Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 787

Chapter 787

"...I'll do my best."

Yi-Han had no choice but to say that in the end. Carnela, who was listening beside him, said unenthusiastically.

"Do we really have to do it when the person who was going to pay us has been taken away?"

"Hormasi."

Professor Yonramo spoke as if warning her.

How could a senior interfere when a junior wanted to learn?

Of course, Professor Yonramo himself didn't have ambitions to challenge magic far beyond his level, but that didn't mean he needed to deliberately pull down his disciples too.

"Don't interfere."

"I understand, Professor. I was just feeling sorry. Even if we practice the magic Jarun left right now, there probably isn't much we can learn."

The research Jarun was conducting was too difficult and tricky for a student who had just entered 2nd year to learn much from.

Instead of pouring time into completing <Jarun's Inelastic Rubber> or <Jarun's Surface Lava>, it would be much more beneficial to learn relatively easy 2nd to 3rd Circle magics of the transformation magic school.

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Yi-Han might have judged there are things to learn. Although Yi-Han has some magics he's being forced to learn by other professors..."

'Professor!'

Yi-Han was slightly moved.

Indeed, Professor Yonramo was someone who understood Yi-Han.

"...he probably has magics he actually wants to learn too. Like this magic."

'No, that's not it.'

Yi-Han regretted.

He should have just said he was helping because of the gold coins and skipping the lecture!

Professor Yonramo was clearly misunderstanding that Yi-Han was studying magic out of pure will.

"I see... These magics... Hmm."

Carnela thought the junior was slightly crazy but didn't say it out loud.

She didn't want to lose the chance to become friendly with rare creatures like griffins or basilisks by unnecessarily offending the junior.

"Well then, everyone. Ah. Yi-Han. Do you have <From Caterpillar to Dragon>?"

"Pardon? Yes."

Yi-Han flinched.

After last year's final exams ended, Yi-Han and Professor Yonramo had this conversation.

-It might be good to study that during the break. It's quite a good magic book, that one.-

-How much should I study?-

-As far as you can?-

From the professor's perspective, it was just a casual book recommendation, but it didn't sound that way to Yi-Han.

It sounded like he was telling him to do as much as possible with his best effort.

"How far have you read? Have you read Chapter 3 by any chance?"

"I read a little."

"Is that so? Have you learned any of the Chapter 3 magics?"

"...I learned a little."

"Then show me in the next lecture. Everyone, that's really all for now!"

Professor Yonramo waved his hand and left lightly, just as he had come.

Pop!

Carnela looked at the junior curiously and asked.

"You have <From Caterpillar to Dragon>? I heard that's quite difficult. Moreover, the magic in Chapter 3 is... What did you learn?"

"I haven't learned it."

"What?"

"I haven't learned it yet. I'm saying Chapter 1 was the limit with what I read during the break."

"Junior. Why did you lie like that?"

"Can you say that even after seeing Senior Jarun just get swallowed by the cloak?"

'That was self-inflicted...'

Honestly, from Carnela's perspective, even if Senior Jarun was dragged away and died, it should be considered natural death at this point.

He was just asked to do one lecture, but he kept ignoring that request, so even a kind person like Professor Reuji would use such methods.

"Professor Reuji isn't the type to scold someone for not learning."

"Ha! Any professor seems benevolent before revealing their true colors."

"That's true..."

Carnela couldn't deny this statement from her junior.

Einroguard professors should never be fully trusted until graduation.

"Let's put that aside. Junior. So what are you going to do? You said you just finished Chapter 1."

"I'll have to progress to Chapter 3 and find and learn magic by next week. Huff."

"..."

'Isn't this guy crazy?'

Carnela shuddered at Yi-Han's thought process, which she couldn't possibly consider normal. Perhaps he had fallen into madness from taking all schools.

Would anyone normally choose to catch up on progress from there?

"W-well. Junior. I respect you. Don't forget I said this. Especially when there's a game later or when you let me pet the baby basilisk."

"I understand, Senior. Could you help me with casting?"

Yi-Han asked while preparing for the <Jarun's Inelastic Rubber> experiment.

"Are you confident you can do this? It doesn't seem like there's much left since the progress is so lacking."

"It's still very incomplete, but I think casting should be possible at this level."

"Really? Did I see it wrong?"

The tall dark elf senior tilted her head.

When she saw the research on <Jarun's Inelastic Rubber> earlier, it clearly wasn't at a level where casting was possible.

There was a world of difference between being able to forcibly cast and summon the material even if it disappeared soon after, and being unable to cast at all.

Even when researching, it was much easier to do the former. The latter couldn't even be seen or touched.

'Could I have confused the two?'

"!"

Surprisingly, Carnela realized she had been mistaken.

Looking at the magic formula, it seemed casting itself would be possible at this level.

'The mana consumption would be enormous, and it would be quite burdensome for the mage, but at this level...'

"Senior Jarun is unusual. How did he prepare such magic intending to cast it? It seems like he'd collapse every time he uses it."

"Ah. I changed it so I could use it."

"What? When? There wasn't time for that."

"I calculated and modified it while receiving it from Senior Jarun and the professor was knocking on the door."

"..."

Carnela felt chills down her spine.

...What on earth was this guy??

  *

Yi-Han finished his work and came out (he recorded the work time in a ledger without missing even one second).

