Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 658

“Did I hear right? Some students from Valdrogard came by?” Leehan asked.

Just then, Alsicle walked into the common room. He was eating a sardine, and it smelled quite fishy.

“Yep, they’re gone,” Alsicle said, still chewing.

“Gone already?” Leehan was surprised.

Alsicle looked confused. “Yeah, they left.”

It was strange. Why would they leave without saying hello to Alsicle Pengaerin? Surely they knew he was here.

“That’s what I mean! They even left their reagent pouches behind,” Alsicle said.

“I guess I should return them,” Leehan replied.

Without knowing it, Alsicle had saved the lives of two Valdrogard students.

It was an act of kindness that would later earn Alsicle immense research support from two anonymous families.

“You didn’t bully them, did you?” Leehan asked.

“They wanted to see some magic, so we showed them a little, and they showed us some magic in return,” Alsicle explained.

“Oh no…” Leehan said, realizing the potential problem.

Alsicle realized his mistake upon hearing the Einrogard students’ words.

“Then, of course, they’d be intimidated,” Leehan said.

“Huh? What kind of magic did we show them that would intimidate them?” Alsicle asked, puzzled.

Leehan was dumbfounded, but his friends seemed to agree slightly.

Remember that student from the Wodanaz family last year? He made fun of new students who thought they were talented. He did it right from the start of the semester.

“The Valdrogard lot aren’t very good at magic. I guess it’s because many of them do it as a hobby,” Alsicle said.

“Isn’t Valdrogard one of the top magic schools in the Empire, a two-horse race with Einrogard?” Siana asked, tilting her head.

She couldn’t quite understand Alsicle’s words.

The ones who came earlier were like that, and among the rumors she occasionally heard, there were stories like, ‘Valdrogard, along with Einrogard, is one of the top magic schools in the Empire! A two-horse race!’

“That’s a rumor spread by the Valdrogard students, you know?” Alsicle revealed.

Leehan and his friends were shocked.

Rumors in the Empire really couldn’t be trusted.

“In the first place, all the other magic schools say they’re in a two-horse race with Einrogard. It’s just that there are many high-ranking students among the Valdrogard students, so it spreads particularly well,” Alsicle explained.

“Those awful people!” Gainando exclaimed, hopping mad.

To spread their reputation with such underhanded tactics instead of practicing magic!

“Is that allowed?” Leehan asked.

“Well, not really. It’s insulting to you all. The Headmaster hates it too,” Alsicle said.

“I’m sure the Headmaster wouldn’t like it,” Leehan agreed.

“Yeah. Last time, a Kalarograd graduate got drunk in front of the Headmaster and mentioned the two-horse race, he was buried alive under a tomb. Be careful what you all say in front of the Headmaster too,” Alsicle warned.

The students pretended not to hear the story, which was far more violent than they had expected.

Leehan, curious about Valdrogard, asked.

“But Alsicle, even so, how can you pass the exams if you’re just doing it as a hobby at a magic school?”

“Exams?” Alsicle asked, flapping his wings and looking puzzled.

He didn’t understand what Leehan was talking about.

“What exams?”

“The internal exams at Valdrogard, I mean,” Leehan clarified.

“Ah. Valdrogard doesn’t have exams,” Alsicle stated.

The surroundings fell silent at the shocking words, and the air grew cold.

Alsicle didn’t know it, but the students all had their eyes wide with astonishment.

“It’s against the school’s internal rules to judge dignified nobles without rules,” Alsicle explained.

“Those… those lunatics!” Siana exclaimed.

“Siana…” Leehan cautioned.

“I-I’m sorry,” Siana apologized.

“How can they do that? How?” Gainando asked, incredulous.

“Send a petition to His Imperial Majesty! Those sons of bitches!” another student shouted.

“Let’s just go and set the place on fire!” someone else suggested.

“…I-Is it really something to get that angry about?” Alsicle asked, taken aback by the unexpectedly fierce reaction.

What did Valdrogard not having exams have to do with Einrogard?

But the students’ anger did not calm down. Gainando stamped his feet and threw his magic book into the air, only to be hit by Leehan.

Leehan stopped his friends and asked again.

“But there was a student there who said his skills were among the best. If there are no exams, do they just judge among themselves?”

