Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 994

Chapter 994

Still, Yi-Han threw the remaining grapes he was holding. The telekinesis magic activated instantaneously hit the grapes with dazzling trajectories.

Rolling on the sawdust, the hamster shuddered at the fact that the other's telekinesis magic control had improved even further.

Originally, it was much more difficult to finely control small and light objects than to roughly control large and heavy ones.

To think he could hit so accurately a hamster fleeing quickly in zigzags.

-How much have you practiced this magic?-

"Stop changing the subject and give me a proper method."

Yi-Han spoke stiffly.

What was he talking about telekinesis magic and changing the subject in such an urgent situation?

The hamster squeaked while shaking off the grapes stuck to its back.

-I told you! We need to cut off his breath. Do you think I'm saying this to deceive a brat like you?-

"Yes."

-......-

The hamster, its whiskers trembling with anger, began explaining in more detail.

-Listen well, you immature brat. A thought entity isn't something you can conveniently control as you think. It's fundamentally incompatible with the world.-

Beings from other realms had to bear enormous burdens when descending to the material world.

This was because the world rejected things that originally didn't exist.

A thought entity, composed of pure power and information rather than the flesh and soul composition a person should rightfully have, was the existence that provoked the most violent rejection among such foreign substances.

Even the hamster had only approached to extract arcane knowledge before this thought entity went berserk, not thinking at all about keeping this thought entity alive for thousands of years.

That was an impossible task from the start.

-You wouldn't know, brat, but Gonadaltes' doppelgangers have descended a few times before. Do you know the tale of the endless hibernation? The entire territory fell asleep…-

"Ah. You criminal bastard. I said be quiet and tell me the method!"

Yi-Han fired the remaining grapes. The hamster screamed and rolled around.

"Are you changing the subject now? Should I interrogate you Einroguard style?"

The hamster was greatly shocked when Yi-Han, who had been treating him with some courtesy as befitting a great noble family until now, growled.

Perhaps because the places hit by grapes hurt, it felt even more pitiful.

-What…-

"You definitely infiltrated to extract arcane knowledge. Someone like you wouldn't have not prepared for contingencies. You must have prepared at least delaying tactics."

-!-

The hamster was startled.

It hadn't expected its inner thoughts to be seen through by such a brat.

Of course, the hamster had prepared methods in case the thought entity went berserk.

...Though it hadn't prepared for the case of being turned into a hamster and trapped in a cage...

-I do have something, but it's literally just a delaying tactic. It's a method for escaping, not for healing and recovery... No stones! No stones!-

When Yi-Han picked up a stone, the hamster squeaked urgently.

-Besides, even if I tell you, I can't do it in this body!-

Originally, the method the hamster had prepared was as follows:

Prepare several minions with enhanced and modified bodies, and if the thought entity seemed about to go berserk due to the world's rejection, distribute that overload to the minions.

Of course, there was no way minions could endure an overload that even a great mage would struggle with just because their bodies were somewhat enhanced. This was just a method to buy time.

-I can't use that method in this body either. All the connections have been severed. If only that madman hadn't turned me into just a hamster…-

"What about Decline?"

-What did you say?

"You must have heard about it too. <Gonadaltes' Decline>. Using that, I could take on the overload..."

-...Impossible. I knew you were arrogant, brat, but to think you'd be this arrogant. You're not at that level!-

The hamster snorted, forgetting what it had just been hit with, it was so dumbfounded.

The hamster knew about Decline from hearing about it too. Though there were many heterogeneous and strange ancient magics, Decline was certainly a unique magic even among them.

But that didn't mean it could be the solution.

Wasn't this like a ferryman steering a boat for the first time trying to cross a flood-swollen river on a stormy day?

"Didn't you try to solve it with a similar method?"

-What I prepared was a much more delicately prepared high-level magic. There were seventy-eight supporting magics alone. You, brat, are now saying you'll substitute all that with one magic. Even if you succeeded, what about the overload? I know you have a lot of mana. But don't be overconfident!-

"There's no need to argue."

