Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1034

Chapter 1034

"Don't glare at me like that. Here."

When their junior glared, the Great Artist pulled out a small silver chest from the air.

Beautiful geometric patterns decorated the surface of the silver box. Yi-Han, who enjoyed reading the economics section of imperial newspapers, immediately guessed its price.

'Are they going to give something worthy of being stored in that as a gift? If so, that item likely has quite high value too. Surely they wouldn't play a trick by putting junk in such a box... But they're also from Einroguard. Quite possible.'

Not knowing Yi-Han was having dozens of quick and rude thoughts in less than a second, the artist held out the entire silver chest.

"A gift."

"...Pardon?"

"Though they're just works I made to pass time, they should fetch quite a price. It must be hard to get money when secretly leaving Einroguard, so bury these somewhere and use them as travel money. Don't let that bastard find out."

Various ornaments filled the open silver chest. Ornaments the artist had crafted themselves.

Though not masterpieces that would leave their names in imperial history, they were works that would be welcomed at any noble auction.

Yi-Han shouted passionately.

"This unworthy junior has finally opened his eyes meeting Senior today! How could I ever repay this grace!"

"Th-that much...? Calm down."

The gratitude was enough to make even the Great Artist recoil.

-Where is that one? Tell me!-

"?"

The sound of arguing came from outside.

Shouts and fighting, cries as if searching for someone...

At first Yi-Han thought the skull principal had come, but that wasn't it. The skull principal wasn't someone who would attack so noisily.

"Could the professors have exploded?"

"No... Garcia and Boladi aren't ones to do that."

The Great Artist immediately denied it.

Though those evil and vile juniors had submitted to power and become the skull principal's minions, they weren't ones to cause such a commotion so rudely.

Rather...

"Oh dear. It's Ram of the Garihi family."

"Garihi family... aren't they knights?"

"Right."

The Great Artist drew the scene outside on the stone wall.

A large knight with flaming red hair could be seen harassing Petroguard students.

-Where is he!-

-I-I don't know what you're talking about...-

-Shut up! I came knowing everything. You vile spellchanting rabble. Hand him over right now!-

"How dare he?"

Since blood is thicker than water, Yi-Han was enraged at the other's rude behavior.

It was different when a knight came to a magic school territory and committed rudeness.

Einroguard students could make a mess visiting Baldurguard territory, but knights couldn't do that.

"As someone from a knight family, he should know propriety and manners, yet to do such things. I must go stop him right now!"

"...Wait a moment."

The Great Artist quickly grabbed the end of their junior's cloak.

The wise great mage full of mystery shown earlier was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a familiar atmosphere seen somewhere before.

This was...

'...Professor Verduus!'

More precisely, it felt similar to Professor Verduus when caught after resisting and not doing work ordered by the skull principal.

It made no sense.

Why would such a kind, friendly and considerate senior of the skull principal's school give off Professor Verduus's atmosphere?

"What's wrong?"

"Well... you see..."

The Great Artist hesitated slightly, not wanting to show an unsightly appearance before the school's youngest.

"Actually I have a contract with that knight and that's a bit... an unexpected situation arose..."

"...Don't tell me you promised to give works but didn't?!"

Yi-Han was shocked.

Why were enchantment school mages like this both inside and outside Einroguard?

  *

"Hmm."

"..."

"Hmmm."

"..."

"Hmmmm..."

"Ah! Get lost!"

Gainando finally exploded.

It was because of Bunarjo constantly going "Hmm" "Hmmm" "Hmmmm" behind him while he was drawing.

If he didn't like it he should just say it's bad, why keep doing that?

"The drawing is quite good. Have you drawn a lot?"

"...What?!"

Gainando was startled by the other's praise.

Honestly, the drawing before him now wasn't particularly excellent even to Gainando's eyes.

Coming from a wealthy family, Gainando had seen quite a few masterpieces in passing, and naturally felt the difference between such paintings and his own.

"This is good?"

Gainando sent a suspicious look.

'Does this fellow actually know nothing?'

"Of course the technique is terrible. But I can feel the sincere emotion contained within. Is it a beautiful moon spirit swimming in a night pond?"

"It's my awesome undead summon walking out of a poison swamp."

"Indeed. So that's why I felt resentment."

'This fellow really seems to know nothing.'

Though Gainando's gaze deepened with suspicion, Bunarjo paid no mind.

The senior Petroguard student didn't much care about such looks.

"Especially this purple. It's mysterious... how did you make this color? What guild's paint did you buy?"

"Uh... well..."

Gainando was flustered at the sudden question.

And looking around, he lowered his voice.

"Shh! Others can't know."

"A secret? That's fine. Everyone has secrets. Especially with such good paint. I was just curious how you made such a nice color. I'll definitely keep the secret."

At the other's words, Gainando pondered for a while then opened his mouth.

"Well... I made the color using poison from the graveyard that handles poison insects."

There was a reason for Gainando's hesitation.

Last year when drawing patterns on his cloak, he had secretly taken dark magic reagents from near the Dark Chamber to use as dye.

Of course when Yi-Han caught him, he was beaten like a storm.

