Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 644

On closer inspection, it wasn’t just any ordinary artifact.

It gave the wearer great strength right away, with no bad effects. And the innkeeper didn’t look like a wizard or a fighter.

Even weak magic items that just make you a little stronger and have bad side effects are hard to make and find. But this item was much stronger…

‘Who on earth made it?’

Ratford looked very closely at the artifact.

The more he looked, the more extraordinary it seemed.

Ratford was not as good at magic as Wodanaise. Wodanaise could feel magic from far away and understand it easily. But even Ratford could feel that this artifact was very complex and well-made.

Like a great work of art, this artifact seemed to glow with power, even up close.

‘…But why on earth does the innkeeper have it!?’

“Cough… cough. Th-this…”

“Are you sorry or not!”

“This guy is trying to kill me! Help!”

“!”

At the cry of the dwarf traveler, coughing and calling for his comrades, Ratford tensed.

‘He has companions!’

Just then, heavy footsteps pounded from the second floor. Another dwarf burst out, holding a pickaxe.

And that wasn’t all. A dwarf companion who had been walking in from outside threw down the beer he was drinking and charged in with a club.

“I swear on my beard, you’d better let go of my friend! You monster!”

“You think you can cause trouble like this and get away with it?!”

“Shut up, we’re miners from the Sunset Iron Mine! You can’t stop us!”

The innkeeper, holding onto the dwarf traveler, faced off against the other two companions.

Realizing that three might be too much, the innkeeper shouted to the server again.

“Ladle, bring the ladle!”

“??”

At this point, Ratford was more curious about what else the innkeeper would bring out than about stopping the dwarf travelers.

“Will a ladle be enough!? Shouldn’t we bring out the pot lid too?!”

“Bring that out too!”

The subdued dwarf traveler said, coughing.

“St… stop it!”

“Wh-what?”

“Stop the ladle and the pot lid…!”

“???”

His companions wondered what nonsense he was spouting.

Why would they stop the ladle and pot lid from coming out?

“You can’t stop it if you move now!”

“St-still, we have to stop it…”

Just then, the skinny server darted out. In one hand, the server held a ladle, and in the other, a pot lid.

The dwarves burst into laughter at the sight of the server trembling and glaring at them.

“Little human! You think that’ll do it!”

“Go back into the kitchen and hide until your shift is over!”

“O, O, O Ladle of the Wodanaise family!”

The server squeezed their eyes shut and shouted.

They never wanted to use the artifact from the Wodanaise family! They hoped the innkeeper would use it instead…

Wham!

Wham! The three dwarves flew out of the inn like toys tossed by a giant. It was as if a huge, invisible hand had smacked them hard and sent them tumbling.

“!!!!!”

Ratford was stunned.

‘It’s not just an ordinary artifact!’

It didn’t just hurt enemies. It could sense bad feelings and throw out anyone inside the inn who wanted to cause trouble!

The dwarves stumbled and rolled on the ground, gasping for air. Even though they were strong, well-built dwarves in good armor, the force had knocked the wind out of them.

“Th-this crazy innkeeper… what kind of… artifact… cough.”

“You awful dwarves!”

The owner of the general store next door, having heard the commotion late, rushed over in anger.

The three dwarves were still lying there, completely confused, when the general store owner from next door ran towards them. This owner looked like they wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone fight three dwarves.

What guts did they have to run at them now?

“Take this, broom!”

The general store owner pointed the broom they were holding at them like a wand.

The three dwarves suddenly felt uneasy at the sight.

Could it be…

Could it be that the general store owner too…??”

“O Broom of the Wodanaise family!”

Wham!!!

The broom hit them, and suddenly, ropes seemed to appear out of nowhere, wrapping around the dwarves tightly. They fell to the ground, unconscious.

The townspeople grumbled and dragged them to the guardhouse jail.

The commotion was over.

The innkeeper apologized to the guests and offered them each a beer.

“Sir.”

“!”

Ratford was surprised when the innkeeper suddenly spoke to him.

“Yes?”

‘Was I found out to be a wizard?’

“I know you’re surprised. But please don’t tell anyone about this. If strange stories go around the village, travelers will stop coming.”

“……”

“Please…”

The innkeeper’s face showed complete desperation. Ratford felt the innkeeper’s worry like a weight pressing down on him. He nodded before he even thought about it.

“B-but where did you get that artifact just now…?”

“…Well, it’s normal to be curious. This is a treasure given to us by the Wodanaise family.”

“The Wodanaise family! …Wait, but why a hat, a ladle, a pot lid…?”

“There’s a story behind that too.”

The innkeeper sighed.

It was something that happened during the time of the innkeeper’s great-grandfather.

Back then, the name of this inn wasn’t >A Piece of Cloud Above the Waves>.

-…You have run the >Lava Volcano Pony> Inn very well. So, in the name of the Wodanaise family, I want to give you a gift.

-Th-thank you. Devil… Supervisor… Manager… General Manager… Sir.

“Devil?”

“…Did I say that? Not a devil, but a supervisor, a general manager. It just looked like a devil, that’s what I meant.”

-I’m going to give you an artifact, how about it?

-N-n-no, it’s alright!

The innkeeper’s great-grandfather didn’t want to receive the artifact.

In fact, the other villagers felt the same way.

People who didn’t know better might say, ‘Wow, if you get a magic item, you can sell it for a lot of money!’ But in this village, things were different.

First, no one knew what would happen if they sold a gift from the Wodanaise family without asking. Would they be punished?

