Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 797

Chapter 797

"I don't think I can enjoy that."

No matter how much one tried to enjoy uncertainty and change, it was too much to enjoy the fire element trying to burn everything around (including Yi-Han himself).

At Yi-Han's answer, the old pirate felt sorry.

"Kihihi... You're still old-fashioned. It's understandable. Being confined only in Einroguard. What you need is a sea breeze full of salt, greenhorn! Then you'll know what freedom is."

"Do you mean being a pirate?"

"That's right!"

'I guess I'll never know freedom in my lifetime.'

Yi-Han felt slightly sorry.

The occupation of pirate was too unstable for Yi-Han to aim for.

To wander the seas waiting for income that might never come.

Wasn't it a job completely opposite to an imperial bureaucrat?

"There's no sea, no pirate ship, but shall I teach you a little bit anyway?"

"That's alri..."

"Now. Close your eyes."

"..."

'Why do strong mages ignore others' words?'

Yi-Han wondered as he saw Ragesa ordering while rattling the cutlass at her waist.

Does one's hearing weaken as magic gets stronger?

"I've closed them."

"You're now steering a ship on the sea. Understand? You're the captain of a pirate ship."

"Yes. I am the captain of a pirate ship."

Yi-Han repeated the words, feeling like he was becoming an idiot.

"What do you want to do?"

"Pardon?"

Bang!

Ragesa stomped her foot and got angry.

"I asked what you want to do! A pirate captain doesn't ask 'Pardon?' A pirate captain decides for himself!"

'I want to stop this...'

When Yi-Han didn't answer, Ragesa spoke instead.

"What's that? You want to smash all the duel club youngsters?"

"I didn't say that."

"Be quiet, Captain. Now. Look, a sailing ship of duel club youngsters is coming from that horizon! They're arrogantly unfurling new sails and catching the wind tightly!"

"..."

Yi-Han was curious why unfurling new sails and catching the wind tightly at sea was arrogant, but he listened quietly.

"Feel the sea breeze!"

"...?"

"Good that you're not saying stupid things like this isn't the sea. The sea breeze is definitely here. Now, now, now... You can feel it!"

Ragesa slapped Yi-Han's back hard and shouted. Her eyes sparkled even more under her deeply wrinkled forehead.

The chained pirates following behind looked at the old pirate as if she were crazy.

They knew she was originally a pirate full of madness, but today's behavior was particularly incomprehensible.

What sea breeze could be blowing in an Einroguard corridor?

However, Yi-Han calmly concentrated instead of ignoring the other's crazy words.

He thought she wouldn't be doing this for no reason.

'To say I can feel the sea breeze here. What does she mean?'

There wasn't a single breeze in the bleak Einroguard corridor.

All that could be heard were footsteps and the rattling of shackles on the chained pirates' ankles.

And...

'Ah.'

Yi-Han felt a strand of mana brush past his cheek.

Since it was natural for mana to fill natural spaces, it was hard to notice without being conscious of it, but originally mana circulated through space.

Mages who trained their sense to perceive mana could catch such circulation and flow, and among them, those with agile and sensitive senses could catch it even more accurately.

"I felt it."

"Teaching a clever and cunning fellow is really easy."

Ragesa was satisfied.

Even among mages, there were many who couldn't understand when told to feel the sea breeze.

What's the use of memorizing and learning magic if you don't understand what magic is?

"I'm not cunning..."

"Shh! Feel that sea breeze even more strongly. Entrust yourself to it."

"!"

Yi-Han was slightly surprised at those words.

Usually, imperial magic tried to control such mana flow when recognized.

Only by firmly grasping it in one's hand could one cast magic without variables and amplify it.

For a mage who disliked variables to tell him to entrust himself to variables.

"...I've entrusted myself."

"Make that sea breeze stronger."

Ragesa said abruptly.

An out-of-the-blue instruction without telling how to make it stronger.

Ordinary mages would be flustered by such an instruction and answer with "How?" or "That's impossible."

But Yi-Han just accepted it.

Having received so many unreasonable teachings, this much didn't even feel unreasonable anymore.

'Make it stronger, huh.'

After pondering for a moment, Yi-Han moved immediately. When unsure, one had to find the answer by experimenting one by one.

'To make the mana flow stronger...'

Instead of controlling mana, he synchronized with the mana flow by conforming to it.

Yi-Han's mana that flowed out merged precisely with the surrounding flow.

"Kek!"

Ragesa let out a surprised sound.

She hadn't expected him to find the method and do it so quickly.

It sounded simple, but infusing one's mana to strengthen the flow was no ordinary tricky task.

First, one had to read the mana flow down to the minutest details.

Roughly reading it wouldn't do. If one did that, the flow would likely collide and stop rather than becoming stronger.

Then one had to infuse one's mana accurately without the slightest error. If the direction or attribute was wrong, it would collide immediately.

Wheeee-

A fierce storm sound that only experienced mages could hear began to fill the corridor. The chained pirates looked around anxiously, feeling something was off.

Though not mages, they instinctively felt uneasy as the mana flow intensified.

