Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

"I really wish that mage would stop moving."

"I agree."

At present, five members of the knight order had collapsed from exhaustion while tracking that mage.

That was what came of continuously chasing a mage who never stopped moving.

And that was despite the fact that they had taken turns tracking the target in shifts!

"If we lose the target this time, we probably won't be able to pursue like this again."

Even being able to follow this closely right now was only possible because luck had been on the knight order's side.

The method chosen by the Crescentless Night Knight Order after receiving Lee Han's request was the orthodox approach of overwhelming the problem with manpower.

The knights rapidly traveled through every city and village in the west, personally checking every place where travelers might stay.

Of course, they did not beat people up while shouting, 'Suspicious bastards, come out!' like Lee Han had. They merely identified and sorted out travelers who showed even the slightest incongruity in their mana.

After that, they organized the identities of those travelers, used the knight order's communication network and connections to determine whether those identities were genuine, and then personally began tailing every ambiguous individual whose identity could not be verified.

There was a reason descriptions of the Crescentless Night Knight Order always mentioned that its knights could ride without rest from the farthest edge of the western coast all the way to the Nightmare Marshlands. These were knights capable of carrying out the simplest method with terrifying persistence.

Once they caught onto someone, escape was impossible.

Even with such abilities, however, luck had played the greater role in allowing them to locate an Einroguard professor.

An unexpectedly large brawl had broken out at the tavern where the professor was staying, and because of it, the professor's otherwise perfect disguise magic had revealed the faintest trace.

From that point onward, the Crescentless Night Knight Order had desperately pursued the professor without rest. When five knights collapsed from exhaustion, a sixth knight took over the pursuit.

'If only we could somehow attach a tracking method to the target. The problem is, the professor is far too sharp...'

"Sir Bak. The mages from Einroguard have arrived."

"Finally!"

Amrek brightened.

He had already been wishing for the help of reliable mages, and they had arrived before it was too late.

The Crescentless Night Knight Order's own mages were highly skilled, but Amrek could not help feeling uneasy about having them deal with an Einroguard professor.

"Let them in! Quickly!"

Lee Han, Professor Kirmin, Ibinta, and two Death Knights came crowding upstairs.

The knights, instinctively realizing what the Death Knights were, looked at them with a mixture of respect and fear.

"Could you perhaps be..."

-You are thinking correctly, little ones.

"I-it is an honor to meet you. Is the person beside you also a knight?"

-Ah. That one's a slave.

Ibinta's face twisted.

Was it not bad enough that he had suddenly been dragged out here? Did they really have to humiliate him in front of people too?

"Excuse me?"

-A proper pursuit party usually has at least one slave to handle the unpleasant work...

"Enough. Please wait outside for a moment. We need to talk."

Lee Han shoved the Death Knights outside. Since they were the Skull Principal's subordinates, Lee Han was worried that the plan to track Professor Voladi might leak.

The knights, realizing his intention, were deeply hurt.

-You do not trust us?

-There is no need to resemble our master even in that degree of thoroughness...

Once not only the Death Knights but also the Crescentless Night knights had gone outside, Professor Kirmin cast a shielding spell.

Lee Han first intended to thank Amrek. No matter how close Lee Han was with Amrek's younger sibling, doing something like this was truly...

"Tha—"

"You're Wardanaz? Thank you! Truly!"

Amrek pulled Lee Han into a crushing embrace. Lee Han was slightly taken aback by the dwarf's powerful hug.

"Excuse me?"

"Thanks to you, Bartreck didn't fail! Thank you so much!"

"......"

"......"

Lee Han and Professor Kirmin immediately understood the situation. Embarrassed, Lee Han hurriedly replied.

"Bartreck would have done well enough without my..."

"Do not say things you do not mean. Neither you nor anyone in the Bak family would believe that. Even the professor over there probably thinks the same thing."

'Ah.'

Professor Kirmin was about to deny it, only to realize the response had come slightly too late.

To sound sincere, the professor should have denied it immediately...

"Let us leave the thanks at that. We have work to discuss. Professor Bagreg, was it? That professor truly never stops moving."

Lee Han and Professor Kirmin each received a copy of the knight order's report.

Amrek fixed his gaze once more on the street beneath the window and asked.

"Professor, what would you like us to do? Shall we go and deliver a message?"

"You said you have been tracking Professor Bagreg for more than a day?"

A faint crease appeared between Professor Kirmin's brows.

"Yes. But we rotated the personnel regularly..."

"Then Professor Bagreg has already noticed. Wardanaz. Your professor is obviously trying to use the knight order for something. We should move first."

Professor Kirmin spoke decisively. Lee Han was surprised, but Amrek was even more shocked.

The target had already noticed their pursuit?

"That cannot possibly..."

"For now, please trust us and help. Do you have a list of famous people in this city who are difficult to approach casually and are located relatively nearby?"

Though bewildered, Amrek supported the mage's bizarre behavior like the seasoned knight he was.

It was hardly unusual for mages to do incomprehensible things. That would be even more true of mages from Einroguard.

"We do have a list the knight order prepared, but..."

"Give it to me. Among these people, whose shadow of death hangs the darkest?"

Professor Kirmin cut across a palm and scattered blood over the list. The blood writhed and gathered over a single name.

"Sir Langbern. From the western city of Alquie. Race, vampire. This must be the one. Wardanaz, let us go meet your master!"

The professor lightly wrapped magical cloth around the wound that had not yet closed and gestured. The bewildered Amrek fired off questions one after another, enough that Lee Han did not even need to ask them himself.

"Are you saying Sir Langbern is in danger right now?"

