Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 831

Chapter 831

Only after a few regrettable physical conflicts (Jijel swung her fists to shake off her friends, and because Yi-Han quickly dodged, Dolgyu got hit) could Jijel calm down.

"...Everyone apologize. I fell for the provocation."

"Everyone has their sore spots."

Yi-Han spoke as if he understood.

It was fortunate that Ragesa had glared at Jijel; if she had glared at Yi-Han and said "Hehe, you're cautious, as expected of the skull principal's disciple," Yi-Han might have charged into the realm too.

Everyone has their vulnerable weaknesses.

"Don't be fooled by Lady Ragesa's words, Moradi. Lady Jicklin isn't some berserker who would unconditionally enter and seek trials just because a new realm appears."

"..."

Jijel felt conflicted inwardly.

Because her sister was more than capable of doing just that.

'She seems quite capable of doing that.'

Just as mages deliberately enter dangerous ancient ruins for glory, knights deliberately challenge trials for glory.

And that glory included various rewards from the trials. The more courageous knights who risked their lives, the faster they grew stronger.

Of course, they also died faster.

"Think about it, all of you. When will you ever get to visit a spirit king's realm? Huh? You brats will someday leave this school and work in knight orders or serve all over the empire. When other knights ask 'What did you learn at Einroguard, mage?', what do you plan to answer? Are you going to say you just hid behind your friend's back and broke through the punishment room?"

"Lady Ragesa. Please stop using evil whispers. Kids, don't mind it. Visiting a realm because of such words is nonsense. What's wrong with hiding behind a friend's back and breaking through the punishment room corridor? It's an excellent strategy."

"..."

"..."

Jijel and Dolgyu made sour expressions.

Although Yi-Han could usually turn lies into truth, there were impossible things too.

That was heroically packaging the act of hiding behind a friend's back and scurrying through the punishment room corridor.

It was impossible for any mage with a brain and conscience to accept that.

"Let's take the challenge, Wardanaz."

"We came to challenge in the first place."

"Why are you suddenly acting like this when you hid so well while breaking through the punishment room?"

Yi-Han grumbled.

  *

Flash!

As they passed through the crack, a new realm appeared before the students' eyes with powerful protection.

As expected, a dense natural forest stretched to the horizon, so thick that not a single ray of light could escape.

...Upside down in the sky.

"...The ground is clouds. Is it really okay to step on?"

"Hey. Wardanaz is glaring. Pretend to be brave."

"Wardanaz. Don't worry. This time, we'll protect you!"

The White Tiger Tower students, perhaps feeling guilty for bringing Yi-Han who had shown skeptical reactions, shouted loudly that he should just trust them.

Of course, it wasn't very convincing.

'...Well. It should be fine.'

If he had really judged it dangerous, he wouldn't have entered no matter how much his friends rolled around on the ground.

First of all, they had received protection guarantees from the realm's master, they could return if it seemed dangerous, and if the White Tiger Tower students took the vanguard, Yi-Han could focus more on magic from his position.

Although still 2nd years, a group of knights capable of casting magic was indeed a considerably powerful force.

'But I'm already regretting it.'

Yi-Han thought as he stepped on clouds spread out instead of soil.

Seeing the lush forest growing upside down from the sky and clouds acting as the ground, he already wanted to go back.

He had heard many times that other realms were bizarre, but to think it would be like this from the entrance.

"Wardanaz. It's a butterfly."

"!"

As the butterfly that had come as the Mad Wood King's messenger earlier flew over, Yi-Han greeted it cautiously.

The butterfly with small, transparent wings fluttered around and then spun in circles as if telling them to follow.

"It seems to be telling us to come."

"What's the possibility of a trap?"

At Jijel's question, Yi-Han pondered and then spoke firmly.

"No. He swore to protect us once he invited us."

"I asked a stupid question. I apologize."

"No need for that."

Yi-Han and his friends followed the butterfly, stepping on clouds. Periodically, leaves fell from the sky instead of rain.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wander or tour the realm for long, as their destination was visible in the distance.

It was a building using floating seawater as a ceiling, with mangrove trees growing upside down from it as pillars and walls.

As the butterfly entered the Sea Drifting Mansion Forest, the host walked out to greet them.

It was the Demon Duke of Pride, Garisaima, wearing a chaotic mix of all kinds of splendid attire without any unity, such as hats and helmets, shirts and dresses, pants and skirts.

"...It's a trap!!!! A trap!!! Retreat back!!!"

"Wh-what?! What?!!"

The White Tiger Tower students were startled by Yi-Han's shout and aimed their weapons.

Garisaima lightly questioned as if to say 'What are you talking about?'

[A trap - how rude - human - mage - !]

"Isn't that a demon duke?!"

Ragesa gestured in rare confusion.

She had followed thinking the students might suffer in another realm, but she hadn't expected to meet a duke-level demon.

"Lady Ragesa. You must help with this!"

"This doesn't make sense?? Didn't you say this was the Mad Wood King's realm?"

[That - mage's - words - are - correct - how - incredibly - rude - to - say - it's - a - trap!]

Garisaima admonished the impolite guests.

He himself was staying in the Mad Wood King's realm as a guest, yet these mage guests were saying nonsensical things about traps.

Not only did it damage the mages' own dignity, but it also insulted both the Demon Duke of Pride and the Mad Wood King.

