Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1024

Chapter 1024

'Could they have been an outstanding mage?'

Actually, even after hearing Alcicle's explanation, Yi-Han hadn't evaluated this mage very highly.

From being blown away immediately by a water bullet, and by Yi-Han's standards, truly outstanding mages either became liches or easily postponed death with the arcane knowledge of realm travel.

But thinking about it, outstanding mages didn't necessarily have to become liches.

Especially the magic content this mage ghost had just described...

'This is definitely beyond my level.'

Though he knew it was space-time series magic, he couldn't even guess beyond that.

A door that would produce spaces determined by a mage's will. He couldn't even dare attempt it with a small world...

"Huh? Wardanaz?"

Nillia and Yonaire, who were cleaning the potion brewing room and managing leftover reagents, were surprised to see Yi-Han come up.

They had thought he would be solving the problem left by the mage ghost by now?

"What's wrong? Did you solve it already?"

"No. It's too difficult. Seems beyond my level to solve."

"What?!?!"

The two were so surprised they almost dropped empty glass bottles. Nillia caught the bottles with quick movements befitting her Shadow Patrol background.

"Y-you startled me... More importantly, Wardanaz. Aren't you misunderstanding something? Beyond your level to solve?"

"..."

Yi-Han looked at Nillia with a sour expression. However, Yonaire also took Nillia's side.

"That's right, Yi-Han. Don't say you can't do it without trying. You might unexpectedly succeed if you try."

While resolving to have a serious talk with his friends sometime, Yi-Han explained the challenge the mage ghost asked to solve.

"That ghost tried to create infinite possibility spaces determined by will, but it got twisted and became an infinite space labyrinth. At this level, I can't solve it with my abilities."

"..."

"...Wait. But maybe Wardanaz could do it."

Nillia caught herself almost being convinced and whispered to Yonaire.

How many times had thoughts like 'Ah, even Wardanaz really can't solve this' been proven wrong?

Yonaire seemed swayed by those words too as her expression wavered slightly.

"Hey. I can hear everything."

Yi-Han glared at his friends.

  *

'So friendship only amounts to this.'

Yi-Han grumbled while walking, seeing his two friends make absurd statements without even believing him when he just said he couldn't do it.

Looking through the first floor window beside him, he could see Jijel, Dolgyu, and Raphael busily cutting and burning vines.

"Is this enough?"

"No. If we're using it as a training ground, it needs to be wider. We need to clear all the way to there."

"But Moradi... isn't this Wardanaz's villa? Does it need a training ground?"

Raphael asked, wondering why a mage family's mansion garden needed a training ground.

Jijel's face stiffened. Having habitually started making a training ground without much thought, a sore spot had been hit.

"...Wardanaz does swordsmanship too."

"Did he do enough to need a training ground?"

"...He will. And mansions look cool with training grounds."

Jijel looked at Dolgyu with a meaningful glance. It meant help.

"Y-Yi-Han will like seeing a training ground too. Training grounds are cool, right?"

"Is that so? I talked to another Blue Dragon Tower guy before, and he said he hated having crude and rustic training grounds in mansions."

"..."

"..."

Though Raphael had just spoken of his experience, Jijel and Dolgyu's expressions changed drastically.

Is... that so?

Dolgyu, who had trusted his friend and gotten into trouble, urgently whispered.

"Moradi! You said Yi-Han would like it too!"

"Be-be quiet. It's not confirmed yet."

"Come to think of it, it was strange! Yi-Han is from a great noble family, why would we crudely put a training ground in front of the mansion..."

While Dolgyu was anxiously stamping his feet wondering if he had ruined his friend's mansion, Yi-Han walked up and called the three.

"Want help?"

"?!"

The three turned their heads in surprise.

Jijel gestured for Dolgyu and Raphael to move. It was to hide the temporary training ground.

"Wh-what is it, Wardanaz. Done already?"

"No. It was too difficult. Seems beyond my level to solve."

At those words, the three looked at each other.

Then they snickered.

"Yi-Han. Don't say that and go try again. You can definitely do it."

"Right, Wardanaz. Stop whining so much."

At Dolgyu and Raphael's encouragement, Yi-Han smiled and answered together.

"Raphael. Let's have a practice match at the training ground. Dark magic allowed too. Come up, you bastard."

"Ah, no...! Why?! Why just me?!"

"What? What's wrong with practicing?"

Yi-Han was smiling but Raphael could clearly feel killing intent. Jijel inwardly sighed in relief.

He had been about to say something too but Raphael beat him to it.

"Right now there's an infinite labyrinth created because space-creating magic that was supposed to be determined by will got twisted, how am I supposed to solve that? Hm?"

"...Uh, you can't?"

At Raphael's innocent question, Yi-Han nodded.

"You come up. Should we each bring out a golem?"

Knowing his friend had a rare dragon-stone golem rare even at Einroguard, Raphael was terrified.

Dolgyu fidgeted anxiously trying to stop them.

"Yi-Han. Calm down. The training ground isn't finished yet."

"True. Still needs more refining. Want help?"

Yi-Han waved his staff.

Though Yi-Han's confidence wasn't very high compared to his magic ability, he did have firm confidence in some areas.

One of those was such miscellaneous work.

He wouldn't lose easily in a match with any mage!

"...Um, but is a training ground okay?"

At Raphael's question, Yi-Han answered as if asking what nonsense that was.

