Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 84

Yoner understood Ethan right away.

Professor Willow praised the students, saying they had done a great job.

“Excellent! To think you were protecting the plants without a professor present. Not just anyone could do that.”

“Thank you,”

The atmosphere seemed to have improved slightly, so Ethan asked about the tree-like person’s name.

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

“Ah, you must be new students if you don’t recognize me. I’m a professor who teaches botany at the school. You can call me Professor Willow.”

His name was indeed Professor Willow.

Gainan, remembering the talking oak trees he had met in the mountains, carefully raised his hand and asked,

“Are you perhaps related to the talking oak trees?”

“I am a willow, and those fellows are oaks, you little troll,”

“Pardon? I’m human, though?”

“Yes, and I’m a willow, not an oak.”

“……”

Ethan thought he should be careful with his words in front of Professor Willow. He seemed to dislike being lumped together with similar trees.

Professor Willow slowly walked over and waved a branch that looked like a long, green arm, touching the fallen bull.

Then, his bark-like face showed deeper lines as he said,

“That’s Professor Thunderstride’s bull. Honestly, that dwarf is as clumsy as a root in mud!”

‘Blast it. It really was the professor’s bull.’

Ethan was annoyed at Professor Thunderstride, who wasn’t around.

If he was going to make monsters stronger with potions, he should at least manage them properly. Why release it and cause this commotion?

“Did you stop this bull with a paralysis curse?”

Professor Willow looked at the students with a puzzled expression.

It was quite remarkable for first-year students to have done that. They shouldn’t be able to use such a powerful paralysis curse.

“We used a weakening potion before casting the curse.”

“Even so, it must have been difficult. Impressive.”

Professor Willow shook a branch. Suddenly, vines grew from the ground. They wrapped around the bull and made a wooden cage around it.

“I’ll let Professor Thunderstride know about this when he returns.”

“Were you… taking care of the plants here, Professor?”

Priestess Siana asked cautiously. Professor Willow replied in a slow voice,

“Yes. Originally, my garden is elsewhere. I received a request from Professor Thunderstride. He asked me to look after this Herbology Garden just for today. It’s a bother, but what can I do when he has to meet with an official from the Empire?”

“Pardon? As far as I know, you said you were going to the market with Professor Thunderclap.”

“……”

Professor Willow stopped abruptly.

“…Is that really true?”

“Yes. You can confirm it later by asking Professor Thunderclap.”

“……”

Professor Willow stood still, but one could tell how he felt from the leaves hanging at the end of his branches, which were swaying fiercely back and forth.

“You are from the Wodanaz family, aren’t you?”

?!”

Ethan was slightly taken aback when the professor suddenly guessed his name.

What is it?

“No need to be surprised. I simply heard your story from the other professors. Anyway, thank you for letting me know.”

Professor Willow expressed his gratitude in a gentle tone.

“Is there anything you need? If so, tell me.”

“…We’re trying to practice alchemy, and we were wondering if there’s a place where we could find useful materials or reagents?”

“Hmm…”

Professor Willow pondered.

Of course, the vast grounds of the magic school were full of materials and reagents, but most of them were in places that were a bit too dangerous for new students to go.

Ethan observed Professor Willow’s expression very carefully.

It didn’t matter if the other party was a tree spirit-like race. As a professor, he couldn’t escape Ethan’s keen eyes.

‘Now!’

Ethan made a gamble-like move.

“Perhaps we could borrow from Professor Thunderstride’s laboratory… Ah, no. That was too rude of me.”

Ethan lowered his head as if he were ashamed. However, Professor Willow shook his branches as if it were a very good idea.

“That’s a very good idea.”

“Pardon? But…”

“It’s alright. When Professor Thunderstride returns, I’ll just say that a bull came in and stole them. I’ll pick out the things you can take.”

Professor Willow said that and moved towards the stairs to the third floor.

Priestess Siana looked at Ethan and said,

“Ethan of the Wodanaz family, you absolutely must not join any evil cults.”

?!”

The moment they stepped onto the third floor, it was like walking into night. The darkness was thick and heavy, like a blanket. Even their light spells were swallowed up, doing nothing to push back the shadows.

“Be careful not to get lost. The paths here are quite complicated.”

Professor Willow waved his branches. Then, something began to rush out of the darkness.

It was a door with ‘Laboratory No. 6’ written on it.

Creak!

Professor Willow turned the doorknob and opened it. Inside the laboratory, blue smoke was freezing everything. Professor Willow quickly closed the door.

“It would be best to permanently close this laboratory.”

Professor Willow pushed Laboratory No. 6 away and summoned a few more laboratories. Most of the laboratories were a mess. Inside Laboratory No. 17, space seemed twisted like a ribbon. Water poured from a desk and flowed upwards to the ceiling, defying gravity. Laboratory No. 29 was filled with a darkness that seemed to eat light. It was like looking into a hole that went on forever, swallowing everything bit by bit.

Ethan took out a piece of paper and meticulously wrote down everything Professor Willow was doing. He didn’t know when he would be able to come to the third floor again.

‘I see.’

Ethan was able to roughly understand the system of the third floor.

The reason why there weren’t many traps on the first and second floors was because the third floor itself was structured like a semi-maze.

Unless you knew what was in each laboratory and how to summon that laboratory, there was no point in coming to the third floor.

In a place where space was so mixed up, it was dangerous to break magic with force. You never knew what kind of disaster might occur.

