Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 679

Dirette, trying to stay calm like a senior, stopped herself from shouting and quickly took Ihan inside.

As they entered, the old mansion revealed a completely different scene than expected.

They stepped into a huge, round room like a giant white bubble. The white walls made the room feel very bright and echoey. It felt serious and studious, like a library, but filled with the low hum of many voices.

Wizards in robes of strange colors and shapes stood in small groups. Some wore tall, pointed hats, while others had robes covered in glowing symbols.

One wizard groaned, “Funding cuts again!?”

Another wailed, “Tell me about it! Waaah! A *little* gold for my research, and they act like it’s the end of the world!”

A third grumbled, “Insolence! They don’t understand magic! No wonder magic never gets anywhere these days.”

At the front of the dome, wizards were talking in groups. At the back, others were getting ready to show their magic today.

Ihan saw Gawon among them and silently wished him well.

Dirette signed the guestbook and then called Ihan over.

“Junior, come here. You have to see this first,” she said.

“What is it?” Ihan asked.

“Snacks. The refreshments at this exchange are quite good.”

Dirette picked up a plate and put slices of sweet, sticky apricot fruit confection and small, crumbly chestnut tea cakes on it.

“Remember, the apricot fruit confection and chestnut tea snacks are delicious here,” she said.

“Ah, yes,” Ihan replied.

He was a little surprised by Dirette’s serious face.

For a moment, he thought she looked like Gainan.

“Um, Senior Dirette, shouldn’t we be getting ready for magic or something at an exchange like this?” he asked.

“Huh?” Dirette said, sipping her tea. She chuckled at his words.

Dirette thought that much of the magic shown was not impressive. She believed finding good snacks was important to make the exchange worthwhile.

She had said she came to get ideas, but very few spells would inspire a wizard like Dirette today.

“Luckily, Princess Yookvelteere is here today. Her work should be worth seeing,” Dirette said.

“Who is that?” Ihan asked.

“Ah, you wouldn’t know her. She’s a friend of mine, and also a senior. She’s going into her fifth year…”

Dirette tried not to show it, but her last words held worry and sadness.

Ihan tried to encourage her. “Cheer up, Senior. You’ll do well.”

“…I’m not sure what you mean?” Dirette asked, pretending not to notice her own feelings. She cleared her throat.

“So, what was that story about the Headmaster earlier?” she asked.

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story,” Ihan said.

“Time is all we have. It’ll take longer to prepare anyway,” Dirette replied with a shrug.

“So, the reason I went to the Bitter Mountains was…” Ihan began to tell her everything, from why he went to the Bitter Mountains to why the Headmaster took the unicorn.

Dirette had been eating snacks, but she soon put down her teacup and listened closely.

“And then? What happened then?” she asked.

“The unicorns! What about those poor unicorns?”

Other wizards nearby were listening too. Ihan and Dirette looked at them, surprised.

“Um, this is an Einroguard matter, so it’s not really for outsiders to hear…” Ihan said.

“P-Please! We’ll keep it a secret!” one wizard begged.

“Tell us! Kraaah! What happened?!” another pleaded.

Ihan and Dirette stood up and moved to another spot.

“…So, that’s why the Headmaster took the unicorn,” Ihan finished.

Dirette took a deep breath after hearing the whole story.

“Junior, you are… really…”

“…?”

“…There are so many things to say that I don’t know where to start. It’s amazing you’re still alive!”

“I was lucky,” Ihan said.

‘Or maybe unlucky?’ Dirette thought.

“Even if I don’t know anything else, I’m a little worried that you seem to be too close to the Headmaster,” she said.

“Are you worried I’ll be seen as a spy by my friends?” Ihan asked.

“…No… Magic. I was talking about magic. The Headmaster’s magic isn’t easy,” Dirette said, looking at him as if he were hopeless.

‘Indeed,’ Ihan thought.

Even when they last met in the Bitter Mountains, he had been given a strange task, so Ihan understood.

“So, Professor Bendozol is coming back this year?” Ihan asked.

“Yes,” Dirette said.

“Hmm, good luck, Junior.”

Ihan felt worried at her words, which seemed to mean something.

“…Was he that bad?”

“A little? I still can’t forget pulling a friend out of a kraken’s belly by mistake,” Dirette said, staring into space with a faraway look.

Ihan couldn’t be sentimental. He looked at her with horror.

“Don’t worry too much, Junior. Everyone goes through it. The second-year lectures will be a bit harder, but you’ve already had it tough. It won’t change much,” she said.

“Thank you for the warm comfort…” Ihan replied, unsure whether to be happy or sad.

“By the way, Senior Dirette, do you know what Small World magic is?”

Remembering what the Skull Headmaster had said, he asked. Dirette looked puzzled.

