Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 916

Chapter 916

Professor Garcia pretended not to have heard what was just said and transformed the patrol members into hamsters.

As companions entered the cage, the hamster squeaked fiercely as if he would die of happiness.

"I'll ask you to translate."

-Shut up.-

After confining all the patrol members in the cage, Professor Garcia cast the transformation magic once again.

The outward appearance of the three perfectly changed into patrol members.

"Checking the marks... Done. It's not awkward, right, Yi-Han?"

"Professor, your skill is truly perfect."

"Oh, it's nothing. Oh, lastly, could you ask the patrol members if there's anything to be careful about inside?"

Hearing the professor's words, Yi-Han relayed the message to the hamster.

The hamster squeaked to the patrol members, and the patrol members made squeaking sounds of refusal. Then the hamster beat the patrol members.

After a while, an answer came back.

-They say don't act weak or humble. If asked why you haven't caught any slaves yet, answer 'Shut up before I sell you as a slave,' and if it's a superior, answer 'I'll soon catch slaves and offer them.'-

"..."

'Do people here only care about new slaves?'

Yi-Han thought this inwardly but nodded for now.

As they were entering a different era and region, they had to respect the customs of the other party for now.

  *

"Excuse me..."

"Shut up before I sell you as a slave!"

"Eek! I'm sorry!"

"Shut up before I sell you as a slave!"

As they approached Isran City, people who recognized the patrol members' attire started to approach and speak to them.

Each time, Yi-Han drove people away with the lines he had diligently prepared.

"Phew. It's not easy. I wasn't awkward or anything, was I?"

"N-not at all, Yi-Han. You were excellent."

While praising her disciple, Professor Garcia thought inwardly.

'Isn't he doing too well?'

Professor Garcia was slightly flustered by her disciple's acting that drove people away as if he was born for it.

Looking to the side, Professor Boladi was faintly nodding. He seemed satisfied with his disciple's performance.

'...Am I the strange one?'

"Then we'll keep moving. I'll look for a mage in the city."

The reason the group had entered the dangerous city was simple.

Information was easiest to obtain in such cities.

In small, remote villages far from the city, it wasn't easy to find out properly even if questions were asked.

The group's current target was the kind of people who would likely have the most external information in the city, that is, the city's mages.

'It is worrying.'

While driving away people trying to approach or attempt secret deals, Yi-Han was lost in thought.

This ancient Three Kingdoms era was truly an era of survival of the fittest, where the strong ruled.

An era where classes were thoroughly divided and nobles suppressed those below them with fear and violence.

And here too, mages were nobles.

There were occasionally slaves who used magic, but that was only an exception, and those without the right bloodline couldn't even learn magic in the first place.

Nobles were mages, and mages were nobles.

'Their personalities are likely to be terribly nasty...'

Even those patrol members immediately growled about making them slaves and selling them as soon as they knew they were outsiders, so Yi-Han couldn't even imagine how nasty the personalities of the mage nobles here would be.

They would certainly be incomparable to his Blue Dragon Tower friends.

'Should I have dressed up and pretended to be a noble instead? No. It would have been meaningless anyway.'

He regretted a bit that they might have been immediately suspected as slaves because of their shabby, rag-like Einroguard attire, but even if they had disguised themselves as nobles, they would have been quickly exposed since they knew nothing about the city.

In the end, there was only one way.

'I'll have to use Professor Bagrak's persuasion method even when we find a mage...'

Somehow it seemed like they were constantly using violent means even though they had visited the past realm to solve a problem, but there was no other way.

Wasn't the era barbaric!

"I'll soon catch slaves and offer them!"

Yi-Han, who had been pondering, bowed and greeted a passing knight. The knight was satisfied, thinking 'This patrol member knows manners.'

The hamster squeaked as if to say it was pathetic.

-You're a perfect patrol member.-

"Oh. Thank you."

-If that sounds like a compliment, your ears have rotted and decayed.-

'Why is he so spiteful even though I put his companions in with him?'

Yi-Han thought this as he searched for the way.

According to the information provided by the patrol members and additional information obtained in the city, there were three types of mages worth visiting in this Isran City.

First, the mages operating the <Hall of Waves> located at the harbor.

These mages were descendants of the evil captain who had led the kingdom's magic fleet, and they were the ones who swept away enemy coastlines with destructive magic borrowing the power of the sea.

Next were the mages researching magic in the <Metamorphosis Cave> located near the city gate.

These mages were traitors who had come from another kingdom decades ago, and they had once amazed the kingdom's nobles by presenting a chimera combining as many as twelve races.

Lastly, the <Gallery of Statues> located near the inner castle.

Compared to the previous mages, they were relatively less destructive and cruel, but they had the quirk of periodically capturing slaves and turning them into statues.

Professor Boladi recommended the last mages.

"Let's go there."

"Is it because they're the most subtly evil?"

"The structure looks vulnerable to surprise attacks."

"..."

Professor Garcia nodded, regretting that she had asked.