"He is probably an old surviving member of the Sanguros Order. Professor Bagreg is currently going around assassinating the remnants of evil-god worshipers."

"Sir Langbern?!"

Amrek could not hide his astonishment.

Sir Langbern possessed a character as respectable as the considerable wealth he owned.

Unfortunately, he was not sociable and spent most of his time quietly at home, but whenever he did make an appearance, nobles of various cities and wealthy merchants were desperate to befriend him.

He was a man with almost none of the dirty rumors that most nobles tended to accumulate at least a few of...

-Sir Bak! The mercenaries at the Cut Moon Inn are suddenly moving!

At the shout from the knights below, Amrek quickly looked outside.

Just as reported, the wandering mercenaries who had been staying at the inn were suddenly pouring out and moving together for some reason.

Why, when they had already paid for their lodging?

"Do not be fooled by those mercenaries. It is probably that bastard's trick anyway. Let us go straight to Sir Langbern's mansion!"

Professor Kirmin practically flew down the stairs. Looking at that murderous back, Amrek asked in bewilderment.

"Are those two perhaps mortal enemies? Should we be careful in advance?"

"...Amazingly enough, they are friends!"

***

Provoking wandering mercenaries was not especially difficult. All one had to do was say that a knight order seemed to be pursuing them, and any mercenary would leap to their feet and run.

It was exceedingly rare for a wandering mercenary to have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about.

And that was even more true when the pursuer was the renowned Crescentless Night Knight Order.

"They really are knights! Damn it! I knew my dreams had been ominous lately!"

"I should not even set foot in the west for a while. Is this land cursed or something? Last time, some lunatics went around wiping people out...!"

Once the mercenaries confirmed that there really were knights, they cursed and immediately surged in the opposite direction.

They instinctively understood that moving together increased their chances of escaping even if there was an encirclement. Was not the moment the bastard beside you got caught precisely your chance to slip away?

The market vendors who had spread their stalls along the roadside recoiled in shock at the mercenaries' stampede. The mercenaries kept running without stopping.

"East! There's a side gate in the eastern wall we can break through! Once we're out, we can blend into the crowd outside!"

At someone's shout, the mercenaries nodded, convinced that this was indeed the correct choice.

There really was a poorly guarded side gate in the eastern wall, and outside it were plenty of traveling merchants and travelers who had come up along the river, making it an ideal place to disappear.

If necessary, they could steal horses. They could steal a small boat.

A noble mansion suddenly appeared directly in front of the running mercenaries. As they hurriedly prepared to detour around it, someone shouted again.

"Just smash through the gate and run! Do we have time to go around that thing right now?! I can see those Crescentless Night bastards behind us!"

"Break it!"

Cornered mercenaries boldly committed acts they would never normally dare attempt.

They smashed through the main gate and began running through the garden toward the rear wall. The guards inside rushed out in alarm.

"Move! We're not here to rob your house! Stay out of our way and nothing will happen!"

"You lunatic mercenary bastards must have decided you want to die! Do you even know where you are?! Get them!"

The mercenaries trying to escape collided with the guards trying to stop them.

And a single shadow quietly slipped through a fourth-floor window of the mansion.

"A riot by mercenaries?"

"Yes. You need not worry."

The elderly vampire clicked his tongue in displeasure. The head butler apologized once more.

"I will retrain the guards."

"You had better. Taking that much money and putting on a disgraceful display like this. Does that make any sense?"

No answer came.

Vampire Langbern turned with an angry glare at the subordinate's insolent behavior.

But standing behind him was not the head butler.

It was a familiar vampire mage.

Professor Voladi spoke coldly.

"Langbern. A believer of the Sanguros Order. Correct?"

"...!!!"

Langbern felt a fear as though all the blood in his body had suddenly drained away.

And he regretted his complacent order. Why had he sent even the guards on this floor downstairs merely because some beggar mercenaries were making a commotion in the courtyard?

"W-wait. Let us settle this through conversation. I have nothing to do with the Sanguros Order anymore!"

That was sincere.

Long ago, together with other western vampire nobles, Langbern had been intoxicated with the faith, offered all manner of sacrifices, and enjoyed the power it granted. But after the large-scale suppression orders and reprisals that followed, he had abandoned the Sanguros faith long ago.

"Your wealth?"

"W-what?"

It was a short question, but the extremely tense Langbern immediately understood the implication.

Langbern's current wealth consisted of treasures granted to him in return for offerings made to Sanguros.

"I-I will donate all of it to others. Will that suffice?"

"Your reputation?"

"...I-I will confess the reason for that as well."

He had to bite his lip in humiliation, but there was no other choice.

What could possibly matter more than his life?

Wealth and reputation.

Only by surrendering everything he had received from Sanguros would he have even the slightest chance of surviving.

"Will that suffice? Hm?"

Professor Voladi gave a brief shake of the head. Then the professor extended a hand and pointed at him.

It meant there was still one thing left.

"What? What are..."

Langbern stared in confusion before belatedly realizing.

Wealth and reputation were not the only things he had received from Sanguros. His youth and vitality had also been granted as part of the reward.

"B-but I cannot return that! It is my blood! Are you planning to drain every drop of blood from my body? Hm?"

The other vampire nodded without the slightest hesitation. Flames of rage erupted in Langbern's eyes.

"You fucking bloodsucker! In the old days, a vampire from some insignificant house like yours would never even have dared look me in the—!"

The words went no further.

The last thing Langbern saw before losing consciousness was his own headless torso spraying blood.

'I should have made sure to kill every last one of them back then...'

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