Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 998

Chapter 998

-Th-that...-

-...Professor Verduus was there too!-

Fortunately, there was one knight among them with abundant wit.

The other Death Knights looked at their companion with admiring eyes.

This was truly a knight's wisdom, displaying such quick thinking in this situation.

Of course, Professor Verduus hadn't participated voluntarily but was kidnapped into participating, but for an Einroguard professor, even being kidnapped was a crime.

And in Professor Verduus's case, it warranted additional punishment.

-That Beavle fellow... Fine. Fortunately it wasn't destroyed. What's this about the doppelganger punishing Beavle? Did he perhaps die?-

The skull principal asked with slight concern.

Unlike himself who was kind and generous, the doppelganger of honor had no mercy. Someone like Professor Verduus might have really died from carelessly being cheeky without any malice.

Though the territory's magic protected those inside, magic had shortcuts and great mages were the most skilled at such shortcuts.

-No. The professor didn't die.-

-He could have died once or twice.-

The knights continued speaking, pretending not to hear the skull principal's muttering.

-Professor Verduus just suffered severely. Some works were broken...-

-I thought so.-

The principal who heard the report sighed as if regretful.

Actually, if not killing Professor Verduus, there weren't many ways to punish him. One of them was smashing Professor Verduus's works.

For that beaver mixed-blood mage, breaking his works could inflict a much stronger blow than cutting off his limbs.

The skull principal wasn't ignorant of this method. In fact, he had used it several times before.

-It's meaningless.-

The reason he said it was meaningless was simple.

No matter how much you broke the works, the shock would only last a few days at most, and if you broke works each time, Einroguard would go bankrupt first.

Most of Professor Verduus's works had contracts or were commissioned works. As he was a mage with many debts, he had few purely personal works.

'But doesn't it feel good?'

One of the Death Knights thought inwardly.

It was rare for students and knights to agree, but regarding Professor Verduus, the thought 'I just want to kick that bastard once' quite often aligned.

-I suppose everyone felt good about it. I wish I could have seen it too.-

-!-

-Index.-

-Here it is.-

The Death Knight respectfully presented the list. It was a list of artifacts Professor Verduus was working on and those damaged this time.

Looking at it, the skull principal became very troubled.

-...He broke quite a lot.-

-There's more on the next page.-

A tactless knight fell into the punishment room additionally.

The skull principal shook his head as if utterly fed up and spoke.

-Write down and report the rest. If I listen to everything one by one, the semester will end.-

-How will you handle the punishment?-

-Send only Professor Beavle to the punishment room and leave the rest alone.-

Strictly speaking, Professors Garcia and Boladi were guilty of omitting reports and stealing relics, and Professor Verduus was guilty of being kidnapped and failing to protect artifacts.

But the former were innocent.

The two had much work to do outside, but Professor Verduus could work even in the punishment room.

After all the knights left, the skull principal looked at the empty letter paper.

This white paper, exuding a presence more intense than the great demons of the burning hell realm, was for letters that needed to be sent to everyone from the emperor to the imperial finance officer and various noble families.

The skull principal called a Death Knight outside again.

-...Call Bat-danaz when he wakes up. If timber that will support the empire asks, he might soften a bit.-

-He might not cooperate because of what Master did, but...-

The skull principal sent the loyal knight to the punishment room, then called the knight beside him.

-Bring him.-

-Yes!-

  *

A mage's dreams were different from ordinary people's dreams.

In the divination magic school, dreams were one of the most powerful tools. In that ambiguous realm, one could foretell the future while avoiding all kinds of rebounds.

Even without going to the divination magic school, mages were often affected by intense dreams throughout their lives.

A mage who made a wrong contract could be chased by beings from other realms in dreams (if they made a mistake then, their physical body would be damaged too), and a mage who attempted overly complex magic could see bizarre sights in dreams as if they had eaten hallucinogenic mushrooms due to the aftereffects.

In that sense, it was natural in a way that Yi-Han had intense dreams while collapsed.

In the dream appeared the young and intact human-era skull principal, the skull principal bound by honor, and the current evil skull principal.

When the guest star Arna, small world, unique world, and Yaksha King, all sorts of great magic and transcendent beings appeared and mixed chaotically, the dream's content became even more incomprehensible.

-...I entrust the world to you.-

-Hmph. You're neither the first nor the last disciple to curse at me, Bat-danaz.-

-You mean the one who played mage cards while receiving teachings?-

-That's Gainando...-

-...I entrust the world to you.-

-Don't forget the small world. Keep striving forward.-

-Nobility for others.-

-You little hamster. Are you inciting from the side?-

-...I entrust the world to you.-

As recently hastily learned magic was naturally absorbed into his mind like melting ice, and the three skull principals rotated like Senior Hormasi's Cerberus, Yi-Han woke up from sleep with cold sweat.

"!"

What he felt upon waking was fatigue throughout his body as if he had been beaten, a head that wouldn't work as if drunk, and the baby basilisk clinging tightly to his arm.

'...I'll have to insist later.'