The answer was to learn step by step from the beginning.

Just as there is no shortcut to learning, the same was true for stealing.

‘Laboratory No. 6, swing left twice and No. 6. Laboratory No. 17, swing right four times, up once, and No. 17. Laboratory No. 29 is…’

“Found it.”

Professor Willow found a suitable laboratory. Ethan quickly slipped the paper into his coat.

The laboratory that was opened this time was truly ordinary, like an alchemist’s laboratory. It was full of various alchemical tools and flasks.

The students entered with slightly frightened expressions because of the laboratories they had seen earlier.

“Here, take these.”

Professor Willow swept away the alchemical tools and flasks and began throwing them one by one. Ethan didn’t panic and flexibly caught them, carefully placing them in the leather sacks he had brought.

“Did I give you too much?”

“No, Professor. I’m just grateful.”

As soon as the leather sack was full, Ethan handed it to his friends and took out a new leather sack.

The speed of the switch was so fast that Professor Willow almost mistook it for an artifact.

“This should be enough for you to practice with. I didn’t give you anything too dangerous or materials that Professor Thunderstride cherishes too much.”

“That alone is enough.”

Professor Willow shook his branches and tidied up the laboratory, which looked as if it had been robbed.

The scattered tools returned to their places, and the open drawers were closed again.

Professor Willow frowned as he looked at the sad, wilting plants in the corner. He made a watering can appear.

“I’ll help you.”

Ethan volunteered.

‘I need to make a good impression.’

It didn’t seem like Professor Willow would report him to Professor Thunderstride, but you never knew what might happen.

Besides, there was no harm in making a good impression on the professor. You never knew when you might have to take Professor Willow’s class.

Unaware of Ethan’s intentions, his friends rolled up their sleeves to help. However, Ethan shook his head.

“You guys go back.”

“Why? Wodanaz? We also…”

“We don’t know when Professor Thunderstride will be back. You guys take the sacks and go back to the dormitory.”

“!”

The friends were impressed by Ethan’s words.

Indeed…!

Ratford said with an impressed expression.

“You are truly remarkable. There’s nothing more I can teach you.”

“Don’t praise me too much, Ratford. There’s still a lot I need to learn from you.”

Yoner suddenly felt that the situation was a bit strange, but he didn’t intervene because the atmosphere seemed warm.

“Then, Wodanaz. I’ll move first.”

“See you at the dormitory!”

The students groaned and carried the sacks down. Ethan was puzzled to see Yoner remaining.

“Why?”

“I thought you might need one more person to help. You can still carry the sacks even if I’m not there.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Wait. Eun…”

“…Don’t ask me if I need to be thanked.”

Yoner stretched out his finger as if warning him. Ethan changed his words.

“…Then thank you, Jena.”

“Is that a southern dialect?”

With those words, Yoner picked up the watering can.

In fact, Yoner didn’t think Ethan would be able to take care of the plants skillfully.

Taking care of plants was a more difficult and complicated task than he thought. Even simply watering them was.

Some plants needed less water, and some plants needed more water.

If the weather was good and hot, they needed more water, and if the weather was bad and humid, they needed less water.

Common plants were manageable, but rare and delicate plants were even more difficult.

It was a task that required both knowledge and intuition.

Yoner was confident because he had been growing plants while reading alchemy books when he was at his family’s estate, but Ethan…

“Wow, Ethan, you’re amazing with these plants! You really know what you’re doing!” Professor Willow said in admiration.

Neither Ethan nor Yoner were handling the plants for the first time.

Ethan felt Yoner’s surprised gaze and asked with a puzzled expression,

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah… no. You’re just watering them too well.”

“Because I’ve done it a lot?”

Yoner wasn’t the only one who had walked the path of plant care. The same was true for Ethan.

It started semi-forcibly because of the professors, but once a hobby was formed, it didn’t disappear easily.

In his previous life, he had managed the professors’ flowerpots, and in this life, he had been tending to the Wodanaz family’s garden out of boredom.

Yoner looked at Ethan with eyes filled with joy and emotion.

People with minor hobbies were bound to be very happy when they met each other.

“You too…! Did you also have the servants working at your family’s estate ask why you were doing such things yourself?”

‘I didn’t.’

Ethan was slightly taken aback.

The Wodanaz family was such a laissez-faire family that they didn’t care much whether Ethan wielded a sword or took care of plants.

However, Ethan didn’t want to disappoint Yoner, who was helping him.

“Of course, they did. But I didn’t care. I thought it would be helpful for alchemy someday.”

“Ethan…”

Yoner looked at Ethan with an expression that said he wanted to give him a ‘Best Friend Award’ right away.

It wasn’t just Yoner who was moved. Professor Willow was also moved.

“To think I would meet students who cherish plants like this… Everyone, follow me.”

Professor Willow took the lead and went down the stairs. Ethan and Yoner wiped their hands and followed behind him.

‘Is he going to give us something more?’

Ethan secretly hoped for the joy in the professor’s voice.

Wasn’t this why he volunteered to stay behind?

Professor Willow, who had arrived at a corner of the second-floor botanical garden, stopped and pointed to the plants.

“Now. Water all the plants from here to there.”

“?”

Ethan’s face hardened at the unexpected situation.

Could it be that Professor Willow was one of those extremely rare professors who gave more work as a reward?

If that were the case, it would be a truly terrifying thing.