Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 839

The mad doppelganger looked at his student with disdain.

It’s not unusual for a wizard to use symbols that are important to them when they create magic.

A new spell created by a wizard leaves a clearer and longer-lasting mark than any song.

So, it’s natural for a wizard to add a meaningful symbol to that mark.

Lee Han replied, “But I don’t think magic leaves a mark that lasts longer than a song.”

He continued, “Most old songs have disappeared, and the same is true for magic, right?”

He added, “Some very popular songs have even survived to this day.”

“For example,” Lee Han said, “I think the song ‘Einrogard is so great’ might last for over a thousand years.”

Instead of arguing, Lee Han decided to flatter the mad doppelganger.

He thought, “There’s no point in making him angrier when he already looks so sad.”

Lee Han said, “Ah, I understand. I didn’t know. It must have been a special tree.”

The mad doppelganger replied that it had been a good friend since he was young.

Lee Han thought, “If it were Guinan, he would ask, ‘How can a tree be a friend?’ But I understand.”

He continued thinking, “Sometimes, things that don’t move can be better friends than those that do.”

Lee Han thought, “Just like gold coins are to me, that tree must have been to the mad doppelganger.”

He was also thinking, “Amazing. Did the Skull Headmaster also have a time when he cared about and loved trees?”

Lee Han thought, “Maybe it’s because it was a tree. At least a tree wouldn’t say stupid things.”

Lee Han asked, “Is that tree still alive, by any chance?”

He wondered if he should find the tree in Einrogard, if it still existed, and show it to the mad doppelganger using the Stone of Echoes.

Lee Han thought, “Even if he is a mad doppelganger, wouldn’t he feel a little better seeing a friend from his youth?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “That’s impossible, you wretch. The tree is burned.”

Lee Han realized he had accidentally touched a sore spot while trying to be nice and was horrified.

He apologized, saying, “I’m sorry.”

The mad doppelganger asked, “Did you burn it, you wretch? Don’t apologize for no reason.”

Fortunately, the mad doppelganger didn’t get angry at the rude question.

Instead, he stared silently into space, lost in thought.

Lee Han asked, “Are you okay?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “Yes. I was remembering old times. It’s strange. I don’t usually remember them well.”

It was understandable that Lee Han found it strange.

The Skull Headmaster was an undead lich, and the mad doppelganger was like a piece of his mind that had been separated.

He was an entity that followed rules and principles, not a living being driven by a soul and desires rooted in flesh and blood, so it was rare for him to remember the past.

Lee Han thought, “But I understand. I’ve heard that people tend to think more about the past when they get old.”

The mad doppelganger said, “I learned magic from dragons. Hmm… I can’t remember the dragons’ names. Do you know them, you wretch?”

Lee Han, surprised by the Skull Headmaster’s unexpected magic teachers, answered, “…I don’t know them well.”

The mad doppelganger asked, “You don’t even know the dragons’ names? Not one? Even for someone as uncivilized as you?”

Lee Han replied, “These days… it’s hard to see dragons. I’ve heard that most of them have left.”

Lee Han wasn’t an expert on dragons, but he knew that they were becoming rare.

Unlike the old days when many dragons flew around, now you would be lucky to see one even in the deepest part of the Imperial Palace.

And even that one would probably leave its body and go to another dimension if it weren’t for the evil wizards.

Lee Han thought, “Amazing. I never imagined he would have learned magic from dragons.”

Lee Han knew that the Skull Headmaster had been a great archmage since he was young, but he had never thought about where that magic came from or who taught him.

He was such an old and legendary figure that Lee Han might have believed it if he had simply fallen from the sky as a skeleton, thinking, ‘Ah, that’s just how it is.’

Lee Han suddenly became curious.

He wondered, “What kind of past did the Skull Headmaster have to become such a twisted monster?”

Lee Han realized that the mad doppelganger knew the Skull Headmaster’s past better than anyone else.

