Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 425

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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 425

“What are you doing right now?”

At Professor Alcasis’s question, Lee Han answered carefully.

“Professor Verdus is asking me to help him.”

“…What?”

“Artifact… creation?”

“…”

Professor Alcasis looked outside once with an incredulous expression, then looked at Lee Han once, then looked outside again.

And he opened the door.

Professor Verdus, who had been waiting with innocent eyes, looked up at the two of them and tilted his head when the door opened.

“Oh? Professor Lagrindes! Nice to see you!”

“Nice to see you too. …So what exactly are you doing right now?”

Professor Alcasis’s voice was as cold as ice.

In fact, it was closer to ‘Do you even know what you’re doing right now?’ rather than a question.

“Making an artifact?”

“Is it perhaps a low-difficulty artifact?”

Professor Alcasis scraped together his last remaining faith and tried his best to understand Professor Verdus.

If it was a practice artifact for lower grade students, it would be natural to bring Wardanaz along for practice.

“No? It’s my research project.”

“Your research project, Professor?”

“Yeah!”

Professor Verdus nodded his head. Despite being a beaver beastman with racially inherited cuteness, Professor Verdus was quite good at provoking other people’s anger.

‘Is a punch coming?’

Lee Han habitually looked at Professor Alcasis’s hands.

Usually when other professors dealt with Professor Verdus, you had to watch their hands to read their emotions easily.

If they clenched into fists, it meant he was about to get hit, and if the tendons twitched, it was still somewhat okay…

Surprisingly, Professor Alcasis showed no movement at all.

“Are you also aware that if it’s a high-difficulty artifact that you would work on yourself, Professor, there’s a high possibility of accidents when a 1st year student works on it, and in that case it would definitely lead to injuries?”

“Just be careful! Even though he’s not good at magic, he’s quite meticulous so it’ll be fine!”

Lee Han made a slightly hurt expression.

Except for Professor Verdus, he hadn’t heard anyone say he was bad at magic.

“And if he gets hurt, we can just heal him.”

“What if it’s too severe for the infirmary to treat?”

“We can call the healing mages at the school to treat him, right?”

“Is that so? …Hey. Go outside for a moment.”

Professor Alcasis pointed to the basilisk egg and gestured to Lee Han.

It meant to go outside with the egg for a moment.

Professor Verdus tilted his head.

“If the conversation’s over, can’t you just take him with you?”

“Professor, please stay for a moment.”

Reading the atmosphere, Lee Han quickly grabbed the basilisk egg and closed the cabin door.

Despite blocking the sound with magic, he could faintly hear what seemed to be Professor Verdus’s screams.

When the egg trembled, Lee Han patted it reassuringly.

“It’s because it’s Professor Verdus. He doesn’t do this to other people.”

* * *

When the conversation ended, Professor Verdus spoke in a completely dejected voice.

“You don’t have to help.”

“Please speak more maturely.”

“I’ve come to realize that asking a 1st year student to help with professor-level artifact creation is not only dangerous but also places too heavy a burden on the student.”

“Well done.”

Professor Alcasis nodded with a tired expression.

Having wasted his little remaining free time because of Professor Verdus, he was suddenly overwhelmed with futility.

‘Even the most wasteful way to spend time at Einroguard would have been better than this.’

“Professor. At least have this.”

Lee Han offered wild berry juice with a very respectful attitude.

It was juice made from wild berries he had foraged, no, picked near Professor Thunderstep’s garden.

Professor Alcasis didn’t understand why Lee Han was suddenly looking at him with eyes full of respect, but he accepted his disciple’s goodwill for now.

“Thank you. If Professor Verdus says anything strange, let me know.”

“Professor, you are Einroguard’s greatest professor.”

“Don’t flatter me unnecessarily. It’s not a good habit for a mage.”

After Professor Alcasis left, Professor Verdus grumbled. The basilisk egg wriggled as if it didn’t want to hear it.

