Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 696

Chapter 696

"What about the senior?!"

Yonaire asked in shock when he saw Yi-Han return alone.

"He was caught."

"That's somewhat fortunate! That Mr. Wardanaz wasn't caught."

"It's fortunate in misfortune. Let's depart!"

"..."

Yi-Han looked at his friends with shocked eyes.

Could it be that his friends didn't have human hearts?

***

The three who had escaped safely hurriedly erased the patterns on the carriage and detached the cargo compartment.

Then they moved to the place where they had parted from their friends.

"!"

"They're not here..."

"Yi-Han. We need to move."

"I know. Let's go."

They couldn't go looking for the other friends just because they weren't there.

Wasn't this one of the situations they had anticipated when making the plan from the start?

If they had to leave their position due to the response, they would meet again in front of the school's main gate.

As Yi-Han drove the carriage, showing signs of constant worry, Yonaire comforted him from the side.

"They'll all be fine. It's probably because the merchant group carriage came out a bit early, right?"

"I guess so? They wouldn't have met the Death Knight patrol, would they?"

"Oh, is there such a thing...?"

"I don't know. But there could be."

"..."

Yonaire was dumbfounded, but Yi-Han was quite serious.

He had felt it a lot while going in and out of the school.

It wouldn't be strange at all if there was a Death Knight patrol!

"Mr. Wardanaz. I hear a strange sound."

Ratford signaled, perking up his ears.

An eerie crying sound could be heard from somewhere.

-Sob sob...-

"Wh-what is that? A monster...?"

Yonaire was flustered.

What kind of ghost-type monster would appear when dawn had almost passed and the darkness was almost completely dispersed?

-I don't want to go back to school...-

-Waaah...-

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han and his friends discovered their other friends crying profusely over the hill and made bitter expressions.

They weren't monsters, but friends returning to school.

"Everyone."

"Wardanaz!"

"Stop crying and let's go."

"You might not understand, Wardanaz, since Einroguard suits you so well!"

"...These bastards."

Yi-Han drew his staff in anger.

Normally he might have laughed it off, but the mental fatigue accumulated during the smuggling operation had made his patience disappear.

There are things people should and shouldn't say, how could they say such a thing?

"If you don't stop crying and start running right now, I'll make you shed more tears here."

"Y-you bad guy!"

His friends cursed at Yi-Han while quickly fleeing towards the school.

Yi-Han glared at their retreating figures and muttered.

"How dare they spout such nonsense."

"..."

"..."

Yonaire and Ratford quietly closed their mouths. Yi-Han turned to them and asked.

"You think it's nonsense too, right?"

"Huh? Y-yeah. Of course."

"I-it's nonsense, I think."

As they got closer and closer to the school, familiar faces began to appear.

Yi-Han spotted Adenart and her group of followers and greeted them.

"Ah. Princess."

"Wardanaz. I received your letter well."

"Hmm. I received yours well too..."

Yi-Han trailed off as he answered.

He was a bit cautious about whether he should say he had received Adenart's letter well.

'Can I tell her to write less content from now on? Wouldn't that be a bit rude?'

One of the followers beside her spoke enviously.

"You even received a letter from Her Highness? How enviable!"

"You could send one too."

"It's rude to act so familiar on your own, Wardanaz!"

'Isn't it more rude not to send letters as a group...'

At best it was politeness, but honestly, wasn't it more like ostracism?

Yi-Han thought so but decided to speak nicely.

"Well. You probably didn't need to send letters since you were close by during the break."

Adenart nodded with contentment showing on her expressionless face.

After finishing their meetings with their families, the followers had gathered around Adenart and spent the break together.

It had been a truly faithful and fulfilling winter break.

Hunting, exploring snowy mountains, touring mage guilds, participating in workshop work, banquets, and so on.

"We spent it enjoyably together too."

Ratford opened his mouth for the first time in a while, as if he wanted to boast too.

It had been a winter break with little income but just as much friendship.

"Oh. How did you spend it?"

"We visited the Wardanaz family mansion and toured the territory."

"!"

At Ratford's words, Adenart was surprised and felt slightly envious.

The Wardanaz family territory was something anyone who seriously studied magic would be curious about.

"Aren't you curious? The Wardanaz family territory."

"That's right. I wonder if it's like Einroguard?"

"You guys, that's too much. Haha."

As the followers showed unexpectedly positive reactions, Adenart was intrigued.

If everyone was interested, then for the next break...

"Why didn't you all visit?"

"Ah. That's not possible. If Her Highness the Princess visits another noble family's territory, it could cause unnecessary rumors."

"It requires a very careful order considering the empire's politics. If you visit a loyalist territory, you should visit an aristocrat territory next."

"Our family is neutral though."

"Still not possible. Her Highness is strict about such things."

Adenart became gloomy as her own words caught up with her.

"What next?"

"We went to Flaher City and visited Mr. Gainando's mansion."

"That's not very enviable."

"Sounds boring."

"The Princess's mansion would have been better."

Immediately, indifferent reactions from the followers burst out.

Adenart shrugged her shoulders, as if she wasn't very envious of that either.

Then, remembering something, she poked her followers.

"We can do it now."

"Do what?"

"...What I mentioned before. Don't you remember?"

"What are you... Ah! Aah!"

The followers exclaimed as they remembered.

"Wardanaz!"

"Yes?"

"We heard you had a big misunderstanding. The misunderstanding that Her Highness the Princess stole bread from White Tiger Tower students."

"It wasn't to that extent..."

"That's a misunderstanding! Her Highness took it back for us after we had it stolen first."

"That's right. Her Highness definitely didn't take it first."

"..."

"..."

