Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

-Those cowardly lackeys of the Empire are trying to break through the gate!

-Noble ones, assemble! Those vermin dare try to steal what is ours!

'They're still fighting?'

Lee Han turned his gaze in surprise at the shouts of the vampire dead.

It seemed the evil-god worshiper priests he had been forced to offer up as sacrifices earlier were attempting to break through the fortress gate.

"How did they make it all the way to the gate? The fortress's offensive power didn't seem ordinary..."

-The bastard leading those evil-god worshipers is quite skilled. Well, I suppose you'd have to be at least that capable to rise through the ranks of an Order.

This fortress was by no means an easy place to deal with.

It might be ruined and broken down now, fallen far from its former glory, but had it not once been used as a strategic stronghold by the vampire rebels at their peak?

Even the weakened dead could unleash terrifyingly powerful attacks simply by drawing in the corrupted mana raging throughout this fortress.

And yet with such a small force, they had not only reached the gate but were even attempting to break through it.

-No. Skill aside, they seem angry.

"What?"

-Those evil-god worshipers didn't come here because of any personal grudge. They came because of a contract and a deal. And yet if they're still refusing to retreat and charging in like that...

The hamster analyzed the situation coolly.

Someone at the level of an evil-god worshiper bishop could not survive by acting on madness alone. People like that normally got weeded out while they were still priests.

In a situation like this, retreat should have been the tactically correct decision, yet they were still trying to force their way through.

This clearly went beyond mere ability. They were emotionally enraged.

Extremely enraged, at that.

"I see. Evil-god worshipers hate one another, after all. Did Sanguros's power anger them?"

-What are you talking about? If they're angry, it's because of you.

"???"

Lee Han was flustered.

Of course, he had sold out the evil-god worshipers outside, but that had been unavoidable.

More importantly, there was no way they could know about that.

"Why would they be angry at me?"

-Because the bastard who just stood back and watched while they fought outside the marshlands quietly slipped into the fortress.

"......"

From the perspective of the evil-god worshipers led by the bishop, Lee Han himself was the very definition of suspicious.

He had merely watched them fight the dead, then slipped into the fortress first the moment it appeared.

From the evil-god worshipers' point of view, it would hardly be strange if they misunderstood the situation as, 'There's something inside the fortress, and that mage is trying to monopolize it.'

Lee Han lamented such an absurd misunderstanding. As expected, wicked people were so greedy that even their misunderstandings were self-serving.

"This is ridiculous. I only wanted to know what Professor Bagreg was like during his school days."

-...?

The hamster tilted its head.

Hadn't they come because of the fortress's magic?

Why were the professor's school days...

-...You bastard!!!!

'Ah.'

Lee Han realized that the hamster had finally figured it out.

The truth was, Lee Han had never been all that interested in the ancient magic to begin with.

-■■■■■■■! ■■■!!

'Good thing I don't know the language.'

Perhaps because it was so worked up, the hamster began spewing curses mixed with ancient languages and regional dialects.

Considering the difference in weight class was enough that a single grape thrown by Lee Han could make it stagger, it usually restrained itself to some degree, so judging by this reaction, it must have been genuinely furious.

Lee Han pondered briefly at the sight.

Had he lied too cunningly?

'No. I didn't lie. If the hamster had shown even a little interest in Professor Bagreg, it would've realized much sooner.'

In the end, the magical criminal's own wicked indifference had come back to stab it.

Having finished rationalizing his actions, Lee Han headed toward the upper levels. Once the hamster saw the magic, its anger would disappear anyway.

-You! You're the kinsman who informed us that the enemies outside were invading!

"N—"

Lee Han tried to deny it, but the dead had already made up their minds.

-Tell us everything you know about their weaknesses!

The dead gathered near the gate radiated such threatening and savage force that Lee Han had no choice but to blurt something out.

"They are wicked people who worship Frahgal!"

-So that's what they are! Understood! They're running wild because they trust in their regenerative power. Bring poison! Ruin their regeneration completely!

'Oh.'

Lee Han had tossed out the information thinking there was no way something like that would actually help, but the dead were more competent than expected.

