Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 958

Chapter 958

"Hmm. Senior. Niffirg seems angry, will it be alright?"

"It's proof that you're an outstanding ball game player, junior."

Carnela, who was feeding a demon bone to Cerberus, answered immediately without being flustered.

"Pardon?"

"Look at this eager appearance. To soothe a griffin and make it wait for the game. The hearts of the master and mount are in sync. Excellent."

Niffirg clicked his beak with joy.

There was at least one person among these crazy mages who understood Niffirg's feelings.

However, Yi-Han looked at the senior with a sour expression.

'Isn't this person just spouting nonsense because she's crazy about the game?'

No matter how he looked at it, Niffirg seemed angry, yet she insisted he was waiting for the game.

It was something difficult to say unless one was crazy.

Come to think of it, Carnela wasn't a good person to ask such questions.

If he asked, "Can Niffirg not participate?" before the game, wouldn't she be the type to answer, "I'll allow it if you transform into a griffin and participate instead, junior"?

"Junior. Don't think of anything else. When my puppy draws the enemies' attention and breaks through their formation, you just rush in. Got it?"

"If Niffirg doesn't want to run..."

Carnela put her hands on both of Yi-Han's shoulders. Her fingers gripped like hooks on a ship's rail.

But what was truly threatening wasn't her fingers, but her gaze.

Carnela's eyes glittered with madness without blinking. It was a gaze that only Professor Ben, Professor Bol, or Alchemist Yo could show.

"Didn't I just say not to think of anything else? That's exactly the kind of other thought. A completely useless thought. Junior. Your griffin really wants to run. He couldn't run for a while because of the curse. He must have been waiting for the stadium's cheers all this time? Maybe he'll go wild thinking the enemy players are Professor Bungaegor."

"...Yes..."

Overwhelmed, Yi-Han could only nod.

What could one say in front of a crazy person?

"I'm sorry, Niffirg. You can tell me later if you don't want to do it."

Niffirg looked straight ahead with a transcendent expression.

He seemed to have given up expressing emotions rather than be misunderstood.

Please just start quickly!

  *

Before the game started.

Anglago and Salko were thoroughly enjoying the pre-game events from their seats...

...or not.

"That's a gargoyle and... Damn! That's a bokabat! Let's quickly return to our seats, Tutanta!"

"Hmm. What metal is that iron door made of? To safely contain various monsters..."

"Tutanta. Run! What if we're late for the start of the game!"

"Be quiet. There's still a long time before it starts."

Salko waved his hand boredly as he walked around the underground passage near the cages.

At this sight, Anglago almost grabbed the back of his neck.

A rare mount like a bokabat had appeared, yet he was only looking at buildings built ages ago.

'I really shouldn't have brought him. This bastard!'

When they should be enjoying the pre-game events, this fake dwarf was down in the basement looking at buildings.

"Look at that long tail! Do you know what ball game players call the bokabat? They call it the Strangler!"

"Shouldn't that be banned at this point?"

The bokabat, a reptilian monster with six legs and a long, flexible tail that it swung threateningly, was cunning and persistent, perfect for targeting players in games like this.

It rarely appeared in the eastern empire, so he hadn't expected to see one like this!

-A bokabat. I didn't expect to see one here.-

-Indeed. But seeing it alongside a griffin makes it seem a bit faded. Who would have thought we'd see such a well-grown griffin?-

The noisy voices of people chattering could be heard from the open seats above the cages.

It was a sound that made Anglago's ears perk up.

"G-griffin! Tutanta! They say there's a griffin! There's a griffin! We need to return to our seats!"

"There's a griffin at Einroguard too."

"How is that the same?!"

Salko wanted to say 'What's the difference', but Anglago's gaze and expression were so desperate that he was momentarily overwhelmed.

"...Alright. We've seen enough. Let's go back now."

"Quickly! Quickly! Quickly! Quickly!"

'What a noisy bastard.'

The two ran up the stairs, inwardly cursing each other.

Several mounts that had come out of the cages were already performing tricks in the stadium.

Among them, the griffin was naturally drawing everyone's attention with its innate size and majesty...

"Isn't that Wardanaz?"

"Did Wardanaz come to catch us?!"

Anglago ducked under the seat in panic and cast a spell. As the color on top of his cloak changed to match the seats for camouflage, the surrounding people murmured in surprise.

"No, you crazy bastard. I mean isn't that Wardanaz on top of the griffin?"

"What are you talking about? Why would Wardanaz..."

Anglago raised his head and gaped.

Yi-Han was performing tricks while riding a griffin among gargoyles, hippogriffs, and hellhounds.

"...Something seems wrong."

"Isn't Wardanaz in the ball game club?"

"He's only a 2nd year! What crazy bastards would send out someone who's only a 2nd year!"

"But Wardanaz learned magic quickly too."

"...How is that the same?!"

Anglago insisted as his logic crumbled.

In fact, even he found it hard to refute.

If he learned high-level magic, then ball game...

"That bastard Wardanaz. Why did he hide this from me?"

"He didn't particularly hide it, you just didn't ask..."

"Wardanaz! Hang in there! You're the pride of Einroguard's 2nd years!"

Anglago stood up and started cheering loudly. Salko looked at Anglago with shocked eyes.

'Doesn't this bastard have any shame?'

However, such cheering wasn't particularly shameful in a ball game stadium. Intense cheering was already going back and forth all over.

