Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 132

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 132

Fortunately, the Afha Sect wasn’t the kind of religious order Lee Han had been worried about.

“Ah. So that’s what you were concerned about. Haha. People who don’t know us well sometimes have such misunderstandings.”

The Afha Sect Priest burst into hearty laughter.

“We don’t burn down the world or set fire to the Empire. If we had done such things, could our sect have remained like this?”

‘That’s true.’

It was a valid point.

No matter how tolerant the Empire might be, it wouldn’t be tolerant enough to allow a sect that went around setting fires.

“We priests simply believe in Afha’s fire.”

“That’s right. Afha’s fire will come to us someday, so we must live without regrets.”

Aside from their gloomy pessimism of believing that apocalyptic fire would someday come to the world, the Afha Sect priests were fundamentally cheerful and kind people.

Moreover, their powerful faith in Afha’s fire brought considerable enhancement effects to Fire Magic.

In magic, personal mental imagery was as important as mana.

The sect’s priests, who truly believed in the formidable existence called Afha’s fire, inevitably had a much greater advantage in Fire Magic.

Thanks to this, as Lee Han had guessed, there were many masters of Fire Magic among the Afha Sect priests.

The Empire even requested support from the Afha Sect when Fire Magic was needed.

‘Good. They’re more normal than I thought.’

Lee Han felt relieved.

Except for believing that the world would end someday, the Afha Sect was a very normal religious order.

The sect’s rules were also lenient.

Apart from meditation toward Afha’s fire, there weren’t many obligations to fulfill.

At this point, it was actually better than the Prising sect that forced people to wear cursed items.

“Come this way. It’s time to check the flame you carry within your soul.”

The Afha priest brought over a large copper cup with a crude appearance.

Lee Han asked with a much more relaxed feeling.

“How exactly will you check it?”

According to the explanation, that copper cup was an artifact that drew out the flame within the soul of whoever touched it, making it rise up inside the cup.

The priests often used this cup to check how humble and faithful they were before Afha’s fire.

‘It’s similar to a Fire Elemental Magic aptitude test. Does the flame in the cup improve as one becomes more familiar with magic?’

If the Afha priests had heard this, they would have reacted with “This is why mages are…! It’s about the flame within the soul and faith…” but it couldn’t be helped.

Lee Han was far from faith, just like the Head of Wardanaz Family.

What the sect’s priests interpreted as faith, Lee Han could only interpret as magic.

No matter how he looked at it, that’s how it had to be!

Lee Han brought his hand to the copper cup. And he tensed up slightly.

‘I hope there won’t be an accident.’

Given everything from what he’d heard from Professor Garcia to all the experiences he’d had so far, it was inevitable that he’d feel nervous.

What if flames suddenly shot up or burned down the surrounding tents…

Whoosh!

Flames bloomed within the cup. They weren’t particularly large flames. They flickered stably without overflowing beyond the cup’s rim.

‘I don’t know much about cups, but this seems fine?’

Lee Han felt relieved.

The flames didn’t surge up strangely nor were they unstable in shape.

Wasn’t this about average?

“How is it?”

“Now we need to check.”

One of the priests blew air with a “whoosh.” However, Lee Han’s flames didn’t budge at all.

“Oh…”

“The flames within your soul are quite strong.”

The priests of Afha were pleased with the strength of Lee Han’s flames.

For flames within the cup, size wasn’t what mattered.

What mattered was the power to withstand any interference.

To endure without being extinguished even when blown at like that. These were quite strong flames.

Another priest brought out water and poured it over the cup Lee Han was holding. With a “hiss,” the water evaporated.

Lee Han’s flames still didn’t budge at all.

“Ooh…?”

“Let’s bring something else.”

The priests, who handled flames extensively, were paradoxically also skilled at dealing with flames.

Black sand called Black Shadow Sand was brought out. It was a magic reagent that would instantly devour most flames.

But Lee Han’s flames were unaffected.

“…”

“…Next.”

Other methods continued to be employed.

Magic, reagents, potions, items, and so on.

And in the end, Lee Han’s flames never went out.

The priests’ expressions, which had been cheerful throughout, became serious.

“…Is there a problem?”

“Haha. No.”

“That’s a relief…”

Lee Han was about to feel relieved.

But the priests immediately turned around and whispered.

“Can we contact another priest from the religious orders?”

“Send a bird as quickly as possible right now…”

“I think we need to call the bishop.”

At the murmuring voices of the priests, Lee Han began to grow anxious.

* * *

Bishop Uso of the Afha Sect received the message and flew over urgently.

It was only natural, given that he had heard there was a boy who possessed flames close to Afha’s fire in his soul.

Wait. Wait. Wait.

“Osyu Gonadaltes, sir. It’s a pleasure to meet you. However, I have urgent business right now…”

Of course I know what’s going on. The priests of Afha have found a talent, haven’t they?

The Skeleton Principal was well acquainted with the Afha Sect.

Except for being somewhat—no, quite—pessimistic and foolish, they were fairly skilled at handling fire magic.

The problem was that they had become infatuated with the Wardanaz Family Boy and were trying to take him away by any means necessary.

Lee Han didn’t seem particularly interested in the priestly life, but during the turbulent period of youth, wasn’t one easily swayed by various temptations?

