Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 978

Chapter 978

"Hmm!"

When wisdom failed right at the start, the golem senior groaned.

To think this would happen right after saying to rely on wisdom instead of magic.

He already wanted to rely on magic.

'No. There's no answer if we try to solve this with magic.'

If it had been a weak divination like last time, they might have somehow turned the direction of misfortune with a few prohibitions, but it was impossible in the current situation.

If they tried to twist this with magic, it might result in bizarre prohibitions like the junior having to transform into a dragon and walk only on his left front paw without being discovered by any mage and never opening his mouth.

"...Wait. You contracted with a star?"

The golem senior, who had been pondering, suddenly became startled.

He had missed it because his wisdom was blocked, but this wasn't something to just pass over.

The junior sighed deeply again and said.

"Senior. Is that important right n..."

"This is important!"

This time, the golem senior didn't let it pass.

No matter how threatening a future one saw, there were things that needed to be addressed.

For a mere 2nd year junior to have contracted with a star!

"What star did you contract with?"

"Guest star Arna."

"Indeed!"

The golem senior nodded calmly. Yi-Han was somewhat impressed by this.

'As expected of a 4th year. He's not surprised by something like this.'

When Yi-Han had found out what this star was, he had rolled around in frustration, but indeed, a senior was different in some way.

"Indeed."

"?"

Yi-Han felt something off about his senior repeating what he had said like a broken record.

When he cast his gaze down, he noticed the distance between him and his senior had already widened. It was an impressively stealthy backward movement.

"Indeed..."

"Senior. You're not trying to escape, are you?"

"N-no."

However, the golem senior's eyes were wandering far away, searching for Professor Parsellet.

Originally, such a vicious fortune should have been handled by the professor!

'I'm still lacking. I should have fled when the professor sensed danger and collapsed.'

The golem senior finally realized wisdom.

True wisdom lay in pretending to be crazy and collapsing.

Of course, Yi-Han didn't let his senior escape. He quickly ran over and grabbed him.

"Senior. The dangers about guest star Arna are actually quite exaggerated. Many of the records are old, so many are lost and many are exaggerated."

"If what remains after being lost is this much, it doesn't seem like exagger..."

"If you don't help me, I'll come every day."

"Junior. I'll do my best to squeeze out wisdom. Please trust me!"

The golem senior looked back at the picture in horror.

More dangerous than interpreting the prophecy of a junior who had contracted with Arna was having that junior come every day.

"Now. Let's see... You're wearing a crown. A crown usually symbolizes victory and glory, power and authority, immortality. In my opinion, you might win the confrontation and grasp power. If it's the principal's power, then the principal of this territory..."

"...This is actually small world magic."

Yi-Han explained in an apologetic voice.

Anyone could see that modest crown was the small world Basilios magic.

"..."

The golem senior looked at Yi-Han with eyes that said 'why are you doing this to me?'

"Interesting."

"!"

Yi-Han jumped at the voice from behind. Befitting a junior trained as a swordsman, the height was extraordinary. The golem senior was amazed seeing Yi-Han jump almost to the ceiling.

'Did he cast enhancement magic?'

"Master, you've come!"

"Your voice is loud. Mind your manners."

"Master, you've come."

"..."

The mad doppelganger narrowed his eyes.

As if judging whether his disciple was being rebellious or not.

Fortunately, the mad doppelganger seemed to judge that Yi-Han was just startled, not acting arrogantly.

"Is this my disciple's prophecy?"

"Yes..."

"Hmm."

The mad doppelganger carefully looked down at the picture drawn with black powder.

The two students exchanged glances without even breathing.

'Senior. If you have any secret magic, you need to bring it out now!'

'If I had such a thing, I would be a professor...!'

"I've seen the picture well. We must be careful."

"Pardon?"

Yi-Han felt simultaneous urges to ask what to be careful about and not to ask.

Perhaps in ancient kingdom times, there was also a custom of preemptively pickling disciples who tried to pickle their masters?

"Time's up. Aren't you moving to the next lecture?"

The mad doppelganger asked while checking the time. Yi-Han nodded with a dazed expression.

"I do have another lecture..."

"Then let's move."

  *

A madman was most frightening when acting normal.

While walking down the corridor with the mad doppelganger, Yi-Han felt deep fear.

The other hadn't said anything.

He didn't make unreasonable complaints like usual, saying "Why are you only doing what royalty ordered about divining from comet movements when you should have completed the small world too?", nor did he get angry saying "How dare you try to face off against royalty?"

He just walked quietly, lost in thought.

That appearance was so unfamiliar that Yi-Han almost forgot they were heading to Professor Verduus's lecture hall.

Normally, he should have been excited and thrilled about the fact that he was going to see Professor Verduus with the mad doppelganger...

"Master?"

"For what reason do you call royalty?"

"You seemed lost in thought."

"...Do you perhaps believe that as a disciple, you must necessarily disturb your master during meditation?"

The mad doppelganger looked at his disciple with a mixture of bewilderment and contempt.

When the familiar gaze returned, Yi-Han let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. I was worried."

"...Have you lost your mind? What nonsensical..."

The mad doppelganger showed confusion as his disciple continued spouting nonsense.

"Oh right. The lecture we're going to now will satisfy you too, Master."

"..."

