Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 692

Seniors are usually happy when talented first-year students join our tower. But this first-year student… he was different.

He didn’t seem like a first-year at all.

‘What kind of guy is this?’

“You, which family did you say you were from?”

“Don’t forget. If you want anything, you have to give us advice or information about smuggling.”

Lee Han subtly changed the subject instead of answering.

Eolde was so surprised by Lee Han’s question that he didn’t notice Lee Han changing the subject. He just kept talking.

“Are you telling me to betray my colleagues? Eolde of the Marcan family?”

“Didn’t you just try to run away under the family name?”

“Shhh. Priestess Siana. He’s still our senior.”

Eolde didn’t waver, even though he could hear other juniors whispering behind him.

Losing composure from such whispers would disqualify him as a student of Einroguard.

“Tell me… seriously, do I *look* like someone who would betray my friends? Eolde Marcan? Never!”

“…Are you trying to ask for more now?”

Lee Han asked, just in case.

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like he was subtly sending the message, ‘I’ll betray them if the conditions are good enough.’

“What do you take me for! More than anything, my colleagues would know about my betrayal, wouldn’t they? Unless you have a way to prevent that!”

“After kidnapping you, we checked the surroundings thoroughly. No one was following us. When you’re released later, just say you were kidnapped by the Headmaster’s Death Knights. The Headmaster is always a good excuse. Your colleagues won’t think you were kidnapped by juniors.”

“Wow, that’s a really good idea!”

Eolde admired without realizing it.

The first-year junior in front of him had a charisma that made him forget he had just been kidnapped.

No wonder he was leading a group of kidnappers here.

‘He might become someone great!’

“……”

“……”

Eolde, belatedly noticing the gazes of the juniors, cleared his throat.

“I’m not betraying anyone. I was just admiring him.”

“Yes…”

“Lee Han. Hurry up and ask for more. I think he’ll accept if you do.”

“Hey! What an insult!”

Eolde only pretended to be angry and looked at Lee Han.

It was a signal to quickly make an offer if he was going to.

Yoner thought to himself.

‘Are all seniors like that…?’

Even though he had adapted to Einroguard, he didn’t expect it to be this extreme.

Lee Han calmly looked at his senior.

He could offer gold coins or various artifacts, but Lee Han had no intention of wasting the wealth he had painstakingly gathered during the vacation.

“Senior. I only have one thing to offer.”

“What is it?”

“If you help us, we’ll include your goods when we smuggle.”

“…Hahaha!”

Eolde, who had been listening quietly, burst into laughter.

He laughed so much that he was panting for breath, and he looked at Lee Han as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Are you serious? You were really planning to smuggle on your own?”

“Why else would we lock you up like this, Senior?”

“You guys are even crazier than I thought.”

Eolde looked at the ceiling as if lamenting.

He didn’t want to say this, but the first-years these days were too different from when he was a first-year.

So reckless and fearless!

“Alright. As a fellow Blue Dragon Tower member, and because I like you, I’ll give you advice without asking for anything in return. Give up on smuggling by yourselves. Find another senior you can trust and join hands. Although I don’t know if you can.”

“I think I can, though.”

Lee Han said calmly.

Lee Han wasn’t joking or making things up. He really believed it was possible.

However, Eolde, who had no idea what Lee Han had been up to during his first year, shook his head and answered negatively.

“Let me tell you what will happen. The new semester will start, and you’ll gather at the main gate. When you gather at the main gate, there will be a speech from the Headmaster. Then the search will begin, so what do you think will happen?”

“Won’t we just get caught?”

Eolde clicked his tongue at Gainan’s question.

“No. The experienced seniors will immediately find the easiest students to pick on. Someone has to be sacrificed to reduce the surveillance and pressure. First-years smuggling? If I were them, I’d expose you right away to draw attention. Everyone there will be thinking that way.”

Students attempting to smuggle were willing to risk their lives for a brief opening and commotion.

There was no way they would be considerate just because they were first-year juniors. If they showed weakness, they would be relentlessly bitten.

Eolde crossed his arms and looked at Lee Han.

No matter how bold he was, there was no way he wouldn’t be discouraged after hearing this…

“Thank you for the advice, Senior. Let us know if you change your mind.”

“…?!!”

Eolde was shocked.

What was that guy’s heart made of, steel?

How could he be so calm after hearing that…

“Wait!” Eolde called out, louder than he meant to. Lee Han and his group stopped, turning back. Eolde suddenly felt foolish. Why had he called them back? He hadn’t thought it through. He couldn’t let these first-years see him speechless. Clearing his throat, he puffed out his chest a little. “Look,” he said, trying to sound casual, “it’s probably not my place to say, but… is it really smart to just leave me here? Locked up like this? I could escape, you know.” He hoped he sounded convincing.

“Ah. That’s why we’re going to deploy some familiars.”

“You can’t keep watching me with familiars. The magic power…”

Lee Han just shrugged and left with his friends.

Sharkan, a panther-shaped familiar, yawned and crouched in front of Eolde.

As Eolde stared at Sharkan, Lee Han peeked his head in from outside the door and said,

“Senior. If you even try to attack Sharkan, we’ll put a basilisk on you.”

“Alright, alright!”

Eolde knew that the junior wasn’t good at joking, if nothing else.

A basilisk? What a chilling joke.

