Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1040

Chapter 1040

While the empire's newly appeared millionaire was conquering auction halls one by one, another mage who had rarely been outmatched in wealth was walking from another direction.

It was Zandanni of the Alzadek family, a 4th year at Baldurguard.

"Senior, aren't you wasting too much?"

"Wasting?"

When his Baldurguard junior who also researched gem magic within the enchantment school spoke worriedly, Zandanni instead questioned back.

Wasting.

Where was there any waste in what Zandanni had done?

"Even so, paying a premium to buy before the auction starts seems too... wasteful..."

"Hahaha."

Zandanni laughed pleasantly.

This junior, who received high evaluations even within Baldurguard, often showed timid behavior despite his outstanding talent.

-B-but with exams tomorrow, shouldn't we study magic instead of hunting?-

-No need to worry. The professor is coming too. Friendship between students is more important than magic.-

Given such a junior, this kind of reaction was understandable too.

Paying large sums through negotiation to buy before auctions started.

From some perspectives, this could be called wasteful.

But it wasn't wasteful at all.

"Because it's more wasteful for a Baldurguard student to enter the auction house and engage in undignified squabbling."

"Yeees..."

The junior trailed off.

Though he seemed to accept it in words, looking closely at his face revealed he hadn't accepted it at all.

'Couldn't we just participate in the auction and save money?'

The junior slightly considered asking other magic school students if he was the strange one.

After all, students from other magic schools didn't seem to buy more expensively like this...

Eastern Gatherer Guild Reagent Auction (Large quantity of rare reagents in stock)

"Oh!"

Having found a decent auction in the hall, Zandanni adjusted his clothes and approached the manager.

"I'll buy in advance...!"

"I apologize."

"?!"

Zandanni was startled.

Something that couldn't be resolved with money?!

"Why? If you're refusing because the amount of gold coins to be paid is too much, look at this crest and reconsider."

"How could I dare doubt the credit of an esteemed person from the Alzadek family?"

The manager hurriedly explained while maintaining politeness.

"It's impossible because someone has already purchased them."

Eastern Gatherer Guild Reagent Auction (Large quantity of rare reagents in stock)

(Completed)

Along with the words, the manager hung up a sign. Only then did Zandanni realize he was one step too late.

"What kind of person dares...!"

"Uh, isn't it okay for others to do it too?"

"Unforgivable!"

Zandanni was genuinely outraged.

His junior was bewildered by this behavior uncharacteristic of someone normally known as a kind person who never got angry no matter what.

"Think about it. What if we can't buy the gems we need because of that person who preempted us?"

"That would be... somewhat annoying but... isn't it unavoidable?"

Ignoring his junior's words, Zandanni moved.

Taking one hit was enough. As a Baldurguard student, he couldn't accept any more defeats on his pride.

However, before long Zandanni had to face frustration again.

"I apologize."

"Another person..."

"Already..."

"Ugh!"

When he did it himself it was so pleasant, but experiencing it in reverse was unbearably infuriating.

Zandanni looked around while stamping his feet.

Beyond pride, it had become a serious problem now.

'I need consumables for second semester.'

Though he usually treated such gems and reagents lightly as cheap things, not being able to secure them at all would be troublesome in its own way.

Even buying through other connections would take time and result in insufficient quantities.

"If we use them sparingly..."

"No! We need plenty!"

Though others called it 'waste', Zandanni didn't realize it.

Past <Ancient Chess Relic Auction>, <Mage Card Trick Item Auction>, <Southern Wine Auction>, <Petroguard Art Exhibition Auction>, <Eastern Rider Guild Mount Auction> and so on, Zandanni desperately searched for gem and reagent focused auctions.

"!!!"

During this, Zandanni stopped and opened his eyes wide.

A flashy flyer had caught his eye.

"Senior! That's Bagni's Red Diamond!"

His junior also shouted in surprise at the fact that a diamond crafted by a mage famous for fire elements hundreds of years ago had appeared.

The moment he saw it, all the miscellaneous gems he had missed were erased from Zandanni's mind.

Must buy that!

"Manager! Manager! I'll buy that! Five times..."

"Five times, you say?"

'I'm not too late!'

"Yes!"

"Please wait a moment."

The manager standing in front of the hall sent a paper bird to someone.

After a while, the manager made a troubled expression.

Zandanni, who had briefly felt victory, felt his heart sink at that expression.

"Wh-why?! What's wrong?"

"There's another person who pre-bid, and they offered ten times the price. I'm sorry. By the rules, that person..."

"Uuugh!"

Zandanni let out a scream from his lungs like an Einroguard student who had failed an exam.

It was so humiliating.

The most painful thing was his own choice of acting stingy and losing!

-Bagni's Red Diamond was already sold? Before the auction even started? The big spenders came early.-

-That's right. From what I heard, a mage from the Wardanaz family bought it.-

-Ah. You mean that 5th year from Einroguard?-

-5th year? Wasn't it 4th year?-

"!!!"

Zandanni had a lightning realization.

