Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 710

Chapter 710

But it couldn't be helped.

The parties connected to Yi-Han's artifact notebook <Whispers of Einroguard> were mainly three.

One was Direth, one was his friends from the same year, and the last one was this person.

And unlike the first two, this person didn't need to be respected at all.

'That 1st year seems to have talent in enchantment magic. If he takes enchantment magic, I plan to have him help with my work next year.'

'Considering he gets along with Ilendil to the extent of being eccentric, and has close friendships with dark magic school students, this 1st year from the Wardanaz family is very likely to have narrow and poor social relationships.'

These were insults that would have warranted an immediate spell to the face if he knew who it was.

What kind of person would say such rude things?

Originally, Yi-Han had thought this person might be the senior who would invite him to a club first.

But that method became meaningless as there were too many seniors trying to invite him to clubs...

'There's no need to speak nicely.'

Sometimes, some people need cold criticism.

Especially those who try to arbitrarily use juniors.

-You're usually rude, but today you're especially harsh. Why are you acting like this?-

-Aren't you contacting me to talk about that junior again? Even if that junior is a strange guy who takes multiple schools, for a senior to harass him to help with your own work.-

Yi-Han scribbled with his quill, acting as a righteous Black Tortoise Tower student.

The person on the other side of the mirror slowly shook their head at the sharp response.

'Still emotional.'

They had been talking since last year, but this Black Tortoise Tower (or with low possibility, White Tiger Tower) student had the shortcomings of being violent, impatient, and stubborn.

Even considering those shortcomings, they seemed like a somewhat useful talent, so they had contacted to make a proposal, but to get this response.

The person on the other side of the mirror decided to calmly pacify the other party.

Persuading a student with lower intelligence than oneself wasn't particularly difficult, having experienced it countless times at Einroguard.

-That's not the reason.-

-Not for that reason?-

-That's right. For personal reasons, I've temporarily put proposing to that junior on hold.-

"!"

Yi-Han was surprised.

The person on the other side of the mirror had bent their stubbornness.

'Can people... change?'

At first, he was almost moved, but Yi-Han soon became cold.

'No. It must be because of the clubs.'

Come to think of it, weren't the official clubs currently fighting over Yi-Han?

In this situation, there was no one who would say they'd take a junior and make them research. Only Professor Verduus might have such mentality.

-I see. You thought well. Harassing juniors as a senior is really...-

-You're the one misunderstanding something. That junior from the Wardanaz family enjoys learning. Not just two or three schools, he's trying to learn magic from all schools. What do you think it means to try to learn magic from all schools like Professor Garcia Kim? It's good to care for juniors, but don't overprotect them. From the junior's perspective, it might be rather bothersome.-

Bang!

Yi-Han angrily threw the notebook at the wall.

Then he came to his senses a moment later and picked up the notebook again.

'This bastard.'

It seemed as if the other party was deliberately trying to grate on Yi-Han's nerves.

And the most infuriating thing was that he couldn't refute that argument.

Looking only at the logically established facts, the other party's argument was correct.

'Damn it. Even I think someone who takes all schools seems a bit crazy.'

Yi-Han gave up on arguing and decided to be satisfied that the other party had temporarily backed off due to the club conflict.

-Shut up and just say what you want to say. So what is it you want to say?-

-Join the club.-

"...?"

Yi-Han paused at the other party's words.

He didn't understand what they were saying.

-Are you talking about an unofficial club?-

-That's right.-

-I'm not interested in unofficial clubs. I have no intention of joining.-

-It's a different form of club from what you generally think. In fact, you're already a member.-

Yi-Han grabbed his staff and checked his surroundings.

Fortunately, he didn't feel any particular curses or magic.

'This bastard... What the hell are they doing?'

To spout nonsense about already being a member of a club.

-I don't know what you're talking about.-

-Having this artifact itself was the condition for club membership. Let me show you directly.-

No sooner had the words ended than the letters Yi-Han had been scribbling in the notebook began to tangle and collapse, then change anew.

Yi-Han detected the mana change felt within and was shocked.

'From a distance... they changed the artifact anew?!'

He couldn't believe it.

To be able to manipulate an artifact from an unseen distance with just their will.

Of course, they must have woven magic into the artifact when making it from the start. Otherwise, such manipulation itself would be impossible.

But even considering that, it was an unbelievable genius.

How much magic must they have put into that artifact to make this possible?

Moreover, to not feel any dissonance when viewed from the outside, they had to refine it to look like a different magic while inserting the formula.

While Yi-Han was shocked, the change ended and new letters appeared.

Eaktus: From what I hear, the reason the stonemason club wants that kid is because he helped the principal with repair work last year, and members who visited the Tutanta family during winter break heard praise about him... Wait. A new member?

Baqwantallana: That's right. Since one left, we need a new member. I invited him.

'A group communication artifact!'

Just like the one he shared with his friends, it was clear that students had gathered here to communicate.

The person calling themselves Eaktus was a newly met senior, and the person calling themselves Baqwantallana was, judging by the handwriting, the person on the other side of the mirror who had been talking to Yi-Han until just now.

