Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 703

Any other student might have been confused. But Dirette was smart, a fifth-year after all. He understood right away.

“Perhaps the Headmaster didn’t grant it because you have too much magic?”

“Yes.”

Silence fell between them. It was a heavy, uncomfortable silence. Dirette wanted to say something to make the younger student feel better. Ihan looked sad, like he was carrying a big weight. But Dirette couldn’t think of the right words.

“I’m alright, Senior.”

“…No. You shouldn’t be alright… What do you mean you’re alright?”

“I’ll find a way to avoid it… probably. And you’re a fifth-year too, Senior. I can do it as well.”

“It’s not the same…”

Dirette thought about saying, *’Being a fifth-year is my choice. This hard thing for you is forced on you by the Skull Headmaster, who is bad.’* But he stopped himself. Saying all that would just make Ihan feel worse.

“Sigh. Alright. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Nothing will change anyway. The reason I’m here is because I’m worried about you.”

“Um, what exactly are you worried about?”

Dirette had so many worries for Ihan. He put his hand to his forehead, thinking. Ihan didn’t even seem to know what Dirette was worried about!

“…Let’s look at your lecture schedule first. I don’t know if we can finish it today.”

“Ah, Senior. I have something important to do today.”

“Today? What is it? Research? Someone asked you for help? Did a crazy professor already call you?” As Dirette asked, he felt a bad feeling in his stomach.

It wouldn’t be strange if a professor called the junior in front of him from the very first day.

“No. I’m going to move some smuggled goods.”

“…Are you serious?”

Dirette stared at Ihan in disbelief.

He had smuggled things in, even though the inspection this time was supposed to be impossible! Dirette could hardly believe it.

“How did you get them in?”

“I was lucky.”

“Lucky? This inspection was too hard for just luck… Anyway, good job. I’m glad you did it. I’ll help you move them.”

It wasn’t a difficult task, so Dirette readily offered to help.

He was planning to tell him the story while helping.

“There’s a lot of stuff, though?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll use creatures I can call to help carry it.”

“Then I’ll take your help! Oh, you should take some of the goods too, Senior.”

“No, thank you.”

Dirette waved his hand dismissively.

*What would a fifth-year like him want with small things smuggled in by a second-year? Fifth-years were practically teachers already. They didn’t need to worry about getting supplies.* Besides, because the inspection was so hard this year, Ihan probably didn’t bring in much anyway…

“…Are you even a wizard?”

“Aren’t you a wizard too, Senior?” Ihan replied, a little confused.

Dirette was so surprised, he asked a silly question, something a wizard shouldn’t even need to ask another wizard. He was staring at the smuggled goods. It wasn’t just a little bit. It looked like it filled many carts!

“How is this possible…”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“No, not now. I really want to know, but if I listen to that story today, all our time will be gone.” Dirette shook his head, and his large wings rustled behind him as he tried to focus.

He was really curious about how Ihan did it. But today, he was here to help Ihan because he was worried. Not to hear some amazing story about smuggling in Einroguard.

*Maybe he’ll have time to hear it later.* But then, Dirette thought, *Will I even have free time later?* Suddenly, he felt sad, like all fifth-years did. Fifth-year life was so busy. His shoulders slumped a little.

It wouldn’t be strange at all if he couldn’t come out from today onwards, that’s what fifth year was like.

“Hide in the shadows, carry the goods.”

“Watch ahead.”

“Feel for danger.”

Dirette spoke quickly, and shadowy figures appeared around them. They were his summoned creatures, looking like pale, see-through people. They were ready to help. It was just a walk in the evening, but in Einroguard, you could never be too careful. Being able to sense danger, see further than normal, and hide or disguise yourself was just normal magic everyone knew.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No. I have my pride as a senior. Did you prepare the lecture schedule?”

While the luggage golems followed behind, Dirette walked ahead in the hallway and asked the question.

“Yes.”

“Ah, you used the Time-Clock, right? That big clock made by Yukbeltire.”

“You know about it, Senior?”

“Of course, I know it! It’s so useful. Someone in my year even tried to steal it once.”

“……”

Ihan didn’t really want to hear about the embarrassing things older students had done.

When Dirette gestured for the lecture schedule, Ihan took out the schedule he had written down.

“I received it like this for now.”

“Hmm… almost the same. I was worried, but the artifact made by Yukbeltire is accurate after all.”

“It malfunctioned a few times.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I took too many lectures…”

“……”

Dirette pretended not to hear and turned the topic back to the original.

“Still, the important thing is that it’s accurately completed!”

“Yes. …Wait, Senior. What do you mean almost the same?”

Ihan felt puzzled.

Saying ‘the same’ meant there had to be something to compare it to.

But Ihan’s lecture schedule was made today while talking with Yukbeltire, so what was he comparing it to?

“Ah. The ones the professors made.”

“…?”

Ihan tilted his head.

He didn’t understand what the senior was saying.

“The professors… make what?”

“Huh? Well, the professors discuss with each other to make sure your lectures don’t overlap, right?”

“Yes?!?!?!?!”

Ihan was really shocked. He hadn’t been this surprised in ages. *A secret, evil plan? Where would they do something like that?*

“Hey, you didn’t know?”

“Of course not! Where would they plan such a terrible thing?”

Dirette answered, a little embarrassed because Ihan was so intense. “In the professor’s lounge?”

