Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 926

Chapter 926

"And Sharakan isn't that kind of creature either."

'So am I that kind of creature?'

The baby basilisk protested inwardly.

It was sufficiently mature and adult-like. If anything, Jourin was the most childish.

"True. An undead summon wouldn't sulk just because it wasn't called, right?"

Gainando nodded in agreement with his friend's words.

Unlike other fields, Gainando knew a lot about dark magic too.

Basically, undead summons don't feel hurt or sulk just because their master calls them less.

"You're right, Yi-Han. Well, they're all the same, aren't they? Who would like being arbitrarily called by a mage while playing card games in another realm? They probably prefer not being called. Spirits are probably the same."

"No. Spirits prefer being called periodically."

"..."

Gainando became dejected.

Mages who contracted with spirits valued intimacy more than expected, so they often called them periodically to share a connection.

Even Yi-Han, though he didn't summon Sharakan now, periodically summoned his flame sparrow spirit, cold squirrel spirit, and dark ball spirit in his private room (though the spirits didn't particularly like it)...

"Hmph. I wish my undead liked being called by me too."

"You'll become close someday."

'Or subdue them by force.'

In Yi-Han's view, it seemed easier for Gainando to learn dark magic and subdue them than to become close with the undead.

Undead summoning magic didn't work on intimacy like spirit summoning magic.

'More importantly, if it's not sulking, what is it?'

Yi-Han tried summoning again while touching the bone fragment of Sharakan with the oath on it, but there was really no response.

If it really was sulking, there should at least be a rejection response, but this was a bit perplexing.

"Ahem, is there a problem?"

"Ah. Professor!"

Just then, Professor Mortum of the dark magic school was walking out, coughing dryly.

Thinking it was a good opportunity, Yi-Han asked.

"I have something to ask."

"You have something to ask?"

The professor, who always looked sickly, tilted his head in puzzlement.

It was quite rare for the Wardanaz family boy to ask questions, unlike Gainando, Ymirg, or Raphael.

"It must be quite a difficult problem."

"It's not like that."

"Is that so? Tell me."

When his disciple said it wasn't, Professor Mortum changed his mind.

Seeing how he spoke, it really seemed like no big problem.

"Sharakan won't be summoned."

"...Cough! Cough cough cough!!!"

Professor Mortum started coughing madly. It was as if something had gone down the wrong pipe.

Yi-Han asked in confusion.

"Are you alright?"

"Cough... Didn't you say it wasn't a difficult problem!"

"Ah, no. I thought it was just a trivial problem?"

Even while coughing, Professor Mortum shook his head.

Sharakan not being summoned was a more serious problem than expected.

Originally, Sharakan was a powerful monster born between the rock mountains and leopards, worshipped by leopards.

Naturally, it was dangerous to control such a powerful monster from life as an undead.

Strong bodies tended to have strong beings descend into them, and if that being belonged to the undead realm, even more so.

No matter how much of an Einroguard professor Mortum was, he wouldn't have deliberately gifted such a dangerous undead summon to a mere first-year student. He had gifted it after putting sufficient safety measures in place.

"..."

Yi-Han made a disgruntled expression.

'Was there such a thing?'

He hadn't particularly felt any safety measures.

Sharakan had been a destructive undead summon from the start. If Yi-Han hadn't subdued or persuaded it, it likely would have pounced on him at any time.

"Was that safety measure something like preventing it from attacking me? Sharakan did act quite friendly..."

"Cough. It's not like that. I just weakened its power."

"..."

Yi-Han's gaze grew a bit colder.

'Do you perhaps not know the meaning of 'safety measure'?'

'To say such nonsense. No wonder your cough won't stop.'

He should have put a prohibition on attacks, not just weakened its power a bit and called it a safety measure!

"So with that safety measure... what power did you weaken?"

"Cough. Sharakan is a doppelganger."

"?"

"The main body is a powerful figure in the undead realm. I stole and brought out a doppelganger when that figure's power was weakened."

"What??"

Yi-Han was shocked at Sharakan's lineage, which was far more extraordinary than he had thought.

Whose what did he steal and bring out?

Even if not the skull principal, there were quite a few beings with the property of splitting into doppelgangers.

Just look at the hydra, don't its nine heads each make judgments separately?

If such a hydra became stronger or gained the ability to create doppelgangers, it would divide as if splitting.

And of course, beings divided like this inevitably became weaker than the original being.

...But that didn't mean he should steal and bring it out!

"No. What on earth did you do? How could you commit such careless theft just because the other party was weakened!"

Yi-Han lost his composure in shock and pointed at the professor.

To openly commit theft just because the other party was weakened.

It was a stupid mistake that a Change Location Club member would never make.

If you robbed a demon duke's mansion just because he was a bit weakened, what kind of retaliation would come when he recovered later?

Moreover, it wasn't just an object or treasure, but his own doppelganger.

"Cough. Listen to the end. I didn't just steal recklessly. Though I stole, I negotiated with the other party."

"It seems the concept is different from the theft I know..."

Professor Mortum continued explaining while coughing.

Previously, while traveling the undead realm, the professor had a chance encounter with a powerful being.

