Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 931

Chapter 931

'This should be enough to check in advance and escape.'

Yi-Han coolly checked the aura of the cafe patrons sitting around, down the stairs, and outside the window.

There didn't seem to be any Einroguard spies, just in case.

Ting-

With a clear sound, Yi-Han spun a small crystal top. As mana was consumed, the top spun round and round.

This was <Crystal Top Divination>, one of the divination techniques he had newly learned after becoming a second-year.

If the top kept spinning, it meant it was relatively safe, and if the top stopped, it meant danger was approaching.

Though senior students of the divination magic school didn't value this divination technique highly as it had vague results and limited uses despite having to pay the price, Yi-Han had memorized it thinking it might be useful later.

Above all, it was very attractive that it only required mana payment without separate reagents.

'It's safe... for now.'

While there were so many higher-level mages than Yi-Han within Einroguard that he rarely had a chance to use it, outside was a different story.

If spies bought by Einroguard approached, there was a high chance Yi-Han would catch them with divination.

"Young Master Wardanaz. What club activities are you out for?"

"First, I'm out for activities related to the theater club..."

"Ah. The theater club. It suits you."

"After that, the kitchen club, stonemason club, ball game club, library club..."

"..."

Arien almost spat out the coffee he was drinking but maintained his composure with a merchant's experience.

Come to think of it, this Young Master Wardanaz had unique and eccentric aspects befitting his family's reputation.

For such a person, it wasn't strange to join such diverse clubs and enjoy social activities.

'The Wardanaz family isn't a very social family, but he's certainly unique.'

Unaware that he was bearing an unjust false accusation, Yi-Han carefully broached the subject.

A situation where he had to ask for help from an outsider while simultaneously hiding his purpose from the outsider.

He had to choose his words carefully.

'Hmm. The first item to retrieve is...'

Retrieve <Asen's Polarizing Lens> held by Mage Uap and deliver it to Professor Verduus.

Uap confirmed at the <Dwarves' Oath> workshop in the western district of the city.

'I don't want to do this from the start.'

Yi-Han frowned as he checked the paper.

To have to steal an innocent imperial citizen's item for Professor Verduus.

Even if it was a professor's request, he didn't want to do it.

"Do you perhaps know about Mage Uap?"

"Yes. Ah. Are you perhaps retrieving Einroguard items, Young Master?"

This time, Yi-Han almost spat out his coffee.

How did the person he met today know Einroguard's deepest secret?

"...I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah. I'm sorry. How tactless of me."

Arien apologized sincerely.

It was tactless to ask this openly in front of an Einroguard student.

"...I'm curious why you asked such a question."

"Well... Young Master Wardanaz. You see, Einroguard's item retrieval is more famous than you might think."

Arien spoke carefully, wondering where to start.

He was worried about hurting the pride of the proud Einroguard student before him.

"...Pardon?"

"Think about it. Precious magic items disappear without a trace, and the people who were robbed remain silent. There aren't many places where such things are possible, right?"

"..."

Yi-Han felt deep shame.

'Did I really enter Einroguard for nothing?'

He had thought they hadn't been discovered, but to think even outside merchants knew to this extent.

Perhaps if he went up to the capital, he might hear conversations like 'You're a mage from Einroguard?' 'Shh. Everyone hide your pockets' behind his back.

"...No. Even if Einroguard mages live without imperial law, how can that be? For the robbed people to remain silent!"

"What? You seem to have misunderstood. Do you perhaps think Einroguard mages forcibly take items from innocent, good imperial citizens?"

"Huh? Yes."

"...Ahaha! What a joke!"

Not only Arien but even Amur burst into laughter.

That's how appropriately the statue-like boy's joke had landed.

To make such a joke in this situation!

"...Uh, is it not?"

"Hahahahaha! You can stop joking now. Of course not."

Arien had tears in his eyes from laughing. Wiping his tears, the merchant explained again.

Often, due to the frequency of mentions in imperial newspapers or rumors, it was easy to mistakenly think only Einroguard mages were especially evil, but that wasn't the case.

Einroguard mages caused larger scale incidents because they had ability, not because they were especially evil among mages.

Imperial mages were basically all on the evil side.

A bunch that only cared about themselves and their magic!

"Among magic items, there are many dangerous and contaminated items or items obtained through illegal means. Einroguard mages retrieve such items. Naturally, the mages who had their items taken can't say anything because they know they did wrong."

Arien was an experienced merchant and well-versed in rumors from all over the empire.

As such, he could sometimes connect incidents of evil mages with bad reputations losing or having artifacts stolen to Einroguard.

If only those who touched items Einroguard mages were trying to retrieve or purchase got robbed...

"That's why I asked when you mentioned the mage Uap from the <Dwarves' Oath> workshop. Uap is a mage with many bad rumors. I recently heard a rumor that he stole an Einroguard professor's artifact, so that's why I brought up retrieval."

"...Is that professor perhaps Professor Verduus?"

"Probably."

