Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 733

Chapter 733

Direth wondered why her junior was suddenly acting like this.

Wasn't the principal a bit crazy to begin with?

It was also a bit strange that the junior, who was practically his direct disciple, was only realizing this now.

"I saw this illusion."

Yi-Han hurriedly explained the illusion he had just seen.

Knowing well that illusions seen by mages, especially those who had learned divination magic, shouldn't be dismissed, Direth listened attentively with a serious expression.

"How tall were the trees?"

"Pardon?"

"How tall were the trees here in the illusion?"

"There was almost no difference, but they seemed a bit shorter. Could it be?"

After checking in detail the height of the trees, the length of shadows, and other scenery in the illusion her junior had seen, Direth fell into thought.

As she had been watching the Dark Forest since she entered the school, she could confirm changes in time just from simple differences.

"It must have been recently, at most two or three months ago..."

"...!"

Yi-Han's face hardened at the words that the illusion he had seen was from a recent event.

"If it's from two or three months ago, this is terrible. Senior. We must return immediately."

"Return and do what?"

"Send an anonymous letter to His Majesty the Emperor, and contact the family head to prepare to subjugate the principal."

As a strangely specific plan immediately popped out, Direth suspected if her junior often pondered such plans usually.

"Calm down first, junior. There are a few strange points."

"Do you mean why make such plans for the principal? The principal usually enjoys making such plans, doesn't he?"

"That's not what I meant... It's a bit strange that you saw this illusion in the first place. You didn't foresee the future, but saw an illusion left by a mage."

Direth already knew well from last year's experience that her junior had strong resistance to poisons or illusions.

As such, this was closer to an afterimage of memory intentionally left by a mage, not a hostile magical attack.

As if someone qualified could see it when they arrived here.

If the principal was plotting an evil conspiracy, why would he leave such evidence?

"I think I know."

"What is it?"

"The principal enjoys such thrills."

"...Junior..."

Direth expressed reluctance, but Yi-Han was rather frustrated.

"The principal is full of madness, so he might plot conspiracies while telling others about his plans!"

"Couldn't it be a being similar to the principal?"

Although feeling it was unlikely, Direth threw it out to calm her junior for now.

At that, Yi-Han paused.

"Wait. Come to think of it, I have heard that the principal has a mad doppelganger."

"What? Really?"

"But that itself might be the principal's evil scheme. Such a lie to make excuses when he causes trouble later..."

"Junior. I think it's a mad doppelganger."

"Is that so."

Yi-Han retreated regretfully, unable to insist further when his senior spoke strongly. If Direth said so, it might really be a mad doppelganger.

'It might be a fake rumor created by the principal.'

"Why is such a mad doppelganger with a magic criminal? And why does the magic criminal serve such a doppelganger as a master?"

"Junior. That's certainly urgent too, but aren't you really curious about why the principal's mad doppelganger was created?"

Of course, confirming what purpose the magic criminal and mad doppelganger came here for was the priority, but Direth found it really strange that her junior wasn't curious about this as a mage.

Was he really not curious?

"He probably created it by breathing wrong or sneezing."

"...It's just my guess, but it's highly likely that it was created when the principal was raising his realm."

Having inherited some of Gonadaltes' magic passed down from Professor Mortum, Direth knew a little about the magic the skull principal used.

The skull principal's magic had its roots in mysteries developed in the kingdom era, which belonged to an immemorial past even among the 'ancient' times.

The skull principal, who was a prince from a small kingdom, was one of the most outstanding mages among mages of that time, and he relentlessly devoted himself to all kinds of magic to reach a higher realm.

Direth didn't know what powerful and extraordinary magics were in that process. It was beyond her ability to grasp that, no matter how outstanding a student she was.

But she had heard that there was a great magic of cutting off one's own seven emotions and six desires in that process.

"There are liches in the empire. There are some dark mages who became liches with legal permission."

"I've seen it in newspapers too."

It wasn't particularly a secret that dark mages who had reached the realm changed their own flesh into undead to aim for a higher realm.

But surprisingly, not many people made such a choice, because lichification had bigger penalties than expected.

Even changing just a staff required an adaptation period, so how long of an adaptation period would be needed to change one's own body?

There were more than a few liches who had changed their flesh with hope for lichification but ended up despairing and going berserk.

"A mad lich contaminated the southern granary region last time, didn't it?"

"Let's not stray to other paths, junior. As you probably guess, liches aren't originally such perfect beings. But the principal, although a lich, is a being close to perfection."

Although the skull principal often talked about the golden ratio beauty of the curvature of his skull usually, the perfection Direth was talking about now wasn't that.

To live from the immemorial ancient times until now, it would have been impossible as an imperfect being like an ordinary lich.

"There must have been great magics on a different level from ordinary lichification, and it's not surprising if a mad doppelganger appeared in that process."

"Yes. I suspect the great magic of cutting off the seven emotions and six desires was the direct cause. I've never seen such magic in any book. Looking at the results, it wouldn't be strange if side effects like an uncontrollable doppelganger were created."

'That's plausible.'

Yi-Han deeply sympathized with Direth's hypothesis.

As could be seen from the skull principal's usual proud talk of cutting off his seven emotions and six desires, it didn't seem to be an ordinary level of magic.

If even the skull principal was proud of it, it must have been a truly great ancient magic even among ancient magics, and it wouldn't be strange if side effects the skull principal hadn't expected occurred in that process.

"I'd like to support your hypothesis, Senior. But Senior, if that doppelganger was created through such a process, for what purpose did it come to Einroguard?"