Yi-Han planned to insist that throwing it last time wasn't his own intention but the evil wine's tricks.

The Frost Giants' wine surely had evil and vile side effects befitting that race.

"..."

As Yi-Han was about to go down from his private room, he felt memories of what had happened coming back.

Even if it was dispiriting and empty, there was nothing he could do. The disappeared mage wouldn't return, and Yi-Han had to do what he needed to do.

'...I should write an anonymous report to the empire.'

But separately from that, Yi-Han planned to send at least one anonymous report to the empire.

An evil tyrant who never listened to students' opinions was ruling the magic academy...

"Wardanaz!"

When Yi-Han came down, friends studying for exams in the common lounge were startled.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. My body's a bit heavy though. What's that on the side?"

Yi-Han was puzzled seeing an unfamiliar betting board hanging on the wall.

It was a betting board divided into possible/impossible, and Blue Dragon Tower students had written their names on whichever side they wanted.

Seeing there were more on the possible side...

"I get it. You're betting on when I'll wake up."

"No. We're betting on whether you can get top grades in the final exam even without attending."

"...Thanks everyone. How long did I sleep?"

"Over a week."

"!??!"

Yi-Han was shocked.

He thought he had slept long, but that much??

"There are still a few days until the exam, Wardanaz."

"We didn't play around just because you weren't here."

The friends spoke with proud expressions.

The reason 2nd year students hadn't played recklessly this time was purely the power of friendship.

As long as they had conscience, they couldn't play while their friend was collapsed.

"No. I'm not surprised about the exam."

"What?!"

This time the friends were shocked.

They had naturally thought Yi-Han would talk about the exam first thing after waking up.

"What happened after that? The principal's doppelganger disappeared."

"Ah. That..."

"Everyone was sad and regretful. Gainando even went to the punishment room."

"?!"

Yi-Han was surprised.

Being sad and regretful was one thing, but Gainando going to the punishment room?

"Why? Did he charge at the principal??"

"Well... Similar but different."

When the doppelganger disappeared and the skull principal returned, even Einroguard students quickly noticed the change.

-Oh? Where did the principal's doppelganger go?-

-Right? The principal is here but why...? Principal, do you know where your doppelganger went?-

-He died.-

-...Murderer! Murderer!!-

The fearless senior students threw filth at the skull principal but were beaten back and chased away in return.

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

"Wait. The seniors just got chased away, so why did Gainando go to the punishment room?"

"He threw an egg alone."

While throwing rocks or filth might be forgiven, throwing eggs was unforgivable.

Gainando was immediately dragged to the punishment room for the crime of wasteful luxury.

"...Anyway, I'm glad everyone remembered Master."

"Wardanaz. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's regrettable but it can't be helped."

Yi-Han spoke with a bitter voice.

Perhaps, as the skull principal said, this might have been a better ending for the mad doppelganger himself.

Though he denied it, a thought entity bound to the world couldn't not be suffering.

'Still, I'll write the anonymous report.'

Thinking about it now, two might be appropriate.

Yi-Han resolved to send two using pseudonyms.

"The enchantment magic school seniors built a memorial at the mountain workshop, want to go see?"

"...What? Which school?!"

Yi-Han almost dropped the tin cup as he was about to pour coffee from the kettle on the fireplace for recovery.

Of all the many schools in Einroguard, wasn't that the school least suited for memorials?

"I was surprised too, but they say the seniors built it?"

"Huh. I see. So even the enchantment magic school seniors were moved..."

'They probably just did it because they got to beat up Professor Verduus.'

The friends thought that inwardly, but seeing Yi-Han seemed happy, they didn't say anything.

  *

Though traces of the workshop had vanished due to the great battle, the giants still remained nearby consoling their grief.

Some students left letters like 'Thank you for beating Professor Verduus' and 'Please come back someday and take the principal's seat' beside the memorial before turning away.

The giants hugged such students tightly while sobbing.

Crunch!

As students staggered away, Yi-Han appeared. The giants rushed over upon seeing him.

-Wardanaz. Drink this. Sorrow disappears.-

"Isn't that giant wine?"

-Mages keep sorrow long because they don't have this. We have this, so we send sorrow away quickly.-

"I'm fine."

The blazing giant wine could send away not just sorrow quickly but a mage's mind too. Yi-Han firmly refused.

-Right. Wardanaz. Old Yaksha waited for Wardanaz.-

"!"

While Yi-Han was surprised at the unexpected name, a voice came from behind.

-You finally come.-

The familiar old Yaksha walked out from among the giants. The Yaksha spoke while holding a bundle in his chest.

-Do you know how long I waited among these fools because of you?-

"What's the matter?"

-The head servant left items for you. Asked me to deliver them.-

"...Why to you, Elder??"

As far as Yi-Han knew, the head servant didn't particularly have any relationship with the old Yaksha.

-Well, there were only giants and this elder around, and between the two, I was somewhat the better choice.-

At the old Yaksha's words, the giants jeered in annoyance.

-The mage made a wrong choice just looking at race.-

-We could have delivered it well too!-

"Thank you anyway."