragon. But the dragon didn’t like the idea.”

If Wodanaz were appointed as the Moradi family’s adjutant, the Emperor would surely contact him immediately to ask if he was rebelling.

“I am aware.”

“Still, it would be good.”

“What are you talking about?” The Family Head looked at the Skull Headmaster, questioning.

The Skull Headmaster pointed to Ethan and Giselle. “The two of them are close, aren’t they? It’s rare to see students from different towers being friendly outside of the academy.”

The Family Head, who valued efficiency, was pleased that his children were friends with someone from the Wodanaz family.

Interacting with the Wodanaz family was already rare, so their friendship was even more impressive to him.

Right now, the Family Head might be excitedly planning how to take over the North with the Wodanaz family.

“That is not good.”

The Skull Headmaster was puzzled. “Why is it not good?”

“It is foolish to waste time with swordplay. They should be discussing important matters.”

The Skull Headmaster was very surprised.

So, he was saying that he begrudged his own child for playing with a friend?

‘What a strange man,’ he thought.

“Are you joking?” the Skull Headmaster asked.

“Am I not? Friendships can be built after going to Einrogard, can’t they?”

Of course, the Family Head probably wanted to discuss the future of the territory with the talented individual he had finally found.

But usually, when a child is playing with a friend, wouldn’t one say, ‘It’s alright, the territory can be discussed later, so make sure to build a friendship with your friend’?

Moreover, saying ‘My work comes first, so you can just go play after going to Einrogard’ was not something a sane person would say.

“…Next time you visit, I’ll just have to fill up your schedule first,” the Skull Headmaster said.

“That was my intention,” the Family Head replied.

He planned to fill the schedule next time to ensure Zicklin and Giselle wouldn’t distract from their important discussions.

The Skull Headmaster felt a headache coming on from the Family Head’s serious attitude, which didn’t understand jokes.

“Hey. Bring me some booze.”

“Does Your Excellency drink as well?” the servant asked.

“Why? Is giving booze to an undead a waste?”

“No, sir!” The servant, looking nervous, quickly brought the booze. The Skull Headmaster shuddered and poured the transparent liquid into his mouth.

“Family Head,” Ethan said, approaching while Giselle was taking a short break.

Then, looking at the Skull Headmaster, he asked, “Does Headmaster drink… No, what’s wrong with you!”

“Why? Is an undead not allowed to drink booze?” The Skull Headmaster splashed the booze in his glass at Ethan.

Having been ambushed by Zicklin once, Ethan reacted quickly, dodging the booze.

“What brings you here, Wodanaz?” the Family Head asked.

“I have brought a gift to commemorate this visit,” Ethan replied.

Ethan rummaged around and took out the gift.

It was the booze he had received from the Beech Knights, a 40-year-old Knight’s Delight.

He wanted to sell it if he could, but it felt wrong to sell such a gift. It would be troublesome if the Knights saw him wandering around the Imperial market.

It was better to use it as a gift.

“I offer this gift to the Family Head, who leads the Shield of the North,” Ethan said.

“…Thank you.” The Family Head received it without much reaction, but the Skull Headmaster could tell that the Family Head was deeply impressed.

‘He’s digging his own grave very deeply,’ the Skull Headmaster thought.

The Skull Headmaster clicked his tongue and looked at Ethan.

Perhaps the next time he visited this place, it would be more comfortable to go to the underground prison. At least there wouldn’t be a Family Head constantly talking to him!

“Ugh, ugh. Ugh…” Alsicle groaned, lying down in the carriage’s bedroom.

People who were popular among the knights had to have strong livers.

Everyone he saw offered him booze, so it was impossible not to get drunk.

“Can’t you use magic to cure it?” Ethan asked.

“I’m struggling because of the drunkenness and the hangover…” Alsicle moaned.

Magic was not all-powerful, especially not for a drunk wizard.

No matter how good the magic was, it was useless to a drunk wizard.

“Can’t we ask the Headmaster?”

“Haha. Do you think I would do it for you?” The Skull Headmaster replied gleefully.

