Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 874

Chapter 874

Gainando snatched the steak like a skilled hunter and tore into it like a brave lion.

Yi-Han asked in surprise.

"Isn't it hot?"

"Ib's nob hob."

"What?"

Gulp!

"I numbed it with dark magic!"

Gainando said with a proud smile.

By locally numbing the sensation in his mouth, he could eat hot food a step ahead of others.

At those words, Yi-Han slapped Gainando on the back.

'Why?!'

Gainando didn't understand why he was hit.

He had diligently practiced and utilized magic just as Yi-Han had said!

Meanwhile, Jourin took one bite each of cake, cookies, soufflé, and pudding, then gently pushed the plate away.

As dragons weren't a race that necessarily needed to consume food, this was enough.

"Your Highness. Please eat more."

-Hmm. Jourin has had enough.-

When Yi-Han brought a plate filled with vegetables, Jourin pretended not to see and answered.

However, Jourin's opponent was a mage who had already subdued several picky royals.

"That won't do. You need to eat a balanced meal."

"Should I eat it instead?"

"You go away. Here, Your Highness."

-Jourin is a dragon, so it doesn't matter...-

"You're certainly quite thin. Good observation. That's how you should serve!"

Professor Bentozol chimed in from the side.

Though he was an unsatisfactory disciple, his handling of this situation was quite good.

Shouldn't a dragon have a much better physique?

At those words, Jourin secretly glared at Professor Bentozol. He was truly a bad mage, both for tormenting Yi-Han and this.

Yi-Han briefly left his seat to talk with other friends.

Jourin glanced around furtively and then gobbled down the salad.

"???"

Eandurde, who was beside her, stared blankly at the plate. For something that had been gobbled down, only a tiny bit had disappeared.

-Th-this much is left...-

Eandurde looked pitifully at Jourin, who was speaking pleadingly, then snatched the plate and ate it instead. The carrots on the plate disappeared mercilessly.

Jourin looked at Eandurde with sparkling eyes. And then tried to hug her tightly.

"Grrrrrrrr!"

"What are you two doing? Oh. Your Highness. You've finished eating."

-Th-that...-

Jourin, who was poor at lying, rolled her eyes around and then spotted something outside the window and stretched out her front paw.

-There's a paper bird over there!-

"What insolent bastard dares to disturb Her Highness the Dragon's meal!"

Professor Bentozol angrily shot down the paper bird.

Then he approached the window and shouted.

"You lazy demon bastards. Can't you do your job properly? If you disturb Her Highness the Dragon's meal one more time, I'll eat you!!"

...

Jourin's face turned pale blue.

While she might somehow eat vegetables, she didn't want to eat demons.

"But who sent the paper bird?"

"Probably Professor Verduus."

"How do you know it was sent by Professor Verduus?"

"They came earlier too."

"???"

His friends looked at Yi-Han, not understanding. Then they realized belatedly.

'Ah. So Wardanaz shot them down!'

"I asked an insensitive question. Let's all shoot down paper birds when they come."

"We're protecting Wardanaz from Professor Verduus."

"...It wasn't me who shot them down, but Her Highness."

-?!-

Jourin was surprised.

-When did Jourin do that!-

"You shot them down while sleep-talking when you were asleep earlier."

-...That was Jourin when asleep, so it's different from Jourin when awake! You must forgive it!-

Gainando admired that logic. As expected of someone of higher status, her logic was extraordinary.

"You can freely shoot down Professor Verduus's paper birds, Your Highness."

"That's right! You did well, in fact!"

-???-

Jourin tilted her head in confusion at the students' encouragement.

What on earth was Professor Verduus...!?

Meanwhile, Yi-Han approached the window and asked the demons.

"Could you perhaps send just one paper bird? I think we should still check the contents."

The demons, who had been overworked under the crazy professor, were moved and said:

-You who treat us mercifully, which family's mage are you? Please tell us your family. We'd like to repay the favor someday.-

"...It's not a good deed worthy of revealing my family. Just give me the paper bird."

Just then, another paper bird flew in. Yi-Han was finally able to check the contents.

-Help me!-

'As expected.'

Yi-Han wasn't very surprised by Professor Verduus's request for help.

Professor Krair had put a bounty on him in anger...

'Now that I've checked, I should return the artifact.'

There was no reason to keep holding onto the Star Guide after learning from the Yaksha King.

And no matter how detestable Professor Verduus was...

'I could leave him hanging upside down about to be burned at the stake. No, I can't. Am I tired because of the black book?'

Yi-Han had pride in being a different person from Professor Verduus. The saying "the student surpasses the teacher" didn't exist for nothing.

-Enemies have entered Spirit Festival Hall! You need to come quickly!-

"??"

This was a bit surprising.

As the basement had been attacked by mysterious righteous mages, Professor Verduus would naturally have raised the alert level of Spirit Festival Hall to the maximum.

Yet enemies had broken through that.

'How? No. Could Professor Bagrak have stepped in again?'

If Professor Boladi had taken on another request and stepped in, Yi-Han would be impressed.

So that's how ruthless a combat mage should be!

But the culprit wasn't Professor Boladi.

-The enchantment school students have betrayed me! Don't trust anyone!-

"..."

Yi-Han was at a loss for words at the statement that his own disciples had betrayed him.

'Wait. Does that mean Senior Yukbeltire betrayed him too?'

As Yukbeltire was Professor Verduus's top disciple, she might have at least remained neutral...

