Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 959

Carnella touched her cheek. It was wet. *Tears?* But not tears of worry, not for her junior surrounded by enemies. No, these were tears of pure joy! The enemy lines had broken apart, wide open!

“Go in! Go in!” she yelled, urging her hellhound faster.

Hormashi shouted, “To the left! I’ll help your junior!” But Carnella didn’t even hear him. Her eyes were fixed on the gap in the enemy lines. The three-headed beast galloped across the dusty stadium, spewing sulfurous breath that smelled like rotten eggs.

This wasn’t the time to rescue her junior. This was the time to attack!

“Senior!” Lee Han called out.

Even surrounded by enemies, he had seen her coming. It was like he and the Gryphon were one, reacting instantly to everything around them. The Gryphon’s wild charge had been incredible, a dance of fury and skill that only a true bond between rider and beast could create.

*My junior is… amazing!* Carnella thought, surprised. *Maybe… maybe he’s even better at Quaffle than me!* To notice her while riding like that…

The Quaffle flew towards Lee Han. Could he reach it? *Whoosh!*

Lee Han hit the Quaffle perfectly. Carnella caught it and sped towards the goal.

The crowd roared! “Goal! Goal! Goal for Einroguard!”

Hormashi yelled, “Amazing, Junior! You’re even better than I thought!”

Lee Han, blushing slightly, mumbled, “PhoneLeeg did most of it!”

Carnella laughed, “Don’t be shy! You were brilliant!”

Lee Han insisted, “No, really, PhoneLeeg knew exactly where to go!”

“Wodanaz! Wodanaz! Wodanaz!” Angalo yelled, waving a cloak tied to a stick like a flag. He’d found his people! A small group of Einroguard fans had gathered nearby.

In stadiums like this, the fans naturally sorted themselves. The truly wild ones, fueled by drink and passion, gathered together, while the calmer, more ‘respectable’ fans kept their distance.

“Hahaha! I like this kid!” a red-faced man slurred, clapping Angalo on the back. “Hey, kid! You’re good! Lead us in some shouts! Give those Granden City losers what for!”

Angalo paused, waving his flag. Lead the jeering? He wasn’t usually one to lead a crowd. But… it might be fun. “Al… alright,” he stammered. “Bul… Bulphard, Bulphard, can’t catch a thing! Bulphard, Bulphard, makes the birds sing… with laughter!”

“In song?!” a woman with messy hair shouted, delighted.

“Yeah! It’s catchy!” another man yelled. “Let’s all sing!”

As the crowd joined in, Angalo grinned. *Thank you, Dalcard, for this terrible song!* He sang louder, enjoying the annoyed looks from the Granden City fans across the stadium. They started jeering back, even louder.

“Alpha!”

“Huh? What song?” Angalo asked, still waving his flag.

“Never mind the song!” Salco snapped. “Those guys are yelling insults at Wodanaz! Can’t we shut them up?”

Angalo blinked. “Jeering? That’s just part of the game, Salco. You said you didn’t care about the match.”

“I don’t!” Salco insisted, but his voice was tight. “But they’re being annoying! And unfair!”

Angalo narrowed his eyes. Salco was definitely lying about not caring.

“There’s no way to stop them jeering,” Angalo said slowly.

“Ha! You young ones!” a drunken man roared, grabbing Angalo’s arm. “Don’t you know anything? There’s *always* a way to stop them!”

“Yeah!” another shouted. “Come on, everyone! Follow us!”

The drunken fans, along with some Einroguard supporters and even some who just wanted trouble, surged forward. As they moved, people started scooping up handfuls of mud from the edge of the stadium.

*Mud?* Angalo’s eyes widened. *Oh no…*

A cold feeling went down his spine. This was going to be bad.

“Tu-Tutanta! This…” Angalo stammered, backing away.

“Hey, you lot! Weaklings should shut up and watch!” a drunken man roared. *Wham!* He threw a clump of mud. It splattered against a Granden City fan.

