Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 936

Chapter 936

Alcicle was curious too, but he held back.

The other was a great mage, but at the same time, she was also known for her eccentric temperament.

Alcicle still remembered the anecdote of Baldoorn gifting a watch to Yi-Han.

-You bought such an artifact in the town? Even from a shop selling second-hand items cheaply?-

-Yes. I think Miss Baldoorn might have known and recommended it... Should I send a letter and ask what she meant?-

-No. Having thrown a lesson to her junior, she'd be rather displeased if you didn't figure it out yourself and asked right away.-

Mages who did such things were usually eccentric like the skull principal.

Of course, that pocket watch had accidentally fallen into Yi-Han's hands after Professor Garcia had put it away, not because Baldoorn had recommended it to Yi-Han for some insight or torment.

But there was no way for these two young mages to know that truth.

They had no intention of speaking to Baldoorn at all!

'There's no need to unnecessarily provoke a powerful mage who's quietly minding her own business.'

Alcicle lightly bowed his head as a sign of respect. Baldoorn tilted her head, looking around in confusion, wondering if someone had greeted her.

"Now then, Wardanaz."

"You should call me Setlad."

"...Setlad. Do you have anything in mind?"

"Well. I haven't decided on anything specific yet, but..."

First, the dangers Yi-Han and the theater club students had to break through were as follows:

The main streets and alleys outside the palace blocked off under the pretext of protecting Einroguard mages, and the shops and stores.

With Death Knights guarding inside and out, it wasn't possible to escape just by blindly leaving the palace. More time would be needed to break through the encirclement after escaping through the empty streets.

To escape first by avoiding gazes inside the palace, and then escape again by avoiding pursuit and patrols?

"I'm thinking of causing a big commotion."

A big commotion was indeed the answer.

A commotion big enough to distract all the guests in the palace and even the Death Knights.

"At first, I thought about summoning the principal's mad doppelganger to impersonate him, but I don't think the Death Knights would be that stupid."

"...Regardless of the possibility, it's scary that you even had that idea!"

Alcicle shuddered.

To think there was someone who would try to impersonate the skull principal.

Moreover, that person was the skull principal's disciple.

"I thought it was quite a feasible method. Of course, I gave up thinking the Death Knights would have a way to verify his identity..."

"How about revealing your Wardanaz identity to the Death Knights and asking them?"

Alcicle made a somewhat serious suggestion.

It might sound reckless, but to Alcicle, it seemed quite possible.

First of all, while the Death Knights were loyal to the skull principal, they were also loyal to the skull principal's successor.

And while they were strict with the former, they were a bit lenient with the latter.

Wouldn't they turn a blind eye if Wardanaz asked?

"That's the most absurd and terrible suggestion I've heard today. How could you make such a suggestion even if you're annoyed?"

Yi-Han looked at Alcicle with contemptuous eyes. Alcicle protested in an aggrieved voice.

"I suggested it seriously!"

"Hmph. Don't lie. There's no way you'd make such a suggestion seriously."

Even if Alcicle was serious, it was an absolutely unacceptable suggestion to Yi-Han.

If he told the Death Knights and they said 'Understood! Follow us to the punishment room!', Yi-Han's plan would just be ruined.

"...Alright. Alright. It might be a bit dangerous. So? What kind of commotion?"

In fact, mages were basically specialized in causing commotions.

Even a mage who wasn't very skilled could cause quite a commotion if they set their mind to it.

Right away, various methods like summoning creatures, elemental rampage, loud deception, and emotional confusion came to Alcicle's mind.

But if he just recklessly did these things that came to mind, it would be perfect for becoming a magic criminal.

The bigger the incident caused, the harder it would be to deal with the aftermath.

That's why Yi-Han had joined the illusion mages preparing for the play.

If it was a commotion that wouldn't seem strange to the people gathered here and wouldn't be traced later, these mages would be perfect.

"We'll summon illusions according to the play's content, but much more intense and powerful illusions than the audience expects."

"I see."

Alcicle understood Yi-Han's words.

The audience gathered here were well-versed in imperial plays. They wouldn't be greatly surprised by magical illusions appearing during the play.

But what if illusions much more intense and powerful than they expected appeared?

If it was magic at a level where people might mistake it for reality for a moment, the hall would be thrown into confusion, and surely the Death Knights would move at that commotion.

"That's amazing. To think you prepared such magic."

Alcicle praised Yi-Han.

To prepare magic that matched the play's content yet could throw people into confusion.

As expected of the skull principal's direct disciple.

"Huh? I don't have such magic though."

"Then?"

"I thought you'd come up with it, Mr. Alcicle."

"..."

Alcicle glared at Yi-Han, clicking his beak.

"No... I'm just a second-year, how could I come up with and prepare such things?"

"You're only a second-year at times like this! Ugh. I'm not an expert in illusions either."

Alcicle fell into thought.

He did know a few magics from the illusion magic school.

'Enchanting giant penguin... This is inappropriate for startling people and doesn't fit the play's content at all. Angry giant penguin... Making people angry could make us suspicious later, and this doesn't fit the content either.'

"Don't you have any illusion magic other than penguins?"

"I told you I'm not an expert in illusions!"

Alcicle even took out an illusion magic book he usually didn't read and started searching through it.

To think he'd be looking for illusion magic he had forgotten long ago, thinking he'd never use it.