There was only one mage from the Wardanaz family who would buy reagents like this here now.

"How frustrating...! If I had known it was the Wardanaz family, I would have acted accordingly!"

If he had known the other was from a great noble family, Zandanni would never have let his guard down.

He would have moved anticipating that tremendous wealth.

'Just wait. I won't lose next time. Even if I have to stake Baldurguard's pride!'

  *

"Got something quite useful!"

Lady Azirmo, no, the Great Artist was quite satisfied.

To think they would get Bagni's Red Diamond here.

Bagni, an outstanding fire mage, used to engrave his magic in gems instead of magic books.

If unlucky it would have already known magic engraved, but if lucky they might get rare unknown magic of Bagni's.

"Let me know by letter after you break it."

"Yes. ...What????"

Yi-Han, particularly mentally hazy today, shouted two beats late.

Do what how?

"Why?"

"Did you say break it?"

"Well of course you have to break it...? Why do you think this gem is red?"

"Isn't it red from the tears of regret shed by people who broke gems?"

Ignoring her youngest junior's nonsense, the artist answered.

"It's difficult to peek at the magic dwelling inside without breaking it. Bagni wasn't such a kind mage to begin with. ...Wait. You're not hesitating to break it because it's precious?"

The artist asked as if finding it unbelievable.

Like when buying gems earlier, this junior's attitude caused some dissonance.

Clearly from Blue Dragon Tower and a great noble family?

"H-h-how could that be?"

"Do you perhaps already have debts?"

The Great Artist sent a suspicious look.

Actually, debt wasn't very surprising for Einroguard mages. After all, one of their professors was among the empire's most notorious debtors.

When desiring some magic but realistically unable to prepare for it, do you take on debt to obtain the magic, or postpone it?

Einroguard mages usually fell into the former category. The more outstanding their ability, the more they would inevitably be tempted by debt.

And thinking of the youngest junior's ability...

"Do you think I'm Professor Verduus? I'm not."

"Your strong denial makes you more suspicious. You have a stingy aspect in strange areas of spending gold."

"With several more years to spend at Einroguard, isn't it stranger to develop wasteful habits?"

Yi-Han's words had a point.

The strict skull principal didn't even leave students from wealthy families alone about bringing wealth as they pleased.

If you developed wasteful habits just because you were wealthy, you would suffer after returning to Einroguard.

However, the artist shook her head.

"If you're worried about that, learn the knack of gathering gold instead of acting miserly. That madman is lenient about what's earned during the semester."

If the artist had two pieces of advice for Einroguard juniors, they would be:

Labor and smuggling.

The latter was hard to advise carelessly as it varied greatly by situation and location, but earning income during semester was possible to advise about.

"Well. I am trying to save diligently in my own way..."

The artist smirked at her junior's cute statement.

How much could a student who had only spent one semester of 2nd year have saved within Einroguard?

"Tell me. I'll give advice after hearing."

"First starting with what I earned during club week, then gold coins earned during break..."

Yi-Han counted the commissions he had steadily done in spare time and their compensation.

Even without including inheritance from the steward Intarendals or silver coins received from friends, the artist's face was colored with shock.

Why was someone who had saved that much acting so poor!?

"I heard we start taking commissions in earnest from second semester, what kind would be good?"

"Hmph. You're already doing well on your own."

"!?"

  *

"How could they grow mandrakes like this in such a short time?"

"I can't believe it. No matter how I think about it, it must be a trick."

"Watch your words. Are you insulting Professor Willow's honor?"

"...That's not it, but even Professor Willow can make mistakes as a person, right?"

Currently the horticulturist club members gathered in the hall had only one question.

What method could possibly grow mandrakes in such a short time?

"Ahrak's Purple Poison?"

"That has limits. It's impossible with that."

"Arkan's Growth Elixir?"

"That would leave traces."

"Dragon's flame?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Why not say ancient mysterious watering can relic instead?"

It was even more painful because even those who prided themselves as plant experts couldn't guess at all.

How painful must it have been for nonsense like dragon's breath to come up as a hypothesis?

"Lady Azirmo will be attending too. She seems interested in the mandrakes."

"Indeed. That makes sense."

The mandrakes that appeared this time were certainly worth taking interest in.

Apart from their effects, such mysterious mandrakes were unprecedented.

"She might know. She's a very outstanding mage after all."

"Indeed...! Good thinking."

Just then they saw the noblewoman entering the hall. The imperial horticulturists greeted her gladly then immediately showered her with questions.

"Welcome, Lady Azirmo! Have you seen these mandrakes?"

"Yes. You came because you heard the rumors?"

"Can you perhaps guess how these were grown?"

"Well? Do you have any guesses?"

The artist tilted her head and asked Yi-Han too.

She thought he might offer a different opinion.

Yi-Han answered without much thought.

"They used dragon's breath to substitute for sunlight and promote growth."

"Stop talking nonsense. Why not say they were grown with an ancient mysterious watering can relic instead."

The artist thoroughly scolded her junior.