The Skull Headmaster could change the past even with the oldest Death Knights, but he couldn’t do that with the mad doppelganger.

Lee Han thought, “Okay. I’ll ask carefully.”

He also thought, “If there are any weaknesses in the Skull Headmaster’s past, it would be a small reward for the hardships I will face this year.”

Lee Han asked, “Was it normal to learn magic from dragons back then, Master?”

He thought it sounded crazy, but customs changed over time, right?

Lee Han thought, “If the Imperial wizards learn from Einrogard now, maybe the ancient wizards learned from the dragons’ lair.”

He also thought, “Or maybe they learned while living as food in the dragons’ lair…”

The mad doppelganger replied, “Of course not. Dragons don’t usually teach magic to humans.”

Lee Han asked, “Then how did you learn, Master?”

The mad doppelganger answered, “Because I was recognized for my abilities.”

Lee Han replied, “Ah, yes,” not really paying attention, as the mad doppelganger would often brag about how great he was if he was bored.

Lee Han thought, “I think the dragons were tricked. To teach magic to someone like that.”

He also thought, “Just like Guinan, Senior Yu Mo, and that classmate A showed, just because someone is royalty doesn’t mean they can be trusted.”

Lee Han asked, “Then did the other royals learn magic?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “You wretch. I said abilities, not royal blood. How can you be so stupid?”

Lee Han asked, “Yes? Then what abilities are you talking about?”

The mad doppelganger answered, “The ability to use magic properly, as I said. Is that hard to understand?”

Lee Han replied, “No. I understand.”

The mad doppelganger said, “You don’t understand at all.”

Lee Han was surprised that his thoughts had been read.

He wondered, “How did he know?”

The mad doppelganger sighed and explained to his frustrating student.

He said, “You wretch. Imagine you are the prince of a small kingdom.”

Lee Han replied, “Yes.”

The mad doppelganger continued, “The neighboring country has a strong army. They have soldiers in magic armor with magic spears, and a magic tower that uses the power of a demigod… what would you do?”

Lee Han thought, “Is he talking about a time when many small kingdoms fought each other?”

Lee Han remembered the old stories in the Imperial history books.

He knew that in the long history of the continent, some eras were not recorded and were lost, while others remained in the records.

He also knew that there were many minor kingdoms that were not even recorded.

Lee Han answered, “Wouldn’t I work hard to learn magic and use that power to strengthen the kingdom’s defenses?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “That’s better than attacking, but you’re wrong. You wouldn’t be able to learn from the dragons that way.”

Lee Han tilted his head, still not understanding.

He asked, “Then what should I do? Ah. Do you mean I should attack first?”

Lee Han thought, “He really is the Skull Headmaster.”

He also thought, “That choice suits the Skull Headmaster perfectly.”

However, the mad doppelganger looked at Lee Han with even more disdain.

He asked, “Are you serious?”

Lee Han replied, “…No.”

The mad doppelganger said, “The royal family must find the ultimate magic and stop the fighting and destruction in the world, they said. The dragons recognized their abilities because of that promise…”

Lee Han was surprised by the unexpected answer.

He thought, “I heard that before when Gonadaltes fell, but I didn’t remember it at all.”

He also thought, “How could I not imagine it even though I knew the answer?”

Lee Han thought, “It was such an unusual answer for the Skull Headmaster or the mad doppelganger.”

He wondered, “Did he trick the dragons?”

The mad doppelganger said, “Don’t even think that he tricked the dragons. Dragons can’t be tricked, you wretch.”

Lee Han replied, “How could I dare to think such a rude thought?” feeling a little guilty, and quickly changed the subject.

He asked, “But Master, even if magic becomes the best it can be, is that really possible?”

Lee Han thought, “Even Gonadaltes’ fall was a failure.”

He also thought, “If another attempt had worked, the world wouldn’t be like this now. Einrogard would have disappeared a long time ago.”

The mad doppelganger replied, “That is impossible to know.”