For the Demon Duke of Pride, it implied he was vile enough to set traps in a friend's realm, and for the Mad Wood King, it meant he couldn't protect his invited guests and allowed traps to be set.

Yi-Han, who tried to listen to the explanation as calmly and coolly as possible, asked with eyes full of wariness.

"So you're really a guest?"

[That's right!]

"...Is it common for demons to be invited as guests to spirit realms?"

Jijel asked in a sharp voice, as if finding it hard to believe.

Her hand was ready to draw her sword at her waist at any moment.

While a mere mage couldn't fully grasp the order and dynamics of infinite realms, there were still some rules.

One of them was that spirits and demons generally don't get along well.

They hate each other almost instinctively.

[The - Mad - Wood - King - knows - how - to - respect - demons - he's - a - good - friend -]

"Sounds like a crazy spirit??"

"Wardanaz. It seems like a mad spirit."

'I told you he was the Mad Wood King, you idiots.'

Yi-Han cursed inwardly at his friends' whispers.

They said it seemed like a mad spirit, but why did they ignore it then!

"I see. Your Grace the Demon Duke of Pride. Did you perhaps know that I was invited too?"

[Of course - this - Garisaima - introduced - the - human - mage - !]

The Demon Duke of Pride, Garisaima, explained his kindness while showing off proudly.

When the letter flew from Ferkuntra, one of the beings who stepped up to explain saying 'Ah, I know that mage' was none other than Garisaima himself.

"..."

Yi-Han vowed never to easily set foot in a realm with guaranteed safety again.

'I absolutely can't let my guard down!'

Who would have known that when a spirit invited him, Garisaima would be right beside him?

[Come - in - quickly - I - wanted - to - have - a - talk - with - you - anyway -]

'I really don't want to go in.'

As if thinking the same as Yi-Han, Jijel replied with wariness clouding her neat face.

"If it were just the host, it might be different, but with a demon duke present too, we become a bit wary."

[Human - mages - are - really - so - rude - there - are - other - guests - inside - besides - me -]

The Demon Duke of Pride, Garisaima, shook his head as if disgusted that the mages were still suspicious even after he had coaxed them this far.

Yi-Han asked with a sour expression.

"Did other demon dukes come too?"

[No - humans - like - you -]

At the demon duke's words, the White Tiger Tower students reacted as if they couldn't believe it.

"What kind of crazy person would visit a place like this?"

"Doesn't he mean kidnapping?"

"Lady Ragesa. What do you think?"

"Well. It seems a bit nonsensical to me too."

Before the words finished, Arsil walked out from inside the mansion.

Arsil, who had been wondering why his brother wasn't coming, smiled brightly seeing his brother and friends gathered outside.

"..."

"..."

  *

The Mad Wood King was a spirit that looked like vines and tree roots intertwined to form a human shape.

The Demon Duke of Pride lightly admonished.

[Hey - human - mages - have - visited - you - should - fix - your - appearance - look - at - me - aren't - I - beautiful -]

It was an avant-garde fashion of wearing pants and skirts together, and patching together attire from the Three Kingdoms era and Seven Kingdoms era, but the mages said nothing.

Arsil also conveyed words as if agreeing. Then the Mad Wood King nodded and changed into the familiar appearance of a beaver mixed-blood mage.

"Is this better?"

"Aaaaargh!"

The students let out the loudest scream among all the screams they had made today.

The Mad Wood King threw a puzzled gaze. It was even scarier because it was thrown with Professor Verduus's face.

"I heard that among the imperial races, beaver mixed-bloods and penguin mixed-bloods are the most popular? I chose the appearance of the teacher mage you would be most familiar with among them!"

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

[It - seems - they're - screaming - with - joy -!]

"Please return to your original form."

At Yi-Han's earnest request, the Mad Wood King returned to his original form of vines and roots.

-We originally have severe madness, so our subordinates and outsiders don't call us that. If these two friends hadn't asked, we wouldn't have called such young human mages either.-

"...Brother. What on earth did you say?"

-I told him what an outstanding brother you are, Yi-Han.-

At Arsil's kind answer, Yi-Han made an expression full of anguish and pain.

This was the problem with being on good terms with spirits.

You might encounter them in unexpected spirit realms!

"Why is the demon duke here as a guest?"

-It's because the Mad Wood King himself is half-demon half-spirit.-

"I see. Such a secret... Wait. Is it okay to tell me this arbitrarily?"

-He has severe madness, so he won't mind. Don't worry.-

'That's even scarier.'

-Now. Hurry. You should make your request.-

[Human - mage - hurry! You - must - receive - the - branch - before - the - Mad - Wood - King - changes - his - mind -!]

"..."

As the two powerful beings cheered Yi-Han on from the side, Yi-Han felt suffocated.

To think a person could feel this tormented by pure encouragement without any hostility or threat!

Ragesa also said to Yi-Han.

"It would be better to get to the point quickly."

"Are you saying this because you want to see me suffer?"

"You brat. Is this the time for that? You heard he's a spirit with madness. Since we don't know when he might lose his mind, we should finish talking and receive it as quickly as possible!"

Usually, she would have enjoyed watching students suffer, but this time was different. Ragesa was very serious.

They had to hurry, as this was an opportunity they might never get again.

"I understand. Um. Your Majesty the Mad Wood King."

-What is it, Imperial Mage Administrator?-

"..."

At the sudden reply, Yi-Han realized the other's mind had already gone.