Ethan shook his head. “It’s not that I’m trying to be mean. It’s just that there’s no need to forcibly use magic when it can be naturally healed. You learned that too, didn’t you?”

“Ah. I did learn that,” Alsicle admitted.

Some people think magic is just changing the world with your mind. But wizards first learn to control their magic.

It was a famous saying that the more a wizard relied on magic, the easier it was for them to be consumed by it.

‘But I think the Headmaster just wants to see Alsicle suffering,’ Ethan thought.

“Did things go well in the North?” Ethan asked.

“Yes. Thanks to you, it ended a bit more comfortably. It’s the first time I’ve seen Jidurf so happy,” the Skull Headmaster said.

“He didn’t exactly look happy, though?”

“That’s what he looks like when he’s happy. Trust me.”

The Skull Headmaster looked at the receding Northern mountain range. “The reason why the outskirts of the Empire are dangerous is not simply because of the harsh environment. It’s because we don’t know what kind of changes the stagnant mana in those places will cause.”

The harsher the environment, the higher the concentration of mana that gathers in that place.

From the perspective of those protecting the Empire, it was truly a terrible thing.

Imagine a world where doors to other worlds could open anywhere, at any time, bringing strange and dangerous creatures into our empire. This is a constant worry for everyone.

The northern mountains were especially known for this danger. That’s why special groups, like the Shadow Patrol, were created to protect people.

“So, we always need to be careful and watch for anything unusual.”

Lee Han frowned, confused. The Headmaster had been talking about the Moradi family, but now he was talking about the dangerous northern mountains and the safety of the whole empire. *Why is he changing the subject?* Lee Han wondered.

“Ah, yes, Headmaster. I understand,” Lee Han said, even though he didn’t really.

“Yes. Dealing with monsters from other worlds is already hard enough. But now, those awful cults who worship evil gods are also causing trouble… It seems like bad things always happen at once.”

The Headmaster sighed deeply. He pulled out a letter from his desk. This was a job he really didn’t want to do, but he knew he had to. Because of the problems in the north, they needed to send wizards to investigate.

*Whoosh!* With a quick flick of his wrist, the Headmaster sent the letter flying out of the carriage window, like a bird taking flight.

“We don’t even have enough money for important research, and now we have to use our resources to hunt down those evil worshippers… I’m so angry, I could crush their bones to dust!” The Headmaster’s voice was cold and full of anger.

Lee Han, eager to agree, said, “Let’s lock them away in the deepest dungeon forever!”

“Isn’t that a little harsh?” the Headmaster asked, sounding slightly surprised at Lee Han’s enthusiasm. Lee Han went silent, realizing he might have gone too far.

Another letter fluttered into the carriage. The Headmaster ripped it open and frowned as he read.

“What is it now?” Lee Han asked.

“I thought we were finished with letters, but another request just arrived. The Bishop of the Bildotzcal Order wants to talk to me.”

“The Bildotzcal Order…” Lee Han thought for a moment.

“That’s the Order of the Night, isn’t it?”

“More like the Order of Thieves,” the Headmaster grumbled.

“…I was trying to be polite,” Lee Han mumbled.

Bildotzcal was the god of night and thieves. Someone who didn’t know much about them might think, ‘Is that an evil god? Is it bad for the empire to worship a god of thieves?’ But actually, the priests of Bildotzcal weren’t all thieves themselves. They saw Bildotzcal as the symbol of the night itself.

The problem was, real thieves also really believed in Bildotzcal! Over time, people forgot that Bildotzcal was just the ‘God of Night.’ Now, everyone only remembered him as the ‘God of Night and Thieves.’

*‘I think even Ratford believed in Bildotzcal,’* Lee Han thought. Ratford wasn’t deeply religious, but he believed enough to sometimes toss a coin and pray, *‘Please let something good happen.’*

Lee Han realized that Ratford’s simple hope was actually stronger faith than his own.

“Why would the Bildotzcal Order want to see you, Headmaster?” Lee Han asked, surprised.

“Wait – did you maybe attack some of their priests?”

“It’s because someone from their Order is supposed to join our school,” the Headmaster explained. “They wouldn’t call me just because I attacked a few priests.”

