Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 961

It took Lee Han almost half an hour to get through the crowd of people. They were all pushing and shouting, their faces flushed with excitement after the Quidditch match. Lee Han wasn’t using magic or force to get away. Instead, he was signing autographs for everyone who asked.

“Lee Han! Join our team! The Gryphons need you!” shouted one person, waving a red and gold scarf.

“No, no, the Eagles are better! Come play for us!” yelled another, wearing blue and silver.

Someone else pushed forward, holding out a piece of parchment. “Your family is famous, but Quidditch fame is even better! Think about it!”

Lee Han sighed, taking the parchment and quickly signing his name. “Thank you,” he said politely, “but I’m really not a Quidditch player…”

A fan insisted, his voice full of disbelief, “Don’t say that! You were amazing out there! You must love it, deep down!”

Falkrius used his strong arms to push through the excited fans, finally reaching Lee Han. “Phew,” Falkrius said, wiping his brow. “If you have your autographs, please move along now.”

Falkrius pushed through the crowd of people excited about Quidditch.

People who loved the match were shouting, asking him to join their favorite Quidditch teams.

“Good heavens. What are they even saying?”

“Indeed.”

“Wodanaz, you’re going to be a professor, you know.”

“…Huh???”

“Change your disguise again. It seems we should only remove the disguise after entering the mansion.”

“What did you just say…?”

Lee Han kept asking him questions, but Falkrius was too busy thinking to listen.

“It would be good to visit the Greenbelt family later… Hmm? Did you say something?”

“What did you just say…?”

“Right. Wodanaz. How did you win the match so that people are chasing after you like this?”

“It was just luck.”

“Phew. If you’re lucky twice, the Quidditch club blokes will be so happy they’ll collapse.”

Falkrius chuckled.

Still, as they were part of the same Einroguard official club, and having grown fond of them despite everything, it was quite pleasing to hear that the Quidditch club had won big for the first time in a while.

Falkrius made a note so as not to forget.

Quidditch club will have a double event for a while (excluding Wodanaz).

“Have I done something wrong?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Why am I the only one excluded from the double event…?”

Lee Han was slightly taken aback.

Why would they exclude only him from doubling the food as a celebration of victory?

“Haha. That’s just like Wodanaz. Do you want to be included fairly? Still, no can do. I can’t receive double the gold from a junior.”

“…?!”

Lee Han finally realized the true meaning of the double event.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t doubling the amount of food, but doubling the price!

For those with hefty gold pouches, the price of food also went up.

Falkrius, being older, knew how to make money from this kind of thing.

“We’re here. Wodanaz. Do you happen to know where this is?”

“I’m not sure.”

As it was the central district of the city, lined with antique mansions, he could guess it was a noble’s house, but Lee Han wasn’t originally from Granden City.

Even Granden City nobles needed the help of their stewards or servants to remember who lived where, so it was impossible for Lee Han.

“It’s the mansion of Lord Zolbabden.”

‘Strange. The name sounds familiar.’

“Heh heh. Lord Zolbabden is famous for going to parties and enjoying life, but he’s also very cheap in Granden City. If even *he* donates food, all the other cheap nobles in Granden City will feel they have to donate too.”

“Indeed. Should we… *persuade* them strongly, or will you, senior?”

“…Wodanaz. We’re here to persuade, not threaten!”

Falkrius was dumbfounded.

If we used magic to threaten them to donate, we’d be in trouble for a very long time!

“Ah. I see.”

“Heh heh. Right. I’m counting on you to charm them!”

“To be honest, magic threats are the only thing that comes to mind…”

“No, no. Looking at the people gathered because of Quidditch earlier, you have a knack for charming people, Wodanaz.”

“If I really had such a knack, I wish my friends would listen to me better.”

Lee Han grumbled, dispelled his disguise, and called the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper looked at them carefully. They must have seemed like an unusual pair.

“What business do you have…?”

“Tell them that the wizards of Einroguard have come because of a serious magical problem plaguing this mansion.”

“…Yes, yes!”

The gatekeeper was startled and contacted someone higher up. Falkrius offered useful advice to his junior.

“Heh heh. When you want something like this, never say what you really want right away. They might pretend they are not home or try to avoid you.”

“Should I send a paper bird to check if they are home?”

“…Wodanaz. Have you become friends with someone violent among the seniors lately?”

While they were waiting, Zolbabden hastily dressed and rushed out.

And upon seeing Falkrius’s bulk from afar, he made a face that said, ‘Oh dear’.

He recognized Falkrius from before and knew he had been tricked.

“…Student Falkrius. Didn’t you say there was a serious magical problem plaguing the mansion?!”

“Yes. Lord Zolbabden. There is a very serious magical problem in this mansion. It’s that food meant to be given to the poor is lying dormant in the warehouse.”

……

Zolbabden was dumbfounded but held back.

First, Lord Zolbabden knew it was never a good idea to anger wizards from Einroguard (he loved gossip and knew all the stories!). Second, Falkrius was strong even without magic.

“The student next to you is… No!! Lord Wodanaz?!”

“…!!!”

When Zolbabden jumped up and recognized Lee Han, Lee Han finally remembered too.

That person is…

“Aren’t you Lord Zolbabden, who spread rumors all over Granden City last year about me fighting the Basilisk?”

“Haha! That’s right! You don’t even have to thank me!”