'Hmm. That's unlikely.'

Yi-Han shook his head, recalling Yukbeltire's recent behavior.

She might even be at the forefront, leading the enchantment school students right now.

Yi-Han firmly resolved to be even more careful when dealing with Yukbeltire in the future.

  *

Yi-Han finished his meal and set out with Jourin.

Eandurde had no choice but to accompany them as Jourin clung to her.

Professor Bentozol had no choice but to accompany them as he clung to Yi-Han's ankle.

The demons the professor had brought naturally had no choice but to accompany them...

'Hmm. It seems there are too many people accompanying us with no choice.'

But it couldn't be helped.

As they were going with Jourin, it would be dangerous if the escort was too small.

-Which family's mage is that merciful mage?-

"You mean him? He's from the Wardanaz family."

-...-

Though Yi-Han heard the ominous conversation between the demons and Professor Bentozol from behind, he had no leisure to pay attention as he was thinking about other things.

'If the enchantment magic school seniors have betrayed him, how do I get in?'

Originally, he would have been able to meet Professor Verduus just by entering Spirit Festival Hall, but if the enchantment magic school seniors had betrayed him, it was a different story.

Wouldn't watchful eyes be glaring from outside the magic tower to inside? If he did anything suspicious, attacks would fly immediately even if he was a junior.

"Stop!"

"I need to go in for a moment. I was conducting magic research with Anpagon, and the results are inside..."

"No one can enter Spirit Festival Hall right now. No variables are allowed in until we capture Professor Verduus."

"I see. If that's the reason, it can't be helped. I hope you capture him."

"Thanks for the support."

"..."

Yi-Han tried to come to his senses at the conversation taking place ahead.

Jourin, who was beside him, looked on curiously.

Even though important things were inside, he accepted and turned back without getting angry even once.

Einroguard students were truly rational!

"That's not quite it..."

Excluding the students from other schools who understood just from hearing about capturing Professor Verduus, Yi-Han looked around.

The enchantment magic school seniors were blocking approach to the tower itself in preparation for any possible counterattack by Professor Verduus.

They might have trapped Professor Verduus inside by surprise now, but if they gave even a slight opening, the works of Professor Verduus inside the tower could activate.

If that happened, the tide would turn immediately. Professor Verduus's disciples knew very well what would happen if they gave their powerful master a chance to use magic.

'This is bleak. Breaking through by force is also...'

Yi-Han wanted to avoid breaking through by force, especially with Professor Boladi absent and Jourin and Eandurde beside him.

If he were to break through by force, he would have to send those two back and put Professor Bentozol at the forefront...

"Wardanaz junior?"

Yi-Han flinched at the call of the enchantment magic school students who recognized their junior.

"What brings you here?"

"Uh... Well... I left something inside."

"I see. Go in."

"...???"

Yi-Han was bewildered by the seniors' answer.

This easily??

'Is it because I belong to the enchantment magic school?'

While he was bewildered, Salko walked up from behind.

Surprised at the sight of seniors blocking access to the tower, Salko carefully asked.

"Could I go inside?"

"No. No one can enter Spirit Festival Hall right now."

"Even if you're seniors, you can't just...!"

"No variables are allowed in until we capture Professor Verduus."

"Ah. I see. I'll cheer you on."

Salko politely cheered on the seniors and turned back.

However, seeing his friend from the same enchantment magic school being refused, Yi-Han became even more confused.

"Um. Senior."

"Why aren't you going in?"

"There's something I don't understand. Why am I allowed but Salko isn't?"

"The Tutanta family junior came late. He might have been bribed by the professor."

"...I came late too?"

At Yi-Han's question, the enchantment magic school seniors burst into laughter simultaneously.

Then they said.

"You, who would hate Professor Verduus the most in Einroguard? You should say something that makes sense!"

"..."

While the enchantment magic school wasn't a close-knit school where seniors and juniors helped each other, it was a school that thoroughly shared the professor's misdeeds.

How else could they prepare for the professor's misdeeds later?

The Wardanaz family junior had been tormented by Professor Verduus since the first-year vacation.

The professor had even personally gone to assign him work.

If enchantment magic school students had suffered such a thing, they might have seriously informed external assassins about their master.

"What are you doing? Not going in?"

"Ah... Yes... Thank you. Um, I have companions behind me..."

"Are they forces prepared to capture Professor Verduus?"

"No. Her Highness just followed along."

"Hmm. Try to persuade her well to capture Professor Verduus. Dragons are a very powerful race."

-Understood! If Jourin meets Professor Verduus, Jourin will catch him!-

Jourin pounded her chest as if to say leave it to her. Yi-Han whispered to Jourin.

"Your Highness. We're not going to capture Professor Verduus. You know that, right?"

-Jourin knows. But Yi-Han, Jourin doesn't understand why you're trying to help Professor Verduus.-

"...Your Highness. The underground workshop where we borrowed items last time was Professor Verduus's, remember?"

-But from what Jourin knows, Professor Verduus tormented Yi-Han too much to be repaid with just that. Isn't it not enough even if we take more?-

Huh?

Is that so?

Yi-Han wavered for a moment at Jourin's words.

Then a demon following behind carefully advised.

-Um, War... mage of the family. If I may humbly say, wouldn't it be better to bestow mercy generously as you decided at first?-

The demons were quite worried that a rare merciful mage (surprisingly from the Wardanaz family, no less) might be corrupted by an evil dragon.