Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 711

Lee Han was surprised by how strongly the others reacted.

He had chosen the name quickly because older students told him to, and now everyone was upset.

He didn’t understand why his chosen name, Gonadaltestes, was such a big deal.

Other members used serious-sounding names like Baquantalana and Iaktus, names from old stories.

So, Lee Han wondered, what was wrong with his?

Gonadaltestes: Is there a problem?

Iaktus: Is there a problem? *Everything* is a problem! This Gonadal… Ugh, just saying it makes me shiver.

I can’t use that name. It’s really disturbing!

Iaktus tried to explain why Lee Han’s name was bad, and he actually shuddered, his shoulders shaking.

“Gonadaltestes”… just the sound of it felt dark and scary, like something bad was going to happen.

It was even hard to write down.

Magic needed logic and study, but a wizard’s feelings were also very important.

Even a fake name, like a pseudonym, could affect magic if it was strong enough.

And “Gonadaltestes” sounded like a very bad omen, the kind of name that made you think of dark magic.

Baquantalana: Well, a pseudonym is a personal choice.

We can’t really tell someone what to name themselves.

Iaktus: Seriously? Even with personal choice, there are limits! Are you saying I have to feel like I’m talking to the *Skull Headmaster* every time I see that name?

I can talk to *you*, Baquantalana, because you don’t seem like you’ll punish me for no reason! But “Gonadaltestes”? That’s different! That name sounds like trouble!

Gonadaltestes: Should I change it to… Verdus, then?

(Silence hangs in the air.)

Iaktus’s eyes widened. He suddenly understood this new recruit was not just strange, he was completely crazy.

*What is wrong with this guy?* Iaktus thought, his mind racing.

Einrogaard was a huge school, but how could someone this insane exist?

*Could he actually be an older student? A fifth or even sixth year?*

Using the *Skull Headmaster’s* name as a joke, as a *pseudonym*… that was something only a truly mad person would do.

It would take a fifth year, no, probably a sixth year, to be that bold, or that crazy.

Even Iaktus, who was almost a sixth year, wouldn’t dare use the Skull Headmaster’s name so carelessly.

*But then again,* Iaktus thought, *maybe I’m wrong.*

He was too scared to judge someone this strange.

Iaktus tried to change the subject, carefully testing the waters.

Iaktus: So… are you, maybe, from the Enchantment Magic School?

Gonadaltestes: Yes, I am. How did you guess?

*No, that’s not it,* Iaktus thought, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

Professor Verdus was famous for being strict and scary, and everyone in the school knew it, not just students in the Enchantment Magic School.

Maybe, Iaktus thought, this crazy older student mentioned Professor Verdus *because* he *wasn’t* from the Enchantment Magic School.

If he *was* from there, he would probably try to hide it, to avoid being linked to the scary professor.

Iaktus himself had chosen a name that had nothing to do with his school, just to be safe. He was sure that was the smart thing to do.

Baquantalana: We are here to fight against the Headmaster’s unfair rules, right?

We can’t be scared of a simple name forever. This is a chance to be brave. Everyone needs to face their fears!

Iaktus: Easy for you to say! You’re not the one who has to imagine the Skull Headmaster every time you see “Gonadaltestes”! Why don’t *you* try sleeping with a real skull hanging over your bed?

Iaktus grumbled, giving up on changing the name.

He knew someone as stubborn as this older student wouldn’t listen to him. And anyway, the club rules said everyone could choose their own pseudonym. There was nothing more he could do.

Iaktus: Fine, fine, do what you want. I’m just saying, don’t be surprised if someone has a heart attack because of your name.

Baquantalana: If they are members of the Watchers Club, they should be strong enough to handle it.

Gonadaltestes: Exactly, exactly.

Iaktus felt a headache starting. This new member was too much. He needed to change the subject, fast.

*I have to change the subject,* he thought quickly.

Iaktus: Okay, new topic! So, uh… do you have any news for us? You know, since you’re joining.

Gonadaltestes: News? What kind of news?

