Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 720

Chapter 720

"Guys. My arms hurt."

"That's because you keep trying to stand up!"

"Mr. Wardanaz. I think it would be best if you stayed seated."

Not only Jijel, but also Nigisor from Immortal Phoenix Tower in front told him to sit.

In the end, Yi-Han gave up and sat down.

"Alright. Alright. But don't you two fight. Last time I sat between you, my ears hurt."

"There wouldn't be any reason to fight if this Tutanta bastard didn't talk nonsense."

Salko didn't back down from Jijel's sarcasm and retorted.

"We wouldn't have had to speak if you vulgar tower bunch hadn't stolen our prey."

"Ha! You're good at twisting things. We discovered that deer first, it was our prey."

"Just because you discovered it doesn't mean it becomes your prey. Do knights perhaps not know imperial law? That prey had stepped on our trap."

"It stepped on the trap after being hit by an arrow! Seeing how you cunningly distort things, are you from the lawyers' guild rather than the stonemasons' guild?"

Yi-Han closed his eyes and ignored the sounds coming from both sides, pretending not to hear.

Meanwhile, Jijel and Salko's quarrel spread into an argument between students of the two towers.

"It stepped on the trap first! Don't you guys have eyes?!"

"You must have drunk some strange potion during winter break. Unlike you, deer have eyes. They wouldn't just step on the sloppy traps you set! It stumbled and stepped on it after being hit by our arrow!"

As they growled at each other, a Black Tortoise Tower student called out to Yi-Han, who had his eyes closed.

"Wardanaz! What do you think?! About those deer that appear on the northern Frost Pine Path! They get caught in traps well, don't they! We set traps together too! Remember?!"

As the Black Tortoise Tower student cowardly called Yi-Han, Anglago gritted his teeth.

Not only did he shamelessly call Wardanaz first, but he was trying to entice him with memories?

"Wardanaz! Don't listen to those bastards! You... that's right! You were invited to the Moradi territory this winter break too!"

Anglago tried to persuade Yi-Han with memories but blurted out whatever came to mind as nothing particular occurred to him.

"..."

"..."

"..."

And silence fell between the Black Tortoise Tower students and White Tiger Tower students.

Jijel covered her face with her hands and fell into anguish.

'Should I really kill that bastard...'

She had clearly explained not to misunderstand, that he had come along to help with the skull principal's work, but for him to run his mouth like that.

Anglago, belatedly realizing he had misspoken, hastily added,

"Well, it's not that the Moradi family invited him, he just visited while following the principal around and helping with work!"

"What nonsensical bullshit is that?"

A Black Tortoise Tower student muttered from the side.

Even if you lie, you should make a believable lie for people to pretend to believe, isn't this too insincere?

Tijiling tilted her head and said,

"Isn't it a good thing to invite and visit each other's family territories?"

"Oh my. Priestess Tijiling. It's not that simple. First, the delicate hostile relationship between Black Tortoise Tower and White Tiger Tower was maintained in balance by Mr. Wardanaz's neutral attitude, but if he takes White Tiger Tower's side from now on..."

Bang!

"!?"

"Hey. Just take the damn deer. You bastards."

Jijel declared, emitting killing intent that she would kill them if they brought up this topic again.

Even Salko, who would speak his mind even in front of the skull principal, nodded in agreement just for today.

He didn't want to risk Wardanaz becoming closer to White Tiger Tower by prying unnecessarily.

"Fine. Let's pretend we didn't hear that."

"But Salko, it's true that I helped with work while following the principal around."

"Wardanaz. The more you take Moradi's side, the more weight Priest Nigisor's prediction just now gains."

"..."

  *

It took about 30 minutes for Yi-Han to convince his friends about what had happened during the break.

Tijiling raised her hand and asked,

"Priestess Tijiling. What are you curious about?"

"I wonder if we shouldn't send an anonymous letter to His Majesty reporting the principal?"

"Good point. But surprisingly, this journey was conducted with the emperor's tacit approval."

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han thought he heard someone among the students mutter 'Has the empire fallen into ruin?', but he thought he must have misheard and let it pass.

"Well. Wardanaz would visit anywhere if he could work."

Salko nodded, seeming relieved now.

"That's right. That's right. Without the principal's severe threats and harassment, there's no way he would have visited the Moradi family's territory."

"No, it wasn't that bad. The territory was nice. Moradi. Tell us about your territory."

"Don't call me..."

Jijel closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair with an expression of being sick of this entire conversation.

If she supported Wardanaz's story, she would be misunderstood as being close to him, and if she didn't support it, it would be like admitting her territory wasn't that great.

'Whose fault is all this? Alpha? No. Come to think of it, it might be the principal's fault. Thinking about it more, it might be Wardanaz's fault too...'

While Jijel was escaping reality, students from each tower started talking about what had happened over the past few days.

"Has anyone taken the <How to Live Well with Spirits> lecture? I couldn't find it no matter how much I looked."

"That seems to be a non-existent lecture. I couldn't find the classroom no matter how much I looked."

"Wardanaz. In your opinion, would the <Elemental Form Change - Fire Element> lecture suit me better, or the <Elemental Control Enhancement - Fire Element> lecture?"

"I'm not sure why you're asking me, but the control enhancement lecture would probably be better for you. You were a bit shaky when you used the burning hand magic last time."

