Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 846

Chapter 846

'It's pitiful.'

To think that such an arrogant duke would change like this.

Even though Yi-Han didn't particularly like Duke Icaldoren, he felt enough sympathy to pity him.

And the most surprising point in this matter was that Yukbeltire herself had no malice at all.

'Even if she had intentionally tortured him, I don't think she could have done this well...'

It seemed that even if Yi-Han and Yukbeltire had joined hands, with one playing the role of the good interrogator and the other the bad interrogator, they wouldn't have achieved this level of result.

Befitting Professor Verduus's disciple, she had an innate talent for torturing people.

'By the way, I should tell Senior.'

Yi-Han intended to find Yukbeltire and tell her that he would take care of the duke for the remaining few days.

It might be a bit troublesome, but Duke Icaldoren was so pitiful that he felt he should do at least that much.

He had already secured sponsorship for two research projects, after all.

"Oh. Senior!"

As he went up and out of the Dark Shadow Hall, he saw Yukbeltire passing by.

Yukbeltire, who was winding the spring of her pocket watch with her white, slender fingers and checking the time, slowly turned her head at her junior's call.

"Hello."

"Yes. Nice to see you."

Yi-Han quickly threw the staff he was holding into a nearby grave pit so that the other party wouldn't notice.

Honestly, he thought it would be fine to show it, but he was bothered by what Direth had said.

If she were to bully him with her senior's authority and status, it wouldn't be good, so it was right to be careful.

'Wait. Did tree spirits dislike such places?'

After throwing it, he remembered that tree spirits didn't like places like grave pits.

As spirits related to life, they naturally detested the death energy or evil energy of the dark magic school.

'Well, it can't be helped.'

Yi-Han quickly gave up.

What could he do about something he had already thrown?

And the tree spirit was tough and fierce, so there shouldn't be a problem from going into a grave pit for a while.

"Senior. What brings you here?"

"I have to return a book I borrowed from Direth. You?"

"I... I came to see if His Grace the Duke was doing well."

Yukbeltire shook her head slightly as if he had done something unnecessary.

"His Grace is being perfectly managed. Don't waste time unnecessarily."

"..."

Yi-Han was dumbfounded.

He was even more dumbfounded because she was so confident.

'To say such things so confidently after nearly starving someone to death?'

"Did you check on him today by any chance?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Wardanaz family junior. You'll come to know this too, but what's important in enchantment magic is efficiency. Just as there's no need to recalculate a perfectly calculated magic formula, there's no need to visit His Grace again when he's being perfectly managed."

Yukbeltire spoke without a shred of doubt.

Since she had put in exactly the amount of food the duke wanted, there was no need to manage him before the set period ended.

"...Ah, yes. But Senior, would it be alright if I manage His Grace from now on?"

"Why?"

Yi-Han was about to say 'His Grace wants to kill you, Senior' but held back.

He was worried Yukbeltire might stubbornly insist otherwise.

"As your junior, I want to help with your work."

"You've finally thought well. My artificial realm research..."

"I don't want to do that."

"..."

When Yi-Han immediately refused, dissatisfaction bloomed on Yukbeltire's expressionless face.

Why did this junior keep refusing when he had the qualifications, talent, and even respect for his senior?

"I'm a bit too busy to do that too. Anyway, is it okay if I take charge?"

"Do so. But don't kill His Grace by failing to manage him. He's an important hostage."

"..."

Yi-Han clenched his fist without realizing it.

'She's a senior. I absolutely must not attack her. She's a senior. I absolutely must not attack her.'

"Yes. I'll try my best. Well then..."

"Wait."

"?"

Yukbeltire called Yi-Han as he was about to turn around.

"How is your staff creation going?"

"The staff?"

After glancing at the grave pit beside him once, Yi-Han spoke carefully to test his senior.

"I'm trying to get black purplestone. But Senior, what would you think if someone completed my staff for me?"

"If they complete it, then they complete it."

Yukbeltire answered immediately as if it was nothing.

At that answer, Yi-Han inwardly sighed in relief.

'What? Was Senior Direth worried for nothing?'

Although Senior Yukbeltire was a bit of a very strange person, she wasn't the type to get angry or bully her junior just because someone else completed the staff for them.

"Did someone perhaps offer to complete it for you?"

"I did hear such an offer..."

"I think it would be better to refuse. It's bound to be a low-level scammer. Seeing how they're trying to steal a work that another enchantment mage has already started, they must be a shameless piece of trash."

Yi-Han had never seen Yukbeltire speak so long and fast before. She spat it out in one breath without even breathing.

"No... You just said if they complete it, then they complete it."

"Did I?"

"But now you're saying the person who offered is a scammer and trash..."

"They are a scammer and trash. You could even say that's a mild expression. They deserve to wander in hell for eternity with an eternal curse on their soul, and even that wouldn't be enough."

"..."

'Why don't you just get angry instead of...'

Yi-Han was dumbfounded at the sight of his senior who said she wasn't angry but then kept exuding resentment.

The fortunate thing was that Professor Verduus would bear most of that anger, but...

The worrying thing was that some of it might spill over to Yi-Han.

It was an irrational and unreasonable attitude, but weren't most Einroguard mages like that originally?

