Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 887

Chapter 887

"You're not asking because you have other thoughts, are you?"

Yonaire threw out the question as if probing.

If it were Gainando, he wouldn't have been able to hide his true feelings well when asked such a question.

If Jourin had other intentions, she wouldn't be able to hide them and would fluster.

-Other thoughts? Jourin doesn't understand what you mean.-

Jourin feigned innocence.

What Yonaire hadn't expected was Jourin's rate of growth.

During the short time she had stayed at Einroguard, her social skills had rapidly improved by following Yi-Han around.

Yonaire, who hadn't thought Jourin could lie so brazenly and confidently, was completely fooled.

"Usually there's no one in the evening. When the sun goes down, mandrakes require relatively less attention..."

-Hehehe.-

"...Your Highness?"

-Hmm? Why are you calling?-

"..."

Yonaire stared blankly at Jourin.

No matter how she thought about it, something seemed strange...

-Ah! Jourin is curious about that fruit!-

"That's not a fruit, but a trap that looks like a fruit. It wraps tightly around prey that touches it."

-...W-why on earth would such a thing be in a greenhouse with mages...?-

Jourin, who had thrown out any question to change the subject, was overwhelmed.

  *

"Hmm. Not bad. A bit less than expected, but."

"..."

"...???"

Friends walking with Yi-Han to the Blue Dragon Tower lounge after leaving the greenhouse looked at him as if he were crazy.

If there was a mandrake seedling in the greenhouse that had grown the best, it was the one Yi-Han was raising.

Though there was the care and time invested, the biggest influence was due to the owner's mana.

Just as he had rapidly grown plants in Professor Bungaegor's vegetable garden, the mandrake was also affected.

It was natural for them to look at him as if he were crazy when such a friend said 'a bit less than expected'.

Siana, who had been accompanying them to the fork in the road, whispered.

"C-could it be that Mr. Wardanaz has finally lost his mind?"

"Wardanaz has just taken too many lectures! Don't say such things!"

"...I can hear everything."

Yi-Han glared at his friends.

It was something he had been feeling recently, but lately his friends sometimes treated him as if he were a bit crazy. It was a very rude attitude.

"I didn't make a strange prediction. I changed my staff this time."

Saying that, Yi-Han took out his staff.

It was a staff composed of black purplestone on one side, but the other side was made of the divine tree of the Spirit King.

And it didn't end just with being a divine tree. Inside this divine tree, a powerful spirit, the Hornbeam Gambling Tree King, was sealed.

'Didn't it have the authority of life?'

"Yi-Han?"

"Yes?"

"I don't think I've ever seen you use the power of spirits...?"

Yonaire asked, tilting her head.

Of course, as their friend taking all schools was so busy running around, Yonaire might not have seen him use spirit power.

But at least when Yonaire was present, she had never seen it once.

Doesn't a mage usually have to summon the contracted spirit, pay a price, and then give specific orders to use spirit power?

"I didn't summon and order it, but... Shouldn't the power come out on its own?"

"?"

"??"

"???"

His friends were flustered by this novel assertion that overturned the fundamental concept of spirit studies.

"P-Priestess Siana might be right? Wardanaz seems tired from taking too many lectures."

"...No. Listen. Of course, if you want to give orders to a spirit generally, you have to go through the proper process."

If it were another spirit, Yi-Han would have summoned it and then asked.

But this tree spirit was completely sealed inside the staff. It wasn't someone Yi-Han could summon and ask.

If he wanted to use it, he had to arbitrarily draw out the power dwelling in the staff and use it himself.

"But the spirit here is sealed, you know? Moreover, it's one that complained last time that it couldn't use its authority properly on me..."

"Didn't you release it last time?"

"Huh?"

"You said you subdued it when it attacked you last time. The fact that it attacked means the seal was loosened to some extent, right?"

At Yonaire's question, his friends nodded.

Of course, the seal wouldn't have been completely released, but the fact that the spirit had attacked in the consciousness world itself meant that the seal had been loosened to some extent.

At the very least, the spirit's consciousness must have awakened, right?

If so, it was right to draw out power by talking with the spirit, not arbitrarily drawing out power as the mage had done so far.

"..."

Is that so?

Yi-Han belatedly realized his misunderstanding after hearing Yonaire and his friends' explanation.

Thinking carefully about why he had made such a misunderstanding, there was only one reason.

"Wait. This spirit's consciousness awakened, but it never spoke to me even once."

"..."

"..."

His friends looked at each other.

Then they quickly avoided Yi-Han's gaze. It was an attitude of hoping someone else would speak first on their behalf.

"Why aren't you finishing the explanation? I'd like each of you to freely share your opinions."

"Uh... Well..."

"That... Um..."

"The spirit... might have forgotten... Haha."

The students who had consistently seen since last year that the Wardanaz family friend wasn't on very good terms with spirits couldn't tell him the truth and beat around the bush.

In the end, Yonaire opened her mouth.

"Um. Yi-Han. The spirit... might be a bit angry."

"I see. What a coincidence. I just got angry at this spirit too."

Yi-Han grabbed his staff and started infusing mana.

As mana concentrated on the divine tree part, not the black purplestone, waves of power spread around.

If it were ordinary material, it would have already screamed unable to withstand the mana, but the divine tree of the Spirit King was indeed different in capacity. No matter how much mana was poured in, it didn't budge at all.

