Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 19

Chapter 19

‘I've underestimated them,’ he mused.

Indeed, it was true that the students of the Blue Dragon held affection and a sense of indebtedness towards Yi-Han. However, their fervor wasn't merely because of this. Fundamentally, the Blue Dragon students disliked those from the White Tiger, who were of knightly descent and bore a rough and wild demeanor, quite the opposite of their own.

Their latent disdain had already been simmering when the White Tiger students provoked them, leading to an immediate explosion of anger. Even students from other groups, who seldom interacted with Yi-Han, were infuriated and raised their voices.

"Everyone, grab whatever you can use as a weapon and follow me! To the White Tiger!"

"Wait!"

Asan of the Dargard family stepped in front of the excited students. Climbing onto the recreation room table, he tried to calm his peers.

"Calm down, everyone!"

‘Oh, there's someone sensible,’ Yi-Han thought, slightly pleased.

Not everyone was oblivious to the situation.

"What's wrong, Dargard! Are you scared?"

"Our honor has been insulted!"

Naturally, Asan's attempt to pacify them only fueled their anger further. Asan spoke calmly.

"The White Tiger folks are from knightly families. Acting rashly is not wise. There's a 95% chance we would be at a disadvantage."

"So, we retreat just like that?!"

"No. We should split into groups, set up an ambush, and attack the White Tiger students as we find them!"

"Oh...!"

"..."

Yi-Han sighed.

I was foolish to have such expectations!

"Wait, hold on!"

Yi-Han, the person directly involved, shouted out, his voice inevitably louder than Asan's. The students, almost involuntarily, turned their attention to him.

"Let's get one thing straight. I have no intention of asking you all for revenge! This is a matter of my honor. I am not so weak as to ask others to avenge me!"

His words stirred the students.

Every one of them, bearing their family's name and honor, could not easily refute Yi-Han's stance on defending his own honor.

"But, Wardanaz. The White Tiger lot are cunning, vile, petty, and dirty. Even if you want to seek revenge honorably, it might not be feasible."

"..."

One student's barrage of insults left Yi-Han slightly flustered, but he responded adeptly.

"Even so, we, born of honorable families, should not stoop to their level. Let's not wallow in the mud with them!"

There was a convincing firmness in Yi-Han's voice. His dignified appearance and demeanor, backed by his usual conduct, gradually calmed the enraged students, who eventually nodded and returned to their seats.

"If you say so..."

"Those despicable fools. They know nothing of honor."

With his friends pacified, Yi-Han spoke again, having intended to steer the conversation this way from the beginning.

"However, if they provoke us, let's respond together. It's highly likely the cowards from the White Tiger will attack in numbers."

"Indeed!"

"Yes! We should at least do that!"

Satisfied with Yi-Han's words, the students finally settled down, stomping their feet and clapping in approval.

'That worked out well.'

Yi-Han also sighed in relief, inwardly.

Now, if students from the White Tiger caused him trouble in the academy, he could rally his peers from his tower. That was sufficient...

"By the way, the next <Basic Magic Understanding> class will be with those brutes from the White Tiger, won't it?"

"Good. We can show those ignorant and vulgar fools a lesson."

"Those who only know how to roll in the dirt and swing scraps of metal around... What do they know about magic?"

"I've mastered the <Light> spell."

"You too? Me as well. Let's show them our magic. I wonder how they will look, considering none of them must have mastered it."

"This is the dignified way of nobility!"

'...Wait a moment.'

Sitting back down, Yi-Han felt a sudden sinking feeling in his chest as he listened to the students' conversation.

‘...Am I the only one who hasn't mastered the <light> spell?’

—

The next day.

Yonaire, stretching as she entered the recreation room, was startled.

Dark shadows had formed under Yi-Han's eyes.

"What happened!?"

At first, Yonaire thought it was due to meals.

The food served at the dormitory was hardly enough for the growing students. On their first day, their faces had turned sallow and drawn.

But Yi-Han had adapted perfectly from the first day. Moreover, he was the one who, when the Blue Dragon students were starving, would go alone to the cabin of Professor Uregor and bring back smoked meat and freshly dug vegetables to share with friends (though he did charge a bit) - a man of abundance.

Such a person wouldn't be troubled by meals now.

Unless it was someone like Gainando...

"It's because of practicing magic."

"Magic? You shouldn't practice alone... Ah, you got permission from Professor Kim last time, right?"

"Yes. I practiced all night because everyone else said they succeeded in casting <Light>.'"

"?”

Yonaire tilted her head, hearing this for the first time.

"What do you mean...?"

“Ughaaam.”

Gainando yawned as he entered the recreation room.

Then, he took out a sausage (bought from Yi-Han) from the pocket of his shabby clothes.

Gainando treated the sausage like a treasure, glancing around as if someone might steal it, before skewering it and putting it in the fireplace flames.

The sizzling sound and the smell of the high-quality pork sausage stimulated his hungry gut.

