Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 797

“I don’t think I’ll enjoy that.”

Ethan was trying to accept new things. But the idea of fire burning everything, even him, was too much.

The pirate crone looked disappointed at Ethan’s reply.

“Hee hee hee… still stuck in your ways, I see. I guess it’s no wonder, since you’re always inside Einroguard. What you need is a lungful of salty sea air, lad! Then you’ll know what freedom truly is.”

“Are you referring to being a pirate?”

“Aye!”

‘Guess I’ll never know freedom in my life,’ Ethan thought.

Ethan felt a small pang of regret.

The life of a pirate was far too unstable for Ethan to consider. To drift upon the sea, waiting for an income that might never come. Compared to an Imperial official, it was a job on the opposite end of the spectrum.

“Well, I don’t have a sea or a pirate ship, but shall I teach you a little something anyway?”

“Um, I think I’m okay, thank you.”

“Now, close your eyes.”

‘Why is it that powerful wizards always ignore what others say?’ Ethan wondered, watching Lagesa rattle her cutlass at her hip as she commanded him. Is she ignoring me because she’s a powerful wizard? Or is it just that she can’t hear well?

“They are closed.”

“You are now sailing a ship on the sea. Understand? You’re the captain of a pirate ship.”

“Yes. I am the captain of a pirate ship,” Ethan repeated the words, feeling like a fool.

“What do you want to do?”

“Pardon?”

Thud!

Lagesa stamped her foot, enraged. “What do you want to do, I said! A pirate captain doesn’t ask ‘pardon’! A pirate captain decides for himself!”

‘I want to stop this…’

When Ethan didn’t answer, Lagesa spoke instead. “What’s that? You want to smash all those students from the dueling club to smithereens?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Silence, Captain. Look there, on the horizon! The dueling club’s students are sailing a brig right towards us! Raising their new sails high and fast, catching the wind full on!”

Ethan wondered why raising new sails and catching the wind was considered brazen, but he listened quietly.

“Feel the sea breeze!”

“…?”

“Good, you’re not going to say something silly like ‘this isn’t the sea.’ The sea breeze is definitely here. Yes, yes, yes… you can feel it!”

Ethan looked around. ‘Sea breeze? We are inside a stone building,’ he thought, puzzled.

Lagesa slapped Ethan hard on the back, scolding him. Her eyes gleamed beneath her deeply wrinkled brow.

The chained pirates, their faces dirty and clothes torn, stared at the pirate crone as if she were mad. Their chains clanked as they moved, and their eyes were wide with confusion. She was already a bit crazy, but today she was acting even stranger.

What sea breeze could possibly be blowing through the corridors of a magic school?

But instead of dismissing her mad ravings, Ethan calmly focused. He figured she wouldn’t be doing this without a reason.

‘Feel the sea breeze here? What does that mean?’

Not a single gust of wind stirred in the desolate corridors of Einroguard. All he could hear were footsteps and the clanking of the shackles on the chained pirates’ ankles.

And…

‘Ah.’

Ethan felt a strange tingle on his cheek, like a cool breeze, but without any wind. It was something else, something unseen, but he could feel it – mana.

It was difficult to notice unless one was conscious of it, as mana naturally permeated the environment, but mana was meant to circulate through space. Wizards who trained their senses to perceive mana could detect these circulations and flows, and those with keen and sensitive senses could detect them with particular accuracy.

“I felt it.”

“A clever and cunning fellow is so easy to teach,” Lagesa looked pleased.

Even among wizards, there were many who wouldn’t understand what it meant to feel the sea breeze. What was the point of memorizing and learning magic if they couldn’t understand what magic was?

“I’m not cunning…”

“Shhh! Feel that sea breeze even more strongly. Surrender yourself to it.”

Ethan was slightly taken aback by those words.

Imperial magic usually sought to control such flows of mana once they were detected. Only by firmly grasping it in one’s fist could one prevent unexpected variables from occurring and amplify the magic when casting. Wizards hated variables, yet she was telling him to surrender himself to them.

“…I have surrendered.”

“Make that sea breeze stronger,” Lagesa said abruptly.

An unexpected instruction without any indication of how to make it stronger. Most wizards would be flustered by such an instruction and respond with something like ‘how’ or ‘that’s impossible.’

But Ethan simply accepted it. Having received so many unreasonable teachings, this didn’t feel particularly unreasonable anymore.

‘Make it stronger, eh?’

After a moment’s thought, Ethan acted immediately. When unsure, one had to experiment and find the answer.

‘To make the flow of mana stronger…’

Instead of controlling the mana, he would yield to the flow and harmonize with it. Ethan’s mana flowed out and merged precisely with the surrounding flow.

“Gasp!” Lagesa exclaimed in surprise.

She hadn’t expected him to find the method and accomplish it so quickly. It sounded simple, but reinforcing the flow by injecting one’s own mana was usually a tricky task.

First, one had to read the flow of mana down to the most minute detail. A rough reading wouldn’t do. Otherwise, one would likely collide with the flow and stop it, rather than strengthen it. Then, one had to inject one’s own mana with perfect precision, without the slightest error. If the direction or attribute was wrong, it would immediately result in a collision.

WHOOOOSH- The sound of a raging storm, audible only to skilled wizards, began to fill the corridor. The chained pirates, sensing something amiss, looked around uneasily.