Lee Han pretended not to hear and ignored it, saying.

“You can do something else, can’t you?”

“Something else what? A new research project? Gasp. Do you have an idea?”

Lee Han smiled quietly at the sight of him asking a 1st year student for ideas for his new research project.

“I mean lecture preparation.”

“Ah… lectures…”

Professor Verdus openly showed an expression of not wanting to do it. Lee Han wanted to call Professor Alcasis back again.

“I don’t want to do it.”

“How can you say that so boldly? Are you really a professor?”

‘Even if you say that, you’re not actually one, are you.’

When his thoughts and words got mixed up for a moment, Lee Han was slightly flustered.

However, Professor Verdus seemed too gloomy to pay much attention.

“I don’t want to do it, but Gonadaltes is forcing me to. Why should I have to do it.”

“Is that how it was? …Wait. Haven’t you received gold coin investments from the Principal before?”

“Did I?”

Lee Han looked at Professor Verdus with a contemptuous gaze. Professor Verdus didn’t notice.

“Let’s just prepare for the lecture.”

“I said I don’t want to.”

“I’ll call the Principal.”

“…!!!”

Professor Verdus looked at Lee Han with an expression like an archmage betrayed by his top student.

He was so shocked that his beaver beastman whiskers trembled.

“Just hurry up and prepare.”

“Alright…”

Professor Verdus became completely dispirited and moved to prepare. His retreating figure looked somehow pitiful.

‘Good thing it’s Professor Verdus.’

If it had been another professor, he might have felt sorry, but since it was Professor Verdus, he didn’t feel sorry at all.

Lee Han pushed Professor Verdus’s back toward the tower.

Sacred Workshop.

Professor Verdus’s workshop and tower.

Upon arrival, the professor seemed annoyed again and grumbled while preparing for the lecture.

“Here’s the black magic iron ingot and… also… a little coal… also… a furnace and bellows… I need charcoal… ugh… annoying… something other than charcoal…”

“Let’s find charcoal.”

Professor Verdus grumbled twice as much while looking for charcoal.

“So what kind of lecture is this?”

“I’m going to directly transform iron ingots to refine them for making artifacts.”

An outstanding enchantment mage wasn’t just skilled in magic alone, but also excelled at understanding the properties of materials and manipulating their forms.

One of the most representative methods of enchantment magic was inscribing magic onto materials through magic circles, and at this time, the form and structure of the material also influenced the magic.

Even with the same armor, a skilled craftsman would create a structure from the beginning that could maximize the power of the magic circle to be engraved on it.

Naturally, it wasn’t an easy task.

One had to understand the magic circle to be engraved, comprehend the principles of that magic circle, and be able to calculate in advance what structure the equipment should be made in.

It was impossible to calculate that after making it.

Even after calculating, one now had to shape various magical materials very precisely, requiring skill not only in transformation magic but also in various metalworking and crafting.

Lee Han, who had extracted a list of supplies from Professor Verdus, searched here and there to gather the necessary items.

“But Professor. I understand that you have high standards, but isn’t this too difficult? Can first years do this?”

“This is a second year lecture though?”

“…”

Lee Han was about to throw the supplies he was holding but held back with great restraint.

If it was preparation for a second year lecture, he should pick the most pitiful second year student and make them do it, so why was he making Lee Han do it?

“Let’s prepare for a first year lecture.”

“Why on earth do you like preparing so much?”

“I’m just saying let’s do the basics that need to be done… No, never mind. Just hurry up and come find something.”

* * *

The Skeleton Principal was disappointed by the Death Knights’ search that yielded no significant results.

‘What’s this? Did they receive help from an outsider? There shouldn’t be any related outsiders though.’

The Skeleton Principal wasn’t an amateur. He had already checked all the outsiders who had relationships with the students in advance.

If there was anyone who might help with prison breaks, no, unauthorized outings, they would get to tour the punishment room together.

