Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 729

“You’re joking around when we need help with the grant application?” Perse frowned, her voice sharp.

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes catching on something moving near Lee Han’s wrist. A small, scaly tail, the color of moss, poked out from his sleeve, swaying gently back and forth. Perse pointed a finger. “What… what is *that*?”

She called to the other members, her voice rising with curiosity. “Everyone, come here and take a look at this!”

“What’s the matter?” asked another senior, approaching with a puzzled expression.

Perse leaned closer to Lee Han, her eyes narrowed. “Perhaps… perhaps it’s some strange magical object left behind by the headmaster?” she whispered, a hint of unease in her voice.

Lee Han glared at Perse, feeling a flush creep up his neck. Accusations already? Who would carry around a cursed object?

Though… a flicker of thought crossed his mind. *The Behemoth bone necklace *was* something the headmaster left behind.* But he quickly dismissed it. It wasn’t cursed, exactly.

“It’s a Basilisk,” Lee Han stated plainly, deciding to cut to the chase.

“!!!!!!”

The seniors stared at Lee Han, their mouths agape, even more astonished than when they’d encountered that skeletal headmaster back in their hometown during the holidays. One senior stumbled back a step, eyes wide.

“Wait,” another finally managed to stammer, “Why did you call us over?”

Lee Han shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant despite the baby Basilisk now wriggling further up his arm. “I thought you wouldn’t believe me if I just said it.”

“……” Perse blinked, then slowly nodded. “Actually… you’re right. It’s just… well, the creatures that student who takes *all* the courses raises are… extraordinary,” she admitted, shaking her head in disbelief.

“The most surprising thing is he’s actually close to the headmaster,” another senior muttered, still staring at Lee Han’s sleeve.

“I still can’t wrap my head around *any* of this,” a third senior added, rubbing his temples.

Seeing the familiar signs of the seniors about to launch into another long discussion about ‘Who *is* this junior, and how are we supposed to deal with him?’, Perse clapped her hands together, cutting them off. “Talk about it later! Right now, we need to help with the grant application. Anyone actually remember the club regulations? What are the grants for Griffons and Basilisks, respectively?”

“I know the regulations… *somewhat*,” one senior admitted sheepishly, “but the Basilisk grant? Who even looks at *that* section?”

“I didn’t even know there *was* a Basilisk grant!” another exclaimed, pulling a face. “A *Griffon* grant sounds weird enough, but next to a Basilisk grant, it’s practically normal.”

Finally, after much rummaging, one of the seniors – the one they secretly called ‘Professor Dust’ because he always seemed to find the oldest, dustiest things – emerged triumphantly from behind a stack of Sports Club equipment, holding a thick, leather-bound book. Dust puffed out as he slapped it onto the table. Embossed in faded green letters on the cover were the words: *Einroguard Sports Club Rules*.

“Griffon, Griffon…” he mumbled, flipping through the brittle pages. “Ah, here we are. Griffons. Wait… there are *two* types of Griffons?”

“Two types?” Lee Han frowned, genuinely puzzled. He’d only ever thought of Griffons as… Griffons.

“Yep,” the senior said, peering at the book. “First type: ‘The Griffon that doesn’t acknowledge its owner, watches with cunning eyes, and will try to kill them the moment it gets a chance.’ Is… is that yours?” He looked at Lee Han, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“……” Lee Han was speechless, unsure how to answer.

But Hormach, who had been silently observing, spoke up coolly. “If that were the case, this junior would have been dead a long time ago, and the Griffon would have flown off.”

“Good point,” the senior conceded, nodding. “Right then, it must be the second type. ‘The one that acknowledges its owner, is loyal, and shows affection for any kindness it receives.’” He read with a slightly sarcastic tone, glancing at Lee Han.

‘Affection?’ Lee Han thought, a little bewildered. Phone Ring had pecked him, sure, and wagged its tail… but affection? He wasn’t so sure.

“What’s the difference between the grants for the two types?” Perse asked, getting straight to the point.

“Ah, right. The first type – the dangerous, owner-hating one – gets *three times* the grant. Because, you know, it’s… dangerous.”

“…!” Lee Han’s eyes widened in shock. Three times the gold coins? Just for having a *disloyal* Griffon? He felt a sudden pang of injustice. ‘This is completely unfair!’

“Griffon sorted,” Perse said briskly. “Basilisk. Let’s find the Basilisk grant.”

“Basilisk… Basilisk…” Professor Dust muttered, flipping further back in the book. “Giant Spider… Giant claiming to walk on four legs… Basilisk… Ah, wait.”

