Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 989

How excessively cruel!

Thanks to Lee Han’s tattling, the Mad Doppelganger took away all the wax memo pads, and the Frost Giants grumbled.

Of course, they couldn’t say it to the Mad Doppelganger. They only shared their complaints with each other.

The Frost Giants were thinking that wise kings don’t hurt their people.

That’s right.

“Quiet,” Caton said.

The Frost Giants became as silent as mice. With everyone quiet, Caton got straight to the point.

“Many things have happened, but first, let me tell you what I want. We need a test here to see if the wizards are good enough, and I want you to help us prepare that test.”

The White Tiger Tower students were nervous when they heard Caton’s words.

They looked at each other, trying to say with their eyes:

‘Refuse him!’

‘Tell him no!’

Why would a proud and honorable race help a magic school with its student exams?

It would hurt their pride and make them look less important. They should refuse.

“…I understand. We will help.”

The White Tiger Tower students were shocked.

The Frost Giants were much more afraid of the Mad Doppelganger than the students had thought.

Caton’s face lit up like a lamp. He shouted happily, “Juniors! This is wonderful! I can’t believe the giants agreed so easily! Professor Ingledel will be happy too!”

“Wow…”

“Hoo… How exciting…”

Lee Han and Giselle replied with fake expressions and voices. Caton looked confused.

“Aren’t you happy? Something feels strange…”

“No. We’re happy. Haha.”

“We’re really happy. Wodanaz, is there any of that poison left in that barrel from before?”

“Damn it. I shouldn’t have thrown it away earlier.”

Lee Han and Giselle regretted it deeply.

If they had known they would fight the Frost Giants again, they wouldn’t have thrown away the poisonous drink!

“You’re not going to make us fight with just swords, are you? Magic is allowed, right?”

“I think so, but the fact that we’re even using Frost Giants as a test is already strange.”

As the two whispered, the Mad Doppelganger urged them, sounding annoyed.

“Hurry up. What are you doing?”

From the Mad Doppelganger’s point of view, it was natural to be annoyed since his student was wasting time with useless talk instead of finding the Frost Giant’s relic.

Why were they making such a fuss about fighting Frost Giants?

His student still had a long way to go when it came to honor.

Lee Han cleared his throat and looked at the Frost Giants.

“Then, let me tell you what I want. I…”

Lee Han paused. He was about to speak.

He remembered his plan. He wanted to take the Frost Giant’s relic, or even steal it. But he hadn’t meant to say it so directly.

Was it okay to say it so openly in front of the Frost Giants?

“-What do you want? Speak quickly.”

“Can’t you stop wasting time and speak quickly?” The Mad Doppelganger urged Lee Han.

Lee Han couldn’t find an excuse or a way to avoid it, so he finally confessed honestly.

“…I came to get the relic that you guys are looking for…”

The White Tiger Tower friends behind him could only admire him.

They knew Wodanaz was bold, but they didn’t know he was this bold.

‘Respect, Wodanaz!’

‘To think he would say that in front of the Frost Giants!’

To say ‘I came to get your relic’ in front of giants who could kill him.

No matter how brilliant Wodanaz was, no one expected him to say such a thing.

The Frost Giants were quiet for a moment, perhaps because they were shocked.

But luckily, the Mad Doppelganger was next to Lee Han.

“Didn’t you hear my student? Answer him!”

“-Al, alright. You can take the relic.”

The Frost Giants were scared of the Mad Doppelganger, so they hesitated before answering.

The White Tiger Tower students were surprised again at that answer.

‘That works?!’

‘So that’s it, Wodanaz. He was planning to use the headmaster’s doppelganger from the start! What a terrifying fellow!’

Einroguard’s history may be long, but Wodanaz was probably the first student to use the Skull Headmaster’s doppelganger so well.

The White Tiger Tower students shuddered at their friend’s clever plan.

Of course, Lee Han was also shuddering.

‘This easily?’

Even if the Frost Giants were scared, he expected some resistance, but they were handing it over so easily.

Could he get even more out of this?

“Please promise that you will not challenge me to unnecessary fights in the future.”

“-That… Alright. I promise.”

“You also can’t complain loudly enough for me to hear nearby. Promise it.”

The Frost Giants were surprised.

How could this challenger read their minds so well?

‘Is it magic?’

“-…I promise…”

“I told you not to waste time,” the Mad Doppelganger said.

Lee Han realized he had gone too far.

He was trying to take too much advantage of his master’s power.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. The royal family will take care of it. You want to have these Frost Giants as helpers, don’t you?”

“Ye… Yes???!” Lee Han shouted in surprise, answering without thinking.

What?

“No, I…”

Lee Han simply didn’t want to deal with giants who would chase after him for fights whenever he visited another world in the future.

He didn’t want giants following him around, saying they were his helpers, every time he visited a new place.

However, the Mad Doppelganger, like a thoughtful master, understood his student’s inner thoughts, which even the student didn’t know he had.

Why else would he be acting like that?

“You Frost Giants owe a debt to the royal family from the past. Repay that debt here and now.”

“-Ugh… Alright. I promise…”

Before Lee Han could say anything, the Frost Giants had already made their promise.

If they met in another world in the future, they would come running to fight for him!

“Wow, Wodanaz. I didn’t think you’d be able to use the Frost Giants as helpers later, even if you got the relic.”

“…Can’t you be quiet?”

“Why, why are you angry?!”

The White Tiger Tower student was confused when his friend got angry at just one word of praise.

What did I do?!