There was nothing more stupid than making the Grand Wizard angry.

And for ordinary villagers, the Wodanaise family’s artifacts were honestly more frightening than convenient.

What if they accidentally summoned a demon by using it wrong?

-Why are you refusing?

-Ah, ah, artifacts are difficult for me to use as an innkeeper. How can I, an innkeeper, use a crown or a scepter?

-Indeed! I will report this.

The devil disappeared and returned shortly after.

-They said to give you something you can use in the inn every day. Like, something you use for your work. Would that be okay?

-……

He still wanted to say no, but it was his bad luck. That day, a real devil was giving out the gifts, not just a golem following orders. So, the innkeeper’s great-grandfather had to agree.

Since then, the Wodanaise family has given magic items as gifts to the people in their lands from time to time.

Of course, they never forgot the thoughtful consideration of giving them items to put on things they used often.

“…That’s how it happened.”

“Wow. The Wodanaise family is truly amazing. To periodically gift such artifacts to the people of their territory!”

Ratford said, impressed.

Ratford thought, ‘Lee Han’s family is amazing, just as I expected. The Wodanaise family is one of the best and most important noble families in the Empire.’

Moreover, they didn’t care about the appearance of the artifacts and even considered the people of their territory.

The innkeeper felt a rush of feelings seeing the traveler praise them, not knowing the real story.

If only they had to see a devil descend once in a while, they wouldn’t say such things!

“…Oh yes, we are very thankful for their kindness. Haha… But if travelers knew we had magic items, they might be afraid. So, please don’t tell anyone.”

“Don’t worry. I will definitely keep it a secret. But is it alright for you to tell me this? Artifacts are treasures…”

“Anyone who tried to steal it would be in big trouble.”

The innkeeper said casually.

Then, the innkeeper seemed to realize they had said too much. They quickly tried to make it sound less serious.

“Just kidding. Just kidding. Haha.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“But what brings you here, sir…?”

“A distant relative sent me a letter, asking me to come and help with some work. I’m a locksmith guild craftsman. I’ll be on my way.”

“Ah. A locksmith guild! Could I possibly ask you for a favor?”

“What…?”

“Some crazy guest left a huge carriage in my stable and just disappeared! I can’t sell it, and it takes up space. I was thinking of putting a lock on it, just to be safe.”

“Like the dwarf guests earlier, there are so many strange guests because there are many travelers! Don’t worry. I’ll stop by when I have time after work.”

Ratford thought there were some very strange people as he left the inn.

“Take care, brother.”

Arsil hugged Lee Han and patted him on the back.

He was always worried about his younger brother, who took too many risks.

“It’s not that I like danger, but danger keeps coming to me… And the most recent danger was brought by you, brother.”

Arsil pretended not to hear and ended the hug.

“Where are you going?” Arsil asked. “South of the Empire? Or maybe those islands across the sea? Oh, wait, you promised to help those people in that kingdom, right? I know they don’t get along with the Empire… And you’ve become friends with their royal family? Really, is there anyone *can’t* befriend, except for the headmaster?”

Arsil smiled at his younger brother’s words.

And then he said seriously.

“Keep the Score of the Tomb safe. Lee Han. It will help your magic.”

“!”

After speaking, Arsil smiled brightly.

Then, he passed through the main gate and suddenly left.

As all the spirits that had been there disappeared with Arsil, the mansion suddenly became quiet.

Yoner cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

“He was a really unique person.”

“Yeah. He was also amazing.”

“I almost died.”

Gainando grumbled.

If Lee Han’s second brother was like this, he couldn’t even imagine how strange and crazy the first brother must be.

“Don’t exaggerate.”

“Exaggerator?”

“Yeah. Exaggerator. Well said.”

“I saw the headmaster?! Hey. And you, junior, what are you saying to your senior!”

Gainando flared up at Eandurde’s words.

Whether he did or not, Eandurde ignored him. Gainando’s position within Eandurde had already been decided.

“Lee Han. Let’s go to our family’s mansion. Huh? There are many things to do there.”

“Later. I have to see the friends who haven’t arrived yet.”

“Then we’ll go when everyone comes?”

“No. I’m going to clear the quests I can do around here. Gainando. Take this. It’s good for gathering herbs around here because there aren’t many people.”

“…I can’t do alchemy…”

“Just look at the herbs and pick them. Pick them all. I’ll share the reward.”

Lee Han had diligently checked the quests at the nearby Adventurer’s Guild when he went to the village.

Things that took a long time were impossible, but relatively easy collection-related quests were the easiest way to earn pocket money.

“I prefer memories to money…”

Gainando muttered a phrase he had seen in a book. Lee Han and Yoner looked at Gainando as if he were the biggest idiot in the world.

“Making money is also a memory. Gainando.”

“How good can a memory of making money be. Gainando.”

‘This is really annoying.’

“It’s a shame there are no crafting requests. Those are quite lucrative.”

Even if you weren’t making magic items, just doing simple magic on herbs and other things could make a lot of money.

Those kinds of things were the most common things that wizards with low circles did when raising research funds.

While the friends were chatting, the door to the main gate opened. Everyone’s eyes turned to it.

Surprisingly, Ratford appeared riding a golem.

“I’m here! Mr. Wodanaise.”

“Ratford!”

“Wow, I was really impressed. The golems are patrolling the territory! I don’t know how happy the people living around here must be!”

“Haha. I’m glad you said that.”

Lee Han was embarrassed by Ratford’s praise.

Seeing that, the friends decided not to mention who had been patrolling until recently.