Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 973

Chapter 973

Giving up on her unhelpful friend, Direth turned her attention back to her junior.

Yukbeltire's stubbornness was so strong that it was difficult to break when she reacted like that. It was better to leave her be.

"Sorry. It's unfortunate, but it can't be helped."

"It's fine. What would Senior Yukbeltire know anyway?"

"Ah, no. Yukbeltire knows how to use small worlds too... And she's probably better at explaining than me."

Compared to Direth, who majored in dark magic, Yukbeltire, who majored in enchantment magic, had collected and analyzed various artifacts due to the nature of her specialty.

As a result, she had quite broad knowledge even in magical fields outside her major, so Yukbeltire might be better at advising on the junior's small world magic.

"Nah. That can't be. Senior Direth is the best senior in the empire."

"..."

Touched, Direth slightly turned her head so the junior couldn't see.

It was fortunate they were underground. The darkness would hide the tears forming in her eyes.

"Senior?"

"It's nothing. Go on. What explanation did you hear?"

"Actually, I was advised to enter..."

"Ignore it."

Direth answered immediately.

As expected, beings from other realms were dangerous ones that shouldn't be easily contacted.

How could they spout such nonsense to a junior who was only in his 2nd year without hesitation?

"To say such things. What a dangerous and crazy fellow!"

'Well. The principal did that too.'

More precisely, the principal's doppelganger had done so too.

Yi-Han calmed Direth and asked.

"But shouldn't I know in advance? I might get kidnapped again and not be able to leave until I learn it."

"I want to say not to talk nonsense, but it's sad that I can't deny it..."

She wanted to say who would kidnap someone and not let them go until they learned magic, but the junior had already experienced it once.

Direth gave up and quietly listened.

The explanation of small world Basilios was fascinating and interesting.

An ancient small world magic with a completely different system from the "relatively easy" small worlds that Einroguard upperclassmen were interested in.

Direth, who had been listening intently, unconsciously opened her mouth.

"...Could the condition be that only good people can use it? More precisely, those who dedicate themselves to others..."

Direth was surprisingly sharp, as befitting a 5th year at Einroguard.

The only commonality between the young and kind principal (though unbelievable) and the kind junior was about that much.

"That sounds too far-fetched."

But the foolish junior couldn't accept his senior's wisdom. Direth tilted her head.

"Is that so? That's all I can think of... Don't dismiss it as nonsense, why don't you try experimenting a few times?"

If it had been someone else, they might have told her to stop talking nonsense, but the other party was the empire's best senior.

Yi-Han resolved to try experimenting, if only to express his respect for his senior.

"Alright. I'll try it."

"Qualifications are very important for small worlds. Junior. If you don't have the qualifications, it's impossible to learn it in the first place. It's like a staff that chooses its master..."

"What conditions are needed for <Pentagrammaton> that you learned, Senior?"

At the question, Direth spread out her fingers.

The number five.

"Subjugate five high-ranking demons, and engrave five letters. One demon is sealed per letter. It's magic that calls forth power flowing from those letters as its driving force."

<Pentagrammaton>, which unleashed the limits of magic within the dark mage and at close range and brought about an ascension effect, had qualifications as difficult as its effects.

To subjugate five high-ranking demons and then engrave letters with that subjugation.

"Come to think of it, this might be easier for you, junior..."

"...?!"

Yi-Han's eyes widened at Direth's words without malice.

What on earth did that mean?

"When you meet that Yaksha guy later, tell him this condition and observe his reaction. If it's right... No. Even if it's right, don't rush. Even if you have the qualifications, it's just the beginning."

The crow mixed-blood senior advised seriously.

Even if one met the qualifications and conditions, that was only the beginning.

Just as it took quite a long time for Direth to complete Pentagrammaton even after subjugating demons, the same was likely for her junior.

"I understand. In case the other party tries to attack, threaten, bribe, persuade, and harass me in various ways to speed up magic training. It's dangerous."

"...Y-you're too specific and varied... That's right. That's exactly what I meant."

While the two were conversing, Yukbeltire continued to observe.

To figure out when the crown that had already settled on the junior's head would reveal itself again!

  *

'Hmm.'

Having come up to the surface, Yi-Han was slightly worried if it was right to spend the last remaining time of the weekend like this.

-Wardanaz. Did you come to see us?-

"Ah. Hello, everyone."

The giants guarding near the workshop waved happily when they saw Yi-Han.

-Are you going to see the goat?-

"No. The goat later..."

-Aww! That's disappointing.-

"Let's go see them together next time."

-The baby goat collapsed another cliff! Wardanaz should have seen it too! It was really funny!-

"...Why is that funny?"

-There were other giants on top of the cliff!-

'Well. That would be hard for me to understand.'

Yi-Han quickly gave up and approached the mad doppelganger's workshop.

When he opened the door and entered (he had no particular restrictions as a disciple), he saw a hamster squeaking and running on a wheel in a cage to the side.

"Hello."

The hamster didn't even answer now.

It seemed it didn't want to be involved with not only the mad doppelganger but also his disciple. Feeling slightly sorry, Yi-Han threw some food into the cage.

"Master, are you here?"

"Did you come to ask about the black coffin?"

"Huh? Uh... no."

"Then about small worlds?"

"I do need to ask about small worlds, but... that's not it for now."