"!"

Intarendals had come outside at some point. The two turned their gaze in surprise.

"Is Master alright?"

"Yes. He drank the prepared potion."

"...?"

-!-

The hamster realized first, and Yi-Han realized belatedly after that.

It felt too discordant to be a potion that improved one's condition.

"...Could the potion you're talking about be... poison?"

"As expected of Master Yi-Han. That's correct. Lord Gonadaltes predicted and prepared for this situation."

Intarendals spoke calmly with a face soaked in sadness, rarely seen from him.

Yi-Han was shocked.

"No...! Aren't you loyal?!"

"Some loyalty involves personally feeding poison to one's master."

-Calm down. This is rather a good resolution. Brat.-

Yi-Han blasted the hamster against the cage wall with telekinesis. The hamster rolled around mercilessly.

Squeak squeak squeak!

"I'll explain everything. Starting with the items Lord Gonadaltes entrusted..."

Crack!

A breaking sound came from inside.

The workshop was currently located inside a cave, and the walls were made of solid bedrock.

When they heard the sound of such bedrock cracking as if a cracker was breaking, the three paused.

"What...?"

-...Wait. Could the poison not work? Did you check the amount?-

The hamster, whimpering as it crawled out of the sawdust, asked a question. At that question, the head servant answered indignantly as if greatly insulted.

"How could there be a mistake when Lord Gonadaltes prepared it himself?"

-You foolish head servant...! How could you just pass it on believing the calculations of a thought entity in poor condition!-

"!!!"

Yi-Han and Intarendals wore expressions as if they had been hit on the head with a hammer.

Intarendals lashed the hamster once with a magic whip and hurriedly tried to go inside. But it was already too late.

Crack!

As the inner bedrock was torn away, mana of a density they had never experienced before began surging out like a storm.

The hamster, forgetting the pain of being beaten, squeaked.

-Decline! Prepare Decline, brat! If you don't stop it now, we'll all die!-

"It's not too late yet. I'll...!"

The hamster flared up at the head servant's words.

-It's too late! It's already going berserk! That clumsy poison accelerated it! We need to reduce the world's flames of fear itself!-

The other was already half berserk.

In this situation, making half-hearted attacks was meaningless unless one could defeat that madman. He absolutely wouldn't submit easily.

Somehow they had to bring him closer to his senses and appeal to his reason. Right now, only that brat could do both.

"Shut up, slave!"

Squeak!

Intarendals ignored the hamster's words and tried to evacuate Yi-Han. He couldn't endanger the master's disciple by being deceived by the words of a mere criminal slave.

However, Yi-Han was already casting magic with his staff.

'No!'

Intarendals, who was about to scream, froze for a moment at the sight before his eyes.

A familiar crown was appearing above the disciple's head.

A crown made of bronze, copper, and intertwined branches.

There was no way Intarendals wouldn't recognize that modest yet beautiful crown.

"Basilios!"

Despite the head servant's shout, Yi-Han couldn't hear as he was concentrating all his mind on the magic.

It wasn't just a matter of not hearing surrounding shouts. As all his senses focused on the magic, he fell into an illusion as if time had stopped and only he and the magic existed in the world.

'A perfect small world. When did he...!'

Intarendals felt ashamed of himself for thinking the disciple had been lax.

If he weren't a true disciple, he couldn't have inherited that small world.

Essences imprinted across numerous parallel realms.

Power was summoned from that concept and strongly controlled the surroundings. The hamster witnessed dozens of ancient magic circles instantly appearing on the ceiling, floor, collapsed walls, and in mid-air.

As a mage who had prepared something similar, the hamster could now understand what the small world was doing.

'Magic circles to distribute the overload?! In this short moment?!'

Even for a small world passed down since ancient times, to think it would be to this extent. The hamster felt goosebumps on its short body.