"For illusions useful when families fight each other... Is an orca illusion too much?"

"...That doesn't fit the play's content at all."

For two feuding families in the middle of a city to summon orcas to fight was a bit...

Yi-Han, who had been pondering, exclaimed as if he had realized something.

"I have a good method!"

"Oh. What is it?"

"Master?"

-What now?-

"..."

Seeing Yi-Han use the skull principal's mad doppelganger like a magic helper, Alcicle thought that someday Wardanaz might be captured by a crazy great mage.

  *

"Thank you, Master!"

-Waste time appropriately on useless things.-

Surprisingly, the mad doppelganger taught quite diligently. To Alcicle, it seemed he was teaching even more diligently than the skull principal.

***

-Wrong. It seems this is based on an anecdote between the Alcaramata family and the Ilhon family. If so, summon the illusion of a dragon.-

-A dragon?! Isn't that too much? And with the play's content...-

-No. The Alcaramata family, thanks to their ancestor's meritorious deeds, was granted a covenant to call a dragon to fight anytime. Though only once, they used it in the dispute with the Ilhon family due to their deep enmity. The bottomless black swamp in the family territory is proof of the covenant. The dragon's nest is in there.-

-N-no way...! I thought that black swamp was just a gloomy background, but that place is?!-

-The records must have been lost. The Ilhon family wasn't to be trifled with either. Knowing the other would call a dragon, they summoned a demon.-

-Even a demon?!-

-So make the dragon and demon appear in the second act. The magic is as follows...-

***

After the mad doppelganger left, Alcicle spoke in an excited voice.

"I never imagined such a secret was hidden in that cliché play I knew! A dragon and a demon! Such a secret in that ordinary background!!"

"Mr. Alcicle, don't you like plays?"

"N-no! What nonsense... This is just something any imperial person would be surprised at!"

Alcicle was truly aggrieved at suddenly receiving such an absurd misunderstanding.

Compared to the imperial nobles who truly loved plays, Alcicle was at a level where he would be embarrassed to say he liked plays anywhere.

What he just said was really an exclamation born of pure curiosity.

But in Yi-Han's view, Alcicle was already a sufficient play enthusiast.

'You like it but pretend you don't.'

The illusion magic the mad doppelganger taught was two.

<Illusion of Rampaging Azirmo> and <Manifestation of Anger Duke's Illusion>.

Both were 4th Circle, but their level was high and there was a lot to adjust, so the difficulty was considerable. Alcicle was worried if he could prepare before the play started.

"Can you learn even one of these?"

"I think I can cast <Illusion of Rampaging Azirmo>."

"..."

Noticing Alcicle's shocked expression, Yi-Han quickly explained.

"I've learned a similar magic before."

It was <Azirmo Summoning Enchantment>, which borrowed the power of magic circles and various reagents, but this magic was also a high-difficulty 4th Circle magic.

Having gained a high understanding of Azirmo's form while learning this, he could master this similar illusion magic much faster.

"I-I see. You were lucky. Which professor taught you that magic? I should thank them later."

"Professor Verduus."

"Forget the thanks. What a trash of a person."

Alcicle waved his arm, canceling what he had just said.

It was clear that Professor Verduus had taught his disciple to use it for his own magic.

What a nasty guy!

"Then I'll prepare <Manifestation of Anger Duke's Illusion>..."

A loud cheer from outside drowned out Alcicle's voice.

-Make way! Make way! The mages of Einroguard have arrived!-

-Oh! The pillars of Einroguard!-

-Is such thorough security really necessary? Are there any suspicious people among those gathered in this palace?-

-Let's understand. How many evil ones must be targeting the empire's best mages?-

"...They're here! You go and make contact quickly. I'll finish preparing!"

"Yes!"

"Wait!"

Alcicle called Yi-Han back as he was about to run off.

"??"

"Don't forget to talk to any useful patrons you see!!"

"...Understood!"

  *

Yonaire was in serious discussion with her friends.

"The black swamp of the Alcaramata family implies that the kingdom's situation at that time was gloomy. Otherwise, there's no reason for such an ill-fitting swamp to be in the territory."

"I see it a bit differently. The black swamp implies the tragic fate of the two lovers."

"Isn't there a black dragon inside or something?"

"Nillia! We're being serious!"

"I-I was being serious too..."

Nillia was slightly flustered by her friends' reactions.

She had just offered her interpretation like her friends had each offered theirs, so why?

"Welcome to the palace, Einroguard mages."

"Thank you!"

As the nobles who had gathered first greeted them lightly, the Einroguard students returned the greeting with dignity.

Of course, their attire was more ragged than beggars, but they had to maintain dignity in their hearts at least.

Einroguard students were unrivaled in acting with culture even while wearing rags.

Hearing the students' voices, nobles gathered and chattering on the other side also turned their gazes.

Among them, a person in the center of the group of nobles approached the students.

"Who is that person?"

"Ah. That is Mr. Setlad of the Anog family. He's truly an amazing person!"

The noble beside them explained about Setlad excitedly.

He was captured by pirates in the southern empire and happened to be rescued...

"Impossible!"

"How could that be!"

The students were greatly surprised by the story with such a rich and complex background.

"Hello."

Meanwhile, Setlad bowed his head, greeting in a rough voice. Asan prepared to ask a question with passionate eyes.

"Don't be surprised, everyone. I'm Wardanaz."

"..."

"..."