Despite having lost most of their memories, they came up with an astonishingly effective strategy the moment they learned the enemy's identity.

If the enemy used regeneration as a weapon, they could bind them down with poison and curses that disrupted it.

"...Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I'll just head upstairs."

Lee Han gave up cleanly.

He felt a little bad for the people outside, but this really could not be helped.

There was nothing he could do right now, was there?

-......

Even in the middle of its anger, the hamster stared at Lee Han with eyes full of shock and horror.

This...

'Is he carrying some apocalyptic fate on his back?'

Watching every villain who became entangled with him suffer misfortune was enough to send chills down the hamster's spine.

The most terrifying part was that this happened even when Lee Han had not intended it.

What had just happened could never have been planned.

It was clearly nothing more than pure improvisation.

How in the world?

"Have you calmed down, by any chance?"

-...Y-yes.

Without realizing it, the hamster's attitude became slightly more polite.

Instinctive fear had made it so.

A pure herald of the apocalypse, completely unrelated to whether his magical level was high or low!

'Has he really calmed down?'

Lee Han was slightly suspicious inwardly.

Someone who had been shrieking at him suddenly becoming calm only made it harder to trust.

Surely he wasn't trying to show that he was sulking like this?

'He's not Gainando. He can't be that childish at his age.'

***

The battle at the gate had grown even fiercer than before, but Lee Han encountered no resistance at all as he moved through the upper levels of the fortress.

Occasionally, powerful vampire royal guards appeared, recognized Lee Han, and spoke.

-You're the kinsman who reported the intruders. The elders are above.

"...Th-thank you."

-Your honorable devotion when the traitors appeared will never be forgotten.

"I'm... pretty honorable. Right."

Lee Han made his way upward so smoothly that he began to wonder whether this was really all right.

At that moment, Lee Han's expression changed. The hamster also stiffened belatedly.

'The mana is different!'

This was dense, pure mana, entirely unlike the countless varieties of polluted and filthy mana raging through the fortress.

Because the area had been completely sealed off, it could not be sensed from outside, but the moment they entered the upper levels, the presence of that mana became apparent.

For some reason, Lee Han could smell blood in it.

"...Can mana really smell this strongly of blood?"

-A mage with sufficiently sharp senses can read far more than that from mana. Since these are Sanguros worshipers, they probably obtained this mana by offering sacrifices.

With an expression more serious than before, Lee Han slowly walked down the corridor.

The farther he went, the stronger and fouler the presence of the mana became.

-Has the magic still not awakened? Hm?

-It will awaken soon. Wait! Wait with faith, I said. Surely you aren't going to act like some fool who betrays us merely because a few lackeys of the Imperial Army are sniffing around?

-You dare insult me like that? Watch your tongue!

Lee Han did not know their Houses or their names, but he could tell that they were among the highest-ranking figures of the western vampire Houses.

These heads of Houses wore the most valuable and powerful ceremonial garments Lee Han had seen anywhere in the domain so far. Beyond mere enchantments, the garments were imbued with Sanguros's blessing to a horrifying degree. Such a blessing would have been difficult to obtain with ordinary sacrifices.

"...Ahem. Ahem."

Lee Han cleared his throat, but the heads of Houses did not pay him the slightest attention. Their attitude was as though only they and the magic existed in the entire world.

Whatever happened outside the fortress, even if an intruder stood beside them clearing his throat, none of it mattered in the slightest.

-They're completely bewitched by the magic.

"Bewitched by magic...?"

-Mages aren't the only ones who become bewitched by magic. Even those who have nothing to do with magic can become enthralled by it.

The sight before the hamster was not particularly unfamiliar.

How many mages had there been who studied magic only to be devoured by it? There were countless magical criminals who had clung desperately to magic until they disappeared, even as their own bodies burned away.

-I wondered what made them think they could challenge the Empire. So they had something like this.

When their evil-god faith and criminal activities were exposed, the vampire Houses of the western Empire had chosen rebellion instead of admitting guilt and cooperating.