"Of course it is? Why?"

"For a great noble family mansion?"

"Dolgyu, you've been to our family territory right?"

"I have..."

Dolgyu recalled his past memory.

In the territory there were demons and golems and all sorts of...

...Huh?

'Why was I worried about a training ground?'

Come to think of it, there were many things much more bizarre and grotesque than a training ground in the Wardanaz family territory.

Recalling that, putting just one training ground in a villa mansion suddenly felt completely fine.

"Training grounds are good. Good for sword practice and they look cool."

"I-is that so? Earlier another guy said he hated training grounds..."

"Who?"

"The prince..."

"..."

"..."

"...Gainando hates all facilities except mage card storage rooms. How could you take that at face value?"

At Yi-Han's scolding, Raphael honestly felt wronged.

How was he supposed to distinguish that!

"We'll finish what's left, Yi-Han, you solve that mage ghost first."

"Thanks, Dolgyu."

Yi-Han nodded gratefully at his friend's goodwill.

Watching this, Raphael whispered quietly.

"Anyone want to bet whether Wardanaz can solve it alone after saying that? I bet on 'can'."

"I'll bet on 'can' too."

"Hey. I can hear everything."

  *

Yi-Han moved while grumbling even more than before.

At a clattering sound, he poked his head out to see Gainando, Adenart, and Asan talking in the kitchen they had cleaned earlier.

"I get it."

With an expression saying he understood without asking, Yi-Han called his friends. The friends looked at him startled.

"You were looking for snacks because you're hungry?"

"...N-no?"

Asan answered as if dumbfounded.

He couldn't even guess what basis there was for such words.

Adenart thought inwardly.

He must have said that because of Gainando!

"What? You weren't looking for snacks?"

"There's an artifact storage room upstairs but its connected mana is a bit lacking. We were discussing if we could divert excess mana from the kitchen."

Noble mansions above a certain size usually required magic essentially for their maintenance and operation.

For storage rooms, considerable amounts of mana were needed for various isolation and amplification magic.

"Ah. So that's what it was."

"But Wardanaz. Shouldn't you be solving the ghost's problem now?"

"It was difficult so I came out to get help."

"I see."

"Understood."

"...????"

Adenart was bewildered by Asan and Gainando's indifferent reactions.

"N-no. Is it okay for everyone to be like this when Wardanaz said he couldn't solve it!"

"No... Um... Wardanaz will probably solve it soon after saying that?"

"Right. Yi-Han always solves things right after talking like that."

Yi-Han felt deep betrayal.

Though Asan was one thing, Gainando probably hadn't even digested the sandwich he ate earlier!

Suppressing his anger, Yi-Han explained the problem the mage ghost left. Then Asan and Adenart's expressions became serious.

"No. So Wardanaz saying he couldn't solve it wasn't a joke."

"..."

"...Indeed it's difficult. ...But you say Mother gave this targeting this?"

Adenart felt something strange and tilted her head.

If she gave the mansion as a gift because of this puzzle, wasn't it ultimately a mistake?

"Then it seems she chose wrong..."

"There's meaning in the process of solving it with help too. Haha. Don't judge hastily."

Yi-Han quickly bewitched the princess then changed the subject.

"Anyway, I'm going to get help, can you handle things yourselves? Ah right. Finish the work and make dinner too, Gainando."

"...Wh-what did I do wrong?!"

  *

"Is there really a need to help with temple work after coming all this way? Really now. It would be fine to play a bit."

Alcicle was troubled by the Immortal Phoenix Tower students' request.

The empire was a place where various incidents occurred as vast as its size, and whenever that happened, priests from various temples took the initiative in giving charity.

Though it was good for students to help with temple work in their spare time after coming to the capital, it wasn't like the temples had only been doing this for a day or two.

Since they would be fine without help, wouldn't it be okay for the students to do something for themselves?

"You speak truly. Priests, isn't there anything else you want to do?"

Salko seemed to think the same as he supported Alcicle's words. Siana stared at Salko and asked.

"When I asked for just half a cup of honey last time, you refused so coldly..."

"Th-that was because we needed to use it too. I'm sorry."

Though Black Tortoise Tower had good relations with Immortal Phoenix Tower, they didn't have an endless supply warehouse like Wardanaz.

They couldn't easily give away things that were asked for.

"Why don't you two, Salko and Ratford, go around the capital market with the priests?"

"That's a good idea... Oh, Wardanaz. Did you solve it already?"

At Salko's question, Yi-Han burst out angrily.

"I might not have solved it! Why do you automatically assume I solved it!"

"Ah, no... but you would have solved it, right? Right?"

"I couldn't solve it. I need help. Sir Alcicle."

When Yi-Han tried to explain the situation and get help, Alcicle grinned.

"Wardanaz."

"Even if it's Sir Alcicle, if you say I should just go back and try again, I'll throw you out of the mansion."

When Yi-Han glared and spoke, Alcicle was shocked.

"H-how did you read my inner thoughts!?"

To read someone's, especially a mage's, inner thoughts specifically would require very deep and accurate soul observation even using illusion magic.

Though Wardanaz had genius surpassing Alcicle himself, how could he already!?

"Is it soul magic!?"

"It was just a prediction."

"What? Divination magic?!"

"...Sir Alcicle. Just listen please."

"Okay."

When Yi-Han turned serious, Alcicle became slightly sulky.

'There was no need to get so angry...'