Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 869

Chapter 869

Despite the bullying from the mean seniors, Yi-Han remained unshaken.

Gonadaltes: A mage should not have irrational fears. One must face that fear directly and overcome it.

Eaktus: You go face the principal a lot.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: You go overcome the principal a lot.

"..."

Yi-Han was about to attack with 'Will you even graduate like that?' but came to his senses.

No matter how much one wanted to fight with the other party, there was a line.

'This isn't helpful at all.'

Unlike other topics, everyone became so sensitive when it came to the skull principal that it was difficult to gather information.

As Yi-Han was wondering if he should give up, someone posted a message.

Klzenberg: The principal has gone up to the capital now.

"!"

Yi-Han was surprised by the name of an unfamiliar person. Not just Yi-Han, but others seemed a bit surprised too.

Eaktus: Klzenberg! I thought you had graduated.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: I thought you were eternally trapped in the punishment room.

Klzenberg: Haha. I've been busy lately.

Gonadaltes: ...Am I the only one bothered by Klzenberg speaking in an archaic style?

Eaktus: Hey. You used Gonadaltes as your alias.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: That's right. Are you in a position to point out others' characteristics?

Though it was a brief conversation, Yi-Han could discern a few facts.

First, Klzenberg was a student who spoke in a somewhat old-fashioned manner, and he was quite popular among the other members of the group.

It felt like the opposite reaction to when the member called Immortal wrote something and received jeers.

'If I had to say, he'd be among the most popular in this <Sentinels of Einroguard> group. The Immortal is among the least popular.'

Yi-Han momentarily thought about where he would belong, but quickly stopped when he saw his alias 'Gonadaltes'.

Klzenberg: More importantly, Beaver-Penguin-Fox, how is that research you mentioned last time going?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Of course. The toxic vapor cloud has been made perfectly. I could kill anyone who approaches in 3 seconds, right?

Immortal: ...Isn't that a bit too much? Other students could get hurt.

For a moment, no text appeared on the whispering artifact and it went quiet. Yi-Han could feel the atmosphere turning chilly even though he couldn't see it.

Klzenberg: I understand Immortal's concern. But Beaver-Penguin-Fox has always shown outstanding abilities as a member. Even if they make a toxic vapor cloud, they wouldn't use it on other students.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: ...

Immortal: You really won't use it?!

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Ah. Shut up. Who are you to keep butting in?

Immortal: S-see that! Look at that!

Klzenberg: Everyone, calm down. Beaver-Penguin-Fox surely...

'Hmm. I can see why he's popular.'

Klzenberg reminded Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family's old knight, Arlong.

A kind and considerate old knight.

Having finished his assessment, Yi-Han picked up his quill again.

He was curious about what Beaver-Penguin-Fox would use a toxic vapor cloud that could kill in just 3 seconds of inhalation for, but right now, he was more concerned about the skull principal.

Gonadaltes: Klzenberg. You said the principal went up to the capital. Can you tell us more details?

Eaktus: Augh. We finally changed the topic.

Although others grumbled, Yi-Han ignored them. Klzenberg kindly answered.

Klzenberg: Of course. ...But why did you choose such a unique alias?

Gonadaltes: ...

Klzenberg: Anyway, the principal went up to the capital to prepare for a great magic. He needs to get various permissions, I hear?

Immortal: Huh? Really? That was the reason?

Eaktus: What great magic?? What is it? He's not going to put additional curses on all students' necks, is he?

Klzenberg: I don't know that much either. And that's not even great magic, is it?

Eaktus: Well, that's true. He could do that easily.

'Great magic?'

Mages basically cast magic with just the reagents they had and their mental power, but not all magic could be performed that way.

Some magic was so large in scale and difficulty that it required hundreds of mages to prepare for decades.

And such magic was usually called great magic.

Magic so difficult that an individual mage wouldn't even dare to attempt it.

The problem was that the skull principal wasn't an ordinary mage.

'Great magic that requires the skull principal to go up to the capital and prepare. What on earth could it be?'

For someone who could handle most great magic at his own level to need separate preparation to this extent.

And it wasn't ordinary preparation. It was preparation at a level that required going up to the capital and persuading everyone from the emperor to the bureaucrats.

At this point, even Yi-Han started to get seriously scared.

To the point where merging with Baldurguard seemed better.

The members seemed to feel similarly, whispering and chattering.

Eaktus: What on earth is it? What's he trying to do?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Could he be trying to enroll the royal who visited this time?

Eaktus: Is that great magic? Don't say such nonsense.

Gonadaltes: I agree with Eaktus. Stop saying such horrible things.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: Can't I joke?

As he was pondering, Yi-Han suddenly had a question and asked.

Gonadaltes: By the way, Klzenberg. How do you know this?

Immortal: That's right. How do you know this? It's suspicious.

No matter how he thought about it, Klzenberg knew too much detail.

'Could there be another disciple besides me?'

There might be a hidden disciple in 5th year or 6th year, or even higher.

One who hadn't graduated yet and was trapped in the darkest, deepest part of the school...

Eaktus: He could know. Why are you prying?

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: You're talking like you're suspicious. You're the suspicious one!

A fierce attack flew at the two lowest-ranked members in the unofficial popularity poll of <Sentinels of Einroguard>.

Yi-Han had no choice but to take another step back.

'Tsk. This bastard. He's too popular.'

Klzenberg: Everyone, calm down. I was just in a position to obtain information.