'I'll have to tell her later.'

Or never tell her at all.

"I understand, Senior. I'll keep it in mind. Then I'll be..."

"Wardanaz family junior."

"Yes?"

"You'll refuse the offer, right?"

"...Yes. Then I'll really be going..."

"Alright."

Yi-Han turned around with a sigh of relief.

He was thinking of coming back to pick up the staff once Yukbeltire disappeared in the distance.

"Wardanaz family junior."

"!?"

Yukbeltire, who had been moving away, suddenly stopped and called again.

Yi-Han was terrified, wondering if his inner thoughts had been exposed.

"Yes?"

"It really would be better to refuse the offer. Understand?"

"...I said I understand."

Yukbeltire only left completely after tormenting Yi-Han by calling him three more times after that.

Yi-Han added Yukbeltire to the list of people he would have to avoid for a while.

Mad doppelganger

Verduus

Yukbeltire

'Hmm.'

Yi-Han, who had been pondering, picked up his quill and changed the order of danger.

Yukbeltire

Verduus

Mad doppelganger

  *

The <Advanced Illusion Magic and Spirit Body Theory> lecture was a 3rd year lecture taught by Professor Kirmin Ku.

Originally, such advanced illusion magic could be taught to 2nd year students, but the reason this lecture was taken from 3rd year was because of spirit body theory.

Spirit body, that is, the soul.

When illusion magic reaches a certain level, from that point on, exploration of existence and the soul becomes essential.

Low-level illusion magic didn't actually need an approach to the soul.

In a way, illusion was closer to the concept of deceiving the opponent, and that deception didn't necessarily need to involve the soul.

Even in the case of Farhait's illusion magic series that Yi-Han learned last year, it was possible to cast without studying about the soul as it distorted vision with the power of flames.

"However, that's just a simple thought. For illusion magic to surpass a certain level, one must be able to explore the soul more deeply than mages of other schools."

Professor Kirmin wrote letters on the blackboard with illusions.

Detecting the opponent's soul, recognizing one's own soul, expanding and contracting this soul's power, directly interfering with the soul to confuse and strike...

It wasn't just for pursuing higher-level magic.

To cast illusion magic against enemies or monsters with high mana, this approach to the soul was essential.

Professor Boladi said, 'Deceiving a mage above a certain level with illusion magic is several times more difficult than other fields of magic', but this was only half the truth.

"A truly outstanding illusion mage can't be blocked even if you try to block them. When you sit in the middle of your workshop and sigh 'It's safe here', if you experience your own shadow changing on its own, you'll never underestimate illusion magic again. Did I tell you the story of how I got one over on Professor Bagrak?"

"Professor. I think we've heard that story over a hundred times."

"Hmph. Fine. I won't tell it if you don't want to hear it."

'No!'

Yi-Han glared at his seniors.

To block their junior's chance to learn by saying they've all heard it already.

He was so frustrated.

'Tsk. I'm curious. How exactly did he get one over on him?'

If he knew the weakness, Yi-Han might be able to use it when dealing with Professor Boladi later.

"Everyone, remember last lecture? Let's continue from there. Wardanaz, you come up here."

Professor Kirmin called Yi-Han separately.

He felt the need to explain separately as he had missed the previous lecture.

"What those friends are doing now is practicing observing and recognizing the soul. Wardanaz. As I just explained, you have to start with recognition first. This is harder than you might think. I'll understand if you can't do it today."

Even for a mage, becoming aware of and recognizing one's own soul was harder than expected.

It's not easy to forcibly recognize an originally natural sensation like breathing as unfamiliar.

So students started by recognizing the souls of others rather than themselves.

The seniors in the classroom used various potions and magic to amplify and resonate the power of the soul.

The enlarged soul became even easier to see.

"From now on, I'm going to do a light astral projection. Wardanaz. I'll go around once and come back, so try to feel the sense of discomfort. That's where the soul is now."

"Um, Professor."

"?"

"If it's soul recognition, I think I can do it now..."

"?!"

Professor Kirmin was flustered.

"Did Professor Bagrak make you do soul recognition too? Even for him, that's too much??"

"No."

Yi-Han quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.

If he stayed quiet, Professor Boladi, who had no fault - no, he had faults, but no fault regarding this matter - might be falsely accused.

"You see..."

He had learned ancient dark magic before, and this dark magic absorbed others' pain, and to use it more properly, one had to go deep into the soul...

It was a vast and long story, but Professor Kirmin, one of the few 'relatively normal' professors in Einroguard, listened patiently.

If it had been someone else, it wouldn't have been strange to interrupt several times with 'Wait. Does that make sense?'

'Hmm.'

When Yi-Han finished telling the story of learning decline magic from the skull principal's mad doppelganger, using that magic to heal another cursed mage, and then, not satisfied with that, finding his own soul and cursing it to overcome a trial, Professor Kirmin went beyond surprise and suddenly had a doubt.

'Then doesn't Wardanaz not need to take this lecture?'

The first semester goal of the <Advanced Illusion Magic and Spirit Body Theory> lecture was to recognize and become familiar with the spirit body.

...There had never been a student who learned everything on their own like this before even taking the lecture.