-Long live the Granden City ball game club!-

-Einroguard students, use magic! Use magic secretly!-

-Where are you saying such vile things!-

-Stop fighting! If you fight more, you'll be expelled from the stadium!-

In seats where rough spectators had gathered, they were already throwing mud and rocks over who would win.

Guards and knights who couldn't bear it anymore rushed over to separate them.

"Tutanta. Wardanaz was forced to participate even though he's a 2nd year."

"It doesn't seem like Wardanaz would be forced to participate..."

Salko was a bit skeptical.

It didn't seem like even seniors could break Yi-Han's will and force him to participate.

However, Anglago was certain.

Due to the recent miserable record of the Einroguard ball game club, Yi-Han must have been forcibly drafted!

"He must have been forced out because of the griffin. We should cheer for him at least! Who else would cheer if not us!"

"...Indeed. That's true."

Salko nodded.

If Anglago had participated, he would have secretly made mud and thrown it into the stadium instead of cheering, but it was different for Wardanaz.

If they didn't cheer for him, who would...

-Who is that student riding the griffin?-

-He's a direct descendant of the Wardanaz family.-

-Huh! A Wardanaz family member is interested in ball game?-

-Can't a great noble family like ball game too?-

-This person, you don't know what kind of family the Wardanaz family is.-

-More importantly, if he's a Wardanaz family student, isn't he the one who took down the magic criminal last year?-

-Wasn't it a basilisk?-

-Uh, wasn't it an anti-magic extremist?-

"...It seems like they'll do fine even if we don't."

"Be quiet! It's starting! Long live Einroguard!"

The ball game started with trumpets, drums, and dragon-like roars.

The Granden City ball game club, with their solid formation in the vast stadium, took the spectators' breath away.

Masters spread intimidation just by standing still.

Anglago gritted his teeth.

"How much did they train? To form such a formation right away!"

"Is that impressive?"

"It's impressive! With such solid defense, it's hard for us to attack first!"

"Then why not wait?"

"The Einroguard ball game club's defense is weak compared to the opponent, so we can't wait!"

"...?"

If both offense and defense are weak, isn't that just being weak...

Bang!

-Student Wardanaz charges on his griffin!-

"Th-that seems too reckless?!"

Anglago screamed. Not just Anglago, but murmurs arose from all over.

If the opponent had no openings, one should chip away and shake them gradually, charging in alone like that would only lead to being surrounded and self-destruction.

Even Carnela, who was trying to match pace with her junior, seemed surprised by the unexpected charge, as she was a beat late.

"Junior! You're too fast! The rear is completely exposed..."

As Yi-Han entered the area, players rushed in from all directions. A gargoyle leaped high towards the empty rear.

Grrrr!

Fierce sparks flew from the griffin's eyes.

It didn't seem possible to be this murderous even when pouncing on a centuries-old enemy. The gargoyle unconsciously hesitated at the majesty emitted by the king of the skies.

Thud!

The huge lion's hoof kicked the gargoyle away. It was kicked so far that it rolled over and over.

...Roooooar!!!!!

Even after a brief engagement, the griffin's anger didn't stop. A frightened hellhound was sent flying by the griffin's body slam. A bokabat that was trying to swing its tail while watching for an opening fled in a hurry after one peck from the beak.

Yi-Han, clinging to the griffin, was just bewildered.

'...Why on earth is he acting like this?'

As a swordsman who had been through thick and thin, Yi-Han didn't fall off even though Niffirg was rampaging. He skillfully maintained his posture and clung on.

But inwardly, he was flustered.

Niffirg was being too enthusiastic.

Whether he was angry, or really liked ball game...

"...To think I'd see such unity between man and horse in my lifetime."

Defender Hadagak looked at Yi-Han with eyes mixed with fear and awe.

He thought he had completely figured out the opponent, but to think they would collapse the formation like this as soon as it started.

"I apologize for underestimating you. Boy of the Wardanaz family. Your bond is far more powerful than my meager knowledge of griffins..."

"Get out of the way!"

Before Yi-Han's shout ended, the griffin lunged at the next opponent.

Hadagak quickly swerved to the side, driving his hippogriff. He had no intention of facing the murderous griffin head-on.

"...Could it be that it's scared?!"

Hadagak, who had been observing the opponent, was startled as he looked at his own hippogriff.

He belatedly realized that his own mount was acting strange while he was busy observing the opponent.

"Remember what we trained! We've met many more terrifying and stronger monsters!"

-......

Despite its master's shout, the hippogriff hesitated.

Though it had met monsters more terrifying than griffins, it had never met a griffin carrying several such terrifying beings like the one in front of it now.

"You don't need to clash head-on. Evade! He can't follow your movements! He's very tired too!"

The hippogriff barely regained its courage.

The high-level acrobatic moves and feints it had trained with its master were difficult for a simple and crude enemy to follow.

This feint of pretending to step aside and then changing direction using the spring in its hind legs was something the griffin, exhausted from taking down several enemies, absolutely couldn't follow...

Bang!

As if saying it wouldn't be fooled twice, the griffin, though panting, made a sudden stop and chased after to slam into it again.

Its will to grind down the enemy with overwhelming physical ability, regardless of tricks, could be felt.

The griffin Yi-Han was riding now was the griffin running with the most effort in imperial history!