Yonaire and Ratford sent pitying glances at the satisfied followers and Adenart. Whatever else, they didn't seem very skilled at explanations.

If they were that blatant, wouldn't they create false accusations where there were none?

"Well, I did think something was strange."

Yi-Han answered like that and looked at the two. Yonaire immediately chimed in.

"I said it was strange from the beginning!"

"That's right. I remember saying that not just anyone could be a bread thief too. Haha!"

Adenart and her followers left, very satisfied with the three's answers.

Then a new friend appeared.

It was Asan of the Dargard family.

"Asan. Have you been well? Did you receive the letter well?"

"I've been well. It was a good break. My brother and sister were happy to receive your letter."

"That's good."

"They said they wish you were their sibling."

"Haha. That makes me feel good, even if it's a joke."

"It seemed serious though? They asked when you, Wardanaz, would come next time."

"..."

Yi-Han decided to be a bit more careful when visiting the Dargard family in the future.

He already had enough eccentric family members and didn't want to increase them any further.

"Yi-Han. Over there!"

Yonaire whispered, barely containing his joy. Nillia's group was coming from far away.

"They're all safe!"

"Thank goodness!"

"...Why does Gainando's complexion look like that?"

Yi-Han muttered, feeling puzzled.

Unlike the other friends, only Gainando's complexion was pale as if he were half undead.

"Wasn't he always like that?"

"I think he was."

At their reactions, Yi-Han thought he might have seen wrong for a moment.

But that wasn't the case.

"He is pale!"

"Maybe it's because he learned dark magic?"

"There's no such effect, you know? Is everyone okay?"

As his friends approached, Yi-Han checked their condition first. Fortunately, there were no other problems except for Gainando's pale complexion.

"Gainando. Why is your face..."

When Yi-Han asked, Gainando grinned as if he had been waiting for this.

Even while staggering from suffering due to poison, he had been waiting for a chance to boast.

"Well..."

"Where did the senior go?"

"He was caught."

Yi-Han answered with a gloomy expression.

Afraid that the other friends might react without blood or tears like Yonaire or Ratford, Yi-Han quickly explained what had happened.

With as much cool embellishment as possible!

"No way...!"

"Amazing! To think he was such a senior!"

It seemed to have an effect as the friends reacted differently from before.

Yonaire and Ratford, seemingly embarrassed, whispered separately to Yi-Han.

"I just meant I was glad at least you came out. You know that, right?"

"I thought that senior had been caught after betraying us."

Siana opened her mouth as if she really found it hard to believe.

"To think he would draw attention using such magic. It's truly amazing."

"I completely agree. Although the senior isn't from a knight family, it was a knightly sacrifice. I didn't think he was that kind of person when I first saw him."

"It was your actions that changed the senior's heart, Wardanaz. Among the mountain range hunters, there are also eccentric but good people once you get close to them."

Yi-Han and his friends nodded, commemorating Senior Alde's sacrifice.

After finishing the conversation, Yi-Han looked at Gainando again and asked.

"So, why does your face look like that?"

"...Wait. I'll tell you later. If I say it now, my story will be a bit..."

"What do you mean tell later? Say it now."

"No! If I say it now, it'll seem weak in comparison!"

As they were talking, Yi-Han suddenly felt something off.

'What was that?'

It felt as if a massive magic had deceived Yi-Han's senses and secretly brushed past.

Pop!

"!"

Sure enough, that sense of wrongness was exactly right.

When he came to his senses, all the 2nd year students waiting outside the main gate had moved inside.

-Welcome!-

"...Yes..."

"Nice to see you..."

The 2nd year students assessed the situation and greeted the skull principal with lifeless voices.

The year spent at Einroguard had trained them.

-Aren't you happy about the new semester?-

"We're happy..."

-Of course you are! You are no longer ironheads! After spending a valuable year at school, you must be at least bronzeheads now!-

"..."

"..."

The students who had earned the qualification of bronze glared at the skull principal with eyes that looked like they might collapse from joy at any moment.

-That's not all. Now you have the qualification to meet and talk with your seniors! You'll meet those who entered before you, studied before you, and are far more vicious and evil plunderers than you!-

"Can we join clubs too?"

-Indeed! But seeing that you're only concerned about social activities without asking about magic research or new lectures you can take, I can clearly see your future!-

The White Tiger Tower student who had only asked one question and received criticism grumbled.

-Your seniors, not I, will explain what lectures you'll take, what research you'll conduct, how you'll secure gold coins, and how you'll do club activities. There's no need to be too impatient. You'll see your seniors' skills during the inspection time later.-

"Inspection time?"

"What's that?"

Some friends who didn't know yet tilted their heads.

Yi-Han's group managed their expressions. There was nothing good about looking like they knew.

-I'll be going now, so have a good day... is what I'd like to say, but there's one thing I must do before I go.-

The skull principal said, drawing up mana like a waterfall.

-Now that you have the qualification to meet and talk with your seniors, you have the obligation not to meet and talk with your juniors. May this taboo protect the innocent ironheads from you evil ones!-

With the shout, powerful magic caused continuous green waves to ripple like waves between the students.

The taboo had begun for all of this year's 2nd year students.

A taboo that made them unrecognizable to 1st years and unable to directly contact 2nd years!

The students, having already experienced their 1st year, accepted it calmly without being flustered. Weren't taboos, restrictions, and secret oaths as common as breathing in Einroguard?

Meanwhile, Yi-Han tilted his head.

No matter how he looked at it, he didn't feel like the magic had been cast on him.

"Uh, Principal? It seems you left me out."

-You have too much mana, so it doesn't work well on you. Avoid them on your own. You should be able to do that much.-

"..."