For the next few days, Eolde sat in the study, sunlight coming through dusty windows, looking out at the yard below, watching the front yard, garden, and warehouse.

During his time here, he realized a few things.

First, this group of first-year kidnappers didn’t seem to be working together for the first time. Their teamwork was unusually good.

Dividing the personnel precisely, going in and out of the mansion, and dividing roles—these movements were impossible without mutual trust.

They were juniors from different towers, so how could they be so organized?

Going out and coming back, and going out and coming back again…

Each time, the leader of the group would bring something and say to his friends, ‘I’ve figured out the method.’

He couldn’t have figured out the methods of other seniors preparing to smuggle, so he was curious about what he was talking about.

Another fact was that there were changes in the wagons in the warehouse.

The wagon decorations disappeared, the space inside became wider, and the floor and abutments were reinforced.

It was as if they were going to use it as a cargo wagon.

Not stopping there, the first-year students painted a pattern on the wagon. It was a pattern he seemed to have seen somewhere before.

‘Where did I see… oh?’

Come to think of it, there seemed to be a merchant group in Granden City with that kind of pattern.

‘…Why are they making a merchant cargo wagon?’

Eolde thought about it for a long time, but no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

Why on earth would they make a merchant cargo wagon?

“Hey.”

In the end, Eolde couldn’t stand it and called a junior.

“Did you call me?”

“…What are you doing right now?”

“If you want to know, cooperate with us.”

“…Never mind! Forget it!”

Eolde turned away angrily.

But Lee Han wasn’t easy enough to be shaken by this kind of tactic.

When the junior didn’t show any reaction, Eolde, feeling regretful, opened his mouth first.

“What exactly do you want from me? I’ll tell you in advance, smuggling isn’t that easy. It’s not like it’ll work out just because I help you.”

“I know. And I’ve prepared the smuggling method, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“…???”

What on earth, how?

“What method?!”

“First, what I want to know is the methods of the other seniors who are attempting to smuggle.”

“Hmm.”

Eolde nodded as if he had expected it.

He had been somewhat aware of it since he was asked to betray his colleagues.

Knowing the methods of other students in advance when attempting to smuggle was more important than he thought.

He could follow that method, or he could benefit by reporting that method, or, if neither, he could at least prepare in advance. Smuggling was quite affected by the accidents that others caused.

“First, there’s the Deuhmcha gang. Those guys…”

“Ah. I know about them. They’ll be using >Lower Box Conversion>.”

“…How did you know that?!”

“Are there any others?”

Lee Han spoke as if telling him not to keep asking about things that weren’t important.

Eolde was dumbfounded.

‘How did he find out…?’

“There’s the Ivanna gang…”

“I know about them too. They’re trying to move it by using body enhancement magic and race transformation magic together, but honestly, it looked a bit dangerous. It doesn’t seem easy to endure the inspection by transforming into a large race.”

“Hey! Why are you asking if you know everything?!”

Eolde shouted, feeling absurd.

He couldn’t even guess what this first-year was thinking.

“What are you talking about, Senior? I’m asking because there’s a lot I don’t know.”

“Where else is there a guy who knows as much as you do…! Tell me how you found out first!”

As if he wouldn’t move on any further unless he told him, Eolde crossed his arms and showed a firm look.

Lee Han answered with a face that said, ‘Why does this senior keep asking about obvious things that are annoying?’

“I contacted the seniors and asked them.”

“…What are you talking about? There’s no way they would just tell you.”

“I said I wanted to smuggle with them and then I dug it out.”

“……”

Eolde felt his face get hot with embarrassment and dropped the glass he was holding.

So, he approached each group, deceived all the seniors in the groups, and then dug out all the methods they were preparing?

‘Is that… possible?!’

“Anyway, Senior. Are there any more?”

“There’s my gang and… one or two more teams, but I don’t know much about what my seniors are preparing either. It’s better not to be known, after all.”

“I understand.”

Lee Han nodded and started organizing with a quill.

Even if he only grasped a part of it, it would be a great help on the day.

“So… what method are you thinking of using to smuggle? Let’s hear it.”

“I was just about to tell you. You’re the only one among us who has experience with inspections, Senior, so I think you’ll have to do it with us.”

Eolde was startled to realize that he was unknowingly anticipating it.

Was he now anticipating the clumsy smuggling plan of mere first-year juniors?!

‘Ah, no. That’s impossible.’

But the junior in front of him had an atmosphere that gave credibility to that impossible situation.

Could it be…?!

“We’re going to pull a merchant cargo wagon into the underground passage, leave the smuggled goods, and get out.”

“…Wh- wha…?”

Eolde was confused. He didn’t even know where to begin to explain why this plan was impossible.

“What are you talking about? Do you know where the underground passage is? Even if you find it, there will be people guarding it, and not just any merchant can enter…”

“We’ve figured out where the underground passage is. There may be people guarding it, but the warehouse manager will be upstairs, so it will be relatively easy. The merchants who supply the goods are fixed. The pattern painted on the wagon now is the pattern of that merchant.”

“……”

Eolde closed his eyes and began to mutter.

Lee Han asked, puzzled.

“What are you doing?”

“I… I must be under a hallucination spell. This is… an impossible dream. I need to wake up.”

“It’s reality, though.”

Eolde stared at Lee Han, a strange feeling growing in his chest. This first-year was definitely not normal.