'Is it the name of a legendary enchantment mage? It suits someone majoring in the enchantment magic school.'

Yi-Han recalled that the person on the other side of the mirror was majoring in the enchantment magic school.

As such, they seemed to be calling themselves by the name of a legendary enchantment mage.

Baqwantallana: We are a secret club, <Sentinels of Einroguard>. We don't do activities or gather for social activities like other clubs. We only follow two rules.

-...What are they?-

Baqwantallana: Keep secrets, share information.

"...!"

Yi-Han immediately realized what kind of secret society this was.

Einroguard was a place where you could sometimes be betrayed even by your closest friend.

A place where you never knew when your plan to terrorize the principal's office might be reported.

But at the same time, Einroguard was a place where information was more important than any other place in the Empire.

You never knew when information obtained a little faster than others might save your life.

This <Sentinels of Einroguard> was clearly an organization that expanded on the purpose Yi-Han or Direth had when trying to talk to and obtain information from anonymous students.

-Did they gather to share secret information about Einroguard with each other?-

Eaktus: You're quick-witted.

Baqwantallana: That's right.

Baqwantallana explained in a bit more detail.

-To join <Sentinels of Einroguard>, first an existing member had to invite you and then you needed to get more than half of the other members' consent.-

For the club's purpose to be maintained, members needed at least minimal abilities.

Members who didn't bring information and just quietly watched weren't needed.

-Did you seek consent for me too then?-

Eaktus: No. You're a bit of an exception. One person graduated so there was a vacancy, and Baqwantallana invited you. Baqwantallana is a bit special. They control and manage the artifacts.

Eaktus briefly explained Baqwantallana's role.

If Baqwantallana obtained one side of an ordinary communication artifact, they could trace back to the other side and invite them to <Sentinels of Einroguard>.

At the same time, it was possible to expel a specific person's communication artifact from <Sentinels of Einroguard>.

In case a communication artifact was confiscated by the skull principal, Baqwantallana's role was very important as the club itself could collapse without such expulsion.

'What...!!!'

Yi-Han was genuinely shocked by the fact that this artifact manipulation wasn't something prepared in advance, but just traced back through the connected artifact.

No wonder he hadn't noticed at all, there really was no preparation.

'...Truly amazing. Seniors aren't seniors for nothing.'

He felt newly humbled.

No matter how much Yi-Han took all schools at Einroguard and stood out within them, seniors also had magic they had built up on their own during that time. Such magic wasn't something Yi-Han could easily match.

Baqwantallana: Don't say things that could cause misunderstandings. I'm just an ordinary member too.

Eaktus: I just explained honestly. It's true that you play the role of manager, isn't it? It's also true that everyone respects you. More importantly, congratulations on joining. I look forward to your active participation from now on. The other members probably can't see this now because they're charging mana. It's fortunate we secured plenty of magic stones...

These communication artifacts needed to be located where mana was continuously supplied or have mana supplied by a mage.

As it hadn't been long since the semester started, it seemed the other members hadn't yet obtained the necessary mana.

Eaktus: Come to think of it, what form is your artifact? I'm fortunate to have a blackboard, but among the others, there's even one in the form of a crystal ball. That guy's handwriting is a sight to behold.

-Mine is in the form of a notebook.-

Eaktus: Haha! That was funny. You can't enter this Sentinel club with a notebook. Even if it looks like a simple communication artifact, this club takes quite a bit of mana.

Yi-Han realized he had made a mistake due to being flustered.

Even if he obtained information, he should have hidden his identity, but he answered straightforwardly.

-It doesn't work. It's a mirror-shaped artifact.-

Eaktus: Ah. A mirror. That's somewhat better. At least it's not round. Don't forget what I said about mana just now. You'll need much more mana than an ordinary communication artifact. Every summer, a few people can't get in.

Eaktus explained the mana consumed by various defensive and secret magics that maintained the Sentinel club.

Yi-Han put down the notebook and quietly checked his own mana.

'Hmm. No change.'

There was little effect on his mana, to the point where he felt embarrassed listening. It seemed to be a small amount.

Eaktus: More than that, why don't you decide on your name soon? It's inconvenient with you having no name.

-By name... do you mean an alias?-

Eaktus: Of course. If you don't like an alias, you can use your real name.

Baqwantallana: I don't recommend it. Revealing your real name is dangerous.

Eaktus: Actually, even with an alias, we can guess to some extent!

Baqwantallana: Showing off unnecessarily will only raise wariness, it won't help you. Eaktus.

Eaktus: Does it look like showing off? I'm certain I know who some of you are.

While the seniors were talking, Yi-Han pondered on an alias.

Of course, he had no intention of using his real name, and he needed to decide on an alias, but this was surprisingly difficult.

As it needed to be completely unconnected to Yi-Han, he couldn't use aliases like Gainando or Moradi.

The moment he used such aliases, it would be the same as giving options...

'What would be the most neutral alias that wouldn't let anyone guess my identity?'

As Yi-Han was pondering, urging came in.

Finally, Yi-Han made a quick decision.

Gonadaltes: I look forward to working with you all.

Baqwantallana: ...

Eaktus: ...Are you crazy?