Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 414
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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 414
Feeling once again why the evil path could never defeat the righteous path, Lee Han turned his gaze away.
The students who entered the lecture hall didn’t immediately start practicing dance, but all sat down in corner chairs and began picking up cups.
“?!”
Lee Han was shocked.
What’s this?
‘Are they rebelling against the professor?’
However, instead of sending the arrogantly rebellious students to the punishment room, Professor Krinbal served coffee and tea he had personally brewed with very careful and kind hand movements.
“Yo… Yoner. What on earth is this?”
“Ah. The professor thinks ‘dancing when forced isn’t good.'”
Yoner said while pulling over a chair to sit down.
Professor Krinbal hated forcing students who didn’t want to dance to do so.
Dance was something that flowed from the heart.
If you didn’t dance when you truly wanted to, then it wasn’t dance.
“…????”
Lee Han was confused whether this was Einroguard or a tavern in an outside village.
‘No way, saying such things at Einroguard?’
“What do students who don’t want to dance do during lecture time?”
“Huh? They sit and… watch?”
“…”
Lee Han looked around at the students.
Surprisingly, just as Yoner said, the students were chatting casually with familiar ease.
Crack!
“Did you just grind your teeth?”
“You must have misheard. Anyway, Yoner. Others can play around, but I missed the first semester.”
Lee Han tried to quickly catch up on the missed curriculum.
For other lectures, even if he fell behind, he honestly had confidence he could catch up somehow, but dance and social etiquette were different.
Since he had continuously paid no attention to it, Lee Han didn’t know much about dance, etiquette, and social skills.
For dance, all he had learned was a crash course during last vacation, and for etiquette and social skills, only what he learned from the Wardanaz Family…
“The exam evaluates several dances, right? The currently popular dances are roughly…”
“The professor doesn’t examine things that thoroughly and strictly.”
Thinking Lee Han was misunderstanding something, Yoner tried to dissuade him.
Professor Krinbal really didn’t evaluate that strictly.
His constant sayings were ‘What is dance?’ ‘It’s not how many dances you can perform that determines a dancer, but how joyful a dance you can perform’ ‘A dancer who performs one dance ten thousand times is more beautiful than a dancer who knows ten thousand dances’…
“I understand for now. I’ll teach you what I know…”
“Professor!! Professor!!”
While the two were talking, Gainando, who had been discussing magic cards with Professor Krinbal up front, suddenly shouted.
“Why are you calling so loudly, student Gainando? Did you think of something fun?”
“I’ll teach Lee Han!!”
“Good enthusiasm!”
Professor Krinbal unconsciously praised the student for saying something enthusiastic, then hesitated.
“Wait. I heard student Lee Han is quite an excellent dancer, and you want to teach him?”
“?”
Lee Han, who was listening, paused.
Where did such a misunderstanding come from?
‘What? Did those White Tiger Tower guys spread false rumors to mess with me?’
“Still, there must be dances he missed by not attending lectures! I’ll teach him!”
“No… can’t I just learn from Yoner?”
Lee Han called out, but Gainando ignored him.
No matter how you looked at it, objectively Gainando himself was a much better dancer than Yoner.
“…Good! Even if there’s nothing to learn, friendship is wonderful. Go ahead and teach him!”
As Gainando excitedly rushed over, Lee Han suddenly became anxious.
He had sensed a faint fragment of truth in Professor Krinbal’s words.
‘This guy’s dancing skills don’t look very good…’
Lee Han, who had been looking at Gainando with suspicious eyes, decided to be patient for now.
At least he had attended more lectures than Lee Han, and seeing him step forward like that, he must have confidence in teaching.
There would be something to learn from anything.
* * *
When Gainando stepped on Lee Han’s foot for the thirteenth time, Lee Han kicked Gainando’s shin.
Learning my ass!
Thud!
“Hey. Go over there and do your assignments.”
“Sob.”
Other tower students watching from the side were impressed.
“To go over ten times. Damn. I thought he’d explode after being stepped on five times.”
“Wardanaz is surprisingly weak toward students from the same tower. Come on. Pay up. It went over ten times. I win the bet.”
“Ha! So there was a way to get revenge on Wardanaz like that.”
“Anyone want to ask him to dance next time? I want to step on him too.”
“…”
When Lee Han turned his head, the chattering students lowered their gazes.
Professor Krinbal approached with sincere apology.
“I’m truly sorry, student Lee Han! I thought it would be fine since student Gainando has talent even if his steps are clumsy!”
“I, I see.”
Lee Han’s evaluation of Professor Krinbal dropped a little.
“Still, I’m happy to see that student Lee Han is an excellent dancer as rumored!”
“Me, sir?”
“Yes!”
“I don’t know that many dances though…”
“The number of dances isn’t important, student Lee Han! What’s important is here.”
Professor Krinbal tapped his chest and then struck the floor with his heel.
“You mean mana capacity?”
“Of course I mean the heart! And student Lee Han already has a sincere heart toward dance!”
Lee Han really couldn’t understand.
Of course, he knew Professor Krinbal was a kind professor who believed in students’ potential, but what exactly had Lee Han done to receive such high praise?
“Why do you think that, Professor…?”
“I heard it from Lady Alladne!”
“!”
Only then did Lee Han remember that Professor Krinbal’s family was the Greenbell family.
A traditional family from Granden City where he spent his vacation.
If they were from the same family, it wouldn’t be strange for him to have heard some of what happened during vacation.
‘Wait. Something’s strange.’
Though he remembered, the question wasn’t easily resolved.
