Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 685

Mages used different ways to get power from other dimensions.

The first way was the forceful method.

This meant controlling a being from another dimension and stopping it from escaping.

If you were strong enough to control another being, this was the easiest way. Some magic school leaders and family heads liked this method.

The next way was trickery.

This involved making a deal with a being from another dimension, but using tricks to make the deal only good for the mage.

This worked well on greedy beings like devils.

Greedy people can be easily tricked.

Just like devils tricked humans, mages also tricked devils.

The last way was the contract.

This was a friendly relationship where mages and beings from other dimensions helped each other.

Spirits, who are kind to humans, often used this method.

Surprisingly, Dirett was trying to make a machine that seemed to run forever using demonic magic with this last method.

“Is that even possible?”

Lee Han was even more surprised than before.

He didn’t hate devils, but they would do anything to get what they wanted.

Even if the devils in the Wodanaz family or Einrogaard seemed nice, it was only because they had to follow a contract. If the contract broke, they would become dangerous.

“It *might* work,” Dirett said, sounding a little unsure. “But it’s… tricky. I’m having problems.”

From across the room, a loud voice boomed, “Just grab the magic! Force it out! That’s always best!” It was Yukbeltyre, shouting his advice.

Dirett sighed, a line appearing between his eyebrows. “Ugh, not *him* again! Didn’t I tell someone to keep Yukbeltyre away from here?” He called out, sounding more annoyed now.

Three hours later, Lee Han finally left the exchange meeting.

It wasn’t because he took a long time to recover. He felt well enough to move after about 30 minutes.

He spent the next two and a half hours talking to the mages at the meeting.

-“Hey, we’re doing some cool research with these amazing mako whales at our Magic Tower. You interested in hearing about it?”

-“I don’t know much about sea creatures.”

-“Haha. That amazing magic power… no, just having that much magic power is enough. You’re welcome to join us!”

-……

-“Our group is studying the Empire’s Spirit Forest and its influence. We’d really like to have Mr. Wodanaz join us.”

-“I don’t get along with spirits very well.”

-“Ooohaha! What a joke! How can someone who uses the power of such a great spirit not get along with spirits?”

-……

Lee Han felt a little down after most of these offers.

But some offers sounded good. Lee Han wrote them down so he could look at them later when he went back to Einrogaard.

-“Ignore these mages. I’ll give you an offer you can’t refuse. My research…”

-“No, why does this guy keep getting out? Someone, take him away!”

Sometimes, an older mage would come in and cause trouble, but he always seemed to get away.

“I’m… exhausted…”

Dirett, who had just managed to pull Lee Han away, sounded very tired.

He realized this was the first time he had to pull a junior away from other mages who liked him.

Black Magic School students usually didn’t get this much attention.

He didn’t know it would be so tiring!

“Junior, this way.”

“B-but I’m fine now.”

“No.”

Dirett said firmly.

Even with his own magic and healing magic, the effects of merging with a Great Spirit were serious.

Even if Lee Han seemed okay now, he could suddenly collapse.

“It’s not just about magic or strength. Too much magical information can hurt a mage’s brain. Didn’t you feel a different kind of magic when you merged with the Great Spirit?”

“!”

Lee Han understood what Dirett meant.

The lightning power that Perkontra used was very different from Lee Han’s lightning magic.

From how he controlled the lightning to how far he could spread the magic.

Lee Han still remembered that feeling even after the merging ended.

“Training with magic that’s too advanced is dangerous, but putting it in your mind is even more dangerous. You need to be careful for a while.”

“But Professor Begreck makes us train with magic that’s too advanced. And the Headmaster even puts it in our minds…”

Dirett pretended not to hear him.

“Huh?”

“Professor Begreck and the Headmaster…”

“What was that?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Lee Han decided to be careful for a while.

He thought it was best not to think about Perkontra’s magic until he was ready and to take care of himself.

‘Still, I think you’re worrying too much…?’

Lee Han looked closely at the superior demon, Dirett’s summoned creature, who was carrying him. It had a stoic expression.

-■■■?

“Ah, it’s nothing. Thank you for carrying me.”

The superior demon nodded. Dirett saw this and said,

“I’m surprised you’re so kind, unlike how you look.”

“People often misunderstand me. Honestly, these beings who judge others by their magic power are something else,” Lee Han said, sounding annoyed. Dirett wondered if it was only because of his magic power.

‘I don’t think you can make a contract with a Great Spirit just because you have a lot of magic power…’

“More importantly, Senior.”

“Uh, uh? I wasn’t thinking anything?”

“Yes? It’s not that, but why are so many people on the street over there? What’s going on?”

“!”

Dirett looked and was surprised.

It was night in Flaherty City, and dawn hadn’t arrived yet.

The magic lamps dimly lit the figures on the street.

It was clear that there were a lot of people.

“This is bad!”

“Are they suspicious people? Maybe anti-magic activists?”

“…They’re not suspicious! Those are mages.”

Dirette stopped walking, surprised. A large crowd of wizards blocked the street ahead. “What’s going on?” he asked Leehan, his voice a little worried.