Iaktus: Anything! Like, did a professor who disappeared suddenly come back? Or did they start teaching a class that everyone forgot about? Or… even better, do you know where the Skull Headmaster’s treasure is hidden? I’ll pay you for good information, anything at all!

Gonadaltestes: Professor Vendosol is back. And the Time Magic lecture has started again.

Iaktus stared, speechless. This was bigger news than he expected.

Professor Vendosol? Back? And Time Magic lectures?

The Time Magic lecture didn’t matter to Iaktus, but Professor Vendosol’s return did. How did this new guy know about it?

*He has to be a sixth year,* Iaktus thought again, his eyes wide.

Iaktus: Is that really true?!

Gonadaltestes: I wouldn’t lie about something you can easily check.

As Lee Han typed those words, a plan started to form in his mind.

Lee Han now understood the Watchers Club a little better. They were interested in secrets and rumors. He decided to use this to find out more about *them*.

Gonadaltestes: I heard a lot of students are signing up for the Time Magic lecture. Why don’t you guys try it?

Lee Han had two reasons for asking about Time Magic. First, he wanted to seem normal, since he was taking the class himself.

If he knew the wrong number of students, they might think he was getting information from someone else, which would look suspicious. He wanted to seem like just another student.

Second, he wanted to see if any *new* students joined the Time Magic lecture.

If someone suddenly signed up, it might mean they were already a member of the Watchers Club, trying to check out the new information. He was trying to find other members in disguise.

Iaktus: No thanks. I barely have time for the magic I’m already learning.

Baquantalana: Time Magic is powerful, but even the basics take too much time and effort. It’s not worth it.

Iaktus: Exactly! Time Magic is a… time-waster! *(He waited for a reaction, then added weakly)* Friends? Joke? Anyone?

Gonadaltestes: *(Suddenly, Gonadaltestes typed “HA HA HA” in large letters.)*

Iaktus: Oh, thank you. Go-Gonadaltestes. *(He still sounded nervous.)*

Baquantalana: Did you… spill something on your screen?

Iaktus: No! It’s just… when I typed the Skull Headmaster’s name, my hand shook, and I had to rewrite it. It’s really hard to type that name, okay?

*Not helpful,* Lee Han thought.

He felt a little disappointed. It seemed like no one here was interested in Time Magic. And Iaktus’s jokes were terrible. He hadn’t learned much about the club members.

*Baquantalana though… he seems like an older student from the Enchantment Magic School.* Lee Han decided. *I should ask Professor Verdus about him when I see him.*

Of course, Baquantalana *could* have chosen a random pseudonym.

But Lee Han remembered something Baquantalana had done earlier – he had shown a skill called “artifact reverse control.” This was a very advanced magic, only taught in the Enchantment Magic School. Someone with that skill would definitely be known by Professor Verdus.

Iaktus: Anyway, Professor Vendosol is back. His classes are so tough!

Baquantalana: He likes magical creatures more than he likes students, that’s for sure.

Iaktus: Damn it, I think I’ll have to take his class this semester… Oh, right! I promised you guys a reward for joining. Listen up, both of you. This is really important information.

Baquantalana: Okay, we’re listening.

Gonadaltestes: Me too.

Iaktus: Alde, from the Marcan family, Blue Dragon Tower, third year.

Baquantalana: And?

Iaktus: Wait for it! He’s the *only* one who managed to smuggle things in this year! He’s got a huge pile of stuff hidden somewhere.

Baquantalana: Ah, I see. Thank you, Iaktus. That *is* useful information.

Lee Han was silent, looking at the Watchers Club members with doubt.

*Is all their information this bad?* he wondered. He knew for a fact that Alde was still in detention. He hadn’t even gotten his smuggled goods yet.

Lee Han couldn’t know exactly how the official club wars were going, but he realized that the clubs had changed their strategy.

The upperclassmen of each club had started coming to recommend that he take a look.

Of course, Lee Han avoided it as much as possible.

It was called a tour, but there was no telling what would happen if he went.

However, there was a limit to avoidance.