Honestly, Lee Han didn’t deny everything he had done during vacation.
Defeating the King of Ghouls, saving knights, and exterminating the basilisk – all those things had actually happened.
But had Lee Han ever done anything with dancing?
‘There was nothing like that?’
“Professor. No matter how much I think about it, I hardly danced at all during vacation.”
“Student Lee Han, dancing isn’t important. Dancing is merely a way to convey sincerity!”
“No, so I’ve never danced before…”
“But the people who have their feet in Granden’s social circles want to invite Student Lee Han again! Are you planning to refuse such invitations? Are you going to disappoint them?”
Lee Han almost answered ‘yes’ without thinking, but barely managed to hold onto his sanity and tried to think about what the professor had said.
‘What…?’
Professor Krinbal kindly explained for Lee Han’s sake.
Asan’s older brother and sister, the twin siblings of the Dalcard family, the imperial family members he had met, the Afha Order, Yoanen of the Meikin family, the knights he had been indebted to, and so on.
Even if these people only talked about the things they had done with him one by one, rumors were bound to spread quickly.
“I understand that there are many rumors… but that doesn’t really have anything to do with dancing…”
“Student Lee Han. A true dancer captivates people even without dancing!”
“What kind of nonsense…”
“In that regard, Student Lee Han is doing very well right now! Don’t be too obsessed with dancing, think of the people at the gathering first. That’s real socializing!”
Lee Han’s mind became confused by the professor’s logic that claimed one was an excellent dancer if they received many invitations to social circles by any means necessary.
“…I understand.”
Lee Han decided to step back for now and study dancing separately.
However, Professor Krinbal didn’t let Lee Han go easily.
“Student Lee Han. I’ll give you an assignment for your sake! Go to gatherings that invite Student Lee Han and have conversations with them! Make sure your reputation and praise reach my ears!”
‘Good heavens, I’m starting to miss Professor Boladi.’
Lee Han was shocked by the professor’s absurd assignment.
“Can’t I just memorize dance moves and practice in the lecture hall?”
“Dancing isn’t like that! And Student Lee Han’s dancing is sufficient as it is now. What’s important is captivating people’s hearts!”
“That’s right, Wardanaz. Dancing isn’t about technique, it’s about moving people’s hearts.”
“You have enough technique! You need to prove it yourself, Wardanaz!”
Friends who had been influenced by Professor Krinbal’s dance theory tactlessly joined in from the side.
And they flinched when they met Lee Han’s gaze.
“Ah… no. If you don’t want to prove it, it can’t be helped…”
“Right, right. Actually, it seems like you’re already moving hearts sufficiently.”
* * *
“Phew… Vandur. Have you been well?”
“Of course. You don’t look very well though.”
“Well, everyone’s like that. You’re always having a hard time managing the black market. Could you give me one chunk of pork and two bundles of rye bread?”
Weekend.
Lee Han, who had come to the Black Turtle Tower black market to prepare meals for the priests, sighed and held out a bottle of alcohol.
Unlike other lectures that he had been somewhat trained for, the shock of encountering a new lecture still lingered numbly.
A White Tiger Tower student who was bartering with ink bottles and paper nearby was startled and protested.
“Wait, why does that Wardanaz bastard get so much meat!? We exchanged with the same bottle of alcohol!!”
“Well, when I exchanged with you guys, I was just Vandur, but when I exchanged with Wardanaz, I was Vandur who’s having a hard time managing the black market. Got it?”
“What kind of petty bastard…!?”
Whether the two fought or not, Lee Han finished the transaction, wrapped everything in paper, and prepared to return.
“Wardanaz.”
“!”
Salko, the dwarf—no, the elf student who looked like a dwarf—called Lee Han in a small voice.
It clearly seemed like he had something secretive to discuss, so Lee Han also checked his surroundings and walked over.
“What’s the matter?”
“I have some useful information. I heard those White Tiger Tower bastards are attempting an escape this weekend.”
“Really?”
Lee Han wasn’t particularly surprised.
Originally, Einroguard students were beings who wanted to escape if left alone, then calmed down a bit after entering the punishment room, and then wanted to escape again after some time passed.
Just as hamsters instinctively try to escape from their cages, Einroguard students also instinctively attempt to escape.
“Isn’t it tempting? What kind of route those bastards found?”
“…Ah. You want to rob them together with me?”
“Of course. Then why else would I have called you?”
Salko looked at Lee Han as if he was ridiculous.
Would he call the busy Wardanaz just to chat?
Of course he wouldn’t call him unless it was for official business.
‘What’s so obvious, you crazy bastard…’
Lee Han cursed Salko inwardly.
Anyone listening would think Lee Han was a professional robber or something.
“I’ll pass this time.”
“What!?”
Salko was genuinely surprised.
To think that beast-like Wardanaz would give way.
“Are you sick somewhere? Is your injury serious??”
“…It’s not that, I have a lot of things to do, and most of the information those White Tiger Tower bastards brought was pretty shoddy.”
“Hmm!”
Of course, Lee Han said that because he was planning to go out briefly through the spire stable, but it was quite persuasive, so Salko hesitated.
He certainly remembered the experiences of getting burned by trusting only those White Tiger Tower bastards during the first semester.
“Is that so? Those bastards were indeed a bit stupid… Thanks, Wardanaz. I’ll think about it.”
“Yeah. Judge carefully.”
“Got it. If you change your mind and want to rob them together, contact me.”
Lee Han nodded.
“Even if it’s the middle of the night, if you change your mind, make sure to tell me.”
“…I said I’m not doing it.”
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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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