Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 186

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 186

‘Oh no. The other person wasn’t Gainando.’

Lee Han realized belatedly and regretted it.

No matter how much the Imperial Princess couldn’t eat dessert, she wasn’t Gainando enough to eat a poison cake.

But his hand had already moved. Lee Han knew the best method to use in times like this.

“Indeed. It was an artifact imbued with poison detection and detoxification functions.”

The silver spoon that touched the poison cake produced smoke just like when the detection magic was cast earlier.

At the same time, the color of that smoke slowly changed. It was proof that detoxification was gradually progressing.

The Imperial Princess blinked several times, emerging from her confusion, then trembled her eyelids as she tried to open her mouth.

Whatever words might come out, they wouldn’t be good ones.

“We need to get out quickly first. Let’s go!”

Lee Han turned around and moved without giving any gap before the Imperial Princess’s anger could coldly explode.

The Imperial Princess’s reaction was a beat late at Lee Han’s appearance of dragging the conversation away before clearing up the misunderstanding.

“What are you…”

“Hurry!”

Lee Han pretended not to hear and rushed out frantically.

The Imperial Princess glared at his retreating back as if dumbfounded.

* * *

When they came outside the tower, the friends who had entered first were sitting in a mess.

Angrago was covered in dust and soil, and his clothes had turned almost into rags as if he’d been beaten by someone.

Salko was soaked from head to toe as if he had been swimming.

Most of the other friends were similarly in a mess.

Among such friends, Lee Han and the Imperial Princess, who were alone and unharmed, definitely stood out.

…They chose the wrong challenge.

The Skeleton Principal muttered as if very disappointed.

Come to think of it, such poison would have had little effect on that Wardanaz Family boy.

How lucky to pick something like that!

“Wardanaz. What challenge did you do to be so unharmed?”

Angrago asked with a voice mixed with envy and jealousy. Lee Han spoke calmly.

“I only look fine on the outside, but the challenge I entered was also quite a dangerous challenge. It was a challenge where I had to eat poison.”

“!”

“…!”

At those words, his friends’ expressions changed.

A challenge where you had to eat poison.

Hearing that, the challenges they had entered suddenly felt better.

“That’s… I’m sorry. Wardanaz. I spoke rudely.”

Angrago spoke in a very apologetic voice. Lee Han nodded as if it was fine.

“That can happen. I understand.”

“…”

…

The Imperial Princess and the Skeleton Principal looked at Lee Han as if dumbfounded.

Such shamelessness…!

How about challenging one more floor? You might be capable enough.

“No, Principal. I’m simply honored that you would evaluate me so highly.”

‘This annoying brat.’

‘Absolutely not going.’

* * *

A golden weekend afternoon.

The Blue Dragon Tower students were sprawled throughout the common room, savoring the rare peace that had come their way.

Even the Imperial Princess was chatting with her followers.

However, Lee Han filled his basket neatly with rice balls, rice cakes, and oil pastries, packed several bottles of drinks, and stood up.

“Where are you going? The library?”

Yoner wondered.

If he was packing food to that extent, it could only be for exploring outside or going to the library.

Of course, going to the library on a day like today was strange enough, but it was possible if it was Lee Han.

“To deliver private food.”

“…”

Yoner was at a loss for words.

To go that far…!?

“You don’t need to go that far, do you?”

“That’s how I can charge more.”

“Lee Han… I think you’re too kind.”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Even considering that, you’re kind.”

Lee Han was puzzled by Yoner’s words.

How is this being kind?

Clatter!

The punishment room had a chilling aura from the entrance. Even though it was still spring, only this place felt cold like a different season.

‘Really don’t want to come here.’

It wasn’t simply because it was a punishment room, but there was definitely some magical reason for this feeling of rejection.

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such a strong sense of foreboding.

‘Well, given the Skeleton Principal’s personality, he wouldn’t just let students escape…’

Even if locked in the punishment room, successful escape meant acquittal, but that wasn’t a rule for the students’ sake.

It was a rule for the Skeleton Principal’s enjoyment.

Lee Han, who had wandered around trying to escape from deep within the punishment room to the surface last time, was acutely aware of just how vast this punishment room was.

Knock knock-

“Is anyone there?”

Silence.

Knock knock-

“Is anyone there?”

“…Grrrr. Grrrrrr. Grrrrrrrrrr.”

“My deepest apologies.”

Lee Han immediately moved to the next room.

After knocking on several doors and searching for trapped students, Lee Han soon realized this wouldn’t be easy.

‘This is troublesome. They must be quite deep inside.’

He knew the punishment room was large, but he had thought the failed new students would be kept closer to the entrance.

But apparently that wasn’t the case.

‘There’s too little information about the punishment room. Comparing it with what I recorded during my last escape would be… impossible. And I can’t summon Perkuntra since I called her last time.’

As Lee Han descended the stairs below the corridor, he thought he’d have to consider other methods if he couldn’t find them this time either.

Knock knock-

“Is anyone there?”

“Who is it?”

“!”

Surprisingly, a human voice came from inside. It was definitely another student.

“Are you a student?”

“Hey. I don’t know what year you’re in, but if you don’t want to get cursed when we meet later, stop messing around and get lo… wait a minute.”

Diret paused.

The voice from outside sounded quite familiar.

At that moment, a flash of realization struck Diret’s mind.

“!”

The new student who had entered the adjacent room last time he was in the punishment room, telling an absurd story.

And the new student who had visited Professor Mortum’s Dark Tower to learn dark magic.

Finally, the new student who had been deceived by the professors’ sweet words during midterms and recklessly added lectures without knowing his own doom.

These three new students merged into one.

“…You! It’s you, isn’t it!? It’s you?!?”

