Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 274
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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 274
Even with the same amount of mana, that mana was never exactly the same.
Some mana would have slightly stronger fire attributes, some mana would have slightly stronger negative attributes, and some mana could be murky due to many impurities.
Mana with few impurities and high purity created much stronger effects with the same amount.
Naturally, any mage would want to carry only the purest mana in their body, but…
…that was practically impossible.
Living meant decaying and dying.
Just breathing created impurities, so no living being could harbor perfectly pure mana without a speck of dust in their body.
That’s why mages refined and polished their mana through various secret techniques, increasing its purity with incantations.
But sometimes there were exceptions.
There were mages who were born with naturally high-purity mana without having to do such things.
The Wardanaz Family Boy before them was a bit… quite a lot higher than usual…
-Don’t tell Bibble about this.
-Of course.
The Skeleton Principal and Professor Garcia conversed through telepathy.
If Professor Verdus found out about this, he would obviously become even more bothersome.
“What’s wrong?”
Stay still for a moment. Why are you being so fidgety?
The Skeleton Principal blocked Professor Verdus’s view and then forcibly turned his neck. With a cracking sound, Professor Verdus’s neck turned.
Meanwhile, Professor Garcia quickly dispersed the remaining mana. So Professor Verdus wouldn’t see and notice.
Hurry up and cast the spell.
“Wait. My neck hurts a bit.”
I’ll heal it later. You need to do it before the received mana disappears.
“Alright. Alright.”
Professor Verdus grumbled but still did his job.
He waved his staff a few times and tapped it, casting flame-resistant magic on all the students present.
Once preparations were complete, the Skeleton Principal asked with interest.
So how do you plan to exhaust the phoenix’s stamina now?
“First, please help us, you two.”
?
The Skeleton Principal was puzzled when Lee Han pointed at him and Professor Boladi.
How dare you?
If you think I’ll kindly help you, you’re gravely mistaken, boy.
‘But you said you’d help…’
The students were dumbfounded, but Lee Han wasn’t surprised.
That’s just how he was!
“Still, you’ll help to some extent, won’t you?”
Only to the level I can as a professor.
“Yes. That’s all I’m asking for.”
So what is it?
* * *
…
The Skeleton Principal looked at the phoenix with a sullen gaze. Then he spoke to Professor Boladi beside him.
Why did you accept it?
“?”
Just now.
Lee Han had made this request.
-Please drive the phoenix toward us, you two.
-What? You want us to drive the phoenix with magic? That’s beyond what I can do as a professor.
-I’m not asking you to use magic.
-Then?
-Just approach it closely.
-…
The Skeleton Principal had to admit that Lee Han had used his head well.
Unlike driving the phoenix with magic, simply approaching it wasn’t particularly difficult.
Moreover, magical beasts like phoenixes possessed sharp instincts close to supernatural senses.
There was a high possibility it would avoid beings like the Skeleton Principal who could harm the phoenix.
But the Skeleton Principal had said something, so he couldn’t refuse…
-Fine. But Professor Bagrek here won’t like doing such things…
‘Refuse for me, Professor Bagrek.’
-Understood.
-!?
Professor Boladi accepted far too easily than expected.
From the Skeleton Principal’s perspective, it was utterly absurd.
Since when had he been so cooperative with magic school affairs??
“It’s necessary for teaching, isn’t it.”
…
The Skeleton Principal’s jaw dropped.
Though he was an Archmage who had abandoned the seven emotions and six desires and reached the realm of enlightenment, Professor Boladi’s words shook the Skeleton Principal’s emotions.
‘That… that bastard…!’
If Professor Garcia had said such words, the Skeleton Principal would have been sufficiently convinced.
Even if Professor Alpen or Professor Mortum had said such words, he could have accepted it to some degree.
But Professor Boladi, who was so self-centered about education that he surpassed even Bibble Verdus Professor, spouting such nonsense made his anger boil.
Where was he when the Skeleton Principal had subtly hinted, ‘No matter what, if you keep having zero disciples, how about changing your thinking a bit?’!
That… that…!
“?”
…It’s nothing.
The Skeleton Principal gave up talking to Professor Boladi.
There was only one thing he felt from staying at Einroguard for so long.
Talking to a wall would only make his own mouth hurt.
People like Bibble or Professor Boladi weren’t the type to be persuaded by the Skeleton Principal’s words.
‘Should I have prevented Wardanaz from attending the lectures…’
The Skeleton Principal felt his non-existent stomach burning.
By now, Professor Boladi was probably thinking, ‘Seeing that a disciple who passed through my curriculum has emerged, I was right after all.’
Thinking about that gave him a headache.
Let’s just do the driving.
The Skeleton Principal approached the phoenix.
Then the phoenix, which had been spinning and playing in the sky, was startled and chirped.
■■■! ■■■! ■■■■ ■!
Shut up. You’re just a birdbrain whose only talent is burning well. I allowed you to play in my garden, so don’t get cocky.
The terrified phoenix immediately changed direction and began flying toward the opposite side from the Skeleton Principal.
However, Professor Boladi was already waiting on that side.
Professor Boladi, floating with aerial levitation magic like the Skeleton Principal, looked at the phoenix with an expressionless face.
‘Maybe it can pass through?’
The Skeleton Principal hoped the phoenix might pass by Professor Boladi.
Unlike the Skeleton Principal who emanated overwhelming presence from his very soul, Professor Boladi wasn’t a monster who had lived since ancient times.
Moreover, Professor Boladi was a battle mage who had reached enlightenment.
He was a mage who had reached a level of mastery in controlling and concealing his emotions.
In that case, the phoenix might not feel threatened and pass by…
Flap!