Lee Han thought, “It must be difficult.”

He also thought, “If the mad doppelganger was acting like himself, he would have said it was definitely possible, but saying ‘impossible to know’ is like admitting it’s half impossible.”

Lee Han thought, “It’s not a problem that can be solved with magic after all.”

The mad doppelganger said, “But that’s not important. The royal family made a promise to the dragons, and the dragons respected the abilities that came from that promise. Because of that, they were able to learn magic… but the kingdom was destroyed…”

Lee Han asked, “Really… yes?”

The mad doppelganger asked, “?”

Lee Han asked, “Didn’t you just say something was destroyed?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “I said the kingdom was destroyed. I’ve been thinking this since last time, you wretch, there’s something wrong with your ears…”

Lee Han said, “No, I heard you, I just didn’t understand.”

The mad doppelganger said, “There’s something wrong with your brain…”

Lee Han asked, “Why did the kingdom fall? You learned magic from the dragons, didn’t you?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “Did I say I would learn magic to protect the kingdom, or did I say I would learn it to stop the fighting and destruction in the world? You wretch. When are you ever going to get smarter?”

Lee Han thought, “I don’t think this is a problem with my intelligence.”

He also thought, “It’s not that I don’t understand, but that his story is too strange.”

Lee Han tried to calm down and think clearly.

He asked, “So, you’re saying that you made a promise to the dragons and learned magic, and because of that, you didn’t use it even when the kingdom was destroyed?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “You’re a little wrong. The kingdom had already been destroyed when I learned magic and returned,” calmly.

He continued, “When I went to the dragons to end the world’s pain and returned after learning magic, the kingdom had already been destroyed.”

He added, “It was destroyed in a surprise attack by a friendly nation in the south while they were busy with the enemy in the east.”

He finished, “All that was left were the ashes of the royal palace and the remains of an old tree. The smell of smoke filled the air, and the blackened stones were cold to the touch.”

Lee Han asked, “You didn’t even get revenge?”

The mad doppelganger replied, “I did not.”

Lee Han asked, “Why not??”

The mad doppelganger answered, “Because revenge doesn’t bring back a destroyed kingdom!”

Lee Han was more horrified than when the mad doppelganger was yelling.

He thought, “It would be more normal if he was acting evil, telling me to learn magic like an angry wizard, but this feels too unreal.”

He also thought, “How can a person be like that?”

Lee Han wasn’t a violent person, but he couldn’t imagine what he would do if he returned after learning magic and his kingdom had been destroyed and there was an enemy army in front of him.

The mad doppelganger said, “The royal family’s kingdom also destroyed several kingdoms. The kingdom that destroyed the royal family’s kingdom was also soon destroyed. A wizard should make a better choice than being stuck in such a pointless cycle, you wretch.”

Lee Han asked, “What is that better choice, exactly?”

The mad doppelganger answered, “As I said, it is to find the ultimate magic and stop the fighting and destruction in the world. The royal family failed, but if you, you wretch, become a great student… and if you, you wretch, have an even better student than you, we may reach it someday.”

Lee Han asked, “…Can’t I just learn ten 5th circle spells?”

Lee Han unknowingly said something silly because of the ancient archmage’s impossible expectations.

Lee Han grumbled and walked away, thinking, “He should just say no if it’s not possible.”

The mad doppelganger was angry at Lee Han’s nonsense and nagged him for an hour.

Lee Han thought, “He should just swear!”

Lee Han said, “Oh. Professor Garcia.”

Professor Garcia said, “Lee Han, welcome. But where is Lagesa? I heard he’s been following you around and watching the lectures?” tilting his head.

He continued, “I heard that the old pirate was following Wodanaz around and watching the lectures, so I was expecting Lagesa to come and had prepared myself, but…?”

Lee Han answered, “…He said something urgent came up.”

Professor Garcia, hurt by the surprised look in his student’s eyes, asked, “…Don’t tell me he skipped out because my lecture is boring?”