Whether or not the mad doppelganger was sending gazes questioning his disciple's madness, Yi-Han, now relieved, talked about the lecture.

Originally, Yi-Han didn't need to go attend the <Staff Materials and Magic Amplification> lecture.

He had essentially finished through the final exam by completing his staff, and Professor Verduus didn't care whether Yi-Han came or not. He might not even care if he himself showed up to the lecture.

But Yi-Han moved toward the lecture hall with a pounding heart. He had never felt this happy before.

'To think going to meet Professor Verduus could be this joyful.'

"...You say royalty will be satisfied. Does that mean it's a high-level lecture?"

"Yes! If it's not, you may punish the professor."

"Ha. Disciple, you need to learn humility from the beginning. Overconfidence is not a good habit. Since you've said that, there will be no mercy in royalty's judgment!"

The mad doppelganger scolded his disciple's arrogant boast.

Having said that, there would not be a shred of mercy in the evaluation.

If it didn't meet the standard, that professor would be punished too.

"Great! Professor! I'm here!"

Bang!

Yi-Han burst through the lecture hall door.

The seniors were perplexed by the excitement felt in that voice.

Had they heard wrong?

"Wardanaz, did you perhaps mistake the lecture?"

"Why... does he seem excited?"

"I've always been excited every time I enter this lecture hall."

'He's finally gone mad!'

The seniors were shocked.

Students from other schools judged that the enchantment magic school had finally driven Wardanaz mad.

'Well, it's not strange.'

"Master. Please come in."

"?"

The students looked at the person entering from behind.

Even Professor Verduus, who was looking at his artifact regardless of whether students were in front or Yi-Han had entered, glanced forward due to some inexplicable animal instinct.

And he screamed.

"Eek!"

"?!"

The students were startled when Professor Verduus, who wouldn't notice even if the lecture hall collapsed while focusing on his work, suddenly screamed.

"What's wrong?"

"G-Gonadaltes...!"

"It's his doppelganger, not the principal."

"Ah!"

Professor Verduus let out a heavy sigh with his cute beaver mixed-blood face.

"I thought he came because I was doing the lecture carelessly!"

'So you do know.'

Yi-Han and the students glared at Professor Verduus.

It wasn't just the students who were excited when the skull principal was away from Einroguard. People like Professor Verduus became very happy too.

Normally he would have skimped on lectures while worrying about the punishment room, but now he could proudly skimp on them.

"Wait. If it's the doppelganger, why here?"

Professor Verduus, who had been relieved, belatedly realized something strange.

If it was the mad doppelganger, shouldn't he be kidnapping Wardanaz, why was he wandering around Einroguard lecture halls?

"He wants to observe the lecture."

"Why?"

Professor Verduus asked Yi-Han.

Yi-Han looked at his master.

Then the mad doppelganger cast an icy cold gaze at the professor.

"Does royalty need your permission?"

"Ah, no... Li-listen. Listen all you want."

The mad doppelganger had a difference from Gonadaltes when strictly speaking.

Though Gonadaltes might get angry, he wouldn't kill Verduus, but the mad doppelganger might.

"Then... I'll start the lecture..."

Professor Verduus glanced around cautiously then started touching his artifact again.

The students also silently resumed their staff composition.

"...?"

The mad doppelganger's eyes widened at this novel lecture he hadn't seen even in ancient kingdom times.

What was this?

"Didn't you say this was a lecture?"

"Yes."

"Where is the teaching here?"

"Well, you're supposed to steal by watching the professor's work over there."

"..."

The mad doppelganger was silent for a moment.

Then he immediately swung his hand.

"Eek!"

Professor Verduus leaped as if he had been preparing since seeing the doppelganger.

As an Einroguard professor, one had to prepare for battle the moment they saw Gonadaltes's face.

Click!

The small world Magnum Opus contained in a glass cube necklace was about to activate.

However, the mad doppelganger had anticipated the other's reaction. If he thought a mage of Verduus's level would be easily caught, he wouldn't deserve to be a survivor of ancient times.

"Masterpiece to lead."

With the word command, Professor Verduus's small world was canceled right there.

The beaver mixed-blood's large cute eyes shook with shock. Even if he hadn't prepared his unique world, for his small world to be canceled in one strike like this.

He had grasped the composition of a small world he hadn't even properly seen and cast counter magic.

And with a word command at that!

"Li-Liberum Veto!"

Click!

Professor Verduus squeaked while trying to activate the second small world magic hidden in his boot heel.

It was his second small world and final lifeline prepared against strong enemies like Ragesa.

"Causality shall be reversed."

"!"

Professor Verduus was shocked to see the artifact inscribed with his second small world magic in the other's grasp instead of activating in his own hands.

It had moved as naturally as if it had been the other's treasure from the beginning.

"The criminal shall be imprisoned!"

And Professor Verduus was completely disarmed and hung upside down.

All his artifacts and magic were neutralized and lost their power at once.

"Worm-like fellow."

The mad doppelganger looked at Professor Verduus as if looking at a hamster.

Despite having already committed several acts of irreverence regarding the disciple's escape and other matters, yet being mercifully forgiven, to think he was such a brazen fellow.

"...Wooooooooo!"

"Long live the principal's doppelganger!!!"

The students knocked over desks and chairs, stood up, and applauded. Even the enchantment magic school students slowly clapped.

"...?!"