Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 877

Chapter 877

Professor Krair looked at Yi-Han as if to say 'What are you talking about?'

The purpose of this midterm exam was to teach students how to use the <Star Guide> and have them find stars.

As it was such a difficult artifact, just mastering its use was enough for an exam.

Yi-Han spoke with a calm attitude.

"I heard that contracting with stars isn't as difficult as one might think. Unlike spirits or demons, it's not about conversation, persuasion, negotiation, or threats, but about exploring and recognizing, then proving qualification according to rules..."

'Did he read some strange ancient book somewhere?'

Professor Krair looked at the clever top student with puzzlement as he said strange things.

Even clever mages could sometimes talk nonsense. This was exactly the case where they became too outstanding and fell into madness by clinging to forbidden ancient books that others wouldn't read.

What the Wardanaz family boy was saying wasn't quite madness, but it seemed to have come halfway.

Contracting with stars was difficult.

Finding stars, or even just learning how to use the <Star Guide>, was difficult.

And finding the star's rules and proving qualification was even more so...

"Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Yi-Han nodded and then suddenly ran to the window and shouted loudly.

It was hard to understand, but words like 'Yaksha King' and 'bastard' could be heard mixed in his shout.

"!?"

"???!"

Not only Professor Krair but also the other professors looked at Yi-Han in surprise. Professor Bentozol suspected Professor Verduus.

"Is this because you upset him so much?"

"When did I?"

'It is suspicious.'

Professor Krair agreed with Bentozol's words.

How much must Professor Verduus have upset his disciple while he was finding the artifact? That was something one could know without using divination magic.

"Oh."

Professor Krair, who was finishing checking the <Star Guide>, discovered a residual mark inside. It was a remnant left by the intense power of a star.

A remnant that had no reason to be there unless this artifact had been used to contract with a star!

"Did you perhaps use the artifact?"

Yi-Han, who had been shouting out the window, stopped abruptly and came back. Then he silently nodded.

"Did you find a star too?"

He nodded again.

"...Surely not a contract too?"

He nodded once more.

Professor Krair looked at her disciple with curiosity.

Why would someone with such outstanding talent do something dangerous on his own when no one had told him to?

Perhaps this was the fate of those called geniuses.

  *

The three professors sat down and began an impromptu lecture.

Although there wasn't much to say since he had already found a star and made a contract, they still had to tell him about precautions.

"You have to be careful of asteroid belts."

Professor Verduus said while gnawing on birch bark.

"They look like star clusters, so if you approach trying to contract, you could get badly hurt."

Asteroid belts were a trap that mages trying to contract with stars easily fell into.

At a glance, they felt like powerful stars, but if one approached, they would suffer great damage from the irregularly divided swarm.

"Yes... I've encountered them before."

"..."

"..."

Professor Krair and Professor Bentozol's expressions hardened. Professor Verduus asked curiously.

"Then is there really a need to learn like this?"

"No one asked for your opinion."

"Be quiet, Professor Verduus."

Professor Verduus closed his mouth again.

For some reason, the other two professors seemed to be in a bad mood. They were truly emotional people.

"Then... you should also be careful of dark nebulae. Just looking at them can devour a mage's soul..."

"Yes. I saw that too."

"..."

"..."

Professor Krair wondered what kind of ancient book he had read and followed to have seen both asteroid belts and dark nebulae.

Could the title of the grimoire possibly be <How to Self-Destruct Among the Stars>?

Jourin tilted her head.

-It doesn't seem like Yi-Han has much to learn...-

"That's not true, Your Highness! Though I didn't say it, detecting stars requires proficiency in all kinds of laws and principles!"

Bentozol, who didn't want to appear incompetent in front of the dragon, reacted sensitively.

"I was planning to explain each of those one by one. Now! Do you know about the law of preemption?!"

"Yes."

"Why do you know!"

Professor Krair just gave up and decided to finish explaining how to operate the <Star Guide>.

  *

"If you operate it like this, in this direction, the direction of the soul's vision follows. As stars move quickly, some prediction is essential. Even if the <Star Guide> helps, the mage needs to know how to use divination magic for a considerable part."

"I see."

"This week is when spirit stars come closest to the continent. Did you perhaps see any spirit stars?"

"Yes."

"Ah. Did you contract with a spirit star?!"

"No... It rejected me."

"..."

"..."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward. While spirit stars might ignore someone, it was extremely rare for them to reject.

Eandurde, who didn't understand alone, asked.

"Why would a star reject?"

-Shh. Eandurde. There are bad stars too.-

"With such strong mana, it's possible for spirits to dislike it. That probably led to the spirit star's rejection."

Professor Verduus nodded as if he understood by himself. Yi-Han glared at him slightly.

"Well... That's in the past now. What else should I teach? Then what star did you contract with?"

"I heard it was called the guest star Arna."

There had been several times today when the conversation stopped and an awkward atmosphere hung in the air, but none as heavy and shocking as now.

Professor Krair and Professor Bentozol looked at Yi-Han with their faces distorted in shock. Even Professor Verduus dropped his tree bark.

"...Did I perhaps make a dangerous contract?"

"A 2nd year student contracting with a star itself is just dangerous. More than that... um... a disastrous prophecy... no."

"Arna is... hmm... fate... no... It's like a superstition. Superstitions are part of prophecies, but..."

'This isn't helpful at all.'

Even when he persistently pressed, the professors wouldn't tell him.

