Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 820

Chapter 820

As an experienced and seasoned pirate (and being acquainted with the skull principal), Ragesa knew quite a lot about Einroguard's education.

Einroguard had been similar when she visited 17, 29, and 37 years ago.

37 years ago.

-Why don't you have a staff?-

-I traded it for a loaf of bread.-

-...I see. Why don't you have a cloak? Did you trade it for a loaf of bread too?-

-No.-

-Then?-

-I traded it for half a loaf...-

-...-

29 years ago.

-At least you have a staff!-

-Yes. We discovered the kitchen yesterday! We cleaned out all the food and used it to retrieve our pawned staffs and cloaks.-

-Kihihi, that's right! Well done. At least you obtained food by your own efforts! But what's that iron chain on your ankle?-

-We were caught by the kitchen keeper, and he asked if we wanted to go to the punishment room or do chores in the kitchen... We chose to do kitchen chores. From now on, we have to help with kitchen work for ten hours a day.-

-I don't know much about teaching magic, but can you learn magic while doing kitchen work for ten hours a day?-

17 years ago.

-Amazing, you've caught quite a large beast!-

-Thank you.-

-But why aren't the others eating and just lying there like that?-

-They tried to knock me down and take it away, so we fought a little...-

-Oh my! It's not your fault. Those who tried to snatch food from a troll mixed-blood are the stupid ones.-

-I said I'd share, but they tried to ambush me from behind... Hiiing...-

-Tsk tsk. You can't rationally negotiate with those who've been starving for a whole week. You have to rule with violence. Use those fists of yours.-

-But I don't like violence?-

-If you don't like violence, you need even stronger violence. At least clench your fists tightly! Those who've starved for a week will give up after a few hits, but those who've starved for two weeks won't give up even after several hits.-

"It doesn't seem like it would have changed."

Ragesa spoke firmly after finishing her reminiscence.

No matter how she thought about it, Einroguard would continue to be a painful and desperate place until the lord changed.

No wonder Ragesa often admonished her subordinate pirates, saying, 'You shouldn't complain about drifting on the sea all year round! There's a place called Einroguard...'

"When I was a 1st year, everyone was hungry, but I think we still managed to eat three meals a day..."

"Really?? Are you sure you didn't attend Baldurguard?"

"Lady Ragesa!"

When Yi-Han flared up, Ragesa chuckled.

There was no better word to tease magic school students than Baldurguard.

'Wait. Could it be because of Eandurde?'

Yi-Han flinched at the sudden thought.

Eandurde, currently belonging to Black Tortoise Tower, had abundant combat experience and a personality that favored fighting.

Hadn't she said she was 'extorting food from friends in other towers' when they met in Professor Boladi's lecture room before?

Yi-Han had given her a bundle of food and told her to share it with her friends, but honestly, even Yi-Han himself was skeptical about whether she really shared it.

Because if Yi-Han himself had received it like that, he wouldn't have shared it?

'If it were me... I would have secretly put it in storage.'

Even if told to take care of friends from other towers, it wasn't easy to take care of those who would pounce on you when they saw you. What was there to like about them to take care of them?

"I have a guess."

"What is it?"

"There's this junior of mine..."

Yi-Han briefly explained about Eandurde.

However, Ragesa was indifferent.

"How much could one person take? And they're all mages. Even if they can't take it, they can hide it if they set their minds to it."

"No. Eandurde is someone who could really extort terribly if she set her mind to it."

'Do you perhaps dislike her?'

As Yi-Han spoke so seriously, Ragesa was momentarily flustered, wondering if this was a junior he disliked.

"Then I'll go ask. You follow behind with invisibility."

Ragesa strode forward.

The 1st year students who were frantically devouring the large cheese, round bread, big rice cakes, and fruits in the basket belatedly realized and were startled.

"Wh-who are you!"

"Calm down! Even if you all pounce together, you brats won't be able to touch even the hem of this daughter of Torgerard. I'm the owner of that food basket!"

"We... we can't give it back! We absolutely can't give it back!"

"..."

"..."

Both Ragesa and Yi-Han felt embarrassed at the junior's intense reaction.

"...I didn't come to take it back. Do you think I would have lost that food basket in the first place? I threw it there for you brats to eat."

"Th-thank you...!"

At Ragesa's words, the 1st year students cried tremendously with gratitude.

These quickly befriended students answered Ragesa's questions without suspicion. They seemed ready to spill even Einroguard's secrets if asked.

"Why are you so starved?"

"The amount of food served is too little... And a lot of it disappears along the way too."

"With such a large territory, have you tried obtaining food?"

"We've tried, but we fail more often..."

Gathering or hunting only made you hungrier if you failed. This was especially true for Einroguard freshmen with many beginners.

Wandering around inside Einroguard buildings was much more dangerous. If you were lucky, you could hit the jackpot, but if unlucky, you'd be dragged to the punishment room.

"Oh my. Is it perhaps because someone called Eandurde takes a lot of food?"

"Eandurde? No, not at all."

"Eandurde actually shared food with us last time. It's because Priest Carre stole it all."

"That's impossible!"

Yi-Han shouted in surprise.

Of course, the 1st year students were equally surprised. It wasn't easy to stay calm when a voice was heard from thin air.

"What was that just now?"