"What's wrong?"

Yi-Han stopped the process and asked when Ragesa made coughing sounds.

"It's nothing, continue! Einroguard is a bit dry compared to the sea."

The great pirate urged him on while taking out a liquor barrel and gulping it down. Yi-Han tilted his head.

'It doesn't seem particularly dry weather.'

Anyway, since that method seemed right, Yi-Han continued.

Read the flow, read, read, and then time it to add his own mana to it.

Then the mana flow intensified further.

'The flow has become rougher.'

The more intense the flow became, the more violent and rough its movement became.

Yi-Han concentrated to not lose the flow.

Read more intently than before, time it to add his own mana...

Wheeee!!

After repeating a few times, the mana flow rose to an ominous level.

Thinking even non-mages might feel it at this point, Yi-Han asked.

"Is this oka..."

"Continue, Captain! Let's see how far you can go!"

"..."

Though uneasy, Yi-Han did as told for now.

She was an outstanding mage, so surely she wouldn't make him do anything absurd.

While Yi-Han closed his eyes and called forth the storm, the chained pirates looked at the corridor with terrified eyes.

A phenomenon similar to when a mad spirit appeared on the sea was happening now.

Heavenly music was heard without a single breeze, bodies moved arbitrarily as if suddenly pushed or pulled, space distorted and time sense...

Regardless, Ragesa stomped her feet and clapped excitedly.

"More, more! Let's see how far you can go!"

The chained pirates shed tears of fear.

We're going to die here today!

Befitting someone crazy enough to sail into storms and raging waves, she was encouraging this.

'Please notice, you mage!'

The chained pirates prayed that the mage boy would open his eyes and realize what was happening.

If left like this, really...

'Can I really continue?'

Whether the pirates' tears behind created a miracle, or Yi-Han himself thought this was getting too intense, he slowly started to stop the mana.

"Captain, unfurl your sails towards the limits of your mana! Let's see how much we can squeeze out today!"

Ragesa shouted, her eyes flashing.

Once or twice might be understandable, but to keep standing while continuously spewing out mana like this.

She was so curious to see just how far he could go.

However, instead of unfurling his sails towards the limits of his mana, the Wardanaz family boy answered rationally.

"I know my mana limits, Lady Ragesa!"

"You know?"

"Yes! I can repeat this all day!"

"..."

Ragesa felt chills as if cold water had been poured on her. She doubted if she had heard correctly.

If that was true...

'Bagrak, you bastard, what kind of monster are you raising??'

"Lady Ragesa. Any more than this is getting difficult!"

Yi-Han shouted urgently.

Although it was the mana flow he had strengthened, as the flow became too strong, it became increasingly difficult to entrust himself to it.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he seemed to hear creaking sounds from the corridor ceiling and walls...

"Alright, alright! Now, send it off with a pirate cheer!"

"Whee-ik!"

Yi-Han pushed away the enormous mana flow while whistling loudly. Being so urgent, he focused only on safely finishing this pirate magic, regardless of purpose or anything else.

------------!

And the fiercest roar Yi-Han had heard recently swept through the corridor. Yi-Han opened his eyes in surprise.

The ceiling, floor, and walls were all miserably shattered. It was as if a giant beast had swung its claws and rampaged.

Looking to the side, Ragesa was panting and sighing in relief.

"To think the daughter of Torgerard almost died here!"

"Pardon??"

"It's nothing, greenhorn! Well done. You've boarded pirate magic splendidly."

"What on earth happened?"

"Nothing happened. When using pirate magic, sometimes things like this happen."

Sorrowful cries burst out from behind.

The chained pirates had prostrated themselves on the floor and started wailing loudly in relief at having survived. Ragesa shouted in a fierce voice.

"Shut up, you prisoners! Go back and cry! Before I extend your sentences!"

"It seems something happened..."

"I said nothing happened! Are you defying my words now?"

"...I understand."

"You greenhorn are now a captain who's just boarded a small sailboat. I understand you're excited, but you need to be humble. You need to learn how to handle sails, how to feel the wind, how to read the stars. With each thing you learn, you'll feel how vast this sea is and how small you are."

Yi-Han was slightly impressed by this wonderful metaphor for pirate magic.

It was a metaphor only a pirate who had lived on the sea all their life could make. Enough to impress even Yi-Han, who wasn't interested in pirate magic.

"Then what should I do next?"

"Next?"

Ragesa took out a handkerchief and pressed it to her wound. The handkerchief absorbed the blood and healed the wound.

"Greenhorn. What you need to do next is..."

Yi-Han listened attentively.

At first, he had been reluctant to learn from this old pirate, but having succeeded in learning somewhat luckily, it would be a loss not to learn more about how to handle it.

Moreover, even though he tried not to be conscious of it, the shattered ceiling, floor, walls, and wailing pirates bothered him.

'Should I have just opened my eyes and watched?'

What should he do to handle this uncertain magic?

"...Absolutely not use this pirate magic for about a hundred years!"

"..."

At Ragesa's words ordering disembarkation right after boarding, Yi-Han felt very disappointed.