“Oh… the Valdrogard professors will tell all the students that their skills are among the best if they ask,” Alsicle replied casually.

“M-Maybe I should have gone to Valdrogard?” Gainando muttered without realizing it.

The friends who discovered the traitor denounced him in angry voices.

“Leehan! Gainando wants to go to Valdrogard!”

“You traitor! I knew you were suspicious from the moment we invited you!”

“N-No! I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” Gainando protested.

Alsicle cleared his throat, feeling like he had only been talking badly about Valdrogard.

“I won’t deny that Valdrogard’s teachings are a little… lax,” Alsicle admitted.

“A little?” Leehan questioned.

“Perhaps you don’t know the meaning of ‘a little’…?” another student added sarcastically.

Alsicle closed his ears and pretended not to hear the students’ angry reactions.

“But even at Valdrogard, outstanding wizards do emerge. The younger students may not know their shortcomings, but as time passes, some of them start to realize they’re lacking,” Alsicle continued.

As they moved up the grades, the Valdrogard students who realized that their magical skills weren’t that great were divided into two groups.

One group would make excuses in their minds, saying, ‘What’s important isn’t magic, but noble lineage,’ and go off to enjoy social activities.

The other group would belatedly devote themselves to the study of magic.

And usually, the latter was much smaller.

‘I shouldn’t tell them this,’ Alsicle thought.

Alsicle tried hard to hide the fact that the latter was much smaller.

He felt like he had only been telling them bad things about Valdrogard.

“Do they really emerge?” Leehan asked doubtfully.

“Isn’t it like one per grade?” another student added.

Seeing the observant Einrogard students, Alsicle changed the subject.

“What kind of magic did you show them? Wodanaz, you didn’t show them any magic, did you?”

“I didn’t show them anything. My other friends did,” Leehan replied.

“Phew. That’s a relief,” Alsicle said, breathing a sigh of relief.

If Leehan had prepared and shown them magic himself, the Valdrogard students’ shock would have been beyond imagination.

“Then they’ll be alright,” Alsicle concluded.

“I suppose so. We talked about magic quite a bit, so I hope they’ll take an interest in magic even after they return,” Leehan said.

The friends exchanged glances with complicated expressions.

It might have been better if Leehan had shown them himself…

A few days passed since the Valdrogard students’ visit. They hadn’t come back, which Ethan found a little strange. Then, Madam Kraha called for him.

“Ethan,” Madam Kraha said, “I wanted to check in. Are you doing alright?”

“Yes, Madam Kraha, thank you for asking,” Ethan replied.

Madam Kraha tapped her fan lightly against her hand, thinking. Then, she leaned forward a little and asked, “Those students who came to the mansion… they really are Gainando’s friends, are they?”

Ethan hesitated. “…Yes,” he said, feeling a little uncomfortable.

Madam Kraha cleared her throat. “Just curious,” she said quickly.

“I understand,” Ethan replied.

“So,” Madam Kraha continued, “what are your plans for today? If you’re free, I have an idea.”

“Actually,” Ethan said, “I’m going to take my junior to the shopping district with some friends.”

Ethan wanted to help Ehandurde get everything he needed. Ehandurde didn’t have many things of his own. The shopping district was famous and full of shops. Ethan knew they could find anything there.

“A junior?” Madam Kraha asked, her voice showing surprise. “But… Einrogard’s juniors aren’t supposed to be here right now, are they?” She looked at Ethan, her eyes questioning even though he couldn’t see them clearly behind her veil.

Ethan quickly explained about finding Ehandurde during the winter break. “…So, I’m looking after him until he can go home.”

Madam Kraha’s eyes widened. She stared at Ethan, really surprised.

*A Wodanaz taking care of someone else?* she thought. *That’s… unexpected.*

“Wodanaz?” she asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice. “Do you… enjoy helping people who seem lost?”

“Huh? No,” Ethan said, confused.

“Gainando too…” Madam Kraha murmured, almost to herself.

Ethan didn’t know what to say.

“This junior probably doesn’t have much money,” Madam Kraha observed. “How were you planning to pay for everything?”

“I was going to pay for it myself,” Ethan said. He knew people from rich families might not think much of it, but Ethan had saved a good amount of money last year. Getting over a hundred Imperial gold coins wasn’t easy for a student. He could afford to spend some on his junior.

