Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Professor Garcia wondered where she should begin pointing things out.

It was not uncommon for Einroguard professors to go missing or run away(just look at Professor Bendozol), but the students did not distribute wanted notices throughout the Empire every time that happened.

Had they done so, Einroguard's infamy would have risen even further.

'I wonder whether there would even be any students who would search for a professor who disappeared in the first place...'

Usually, they would be happy about it, not go out of their way to bring the professor back.

"Student Lee Han. Aren't you... making this too big? I understand that you are worried about Professor Bagreg, but the Principal must already be searching too. The Principal has informants throughout the Empire."

"But he does not tell me what is happening."

-We will inform you once we learn anything.

-Please trust us!

The Death Knights outside the carriage suddenly stuck their heads in and displayed their loyalty.

Veteran knights were naturally skilled in politics as well.

Instead of merely swinging their swords, they had to make a favorable impression on the successor in advance if they wanted an easier life in the future.

"...Excuse me, please do not interrupt the conversation."

Professor Garcia spoke with a displeased expression.

She was trying to have a serious conversation with her student, and yet this was happening...

"And Student Lee Han, you know that the Principal's informants naturally cannot be revealed to other people."

Some things could not be disclosed to outsiders no matter how much one trusted them.

The Skull Principal's intelligence network spread throughout the Empire, Student Lee Han's lecture allocation chart in the professors' lounge, and so on were examples of precisely that.

"I know that. That is why I am not asking him to tell me. I am handling it myself."

"The knights must be busy too..."

"As I just said, they offered to help first."

"......"

Professor Garcia once again realized that it was not always good for a student to be too capable.

An ordinary second-year would not have many ways to search even if they wanted to, but the problem with this boy from House Wardanaz standing before her was that he had far too many methods.

"Why did the knights offer to help first?"

"Uh... I am not sure? I did not think that far."

Lee Han paused for a moment.

The important thing had been that the knights would help. He had not considered why the knights had volunteered to do so.

The knights of the Empire were by no means idle people.

When an abnormal phenomenon occurred, they were the first to rush over and report it to the capital. When monsters appeared, they bravely fought them. Sometimes they also had to sneak out while avoiding newly constructed watchtowers.

Then why had such knights stepped forward and offered to help first?

Adventurers or explorers could at least be hired with money, but it was not so easy to do that with knights.

"Perhaps they are helping because of my friends from White Tiger Tower."

'That is definitely not it...'

Professor Garcia thought inwardly.

The knights of the Empire were absolutely not softhearted enough to do something like this merely because students from knightly houses asked them.

It was probably because Lee Han was highly regarded among the knights and had done many things for them.

The problem was that she could not guess which things those were.

'There are too many possibilities...!'

"In any case, Student Lee Han. Even with the knights' help, it will not be easy to find traces of Professor Bagreg in this vast Empire. Do not become too obsessed with it, and you should focus on your studies... Wait, what is that map?"

"It is a map recording the locations the knights testified about. They said they had witnessed someone resembling Professor Bagreg..."

Several cities in the western and northern parts of the Empire were marked with check marks on the map.

Professor Garcia could not help but tremble at the knights' competence.

They had not even begun distributing the wanted notice in earnest, yet testimonies like these had already been collected merely through communication among the knights.

If they mobilized even more knights in earnest and gathered additional testimony, Student Lee Han might rush out at any moment.

Professor Kirmin had said to trust the student and allow him to grow on his own, but Professor Garcia was not ready for that yet.

"Student Lee Han. Now that I think about it, the midterms are not that far away. Is your exam preparation going well?"

'Isn't that too cruel?'

The Death Knight driving the carriage outside shuddered inwardly.

The knight understood that she was worried about her student, but to restrain him through such a cruel method.

Considering all the time Wardanaz had spent on the commission, there was no way his exam preparation could be going properly.

"Ah. Yes. I am confident."

"You are confident?!"

"Many of the spells continue from the magic we learned during the first semester, and I have also been preparing whenever I had spare time..."

"Student Lee Han, when did you become so bold!"

Professor Garcia was horrified as she recalled what her student used to be like.

Where had the Student Lee Han gone who threw himself into every exam with his full strength and without the slightest carelessness, even if it was a test he could answer perfectly with his eyes closed?

People grew, but this student's growth was so fast that it left Professor Garcia flustered.

'Then again, we did progress far too much through all the magic during the first semester...'

"Even so, if you account for the examination period, shouldn't you remain at the school for a while?"

The professor made one final attempt.

Since she wanted to keep her student at Einroguard by any means necessary, she was no longer choosing her methods.

However, Professor Garcia's student was likewise not choosing his methods.

"I have already thought of that too."

"I am afraid to hear it... but what did you think of, Student Lee Han?"

"If I take all the examinations in advance before the examination period begins, I can create free time."

"......"

-......

The Death Knights turned their heads again and stared into the carriage.

Their expressions made it clear that they desperately wanted permission to add a word to this conversation.

Professor Garcia called for Diret with a tearful expression. It seemed impossible to handle this alone.

"Student Diret? Student Diret? Could you help me?"

However, no answer came from Diret. Professor Garcia asked in surprise.

"Student Diret? What is wrong?!"

Diret looked unusually dejected. Seeing that, Professor Garcia wondered whether the other dark mages had said something cruel.

