Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 271

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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 271

“There are countless beasts in the Empire. Gentle ones, ferocious ones, timid ones, brave ones… Even the most exceptional mage would find it difficult to memorize all the characteristics of these beasts. But clever mages know how to act wisely. They figure out their habits.”

If one knew the behavioral patterns or weaknesses of one monster, they could somewhat deduce similar information about monsters of a similar category.

Excellent explorers would identify the habits shared by monsters of similar categories and prepare in advance.

‘How am I supposed to figure out Cerberus’s habits?’

Of course, this method sometimes didn’t work.

Right now was one of those moments.

‘…Can I treat Cerberus like other dog or wolf-type monsters?’

Fear welled up at the thought that the moment he scratched Cerberus’s jaw with his hand, it might snap and bite him.

“Of course, just because I say this doesn’t mean you can figure out their habits right away. There’s one better method. A method that works on most beasts.”

Professor Lightningstep tapped the bottom of the cauldron with the tip of his boot.

“Food.”

Students gasped from various places. It was closer to bewilderment and worry rather than joy and enlightenment.

‘Give food to Cerberus?’

‘Won’t we become the food while trying to feed it?’

“Until now, feeding them hasn’t been too difficult. Right?”

“What???”

The students who had been headbutted by horses and had spit hit their faces every time they went to the stables were horrified.

However, Professor Lightningstep ignored them and continued speaking.

“Horses are relatively not picky about food and eat various things well. But the Empire doesn’t only have horses. To deal with the beasts you’ll encounter next semester, you must learn how to feed them.”

Lee Han couldn’t bring himself to ask what kind of beasts would be waiting next semester.

“Now then… begin! Feed Cerberus in the order you finish!”

As the professor’s command rang out, students hurriedly rushed to the cauldrons.

In the center clearing, there were chunks of meat from various beasts, carrots, potatoes, onions, cabbage, and other ordinary vegetables. There were also rare fruits, mushrooms, and spices whose names he couldn’t even guess.

Students each took a basket and murmured about what ingredients they should choose.

“What kind of dish would a three-headed dog like? I’ve gotten confident with onion soup lately, should I try onion soup?”

‘A three-headed dog is still a dog when you think about it, but is it okay to feed it onions?’

Lee Han wondered as he gathered ingredients.

For now, Lee Han was also choosing ingredients that a dog would likely enjoy.

It would like sweet fruits like apples, and it would also like meat and fish…

“Are there no sweet potatoes? Gainando. Haven’t you seen any sweet potatoes?”

“Why are you asking me?”

Gainando tilted his head, not knowing why he was being asked.

“You like sweet potatoes.”

“…Wait. Don’t tell me you’re asking because you think I took them all?”

Lee Han didn’t answer and moved to another place. Gainando got upset and chased after him.

“Hmm. I guess there are no sweet potatoes.”

“Hey!”

‘Can’t be helped.’

Lee Han took out paper-wrapped sweet potatoes from his coat pocket.

These were sweet potatoes he had dug up from Professor Thunderstep’s garden, roasted well, peeled, cut, and dried.

Professor Lightningstep, who was watching from afar, asked as if bewildered.

“Why on earth are you carrying dried sweet potatoes in your pocket?”

“To eat if I get stranded?”

“…”

While Professor Lightningstep was at a loss for words, Lee Han moved toward the cauldron.

Since he didn’t know what Cerberus liked, it would be difficult to make complicated or demanding dishes.

‘Let’s go with simple and basic, various foods.’

He planned to check which ingredients the creature reacted to when he brought various cooked ingredients.

While Lee Han was grinding meat and kneading it into stick shapes, some fearless students went first.

“Oh, great three-headed dog! I have brought food for you here!”

-Woof!

Cerberus’s left head barked as if responding. The students placed well-grilled pork ribs on a bowl and walked carefully.

“Easy… easy…”

“It really won’t attack, right?”

No matter how prepared they were, when six large eyes stared directly at them, their whole bodies couldn’t help but freeze.

The students trembled as they offered the grilled meat to Cerberus.

Chomp!

Cerberus’s left head took a big bite of the grilled meat. Then it chewed a few times and spat it out to the side.

“?!?”

“What, no?!”

Professor Lightningstep nearby chuckled and said.

“If you think of that guy as just a wild monster, you’ll be in for a rude awakening. It grew up eating only good things, so it’s picky about food. Plus, I fed it snacks before coming here, so its stomach is about half full.”

“…Then won’t it refuse to eat anything we give it?!”

“Even so, being able to feed it is what makes an excellent mage.”

“…”

Sizzle-

The students became quieter and the sound of grilling meat suddenly seemed louder.

Most students had thought, ‘If we grill meat well and give it, won’t it eat it deliciously?’

‘This is trouble. I was thinking the same thing.’

Various seasonings or cooking methods were actually unusable. If the aroma was too strong, it might not even eat and just spit it out.

Shailes from the Richmond family, a horse-person, looked at Lee Han and called out in a small voice.

“Wardanaz.”

“What is it?”

“I have something to tell only you.”

Shailes looked around and then pressed a small bottle into Lee Han’s hand. Inside was powder of a complex color.

“This is secret powder used only by our family. Secret powder that animals really like when they eat it.”

Befitting a family that ran one of the Empire’s leading carriage transport businesses, Shailes was skilled at handling animals.

“You helped me last time, so this time I’ll help you. Take it. If you mix it in the food, it will really like it.”

“Such a precious thing… Thank you, Shailes.”

Lee Han spoke sincerely.