……

Lee Han stared at Zolbabden with cold eyes. Falkrius was slightly worried.

‘I hope my junior doesn’t land a punch?’

Fortunately, Lee Han didn’t attack his opponent. Of course, many curses were exchanged in his mind.

‘I should have petrified him when the Basilisk appeared.’

Lee Han, who had thought nothing of it at the time, now realized how fast rumors traveled among the rich people in Granden City.

It seemed rumors traveled faster than even teleportation magic.

“…Since we have a connection from fighting the Basilisk together last year, how about donating some?”

“Gasp!”

The noble, clearly annoyed, groaned.

Then the steward next to him approached and whispered something.

“Phew. This doesn’t sound good.”

Falkrius watched their conversation with a worried face.

Nobles like Zolbabden didn’t care much about face or dignity. It was entirely possible for him to suddenly clutch his chest and pretend to be in pain.

“…Is that really true?”

“Yes. I heard it myself.”

Zolbabden finished talking and then shouted, his eyes wide with excitement.

“Very well! Student Falkrius. I will donate!”

“Is that really true?!”

“But there’s a condition.”

“What…?”

“I would like Lord Wodanaz to personally narrate today’s Quidditch match.”

……

……

Lee Han then realized what the two had been talking about.

The steward was mimicking swinging a Quidditch bat while whispering…

Unlike Lee Han, who walked out of the mansion with a tired face, Falkrius chuckled.

“Well done, Wodanaz! Hahaha! You just told a story and got food! That’s a great deal!”

“I didn’t expect to persuade in this way, though.”

Zolbabden really believed in spreading rumors quickly. So, he was happy to give away food from his warehouse just to hear Lee Han tell the Quidditch story.

“-Yes, that’s right! Lord Wodanaz doesn’t even practice Quidditch and isn’t usually interested in it! But when he got on the Griffin, he could see everything the other players were doing and just knew how to win! It’s like he was born to do it! A real genius!”

“…None of what I just said matches that.”

“-You don’t have to worry too much about minor differences. Stories are supposed to be made more exciting, right?”

“-Did you make the story of the fight with the Basilisk bigger in this way too?”

Lee Han was worried about how much Zolbabden would make the rumors bigger than they were. But then he saw his senior laughing happily and shook his head.

‘Right. If we can get more food support, what does a rumor matter?’

Falkrius was stepping up like that to help others, so it was embarrassing for Lee Han to grumble about mere rumors.

Lee Han was reminded of the young Skeleton Headmaster.

If everyone was like Professor Verdus, Lee Han wouldn’t feel guilty about anything. But because there were good people like the young Skeleton Headmaster and Falkrius around, Lee Han started to feel like he should be better too.

…Let’s act a little bit good!

Lee Han gave up caring about the rumors and said,

“Where to next?”

“Next is…”

“Lord Wodanaz!”

“?”

Brodon, a noble with connections to Zolbabden, jumped out of a carriage. Falkrius quickly recognized the other party’s status.

“Isn’t that Lord Brodon?”

“Yes. The person who was rich enough to buy a Basilisk egg and then showed it off to everyone!”

-That person must be crazy.

The baby Basilisk muttered. Lee Han actually agreed.

Of course, he claimed he was tricked by the merchant into buying it, but even considering that, it was hard to give him a good evaluation.

“Heh heh. If he’s rich enough to buy a Basilisk egg, wouldn’t he donate more food?”

“If he’s silly enough to buy a Basilisk egg, he might not have any money left to donate…”

Brodon, not hearing Lee Han’s scathing muttering, ran over.

And then shouted,

“Lord Wodanaz. Is it true that if you donate food for charity, you’ll tell us about this Quidditch match?”

……

Lee Han looked back at the mansion behind him with astonished eyes.

How could it be this fast in between??

‘Does he have a communication artifact??’

“Ah, isn’t it? Did I misunderstand?”

“Well… it’s true, but…”

“That’s wonderful! As soon as I heard the story, I quickly organized a tea party! Everyone here will donate! So, please, will you do us the honor of coming to my tea party, Lord Wodanaz?”

……

Clap clap clap clap-

The sound of applause came from the side.

Falkrius was looking at Lee Han with an impressed face.

“Wodanaz… I should have brought you last year too!”

“Senior. Is it okay to receive donations for something like this?”

“Phew. What’s the problem as long as we can receive it? It’s much better than chasing after a carriage for three days straight and bothering them!”

Unlike his skeptical junior, Falkrius was deeply moved by this method.

Instead of chasing nobles and bothering them, this was a way to invite nobles directly and get donations.

The other juniors had to learn this.

‘I wonder if they’d be interested in the story about how we learned to make soup with just stones and dirt at Einroguard?’

“Let’s go. Wodanaz. You might make all the starving people in Granden City full.”

“I don’t know if the members participating in the gathering will get angry after being deceived…”

Contrary to Lee Han’s worries, all the members participating in the tea party were very satisfied.

Some even visited other clubs or salons they belonged to and asked him to tell the story again.

“Can we also hear about the fight with the Basilisk directly?”

“…If you donate double, I’ll go and tell you directly.”

“Very well! Let’s do that!”

……

Lee Han was dumbfounded because he didn’t expect the other party to accept immediately. Falkrius whispered from the side.

“Wodanaz. You should charge more next time.”