Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 659

Eandurde nodded, excited. But his friends wanted him to join *their* groups, so they disagreed.

“Why?”

“No way! Alchemy is the best! Right, Wodanaz?”

“I think Eandurde might be better as a knight…”

“Knights? Here? We’re in the Black Turtle Tower! Knowing magic traps is more useful here.”

“Isn’t that Professor Begreck over there?”

The friends froze and looked ahead.

Professor Muze, whom they had occasionally seen in Einrogard, was standing in front of them.

The friends understood what Lee Han meant and turned around at once.

“Let’s go back quickly!”

“Professor! Here? In the street?”

“So, Flaherty’s security isn’t so good after all!”

‘?’

Siana tilted her head.

A professor wasn’t a criminal, surely he was allowed to walk the streets…

The friends quickly dragged their junior away, breathing a sigh of relief only when they reached a toy store three blocks away.

“Let’s go inside for now.”

“Why inside the toy store?”

“Because it’s the last place a professor would come.”

Lee Han’s friends looked at each other, impressed. ‘He always knows what professors think,’ one whispered.

Clang-

With the sound of the bell, Lee Han and his group entered the huge toy store. Bright lights flashed, and shelves overflowed with toys of every color and shape. The air smelled like new plastic and sweet candy.

Inside the five-story toy store, teenage boys and girls dressed in fancy clothes were talking seriously.

“So, the Gonadaltes Duke card isn’t trendy these days…”

“That’s what we should exploit…”

“What about the festival commemorative Gonadaltes Duke card that came out a while ago…”

“Is that even a real card? I’ve always wondered if that card really exists.”

On one side, they were selling wizard cards collected from all over the empire.

“Wow, look at this! A new Einrogard snow globe.”

“It’s so beautiful.”

They saw snow globes. Inside each glass ball, tiny snowflakes swirled around miniature castles that looked just like Einrogard, but the friends just made faces. They’d seen enough snow.

“Other toys. Let’s look for other toys.”

Gaynando, looking around the store, whispered to Lee Han.

“Lee Han. Can you lend me some money? I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my allowance.”

“Gaynando. But didn’t you say you wouldn’t take your allowance last summer vacation and earn it yourself?”

Gaynando remembered last summer. He saw Lee Han and his friends saving coins. ‘I’ll earn my own money too!’ he had declared then.

“Lee Han. Can you lend me some money? I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my allowance.”

“……”

Seeing Gaynando pretending not to hear, Yoner thought about hitting him with the toy cast-iron pot next to him.

“You’ll be faster earning it yourself than waiting for your allowance to come back.”

“W-What are you talking about? My mother will definitely give it to me next week.”

‘I don’t think she will…’

Lee Han thought Gaynando’s friends were the reason his allowance was cut off. If he didn’t have friends, he would need an allowance to have fun, but if he had friends, wouldn’t he be able to have fun even without an allowance?

Mrs. Kraha probably thought something like that.

“…You really don’t think she’ll give it to me?”

Gaynando asked slyly. He felt the atmosphere from his mother’s words.

“I don’t think she will.”

“Keeuk. I have to earn it myself. Why do people have to work?”

“Yoner said it too, but you wanted to earn it yourself last summer vacation. Why are you like this when you liked it back then?”

“When I bought toys with the money I earned myself, I couldn’t buy much, so I got angry.”

“……”

“……”

The two looked at their friend as if he were hopeless.

Lee Han pulled out a few request forms and handed them to Gaynando.

“Do this in your spare time.”

“Thank you! Wait, this is alchemy?”

“What can I do if alchemy makes good money?”

“I, I’m not good at alchemy…”

“It’s just basic, so learn from Yoner.”

Yoner smiled and told Gaynando to get lost. Gaynando cursed his stingy relative.

Clang-

The door opened and Professor Volardy came inside. The students looking around at the toys were shocked.

“Professor. Welcome!”

“Hmm.”

The shop owner, sitting behind the counter, greeted Professor Volardy with a bright smile, as if they were quite familiar.

The professor took out a few wizard cards from his coat pocket and handed them to the owner.

The shop owner, a goblin named Tatabatz, had green skin, pointy ears, and a wide, excited grin. He checked the cards and exclaimed.

“Amazing! Such rare cards… A young Bakhantallana and its scream! Collectors will go crazy for these!”

Professor Volardy waited silently.

Gaynando was about to faint.

“What’s wrong, Gaynando? If it’s because of the professor, calm down. That professor is only interested in Lee Han anyway.”

“…Hey.”

Lee Han was surprised.

It was true, but there was no need to say it out loud.

“T-Th-That young Bakhantallana and Bakhantallana’s Scream card disappeared hundreds of years ago… Rare…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sounds like it’s a treasure.”

“Those cards are treasures? Are you crazy?”

The friends whispered, but Lee Han understood what Gaynando meant. The wizard cards were old and worn, with pictures of powerful wizards and strange creatures.

As wizard cards were a game with a history older than the empire, rare cards were worth as much as ordinary treasures. It was natural for Gaynando to be on the verge of a heart attack.

But…

‘Where did the professor get those?’