Especially young students at magic school could become emotionally vulnerable and easily swayed by outside temptations.

That absolutely had to be prevented.

This school was created by His Majesty to nurture the pillars of the Empire. I trust you won’t forcibly turn future mages into priests of your sect.

At the Skeleton Principal’s warning, the Bishop naturally nodded as if he understood what was being said.

“Of course, Osyu Gonadaltes, sir. We also have no intention of turning the magic school’s talent into a priest.”

Is that so?

The Skeleton Principal’s voice became gentler.

As expected, the Afha Sect was a sect that knew courtesy and had business ethics.

“However, Osyu Gonadaltes, sir. Right now, the Wardanaz Family Boy is in a dangerous situation.”

…I haven’t done anything.

“I’m not sure what you mean?”

The Bishop was puzzled by the Skeleton Principal’s instinctive excuse.

“As you know, Osyu Gonadaltes, sir, talent so strong that it’s difficult to control tends to harm its master, doesn’t it? Especially with the fire element.”

Magic was as dangerous as it was powerful.

Among them, the fire element was particularly prone to harming its master if handled incorrectly.

A boy like Lee Han, who possessed such strong flames in his soul, had to be considered very dangerous.

He needed to learn how to control it as quickly as possible.

“He must learn quickly.”

Is it really necessary to go that far?

The Skeleton Principal muttered.

First of all, the Skeleton Principal himself had the old-fashioned mindset that ‘if you’re a mage, you should take care of your own life while learning magic,’ but aside from that, the Wardanaz Family Boy wasn’t immature enough to be unable to control it.

There were many young mages who couldn’t control their innate talents and ended up harming themselves, but that was their story…

From the Skeleton Principal’s perspective, Lee Han was the complete opposite.

A guy who controlled talent so strong it was difficult to control with an even stronger mind.

Even without the Afha Sect worrying like that, it seemed unlikely that Lee Han would burn himself up.

If he was going to burn himself up, wouldn’t he have done it already?

“Osyu Gonadaltes, sir! Are you not concerned about the student’s safety right now?!”

Ah… no. No.

The Skeleton Principal took a step back at the Bishop’s outcry.

An angry Bishop was more dangerous than expected. He could run to the Emperor and chatter about this.

And if what the Bishop said was true, there wasn’t much to worry about.

It wasn’t about making him a priest of the Afha Sect, just some fire magic training, wasn’t it?

Of course, the Wardanaz Family Boy who would receive that training might find it a bit difficult, but that wasn’t the Skeleton Principal’s concern.

I am naturally worried as well.

“I thought you would be.”

Now! Go and teach him quickly!

* * *

“So you’re saying I won’t inherit Afha’s fire and set the Empire ablaze or destroy the world?”

“Of course not, Lee Han of Wardanaz Family. What a joke.”

Lee Han felt relieved.

The priests had been talking with such serious expressions that he had worried, ‘What? Have I been chosen as the last successor of the Afha Sect or something?’ But it wasn’t like that.

It was simply because he possessed tremendously powerful flames in his soul, and it would be dangerous if he didn’t learn how to control them.

‘Hmm. Come to think of it, this is also something to worry about.’

He had become somewhat numb to it after hearing so much from people like Professor Garcia, but seeing the other priests worry made him concerned all over again.

Is it really okay?

“Bishop!”

“!”

Upon hearing the word bishop, Lee Han stiffened.

In any religious order, the position of bishop wasn’t something just anyone could occupy.

To think such a person would come to visit like this.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

Lee Han automatically began flattering.

No matter where or how he worked in the future, there was nothing wrong with making a good impression on high-ranking figures from various religious orders.

“The honor is mine. I haven’t heard of anyone born with such strong flames in recent times.”

The bishop was a gentle and kind person.

“You must have suffered from uncontrolled flames during your childhood.”

“…Uh, not really?”

At Lee Han’s words, the bishop paused.

Then he understood.

“Ah. Since it’s the Wardanaz Family, they must have used fire protection magic…”

‘They didn’t though?’

Lee Han had grown up fine without any fire-related accidents, even without such things.

In the first place, there weren’t any particular problems as long as he didn’t use fire magic.

“But now that you’ve left your family like this, you can’t rely solely on your family’s magic. Lee Han, you must learn how to control flames.”

Lee Han nodded with a determined expression.

The reason he had approached the Afha Sect in the first place was because he wondered if he might be able to learn more about fire magic.

While it might be difficult to control flames through normal methods, divine magic might be somewhat different.

“That method might be excessively harsh or difficult for a first-year student at the magic school.”

“I understand.”

Lee Han said, thinking of Professor Boladi.

While many said that elemental magic was the easiest since it was the most familiar, truly mastering elemental magic was not easy.

How many trials and hardships had Lee Han endured just to properly control a single simple water magic spell?

Recalling various things like form maintenance, motion change, and elemental detection, he felt anew that he had walked treacherous paths.

But if he had done something once, he could do it twice.

He would do it!

‘If I don’t learn how to control fire elements in advance, I might suffer several times more later.’

Lee Han threw his coat to the side and picked up his staff.

Then he took his stance.

“Please shoot fire at me. I am ready.”

“…Excuse me, but what are you doing right now?”

The Bishop was flustered by Lee Han’s reaction.

He couldn’t understand what kind of training the boy before him was preparing for.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————