Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 865

Lee Han blinked. “I… I must have misheard.”

Surely, he was mistaken. But then Jo-Urin spoke again, her voice bright and cheerful.

“I pulled it out! For you! Look!”

She opened her mouth wide, her big eyes shining, and pointed a small paw at the gap in her teeth.

Lee Han’s mind raced. Suddenly, he imagined headlines screaming across the Empire’s newspapers. Horrible, made-up stories about him and Jo-Urin flashed in his mind:

“Wodanaz Boy in Scandal with Dragon Princess!”

“Dark Magic or Dragon Bribe? Student Accused of Exploiting Royal Friendship!”

Lee Han shuddered. “This is terrible,” he whispered.

And the worst part? He knew, deep down, that these ridiculous stories might actually sound believable to outsiders.

“…Don’t you like it?” Jo-Urin asked, her voice small. She tilted her head, her bright eyes losing their sparkle as she saw Lee Han’s face. She had thought it was a wonderful gift, and his silence made her feel like a kicked puppy.

Lee Han, seeing her crestfallen expression, quickly changed his tune. “Your Highness,” he said, bowing deeply, “I am… I am beyond words with joy! This is the most amazing gift!”

“Really?” Jo-Urin’s tail gave a little thump against the floor. “Then… maybe one more?”

“One more, and my heart will burst with happiness!” Lee Han cried dramatically, clutching his chest. “Oh, my heart! It’s already… ack!… halfway gone!”

“No! Lee Han! Stop being so happy!” Jo-Urin stamped her foot, a puff of smoke escaping her nostrils in her distress.

Desperate, Lee Han sent a silent plea to the professors, his eyes darting between Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi. ‘Help me! Please!’

Professor Garcia, finally snapping out of his stunned silence, spoke hesitantly. “…Your Highness,” he began, “a dragon tooth… isn’t that… perhaps too much?”

He explained, his voice still a little shaky, “Dragon teeth are incredibly powerful magical ingredients. Especially for summoning magic. They are legendary, even called ‘Dragon Tooth Soldiers’ because of their power.”

“The problem,” Professor Garcia continued, “is that they are incredibly rare. Even the ‘dragon teeth’ used in summoning spells are usually mixed with other things. Pure dragon tooth like this…” He trailed off, looking at Lee Han with concern. “Giving something so precious to a second-year student… well, Lee Han’s reaction is understandable.”

“Hmph!” Jo-Urin crossed her arms, her lower lip sticking out. The fun of giving a gift was gone. She had been so excited to share something special from herself, but now it seemed she had done something wrong. Tears welled up in her big, golden eyes.

Professor Garcia, seeing the dragon princess on the verge of tears, panicked. “No, no, wait!” he blurted out, waving his hands. “Two is too much! Yes, definitely too much! One is perfect! One dragon tooth is very, very appropriate!”

Lee Han slumped further, groaning inwardly. ‘Even Professor Garcia is giving in!’ he thought miserably.

“Professor Garcia,” Professor Voladi said, his voice calm as ever, with just a hint of amusement in his eyes. He tilted his head slightly towards Professor Garcia.

“Yes, Professor Voladi?” Professor Garcia asked, still flustered. He wondered what Professor Voladi could possibly want now.

“It would be… efficient,” Professor Voladi continued, “to use the dragon tooth quickly. Perhaps even before the end of class.”

Professor Garcia stared at him, speechless. ‘Efficient?’ he thought. ‘While my student is having a nervous breakdown about dragon teeth and rumors, you want him to just… summon something with it?’

“Professor,” Garcia finally managed to say, “aren’t you at all worried about Lee Han? This is a second-year student! He’s already known for being around a dragon, and now he has a dragon tooth! What will people say?”

Professor Voladi paused, considering this for a moment. Then, he said, with complete seriousness, “I believe… it will make very little difference to the current rumors.”

Professor Garcia blinked. “…Huh?”

He thought about it. ‘Dragon Ruler? Dragon Usurper? Dragon Tooth Recipient?’ …Actually, he thought, a dawning horror creeping into his mind, ‘…it really doesn’t sound that much worse, does it?’ He wasn’t sure if Professor Voladi was incredibly clever or completely oblivious.

“Ah! Yes, of course,” Professor Garcia said, shaking himself. “Wait, what about Dirette? Is he alright?”

“He’s… resting,” Lee Han said, pointing to Dirette. Dirette was slumped in a chair, his wings drooping like wilted flowers. His face was pale, and he looked like he might faint at any moment. He had nearly collapsed completely when Lee Han had his newspaper vision.

“Oh dear,” Professor Garcia murmured. “Perhaps Dirette should rest a little more.”

But Dirette, with a surprising burst of willpower, shook his head weakly. “No… I’ll help,” he croaked.

“Dirette, are you sure?” Lee Han asked, concerned.

“Just… rest a little longer!” Professor Garcia added, but Dirette was already struggling to his feet.

(Later, after the summoning and Jo-Urin’s enthusiastic fight with the skeleton golem, which involved her tumbling head over heels, Dirette looked even worse. He was green around the gills, and his wings trembled visibly.)

“Wow! That was so much fun!” Jo-Urin exclaimed, bouncing with energy.

“I’m… glad you enjoyed it,” Lee Han said, though he was starting to feel a little guilty about Dirette’s suffering.

“I’m also… ugh…” Dirette groaned, his complexion now the color of old parchment.

“I’m so sorry, Senior,” Lee Han said, feeling genuinely bad for Dirette.

“It’s… not… your fault…” Dirette gasped, his voice barely a whisper. He waved a trembling hand dismissively.

“Don’t talk,” Lee Han said gently. “Just rest.”

