Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1032

Chapter 1032

The Einroguard students whispered about magic that was far more abstruse and transcendent than expected.

To transform soulless works into living beings.

Among mages, the particularly dangerous type were those who obsessed over such difficult magic.

When dedicating themselves to demanding magic with their souls entrusted to it, mages would eventually go mad.

"Seems like a mad mage..."

"The Great Artist is not mad!"

Bunarjo flared up.

To insult the artist who had inspired countless Petroguard students like that.

"I had kindly explained since you're from outside...! Hmph! Get lost."

When the previously cooperative Petroguard student got angry, the Einroguard students hurriedly tried to soothe him.

If that Great Artist was really a mad mage, they needed to soothe him and extract information, they couldn't just part like this.

"Ah, no. It's a misunderstanding. You heard wrong. This prince fellow misspoke."

"Right! Why did you say something to cause misunderstanding! Apologize quickly!"

"Ugh. I was wrong. I meant another person when I said mad mage."

"Which other person?"

"Um... our principal?"

"..."

Bunarjo looked dumbfounded at Gainando calling his school principal a mad mage.

"...Fine. I'll accept your apology for now."

"Thank you!"

The Einroguard students brightened.

And immediately got to the main point.

"Then tell us more about the Great Artist."

"If there are weaknesses, tell us those too. They're not preparing magic that needs lots of mana, are they? That would be worrying."

"..."

Bunarjo looked at the Einroguard students with slightly suspicious eyes.

Were they really asking out of genuine curiosity about the Great Artist?

"Suspicious."

"Wh-what are you saying. We just... got interested in art too. Right?"

"R-right. Art! Art good. Wow!"

"Then prove it."

"What?"

"I said prove it."

Bunarjo took out several leather pouches and poured them on the ground.

From painting supplies to sculpting tools, musical instruments, quills and paper needed for poetry or novels, various items were laid out.

"Pick one each and create something. If I feel sincerity, I'll explain about the Great Artist."

"...Can't we resolve this the Einroguard way?"

"Shh. This is Petroguard. Let's not escalate things."

When students not confident in art tried to resolve things with force, other friends urgently stopped them.

"Ugh. I only drew a bit when I was young."

"Tutanta would be better at least. He's good at sculpting after all."

"Don't talk nonsense. I like making practical buildings."

Each grumbled while picking up tools they were somewhat confident in or looked easy.

Yonaire, who had been planning to teach Nillia the flute this time, wondered when Gainando grabbed canvas and brush.

"You know how to draw? Why not just write a short story?"

Of course, even stories written by Gainando would likely be terrible.

Yonaire had already read several times the story Gainando had written and submitted to the imperial mystery magazine before entering school (it was about a prince of noble blood who made all criminals confess just by making eye contact, respected by everyone).

Still, it would be much better than other things...

"No. The twist isn't complete yet."

"R-right. Then are you confident in drawing?"

"No, but can't I just paint roughly?"

Gainando spoke, not knowing Bunarjo was glaring with wide eyes behind him.

Yonaire shook her head.

Gainando was definitely out, and the remaining people somehow needed to create at least one work that would satisfy that picky Petroguard student.

  *

"Senior! Senior!"

Professor Garcia shouted while knocking on the door of the Great Artist's quarters.

She knocked so hard the surface of the surrounding space magic shook. Alcicle thought inwardly.

'She's not using door knocking as an excuse to attack, is she?'

But that probably wasn't it.

If it were that, she would have told Alcicle beforehand too.

...Probably!

Bang!

The door opened and the Great Artist revealed themselves.

Though they were hiding their appearance in completely different attire from when they met before, Garcia could be certain the other was the skull principal's former disciple from their unique atmosphere and movements.

"Ah... No, Senior!"

About to call their name, Professor Garcia quickly changed her words.

The other was a mage who had discarded their name along with their disciple status.

There was no need to needlessly provoke anger by calling their real name.

But Professor Garcia had forgotten one fact.

...That as long as she held the position of professor, anything she said would inevitably go against the other's mood!

"Who's your senior? Get lost!"

Bang!

The Great Artist closed the door then cast eight layers of overlapping space distortion magic on its exterior.

-G-Great Artist..."

Though Professor Garcia belatedly realized and called desperately from outside, the Great Artist ignored her.

"Wasn't that just Professor?"

"Those were traitors."

As if nothing had happened, the Great Artist waved their arm again.

Then the bare walls of the quarters collapsed and turned over, revealing paintings that had been hidden inside.

Though all were covered with black cloth so the contents couldn't be seen, extraordinary power could be felt from inside. They were definitely not ordinary paintings.

"Where was I in explaining?"

"You said you were trying to breathe eternal life into works... is that really possible?"

"You tell me, as the skull principal's disciple and successor. What do you think?"

'They really hold grudges.'

While complaining inwardly, Yi-Han opened his mouth carefully.