The crowd surged forward, throwing mud. *Splatter! Thwack!* Mud flew everywhere, coating people in brown. The air filled with shouts and angry yells.

“This is illegal! Imperial law!” Angalo screamed, but no one listened.

“Law? Hah! Catch this, law-lover!” someone yelled, throwing mud at Angalo.

The Granden City fans, already angry about losing, didn’t hesitate to fight back. “You Einroguard pigs!” someone shouted, grabbing mud. “Take this!”

“Alpha! Alpha! We have to get out of here!” Angalo yelled to Salco. “They’re crazy!” He turned and froze.

Salco was in the middle of the chaos, eyes blazing. He was magically shaping mud into balls, handing them out to the cheering crowd. “Crush those cowardly Granden City losers!” Salco roared, throwing a mud bomb himself. “Crush them!”

*…You said you weren’t interested in the match, you lying bastard!* Angalo thought in horror, mud splattering near his feet. He should have known better than to trust Salco.

Back on the Quaffle field, oblivious to the chaos in the stands, the match continued.

“Senior, it’s really noisy in the stands,” Lee Han said, glancing towards the sound.

“It’s always noisy. Focus,” Carnella replied, eyes on the game.

“No, seriously, it sounds like they’re fighting,” Lee Han insisted.

“They always fight. Focus.”

“Is that… mud? Smells like a pigsty out there,” Lee Han wrinkled his nose.

“They’re always throwing mud. Focus, Junior!” Carnella said firmly.

“……” Lee Han just stared at her, like she was a stubborn professor. She was just like Professor Verdus, only hearing what she wanted to hear.

*Well, never mind the stands,* Lee Han thought. *The real battle is here.*

Despite the score being heavily in their favor, the Einroguard team looked worried. They could feel the Granden City team pushing back harder. *With this lead, they should just give up,* Lee Han thought.

But the Granden City players were amazing. Their uniforms were stained with sweat and dirt, their faces grim, but their eyes still burned with determination. Even after the Gryphon had run wild in the first half, they hadn’t broken. When a mount fell, they got a new one. When a player was hurt, another took their place. They just kept coming.

“Why are they doing this?” one student muttered. “Do they hate losing that much?”

“How are they so tough?” another wondered.

No one seemed to remember that these Granden City players were still smarting from losing to Einroguard *freshmen* last year.

Perse’s throat was like sandpaper. He gulped down water, but it barely helped. His muscles ached, and he could see the Gryphons panting heavily, their chests heaving. “Wodanaz,” Perse said softly. “How’s PhoneLeeg doing?”

*Grrrr…* PhoneLeeg rumbled, sounding tired. Lee Han could feel the Gryphon’s exhaustion. He wouldn’t last much longer.

“He’s tired,” Lee Han said.

“Wodanaz is probably tired too,” Perse agreed. “Maybe we should switch players and focus on defense.”

At Perse’s words, two figures reacted instantly: PhoneLeeg the Gryphon, and Carnella.

*Grrrr!* PhoneLeeg growled, puffing out his chest.

“Are you crazy, Perse?” Carnella cried. “Take out our best attacker? How are we supposed to win with just defense?”

“We can’t push PhoneLeeg if he’s exhausted,” Perse said calmly.

“He’s not tired! *I’m* not tired! Look at these eyes!” Carnella pointed dramatically at her own (slightly tear-streaked) face.

PhoneLeeg seemed pleased by Carnella’s support, preening slightly. She was definitely the only one here on his side.

But Lee Han shook his head firmly. “PhoneLeeg is tired.”

“No… No way! Junior, please!” Carnella knew they *had* to win. Her reputation was on the line! Losing to Granden City again was unthinkable. In desperation, Carnella threw herself onto the dusty ground with a dramatic cry, rolling around like a spoiled child having a tantrum. She grabbed Lee Han’s ankle. “Junior! Please! Just one more half! For Einroguard! For victory! For *me*! I’ll be ruined if we lose!”