“……”

*Wait a minute,* Ihan thought. *Professors wouldn’t meet in some scary, evil place.* Of course, they would meet in the professor’s lounge.

Ihan calmed down a little and asked, trying to sound serious. “Please tell me everything, Senior. About this evil plan the professors made in that terrible place.”

“Well… it wasn’t really a plan. More like a chat the professors had…”

Being a fifth-year had some perks. Dirette could now go to the professor’s lounge. Actually, it wasn’t really a perk. He *had* to go there to tell the professors about his research and classes. One time, in the lounge, Dirette found a room that seemed a bit odd. It wasn’t the room itself, but what was in it. Just a wooden board, standing alone in the room.

[Bulletin Board Text] Monday 9:00-11:00 AM, 11:00 AM-1:00 PM, 1:00-3:00 PM. Professor 1: Looks like nothing changed from last year? Professor 2: Really? My lecture times are different! Professor 3: …I meant the break times, Professor Verdus. Professor 4: It was fine without breaks last year! Professor 5: I don’t usually agree with Professor Bible, but this year, I have to. It’s packed even with just the important lectures. Professor 6: Didn’t Professor Garcia remove some easy lectures? Professor Garcia: I removed them so Ihan could have a break! Professor 7: Sure you did. But you should have removed the hard lectures, not the easy ones, Professor Garcia. Just admit it. You’re just like all the other professors. Below this, there was a big dent, like someone punched the board hard. And below that: Professor 8: Everyone, please don’t make Professor Garcia angry.

“There was a bulletin board like this.”

‘…That’s strange? Why does it look like I’ve seen it somewhere before?’

Ihan felt a strange familiarity, but he didn’t have time to figure out what it was now.

“So? What happened?”

“I asked the professor. He said that the professors kept fighting with each other to take each other’s time, so they changed it to this method of agreeing from the beginning.”

It was quite a reasonable method.

Instead of the professors slyly increasing their lecture time at will and interfering with the next professor’s time, they could prepare appropriate lectures within a pre-agreed time.

…Except that Ihan had no free will at all!

“Why are they deciding for everyone?!”

“Well… you’re right.”

Dirette didn’t know what to say. Ihan was right. Now that he thought about it, Dirette should have realized something was wrong in the professor’s lounge. But because Ihan was so unusual, Dirette just thought, *’Oh, well, Ihan is special. This must be normal for him at this school.’* And he just accepted it.

“But junior, to match your lecture schedule, it’s almost fixed, isn’t it? Taking out the easy lectures and only focusing on the difficult ones…”

“I can take out the difficult lectures too.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? You have to take the lectures that will help you the most.”

Dirette dismissed it as if he wouldn’t even consider it.

Ihan remembered again that Dirette was a fifth-year, an older student who knew more.

“So, the schedule the Time-Clock gave me is the same as the one the professors made.”

“Yeah…”

“……”

Ihan suddenly felt very sad. It wasn’t like he would just change his schedule for no reason. He always tried to be efficient and smart about it. But knowing that his schedule was already decided for him, that he had no choice, made him feel down.

Dirette flapped his wings a little, feeling awkward. He didn’t like seeing Ihan, who was usually so happy and sure of himself, look so sad.

“Um, well. Look… there’s a free spot… Ah, no, there isn’t. But these lectures here and here, the professors didn’t pick them. You can change them to other classes if you want!”

“…Thank you, Senior.”

Ihan gave a sad smile, but tried to act stronger.

*Okay. I can’t stay sad.* Maybe it would have been better not to know about the professors’ plan. But it didn’t really change anything. He would just go to the classes he had to go to and try to get the best grades.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

“Yes, Senior. Follow me.”

Ihan made a ball of water float in the air. He grabbed it, flipped upside down, and walked on the ceiling for a few steps, like it was nothing.

Dirette just watched, unable to say anything. Ihan kept walking on the ceiling. Then he said a spell, like he was reciting something by heart. “I am a student of Einroguard. I promise I will never trust a professor, never take money from them, and never tell on them. And I will always be extra suspicious of the Headmaster…”

“……”

Dirette blinked at the junior’s resentful spell, then pulled himself together and looked around.

‘Was there a hidden room here?’

It wasn’t surprising that Dirette didn’t know. The hidden rooms in Einroguard would be older than the Skull Headmaster.

“How did you find this room?”

“I met an older student, who graduated a long time ago, in the punishment room. He told me about it because he felt sorry for me.”

“Oh…” Dirette looked away. That was a sad reason. *If I had met Ihan in the punishment room,* Dirette thought, *I would have helped him too.* It was too bad that normal students couldn’t win against the professors.

Rumble!

*This is nice,* Dirette thought, looking around. The secret room was surprisingly tidy. It was a good hideout, used by students long ago. You could see signs of powerful magic everywhere.

“Do you want to put the smuggled goods in this storage room?”

“Okay.”

Dirette told his summoned creatures to put the luggage away. Soon, the storage room in the corner was full of neatly stacked goods. *Wow, this is more stuff than they have in the whole school kitchen!*

“What’s this…?”

Dirette was still looking at the magical marks on the walls when he saw a notebook on the table. It was plain and empty, but something about it looked familiar.

“What is this? I think I’ve seen one like this before.”

“Oh, that. The older student said it’s to check if I’m listening to black magic. He called it a communication thing.”

“……” Dirette wished he hadn’t asked.