Baqwantallana: I've been thinking about this for a while, but is Klzenberg perhaps the principal's disciple?

Klzenberg: Hehe. I'll leave that to your imagination.

"..."

Suspicious!

Yi-Han felt overwhelmingly suspicious.

Of course, there could be a senior disciple that even Yi-Han didn't know about in the darkest, deepest part of Einroguard, but no matter how he thought about it, Klzenberg didn't seem like such a disciple.

He lacked the hatred that a disciple of the skull principal should rightfully show.

As a true disciple of the skull principal, Yi-Han vowed to uncover the identity of this impostor.

'Oh right. I almost forgot to ask about how to use the <Star Guide>.'

Yi-Han was going to ask about Professor Krair's midterm exam artifact.

There might be seniors who knew how to use it.

Immortal: Is Professor Krair still angry? Could there have been a misunderstanding?

Eaktus: Oh. No. Just now, the professor doubled the bounty on Professor Verduus's head. She also put a bounty on the stolen artifact.

'Hmm. This isn't a good time to ask.'

Yi-Han quietly closed the book.

If he asked about how to use the artifact now, several anonymous informants might appear.

-Are you done?-

The baby basilisk poked its head out from his sleeve. Yi-Han nodded and answered.

"Yeah. But why have you been sleeping so much lately?"

-I was pretending to sleep!-

"Why?"

-There's a dragon, you know.-

Unlike its usual appearance of moving with eyes full of curiosity, the baby basilisk checked its surroundings with an attitude full of wariness.

It seemed like it was checking if Jourin was there or not.

"She's sleeping over there."

-!-

When Yi-Han pointed at Jourin dozing off in front of the fireplace in the lounge, the baby basilisk shot back into his sleeve.

-Waaah... You tricked me...-

"...Ah, no. I didn't trick you."

-You tricked me...-

"I'm sorry."

Yi-Han put a snack into his sleeve to comfort the baby basilisk.

While crying loudly, the baby basilisk still ate the snack eagerly.

"More importantly, Princess Jourin isn't such a scary person."

-Dragons are scary.-

"Of course, they might feel threatening as a race, but you saw too."

-Saw what?-

"...Many actions that felt less threatening?"

-?-

The baby basilisk tilted its head.

No matter how it thought about it, she hadn't particularly done anything that felt less threatening.

Grabbing Yi-Han with her front paws, trying to kidnap him to her nest, trying to wrap him with her tail...

-She seems dangerous.-

"No. By that logic, you're dangerous too."

-What?!-

When Yi-Han pointed this out, the baby basilisk whimpered again.

But in Yi-Han's view, what they were doing was overall similar. It's just that Jourin was much stronger and had terrifying great mana.

"...You understand?"

-Hmph.-

The baby basilisk finally nodded, grumbling despite Yi-Han's long persuasion.

That Princess Jourin dragon might be a relatively less dangerous dragon...

-Mmm.-

Jourin, who had fallen into a deep sleep thanks to playing happily all day, heard Yi-Han's voice in her sleep and immediately stretched out her front paw.

"Ugh."

Jourin firmly grabbed Yi-Han so he couldn't escape, then put him in her embrace and curled up tightly. She looked like a child preciously hugging a doll while sleeping.

Of course, from Yi-Han's perspective, he had been suddenly kidnapped into a dragon's nest. The baby basilisk whispered as if shocked.

-S-she is scary after all!-

"...This is just playing."

-You just went 'Ugh', Master!-

"You must have misheard. I was planning to sleep here today anyway."

Yi-Han insisted while firmly protecting his body with telekinesis.

The baby basilisk sent a suspicious look at that sight.

It seemed like a lie...

  *

"...Gasp!"

A wasteland where the sky and horizon were all empty.

Realizing it was a vision from the black book, Yi-Han sighed in relief.

He had thought he was having a nightmare after being kidnapped to a dragon's nest.

"What is it this time? Perhaps a magic to secretly escape without waking Princess Jourin?"

If it was something like that, it would certainly be useful.

If it was a magic that could secretly undo a dragon's restraints...

However, instead of teaching magic as usual, the black book moved slowly in the air, wasting time.

Yi-Han asked curiously.

"What are you doing? If you're not going to teach magic, let me out."

If it thought Yi-Han would beg and plead to learn magic, it was mistaken.

He was already learning too many magics as it was. It was even almost midterm exam period.

If it wasn't going to teach, that was fine.

But the black book once again avoided answering and just moved slowly in the air.

'What's with this guy?'

Yi-Han felt disgruntled at the black book's attitude that was different from usual.

Why was it acting so leisurely when normally it would have forcibly stuffed magic into him as if every second was precious?

'What on earth...'

As he was pondering, Yi-Han turned around without much thought.

Then a realm gate with the golden wheel pattern that had appeared last time, which the skull principal had visited in his youth, revealed itself.

It was the realm gate that the black book had urged, saying 'The principal also went in and learned magic in his youth, so you should go and learn too.'

...Right in front of Yi-Han's nose!

Yi-Han, who had been thinking what the realm gate could do if he didn't go and held out, couldn't help but be shocked.

'The realm gate... approaches secretly?!'

As he always felt, the skull principal's underlings had a talent for creatively messing with Yi-Han.

Vowing to definitely take physical revenge on the black book when he escaped from the dream, Yi-Han was forcibly sucked into the realm gate with the golden wheel pattern.