Even PhoneLeeg, who had been enjoying the attention, looked slightly embarrassed by Carnella’s antics. Lee Han certainly did.

*She’s a senior. She’s a senior,* Lee Han reminded himself, trying to gently pull his foot away (Carnella’s grip was surprisingly strong). “Senior,” Lee Han said patiently. “It’s not like we’ll definitely lose if PhoneLeeg rests.”

“Yes, we will! I can feel it!” Carnella stood up suddenly, her slender form straightening, eyes blazing. “Do you think Hormashi is being unreasonable?”

“Well… yes,” Lee Han admitted.

“If we just defend with our weak Einroguard defense, they’ll catch up in minutes, Junior. Trust me. If we lose this match, I’ll be so ashamed I might have to transfer to Valdrogard!”

“No,” Lee Han said calmly. “I’m going to attack.”

“…” Carnella blinked, her dramatic pose faltering. “You’re… taking PhoneLeeg out?”

“Yes. But I asked the Unicorn if he was willing to play, just in case. He said yes. So, I’ll ride the Unicorn in the second half.”

“……”

“……”

The seniors stared, speechless. They knew Lee Han cared for the Unicorn, but they never imagined he could actually *ride* it in a Quaffle match.

Perse quickly did some mental calculations and nodded slowly. “Everyone,” he said quietly. “One more thing.”

“What is it, Perse?”

“Professor Bendozol can *never* know about this.”

“Never!” everyone agreed instantly.

Professor Bendozol would probably faint on the spot.

“No! Unfair! Cheat!” The screams of angry gamblers echoed through the stadium. The match was over, and the Granden City fans who had bet against Einroguard were furious.

The Unicorn had been unstoppable. It entered the stadium like a dream, its coat shimmering silver in the sunlight. It moved with impossible grace, teleporting in flashes of white light, leaving the Granden City players bewildered and outpaced. The crowd gasped as the Unicorn appeared. Then, a new roar went up, a mix of awe and disbelief.

“We won!” Angalo shouted, finally pulling Salco away from the mud fight. The trumpet blast signaling the end of the match had finally broken through the chaos. “Wodanaz! Wodanaz!”

“Tutanta! Match over! Let’s go!” Angalo yelled, grabbing Salco’s arm.

But Salco, covered in mud and grinning wildly, just shook him off and threw another mud bomb. “Wodanaz! Wodanaz!”

Angalo looked around, desperate to escape. Then he noticed the stares. The spectators above were looking down at them with expressions of pure disgust. A wide space had opened up around them, like they were contagious. People were backing away.

*Oh no…* Angalo’s stomach dropped. *I’m surrounded by madmen!* He’d been so caught up in the fight, he hadn’t realized how insane they looked to everyone else. To the normal, civilized spectators, he was just one of the mud-covered lunatics.

*What have I gotten myself into…!* He could already see the headlines: “Einroguard Student Leads Mud Riot, Risks Diplomatic Incident!” His mother would *kill* him. Cursing Salco silently, Angalo decided to make a run for it. If he got caught by the guards and ended up in a Granden City prison… well, at least he’d have a great story to tell.

“…Student Angalo?”

The voice was calm, but Angalo knew that tone. Professor Garcia. And behind him, Angalo could see the glint of Professor Garcia’s spectacles, reflecting the stadium lights like twin beacons of doom. Angalo’s blood ran cold. He’d completely forgotten about his disguise in the chaos. Without thinking, he blurted out, “P, Professor Garcia…!”

“…What exactly are you doing right now, Student Angalo?” Professor Garcia asked, his voice dangerously soft.

Angalo turned slowly. Salco, still covered in mud, was being carried on a makeshift stretcher by some of his new drunken friends, firing mud bombs at the retreating Granden City fans.

There was only one thing Angalo could possibly say. He swallowed hard and tried to look innocent, even though he was probably covered in mud himself. “Just… uh… observing… the… *atmosphere*… of the Quaffle match, Professor?”