"Don't mind it. It's just a ghost pirate following me. Anyway, it's not because of Eandurde?"

The freshmen nodded and explained.

These students belonged to White Tiger Tower, and naturally, they had frequent conflicts with Eandurde, who belonged to Black Tortoise Tower, from before.

-Ha. You turtle bastards. Do you think you can beat us who've trained with swords since childhood... Ack! Aack! I surrender! I surrender!-

-Stomp! Crush! Win!-

-Aack! I said I was wrong! I said I was wrong!-

Eandurde, who beat up not only White Tiger Tower and Blue Dragon Tower students, but occasionally even Immortal Phoenix Tower priests (especially Priest Carre got beaten often), was the pride of Black Tortoise Tower 1st year students.

To stop such an Eandurde, White Tiger Tower had to send out someone like Ulgan from the northern mountains, and Blue Dragon Tower had to send out a prodigy like Alhidle from the imperial prestigious Pengerin family.

But Ulgan mostly wandered around the mountains and didn't participate much in fights between towers, and Pengerin also didn't participate much, saying 'I'm still far off, what childish fight is this!', so Eandurde stood out particularly in these fights.

"Then it is because of Eandurde, isn't it?"

The 1st year students answered with bewildered faces to the voice coming from thin air.

"Well... Eandurde doesn't attack if we don't attack first."

"She doesn't take more food once she's full either."

'What kind of beast is she?'

Yi-Han regretted not explaining the necessity of stockpiling food to his junior.

"And last time she brought a bundle of food and shared it. She said she received it from a senior whose name she couldn't reveal..."

"I see."

After hearing the explanation, Yi-Han felt very sorry towards Eandurde.

His junior had faithfully followed his words, yet he hadn't trusted her.

Ragesa, who had been listening beside them, asked curiously.

"What's this about Priest Carre stealing?"

It was an inevitably curious story, as priests usually don't steal.

"Priest Carre is from the Bildochkal Order..."

"Oh, Bildochkal! The true order of the empire!"

Ragesa clapped her hands and rejoiced as if to show she was a pirate. The 1st year students were dumbfounded.

"No wonder. He was from the Bildochkal Order."

"Isn't a priest not supposed to steal?"

As Ragesa rejoiced, the White Tiger Tower 1st year students spoke with resentful voices.

Of course, Ragesa only snorted and mocked them.

"How do you think knights beg? I saw you eating more ravenously than beggars earlier!"

"..."

"When you're hungry, you steal and take. The one who gets taken from is the fool."

"We didn't know the priest would steal!"

"Right. That's well done! Kihihi!"

Fearing the students might guess Ragesa's identity if left alone any longer, Yi-Han stopped Ragesa and took out food from his backpack.

"Here. Take some more food."

"Th-thank you! Mr. Ghost Pirate!"

"I recommend eating the canned food here first. Don't just roast the corned beef can because you're hungry. Put it in a pot and boil it with the bread that came out. Don't give up because it's hardened, it's better to boil it somehow."

The White Tiger Tower 1st year students sent respectful gazes towards the empty air at the ghost pirate's wisdom.

As expected, the ghost pirate knew a lot, probably due to experience.

Watching the 1st year students hurriedly pack up the food and leave with a wistful gaze, Yi-Han suddenly became puzzled.

"Wait. If it's not because of Eandurde, why are they starving?"

"I told you, didn't I? This is normal for Einroguard. Why do you think they don't have staffs?"

"Why don't they?"

"Are you really asking because you don't know?! They traded them for bread! Are you really an Einroguard student?!"

"...?!"

Yi-Han became very confused at Ragesa's words.

"We didn't have anything like that in our time. Except for Gainando secretly trading books for snacks..."

"That's strange? Was there a place where you could regularly obtain food?"

"In my case, I secured food by regularly going out and managing a vegetable garden."

"..."

Ragesa looked at Yi-Han with eyes as if she had discovered the stupidest mage in the empire.

"It's because of you!!!"

  *

"I see..."

"It's astounding! To think there were students who spent that year comfortably among Einroguard students."

"No. We had our struggles too."

At Yi-Han's words, Ragesa just snorted.

Unless one had experienced not being able to use magic because they traded their staff for bread, they weren't an Einroguard student.

"Then Lady Ragesa. I'll be going to attend a lecture now."

"Let's go together. I should take a look. Anyway, if I wander around, only those who see me as a fool who sprinkled gold coins on Beavle will approach."

"You probably won't find it interesting? It's a healing magic lecture."

"Healing magic would be boring."

"Then wouldn't somewhere else be better?"

"No, no. Anyway, wherever you go, brat, something is bound to happen. It'll be interesting enough."

'Aren't you being too harsh?'

Yi-Han grumbled inwardly.

It's not like Yi-Han was someone who got involved in incidents and accidents wherever he went...

It was something that could be misunderstood if someone heard.

Even when the corridor was half-destroyed last time Ragesa taught magic, it was because Ragesa herself taught magic strangely, not Yi-Han's fault.

Yi-Han had attended many other lectures peacefully... no, there were a few.

"Wait a moment, Lady Ragesa. Have you seen Senior Yukbeltire's research? If you haven't seen it yet..."

"That arrogant kid was looking down on me the most?"

"..."

Yi-Han was simply amazed that one could fail to get sponsorship even with such an impressive bronze golem.