"That's what I thought too? I'll take the control enhancement lecture."

"Wardanaz. Me too. Me too. I'm worried about clubs right now..."

The inside became noisy in an instant.

As they all had a lot to catch up on, the talking didn't stop as they asked and answered questions. Especially in Yi-Han's case, students lined up to ask him questions.

"Everyone line up. Here, you can stand behind here. If you give me some snacks, I'll let you stand in front."

"Wardanaz! The prince is cheating!"

"Ah, no! It was a joke!"

Only after finishing lecture consultations for 13 students and club consultations for 9 people did the friends gathered in front of Yi-Han disappear.

Thinking they could finally have a serious conversation now, Salko opened his mouth.

"Wardanaz. I'm sorry you've been working hard all this time, but there's something we need to discuss. This is an important issue."

Jijel also woke from her shock and pulled her chair closer. She had a sense of what Salko was going to talk about.

"What is it?"

"Originally, we thought we'd be able to trade with seniors when we moved up to 2nd year. We thought it would be much better than 1st year when we had to manage supplies among ourselves. But..."

"The seniors seem crazy."

"I was so surprised I almost set things on fire."

Not only Jijel, but even Nigisor was equally shocked by Einroguard's insane prices.

There was a black market in the 7th floor area, but there was nothing students who had just moved up to 2nd year could buy there.

Salko took out a copper nail.

"Is it some kind of magic nail?"

"No. This is all I could buy. Wardanaz. The seniors absolutely won't do credit transactions."

"..."

"At this rate, we'll be more strapped than last year. Moreover, since Wardanaz joined the kitchen club, food will be scarce too."

"?"

Yi-Han, who had been listening, tilted his head.

He didn't understand what they meant.

"What does me joining the kitchen club have to do with food being scarce?"

"Wardanaz... You haven't visited the kitchen club, have you?"

Jijel looked at Yi-Han, thinking it couldn't be. Seeing his elf friend glaring at him, Yi-Han asked back puzzled.

"I haven't visited yet."

"What? Why? You joined, didn't you?"

"To be precise, I was made to join. I have so many clubs and lectures that I haven't even visited yet."

"..."

An awkward silence lingered for a moment.

Tijiling cautiously suggested again.

"We should seriously consider an anonymous letter..."

"No. I don't think it will be a problem that I joined many clubs. I'm already taking too many schools."

Tijiling was about to say 'Then why did you take so many?' but held back, thinking it seemed too cruel.

"Salko. More than that, what does the kitchen club have to do with food scarcity?"

"Wardanaz. All kitchen club members take a sacred oath."

"An oath to make delicious and safe food?"

"No. An oath not to sell food cheaper than other fellow members out of unnecessary sympathy."

"..."

For a moment, Yi-Han thought Salko was joking.

But the faces of his other friends were very serious.

"What kind of oath is that?"

"It's not unreasonable. Look at other clubs. They'd ask for dozens of gold coins even for a request to bring a glass of water. The kitchen club can't just sit still."

Jijel spoke sarcastically, but it was certainly true.

There was no way other clubs or students would reflect just because the kitchen club alone sold cheaply.

In the end, only kitchen club students would lose out.

"Do I have to sell the food I secure expensively too?"

"That's right. Let's think about last year's case."

Like the talented student who participated in the Moradi family's management, Jijel analyzed coldly.

Thinking about last year's case, if Wardanaz was to be let loose freely, the kitchen club's income could seriously plummet.

The amount of food Wardanaz secured wasn't at the level of small amounts individuals gathered.

"To think I have to sell my food, the food I brought, for gold coins..."

"Wardanaz. Are you happy right now?"

Salko was confused, unable to distinguish whether Yi-Han was shocked or happy.

"I'm shocked. The club's rules are truly harsh. Don't worry too much. I'll sell to you guys at last year's prices."

Yi-Han, who had awakened from shock and joy, regained his composure.

As he could scrape plenty of gold coins from seniors, he could be relatively generous to his friends.

"Hey. What did we just hear? I said they take an oath. Of course there will be a taboo too."

Jijel was dumbfounded.

How could the rules of a mages' group be so easy?

"And stop feeding the others. It's about time they earned and ate on their own."

"The taboo probably won't be cast."

Yi-Han, who had already experienced it a few times with the skull principal, wasn't too worried about whatever the club's taboo might be.

"Moreover, unlike last year, there won't be many opportunities to feed you even if I want to. With club rules and seniors' eyes, openly... Wait. How about this? From now on, we secretly gather here. Periodically. We cooperate among ourselves."

Along with his words, Yi-Han urged them to take out the paper bundle artifacts that each tower's friends had shared.

"I've never used it before, but now there's a reason to use it. I'll teach you how to charge it. It's an artifact that consumes quite a bit of mana, so it can be annoying if you don't prepare."

"Wardanaz. We talked with this during the Saint Eaktus Festival."

Salko looked at Yi-Han with a face that said 'What are you talking about?'

Yi-Han answered calmly.

"I must have forgotten because I was busy treating injured people non-stop while you guys were insisting on participating in the festival. Thanks for reminding me, Salko."

Anglago, who was behind, grumbled.

"Tutanta, you bastard. Why are you reminding Wardanaz when he had forgotten?"