"I don't know that either."

Direth lightly furrowed her brow.

It seemed there was more than one mad doppelganger, and she couldn't even tell which doppelganger it was, let alone predict its purpose.

Even the sane skull principal was hard to predict, let alone a mad skull principal.

"But I can guess the magic criminal's purpose you mentioned. He must be trying to learn magic."

"Do you mean he's disguising himself as an Einroguard student?!"

Yi-Han was flustered, thinking he would be too old for a new student.

"Not that. From the principal's doppelganger."

"Ah. Well. It was a bit different from an ordinary master-disciple relationship."

Usually, masters didn't coldly ignore like that, but rather chased after disciples harassing them to learn.

'Your idea of a master-disciple relationship is a bit strange too, junior...'

Direth only thought inwardly after hearing the master-disciple relationship Yi-Han was talking about.

Her junior was already pitiful enough.

"If it's the principal's doppelganger, it would be a master more than capable of teaching magic. It's understandable that the magic criminal is gaining notoriety."

"If it's the principal's doppelganger, it's understandable that he acts capriciously while teaching. It wouldn't be strange even if he acted capriciously just when bored."

"Junior... You haven't fought with the principal recently, have you?"

"Huh? No, I haven't."

Yi-Han was puzzled when Direth looked at him worriedly.

He had been rationally analyzing, so why?

"I-I just asked."

"I don't know what the principal's doppelganger was thinking bringing a magic criminal to Einroguard. Maybe he's trying to assassinate the principal."

"Certainly."

Direth's expression hardened.

She thought she should tell the skull principal about what had happened as soon as they returned.

"But Senior."

"?"

"Shouldn't we catch the dark snail? It seems quite useful since you were chasing it so hard..."

"It is useful, but not important enough to chase again now. Just dark element mana recovery or overall dark magic amplification, undead summon strengthening or reagent strengthening..."

"..."

Yi-Han closed his eyes tightly as if blaming himself.

He had brought up the skull principal's doppelganger story for nothing.

The dark snail was much more important!

'Damn. To miss it because of such useless talk.'

As Yi-Han was blaming himself, a sense of discomfort suddenly surrounded his senses.

At the same time, the bracelet Direth was wearing jingled and made a warning sound. The two mages' expressions changed.

"Senior!"

"Hold on tight!"

Direth reacted immediately like a 5th year student who had been through thick and thin.

If it was an enemy that could activate the warning artifact despite not being caught by her senses, it was certainly not a weak enemy.

Direth, who had created blood by biting her left thumb inside her mouth, sprinkled that blood in the air.

Then bone fragments with magic stored in them popped out from her bosom and activated magic all at once.

-What is that! It's terribly ominous!-

A powerful summon appeared, on a different level from the shadow summon temporarily called earlier.

It was a huge monstrous bird, and as it had spirituality, it pointed behind while speaking human language.

However, Direth's magic wasn't over yet.

As other bone fragments burned one by one in the air, powerful dark magics were cast.

Golems emitting green light grabbed a huge bone wall and pushed it as if striking the enemy.

"!"

Yi-Han's expression also changed when he visually confirmed the enemy's appearance.

A huge mass of black, sticky, evil mana was running along the forest like a wave.

That was definitely not a monster that had occurred naturally in the forest.

'The principal's mad doppelganger? The magic criminal?'

He didn't know which of the two had left it, but that wasn't important now.

Yi-Han immediately finished preparing to check the enemy while casting various magics.

Zap zap! Crack!

3rd Circle cold and lightning magics flew like bullets as if being fired.

Seeing this, Direth smiled without realizing it even while hurriedly preparing magic. Such a reliable junior was rare.

"The impact..."

Yi-Han made a difficult expression as the enemy quickly restored its form after receiving the impact.

An enemy with such powerful recovery ability was hard to attack by striking the body. It would become an endless war of attrition.

They needed to summon firepower to burn it at once or strike the enemy's weakness...

"My blood dwelling in my bones, turn into poison and become a terrible curse!"

Meanwhile, Direth completed her magic.

'Curse magic?!'

Curse magic that damaged the enemy's very existence would certainly be effective.

However, curse magic was easily blocked by even a little defense, honestly more often used for checking among mages.

Yi-Han couldn't help but admire it as a fellow dark magic school student, seeing it strengthened to such an extent.

"...It's weak!"

However, Direth clicked her tongue, feeling that the curse hadn't dealt a critical hit.

-It's dangerous! Direth! It's dangerous!-

The monstrous bird carrying the two warned.

Despite the golem and bone barrier binding the enemy, its chasing speed was gradually increasing.

'...I'll strike first!'

Direth took out a black rippling sphere from her chest with an eerie incantation.

The surrounding space distorted and screamed as soon as she took out the sphere, as the mana was so compressed.

'Small world!'

Yi-Han realized what magic his senior was trying to use.

He had studied it somewhat in the meantime because the skull principal had forced him to learn it.

He didn't know what that sphere was, but it was certainly helping to temporarily activate a small world.

Despite the mana being so compressed, it seemed insufficient as Direth started infusing more mana while grasping the sphere.

Her expression instantly turned pale and blood flowed from her nose.

Yi-Han, who had become urgent, grasped the sphere together to help his senior.

"I'll help too!"

"...!!!"

Unlike herself who was drawing in and infusing all the mana in the surrounding area, Direth opened her eyes wide in shock at the sight of her junior trying to infuse crudely with his bare body.

"...You crazy bas..."

Yi-Han pretended not to hear and averted his gaze.