"Did the Descendants of Ahrak mock Einroguard's dark magic school for being poor? Or did the Legion of Oondorgu mock Einroguard's dark magic school for being small..."

"Neither. Wait, have those two mocked the dark magic school without my knowledge?"

Diret paused.

First they had secretly excluded them from the invitation, and now it seemed those dark mages had also been carrying out quite a few despicable schemes behind Diret's back without anyone knowing.

"...Of course not! Those were merely examples!"

Professor Garcia answered quickly. Cold sweat ran down her back for a moment.

"Then why were you looking so dejected, Student Diret?"

"Mm. Well... This is not about me."

'So it is about Student Diret.'

'It is about Student Diret.'

Not only Professor Garcia, but even the Death Knights thought that inwardly.

"There is a certain mage I know, and apparently this mage's junior received an invitation from a somewhat suspicious group of mages. So the mage actively stepped in and stopped the junior, but after some time passed, the mage began wondering whether that had been excessive interference..."

Diret explained that although the mage had stopped the junior because it was a suspicious group of mages, the mage was now worrying whether it had actually been done out of personal greed.

"Oh, you did the right thing stopping it, Student Diret. The Descendants of Ahrak and the Legion of Oondorgu are not places anyone should join. The same goes for the Obsidian Magic Tower. If Student Lee Han entered a place like that, he would constantly clash with their rules."

The former were far too eccentric, while the latter was far too strict.

It was not merely because she was an Einroguard professor. There were few places as suitable for Student Lee Han as Einroguard.

"I said it was a certain mage I know, not me."

"Yes. Then let us say that the certain mage Student Diret knows did the right thing stopping it."

"......"

Diret glared slightly, but still managed to recover a little.

Once the student seemed to have regained composure, Professor Garcia asked again.

"Student Diret. I am honestly worried even when Student Lee Han goes out because of a commission, but now he is planning to distribute wanted notices and then go searching personally."

"Wait. Isn't the examination period approaching?"

"He says he will take the examinations first and then leave."

Professor Garcia tattled on her student.

How could he do something so absurd?

Diret's eyes widened in surprise.

"Before the examination period?"

"That is what I said! Whose student could he possibly be!"

'Was that a joke...?'

Not knowing how to react, Diret decided to pretend not to have heard it.

"If you want a way to stop him... how about this? Raise the difficulty of the examinations so that he cannot solve them quickly."

"I am afraid Student Lee Han will somehow solve them anyway."

"......"

As a senior, Diret could not deny it.

When Diret saw the junior somehow solving everything in the end, there were honestly times when Diret wanted to pretend ignorance and give him problems of unimaginable difficulty.

Could he solve this too?

Or perhaps this?

Clatter!

The carriage shook slightly. Since it was protected from impacts and vibrations by magic, that was unusual.

"Did something happen outside?"

-Nothing happened. It seems there was merely a large stone in the road.

At the knights' answer, Professor Garcia stopped paying attention and returned to the original topic.

However, this time the Death Knights were wrong and Professor Garcia was right.

A stranger had secretly attached themself to the carriage's cargo compartment.

***

The Ninth Descendant of Ahrak transformed into a box filled with neatly folded cloth.

The Ninth wanted nothing more than to return to human form immediately, open the carriage door, and shout, 'Come with me and join the Descendants of Ahrak!' but the Ninth was not that foolish.

There were far too many powerful enemies around this carriage party.

From high-ranking undead such as the Death Knights to the professors and students of Einroguard.

No matter how outstanding the Ninth's magic was, acting rashly in a situation like this could lead to discovery.

'I will wait for an opportunity.'

The Ninth made a cold judgment.

The scolding from the other Descendants of Ahrak, who had said it was impossible, had only made the Ninth even more determined.

Now that things had come to this, the Ninth would not merely invite that human mage, but would absolutely make him enter as a disciple!

If that happened, surely none of the Descendants of Ahrak would ever be able to mock the Ninth again.

'Hmph. Their movements have become rough. Has fatigue begun to overwhelm them?'

Transformed into a box of cloth and placed among the other crates, the Ninth felt the carriage's movements grow rougher.

Once one became a master of magic, it was possible to grasp a situation without seeing it with one's eyes or using magic.

There was only one reason why the movement of a carriage that had been traveling smoothly would suddenly become rough.

Fatigue.

'The movement has stopped. Is it so they can rest?'

The Ninth instinctively sensed that an opportunity was drawing nearer and nearer.

The Ninth's instincts were so sharp and exceptional that the other dark mages described the Ninth as being closer to a beast or wild animal.

'Once they scatter to rest, I will return to my original form and make contact.'

"What should we do with the boxes in this carriage?"

-They are supplies we brought just in case, but we did not use them, so you may take them.

"Are you certain that is all right!? I should divide them among my friends..."

The Ninth Descendant of Ahrak was an outstanding dark mage, but had made one mistake.

That mistake was attaching to the carriage too late.

The rough movement and the stop for rest that the Ninth had imagined were actually proof that they had arrived at Einroguard.

"Senior Diret, how about taking this box of cloth to the Black Dark Hall? Professor Mortum will be pleased as well."

"Junior. That is a good idea. The professor happened to be looking for cloth like this."

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