As Lee Han stepped out of the Time Magic lecture hall, blinking in the brighter hallway light, he almost bumped into someone. It was an older student, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Lee Han recognized him – he’d seen him on the seventh floor of the library before.

“Wodanaz?” the upperclassman said, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah! Upperclassman!” Lee Han said quickly, forcing a smile. “I didn’t see you there at all. Is something wrong?”

*Damn it,* Lee Han thought, his heart sinking a little. *I need to be more aware of my surroundings.* But he kept his polite smile fixed on his face.

“Always so polite,” the upperclassman said, a slight twitch in his whiskers. He was a hamster beastman, Lee Han realized, noticing his small, twitching nose and the way his fur bristled slightly. He was much shorter than Lee Han, and thin, with sharp, quick movements that made him seem nervous and impatient. He was wearing the dark blue robes of the Black Tortoise Tower.

“Nice to meet you,” the hamster beastman said. “I’m Sebius.”

“I’m Lee Han,” Lee Han replied, bowing slightly.

“I know,” Sebius said, his eyes flicking over Lee Han. “You probably don’t know me. I’m from the Library Club. Do you even know what the Library Club is?”

“Not really…” Lee Han admitted.

Sebius straightened up and gestured down the hallway. “Follow me.”

Without realizing it, Lee Han checked his escape route and considered how to escape.

Sebius, unaware of his junior’s thoughts, opened his mouth.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to force you to join like the other clubs.”

“Yes.”

Of course, Lee Han didn’t believe the upperclassman.

An upperclassman who tried to force him to join a club was less believable than an upperclassman who said, ‘I’m not going to force you to join a club.’

‘I’ll attack if I think it’s going to be bad.’

“Our Library Club is a club that takes out, stores, and disseminates books. You’ve been inside the Einrogaard Library, right? You caught the Rock Drake, so.”

“I was lucky.”

“A first-year can’t catch that with luck. The library is a labyrinth. It’s the most complex and difficult labyrinth in Einrogaard.”

Lee Han nodded at the hamster beastman upperclassman’s words.

Lee Han still knew less about Einrogaard than he knew, but he was keenly aware that the library was no ordinary place.

It wasn’t an ordinary library where the terrain changed every time he entered, monsters appeared from time to time, and if he got lost, he couldn’t escape forever.

“From the second year, you’ll need more and more books. And most of these books are in the library. We make maps of the library and go inside to take out magical books.”

“!”

Lee Han was surprised at Sebius’s words.

To constantly enter that labyrinth, make maps, and take out books.

It was a rough and tough club that didn’t suit the name Library Club.

“Just for the sake of other students?”

“That’s right. But we do get paid.”

“……”

Lee Han immediately understood.

The Library Club’s source of income was the wallets of students who commissioned them to find books.

Sometimes, outsiders who came to Einrogaard Library with the Skull Headmaster’s permission were also customers.

“Is it okay to give books to outsiders?”

“Once a book enters the Einrogaard Library, it never disappears forever. Even if it’s burned or taken out, it’ll be recreated after a while.”

“That’s not what I meant. If you give a dangerous magical book to an outsider and something goes wrong…”

“Then it’s the headmaster’s fault for allowing it. Not our fault.”

‘I guess that’s true.’

Lee Han unknowingly agreed.

Sebius walked forward and said.

“You know the clubs are fighting now, right?”

“…Yes.”

“They’ll probably end up compromising. By joining all the clubs. It’s in the rules, so everyone will have to put up with it even if they’re not happy.”

“Couldn’t they fight more?”

Lee Han cautiously offered a hopeful observation, but Sebius didn’t even pretend to listen.

“That’s why I said I wasn’t going to force you to join. If you join all the clubs, the time you can spend in each club will be greatly reduced, so there’s no point in forcing you to join.”

“!”

Lee Han was surprised to hear Sebius’s words.

He didn’t expect to receive such consideration.

“So, has the Library Club decided not to let me join at all?”

“That’s not it. Then the other club guys will be happy. We’re just going to sign you up.”

“……”

Lee Han glared at the upperclassman’s fluffy back of the head with a sullen expression.