-Don't! Mix! Elements! Of! Unknown! Composition! Recklessly!-

-Ack! Aack! Sorry! Sorry!-

"Poison! Amazing...!"

Bunarjo looked at Gainando with a surprised expression.

"D-don't tell anyone."

"Tell? Of course not. More importantly, there is someone respectable at Einroguard after all."

"Respectable?"

"You boldly threw off restrictions for the beauty you desired."

"That's normal at Einroguard."

Bunarjo ignored this as if not hearing. Instead he asked about another part of the drawing.

"Is this blue also...?"

"...That's made by grinding blue bones into pigment. Really can't tell about this? They said I'd have to throw it away if caught."

"I understand. I understand. Gainando... I'll remember your name. Complete the rest. It will surely become a good work."

"Wait! Then did I pass the test? Tell me about the Great Artist before you go!"

About to nod and return to brushwork, Gainando belatedly came to his senses and called the other.

"Ah. The Artist. Well, a mage like you wouldn't be bad to meet once. They are a great enchantment mage and excellent artist."

"Weaknesses?"

Gainando asked directly, since if they needed to rescue Yi-Han, they needed to know weaknesses first.

"There are no weaknesses."

"Don't lie. There must be some."

Boom!

While they were talking, a large knight appeared.

The moment they saw that knight, Gainando and Bunarjo strongly recalled the color red.

That's how red everything about him was.

Flaming red hair. Crimson eyes, armor and cloak dyed red...

"I am Ram of the Garihi family. A knight of the Fire Watch."

"H-hello?"

Ram looked around with beast-like movements.

Then nodded seeing the drawing Gainando was working on.

"Quite good. A beautiful moon spirit swimming in a night pond?"

"No... it's my awesome undead summon walking out of a poison swamp."

"Indeed. Choosing ambiguous depiction as expected of someone from Petroguard."

"No...!"

Gainando was about to jump up and down at the insulting words.

But the other jumped first. The knight spoke in a growling voice.

"I heard someone called 'the Artist' came here, do you know where they are?"

"...I don't know?"

"You're lying. You two were just talking about them!"

The knight's final words exploded in volume and overwhelmed them like a hammer.

Threatened, Gainando reacted like an Einroguard student.

"Everyone!!!"

Thwack!

As paralysis and blinding poison burst like mist at close range, Ram realized his mistake.

He had let his guard down, not expecting to lose initiative to a weak Petroguard student.

"Who dares?!"

Einroguard friends working nearby came rushing.

Though Gainando was a troublemaker, he was an Einroguard troublemaker.

Since blood is thicker than water, his friends immediately unleashed fierce attacks on the knight in front of Gainando.

"Earth, bind his feet!"

"Light deceives the eyes..."

"H-how dare...! I am Ram of the Garihi family, of the Fire Watch. You fools! Do you know what you're doing?!"

Ram roared, swelling with anger.

The Einroguard students paused.

"...We're from Baldurguard! Come find us anytime if you want revenge!"

"Hey. Run! Run!"

"Anyone have smoke potions?"

The Einroguard students quickly withdrew like the wind, taking Gainando with them.

Ram, who had enhanced his body with mana, drove out the poison, tore through the illusion magic, and shattered the magic binding his ankles and wrists.

"Ugh! Why are Baldurguard bastards here..."

If he had been less excited, he might have noticed the magic flew suspiciously fast and precise for Baldurguard graduates, but the knight was too excited to feel the dissonance.

Instead of chasing the vanished mages, Ram grabbed another nearby student.

"Where is that one? Tell me!"

  *

"...I absolutely didn't delay on purpose. Please don't think of me like someone like Verduus?"

Even as they spoke, the Great Artist felt themselves sinking deeper into a quagmire.

The feeling of being despised by the school's youngest!

Though the skull principal enjoyed being despised by his disciples, the artist absolutely did not.

"Believe me!"

"I believe in you, Senior."

"...!"

The artist felt tears welling up behind their mask.

He was too kind a disciple for the skull principal.

How did the skull principal get such a disciple not once but twice...

Boom boom boom boom boom!

-Senior! Senior!-

An urgent voice was heard from outside. It was Professor Garcia's voice.

"...Wait. I'll open it."

The artist gave up and opened the door.

Now that uninvited guests had come, they couldn't keep being stubborn.

"There's a knight outside now, what's going on?!"

"Well..."

Before Professor Garcia and Professor Boladi, the Great Artist repeated the story from earlier.

Though embarrassing, it couldn't be helped. These juniors were old enough to know what they needed to know anyway.

"I absolutely didn't delay on purpose..."

"I believe you, Senior."

"...!!!"

At Professor Garcia's words, the artist felt even thicker tears welling up than before.

To show such trust even though they had tormented her calling her a traitor.

"Thank y..."

"Then excuse us! Yi-Han can't get involved!"

Professor Garcia quickly pulled Yi-Han and threw him to Professor Boladi.

Whoosh!

Professor Boladi put his disciple on his shoulder then escaped through the wall. Professor Garcia also quickly escaped via space magic following behind.

Regardless of their trust in their senior, they couldn't leave their disciple in a place where fighting would soon break out.

"..."

The Great Artist could only bitterly admire their juniors' growth.