The phoenix immediately turned direction and flew away.
The Skeleton Principal blinked his eyes in bewilderment.
…Could it be that he had attacked that phoenix before?
“I tried to catch it.”
…
The Skeleton Principal let out a deep sigh.
He could see the phoenix that had fled far away entering the main building of the magic school.
“Close it!”
As the phoenix entered the building, Lee Han shouted to the students.
Despite the heavy sound of the main building’s front gate closing, the phoenix wasn’t flustered.
Instead, it flew toward the students as if asking them to play.
“Wardanaz! What should we do now?”
“We have to catch it.”
“And after we catch it?”
“We have to endure until it gets tired.”
“…Huh? Th-that’s it?”
* * *
The glorious Empire’s official, Iwunrade, smiled and said to his guards.
“Everyone doesn’t need to worry. Einroguard isn’t such a dangerous place.”
“E-even if you say that…”
“My colleague once served as a guard for an official going to Einroguard, but after that, he absolutely refused to talk about Einroguard.”
The adventurers hired as guards had tense faces.
Experienced and seasoned adventurers knew which places in the Empire were relatively safe and which were dangerous.
…And Einroguard was one of the most dangerous areas in the Empire for adventurers.
It wasn’t because of harsh natural environments or powerful monsters appearing.
It was simply because there were so many eccentric mages among Einroguard’s mages.
And now they had to enter that Einroguard.
Even trying not to be nervous, they couldn’t help but feel tense.
“Everyone worries so much. I wasn’t going to say this, but actually I’m from Einroguard.”
Iwunrade revealed his alma mater to the adventurers.
He judged that this would help ease their anxiety.
However, that had the opposite effect.
“…!!”
“H-he says he’s from Einroguard!”
“Did we take the wrong request?”
“B-but it’s an Empire request, surely he wouldn’t offer us to Einroguard?”
“You can’t unconditionally trust something just because it’s an Empire request!”
“…”
The fact that he was a mage from Einroguard made the adventurers even more frightened.
The adventurers trembled with fear that Iwunrade might capture them and hand them over as test subjects. Iwunrade had to spend several hours convincing them.
“…Do you understand? I’m absolutely not trying to hand you over as test subjects, I’m going there to do my work as an Empire official.”
“I-I see…”
“We’ll trust you for now…”
The adventurers nodded hesitantly. Iwunrade held back a sigh at their appearance.
‘Really, false rumors make work so difficult.’
It was a simple mission as an Empire official to check on the actual conditions of magic school students, but who knew the adventurers would be this scared.
Anyway, false rumors were making things complicated.
“Many of the rumors about Einroguard are wrong. Don’t believe them rashly. Do you understand?”
“Yes…”
“Th-then. The incident that appeared in the Empire newspaper last year, where all the goats in villages around Einroguard turned into demons, was that also a false rumor?”
“Ah. That was an unfortunate accident.”
“…”
“…”
The adventurers looked at each other.
Then they carefully asked once more.
“By any chance, the incident that appeared in the Empire newspaper the year before last, where a dark mage from Einroguard infiltrated a knights’ cemetery to try to steal corpses, was that also a false rumor?”
“That actually happened, but with so many graduates, isn’t it possible for one or two people to cause trouble?”
“…R-right!”
“That’s correct!”
The adventurers nodded like that and whispered behind his back. Their eyes and faces were full of fear and terror, but Iwunrade didn’t notice.
‘We’ll arrive within an hour.’
Iwunrade looked around the familiar road and checked the sky. Dawn wasn’t breaking yet, but it was time for morning to come soon.
Final exams would start this week, so they had arrived without being late, but…
“Come on! Everyone please keep your spirits up.”
“Understood, mage sir.”
“Having received silver coins, we will thoroughly complete our job.”
The adventurers nodded and waved lanterns to clear the path.
Even though it was a well-maintained Imperial highway, they had to be careful when it was this dark. Monsters could jump out from nearby grass fields.
CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH BANG!
“!??!!”
“Into battle formation!”
When a giant monster suddenly burst out with a thunderous roar, the adventurers were startled and drew their weapons.
However, Iwunrade stopped the adventurers.
“There’s no need to fight.”
“What???”
“Look at the letters carved on its shoulder. It’s a chimera that escaped from the magic school. There’s a prohibition spell preventing it from attacking people.”
“…”
“…”
The adventurers looked at Iwunrade with eyes filled with numerous intense emotions.
It was surprising that he could recognize letters carved on a shoulder in this darkness, but more than that…
‘Is it normal to be so calm when a chimera escaped from the magic school?’
“Th-mage sir. Shouldn’t we call the guards?”
“Haha. There’s no need for that. It’s not that serious.”
“…I see!”
How much time had passed?
The magic school’s massive castle walls and main gate finally came into view.
As soon as they opened the main gate, some monster nearby howled and came rolling toward them.
“■■■■! ■■! ■■■■ ■■■!”
“?!??”
“Back into battle formation…”
“There’s no need to fight.”
“What???”
“It’s a fourth year student who failed at transformation magic. They’ll return to normal soon.”
“…”
“…”
The adventurers gave up on being surprised anymore.
It seemed like nothing would surprise them now, no matter what they saw.
Creeeeak-
The main building door opened.
Inside, some young students with haggard faces were panting while tightly gripping a phoenix.
The adventurers looked at Iwunrade as if they wouldn’t be surprised this time and said.
“I suppose this is a magic school event?”
“I guess this sort of thing is required to become a mage?”
“…Wh-wh-what on earth are they doing, Principal?!?!”
Iwunrade looked at the Skeleton Principal in shock and asked.
No matter what, this was too much!
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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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