Leehan shrugged, but his eyes were bright with excitement. “It’s the rumors about the exchange, Senior! Word got out.”

Flahert City was a big place, full of wizards. Most of them didn’t care about the exchange, it was true. Magic exchanges happened all the time. But sometimes, a rumor was so exciting, so juicy, that even the laziest wizards, the ones who usually stayed locked up in their homes, would come running. And tonight, it seemed like everyone had come. The street buzzed with hushed whispers and excited chatter.

“Ugh. I was just trying to get back at Yukbeltire, because my senior told me to…”

“…I didn’t think it would go this far! How could anyone have predicted that!”

Dirette felt like it wasn’t his fault.

No professor could have foreseen such a thing happening in that situation.

“Can’t we just push through?”

“There are too many of them. Even exchanging just a few words with each would take hours. Junior, to be a wizard for a long time, research is important, but…”

“The ability to secure research funding is also important, right?”

“…Ah, no. Not that.”

Dirette was surprised that his junior was thinking about money.

Dirette didn’t know his junior was called ‘Bureaucrat Destroyer’ by Headmaster Skull during the vacation.

“That’s important too, but the lesson I wanted to impart was not to spend time with strange wizards.”

“Ah, I see.”

Leehan nodded.

It was certainly true.

“Are you talking about people like Professor Verdus or Senior Yukbeltire?”

“…No… stranger people than those two.”

Dirette almost agreed, but then he shook his head and thought clearly again.

It wasn’t something an Einroguard student should say, but there were indeed many strange people among wizards.

Wizards who were simply obsessed with research were better off.

Con artists who had little interest in magic but tried to swindle gold coins out of others, criminals who aimed for a big score using magic, brokers who tried to get brokerage fees by introducing wizards to other guilds or magic towers…

The path of magic is very hard, and surprisingly few wizards were genuinely trying to walk it.

Therefore, wizards who are serious about magic should not spend time with strange or bad people.

Getting involved with them would only waste their own time!

“There used to be a senior who was popular like that.”

“A black magic school student?”

“No. Another school… Hey. What was that supposed to mean?”

“I was just asking to confirm.”

“Anyway, those kinds of people often came to that senior with offers, and it seems there was something tempting among them. They accepted the offer and started doing something together.”

“What happened?”

“It was in the Imperial newspaper that a wizard from Einroguard was caught scamming with magic…”

Dirette said in a dejected voice.

It was still a painful memory, even after time had passed.

He still vividly remembered Headmaster Skull becoming very angry and searching all the students’ things.

‘Oh dear.’

Leehan listened even more intently, as it wasn’t someone else’s problem. He himself had dreams of starting a business.

‘I definitely need to be careful.’

“If they’re wizards who participate in the exchange, it’s somewhat better, but there’s no need to spend time with those kinds of wizards one by one.”

“Wait. Isn’t that Senior Yukbeltire over there?”

“What? No way…”

Dirette narrowed his eyes at Leehan’s words and looked ahead.

Yukbeltire was standing on the main street with his guards.

“If you find him, explain my research and make a proposal.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“These wizards are a nuisance. Buy off those who can be bought.”

“……”

Dirette hung his head, seeing his friend trying to buy off the peddlers to use them himself instead of sending them away to help his junior.

He was an embarrassment no matter where you took him.

“Let’s go back… there’s an alley over there…”

“…Cheer up.”

“I’m fine…”

Even though he said that, Dirette’s wings seemed particularly droopy today.

-No, why are you wizards doing this in the middle of the night? The citizens are frightened.

-We’re just trying to find someone…

“I can’t do this. Let’s go inside.”

Dirette chose to just go inside a building, seeing that there were more wizards than he had thought.

By daybreak, they would give up and scatter.

“Do you know a place?”

“There’s a workshop nearby.”

As the exchange hall itself was located in the wizard district of Flahert City, there were several workshops of guilds or magic towers nearby. The same was true for the workshops that Einroguard’s schools had established on their own.

‘Hmm?’

Leehan was about to be pleased but stopped.

Come to think of it, he wondered if the black magic school’s workshop could be here.

Even if it was the wizard district, shouldn’t it be in a more secluded place closer to the cemetery?

“Is it the black magic school’s workshop?”

“The alchemy school.”

“Ah, I see.”

“…Yeah, well. The black magic school shouldn’t have a workshop here anyway.”

“No, senior. What’s wrong? I just thought the location wasn’t suitable for reagent supply. More importantly, it’s the alchemy school’s workshop, but can we go in?”

“I’m relatively close to the alchemy school kids… I even got permission to enter from Professor Uregeoreum. And there shouldn’t be anyone inside.”

Dirette recited a spell. Then, with a clunk, the door to the workshop opened. Inside, it smelled strongly of chemicals, a mix of sharp and strange smells.

-Who’s there?

“…This is bad.”

Dirette muttered quietly. Leehan got off the Greater Demon’s back and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s a junior I’m not close to. Ilendil… Ah. Wait. Junior.”

Dirette then remembered something and looked at Leehan, hoping for help.

Leehan answered firmly.

“I’m not close to them either.”