Besides, what he helped with last time was actually something he agreed to help with for silver coins!

Shailes winked and then stood up with soup in his bowl. Then other tower students stirred.

“What’s he thinking? Didn’t he see it just refused?”

“No way. It’s Richmond. He must have some idea!”

Shailes’s friends watched with gazes mixed with slight anticipation.

As if to meet those expectations, Shailes put down his bowl. Cerberus approached and sniffed.

Ptui!

All three of Cerberus’s heads simultaneously spat on Shailes’s face.

Shailes, now dripping with saliva, turned his head to Lee Han and said.

“…Sorry, Wardanaz. I guess it doesn’t work.”

“…”

After even Shailes was destroyed, no more students stepped forward.

However, Professor Lightningstep was strict. When time was up, he began pushing students forward one by one.

“Now. Time’s up. Come forward with the food you made!”

“Wait, wait! Professor! If you give us just a little more time!”

As expected, the students were like autumn leaves in the wind. Cerberus knocked over bowls with its front paws, overturned them with its breath, and rejected them in various ways.

Soon Lee Han’s turn approached too. Lee Han, who was holding the dishes he had made, suddenly wondered why he was doing this.

‘The path of a mage doesn’t seem to be like this…’

-Woof!

Cerberus’s left head barked. It was similar to the reaction it had shown to the students earlier. Lee Han brought his hand to his staff.

He was planning to cast a shield to block it if saliva came flying.

Chomp chomp chomp chomp-

“…?”

However, Cerberus’s reaction went a little differently than expected.

It was eagerly devouring the food Lee Han had set out, specifically the dried sweet potatoes Lee Han had brought out.

Since the left head had stuck its head in first, the other two heads were making pitiful faces and fidgeting restlessly.

“Wait. You need to eat together.”

-Grrrwoof woof woof woof!

-Woof!

-Bark!

The head that had been deprived showed a violent reaction, but the other two heads were very satisfied. Lee Han asked Professor Lightningstep.

“Were the sweet potatoes the correct answer?”

“…No??”

Professor Lightningstep said in a confused voice.

An ingredient that wasn’t even brought out in the first place couldn’t be the correct answer.

Cerberus didn’t usually like sweet potatoes either.

“Did it digest while waiting? Stop! Heads up!”

At Professor Lightningstep’s words, all three of Cerberus’s heads simultaneously froze upright and straightened their posture.

Lee Han looked down at the bowl he had placed below. Only the sweet potatoes had completely disappeared.

“It was grown in the vegetable garden, right?”

“Yes.”

“It was delicious… but was it this good?”

Professor Lightningstep was amazed.

Since it was his nephew’s vegetable garden, he had occasionally gotten to eat dishes with vegetables and produce grown there.

He had thought they were fresh and substantial, clearly having absorbed very strong life force with the spirits’ help…

But seeing Cerberus react like this now, he wondered if there was something else different about them.

“I’m not sure?”

“The other students must have eaten them too, so you would have seen their reactions, right?”

“Well… they eat well no matter what I give them.”

At Lee Han’s words, the Blue Dragon Tower students made awkward expressions.

In truth, as long as Lee Han put it in a pot and boiled it for them, they would devour it frantically like they were possessed, without any mind to identify the ingredients.

They probably would have eaten well even if he had put buttons and stones instead of potatoes and carrots.

“How interesting… Good. Let’s check once more. After the lecture ends, dig up some sweet potatoes and dry them.”

“…Professor. I have final exams…”

Since starting to live as a student, Lee Han had become able to fill his eyes with deep sorrow.

Seeing that melancholy gaze, Professor Lightningstep unconsciously apologized.

“Sorry. It would certainly be difficult to do it now. Let’s test it next semester.”

“Thank you!”

-Woof! Woof woof!

Cerberus’s three heads barked protestingly from the side.

It seemed like they were protesting about what they would do during the vacation.

* * *

Night.

Lee Han frowned, holding back the fatigue that was washing over him.

“Is everyone okay?”

“…Ugh.”

“Uhhh.”

“Seems like you’re okay.”

Lee Han nodded at his friends’ responses as they sat scattered around the common room.

To change the mood, Lee Han poured hot coffee into a tin cup, got up, and walked to the tower’s window.

Looking at the pitch-black darkness of the magic school with its cascading stars made this hardship seem like nothing…

‘…Actually, no.’

Lee Han sipped and blinked his eyes. Something was strange.

‘…It’s still the middle of the night?’

It was the middle of the night, but the surroundings were suddenly getting brighter.

As if dawn was approaching.

Even his friends, who had been nodding off like ghouls, seemed to notice that it was getting brighter and turned their heads.

“What’s that?”

“What’s happening?”

Only when the outside became as bright as morning could the students realize what was happening.

A phoenix had come right in front of the Blue Dragon Tower.

“Wow… Woooow!”

The students gasped at the mystical sight.

To make the middle of the night as bright as broad daylight.

It truly wasn’t called a phoenix for nothing.

“I was sleepy but now I’m wide awake. Right?”

“A phoenix appearing isn’t necessarily a bad thing…”

“…Close the windows!”

Lee Han urgently shouted and moved. His friends asked in confusion.

“Wh-what?! Why!?”

“Close the windows! The phoenix is coming this way!”

The phoenix, having spotted the students inside the tower, was approaching with innocent eyes.

As a few feathers flew in through the still-open windows, flames erupted in the common room.

“…!!!”

“No, no! My assignment! My assignment!!”

“Assignments aren’t important right now! Put out the fire first!”

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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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