Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 979

Chapter 979

Though the mad doppelganger had never changed his expression no matter what happened, he seemed not to have expected this kind of reaction from the students.

The students in the lecture hall, who started with applause, grew increasingly passionate.

"Let's erect a statue of the principal's doppelganger!"

"Remember this day! Today is when Saint Gonadaltes vanquished the evil Verduus..."

Thud!

"Noisy."

"Ah. Yes."

The students came to their senses immediately as if cold water had been poured on them.

Though their hearts might burn passionately because the principal had hung Professor Verduus upside down, they could cool their heads immediately.

That was what Einroguard students were like.

"Let me go! Gonadaltes!"

"Who gave you permission to address royalty like that?"

"What? No... You originally allowed it!"

The mad doppelganger didn't torture Professor Verduus.

Even in ancient times, there were mages like this. And even then, torture was of little use.

There was a different way of teaching for such mages.

Crack!

The mad doppelganger destroyed the artifact Professor Verduus had been working on.

Professor Verduus's eyes shook uncontrollably at such a shocking sight.

He looked like a beaver whose wooden dam had collapsed.

"Wh-wh-what are you doing!!!"

"You still haven't learned manners."

The mad doppelganger indifferently took out Professor Verduus's next artifact.

Crunch!

When the staff split right there, Professor Verduus let out a shrill scream.

It had taken the cooperation of 23 mages and 6 years to complete that staff!

The sight of the wailing beaver mixed-blood would have softened even the heart of the student most colored by hatred. However, the mad doppelganger didn't stop.

Yi-Han felt anew that the other was an ancient great mage.

No matter how much of an eccentric professor Professor Verduus was at Einroguard, he couldn't surpass an ancient great mage who had survived through cruel times.

"I-I was wrong! I was wrong!"

After two more artifacts were smashed, Professor Verduus finally realized manners.

At that sight, the mad doppelganger slowly nodded.

"Don't dare try to forget etiquette. One who teaches disciples must also be mindful of their own dignity."

Professor Verduus just wailed loudly instead of answering. Then the mad doppelganger immediately took out the next artifact.

"I won't forget! I won't forget!"

"There is no second chance. Mage. Remember that. And... what was the teaching just now?"

"D-didn't you teach like this in ancient times?"

Professor Verduus blinked while watching the mad doppelganger's reaction.

Yi-Han, listening from behind, also thought inwardly.

'That's right?'

Come to think of it, he seemed to have heard that they taught this way in ancient times.

Not the master spoon-feeding the disciple, but the disciple directly seeing and stealing the master's mysteries.

And occasionally they would kill each other too...

Crack!

"Nooooooooo!"

The mad doppelganger immediately destroyed the next artifact. Professor Verduus wailed miserably.

"You dare insult royalty? Which ancient mage taught in such a way?"

"W-wasn't that how it was?"

When Yi-Han spoke unconsciously, the mad doppelganger whipped his head around.

His gaze showed he could hardly believe his disciple had spouted such nonsense.

"Even if one learns by stealing rather than relying on the master's teachings, there are limits, how can a master who only cares about their own work so selfishly be showing what a master should?"

'...That's true!'

The students unconsciously agreed.

Come to think of it, because they didn't know much about ancient times, they seemed to have fallen too easily for the saying 'they learned like this in ancient times.'

Ancient times were still times when people lived, so how could they have taught so strangely?

No matter how harsh and severe the teaching was, even in ancient times, they didn't call it teaching when a master abandoned their disciples and only did their own work.

"That's not a disciple but a servant and slave. Mage, are you saying you treated royalty's disciple like a servant?"

"N-no, I didn't treat him like a servant... I treated him very well...!"

Professor Verduus answered while shaking his head back and forth.

Of course, the mad doppelganger didn't believe it. He asked while looking at the other students.

"How did that mage treat royalty's disciple?"

"He worked him the hardest among the students here."

Sigunting answered immediately.

Even if it was their school's professor, enchantment magic school students told the truth.

Crack!

"When did I!!"

When another artifact was smashed, Professor Verduus cried out tearfully.

However, Sigunting didn't even blink.

Unlike students from other schools, enchantment magic school students were prepared to stay calm whether Professor Verduus wailed or not.

"Swear here. Mage."

"Wh-what?"

The mad doppelganger didn't bother to explain. He took out the next artifact again.

When one more was destroyed, Professor Verduus started shouting whatever came to mind.

"I-I won't run away after receiving investment in gold coins! No? I won't ignore clients' contact and make things arbitrarily! Th-this isn't it either? I... I won't ignore students' work?"

Crack, crack, crack!

"Professor. Hang in there! You're doing well!"

"I don't know! Help me!"

Professor Verduus desperately called his kind and reliable disciple.

However, even Yi-Han couldn't help. How could he tell him with the mad doppelganger watching with cold eyes?

"Just a bit more in that direction!"

"I... I won't say it out loud even if students seem like idiots and blockheads?"

"No. That should be said, mage."

The mad doppelganger pointed out.

If they seemed like idiots and blockheads, that should be told. Professor Verduus fell into confusion.

This wasn't it?

"Think about what you usually don't do, Professor!"

"Uh, uh... Rest? Replying to letters? Making exams?"

Crack!

"..."

"I'll look after students like I look after artifacts! Is this wrong too?!"

Finally, the smashing of artifacts stopped. Professor Verduus wailed.

