Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 678

Gawon was a wizard from the Asphodelus Magic Tower in Flather City.

Like many wizards, Gawon was proud.

Magic was not easy. It took special skill and study to change the world with your own will. Wizards knew this, and it made them feel special, chosen for something great.

Even wizards who learned magic on their own, without teachers, were respected. So, wizards from a magic tower would be even more respected.

A wizard like Gawon couldn’t help but be proud.

However, there was always someone better.

To Einroguard, the Asphodelus Magic Tower meant nothing. Einroguard was the direct line of Imperial magic!

“Thanks for the ride,” Ihan said. “I’m Ihan.”

Gawon blinked, a little nervous. “Oh, welcome! Please, come in. I’m Gawon, from the Asphodelus Magic Tower.”

“Thank you!” Gainando stretched out right next to him. Ihan kicked Gainando’s back, and Gainando quickly got up.

“Is everyone okay? Did something happen?” Gawon asked.

“A few things happened,” Ihan said with a slightly sad face.

Too many things had happened in the Bitong Mountains.

However, Gawon seemed to understand Ihan’s expression differently.

“It seems you’ve been doing some dangerous and difficult magic research. I won’t ask any more questions.”

“It’s not like that, but…” Ihan started.

“Yes, let’s just say that,” Gawon interrupted.

Ihan felt Gawon was only talking about himself and not really listening.

It wasn’t very surprising. Poor communication was common among wizards.

“Are you all going to the exchange meeting tonight?” Gawon asked.

“What exchange meeting?” Ihan asked.

“The Magic Tower Exchange Meeting. It’s in Flather City this year.”

Magic was so complex that even a genius couldn’t easily learn it alone.

That’s why wizards created guilds and magic towers to improve their skills together.

They also had meetings to share what they learned. That was the exchange meeting.

Even if it wasn’t a big event for all the magic schools, smaller exchange meetings were common. This one was in Flather City.

“No, we didn’t get an invitation,” Ihan said.

“Invitations don’t matter! It’s free. If you’re students from Einroguard, you’re welcome to come,” Gawon said kindly.

It wasn’t a strict event, and no one would say they couldn’t come just because they were from Einroguard. They could join easily.

“I think another Einroguard student is coming too,” Gawon added.

“Really?” Ihan was confused. Einroguard wasn’t a guild or magic tower in this area.

“Like I said, it’s free. If you’re interested, you can visit. Maybe that other student is interested in the magic being shown at the meeting?”

‘Another senior?’ Ihan thought it would be good to talk to a senior from Einroguard if they were there.

The new semester would start soon, and he would meet many seniors, so it would be good to meet one early.

“I’ll think about it. Do you have anything to show at the meeting today?” Ihan asked.

Gawon answered with a proud and confident look. “Of course.”

“Oh? What are you showing?”

“Ahem. Would you like to see?” Gawon created three magic circles on the carriage floor, then placed a potion and started chanting. The circles glowed with a faint blue light, lines of energy humming softly.

Ihan watched with interest. “You’re using water magic to make a ball and then adding other magic to it.”

Gawon choked and coughed. He didn’t expect Ihan to know the magic so easily.

“H-How?”

“Huh? I’m a wizard too,” Ihan replied.

‘That’s why people from Einroguard are…!’ Gawon thought.

If all it took was being a wizard to do that, Gawon wouldn’t be struggling so much. Gawon laughed weakly but held it in. Making an enemy of a wizard from Einroguard could cause problems later.

“Even if you’re a wizard, you can’t know such complicated magic right away,” Gawon said.

‘It doesn’t seem that complicated though…’ Ihan thought.

Compared to the magic of the Skull Headmaster or the professors, Gawon’s magic was simple. Of course, saying that could be rude, so Ihan tried to be nice.

“I’ve seen similar magic before, so I knew it quickly. I also got lucky.”

“Ha… Haha. Is it too simple?” Gawon watched Ihan’s reaction.

This magic made a water sphere in the air and then filtered and amplified magical power. It was useful and well-received in the magic tower, but Gawon worried that it was too similar to the Otter’s Light Prism magic from five years ago.

Since a similar magic was already shown, he had to be more creative to get good reviews.

“I don’t think magic has to be complicated. What matters is what it does, right?” Ihan said.

“That’s right!” Gawon’s face lit up. He felt confident because of Ihan’s encouragement.

“But I think this part of the magic circle isn’t needed,” Ihan added.

“Huh? This shapes the left side…”

“It’ll be fixed with power from the other side even without it,” Ihan said.

“Wa-Wait a…” Before Gawon could stop him, Ihan cut off part of the magic circle. But the magic stayed the same.

“The magical power on this edge doesn’t seem needed either,” Ihan said.