‘Is this person insane?’

Lee Han flinched.

As before, he couldn’t assume that whoever was trapped in the punishment room was necessarily a normal student.

Maybe it was a monster pretending to be a student…

“You’re the new student from the Wardanaz family, right? The one who chose elemental magic, dark magic, summoning magic, and illusion magic before midterms and took the exams, and in the first week tried to escape through the underground passage but got caught!”

“!”

This time it was Lee Han’s turn to be surprised.

The mages of the magic school were truly amazing.

‘Do upperclassmen develop the ability to see through people even from inside the punishment room?’

“How on earth?”

“What do you mean how? I was in the adjacent room to yours last time, and I participated to help Professor Mortum during the midterm exam, so of course I know.”

“Ah…! So you were that person?”

Lee Han recalled the senior from the adjacent room to the punishment room whose face he still didn’t know.

He was a kind person in many ways.

He had told him about the existence of the spire stables (though he did receive snacks as a bribe), gave advice to attend lectures moderately (though he didn’t listen), and told him to treat him comfortably…

So that person was this person.

“Wait. Don’t tell me you’ve been locked up from then until now?”

“Are you crazy? Of course I got out and came back in.”

An awkward silence fell.

Lee Han momentarily thought, ‘What on earth does this senior do to be in the punishment room all the time?’

And Diret saw through that thought.

“Junior. Are you thinking right now about what I do to be in the punishment room all the time?”

“How could that be possible, Senior.”

“Why are you suddenly using formal speech?”

“Actually, I value manners highly.”

‘That doesn’t seem likely.’

Considering the skill with which he had brought private food into the punishment room last time, this junior was very likely from the Black Turtle Tower.

‘…Huh? Wait. From the Wardanaz Family but in the Black Turtle Tower?’

Diret tilted his head.

Something was strange.

“Right. If you’re learning dark magic, it’s fine to use formal speech with me as your senior. And you owe me, junior.”

“I was grateful for the stables.”

“Not that! During the midterm exam!”

“?”

Diret felt unfairly treated when Lee Han didn’t recognize his senior’s sacrifice.

Of course, it was the Skeleton Principal who was at fault, but human emotions don’t work so clearly cut.

“Wait a minute. Come to think of it, junior, when you were in the punishment room last time, I warned you!”

As the memory came back, Diret felt several times more unfairly treated than just moments before.

-With your level of ability, various professors will covet you, so it would be good to be careful in advance.

Hadn’t he warned him like this in the punishment room beforehand?

If this junior had taken that warning to heart, Diret wouldn’t have been dragged to the punishment room like this.

“Ah… that warning. Of course I’m taking it to heart.”

“A junior who’s taking it to heart does something like that?!”

Diret was even more dumbfounded.

If that’s taking it to heart, then what would ignoring it be? Taking all lectures?

“No, Senior. Thank you for your concern, but I’m also making calculations and listening rationally in my own way.”

“…Tell me about those rational calculations. Let me hear them.”

Lee Han calmly explained his chosen fields to his senior.

First, he chose dark magic because it suited his aptitude well, he also chose summoning magic because it was useful in many ways, he decided to learn illusion magic because it was necessary, and he had thought about enchantment magic but decided to learn it because it suited his aptitude and Professor Garcia recommended it…

“Wait. Junior. Enchantment Magic?? Isn’t Enchantment Magic taken after midterms???”

“Ah. I happened to meet the professor by chance beforehand.”

“Oh… By chance, aren’t you worried about dying from overwork?”

“You don’t need to worry. I’m managing everything properly.”

Despite Diret’s sarcasm, Lee Han answered confidently.

However, from Diret’s perspective, Lee Han was clearly walking down Professor Garcia’s path no matter how he looked at it.

The path of an asura taking all magic fields from freshman year!

Basically, a freshman with normal thinking embedded would put on the brakes, thinking ‘Can I learn this well? Hmm. No. It would be too difficult’ even if it suited their aptitude or was useful or practical.

But the junior in front of him was showing reactions like ‘Can I learn this well? Hmm. Still, since it suits my aptitude and is useful, should I try learning just this much more?’…

“Junior. Really be careful. Really, really be careful. Really, really, really. Got it?”

“Thank you for your concern, Senior.”

‘This guy probably won’t listen to me.’

Diret somehow got that feeling.

“Senior. I brought some private food, would you like some?”

“What? Private food? …Are you really from the Wardanaz Family??”

At this veteran-like behavior of a first-year freshman visiting the punishment room with private food, Diret couldn’t help but be surprised.

And what was even more surprising was the quality of the food he brought.

It wasn’t the hard black bread that freshmen usually ate or rice balls that had cooled and hardened.

Rice balls made with freshly cooked rice, soft red bean rice cakes, and even crispy traditional sweets.

What the…?

‘Oops. I gave him the food meant for Gainando too.’

Lee Han decided to make an excuse that the Skeleton Principal had taken it on the way.

“…I don’t know about other things, but the third years will really like you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen many juniors, but I’ve never seen a junior like you.”

Diret, who had taken a bite of the rice cake, hesitated before opening his mouth.

He had eaten too generously and deliciously to just send him away.

His punishment room period might be extended, but he couldn’t not tell him.

“Junior. Midterms are over.”

“Yes.”

“Be careful.”

“I’m always being careful.”

“…Excellent. That’s a very good attitude. But what I mean is, be a little more careful. After midterms end, the school usually goes crazy.”

‘Can this place go even crazier than it already is?’

* * *

The next day.

Lee Han woke up from bed and opened the window of his private room.

‘It’s strangely cold?’

Pure white snow had filled up to half of the Tower First Floor.

Lee Han calmly nodded his head.

“Hmm. It could get even more insane.”

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