"Temporarily... it seems possible to implement through small worlds or unique worlds. With other magic, the process seems too complicated."

Making inanimate objects move like living things was quite possible, but he couldn't even grasp how to link magic to actually breathe temporary life into them.

Rather than that, going with small worlds or unique worlds that twisted the laws themselves seemed much more feasible.

But...

"Still, isn't that far from permanent?"

"Right. Clever. Command magic, small worlds, even unique worlds... whatever method you use, implementing it permanently is difficult. That's why I'm thinking of approaching it differently."

The Great Artist drew a symbol representing human form in the air.

Then drew a symbol representing unique worlds inside it, and a symbol for eternal circulation.

Understanding the meaning, Yi-Han asked in a surprised voice.

"You mean to call forth a unique world inside the work then maintain it continuously?"

"Yes."

"Is that possible?"

If a unique world could be maintained continuously, then that work could really keep living like a being with a soul.

Great magic that twisted laws had such power.

But maintaining a unique world continuously seemed even more distant than breathing life into works.

How?

Yi-Han paused as something occurred to him.

'No way?!'

"You're not going to use my mana...!"

"Using the essence of primitive magic contained in art... What did you just say?"

"Nothing."

Yi-Han cleared his throat while hiding his embarrassment.

'This is all because of Professor Verduus.'

Wasn't it because the professor thought about arbitrarily using students' mana that Yi-Han had fallen into such paranoia?

Not noticing Yi-Han's delusion, the Great Artist continued their explanation.

"Perhaps... mages can't surpass magic's limits because they define those limits too quickly themselves. Like a flea that can't jump higher even after getting out of the glass jar it was trapped in."

"That's not actually true though."

"The truth doesn't matter. Rather, that observation reinforces what I just said."

Though the example was wrong, the Great Artist's words certainly had a point.

Magic as a discipline that twisted reality was inevitably deeply related to mages' will.

If a mage placed the restriction 'this is impossible' deep in their unconscious, the already near-impossible difficulty became even harder.

"Indeed... I lack confidence too so I empathize. Confidence is important when learning magic."

"Right?"

If other friends were present they would have thrown stones asking if he was joking, but the Great Artist fell for it completely.

Because they weren't a professor.

"I'm trying to break through this limit with primitive magic. Though random and uncontrollable, those very characteristics can break through psychological restrictions."

'Though it sounds nonsensical, it's surprisingly plausible.'

The Great Artist's words sounded like saying since it's impossible through normal methods anyway, they would gamble with low probability until it works.

Normally it would be nonsense, but given the goal, there were aspects that felt plausible.

"Indeed... it seems to have some possibility."

"Right?"

Though the Great Artist thoroughly hid themselves with not even a tiny part of skin showing, Yi-Han could feel the other smile for the first time.

"It's an insight gained while escaping through art for a long time. I would never have known if I had stayed under that bastard."

"..."

Yi-Han didn't ask who that bastard was. Instead he changed the subject.

"So what kind of work are you trying to breathe life into? Perhaps an imagined lover?"

Yi-Han asked, recalling the story of a sculptor who wanted to breathe life into the lover he had sculpted.

However, the Great Artist answered incredulously as if asking what nonsense this was.

"Even at Einroguard I never heard such ridiculous nonsense. Why on earth would I pour all this magic and art into creating something like a lover?"

"I-I'm sorry."

Yi-Han felt very embarrassed.

Common sense said that couldn't be it!

'I've read too many fairy tales.'

"You'll be interested too when you see. Look."

The Great Artist waved their arm again.

A song from ancient kingdom times that Yi-Han had heard somewhere played.

At the same time, the cloths covering the paintings revealed earlier disappeared, and sculptures slowly rose from the floor.

Surprisingly, they were all of the skull principal's human form!

"..."

As Yi-Han stared speechlessly in shock, the Great Artist explained as if they had expected this.

"Throw away those ridiculous assumptions you're making right now. You're not thinking I'm doing this work out of respect for that one, are you?"

"Um... I thought you were going to inflict pain for revenge after breathing life into them."

"...What horrible thoughts are you having?!"

The Great Artist was shocked at the school's youngest's cruel ideas.

If you want revenge you should do it to the person themselves, why do such things?

"I haven't prepared all this art and magic out of vengeance. I'm not such a foolish mage. Why do you think the empire's mages grovel before that one?"

"The principal grovels more often..."

As if not expecting Yi-Han's answer in the first place, the Great Artist continued their own words.

"The answer is because that evil one continues the mysterious legitimate line passed down from ancient times. In other words, it means we could escape from that unreasonable tyranny if there were one more person who inherited that mysterious legitimate line. Can you imagine? If there were a mage with the same abilities as that evil great mage, but with a kind and righteous heart?"

"Ah. I've met one."

"...Could you have lost your mind?"