As far as Yi-Han could guess, it seemed the fates of mages who had contracted with Arna were generally not good.

Well, it was a star the skull principal had contracted with...

'It's terrifying. To think contracting with it might make one become the principal of Einroguard.'

"Ah. Wait. Lastly, I should teach you something I forgot about using this artifact."

Professor Krair called out to Yi-Han as he was about to get up.

"What is it?"

"It's best to use this artifact for only a few minutes a day. Seeing the sea of stars is more draining than you might think."

"..."

Shouldn't that be attached to the front of the artifact as a precaution?

  *

Jourin, who had been watching Yi-Han after he returned to the tower, cautiously asked.

-Yi-Han?-

"Yes, Your Highness?"

-Are you perhaps taking the exam early because of Jourin...?-

It was natural for Jourin to be concerned.

Originally, exams were supposed to be put off until the day before and then studied for urgently (Jourin had a somewhat distorted view from learning through books), not going a week early to perfectly complete even the final exam and hand it in.

But as Yi-Han kept finishing next week's exams in advance, Jourin couldn't help but feel concerned.

-From what I heard, you didn't do this last year...-

Yi-Han immediately answered the clever dragon's reasonable guess.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Your Highness?!"

-!-

'Oh no. This is bad.'

Yi-Han was horrified to realize he was increasingly treating Jourin like Gainando.

At this rate, he might someday be reported to the imperial court for insulting royalty.

"I'm sorry. I was surprised and spoke as I usually do to my friends."

-No! Jourin likes it when you speak as you usually do to your friends!-

Jourin flapped her wings and her eyes sparkled.

She had been a bit hurt that Yi-Han's attitude towards her was different from how he treated his friends, but now an opportunity had come.

"No. Still, given Your Highness's status, I should maintain proper etiquette."

-No! No! I don't like it!-

Jourin threw a tantrum, performing a rolling motion left and right.

As she rolled with her dragon size, the furniture in Blue Dragon Tower's lounge shattered with a cracking sound. Gainando, who had been playing mage cards in the corner, wailed with a scream as the game he was finally winning flew away.

-Jourin commands! Wardanaz must treat Jourin as he usually treats his friends!-

"Hmm... If that's really what you want..."

Jourin's face brightened. Yi-Han spoke frankly and plainly.

"Then stop talking nonsense."

-...-

"Perhaps it would be better to maintain proper etiquette after all..."

-No! Jourin is completely fine with it!-

Eandurde thought she saw dew slightly form in the corners of Jourin's eyes, but she only thought it to herself.

It was her own form of friendship towards her large dragon friend.

"More importantly, Your Highness. I'm not deliberately taking exams early."

"Really??"

Not only Jourin but also Eandurde was surprised.

"...Why are you surprised?"

"Of course..."

Eandurde counted on her fingers one by one.

<Staff Materials and Magic Amplification>, <Terribly Beautiful Creatures>, <Poison, Bone, Blood>, <Divination Magic Good for Going Crazy>...

It was too many to be a coincidence, so Eandurde had naturally thought this iron man senior was finishing exams early according to a perfect plan.

"It's just a coincidental accident."

"Hmm..."

-Hmm...-

'Did I put them together unnecessarily?'

Putting the two with young mental ages together seemed to only make them learn to doubt each other.

-Hmm...-

"...Aren't you afraid anymore?"

Yi-Han spoke to the baby basilisk in his sleeve. With her sharp dragon hearing, Jourin stared intently at the sleeve.

-It seems I just heard the baby basilisk's voice.-

-M-m-master I-I-I'm scared!-

"That's why you shouldn't have spoken..."

-Wow!-

Having discovered the baby basilisk, Jourin rushed over joyfully at lightning speed.

-Master. I was wrong! Help me! Waah...-

-It's so cute!-

While Jourin hugged and played with the baby basilisk for a while, Yi-Han took care of his remaining tasks.

'The exams really have decreased.'

"Wardanaz. A paper bird."

"It's not a paper bird sent by Professor Verduus, is it?"

"If it was, I would have shot it down of course!"

A Blue Dragon Tower friend laughed as if to say 'What do you take me for?' as he told him and passed by.

Yi-Han checked the paper bird with relief. It was a paper bird sent by club seniors.

I heard you took the <Terribly Beautiful Creatures> exam early? Congratulations. If you're thinking of taking the <One Drop of Potion Instead of Complex Magic> exam early too, could you let me know?

Junior, are you perhaps thinking of taking the <Elemental Magic and Its Applications> exam early too? If so, please be sure to tell me...

...

"..."

The contents of the letters were all similar.

They had to help their club juniors study for exams, so if he was going to take more exams early, please tell them, to reduce the extra effort of organizing...

'Isn't this too much?'

Yi-Han grumbled at Einroguard's coldness.

When a junior takes other exams early, they should worry and tell him not to overdo it, not ask him to tell them if he's going to take more early!

"Students. Is student Wardanaz here?"

"That depends on your purpose for coming, Professor."

A familiar voice was heard at the main entrance of the lounge.

It was Professor Jorzik of the Benmalpa family, who had grown a stylish seagull-shaped mustache.

A friend who didn't know Professor Jorzik well asked curiously.

"Wardanaz. What kind of person is that professor?"

"He's not a bad person. He takes good care of students too."

"Oh..."

"And he's aiming to be the next principal."

The Blue Dragon Tower student who heard Yi-Han's answer ran away to the upper floor in disgust.

'He's a completely crazy professor!'