But Yi-Han's mana was no less extraordinary than the divine tree of the Spirit King. As he poured in mana endlessly, even the divine tree of the Spirit King eventually became oversaturated with mana.

And the hornbeam spirit inside, who had been pretending to be asleep, couldn't endure and screamed.

-Aigo! Agogok! Ugagakgak!-

"So you were alive. You were alive, but why didn't you say anything?"

-I don't know what you're talking abouuuuut!-

Yi-Han mercilessly poured in mana.

He had no intention of showing mercy to the one who had fiercely attacked him in the world of the black book last time, let alone other spirits.

His friends watching from the side shuddered at the intense mana swirling around. It was a sight that looked like he was tearing the spirit apart with force to anyone watching.

"M-Mr. Wardanaz. Isn't this dangerous?"

"You don't need to worry, Priestess Siana. The staff won't break from this much. The black purplestone is connected too... Besides, this spirit is an arrogant and insolent one, so it needs to be taught a sharp lesson."

At Yi-Han's words, Professor Boladi lightly nodded as if to say he was doing well.

Seeing that, Siana thought inwardly.

'That's not what I meant...'

Right now, the spirits of some students including Siana were still summoned.

The students were close to Yi-Han, so even if they saw this sight, they just shuddered, but to spirits who didn't know Yi-Han well, it was the very image of a terrifying magic tyrant.

Even though intermediate and higher spirits were already running away scared, wouldn't his notoriety only increase if such rumors spread?

Siana, who had been trying to say something somehow, hesitated and eventually held back.

...Honestly, even to Siana, the Wardanaz family boy looked a bit scary right now.

Even the right words can be dangerous when said at a bad time. Siana wisely decided to remain silent.

-Agogok! Wrong! I was wrong! I tell you I was wrong! Surrender! Surrender!-

Yi-Han didn't stop. Saratan, the hornbeam spirit who was suffering the pain of his whole body burning with high-density mana, suddenly realized how to speak politely.

-I was wrong! Mr. Mage! I was wrong!-

"Now it seems you've realized your mistake a bit."

-Yes! Yes! Please stop!-

"Why did you stay quiet without saying anything?"

-You didn't call me, Mr. Mage!-

"Haha."

Yi-Han started pouring in mana again with a laugh. Professor Boladi faintly smiled at the sight of his disciple firmly dealing with the evil spirit without wavering.

-Gagagagagak! I was wrong! I was wrong!-

"What did you do wrong?"

-I-I should have come out first and called you, Mr. Mage! It was my fault for staying quiet when I could have called!-

"Now it seems your memory is coming back a bit."

-That's right! That's right!-

As the pain stopped, the hornbeam spirit trembled.

Even if sealed inside the staff, to directly strike Saratan required going through a complex process or high-level magic.

However, this boy had subdued Saratan with a simple yet terrifying method.

To waste this much mana just for the purpose of inflicting pain!

'He's a crazy mage! When he grows more, ordinary tyrants won't even be able to show their faces!'

"Because of you, I couldn't grow the mandrake more. How will you take responsibility?"

-I-isn't it growing quickly enough already?-

"So that means you were watching the mandrake grow?"

'Oops!'

Saratan realized his mistake.

He should have completely denied knowing, but it was revealed that he had been awake inside the staff watching.

-Kuaaaaaaak!-

After inflicting pain once more by pouring in mana, Yi-Han asked.

"Now then, what will you do?"

-Huh? Guaak! Guaaak!-

"I'm asking what you'll do."

-Ah! Ah! I think I understand! I'll grow the mandrake more! I'll use my authority!-

"Finally you give a proper answer."

Yi-Han withdrew his mana with satisfaction. Saratan rolled around in pain and inwardly cursed.

‘I should have completely destroyed him then!’

"Good. Let's go grow the mandrake."

-Wait a moment please!-

"Why? Do you want to suffer pain again?"

'This crazy mage bastard!'

-That's not it! Plants like mandrakes need a lot of soil fertility, so they're hard to grow with ordinary authority. Give me one day and I'll make new buds imbued with authority! If you plant those, it will grow in an instant!-

"Hmm. Surely you're not saying this and then unable to do it..."

-Absolutely not! Please believe me!-

The spirit who once held the title of Hornbeam Gambling Tree King cried out desperately.

Yi-Han nodded as if to say he understood for now.

"Alright. I'll believe you. By the way, do you perhaps know how to create leaf patterns on mandrakes?"

-Huh? Why are you interested in such useless... Agagagak!-

"Never mind if you don't know."

Seeing that the other didn't seem to know, Yi-Han decided to wrap things up cleanly instead of asking further.

Though he poured in a little mana...

"Thank you all. If you hadn't told me, I might have kept falling for this cunning one's deception."

"Y-yeah."

"Wardanaz. I'm your friend no matter what you do. Don't worry."

"That's right! Don't mind at all even if the spirit spreads strange rumors!"

"??"

Yi-Han was puzzled by his friends' reactions.

"The hornbeam spirit is trapped in the staff and it caused trouble itself, so it can't really spread rumors?"

"Uh... Well... That's fortunate then! Haha!"

"How bland."

Yi-Han was about to move his feet again when he noticed a small sense of dissonance.

The spirits of his friends who had come out together when leaving the classroom earlier were no longer visible.

'Did they unsummon them all in the meantime?'

As it wasn't very important, Yi-Han moved on.