Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 882

Chapter 882

-Wardanaz. Drink this. Anger disappears.-

The kind giants first handed over giant alcohol in a large gourd to soothe Yi-Han.

This alcohol, made by fermenting mountain-destroying goat milk, was strong and fiery, able to soothe anger with just one sip.

Whoosh!

"...If I'm not mistaken, it seems to be on fire?"

-That's right! That makes it more fiery!-

Though he didn't drink the alcohol, Yi-Han's anger subsided a bit as he heard the giants' ridiculous drinking habits. He gathered his strength and turned around.

"Thank you all for worrying about me."

-That mage is suspicious.-

"Giants! This Intarendals would never harm the master's disciple..."

"That person is a little bit at fault too."

"?!"

Intarendals was shocked at Yi-Han's sudden words.

What had he done wrong?

-Let's throw him off the cliff! Throw him off the cliff!-

"It's not that bad. You don't need to get angry for me."

-Wardanaz is generous! Too kind!-

The giants praised Yi-Han while pretending to pat his back (they knew what would happen if they actually patted him from last time).

'Right. There's no need to despair already. Prophecies aren't absolute.'

Yi-Han steeled his resolve.

Prophecies weren't absolute. Rather, blindly being swayed by prophecies could be even more dangerous.

And Intarendals was just a mage after all. His interpretation could be wrong in any number of ways.

For example, the guest star Arna might have had its orbit twisted and rules changed in the meantime, becoming a star that helps Einroguard's good students...

'Even I think that's complete nonsense.'

Learning magic raised one's intelligence, making it not easy to deceive oneself.

"Lord Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family. We need to persuade the giants."

Despite being falsely accused by Yi-Han, Intarendals didn't point it out.

At some point, he must have failed to properly serve the master's disciple to hear such words. He had to reflect on himself.

"I understand. Let's persuade them together..."

-Wardanaz. The goat gave birth! Let's go see!-

-Wardanaz. We got a new pot. Come see!-

-I said it first!-

-Goats giving birth is natural! The pot is much more important!-

Bang crash!

As the giants started fighting, grabbing each other's collars, Yi-Han quickly intervened.

"I'll go see both! Both!"

Watching Yi-Han's back as he left with the giants after stopping the fight, Intarendals belatedly muttered in a flustered voice.

"No, what about the persuasion...?"

  *

As Intarendals was waiting for Yi-Han alone, guarding the carts at the giants' campsite, a low, rough voice was heard from behind.

-This is an unusual guest. You've lived longer than this old man?-

'A Yaksha!'

Intarendals gave a light greeting to the old Yaksha.

"Hello. I am Intarendals, the head servant who came to negotiate on Lord Gonadaltes's orders."

-Gonadaltes...? Ah. I see. Please be at ease.-

"I can't do that when I've come on the master's orders."

-Then I'll show proper etiquette too.-

The old Yaksha guessed that the other was an underling of the mad doppelganger, not the skull principal.

There was no such resurrected head servant among the skull principal's underlings.

-But why are you alone here...?-

"About that..."

Intarendals explained the situation as if complaining.

He had been prepared for negotiations with the giants to be long and difficult, but he hadn't expected to be waiting like this.

It was natural for complaints to come out when he was just waiting while he should be in the middle of negotiations by now.

-Ah. The giants quite like the Wardanaz family boy. As he's visiting after a long time, they must have a lot to talk about.-

"Were giants such a sociable race?"

-Not really. Isn't it just that the Wardanaz family boy is unusual?-

Intarendals nodded at the old Yaksha's words.

Certainly, as Gonadaltes's disciple, Yi-Han had to be an extraordinary person.

...He just didn't know it would manifest in being close with giants...

"Anyway, we need to negotiate, but I don't know when he'll return."

-Negotiate?-

"Didn't I tell you? We need guards to protect the mountain workshop..."

-Ah. It's not that I didn't understand your meaning.-

The old Yaksha put down the A-frame carrier and basket he had been carrying and said.

-The giants will just do it if Wardanaz asks.-

"Haha. You're good at joking too! ...Wait. It wasn't a joke?"

-No.-

"What... That's impossible."

Intarendals showed a negative reaction.

Of course, he knew Yi-Han was close with the giants from seeing it directly, but public and private matters should be distinguished.

Giants weren't a generous enough race to take on work without any compensation just because they were close.

-It's true. You can check when he returns...-

Before he could finish speaking, the giants returned to the campsite with Yi-Han after finishing their last visit.

-Isn't our statue amazing!-

"Yes... It's really amazing..."

-We made one on the eastern peak too! Let's go see that one too!-

"...Let's see that next time. True masterpieces shouldn't be seen all at once. The emotion becomes weaker..."

-As expected of Wardanaz! So smart!-

The giants seemed to have taken up sculpting as a hobby recently, making crooked giant statues on every mountain peak.

That was fine, but as they tried to take him around to see each one, Yi-Han couldn't help but get tired.

"Oh. Hello."

Yi-Han, who discovered the old Yaksha at the campsite, greeted him. Before the Yaksha could answer, the giants spat out angry criticism.

-Woo! Old Yaksha!-

-Wardanaz got angry because of you! Wardanaz suffered! You must take responsibility!-

-???-

The old Yaksha was flustered at suddenly receiving such unexpected criticism.

Giants were known for talking nonsense, but what did they mean Wardanaz had suffered?

