Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Unable to keep watching the professors' ugly quarrel from the side, Lee Han spoke.

"Can't you just ask me?"

"That would not be right."

Professor Voladi once again brought out the perfectly reasonable argument.

When evaluating a student's magic, one could not rely solely on the testimony of the person involved.

A relatively accurate assessment was only possible after securing testimony from objective third parties whose abilities had been proven.

Lee Han pretended not to see Professor Kirmin adding the middle finger of his other hand behind his friend's back and continued speaking.

"I don't think asking the Principal is any more appropriate when you've run away."

"Why?"

Professor Voladi asked back, genuinely puzzled.

Just because a professor had run away, the Principal would refuse to share information about the state of education?

That would be irresponsible behavior as the lord of Einroguard.

The Skull Principal Professor Voladi knew would clearly separate public matters from private ones and send a proper reply.

-Normally, it's probably because people don't send letters after running away...

One of the knights muttered.

All sorts of madmen had swarmed throughout Einroguard's long history, but among them there had never been anyone who ran away and then sent a letter asking how things were going.

"Should we just tell Professor Voladi to send the letter?"

There was a hint of sincerity in Lee Han's words.

He wanted the Skull Principal to experience the absurdity the group was feeling right now as well.

-I would not particularly recommend it. Unlike you, successor, our master would not become angry merely because a letter like that arrived.

Rather, given the Skull Principal's personality, the Principal might even add things Lee Han did not want Professor Voladi to know before replying.

Hearing that sent a chill down Lee Han's spine.

"As expected, you knights are seasoned veterans who have been through every kind of hardship. You are far wiser than I am!"

-I'm not sure why that's what you suddenly realized from this conversation... Well, thank you for the compliment.

Despite receiving praise, the Death Knights reacted awkwardly.

They would have felt proud if they had been praised after cutting off a monster's head in a single stroke or sharply seeing through an enemy's trap, but being praised after telling someone not to send a letter to the Skull Principal felt rather awkward.

Just what did the successor usually think of them?

While Lee Han chatted with the knights, Professor Kirmin conveyed what had happened as briefly and simply as possible.

"During the northern commission, Wardanaz met dark mages, and in the process made a contract with the Devil Hag..."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Who told you to run away? The dark mages invited Wardanaz. The Descendants of Ahrak and..."

Professor Voladi shook the head. Those conditions did not particularly appeal.

"I don't like it."

"Legion of Oondorgu."

"Even less."

"I'm not explaining this so you can choose, so shut up."

Perhaps Professor Kirmin's sincerity got through, because Professor Voladi fell silent.

The report progressed quickly, and before long they had reached the subject of the midterms.

"Professor Thunderwalk unfortunately suffered quite a shock."

Professor Voladi stared at the friend.

The gaze seemed to ask why Professor Kirmin was talking about something neither important nor interesting.

Professor Kirmin had been acting prickly and curt, but even the professor admitted the mistake this time.

"True, this isn't very important. I don't know why I mentioned it either."

"When do you intend to talk about transformation magic?"

"Wait a little. I'm getting to it now."

-......

The knights felt deep sympathy for Professor Thunderwalk.

These young professors really were too much.

***

"About transforming into a dragon..."

"Professor. Now that things have come to this, we have to keep pressing them without giving them a chance to breathe. Sir Langbern's subordinates may not have realized the truth, but if things like this keep happening, a sharp enemy might become suspicious."

"Understood. But about transforming into a dragon..."

"Please tell us the list of enemies you are currently targeting, Professor. We'll all join forces and defeat them!"

"......"

After arriving at the hideout, Professor Voladi stared straight through the disciple. In the past, Lee Han would have immediately tucked his tail between his legs, but recently he had trained his shamelessness considerably.

He stared seriously at his master as though he had absolutely no idea what the problem was.

"It would be better to refrain from transforming into a dragon."

'Ah.'

But Professor Voladi was still one step ahead.

The professor pierced through the disciple's tiny lapse in vigilance and immediately threw out the lesson. Lee Han realized that, intoxicated by his sense of victory, he had exposed an opening between one breath and the next.

'I should've kept interrupting without stopping.'

"Your mana should be fine, but the burden in other respects is considerable."

"I know. Unless I'm facing a powerful enemy, or unless I need the physical abilities, I don't intend to transform unnecessarily either."

At present, the advantage Lee Han gained when transforming into a dragon was overwhelming physical ability.

The destructive power that came from a body dozens of times larger, and the defensive ability unique to the race as well.

He still could not make use of the various Authorities dragons could wield. That was only natural, since even dragons trained for decades to master such difficult Authorities.

Therefore, unless he needed mass and defensive ability, there was no particular reason to transform into a dragon.

Unless, perhaps, it was to surprise a powerful enemy.

'He doesn't mean Voladi when he says "powerful enemy," does he.'

Professor Kirmin thought inwardly.

No matter how Professor Kirmin looked at it, there was a feeling that the "powerful enemy" Lee Han meant was not an evil-god worshiper, but Voladi.

Surely not?

-This hideout has not yet been exposed to outsiders, but even so, there is no benefit in taking our time. Professor Bagreg. Tell us the target.