Dirette gestured weakly, and Lee Han understood. “You mean… the dragon tooth?”

Dirette nodded, just a tiny movement.

“Here,” Lee Han offered the tooth. “Actually… do you want to keep it? Maybe it would be safer with you?”

Dirette’s feathers bristled, and he shook his head so violently that he almost lost his balance. He glared weakly at Lee Han.

“Oh, sorry!” Lee Han quickly retracted the tooth. “I just meant… take good care of it. It’s precious.”

“Dirette, you’ve been amazing,” Professor Garcia said, stepping forward with a potion. “Drink this. It will help.” He offered a shimmering blue potion.

Dirette took a few small sips, and slowly, some color returned to his face. He straightened up a little, taking a deep breath.

“Ah…” he sighed, some energy returning to his voice. “…I think,” he said faintly, “this will be… the most memorable lecture… of the year.”

“When… when does Professor Baegrek have another lecture?” Dirette asked, his voice still a bit shaky, but with a hint of desperation.

Professor Voladi opened his mouth, as if about to answer.

“Next…” he began.

“You mean… you have another lecture… next?” Dirette pressed, hope flickering in his eyes.

“Week,” Professor Voladi finished, his face completely blank.

Silence descended upon the group, thick and heavy. Everyone except Professor Voladi seemed to feel the crushing weight of it. Even Jo-Urin seemed to sense the awkwardness, hesitating slightly.

“Um…” she said, trying to lighten the mood, “…I’m very happy Professor Baegrek is here with us!”

“Senior, drop out now. It’ll be fine with just me and Professor Baegrek.”

“…Hey. Be quiet.”

Dirette steeled his wavering heart and silenced his junior.

Of course, he desperately wanted to drop out, but the moment he did, Dirette would become someone like Professor Verdus, not Dirette. He had to endure.

“What’s the next lecture?”

“Magical Algebra and Esoteric Geometry,” Lee Han replied. “Professor Knighton’s lecture.”

“Oh,” Dirette breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s… that’s the easiest lecture.”

Then, a new wave of horror washed over him. ‘I can’t believe I’m actually relieved that a second-year student is taking a second-year lecture!’ he thought in dismay.

“Would you like to rest in the lounge if you’re not interested, Your Highness?” Lee Han asked Jo-Urin, hoping she would say yes. A nap for Jo-Urin meant a moment of peace for them all.

“Uh-uh! No!” Jo-Urin shook her head enthusiastically. “Jo-Urin loves geometry! Especially analytic geometry and magical emission planes!”

Lee Han and Dirette exchanged a look of pure shock and dawning horror. ‘Wait a minute,’ Lee Han thought, his mind reeling. ‘Is she… is she actually smarter than both of us?’

“Lee Han, you’re going through so much,” one of Lee Han’s friends said sympathetically as Lee Han led Jo-Urin into the next lecture hall. The dragon, surprisingly, followed him quite obediently, though she was still quite large for the room.

“Wodanaz, hang in there!” another friend called out encouragingly. To everyone else, Lee Han seemed like a brave protector, shielding the innocent dragon from the greedy eyes of older students.

Lee Han sighed. “…I don’t deserve to hear those words,” he muttered, feeling like a fraud.

“Wodanaz…!” his friends gasped, impressed by his supposed humility.

Even students from the White Tiger Tower, usually rivals of the Black Tortoise Tower, seemed moved. “Kuh,” one of them said, “Wodanaz, you’re actually pretty cool.”

“I should have said that!” another White Tiger student grumbled jealously.

Ignoring the reactions of his friends, Lee Han felt the dragon tooth in his reagent pouch grow heavier with each step. He just wanted this day to end.

“Wait,” someone whispered suddenly. “Why is Professor Voladi…?”

“Wait a minute,” another voice said, hushed with awe. “Isn’t that… a fifth-year senior?”

Dirette, his face burning with shame, had already retreated to the back corner of the lecture hall, trying to become invisible. He pulled his robes up to hide his face.

Professor Voladi, however, seemed completely unfazed by the attention. He sat calmly beside Jo-Urin, his expression as unreadable as ever.

Creak.

The lecture hall door opened again, and a new figure entered. It wasn’t Professor Knighton. It was Professor Alpen… or rather, Yukbertire. Dirette instantly ducked down, scrambling under the nearest desk, his heart pounding in his chest.

Jo-Urin tilted her head, looking at Dirette’s disappearing legs under the desk. “Why are you acting like a caterpillar?” she asked, her voice carrying in the sudden silence.

“…I dropped my quill, Your Highness,” Dirette mumbled from under the desk, his voice muffled.

Jo-Urin nodded, filing away this new piece of information: ‘Lee Han’s senior makes frequent mistakes.’

Yukbertire, meanwhile, surveyed the room, his eyes sharp and intelligent. He was a tall, imposing figure, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through you. He wore elegant robes of deep blue, embroidered with silver stars.

“Professor Knighton is away on business,” Yukbertire announced, his voice clear and commanding. “I will be taking over the lecture. Any questions?”

Silence. No one dared to raise a hand.

Yukbertire nodded slightly, as if he had expected this. Then, his gaze fell upon the back of the lecture hall, and his eyebrows rose slightly as he saw the large, blue dragon sitting demurely beside Professor Voladi. “…Your Highness Jo-Urin?” he asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Huh?” Jo-Urin turned her head, looking at Yukbertire with innocent curiosity.

“Would you please come forward for a moment?” Yukbertire requested, gesturing towards the front of the room.

At Yukbertire’s words, Lee Han’s hand instinctively flew to his wand, his fingers tightening around the familiar wood. ‘How dare you!’ he thought fiercely, his protective instincts for Jo-Urin flaring.