He knew the professor didn’t like wizard cards because he wasn’t interested in the items he was selling and just threw them on the counter.

Tatabatz, the goblin shop owner, thought hard.

“Ummm… But, Professor. Unlike the other items you’ve brought so far, this is a bit… problematic.”

“What is it?”

“The point is that these cards are so rare that a buyer might not come out right away.”

Sometimes, treasures that were too rare and expensive couldn’t find a buyer, which bankrupted the custodian.

Old wizard cards were among the items excavated from ruins that had steady demand, but these cards were much rarer than that.

To purchase these, Tatabatz also needed some determination and conviction.

“Please cut it by 20%. Professor. That way, I can bear the risk.”

“I will do so…”

Professor Volardy was about to agree, as if he had no interest in bargaining.

Lee Han shouted.

“Wait!”

“?”

“??”

“??!”

The store owner, Professor Volardy, and even the friends looked at him like he was crazy.

What are you doing right now??!

Professor Volardy saw Lee Han and his group and showed interest.

“What are you all doing here?”

“We were thinking about magical research through toys.”

“????”

The boys and girls who were picking out toys looked at Lee Han and his group with bewildered eyes.

There were many magical items among these toys, but not enough to do magical research.

Wizards are different!

“Professor. That’s not important. The Young Bakhantallana and Bakhantallana’s Scream cards disappeared hundreds of years ago. They are far superior to the Gonadaltes Duke card. If you sell them at that price, sell them to a collector here. Gaynando of the Kraha family wants to buy those cards!”

“!!!”

Tatabatz was startled.

Gaynando of the Kraha family was well known to Tatabatz. He was one of the biggest customers who buys wizard cards in Flaherty!

When the Kraha family’s servants visited with a list of cards to buy, Tatabatz was more excited than when he met his first love.

“T-To think that this person was Gaynando. Why didn’t you say so!”

“S-Scary. That person.”

Gaynando slipped behind Lee Han.

Tatabatz’s bloodshot, blazing eyes were terrifying.

“Mr. Gaynando! Please allow me to shake your hand!”

“More importantly, please concede the cards.”

“!”

Tatabatz came to his senses and was lost in thought.

‘If a customer like Gaynando of the Kraha family is trying to buy it right away…’

If other customers heard this rumor, they would want to have it even sooner.

At this rate, it seemed like he could definitely find a buyer. Then it was unconditionally advantageous for Tatabatz to secure it. Securing such rare treasures was also the reputation of a merchant.

“Is that true? Do you really want to buy it?”

“L-Lee Han. I don’t have money… If I buy it without money, my mother will really get angry.”

“It’s okay. Trust me.”

“Are you going to buy it for me?!”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Tatabatz was convinced when he saw Lee Han and Gaynando whispering.

They were going to buy it!

Tatabatz hurried forward.

“Mr. Gaynando. I will buy it with an additional 5%! Getting cards like these is a merchant’s dream, Mr. Gaynando! If you concede it, I will definitely repay the favor…!”

“O-Okay.”

Gaynando peeked out from behind Lee Han and nodded. The energy that the owner was emitting was truly terrifying.

“Professor. I apologize for this foolish old man’s mistake of not knowing the value of the item…”

“I will do so. Is everything done?”

Professor Volardy quickly finished the transaction, as he had no interest in bargaining.

Tatabatz breathed a sigh of relief and handed over a bag of gold coins.

“Thank you, thank you!”

“Thank you all.”

The professor approached Lee Han and his group and expressed his gratitude.

Professor Volardy knew that it went from -20% to +5%.

Gaynando looked as if he was being strangled when Professor Volardy put his hand on his shoulder.

‘S-Save me. Lee Han. Save me.’

However, Lee Han had already slipped behind his friends. It was a habit that naturally came out when talking to Professor Volardy.

Since he didn’t know when he would attack, he should keep as much distance and obstacles as possible!

“No. I’m glad I was of help.”

“…Mr. Wodanaz. Are you perhaps stepping in because the professor is losing money?”

“Yeah…”

“……”

Seeing Lee Han’s expression, Siana didn’t feel like saying anything.

There was nothing she could say about this…

“I should repay you.”

“It’s okay. Professor. Haha.”

“I will treat you to a meal.”

“……”

“……”

A moment of silence lingered.

The friends were shouting with their eyes, ‘Someone try to refuse.’

“Thank you!”

When no one answered, Eandurde answered innocently.

Everyone looked at him in shock, and Eandurde tilted his head. Wasn’t it customary to say thank you when someone offered to treat you to a meal?

“This student is…?”

“He’s a freshman this year. The headmaster asked me to teach him for a while.”

“Are you thinking of bringing him to the lecture?”

“?”

Lee Han didn’t understand.

He realized Professor Volardy was talking about ‘his’ lecture.

“That’s up to the junior…”

“What kind of lecture do you teach?”

“It’s called Repetitive Learning of Basic Magic Combat…”

Lee Han realized he had made a mistake when his junior’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“Junior. It’s a more boring lecture than you think.”

“Lee Han, Lee Han. The professor is in front of you…”