“That’s not true! You need to amplify the magical power…”

“You can just compress the magical power and put it here,” Ihan said.

Ihan redrew part of the magic circle and compressed magical power into Black Shadow Sand. It was a simple change that took less than a second, but it reduced the magical power needed by 1/3.

Gawon was shocked. ‘E-Einroguard…! So scary!’

“Alsicle, do you want to go with me?” Ihan asked.

“Hmm, I think you should go. You’ll learn a lot,” Alsicle said, recommending it.

Wizards usually benefited from knowing as many other wizards as possible.

“What about you, Alsicle?”

“I don’t want to go.”

“You don’t have to eat sardines,” Ihan said.

“…It’s not because of the sardines, it’s because of my research. If I go, people will ask me about my research.”

Alsicle shuddered. Ihan felt sorry for him.

‘I might go crazy if the professors ask me about my magic all the time,’ Ihan thought.

“How was the Bitong Mountains?” Alsicle asked.

“I met a unicorn,” Ihan replied.

“What? Really?” Alsicle was surprised. Unicorns were very rare animals.

“Wow, congratulations! Did you get any hair from the unicorn?”

“I got hair and a piece of horn. We decided to raise it at Einroguard.”

“…What?? Why?!” Alsicle jumped up. Unicorns usually didn’t live in places with many people. What had happened?

“Well, I found the missing professor, and he was taking care of the unicorn,” Ihan explained.

“Ah, that crazy… Professor Bendozol?”

‘He’s famous!?’ Ihan was surprised that Alsicle knew who Bendozol was.

“The unicorn was in danger because there were several Docheols…”

“Oh dear,” Alsicle said.

“The Headmaster came and took Professor Bendozol away and moved the unicorn to Einroguard,” Ihan finished.

“…Wait a minute.” Alsicle was speechless. It was like a play where the Skull Headmaster suddenly appeared, solved everything, and it was over.

“It seems like a lot has been left out…” Alsicle said.

“Ah, Alsicle, I have to leave,” Ihan said.

“O-Okay, have a good trip. Tell me the story next time,” Alsicle replied.

“It’s nothing much.”

“What part of the story you just told isn’t much?” Alsicle grumbled but saw Ihan off.

The friends couldn’t even come outside because they were knocked out by magical power sickness and fatigue. Even Ean Durde was groaning.

After talking to Alsicle, Ihan went to find the exchange meeting. He followed Gawon’s directions and soon arrived at an old mansion.

It was small, the garden was overgrown with weeds, and the mansion looked broken. It felt like a place holding secrets.

Normally, he would have wondered if he was in the wrong place, but Ihan knew he was in the right place because of the magical power he felt from the mansion.

‘There must be magic inside,’ Ihan thought.

For a wizard who could expand space, the outside look didn’t matter.

Ihan looked around. People who looked like wizards were packing their bags and entering the mansion. And a crow beast wizard with a familiar face wearing a hat pulled down low…

“…Senior Dirette?!”

“Whoa! You scared me! Oh, it’s you, Junior,” Dirette said, startled and turning his head.

“What are you doing here?!”

“I was resting because it’s vacation. I was invited to the exchange meeting,” Ihan replied.

“Ah… I see,” Dirette said.

Dirette wondered how Ihan, who had just finished his first year, had been invited. First-year students weren’t usually invited.

‘No, it’s possible for him,’ Dirette thought. It seemed like this junior could get an invitation.

“Are you hiding your identity?” Ihan asked.

“I-It’s not that grand… I just didn’t want anyone to know me,” Dirette replied.

“Is your research blocked these days…?” Ihan asked.

“?!” Dirette was shocked. How did he know?!

“How did you know?!”

“I heard that people don’t go to these events when their research is blocked,” Ihan said.

“That’s right. You’re quick. I wore a hat because I didn’t want questions,” Dirette explained.

“I wouldn’t have come at all if I were you…” Ihan said.

“I have to sign the guestbook when I’m invited. And the exchange meeting is helpful. I wanted some ideas,” Dirette said.

Dirette sighed and changed the subject. “What did you do during the vacation? You didn’t just work, did you?”

“Don’t worry. I was chasing unicorns with a professor in the Bitong Mountains,” Ihan said, pleased that it sounded believable.

“Cough,” Dirette coughed and almost dropped his hat.

“Why with a professor?”

“Was there a bounty on it?” Ihan asked.

“On the unicorn??”

“No, on Professor Bendozol,” Ihan clarified.

“…?” Dirette wanted to ask what that meant, but he realized it was almost time to go inside because of the bell ringing.

“Follow me. You can tell me that story later,” Dirette said.

“Yes,” Ihan replied.

“…Did you find the unicorn?” Dirette asked.

“Yes. The Headmaster took it to Einroguard,” Ihan said.

“……”