“Found it?” Perse leaned forward eagerly.

“Not quite. It says here: ‘A giant snake-type monster that could be mistaken for a Basilisk.’ What even *is* that?” He frowned, confused. “Basilisk… Basilisk… Aha! Found it! This also has two types. First type: ‘A creature with dignified behavior and a majestic gaze.’” He looked up at Lee Han, then down at the small tail still peeking out of his sleeve.

The baby Basilisk, sensing it was being discussed, wagged its tail quickly, as if trying to appear dignified.

Every Einroguard student in the room shook their heads in unison.

“This can’t be it.”

“It must be talking about a fully grown adult, so it can’t be this little thing.”

-?!

The baby Basilisk wrapped itself around Lee Han’s wrist as if protesting.

“Second type,” Professor Dust continued, reading on. “’A creature that hasn’t grown up yet, sticks close to its parents, and doesn’t stick its head out.’”

“This is it,” Perse declared, pointing at Lee Han’s sleeve.

“This is definitely it,” another senior confirmed, chuckling.

The baby Basilisk shook its tail again, this time with clear annoyance, but only served to further confirm their judgment. Finally, in a huff, it tapped sharply on Lee Han’s wrist with its head. It was a clear signal: *Do something to restore my honor!*

Lee Han, sensing an opportunity, turned to the seniors. “So… which one gets more grant money?” he asked, his voice carefully casual.

“The second one, definitely,” Professor Dust replied, still reading the rulebook. “Says here baby Basilisks are much harder to raise. Much more.”

“Makes sense,” Perse nodded. “Second type it is.”

-…… The baby Basilisk seemed to deflate slightly, its tail drooping.

The seniors, who had found and read the club rulebook after a long time, seemed to be enjoying it and asked Lee Han if there was anything else to apply for.

“But seniors, I’m hesitant to ask this question, but is the club treasury alright?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Even if you’ve saved up prize money, if you take too much in grants…”

“Ah. Don’t worry.” The Sports Club members said with a smile.

“It’s not just from prize money.”

“Yes?”

“It’s not just club members who receive support. The club also receives support.”

Just as the Einroguard Sports Club supports meaningful members, the Imperial Sports Association also supported meaningful clubs.

If a club sent a letter saying they needed help raising rare animals, the Imperial Sports Association would generously send grants.

“…!” Lee Han was dazed by the transcendental story.

It felt like something from a dream.

The members of the kitchen club struggled with ingredients from morning to night to collect gold coins, but there were kind imperial tycoons who would send gold coins with just a letter.

“I… I can’t believe it.”

“Because they’re rare animals. If a student is raising a Griffon or a Basilisk, it’s worth helping.”

“I actually have more that I’m raising.” Lee Han looked at the seniors with gleaming eyes.

The seniors felt a sense of being overwhelmed for a moment by that gaze.

“Sharkan!”

“…That’s a summoned creature. Junior.”

“Gonadaltes!”

“I told you, skeleton warriors aren’t allowed. Junior. Wait. What did you just call him?”

“Kuh. Then… how about a Ghost Chicken?”

“…Oh, you’re raising a Ghost Chicken? That’s allowed.” The senior nodded readily and filled out the application.

Lee Han, wondering why they weren’t as surprised as before, asked.

Leehan leaned forward, his eyes bright with curiosity. “Perhaps the Ghost Chicken isn’t so rare after all? Maybe other people raise them too…” He trailed off, hoping for good news.

The senior behind the desk, a man with tired eyes and ink-stained fingers, sighed. “Ah, the Ghost Chicken. No, Junior. It is a rare animal, alright.”

Leehan tilted his head. “Is that so? You don’t seem very surprised.”

The senior shrugged, tapping his pen on the application form. “After seeing a griffin up close, and even a basilisk rumour has it, nothing much surprises me anymore in this place.”

He paused, looking at Leehan expectantly. “…Next?”

Leehan focused with all his might.

He focused harder than he did when studying magic. His brain, well-trained from his studies, finally pulled up the information.

“Senior,” Leehan said. “In the regulations, there was something about a ‘giant who claims to walk on all fours.’ If I’m friends with a giant, can I get it approved?”

The senior, who was filling out the application, looked up at Leehan as if he found him utterly creepy. “…Every part of your question is… surprising, Junior.”

The senior was confused. Did Leehan really know a giant? And make it walk on all fours?

“I was just hypothesizing.”

“Right? You don’t actually know a giant, do you?”

Leehan subtly changed the subject. “So, can I get it approved?”