“No, no,” Madam Kraha said quickly. “The Kraha family will pay. We can’t let a guest of the mansion go without.”

“Oh, really, it’s fine,” Ethan replied. “I was even thinking of asking the headmaster to pay me back later when we get back to school.”

Madam Kraha blinked, surprised again.

*Asking the Skull Headmaster for money?* she thought. *That’s bold.* It showed they must be quite close.

“…Are you *sure* you don’t just like helping people who look a bit lost?” she asked again, a small smile playing on her lips.

“No! Why do you keep saying that?” Ethan protested, a little annoyed but also amused.

“Never mind,” Madam Kraha chuckled. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll give you some gold coins from the Kraha family as a gift. You can use these for your junior. And then, you can still ask the headmaster to pay you back for what *you* spend.”

“Perfect!” Ethan said immediately. “That’s a great idea!”

Madam Kraha was a little taken aback by how quickly Ethan agreed. She had expected him to refuse at least once out of politeness.

*Does he… not like the headmaster very much?* she wondered.

“Are you sure you’ll be careful with the money?” she asked, a hint of worry in her voice. “Don’t spend too much gold.”

“Don’t worry,” Ethan said confidently. “I know how to save money.”

“My mother has stopped my allowance!” Gainando wailed, walking between his friends, his face looking like he might cry.

“What did you do this time?” one of his friends asked.

“She told you to stop sleeping in until noon,” another added.

“Gainando, you’re not even from a knight family, why does she care if you wake up early?”

“No, no, that’s not it! It’s all *your* fault!” Gainando exclaimed.

“Huh?” his friends said, confused.

*What did we do?* they wondered.

Nilia spoke hesitantly, “Maybe… maybe she’s angry because you ate all the cookies again?”

“No! It’s because she says all of you manage without an allowance even during the holidays, and she wants me to be more like you and learn to be responsible!” Gainando complained.

Ethan quietly slipped the pouch Madam Kraha had given him into his pocket. He hoped Gainando wouldn’t see the family crest on it.

“Gainando,” Ethan said, “how about some cotton candy over there? Cheer up.”

“E… Ethan…!” Gainando started to look touched, but then he stopped.

“Eating cotton candy won’t make me have to study *more*, will it?” he asked, worried.

“No,” Ethan laughed. “It’s just a treat.”

“Ethan…!” Gainando’s face brightened immediately.

He still had one true friend, he thought happily.

“So, what does Ehandurde need?” Ethan asked, turning to his friends.

“First, clothes!” one friend suggested. “The clothes he got at the mansion are all fancy. He needs something comfortable to wear around town.”

When they started talking about clothes, Ehandurde suddenly looked worried. “No dresses,” he mumbled, shaking his head.

Ethan smiled reassuringly at his junior. “Don’t worry, Ehandurde. We’re not buying dresses. We’re going to get… weapons!” Ethan winked at his friends. It was a secret signal to quickly steer Ehandurde towards the clothing shop before he realized what was happening.

“…Weapons?” Ehandurde repeated, his eyes lighting up a little. “Weapons are good…”

“And we’ll need an alchemy pot, a small one, and maybe a mortar,” Yoner added, thinking about his own interests.

“Why?” Ethan asked.

“So he can practice alchemy and maybe even earn some money during the holidays,” Yoner explained.

*He might not even be interested in alchemy,* Yoner thought to himself, but he nodded enthusiastically anyway. He was actually really excited to help Ehandurde pick out alchemy tools.

“Oh! And lock-picking tools!” another friend chimed in. “Those are always useful.”

“Hmm, maybe some light armor too,” someone else suggested. “Just in case.”

“Wizard cards! We definitely need wizard cards!” Nilia exclaimed.

Everyone except Ehandurde seemed to be having a great time planning the shopping trip. Ethan grinned, pleased.

“Okay, okay,” Ethan said, “let’s go one step at a…”

He stopped suddenly. At the end of the street, walking towards them, was a very familiar wizard.

Professor Volardi.

“…Maybe we should go back to the mansion for today,” Ethan said quickly, turning to his friends. “We can always come back tomorrow.”

“Huh?” his friends asked, confused.