To think his works were being destroyed because of such idiots!

"Stop crying and prepare to teach again. I won't forgive you if you do like before."

"B-but Gonadaltes... nim."

Verduus was about to call him as usual but came to his senses and added 'nim'.

"What is it?"

"How... should I teach?"

"..."

When the mad doppelganger looked at him with eyes full of contempt, Professor Verduus wept profusely, begging him not to destroy the remaining artifacts.

  *

Fortunately, the mad doppelganger didn't destroy the remaining artifacts.

Instead, he stepped up to conduct the lecture himself while keeping Professor Verduus hanging.

Yi-Han was impressed.

'Amazing.'

The mad doppelganger didn't like teaching people he hadn't acknowledged as disciples.

How many harsh... no, severe tests had Yi-Han gone through before being acknowledged as a disciple.

Yet now the mad doppelganger was teaching students unrelated to him, even if temporarily.

He had clearly judged that it would be better to step up himself rather than whip Professor Verduus into being a good teacher.

To think he would make even the mad doppelganger give up.

'Professor. Though you lost, you actually won.'

Yi-Han inwardly paid his respects.

Of course, it wasn't at all pleasant for Professor Verduus hanging upside down.

"Leave my artifacts alone! Leave them alone!"

When students rushed over to divide up the broken artifact remains, Professor Verduus shouted in a miserable voice.

How many death threats from sponsors and investors had he endured to gather the materials for those artifacts.

"Shut up. Before I break more."

"..."

Professor Verduus closed his mouth with a gloomy face.

The hanging students cheerfully gathered the remains regardless. They would be very valuable help for completing their staves.

"Senior. Why do you keep looking at Professor Verduus?"

Yi-Han wondered why Barglius, who was beside him, kept glancing at the hanging professor.

Could there be some problem with the seal holding the professor?

"Ah. Sorry. It just feels good no matter how many times I look."

"...I-I see."

  *

"I got it."

"...Got what?"

Direth, who had been holding a rice ball in one hand and a quill in the other while bending her face almost onto the desk, raised her head at her friend's voice.

Though it was unpleasant to see her following her to the workshop to ponder 'why does the junior only listen to you and not me?', she was still a friend.

"Direth, you have dark-colored hair. The junior from the Wardanaz family also has dark-colored hair."

"...You're not just lumping it together as 'dark-colored' because you can't remember it's black, are you?"

"But my hair is silver. The difference might be why he doesn't listen."

"Indeed. What an amazing discovery. You should definitely present it to the imperial society."

Direth responded listlessly.

She really wanted to share this 'hair color compatibility' theory with the divination magic school.

They would be jumping for joy.

"...Are you being sarcastic?"

"Of course I'm being sarcastic!"

Direth shouted as if dumbfounded. Yukbeltire's eyes widened in shock.

"Why? Why would you, Direth, not just some insignificant mage?"

"...Ah. Fine. I'll just tell you."

When her friend looked at her with innocent eyes, Direth softened.

Yukbeltire nodded lightly as if to say she would forgive her in that case.

"Direth. Though you're sometimes rude and waste a lot of time, you still have the firm advantage of knowing how to reflect."

"..."

Direth put away the quill she had just broken and took out a new one.

Then she said.

"There's the <Staff Materials and Magic Amplification> lecture today, right? Go help the professor and teach the juniors."

"Why?"

"...Can't you just do what I say for once?"

"I've always listened to your requests, Direth."

Direth had to take out another new quill.

Maintaining her expression with patience no mage could show, the top disciple of Einroguard's dark magic school opened her mouth.

"Now. Listen carefully, Yukbeltire. Juniors respect seniors who teach them magic."

"I've already taught them before."

"...Substituting lectures when the professor was absent doesn't count because you did it forcibly. And you need to help much more often than you think."

"Did you do that too, Direth?"

"Yes!"

"Why did you do such a thing? Everyone would have been more comfortable if you hadn't."

Yukbeltire criticized her friend's actions.

Because Direth alone had shown such kindness, other seniors had to give more teaching than average to win the juniors' favor.

"...If you're upset, you do it too. Go win their favor."

"Hmm."

Yukbeltire pondered for a moment.

Then she shook her head.

"No. I won't."

Snap!

Direth put away the quill far away. She couldn't break any more.

"Why?"

"Professor Verduus is in charge of today's lecture. Considering that I take over lectures when he's usually absent, I can't waste such an opportunity as today."

When Professor Verduus emptied the lecture hall, Yukbeltire was the one who had to go in and teach instead.

She didn't want to waste the precious time when Professor Verduus was actually in the lecture hall.

Of course, this was nonsense to Direth.

'You're here talking nonsense to me right now...'

"There's a lot to learn while teaching juniors too."

"No. I thought about it, and there's nothing new to learn while helping with the <Staff Materials and Magic Amplification> lecture."

"Hey. Get out."

Direth was about to issue an expulsion order to avoid hitting her friend.

Just then, a junior entered the workshop.

"Senior!!! Do you know what happened today!? You'll be surprised when you hear!"

"Ogoldos. I'm sorry, but reagents disappearing is more common than you..."

"The principal's doppelganger beat up Professor Verduus and taught the lecture instead!"

"!?!"

Direth was truly surprised.

However, she couldn't compare to Yukbeltire. Yukbeltire spoke with an expression full of shock.

"Why didn't they call me?"

"..."