Though not wizards, they instinctively felt uneasy as the flow of mana intensified.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan stopped the process and asked when Lagesa made a gasping sound.

“Nothing, keep going! Einroguard is a bit dry compared to the sea,” The great pirate pulled out a flask and gulped it down, urging him on. Ethan tilted his head.

‘It doesn’t seem particularly dry.’

In any case, it seemed like he was on the right track, so Ethan continued. Read the flow, read it, read it, then seize the moment to add his own mana.

The flow of mana intensified further.

‘The flow has become rougher.’

The more intense the flow, the more violent and turbulent its movements became. Ethan focused to avoid losing the flow.

Focusing even more than before, reading, seizing the moment to add his own mana…

WHOOOOSH!!

After a few repetitions, the flow of mana reached an alarming level. It seemed like even non-wizards would be able to sense it at this point, so Ethan asked.

“Are you alrigh…”

“Keep going, Captain! Let’s see how far you can go!”

Though uneasy, Ethan did as he was told. She was an excellent wizard, so surely she wouldn’t ask him to do something absurd.

While Ethan closed his eyes and summoned the storm, the chained pirates stared at the corridor with terrified eyes.

The same phenomenon that occurred when a mad spirit appeared on the sea was happening now. The sound of celestial music filled the air despite the lack of wind, their bodies moved involuntarily, pushed and pulled, space was distorted, and their sense of time…

Regardless, Lagesa stamped her wooden leg and clapped her hands in excitement. “More, more! Let’s see how far you can go!”

The chained pirates shed tears of fear. They were going to die here today!

Like a madman steering his ship into a storm, she was encouraging it.

‘Please notice, you wizard brat!’

The chained pirates prayed that the wizard boy would open his eyes and realize what was happening. If left unchecked, this would really…

‘Can I really keep going?’

Whether the pirates’ tears created a miracle, or whether Ethan thought it was getting too intense, he slowly began to stop the flow of mana.

“Captain, raise your sails towards the limits of your mana! Let’s see how much you can squeeze out today!” Lagesa shouted, her eyes blazing.

To keep emitting mana like this, over and over, and still stand firm. She was curious to see how far he could go.

But instead of raising his sails towards the limits of his mana, the boy from the Wodanaz family answered rationally.

“I know my limits, Lady Lagesa!”

“You do?”

“Yes! I can repeat this all day long!”

Lagesa felt a chill run down her spine, as if cold water had been poured over her. She doubted she had heard correctly.

If that was true…

‘What kind of monster is Begreck raising??’

“Lady Lagesa. I think it’s starting to get a little difficult!” Ethan shouted urgently.

It was the flow of mana that he had strengthened, but as the flow became too strong, it became difficult to surrender himself to it. Whether it was his imagination or not, he could hear creaking sounds from the ceiling and walls of the corridor…

“Alright, alright! Now, let it go with a pirate war cry!”

“Whee-ooh!” Ethan whistled loudly and pushed out the massive flow of mana. He was so desperate that he focused solely on safely finishing this pirate magic, regardless of purpose or anything else.

————!

And the most savage roar Ethan had ever heard swept through the corridor. Ethan opened his eyes in surprise.

The long, stone corridor was cold and dark. Dust lay thick on the floor, and the air smelled damp. The ceiling, floor, and walls were all shattered. It was as if a giant mythical beast had swung its claws and rampaged through the place.

He looked to his side and saw Lagesa panting and sighing in relief.

“The daughter of Torgerd almost died here!”

“Pardon??”

“Never mind, lad! Well done. You’ve boarded the pirate magic splendidly.”

“What on earth just happened?”

“Nothing much. Sometimes things like this happen when you use pirate magic.”

A mournful wail erupted from behind.

The chained pirates, relieved to have survived, collapsed on the floor and began to sob loudly. Lagesa shouted in a fierce voice. “Shut your traps, you convicts! Go back and cry! Before I extend your sentences!”

“I think something did happen…”

“I said nothing did! Are you defying me now?”

“…Understood.”

“You’re just a captain who’s boarded a small sailboat, lad. I understand you’re thrilled, but you need to be humble. You need to learn how to handle the sails, feel the wind, and read the stars. With each thing you learn, you’ll realize how vast this sea is and how small you are.”

Ethan was slightly impressed by the wonderful metaphor about pirate magic.

It was a metaphor only a pirate who had lived on the sea their entire life could make. It was enough to impress even Ethan, who had no interest in pirate magic.

“Then what should I do next?”

“Next?”

Lagesa pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed it on her wound. The blood-soaked handkerchief healed the wound.

“Lad. What you need to do next is…”

Ethan pricked up his ears and listened carefully.

He had initially been reluctant to learn from this pirate crone, but since he had managed to learn it, it would be a loss not to learn how to handle it. Besides, even if he tried not to, the shattered ceiling, floor, and walls, and the wailing pirates, were bothering him.

‘Should I have just opened my eyes and watched?’

What should he do to handle this uncertain magic?

“…Never use this pirate magic for the next hundred years!”

Ethan stared at her, surprised. ‘A hundred years?’ he asked.

Lagesa just laughed, a loud, pirate laugh, and walked away, leaving Ethan standing in the ruined corridor with the sobbing pirates.

Ethan was very disappointed by Lagesa’s order to disembark as soon as he had boarded.