“As I said, you have to raise it yourself. Unless you feed a giant in your own cave and ride it around, just being friends won’t cut it.”

“Ugh… Senior, what if I were taking care of a Mountain-Destroying Sheep…”

“…Why do you keep making such crazy assumptions??”

Too bad.

Leehan, having failed to get anything about giants or Mountain-Destroying Sheep approved by the Imperial Gyeokgu Association, retreated with disappointment.

Hormas didn’t notice Leehan’s disappointment. He chuckled and patted Leehan’s back. “Congratulations on setting a new record!”

“I’m just disappointed I couldn’t get more.”

“Not much for jokes, are you? Anyway, follow me. I’ll show you my mount. Professor Bendozol! Could you help me out here?”

“Get lost, you poacher!”

“If the professor doesn’t help, it’ll suffer alone, you know? Don’t you feel sorry for my puppy?”

“May lightning strike you down!”

Professor Bendozol followed, muttering angry words.

Hormas, trying not to laugh, said to Leehan, “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t want to call the professor either, but I needed to check on my puppy’s health. There’s no greater expert than the professor.”

“I’m fine.”

“Junior, there’s no one in Einroguard who says they’re fine when the professor is following them. You better watch out.”

Leehan realized his mistake.

He had learned another lesson from his senior.

‘From now on, I have to pretend to be miserable.’

“Thank you for the advice, Senior.”

“This much advice is nothing for the next attacker.”

“Is ‘Puppy’ the name of the mount you raise, Senior?”

“Yeah.”

‘Some kind of dog or wolf-type monster, perhaps.’

Professor Bendozol, who had been following behind, muttered gruffly. “If you want to take care of a unicorn, collect a lot of morning dew.”

“…Professor, what are you talking about?”

Hormas stared at Professor Bendozol, looking bewildered.

He wouldn’t have been surprised if the professor had been angry or grumbling, but suddenly spouting such nonsense was frightening.

People said that mages in the Empire were most likely to go crazy.

And Professor Bendozol was already half-mad…

“I wasn’t talking to you! I was talking to the guy next to you!” Professor Bendozol flushed and got angry. Hormas tilted his head in confusion before belatedly realizing.

“Wait, you’re going to have him take care of a unicorn? Why don’t you do it yourself, Professor?”

“Senior, um…” Leehan felt anxious as he watched his senior innocently poke at Professor Bendozol’s wounds.

No matter how patient Professor Bendozol was, there was a limit to how much he could be provoked.

“…The unicorn chose him.”

“Ah. To take care of it, too?”

“Yes.”

“Wow…” Hormas stopped talking, understanding now.

Even if Leehan was chosen by a unicorn, Professor Bendozol wouldn’t let him help. It was a huge insult.

Professor Bendozol, even more tormented by Hormas’ silence, growled. “What do you want to say? Huh?!”

“No, um… well, isn’t it a good thing? It’s good. You’ve got a student to help you, Professor.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Leehan, who had been listening, shouted without realizing it.

Leehan thought Hormas was being sneaky, even though he was a senior from White Tiger Tower.

“Sorry, sorry. I must have lost my mind for a moment.” Hormas, realizing his mistake, quickly apologized.

He wasn’t usually one to easily back down even when clashing with other members, but the slip of the tongue he had just made was too cruel.

“You’re not going to back out of being an attacker because of this, are you? You can’t back out because of this.”

“I’ll do it if I get the chance, but…” Leehan didn’t really have a reason to refuse a Gyeokgu match.

How many other opportunities would he have to earn that much prize money in such a short time?

Besides, Gyeokgu had the advantage of not resulting in an entry ban even if he won.

The difference was even more apparent when he thought of a certain professor who had been banned from the Imperial Duel Clubs.

‘But aren’t you expecting too much?’

“…Don’t be too disappointed if I don’t do well.”

“Don’t worry. Haha. I won’t be.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I don’t expect anything from anyone! When the match starts, I think of everyone as trash. I resolve to solve everything myself.”

Leehan made a face. He didn’t want to know what Hormas was really thinking.

‘Is this guy going to pretend he doesn’t know me if I make a mistake?’

“We’re here.” Hormas, having arrived in front of the Einroguard desert region, pointed to the horizon.

“The puppy will come out around there.”

“…Senior, this isn’t some kind of trap, is it?”

“What trap?”

“Like, the path back gets cut off if we go there, or there’s an ambush…” Hormas laughed again at his junior’s cute imagination.

“Hey! I’m from White Tiger Tower! Would I do something so small and mean?!”

Leehan, who hadn’t been too worried until now, looked at his senior with seriously suspicious eyes.