"Good. Then which high-level magic are you curious about?"

"That's not it either."

"...Then why did you come?"

Before the master could start cursing, Yi-Han quickly stated his purpose.

"IcametoaskaboutOrichalcum!"

After realizing it wasn't easy to find trustworthy people around him no matter how much he thought about it, Yi-Han chose the fastest and most powerful means.

It was the mad doppelganger.

Surely an honorable ancient royal wouldn't steal his disciple's orichalcum, would he?

"I found some orichalcum."

"Well done. Refine it and use it appropriately."

The mad doppelganger's reaction was quite lukewarm.

Indeed, befitting someone who had scraped together all sorts of wealth and treasures, he didn't make a fuss just hearing the name orichalcum.

It was a dignity clearly distinct from the Einroguard students who came running down with their eyes wide open.

"Could you perhaps help me mine it?"

The mad doppelganger slowly shook his head.

"How disappointing. I trust you're not begging for your master's help because you can't even mine one orichalcum."

"Well, if it were fully formed orichalcum, I could mine it, but I heard some strange things..."

"!"

The mad doppelganger paused.

Could it be?

"You don't mean you've discovered unfinished orichalcum?"

"That's right."

"Why do you act so dull-wittedly? Don't you know that if you don't keep treasures in your grasp, other greedy ones will covet them?"

"..."

Yi-Han was dumbfounded when the mad doppelganger suddenly scolded him for acting so slowly.

He had come right away!

"I came almost immediately after hearing..."

"I don't want to hear it. Move. I need to check for myself."

"Actually, it hasn't been long since I came up from underground, so how about resting for a day or two before going?"

The mad doppelganger silently grabbed one of the disciple's ears and dragged him along. Yi-Han had no choice but to be pulled along.

  *

'Master... might be a genius of mining.'

Yi-Han, who had gone back underground not long after coming up, had a very irreverent thought inwardly.

Even when moving with the enchantment magic school seniors or transformation magic school seniors, Yi-Han hadn't thought it was that uncomfortable.

Because there were so many outstanding mages, most problems were easily solved.

Monsters appearing underground were detected and avoided in advance (sometimes they fought head-on), when there was no path they summoned footholds in mid-air or transformed the surrounding rock, for dark vision problems they used everything from light sources to dark vision...

However, moving with the mad doppelganger made all these things trivial.

Pop!

The mad doppelganger changed the map of the underground mining area with one motion.

The underground rock area, which had been formed as complexly as a maze, writhed and moved, creating a direct passage.

There was no need to find which was a cliff, which was a precipice, and which was a shortcut.

The mad doppelganger simply grasped the area to the destination as if kneading clay, then pierced through it to make a path.

"Let's go."

'...Uh, is this okay for the seniors?'

Yi-Han thought inwardly as he stepped onto the well-polished makeshift passage that didn't match the underground area at all.

This underground area was a place where seniors had been moving for a long time and making their own maps.

But now it seemed the mad doppelganger had just transformed this vicinity for his own convenience...

'I know nothing about this. I know nothing.'

Thanks to this, the travel time was greatly shortened.

The mad doppelganger, who had already memorized the map, nodded.

"It really is here."

"!"

Yi-Han was slightly surprised.

To think it really existed when he had been half in doubt.

"I'm surprised."

"Why is that?"

"Well, the person who told me was quite greedy..."

The mad doppelganger showed a rare sign of satisfaction.

"The answer is simple."

"What is it?"

"Your dignity as a disciple overwhelmed that greedy one."

"..."

Yi-Han didn't think so, but he tactfully held back.

"It's here. Let's go in."

"Master. Actually, a mage who came here first was trapped in the vein...!"

Yi-Han, who was speaking, was startled.

The mad doppelganger had grabbed the back of Yi-Han's neck and pushed him forward.

"Are you finally showing your true colors... No?"

Yi-Han realized he hadn't hit the rock or been trapped inside.

What he thought was solid rock was a disguise created by the orichalcum.

"You seemed to be muttering something just now."

"Your disciple must have spouted nonsense from fatigue. More importantly, wasn't the orichalcum... supposed to repel outsiders?"

"It only repels corrupt and greedy ones."

The mad doppelganger spoke while looking at his disciple.

The disciple answered as if living up to his master's faith.

"Then why me?"

"...Shut your mouth and go get the orichalcum."

Realizing his master was not in a good mood, Yi-Han shut up and moved.

He felt all the surrounding mana and energy moving according to a single will. At the end of that was the orichalcum.

'...It looks more modest than I thought.'

A white ore about the size of a fist, reminiscent of a wildflower, was floating in the air.

Compared to its reputation, the light it emitted wasn't that impressive, so if other people saw it, they might think it was a worthless ore.

"But Master. Is it okay to just touch orichalcum that's been crystallizing here for a long time?"

"It doesn't matter."

'Indeed.'

The mad doppelganger might attack his disciple, but he didn't lie. Yi-Han grabbed the orichalcum with peace of mind.

Indeed, the orichalcum came along obediently without much resistance. Even Yi-Han himself wondered if it should be this easy.

"I've taken it out."

"Don't separate it from your body from now on. It needs to absorb natural mana to be completed."

"..."

While Yi-Han was dumbfounded, the baby basilisk made threatening hissing sounds.