“I know it, but why? It’s not something you should be interested in yet, Junior,” she said.

Even though she was puzzled, Dirette took out a piece of paper and drew a simple picture while explaining.

Since they had time, and Dirette thought he was crazy about magic, it wasn’t strange for him to be interested.

“You must know what it means for a wizard to use magic,” she said.

“To change reality with the will of the wizard…” Ihan answered quickly. It was a famous saying. Dirette nodded.

“That’s right. But most magic doesn’t really change reality. It’s more like cleverly tricking it,” she explained.

Dirette pointed to a wizard walking by, wearing a bright cloak of light magic.

The cloak changed into seven colors, making a special magical pattern.

“That magic is probably >Asen’s Seven-Colored Illusion Cloak>. You usually need two magic circles, five reagents, and a spell of four or more phrases. But why can’t you just use a spell, your will, and an action? It would be simpler, right?”

“Because you don’t have enough magic power,” Ihan answered right away.

Dirette was surprised by his answer.

“Th-That’s also right, but that’s not what I meant, Junior. I wanted to say that changing reality isn’t as easy as you think,” she said.

Magic can’t make things from nothing for free. There is always a price to pay.

If you want something to happen, you need to use magic power, reagents, or spells.

“All those complicated methods are used because you’re not really changing reality, but tricking it. You use different ways to trick it skillfully. If you want to truly change reality, you need higher-level magic and all sorts of secrets… one of which is Small World magic,” she explained.

Dirette thought about how to explain it better.

“Do you know about Unique World magic? I doubt you do…”

“I know it. I’ve seen it,” Ihan said.

“Ah. You know it? …What? Where did you see it?!” Dirette was shocked.

Did he see it at the Wodanaz family?!

“I’ll ask about that later… Unique World magic is the best magic and the highest level. It changes the world itself to match the wizard’s will. But it’s also hard and challenging… and not many people try to learn it,” she said.

Not all wizards dreamed of magic like the Skull Headmaster’s Unique World.

Since wizards mainly want to learn, only magic related to their goals is important.

Magic that is hard to learn even with a lifetime of work is not worth it.

Small World magic, on the other hand, changes reality in a similar way to Unique World magic, but it’s more limited.

‘Is it like a mass-produced version of Unique World magic?’ Ihan thought, understanding Dirette’s explanation.

Since the Skull Headmaster had some conscience, he probably didn’t want Ihan to learn Unique World right away.

Instead, he must have suggested starting with Small World, which more people had learned.

Unique World magic is the highest level of magic for a wizard, and no one can teach it.

Small World magic has been studied and can be learned with time and talent.

“If you can use Small World magic, you can truly say you are changing reality. The magic you use inside it also becomes more varied,” Dirette said.

“Can Senior Dirette use it too?” Ihan asked.

“Only for a short time, in certain situations, if I prepare a lot,” she said.

Dirette explained that she had learned ‘Pentagrammaton’, a Small World that released the limits of black magic nearby.

“But I hardly ever use it. It’s easier to prepare in other ways,” she added.

If she needed magic beyond her limits, Dirette would cast spells in her workshop to control the area and use potions to make herself stronger. By controlling the area and making herself stronger, she could get the same effect as using Small World magic.

A wizard always wants to be efficient.

“That’s amazing!” Ihan said, looking at her with respect.

“I can only use it for a short time,” Dirette said.

“Still, it’s amazing. I respect you.”

Dirette was embarrassed and looked away. It felt good to be praised, but it was also a little awkward.

She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “But why Small World? Who told you to learn it?”

“Yes,” Ihan replied.

“…What crazy person?!” Dirette was shocked that he agreed with her joke.

“The Headmaster told me to learn 5-circle magic by the end of the year so I can start learning it,” Ihan said.

“That crazy man has lost his mind!” Dirette was angry.

Ihan was even more touched than before.

How many people would be angry at the Skull Headmaster for their junior’s sake?

He felt loyal.

“This won’t do. Junior, I’m writing a complaint,” Dirette said.

“Ah, no. It’s alright,” Ihan replied.

“What do you mean it’s alright?!”

“I was planning to make excuses and get away with it,” Ihan said.

“How?” Dirette asked.

“I was just going to learn the easy magic and pretend I did what he told me to do.”

Dirette was speechless after being angry.

So, he was saying he was confident in learning the easy 5-circle magic?

Dirette realized that he was a genius and shook her head.

“…Alright, Junior. It’s your choice, so I should respect it. But if you think it’s not going to work out, tell me,” she said.

“Yes. If it’s too hard, I’ll just tell His Majesty directly,” Ihan replied.

“Alright… Huh?” Dirette tilted her head.

Did he just say ‘directly’ instead of ‘complaint’?