“Heheheh…”

“…”

“…”

Unaware of Yi-Han and Yonaire's sympathetic looks, Gainando took out a potato (also bought) from another pocket.

He carefully placed it under the fireplace's flames.

“Heheheheh…”

“...Gainando. We won't steal it, just eat normally.”

“?!??”

Startled, Gainando jumped, unaware that Yi-Han and Yonaire were behind him.

“When did you get here?!”

“Since you were carefully skewering that sausage.”

“Oh, I wasn't doing that!”

“The sausage is burning. Take it out.”

“Huh!”

Hearing this, Gainando hurriedly removed the skewer and looked around warily.

“...Gainando. Do you really think Yonaire and I would steal your sausage and potato?”

"Of course not," Gainando replied, though his expression still held a trace of wariness.

Yi-Han, instead of speaking further, looked at Yonaire and commented, "The situation seems serious."

"Everyone's hungry again," Yonaire observed.

It wasn't that Gainando was particularly crazy; rather, everyone was hungry at the moment. They were somewhat relieved due to Yi-Han bringing food from Uregor's cabin, but without that, the students' situation would have been even worse.

"It looks like we'll run out of meat by this weekend... I guess I'll have to go hunting again."

"Will that be okay?"

"I'll have to ask Nillia to come with me."

At Yi-Han's words, Yonaire nodded in agreement. Surely, the skilled Dark Elf huntress Nillia would be a strong ally. Of course, Nillia wasn't there, and if she had heard, she would probably have reacted with disbelief and surprise...

"Professor Uregor is surprisingly stingy," Yi-Han grumbled.

Professor Uregor, the dwarf, was unexpectedly petty. He allowed Yi-Han to use the cabin freely, but was very particular about Yi-Han taking anything from it. He would tolerate using the cabin's resources for immediate consumption or cooking, but taking anything away was met with endless nagging.

-“Wait, that bread was baked for my dinner! No! When did you put that jam in your pocket? Why are you taking it?”-

-“But, Professor, I tended the garden as you instructed. Can't I take some of it?”-

-“You just ate a full meal! Why take more? If you keep taking things every time you visit, the cabin will be empty!”-

"It seems there's no way to sneak anything out now."

"Can't we somehow create an opportunity..."

Realizing what she had just suggested, Yonaire gasped in shock, surprised at how much the academy's environment had influenced her.

—

Professor Garcia Kim, a troll, smirked as she watched the students entering the classroom.

Being keenly interested in the students, Garcia could quickly notice the subtle changes in them.

First, as the first week at the magic academy was drawing to a close, the students were extremely hungry and famished. Although Garcia didn't fully agree with the principal's theory, she knew that hunger was an effective motivator. Hungry students would put all their effort into overcoming their situation.

'Hang in there, everyone.'

Second, tension was already beginning to surface between the towers. Given the mix of different backgrounds, competition and hostility among students were somewhat inevitable. Especially between the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger, there had always been discord.

Noble offspring from prestigious families vs. knightly offspring from the rough and desolate frontiers of the empire. They were bound to clash.

But, according to the principal's theory, this too was a way to keep the students sharp and competitive.

The more they competed, the stronger they became!

"Now, everyone, please take your seats."

Though not as shocking as their first meeting, Professor Garcia still exuded an overwhelming presence, natural for a troll. Students from both the Blue Dragon and the White Tiger quietly took their seats.

"Last time, we attempted the <Light> spell. Not everyone succeeded, but don't be disappointed. The path of magic isn't hastened. You might struggle at first, but once you get the hang of it and catch the rhythm, your skills will rapidly improve. Now, did anyone manage to succeed with the <Light> spell in the meantime?"

Suppressing a yawn, Yi-Han raised his hand.

'I practiced all night.'

When the other students of the Blue Dragon claimed they had all succeeded in the <Light> spell, Yi-Han became increasingly anxious. True to his Korean nature, he couldn't stand the thought of being outdone in competition.

As a result, Yi-Han had spent the entire night practicing the <Light> spell instead of sleeping. If it weren't for his immense mana, he would have collapsed long ago. He was just a bit sleepy, nothing more.

"...?"

Yi-Han sensed something was off.

None of the surrounding students had raised their hands.

'What the...?!'

"Wow..."

"Typical Wardanaz."

"That's amazing."

The students of the Blue Dragon clapped softly, their faces a mix of envy and pride.

‘Take that, White Tiger Tower!’

‘This is Wardanaz!’

...such feelings were palpable.

"Hey."

Unable to make sense of it, Yi-Han turned to a nearby student for clarification. This student had previously claimed mastery of the <Light> spell.

"You said you mastered the <Light> spell, right?"

"Ah. Did you hear that? Well, I almost succeeded, but not completely. But being that close is practically the same as mastering it, that's why I said so."

"..."

He had been duped!

'These nobles and their love for bragging...!'