Certainly, the <Gallery of Statues> looked good for a surprise attack.

First of all, there were fewer people passing by around it, and there was no special security.

Except for the strangely human-like statues placed here and there.

"Professor Garcia. I'll ask you."

"Yes."

Professor Garcia waved her staff as if understanding without needing an explanation.

Though the rules, formulas, and structures were different from current imperial magic, an outstanding mage could recognize them sufficiently.

And Professor Garcia was an especially outstanding mage among outstanding mages.

She could easily solve the magic placed here.

Yi-Han admired the professor's magic.

'I see. They've placed magic on the statues. To prepare for any intruders.'

"Yi-Han. Come here and look. I'll explain."

"Ah. Do I need to undo it too?"

"Huh? No. I'll do the undoing."

"??"

Yi-Han was about to ask 'Then why are you explaining it to me?' but listened for now.

As a disciple, it was difficult to ask why when a professor said they would teach.

"...This is the magic. Understand? If you're curious later when we return, ask me once and practice."

"...Professor, are you explaining this because you think I'll secretly practice it??"

"W-what are you saying, Yi-Han. It's not like that? I'm just purely teaching my disciple as a professor?"

Professor Garcia stuttered slightly and rambled. From that alone, Yi-Han could guess the truth.

'What an absurd false accusation.'

Still, the ancient magic was quite alien and unfamiliar, so it was interesting. Yi-Han remembered what he had learned.

"We're going in."

"Yes."

The three, having finished preparing the surroundings, entered the gallery.

And they met eyes with a mage who looked familiar.

"..."

"..."

The mage had an appearance like an ancient statue, and blood was dripping from both hands below.

Corpses were strewn around. Looking at their attire, they were clearly the corpses of mages belonging to the gallery.

"It can't be helped. I'm sorry."

The young skull principal, caught at the scene, apologized as if sorry and was about to make a move.

Tensing at the destructive power implied by that movement, Yi-Han cried out urgently.

"Wait! We're not enemies!"

It didn't seem like persuasion would be easy with just words. Yi-Han quickly undid the disguise magic too.

When beggar's attire he had never seen before appeared instead of the patrol member's attire, the young skull principal finally paused.

"You're not people of this city?"

"No. Uh, we are... visitors from another realm! Please listen to our story!"

"Hmm."

The young skull principal, who had been pondering, lowered his hands for now. Then he spoke to Professor Boladi.

"Why don't you come out instead of hiding on the side?"

Professor Boladi obediently undid his concealment and appeared. The young skull principal tilted his head at that sight.

"That magic just now, it seems similar to my family's magic..."

"That's right. Because I learned it from you."

"??"

"I'll explain. After cleaning up the corpses first."

At Professor Boladi's words, the young skull principal's face reddened.

"This wasn't killing out of greed..."

"I know. These bastards acted arrogantly, right?"

Yi-Han spoke as if he could guess.

The young skull principal was royalty, but only of a small kingdom after all.

The mages of such a strong kingdom would naturally act rudely to such royalty.

The young skull principal had probably exploded at the insults he received when he quietly visited for magical business.

"That's not it."

"Huh? It's not?"

"I came to rescue innocent people trapped here."

The young skull principal answered as if to say 'What are you talking about?'

Killing people because they acted arrogantly, what nonsense was that?

"Who are you... mmph!"

Professor Garcia hurriedly covered Yi-Han's mouth as he was about to shout in shock.

"Haha. Please forget what he just said!"

"???"

  *

After cleaning up the corpses in the gallery and settling inside, Yi-Han's group began explaining to the young skull principal.

-So in our realm, you become a great mage who goes down in history, and as that great mage you run a magic school, and we are disciples from there...-

"A-amazing!"

The young skull principal trembled, his cheeks flushed with joy.

"To think such a future of possibility exists even for an inadequate mage like me!"

To a mage who deeply understood the concept of divination magic, the concept of oneself from another realm or future realm wasn't that difficult.

The young skull principal was deeply moved by the fact that a version of himself from some realm was raising disciples in the distant future.

All he was doing now was the trivial work of attacking and killing evil mages.

To think that such an inadequate self would later raise proper disciples!

"What kind of place is that magic school? Is it a warm and loving place?"

"..."

"Ah, well."

When both professors couldn't speak, Yi-Han had to lie as a disciple.

"It's very warm and full of love. There's even a song. 'Einroguard. Einroguard. It's so good. A place with warm meals and soft beds. Einroguard.'"

"That's truly a great comfort."

The young skull principal answered with great happiness.

Though he could only attack evil mages now, he might someday be able to raise mages with unconditional love.

Just that thought alone made the young skull principal regain his energy. He felt like he could continue attacking evil mages from now on.

"...Did we perhaps come to the wrong place?"

"Get a hold of yourself, Yi-Han. We came to the right place."

Though Professor Garcia's head was spinning too, she barely endured with her sense of responsibility as a professor.

This was certainly the young skull principal.

Though it was really hard to accept...