At the time, it had seemed they had simply gone mad to the marrow, but looking at things now, it appeared they had possessed something they believed in after all.

They had been preparing a great magic by borrowing the power of an evil god.

And not just any great magic, but one powerful enough to enthrall the heads of several influential Houses into believing, 'Once this is completed, we can turn the tide of the war'!

-What kind of magic is it? Touch it a little. I need to see how it reacts.

The hamster pleaded desperately with Lee Han.

Nothing excited a mage more than unidentified magic.

Yet while the magic these vampire heads of Houses were preparing was pure and enormous in power, the hamster could not even begin to guess what kind of magic it was.

Because the magic was being carried out through the power of an evil god rather than ordinary magical formulas, it could not read it.

I knew it would interest you. An ancient demon is imprisoned within this magic.

Sanguros's voice boomed through the area. Even at their master's words, the heads of Houses merely continued staring blankly at the magic.

The hamster excitedly asked back.

-An ancient demon?! What demon? Is it one whose name I would know?

Wahahaha... Yes, yes! A demon that would shock you if you knew. What do you think would happen if you melted that demon down and devoured it?

-Melt it down and devour it? That's absurd! There's no way that's possible!

The hamster shouted as though having a fit.

Yet mixed into that shout was a mage's desperate plea for Sanguros to somehow explain it in a way the hamster could accept.

How could a mortal possibly absorb the power of a great demon?

Their soul would burst apart.

It is possible! It is possible with the power of a being that surpasses gods! Do you know how many sacrifices are contained within this?

-I-I see! The souls of those sacrificed in the west are being used as reagents... Is it evolving itself!?

The hamster cried out in an entranced voice, forgetting even the situation around it.

It was an utterly fascinating concept.

The hamster had thought this was merely the childish rebellion of foolish vampires, never imagining that such captivating ancient magic had been hidden within it.

If enough souls were offered as sacrifices, even a mortal could evolve and expand their soul.

The same was true no matter how powerful the demon was. If they continued offering sacrifices and raising the output, eventually even such a demon would melt away.

Which head of House had prepared this ancient magic and how deeply Sanguros had been involved no longer mattered. The hamster's entire body heated up with excitement as it shouted.

-We absolutely cannot leave that to those dead!

Hahahaha... There is no need to worry. I am a generous god. I know how to bestow gifts upon those who serve and respect me. Mortal, sweep these dead into the magic and complete it. I shall grant you the completed magic!

-!!!!

The hamster felt as though its heart might stop from excitement.

To think that accidentally earning the favor of this corrupted evil god would return to them as such a priceless opportunity.

It was regrettable that the hamster itself would not be able to obtain that power, but it felt that merely witnessing the completion of this magic with its own eyes would be enough.

-Sweep them in! Hurry! Before the evil god changes its mind!

Before the hamster had even finished speaking, an enormous amount of mana surged out from Lee Han. The hamster nodded excitedly.

'He realized how important this magic is too!'

But something was strange.

For it to be Lee Han's mana, there was far too much power of lightning...?

Rumble!

Before long, the power of the Lightning Duke Perkuntra was shaking the surroundings. The hamster was bewildered.

-Why are you summoning a spirit like that just to deal with a bunch of witless fools?

At that moment, the hamster's eyes met Lee Han's.

Within the mage's gaze, the presence of another being was already wavering.

Mahuda, the hunter demon summoned forth from the Bracelet of Ten Thousand Demons, was assisting Lee Han.

At the sight, the hamster felt the worst sense of foreboding it had ever experienced.

That was absolutely not the attitude of a mage trying to obtain the magic.

No way...

No way...?!

The lightning spear was completed.

-It is the Lightning Spear of Subduing Demons and Annihilating Evil!

Perkuntra and Mahuda shouted in a warlike chorus.

The two beings instinctively understood the situation.

Rather than annoying the mage with pointless questions, they would simply cooperate!

"Throw!"

Lee Han did not even give the hamster a chance to persuade him. He brought out his most powerful great magic and drove it straight in.

At that horrifying destruction, the hamster and Sanguros screamed at the same time.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!