However, the most surprising was the brat mage himself.

To think he was firmly enduring while using such a small world and even absorbing the world's flames of fear.

'No. That's...'

The hamster belatedly noticed Yi-Han's condition.

Though it had been mistaken because his mana was fine, blood was already flowing from his mouth, nose, and eyes.

Indeed, even with infinite mana, there was nothing one could do about a mortal body.

-Distribute more! Activate more magic circles! Don't absorb directly, scatter it!-

Though he knew he couldn't hear, the hamster squeaked.

And even if he could hear, it was impossible to respond.

The ancient magic circles were already dispersing the flames of fear as much as possible.

One could tell just by looking at how space was distorting and mana was swirling. If the mage himself didn't absorb but dispersed from here, it was impossible to predict what disaster would occur.

Click!

What saved the master was the small world.

The small wine barrel-shaped necklace hanging on Yi-Han's chest forcibly opened and poured its contents into its master's mouth.

That wasn't all. The overload also flowed into artifacts like the necklace made of Behemoth's bone or the Morning Star. When it flowed into the bracelet of ten thousand demons, inaudible screams of demons burst out like a chorus from inside.

Finally, the small world rolled up the baby basilisk and threw it far away. The baby basilisk, which had been struggling to endure together with its master, lashed its tail in anger.

The hamster prayed with its head buried in the sawdust.

'Please, you brat!'

If an even madder thought entity emerged after this catastrophe ended, he couldn't imagine what would happen.

"...Basilios has strict conditions for its use."

-!!!-

At that chilling voice he had heard many times, the hamster felt like crying.

The mad doppelganger walked out of the ruins and looked at his disciple, still immersed in magic, with a troubled gaze.

"It can't be summoned and used without nobility for others. I didn't know even royalty would fall under that condition..."

"Master!"

"I'm sorry, Intarendals. Royalty's mistake caused trouble. But... I can fix it right away."

The hamster was about to shout 'Commit suicide quickly' but closed its mouth.

It seemed he would handle it well on his own, so there was no need to provoke him unnecessarily.

"There's no need for that."

-?!-

"!"

Not only the hamster, but even the mad doppelganger was greatly surprised.

Yi-Han had regained his senses and was speaking.

-H-how!? Wait. What did you drink?-

The hamster was flustered, reading an abnormal intelligence in the brat's eyes.

Yi-Han, who had drunk the wine of wisdom, spoke with deep conviction.

"Look. The world's flames of fear or kalpa of destruction, in the end, are no different from other magical phenomena. Isn't it rather unqualified as a mage to fear that and act rashly?"

"You dare speak so after being tattered from brief contact."

Though the mad doppelganger spoke with displeasure, Yi-Han paid no heed.

"As a mage, Master should also step up to calculate how to block it! If not, what can your disciple learn? If after all deliberation it still can't be blocked, then I won't stop you either. But secretly preparing and failing like this now, isn't it no different from a thief? Where has the dignity of royalty you usually taught me gone?"

-Y-you madman. Watch what you say...!-

The hamster was on edge.

Whatever relic he had drunk, it seemed abnormal wisdom had brought forth boldness too.

However, the mad doppelganger didn't get angry. Rather, he couldn't say anything.

Silence.

After a long silence, the mad doppelganger finally opened his mouth.

"...You're right. If I trust my disciple, I shouldn't have hidden the plan. I admit it. This was royalty's mistake."

"M-master!"

"I'll try to block the possible flames of fear. Without hiding from my disciple..."

-No.-

A familiar telepathy was heard from behind.

When everyone present turned their heads, a familiar skull was floating in the air, coldly staring this way.

-You deliberated quite well, but that's not the correct answer.-

-Gonadaltes!-

The hamster squeaked in terror, but the skull principal paid no attention to mere magic criminals.

Focusing his blazing eye lights only on his doppelganger, he declared.

-The correct answer is to seal it away forever.-