Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1019

Chapter 1019

Yi-Han was confused.

The skull principal's words came completely out of nowhere.

"What does Professor Bagrak's arrival have to do with me not being here?"

-There's... quite a connection.-

As he spoke, the skull principal glared at the great mage beside him once more. The imperial great mage who had given birth to Yukbeltire and Adenart bowed her head deeply while fidgeting anxiously.

-As you know, Professor Boladi tends to be needlessly overprotective, doesn't he?-

"What???!"

At these utterly absurd words, Yi-Han almost blurted out "What nonsense is this?"

If not for the surrounding gazes, he really would have said that.

To say Professor Boladi overprotects people.

Though he had been moved when Professor Boladi took his side as his disciple during the last incident, there were some truths in the world that couldn't be yielded.

-Though Lady Erindarbell invited with perfectly precise calculations, if Professor Boladi heard about it, he might misunderstand. There's no need to needlessly worry him, right?-

'Something seems strange.'

Yi-Han felt an odd sense of dissonance as an Einroguard student and the skull principal's current star disciple.

Some evil scheme seemed to be hiding.

"Excellent. No need for unnecessary additional teachings. The more of those, the greater the risk of going berserk."

The evil god worshipper elf quickly answered.

From the elf's perspective, he wanted Yi-Han to live as relaxed and stable a life as possible rather than receiving more teachings and growing by stimulating Professor Boladi.

He was already a dangerous enough monster now.

-...Who is this reasonably speaking fellow who seems like an evil god worshipper? He doesn't seem to be from the exploration team?-

At the skull principal's natural question, the team members immediately answered.

"He is an evil god worshipper."

"A Ksaksarigol Order worshipper who surrendered and was captured himself."

-Those madmen? Why? Ah. I see. So if Wardanaz goes berserk, it becomes hard to divine various things?-

The skull principal guessed why the other was chattering beside Yi-Han even before hearing the report.

From the perspective of a fanatic obsessed with divination, his unpredictable disciple must have seemed like a monster that could tear apart divination at any time.

"That's right. You mage. Stop fattening the monster. If the Great Prophet's divination goes wrong, the world falls into chaos."

The elf, truly like a madman, delivered stern admonishment without being intimidated even before the skull principal.

Wasn't all this chaos born because the skull principal raised his disciple too strongly?

Of course, the skull principal didn't even pretend to listen.

-What right does a youngster who doesn't even know what chaos is have to preach? Get lost.-

With a popping sound, the elf disappeared. Yi-Han guessed where the other had gone.

'One more prisoner added to the deep punishment room.'

-Since long ago, those fellows just babble nonsense about staying still without being any help... Anyway, do you understand? You were never here today.-

"Ah, yes. I understand."

Yi-Han nodded for now. The skull principal, having finished preparations, brought out new great magic.

For a moment, the darkness characteristic of liches that the skull principal carried around disappeared and transformed into sacred light.

That light started as a halo but instantly filled the surroundings and completely filled the deep realm erosion space below.

-Fire Birth Samadhi!-

With the skull principal's declaration, the light transformed into flames. Amazingly, though transformed, those flames still maintained the properties of light.

Among the team members, those who could use magic watched the unique world without breathing. It was a sublime sight that no mage could dare turn their eyes from.

Yi-Han, also watching, felt familiarity in the power the light emitted.

'Gate of Nine Mountains and Eight Seas!'

The light emitted from the edge of realms.

The same power could be felt from these radiant flames sweeping the surroundings.

The skull principal nodded slightly at his disciple's reaction and explained.

-Since you visited the Yaksha's palace, you must have seen this light before. Yes. This is the eternal truth's flame light that only the enlightened can summon.-

The unique world became light and flame and burned everything. Even the spider monsters that had been charging without any fear until now seemed to realize something was different and tried to hastily retreat underground.

However, the radiant flames didn't stop and raised fierce waves. Even the complex obstacles made of walls, ceilings, and waterways couldn't block the waves. The waves surged violently, penetrating obstacles and incinerating enemies.

-This fire is my enlightenment. Put your enlightenment in your fire.-

"Thank you."

Though he wouldn't have understood what that meant before, now that he had stepped into small worlds, he could vaguely understand what the skull principal was trying to convey.

Even with small worlds that could be shared between mages, their manifestation varied greatly depending on individual mages.

If even small worlds, which adapted oneself to a completed world, were like this, unique worlds that required directly creating and expanding one's own world had to be considered impossible to imitate another's magic.

That must be why the skull principal specifically told him.

Instead of needlessly imitating this great magic's power, create his own magic.

-You're thankful?-

"Pardon? Yes."

-Then you really were never here today.-

"...Tell me honestly. Why are you doing this?"

  *

Jinon, successor of the Malachite Magic Tower, had an outstanding and clever mind.

As such, it didn't take him long to realize the letters had been switched.