That being resided in a constantly shape-shifting palace built on obsidian mirrors that emitted smoke, and if one concentrated and stared, a huge leopard-like form faintly appeared above.

Realizing the other's power, Professor Mortum immediately prepared to invade the palace and obtain treasures.

"..."

Yi-Han was inwardly dumbfounded but endured.

"Cough. It's because I felt the other had weakened due to a fight. Originally, I don't pick fights recklessly with the local powers of other realms first."

'Even if the other was weakened, I don't think you'd prepare to rob them so quickly.'

Anyway, Professor Mortum, who struck when the other was weak, didn't miss the opportunity to obtain treasures from another realm and took action.

And of course, the other party noticed this intent.

When the mage tried to enter despite hearing the palace's aura and his title, he stepped back and proposed a negotiation.

-Mage. Do not invade the palace of the beast that rules death and darkness. I shall gift one of my doppelgangers, this doppelganger shall become a powerful undead.-

-Cough. What if I enter anyway?-

-Then you shall perish.-

Feeling the other's power even in his weakened state, Professor Mortum chose not to be greedy and stepped back.

A powerful undead's doppelganger was sufficiently valuable.

"Cough. He really gave stingily. A doppelganger at the level of a fragment without even a self."

Professor Mortum still seemed to think he had been cheated, complaining non-stop even while coughing.

"Please continue. What happened to that doppelganger?"

"Ah. That."

The professor slowly nodded and explained.

The doppelganger received from the powerful undead clearly had extraordinary power, but it was merely a doppelganger like a newborn baby, without self or reason.

It wasn't very profitable for Professor Mortum to control and manage such a thing.

Pondering what to do, the professor fixed the doppelganger to Sharakan's remains and reborn it as an undead monster.

The result was successful. This newly born undead monster Sharakan reliably protected the freshman and accomplished all sorts of dirty work.

"...Professor. I have a question."

Yi-Han, who had been listening as calmly as possible, raised his hand while trying to maintain a cool expression.

He could somehow accept that Sharakan was not an ordinary undead monster, but had the bloodline of an extraordinary undead being.

"So what's the safety measure you mentioned?"

"Cough. I told you. I weakened its power. It's not very dangerous since it's a doppelganger at the level of a fragment."

"..."

He had hoped it wasn't, but that really was the safety measure.

Yi-Han firmly resolved to blast magic at Professor Mortum's back later and shout 'This much doesn't really hurt, right? Haha.'

Even if it was a fragment-level doppelganger without a self, it was sufficiently threatening if it had the body of a powerful monster.

In fact, hadn't Sharakan fought extremely well?

If Yi-Han hadn't subdued or handled it, those attacks could have flown at Yi-Han himself...!

'No wonder its actions were a bit childish.'

It made sense if it was a newly born doppelganger separated from the main body. Its behavior being like a kitten or puppy was understandable.

"But why can't it be summoned?"

"Cough. There are several reasons. But the most likely is that the main body may have recovered its power."

"!"

Yi-Han realized what Professor Mortum was saying.

Since the main body had originally given the doppelganger in an unfavorable situation, it wasn't strange to retrieve the doppelganger if it recovered its power and the situation became favorable.

"No. You went to steal but made such a losing deal? After being together for just a year!"

"Cough. It is strange. I thought it could be used for at least a hundred years..."

As a mage, Professor Mortum naturally knew well the loopholes in the deal.

Since it was the other's doppelganger, of course the other would retrieve it when recovering from injuries and regaining power.

But in the professor's view, that period should have taken at least a hundred years.

How did it shorten to about a year?

"Strange. Strange. Cough. Perhaps Sharakan didn't absorb mana separately?"

"What?"

"Cough. If the doppelganger absorbed mana, the main body would have absorbed mana too, then recovering power would also..."

Professor Mortum, who had been speaking, shook his head.

No matter how he thought about it, it was too far-fetched a calculation.

Thinking of the strength he felt when meeting in the undead realm, he could vaguely estimate the mana needed to recover from injuries.

No matter how much mana the Wardanaz family boy had, it would be difficult to remain fine while having such an amount of mana absorbed, and even more difficult not to notice...

"..."

Yi-Han's face turned pale.

Professor Mortum was most shocked today at that sight.

  *

"Cough, to waste mana so lavishly!"

"You didn't say anything when you gave it to me in the first place! If it was that kind of creature, I would have detached it!"

Yi-Han wanted to force explanations from Einroguard professors into the school rules.

Why on earth did they gift dangerously risky items to disciples without saying anything?

Come to think of it, this staff also had an evil and violent being sleeping inside.

'I hope there isn't a demon sleeping in the rags given by the school too.'

Direth, who was walking out while yawning, was startled to see the disciple and professor arguing loudly.

One of the few advantages of the dark magic school was its harmony.

"What's this?! What's going on?!"

"Senior! I almost died because of the professor!"

"Cough, I gave you a gift and you slander..."

"Wait. Explain calmly."

Direth calmed her junior and listened to the explanation.

And as she listened, Direth's expression became strange.

"...Uh, so you helped recover a powerful being from the undead realm while going about your daily life?"

"It's all because of the professor!"