-What nonsense are you talking? What did I do?-

-Wardanaz met the Yaksha King! He suffered because of that! The old Yaksha must take responsibility!-

-...He met the Yaksha King?!-

The old Yaksha was most surprised by this among all he had been surprised by today.

Though Yaksha races were scattered across various realms, there was only one being among them who could be called the Yaksha King.

The wisest Yaksha whom all Yakshas revered and served!

-You met that wise king?-

"What's so wise about him?"

Yi-Han grumbled in a voice full of resentment.

The old Yaksha, noticing the other's voice full of complaints, asked back as if he didn't understand.

-You met His Majesty the Yaksha King and you're complaining? Do you know what an honorable opportunity that is!-

It was said that the king, the wisest Yaksha, stayed in a realm's palace that ordinary people couldn't dare approach, managing wisdom and secrets.

The king's wisdom was so amazing that there would be countless people willing to offer their eyes or hearts to meet this Yaksha King.

-In old Yaksha legends, there's a legend like this. A traveler lost and wandering found a house in the middle of the night and opened the door, and inside...-

"Legends or whatever, it wasn't helpful to me. I almost died."

-Woo! How mean!-

-Old Yaksha, apologize!-

'Were the teachings perhaps a bit extreme?'

The old Yaksha thought to himself.

The Yaksha King was a benevolent king who liked to bestow his wisdom on lost wanderers, but that might have felt a bit extreme to a young mage.

Thinking that way, the old Yaksha felt truly regretful.

To misunderstand and receive the king's well-intentioned actions like that.

'It's okay. After some time passes, he'll realize the king's intentions and be grateful.'

The old Yaksha nodded, thinking thoughts that would have made Yi-Han immediately grab his collar using the giants if he had heard them.

-Hmm. It seems there was a crisis. But it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...-

"He told me to visit again next time."

-No! Then of course you should visit, you young mage!-

The old Yaksha flared up without realizing it.

If the king invited you, you should say 'Thank you' and visit to receive wisdom, not be ungrateful like this young one!

"What nonsense are you talking about? I won't do it."

-Think carefully. The king...-

-Wardanaz won't visit! Old Yaksha, be quiet!-

-...You young ones really!-

The old Yaksha swung a large wooden rod imbued with the good karma he had accumulated. The giants screamed and ran away.

-...The king taught you everything with you in mind. Understand?-

"By the way, the skull principal's mad doppelganger is also teaching me with me in mind."

-...-

The old Yaksha suddenly realized that the boy before him had far too many outstanding teachers.

Usually, one would be lucky to meet such a teacher once in a lifetime, but here teachers were fighting to teach him, so from the disciple's perspective, it was just tiring.

'His Majesty isn't someone to receive such treatment!'

"Um, giants."

Intarendals, who couldn't wait any longer, finally cleared his throat and opened his mouth.

"Can we start negotiations soon? Even if we start now, it will take two more days, so..."

-Huh? No.-

-We finished talking while walking around earlier. We'll go help now.-

The giants said that and then strode off towards the workshop.

Intarendals was unable to speak due to the great shock, but finally managed to utter one sentence.

"...This head servant has grown too old to help the master anymore!"

"No. Why are you like this again? The giants are just being kind."

Yi-Han hurriedly comforted his friend's shocked ancestor.

  *

This evil adventurer party called the Shadow of Kangla had a deep connection with Antagondal from before.

No matter how outstanding a mage was, they couldn't do everything alone. The magic criminal Antagondal was the same.

He needed adventurers who could quietly and skillfully carry out his requests, and the Shadow of Kangla was the most outstanding among them.

In return, Antagondal provided the party with powerful magic support.

Outstanding adventurers always had a wise mage helping their adventures, and for this Shadow of Kangla, Antagondal was that wise mage.

As such, it was natural for these adventurers to seriously step up when Antagondal's contact was cut off and a rescue request came.

'It's not just because the support was cut off. It's a chance to get more of the magic items he has.'

To put it bluntly, they could find a new mage to provide magic support to the party.

There might not be a great mage like Antagondal, but they wouldn't be completely unable to find one.

But what about the numerous treasures Antagondal had?

These adventurers knew better than anyone how many treasures and artifacts the big-shot magic criminal Antagondal had collected. They had to, having worked under him.

Even if they couldn't rescue Antagondal, they had to at least recover the keys or access rights and bring them out.

"But will Antagondal hand them over willingly?"

"If it seems impossible, we should consider finishing him off. He must have weakened considerably, being imprisoned in Einroguard. It's a place that makes even fairly tough guys go soft."

The lockpicker, covering his entire body with a cloak and mask engraved with midnight shadows, said.

The adventurers belonging to the Shadow of Kangla were reluctant to reveal their identities or names to each other. It was because it could become dangerous if something happened.

The adventurer called the Blade-wielder offered an opinion.

"How about killing him and just bringing out the corpse?"

"That's a choice to make only in the worst case. All the treasures might be bound if he dies."

"Damn it. To think we'd end up visiting Einroguard. After hearing so much from grandfather..."

"What did your grandfather say?"

When the Bow-wielder muttered, the other adventurers asked curiously.

"Grandfather was once caught after infiltrating Einroguard in the past. He barely got released."

"Oh. Isn't that lucky for us? You must have heard about Einroguard."

"No. He couldn't say a single word about Einroguard. Until the day he died. A taboo was placed on his soul. All he could say was fear-filled words telling us not to go to Einroguard."

"..."

"..."

An instinctive fear arose among the evil adventurers who had been through all sorts of experiences.