-You bastard, get your filthy hands off right now!-

-That's my line. Shameless guy. Go seduce juniors from your own tower!-

-To say something without even knowing the spirit of Einroguard clubs, I can't yield to you even more...-

"?"

Yi-Han tilted his head at the sound of people gathering and fighting.

Quite a few students had gathered, but except for a few, the rest seemed to be watching the fight.

"Senior Sebius."

"Who... Oh, it's you."

The hamster mixed-blood senior from Black Tortoise Tower, a 4th year, gestured when he saw Yi-Han.

"What's going on?"

"Something that happens often. Clubs are fighting over taking a junior."

"Ah. Like me, you mean."

"Similar. Look there."

Sebius pointed at a student in the middle of the fight.

"That one's from the Hunter Club. The one in front is from the Statue Making Club. The one beside is from the Outing Club."

"I see."

Yi-Han felt slightly relieved whenever he heard the names of Einroguard's unofficial clubs.

At least they couldn't forcibly take him away.

"Are you perhaps aiming for a new member too, Senior?"

"No. I came to retrieve a book."

Sebius jerked his chin and pointed at another student's backpack who was watching.

"That bastard was using the book he borrowed as a pillow."

"...I-I see."

Yi-Han decided not to mind the senior's purpose and tried to continue watching the fight.

Students belonging to each club were arguing in various outfits, and the 2nd year Nillia caught between them was troubled...

'...?!!'

Yi-Han was flustered at the sight of a familiar friend.

Why is she there?!

"No way?!"

"What's wrong?"

"My friend is there!"

"Your friend? Hmm..."

Sebius thought 'How peculiar, as expected of your friend'.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Your friend is quite popular."

-How can someone from the Shadow Patrol not join the Hunter Club?!-

-Is origin all you have in your head? Look at this statue. Can't you feel this talent?-

-You're all wrong. This sociable junior should join the Outing Club. She's a talent who can blend into any ballroom!-

"Could Nillia be harmed?"

"You don't need to worry about that. They're just fighting among themselves."

Sebius carefully took out his staff, chanted a spell, and stretched it towards the backpack of a student engrossed in watching.

Then the staff penetrated the backpack as if being sucked into a liquid.

Swoosh!

Sebius carefully pulled out the book and put it in his backpack with a satisfied expression. The other party didn't even realize what had happened.

"But they're fighting too much."

"Well... Talents they want to recruit into their clubs aren't common."

"What if they recruit her into all of them?"

"That's impossible. Usually clubs don't go that far."

"..."

Yi-Han looked at the senior with bitter and sad eyes. Sebius belatedly noticed that gaze and felt guilty.

"...You're a special case. Who told you to catch everyone's eye like that?"

"That's too much."

"They're unofficial clubs, so they don't have the authority to force recruitment. And even if they did, they really wouldn't forcibly recruit a junior unless it was extremely unusual."

It had to be to the extent that if they didn't recruit, they'd be laughed at by other clubs for life and beaten by their own club members.

Originally, Einroguard clubs greatly respected mages' free will.

"..."

Of course, Yi-Han's mood didn't improve much.

Meanwhile, Nillia, who had been at a loss, spotted Yi-Han.

-...Help me!-

Yi-Han was flustered receiving his friend's desperate gaze.

"Senior. Can I sneak my friend out?"

"Tell her to join one club. Just that."

"Do you know what Einroguard clubs are like to say such nonsense?"

"That's because you only joined difficult and strange clubs, but there are many normal clubs originally."

Sebius, who had been grumbling in an irritable voice, finally granted the junior's request.

"Alright. I'll draw attention, so take her out in the meantime."

"Thank you!"

Yi-Han bowed his head. Then he signaled to Nillia.

-Approaching soon. Prepare to escape.-

'Wait. But how is he going to draw attention?'

"It's the principal! The principal is attacking!!!!"

Screams and chaos.

Yi-Han cast an invisibility spell and ran through the pandemonium, admiring.

'I learned something.'

  *

"So what on earth happened?"

"Huff, huff... It's a long story if I tell you."

Nillia spoke while breathing heavily.

"How long can it be? Tell me."

"Well..."

She met Black Tortoise Tower seniors, but the seniors liked Nillia too much and fought over her to come to their clubs, and when she ran away to avoid that, she happened to meet an Immortal Phoenix Tower senior from the alchemy school, and that led to becoming friendly with Immortal Phoenix Tower seniors, and then club talk came up again in the meantime...

"...Hmm. Longer than expected."

"I told you it was long! Ugh."

Nillia put her hand on her stomach as if just thinking of the seniors made her feel sick.

To think she had to choose one of those proposals.

"Right. How did you choose one?"

"Nillia. I just got recruited into all of them."

"..."

An awkward silence lingered between the two friends for a moment. Nillia turned her gaze with an embarrassed face and kicked a stone on the roadside.

"Ugh... ughh..."

"!?!"

"M-monster!"

Nillia was shocked to see an unidentified monster that came from where the stone had rolled.

It had a horrific appearance like a chimera that had completely melted in a toxic swamp. Although she had seen all kinds of monsters at Einroguard so far, this was the first time seeing such a monster.

"Wardanaz! Be careful!"

"Boy of the Wardanaz family... Do you remember me... I am Antagondal... This is what I've become... as the price for diverting for you..."

"???"

Nillia turned her head in surprise.

She didn't know they were acquainted.

Yi-Han answered shamelessly without changing his expression.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. Who are you?"

"..."