*‘Shouldn’t you at least pretend you didn’t attack them?’* Lee Han thought. The Headmaster looked unusually unsure.

“Is there a problem with this new student?” Lee Han asked.

“No problem with the student,” the Headmaster said. “I just don’t like talking to those priests. I feel like I get less intelligent just by being near them.”

“…Let’s just get this over with,” Lee Han said, pushing the Headmaster gently forward. “This is the last meeting, right?” He really wanted to finish work and go home.

Sometimes, thieves dreamed of joining the Bildotzcal Order to learn the secret skills of the night. They would even visit the temple, but they always turned back at the door. As soon as you opened the entrance, you were met with complete darkness. This was something special about the Bildotzcal Order’s temple.

Lee Han and the Headmaster used Darkvision magic to see and went inside. Surprisingly, the priests moved around in the dark as if it was normal daylight.

“Where’s the head thief?” the Headmaster asked loudly.

“…Lord Gonadaltes,” one of the priests replied, sounding annoyed. “We are not thieves. We serve the God of Night…”

“Yes, yes. The head thief,” the Headmaster repeated dismissively. Even in the darkness, Lee Han could tell the priests were glaring at the Headmaster.

Embarrassed, Lee Han tried to quietly step away and face the wall, pretending he wasn’t with the Headmaster. But the Headmaster grabbed Lee Han’s arm and pulled him forward without any mercy.

“Lord Gonadaltes, you’re here.” Suddenly, a voice spoke. Lee Han opened the door to the Bishop’s room and his eyes widened. He could hear someone talking, but he couldn’t see anyone.

The Headmaster glanced at Lee Han and said, “Still not experienced enough. Don’t think you’re so clever just because you can see in the dark.”

Lee Han’s eyes snapped open in surprise. He realized he had been too confident in his Darkvision magic. Magic always had a way to fight back against itself, like a snake biting its own tail. *‘Divine magic!’* he thought. The Bishop of the Bildotzcal Order must be using a darkness that even Darkvision couldn’t break through.

Lee Han stopped using his Darkvision and focused on sensing magic instead. Then, he felt a strange magical power coming from right in front of him. Slowly, like his eyes were getting used to the dark, he began to see the Bishop. She was an old woman with a gentle face.

“Say hello,” the Headmaster said. “Bishop Ines, this is Wodanaz Gonadaltes. And this is Lee Han, also from the Wodanaz family.”

“Lord Gonadaltes, it’s good to see you again,” the Bishop said. “You’re still as energetic as ever.”

“You must have trouble feeding all those thieves,” the Headmaster said bluntly. Lee Han quickly jumped in, worried the conversation was turning sour.

“You must be the priests of the Order! Haha!” he said, trying to sound friendly.

“No, I *was* talking about thieves,” the Headmaster said, ignoring Lee Han. “Bishop Ines here actually gives food to the thieves around here.”

Lee Han looked confused. “It’s charity,” the Bishop explained kindly. “Charity. Like what you do for the people at the Tower. Giving food to people who are poor.”

*‘But I get paid for that,’* Lee Han thought, but he didn’t say anything. He was distracted by the Bishop’s kind smile.

“I still think locking them up is the best way,” the Headmaster grumbled.

“Some thieves need punishment, and some need help,” the Bishop replied calmly, not bothered by the Headmaster’s rude words.

“So, why did you want to see me?” the Headmaster asked, changing the subject. “If the new student doesn’t want to come to Einroguard because of praying, you can convince them yourself. It’s not hard.”

“That’s not why I asked you to come, Lord Gonadaltes,” the Bishop said. “There’s a small issue with the new student, and I wanted your advice.”

“Divine magic suddenly appearing? Super powers? Magic not working? Hates nobles? Actually, hating nobles is good. Even better! If they come to Einroguard, they can even beat up nobles legally!”

“Actually,” the Bishop said, “the priest who got accepted this time… is a thief.”

The Headmaster raised an eyebrow. “…That’s… interesting. Is the Bildotzcal Order finally living up to its reputation?”

“Please, stop it,” Lee Han whispered, pulling on the Headmaster’s sleeve.