'My goodness.'

Yi-Han was shocked.

For an outside mage to steal Professor Verduus's artifact.

If Einroguard students knew this fact, they might not only give him a medal but even erect a statue within the magic school territory.

'Honestly, I want to erect one too.'

Yi-Han felt a different pang of conscience than before.

To have to punish a righteous thief who punished Professor Verduus on behalf of the students with his own hands.

'But... this is a request.'

Now he understood what the seniors meant by not letting personal feelings interfere with work.

Yi-Han stopped his sympathy and resolved to retrieve the other's item.

"I understand your anger, Young Master. That Uap fellow is an insatiably greedy mage! I hope he learns his lesson from this incident."

"Huh? Ah. Yes."

Arien mistakenly thought Yi-Han was angry as a disciple.

Who could imagine he was thinking about an appreciation statue?

  *

The western guild district of Granden City was full of noises qualitatively different from the street noise.

The sound of failed alchemy potions exploding and emitting smoke, the sound of failed herb cultivation escaping from fields and screaming loudly, the sound of the tailors' guild's runaway magic needles breaking down walls...

And now, rhythmic hammer sounds echoed loudly from the <Dwarves' Oath> workshop.

"Don't rest, you idiots! This is why eastern dwarves are...!"

Dwarf mage Uap shouted while swinging his hammer.

In the empire, there was a prejudice that unlike eastern dwarves who loved alcohol, food, and feasts, western dwarves only loved solitude and gold.

Uap was a western dwarf who seemed to embody all such negative prejudices.

The dwarf workers swung their hammers while inwardly muttering curses.

'Damn mage bastard.'

'Shh. He's incredibly eccentric.'

"If you don't complete the ingots by evening, I'll cut all your wages, so keep that in mind!"

Uap shouted and then headed to the basement.

While the large space on the first floor had been converted into a workshop with facilities and equipment arranged for various workers' tasks, the basement was the mage's personal workshop forbidden to outsiders.

When he undid the three layers of seals and opened the door, a strange and complex flow of mana rushed out from inside. Uap hurriedly closed the door.

'Damn it! What a waste of mana.'

Maintaining the workshop inside with high-density mana required considerable cost.

For the miserly Uap, such expenditure was always a thorn in his side.

'But it can't be helped.'

Though there was no one in the dark basement workshop, Uap looked around once for no reason before slowly walking to the center.

On a workbench made of fine silver was a dazzling box engraved with ancient characters.

It was <Asen's Polarizing Lens>.

"Beautiful... beautiful. Asen was truly a genius."

Uap, who was newly admiring the wisdom of the ancient mage, suddenly frowned.

An unpleasant face came to mind at the monologue about genius.

"Verduus, you bastard! Just you wait. I'll surely break your reputation!"

Though many people disliked Professor Verduus, Uap disliked him for a somewhat unique reason.

He disliked him because he envied the other's genius.

If Einroguard students had heard this, they would have said 'Why dislike him for that reason when there are 99 other reasons to dislike him?', but Uap didn't care at all about Professor Verduus's personality or character.

"Once my magic is completed, his reputation, his disciples, all the mages who help him will come to me!"

Uap shouted as if declaring to the empty air.

In fact, there was some misunderstanding here too.

While Professor Verduus's reputation was one thing, his disciples and helping mages weren't particularly there because they liked it.

Even if Uap completed his magic and achieved outstanding achievements, the professor's disciples and nearby mages wouldn't gather around Uap.

To begin with, it was hard to say they had gathered around Professor Verduus either. All the disciples and nearby mages just did their own work, they didn't follow Professor Verduus.

"...Ugh. I'm dizzy."

Uap suddenly staggered as he looked into the polarizing lens.

Lately, whenever he looked at that polarizing lens, inexplicable headaches and dizziness came over him.

Thinking coolly, he should have stopped immediately and checked what was wrong, but Uap, blinded by jealousy, couldn't bring himself to think that way.

'I should go back up.'

After a brief rest, Uap, having regained his senses, was about to go back up.

Since the workers here tried to play whenever they got the chance, Uap had to keep cracking the whip...

Thud!

Uap collapsed to the side. It was a perfect surprise attack.

Even as consciousness faded away, Uap was shocked.

'Impossible! The defensive magic...!'

The basement workshop was protected by various magics starting from the entrance.

The door had a magic called <Asen's Soul Scream> cast on it, which separated the intruder's soul and body the moment they touched it, and the magic circle laid underneath was loaded with powerful illusion curse magic.

Even excluding other magics, they had enough power to grind intruders, so how could such a surprise attack...?

Uap clung to his fading consciousness and expanded his senses.

Surprisingly, all the magics from the door to in front of Uap were completely destroyed.

Though Uap had meticulously prepared countermeasures assuming intrusion by other mages, he had never once thought of such a barbaric intrusion.

'M-monster? Demon?'

He couldn't even guess what terrifying being had attacked in this way.

"Phew. Good thing he's an illusion mage."