The hideout the group had currently reached was originally an external hideout used by the Death Knights.

Since these knights spent more time traveling outside the academy than inside it, they naturally maintained numerous communication networks and hideouts throughout the Empire. Problems could not be solved by strength alone.

Such hideouts had their security checked periodically and their locations changed. Even if nothing in particular was wrong, the knights never let down their guard.

Since this hideout had been used this time, they would undoubtedly replace it before long.

'What an incredible waste.'

Lee Han thought inwardly.

The two-story building near the city gate looked as though a considerable amount of money had gone into it at a glance.

More than anything, it was extremely difficult to place numerous spells inside while making the building appear from the outside as though no magic had been cast on it.

That required preparations far subtler than those used for the conspicuous mansions of mages.

And they replaced this every time they used it.

Could the reason the Skull Principal was always complaining that there was no money possibly be...

"The next target is the mage Enster."

The mage named Enster belonged to the summoning magic school, and among its members was particularly skilled at constructing small and medium-sized golems, earning considerable fame in the city of Alquie.

There were even mages from regions outside the west who knew the name, so the mage's skill had to be considered unquestionable.

Amrek, who had been attending the meeting and listening closely, cried out in great surprise.

"The mage Enster... Could there perhaps be some mistake?!"

The reason this knight of the Crescentless Night Knight Order was surprised was because of Enster's usual behavior.

Of course, Sir Langbern had been shocking as well, but at least that man had shown a few suspicious traits, living in seclusion and avoiding contact.

In comparison, the mage Enster actively interacted with other mages and never hesitated to share his knowledge.

Nor was Enster generous only toward mages. The fact that the city's beggars frequently visited the workshop was enough to show how generous the mage was.

Professor Voladi did not become angry at the young knight's objection and explained indifferently.

"It is a disguise."

"A disguise... you say?"

Those formerly connected to Sanguros were all people who excelled at hiding themselves.

Those who did not had been captured and punished during the subjugation.

Enster's current life was a kind of mask, and behind it hid a sinister mage who secretly made use of the knowledge and power received from Sanguros.

"Enster sacrifices victims as offerings and transforms them into combat golems."

"......"

Amrek shuddered.

No matter how vast an area the knight order was responsible for, making gaps inevitable, to think someone like this had been operating right under their noses.

Amrek found himself reflecting anew.

"B-but... how did you find that out?"

Once the reflection ended, curiosity came next.

How had this professor uncovered a mage's secret that even the knights had failed to discover?

"I heard it from a demon Enster recently contracted."

"????"

Amrek doubted his ears.

He heard it from a demon?

"A demon would tell you something like that...?"

Demons were not friendly respondents. If they obediently answered whenever asked, why would demons have earned such a terrible reputation?

"They tend to."

Professor Kirmin hurriedly changed the subject. The professor had a rough idea what method the friend had used.

Professor Voladi had probably captured the demon and physically ripped out the information contained within it.

"There is a secret art used only at Einroguard. Hahaha."

"...Ah! I understand!"

Even though Professor Kirmin had thrown out complete nonsense, Amrek looked at Lee Han as though everything suddenly made sense.

Professor Kirmin became even more flustered by that reaction.

What exactly did Amrek understand?

"I heard about it from my younger sibling! Wardanaz here persuaded a demon and made it serve like a servant! Was that the secret art?!"

Now that a story from the past that had never made sense had finally been explained, Amrek's eyes shone with realization.

"......"

"......"

Of course, Professor Kirmin and Lee Han lowered their heads with grim expressions.

Lee Han ground his teeth inwardly.

'Bartreck, you bastard...!'

If Bartreck was already this bad, Lee Han could not even imagine how many false rumors the White Tiger Tower students had spread after returning to their respective houses.

-The fact that Enster is still alive suggests greater caution than Langbern possessed.

One of the Death Knights spoke quietly.

Sir Langbern's greatest mistake had been refusing to give up fame, wealth, and luxury despite the crimes committed in the past.

With a past like that, the man should have fled beyond the western reaches of the Empire into the distant seas, or beyond the eastern mountain range, and never returned. Instead, the arrogant bastard had settled elsewhere within the Empire and put on airs like some dignified noble.

It was arrogance worthy of death.

Compared to that, the mage Enster had been somewhat more cautious.

Enster neither strutted around like a noble nor suspiciously secluded himself, and...

-Is the workshop well defended?

Professor Voladi nodded. The knights clicked their tongues.

-Then there are probably several escape routes too. Mages who are good at running away are always troublesome for exactly this reason.

"Very true."

Lee Han agreed enthusiastically.

Professor Kirmin felt there was something pointed in that remark, but said nothing.

-Shall we hear the successor's opinion first? Does anything come to mind? It does not have to be a complete plan.

Amrek did not listen all that closely.

The knight knew Wardanaz was an outstanding mage, but wasn't he still only a second-year?

Coming up with a way to attack a fortified mage's workshop was something a knight like Amrek had to do.

'To make him lower his guard or lure him outside...'

"Mm, I can issue limited orders to some other evil-god worshipers. If we send them in, I think the target might lower his guard somewhat."

Crash!

Amrek toppled backward while still seated.

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