-Could it have been a misunderstanding?

Instead of answering, the Skeleton Principal blocked the Death Knight’s mouth.

The Death Knight, whose mouth was blocked just for being nice, felt wronged.

Maybe someone was bribed.

-What crazy person would help with going in and out of Einroguard? No matter how good silver coins are, if they get caught…

You never know about worldly affairs. Besides, that guy has quite a wicked tongue. He could easily sweet-talk them.

The Skeleton Principal believed that if Lee Han set his mind to it, he could easily deceive a few nearby suppliers.

With the Wardanaz family’s wealth and his own wicked eloquence, it wouldn’t be too difficult to trick a naive employee or two into lending him a carriage.

Good, good. Even if results don’t come immediately, keep searching. Students show gaps when pressured. Oh right. Did the mages leave safely?

-Yes. Even the last remaining mages have left the village.

Were there any complaining bastards?

-No. Everyone was satisfied.

The Skeleton Principal nodded.

If nothing else, the evaluation of mages who visited the school was quite important.

If bad rumors spread among the Empire’s mages, it would cause many troublesome issues with various invitations, events, investment attraction, research support, and so on.

Getting called by the Emperor for a scolding was just a bonus.

What ridiculous guys. They complain so much when shown Einroguard’s perfect education, but throw them one student and they get excited and quiet down!

-What ridiculous guys indeed.

Right. Anyway, those guys are gone… The knights are still here, right?

-Yes. As permitted, at the weekend knights’ gathering…

It must be a gathering of brainless fools. Since I gave permission, it can’t be helped. Send Death Knights to monitor them. Make sure no one sneaks out to go to cities or villages.

The Death Knights nodded.

Monitoring students’ potential misconduct was their role.

After receiving a rough report, the Skeleton Principal floated away.

It was a fact that always amazed students when they heard it, but the Skeleton Principal regularly checked the professors’ educational curricula.

It wasn’t just that he checked and it was this level, but rather it was only this level because he checked.

Whose turn is it?

-It’s Professor Milay.

Milay is fine. She’s someone who does well on her own.

-Then it’s Professor Garcia.

Garcia is even more fine. The problem is she’s too enthusiastic. Students grow well even if taught somewhat carelessly.

-Next is Professor Verdus.

…Let’s go check. I need to see that guy with my own two eyes.

Even the Skeleton Principal, who usually let things slide, couldn’t just let Professor Verdus slide by.

No matter how much he let slide, there were still professors he had to see with his own two eyes.

A representative example was Professor Verdus.

He was the type to roughly throw a Canillion staff, a box of processed Clawwood, two pouches of Ice Moss, and an Ogre’s tendon at students and say ‘Make an artifact with these during this class period and show me,’ so he absolutely couldn’t let his guard down.

While the Skeleton Principal’s philosophy was that geniuses would grow on their own if left alone, Professor Verdus was always problematic because he tried to cross that line.

…What’s this?

-It’s the lecture hall.

I didn’t ask because I didn’t know it was a lecture hall… I asked what that is.

-Didn’t you prepare it?

That guy did??

Seeing measured materials placed at each student’s seat in the lecture hall along with magic circles drawn as examples, the Skeleton Principal doubted his eyes.

Had Professor Verdus been kidnapped and other enemies of Einroguard secretly disguised themselves and infiltrated?

-…Th, that’s right. It is a bit strange.

A bit?

-Very strange.

Before the words were finished, Lee Han opened the door and entered the lecture hall.

After looking around and finishing his inspection, he went back outside.

The Skeleton Principal, realizing what had happened, was dumbfounded.

That guy is now preparing together with even a first year disciple?!

No matter how smart the disciple was, how could he leave lecture content preparation to a first year disciple?

What if something went wrong?

-Master.

What? What now?

-Th… this looks like second year lecture preparation…

…This won’t do. Go call Vible.

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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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