-Hello. I came after receiving Lady Erindarbell's letter...-

-Welcome. Are you an Einroguard student?-

-No.-

-I see. Please look around these artifacts, and choose what you like... Wait. Did you say no?-

-I'm from the Malachite Magic Tower.-

-I can't understand this at all! The great mage clearly talked about an Einroguard student. How did this happen?-

-Hmm. I think she might have used the expression 'Einroguard student' to mean artifacts that good...-

-Ah! I understand. Could the letters have been switched?-

-!!!!!-

Jinon with his outstanding and clever mind hurried back.

If the letters were switched, wouldn't the unknown Einroguard student be participating in the high-difficulty exploration instead of Jinon by now?

-This is terrible! It seems the letters were switched. We must move to the exploration team immediately.-

-Hoho. No need to worry.-

-Pardon? Why ever...-

Despite their successor's pale reaction, the Malachite Magic Tower mages maintained composure.

-Think about it, Jinon. If an Einroguard student went to the exploration team with a wrongly received letter, would the team have accepted them so easily?-

-...Ah!-

-If that happened, they would have noticed long ago and contacted our tower. The switched letter probably only arrived here.-

At the mages' advice, Jinon was able to regain composure.

Indeed, the experienced Malachite Magic Tower mages had a much broader perspective than Jinon who still lacked experience.

-Thank you! My thinking was narrow.-

-Hoho. Not at all. Young blood is naturally like that.-

-What's going on?-

-Ah, Professor Bagrak!-

In the middle of warmly conversing with the mages, Jinon discovered a welcome guest.

It was Professor Boladi, an important client and reliable friend of the Malachite Magic Tower.

-It's nothing. The letters were switched, and I worried needlessly.-

-Hmm.-

Professor Boladi read the switched letter once, then read it again.

Then after carefully reading it one more final time, he immediately created and sent off a paper bird.

-I must go.-

-You mean to the exploration team? If that's the case, let's go together! Since we're involved, we'd feel bad letting you go alone...-

However, before the words even finished, Professor Boladi was already moving far away.

The Malachite Magic Tower mages wondered at this sight.

Even if an Einroguard student received the letter, there shouldn't be any possibility they joined the exploration team, so why was he hurrying like that?

  *

"!"

Arriving at the outskirts of the capital, Professor Boladi paused seeing the exploration team outside.

Though ordinary mages would have wondered why the team had come out already, Professor Boladi, befitting an outstanding combat mage, checked the most suspicious point first.

As he had worried, his disciple was mixed in among the exploration team. The only fortunate thing was that he was fine.

-Professor Boladi! What a coincidence! Hahaha! I've been roaming the capital with this admirable disciple. Then we heard about a monster from the void and rushed to help.-

"...Should I just explain?"

-Shh. Be quiet.-

The skull principal signaled his disciple to be quiet.

Though Yi-Han hadn't noticed the letters were switched, he roughly guessed the situation.

'He wants to hide that I participated in the exploration.'

Honestly, it didn't seem like Professor Boladi would be surprised hearing about it (rather, he might even one-up it by saying he would send him to dangerous places too), but generally there was nothing bad about being careful.

If Professor Boladi got fired up with competitiveness, wouldn't he be the only one to lose?

Alcicle asked as if not understanding.

"Why has Professor Bagrak come?"

-It's because Professor Bagrak cherishes his disciple. Stop asking. It's not like I'm flattering him.-

"No, what flattery..."

Boom!

Jinon arrived one step later than Professor Boladi. Releasing acceleration and enhancement magic, Jinon shouted.

"Professor! There's no need to hurry so... Wait, why is everyone out here?"

"Why did you come from the Malachite Magic Tower?"

Alcicle, understanding even less, asked first.

The kind-looking successor of the Malachite Magic Tower answered with slight embarrassment.

"Actually, the letters were switched."

"...Switched?"

Jinon explained what had happened. While doing so, he added words as if relieved.

"But it seems everything was fine. Though Professor Bagrak was worried enough to visit personally like this, I believed in the exploration team members! How could those gathered here have let a student mage participate in a dangerous exploration? That's nonsense even for an Einroguard graduate."

"..."

"..."

The faces of the team members including Alcicle instantly drained of blood and turned pale.

Yi-Han, who belatedly grasped the situation, also made a sour expression.

So now...

'No. There are too many people to curse, I don't know who to curse first.'

Should he curse the great mage Erindarbell who was hanging her head, or the skull principal who boasted it would be fine without directly reading the letter, or Alcicle who grabbed his hand saying "Oh Wardanaz? Let's go together!"...

"Wait. Are you Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family? The one all the tower mages are interested in?"

"Ah. Yes, that's right."

"What a coincidence! Come to think of it, though Lady Erindarbell takes care of later scholars, there wouldn't be many Einroguard students she would write separate letters for! This is truly fortunate. If you had mistakenly participated in the exploration, how much would the mages from our tower and other towers have resented us?"

......

The skull principal shook his head at the sight of Erindarbell who was sweating profusely.

He looked like his anger was softening even as he tried to be angry.