The Einroguard Library was a grand hall filled with towering bookshelves that seemed to touch the sky. Dust motes danced in the shafts of sunlight that streamed through the high windows. Usually, the only sound was the rustle of pages, but today, the rhythmic clang of hammers echoed through the ancient space, coming from a corner where the White Tiger Tower students were working.

Most of the second-year students from each tower were gathered in this library, which had a long history.

Even though it was the weekend, it was rare for students from different towers to gather like this in Einroguard.

However, the second-year students weren’t surprised anymore. Instead, they were focused on something else.

“Wh-what on earth is that?”

“It’s the headmaster’s doppelganger. I heard it follows Wodanaz around like a cursed spirit.”

“No. I heard about that too. What are those guys hammering next to him?”

“Ah. It seems the White Tiger Tower guys got some ore from somewhere. So they’re making equipment.”

“Is that even allowed in the library?”

The White Tiger Tower students didn’t care if the other tower students frowned or glared. They were busy with the bellows and hammering.

The Einroguard Library wasn’t a place of silence and peace anyway. If it was, there wouldn’t have been a need to build a temporary fortress and fight for survival last time.

What’s the point now!

“Rowena. How’s the sword?”

“It’s quite usable now. I think we can make three more today.”

“Heh heh. It was worth the trouble we went through to get it.”

The White Tiger Tower students nodded, remembering the hard work they had put in mining in another world.

The finished equipment felt even more valuable because of the hard work.

“Wodanaz. Thank…”

The White Tiger Tower students were about to thank their friend for helping them visit the other world, but they stopped.

Anyone could see that Wodanaz was uncomfortable.

He seemed like that when he came back from the other world last time too…?

“Why is Wodanaz like that?”

While everyone was wondering, Bartrec suggested an idea that seemed likely.

“Isn’t it because he has to prepare for the exam now, but there’s too much to prepare and it’s too difficult?”

“Indeed.”

The reason why students from various towers were gathered in the library now was to prepare for the exam.

And Wodanaz, being an Einroguard student, couldn’t avoid that preparation.

Considering the number and difficulty of the lectures he was taking, it was impossible not to feel bad.

“I think it’s because some guys went to the punishment room.”

Raphael, who usually didn’t talk much, offered his opinion this time.

That seemed likely too.

Some faces were missing because some guys had caused an accident and gone to the punishment room.

“…But isn’t it strange that Wodanaz would be upset because they went to the punishment room?” Someone suddenly felt that something didn’t fit and asked.

He’s not the White Tiger Tower’s professor, so why would Wodanaz care?

However, the White Tiger Tower students, who had already gotten used to it, didn’t feel anything strange.

“What’s strange? He’s always been like that.”

“That’s right. The guys who went to the punishment room are the bad ones.”

“…I-I guess that’s true when I hear it. Moradi. Is Wodanaz angry because of the guys who went to the punishment room?”

The White Tiger Tower students asked a reliable friend for help.

Giselle, with an expression that said, ‘You should be studying, not having so many useless conversations,’ replied.

“He’s probably annoyed about the Frost Giants from last time. He didn’t want to get involved, but he ended up getting involved by force.”

“Oh? But being able to get help from the giants when we meet them in another world seems like a good thing…”

“At the same time, it means we can get involved with other Frost Giants who didn’t promise to help. How annoying would that be?”

“But Wodanaz is already friends with the giants in the back mountains, isn’t he? What difference would it make if Frost Giants were added?”

Giselle was quiet for a moment.

She never expected such a smart question.

“…Then you can go and argue with Wodanaz.”

“Ah, no. That’s a bit…”

Even if you didn’t know much, telling a friend who was angry about getting involved with the Frost Giants, ‘You were already friends with giants anyway,’ wasn’t a good idea.

Meanwhile, Lee Han lightly tapped a small metal flask that could be hung around the neck with his staff.

‘It’s still not working.’

The White Tiger Tower students suggested great ideas, but none of them were right.

The reason why Lee Han was uncomfortable was because the Frost Giant’s relic wouldn’t open.

“-Here it is. This is the liquor. We came to find this liquor.”

“-Is it poisonous liquor like before?”

“-It contains something much more precious than that. It’s wisdom!”

Lee Han was surprised at the Frost Giant’s explanation.

Liquor containing wisdom.

Every Einroguard student wanted intelligence-boosting potions, and Lee Han was no different.

A real potion of wisdom, not a failed product that turned him into a crazy prophet like last time.

If it was a Frost Giant’s relic, it might really be possible.

The problem was that it wouldn’t open no matter what he did.

“-How can it be opened?”

“-We don’t know either. That’s why we were worried.”

The small flask was surprisingly strong. It made a sloshing sound when shaken, but no matter how much magic Lee Han used, it didn’t work.

‘Damn it. Someone even planned for magic attacks when making this!’

He didn’t know who made the relic, but he didn’t understand why they were wasting so much.

“Wodanaz. You don’t need to worry too much about the Frost Giants.”

“Huh?” Lee Han was confused when Giselle suddenly spoke to him.

“The dimensions are huge, and there won’t be many chances to meet the Frost Giants again.”

“Oh… Thanks. But why suddenly?”

“Come this way. We’ll finish [Magical Algebra and Secret Geometry] today,” the Mad Doppelganger said from behind, setting an impossible goal.

Lee Han’s face twisted again.

‘What? So it really wasn’t because of the Frost Giants.’

Now that he thought about it, Wodanaz had always been friends with giants.

The Frost Giants were also giants, so they could have become friends quickly.