Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 434

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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 434

‘Oh no. Did I bring up the wrong topic?’

Jangcliff was unusually perceptive for a knight.

As someone eccentric enough to actively participate in all sorts of social gatherings, he couldn’t help but be different from other knights.

Of course, that perceptiveness didn’t extend to noticing that other people wished Jangcliff would keep his mouth shut a bit more, but he could at least sense that the students were uncomfortable with academic talk.

‘I should change the subject!’

“Don’t worry too much about it. Being good at arithmetic or languages doesn’t make someone a great person. That lecture hall top student is probably just a narrow-minded person with no social skills whatsoever.”

“…”

This time it was Lee Han who became dejected.

* * *

The Empire’s wicked anti-magic extremist, Bakdeggul, ground his teeth as he inspected his blade.

“Knights are gathering, they say.”

“Very good. Very good indeed.”

Not only Bakdeggul, but the other anti-magic extremists sitting around him had venomous glints in their eyes.

“To think our grand plan would be ruined by those fools who only know how to act all high and mighty as knights at gatherings…!”

One of Bakdeggul’s strengths was his natural refinement.

Even when wearing shabby clothes, his movements and speech patterns that couldn’t be hidden made Bakdeggul respected wherever he went, and helped him infiltrate easily.

However, right now Bakdeggul had thrown off his mask to the point where such refinement couldn’t be felt at all.

It was only natural.

Their entire plan had been destroyed because of the knights.

‘I will never forgive them.’

Scattering mushrooms.

These mushrooms with the property of dispersing magical power were the source of everything.

Originally, they were mushrooms that dark mages would use as curse reagents at most, but one of the anti-magic extremists had found a way to enhance the scattering mushrooms’ effects and make them easier to use.

Naturally, the anti-magic extremists were excited by this new discovery and gathered as many scattering mushrooms as possible.

Once they had sufficient quantities, they would have a dagger capable of attacking mages.

But scattering mushrooms weren’t easy to obtain in large quantities.

There was no way reagents that even dark mages only used sparingly would be available in large quantities. And if they openly recruited for supplies, they risked arousing the mages’ suspicion.

That’s why Bakdeggul had hired mercenaries to head to the undead realm.

To gather sufficient quantities of scattering mushrooms.

No one thought Bakdeggul would fail at such a simple mission, but…

Surprisingly, Bakdeggul failed.

It was because of the local knights.

They brought up regulations no one had even thought of, captured Bakdeggul and the mercenaries, and while they were unable to grasp the situation, called Einroguard’s mages to prevent their escape.

Bakdeggul was arrested and dragged to the capital prison while still going “huh, huh.”

Fortunately, his identity as an anti-magic extremist wasn’t discovered so he barely managed to escape, but he couldn’t bring his subordinate mercenaries with him.

All the scattering mushrooms he had secured were confiscated as well.

The anti-magic extremists who had been waiting only for the scattering mushrooms Bakdeggul would bring back lost their opportunity in vain, and Bakdeggul’s reputation was ruined.

Burning with desire for revenge, Bakdeggul began investigating exactly how this absurd situation had come about.

And he found the culprit.

Surprisingly, the Chestnut Knights were the culprits.

These damn bastards had captured the mercenaries for some ridiculous nitpicky reason, whatever grudge they had against mercenaries, and called the Einroguard mages!

“What the hell were these cursed idiots thinking when they pulled this stunt?”

“It’s obvious. They must have looked down on them for being mercenaries. Since there was a bounty, they probably just wanted to call the mages and hand them over.”

“They’ll pay the price. Those pathetic knight bastards.”

The anti-magic extremists ground their teeth in the dark log cabin and cast their gazes toward the window.

In the distance, brilliant lights could be seen at the base of a hill shrouded in darkness. It was the location where the Chestnut Knights’ gathering was being held.

Since they had destroyed the anti-magic extremists’ grand plan for such petty reasons, today they would pay the price!

“Another carriage is passing by.”

“Those knight bastards riding around in carriages…”

“They’re completely off guard!”

“Don’t underestimate them. They’re still knights after all.”

Bakdeggul restrained his subordinates.

He had confirmed that the knights were off guard, but that was no reason to become overconfident.

No matter how much they were all-show knights far removed from actual combat, knights were still knights.

Their basic combat abilities were incomparable to ordinary people.

“The signal will come soon. Wait for that signal.”

Bakdeggul’s eyes burned ominously as he waited for the signal from the spy he had infiltrated.

* * *

“…Uh, isn’t this a bit too extravagant?”

Lee Han asked while looking at Giselle.

The carriages visible around them had all sorts of luxurious decorations like some noble family carriages, and the temporary camp set up on the hill had various flags and banners hanging brilliantly…

‘No. Wait a minute. Those are merchant carriages.’

There were even many merchant carriages besides the knights’ carriages.

Looking around, porters were sweating as they piled up chests like mountains. From the clinking sounds of bottles inside, it was definitely alcohol for the knights to drink.

There were even porters bringing live fish in large copper tanks.

Even though Lee Han was from a great noble family, he had never lived this luxuriously, so he was even more surprised.

“…”

“…”

Giselle and his friends turned their gazes away and kept their mouths shut, seemingly embarrassed.

“Moradi? Moradi? Didn’t you hear? Isn’t this a bit too extravagant?”

“…Shut up!”

“No. Why are you getting angry? I just asked.”

The White Tiger Tower students were feeling it too.

That the Chestnut Knights gathering was quite different from typical knights’ gatherings!

Even the Moradi family, a prominent family in the north, never held such extravagant gatherings. The same went for Angrago and Bartrek.

“Are knights’ gatherings originally like this?”

“That… Wardanaz. Stop provoking Moradi.”

Angrago whispered fearfully.

Giselle, who had been grinding her teeth at first, had at some point passed a critical threshold and just became coldly quiet.

“Angrago. I’m just really curious, that’s why I asked. Have I ever participated in a knights’ gathering before?”

“I’ve only participated in gatherings with my peers or family, this is my first knight order gathering too… uh…”

“It’s not for nothing that rumors spread about the Chestnut Knights having a lot of money.”

Lee Han looked around with an impressed expression.

The more he looked, the more he liked it.

How much money could he get if he became close with them?

‘They say securing investment and sponsorship is also an ability as a mage.’

Of course, there were some precedents of bas… people who received investments and couldn’t repay them, but fundamentally, investment and sponsorship were positive systems.

Mages could conduct research they wanted to do but had given up due to lack of funds, while investors and sponsors gained appropriate benefits and honor.

In Lee Han’s case, he was more interested in business than research.

‘Wouldn’t business that looks like research work?’

Jangcliff, who had guided the group, had already gone inside to meet the knights.

Having looked around enough, Lee Han called his friends.

“Shall we go in now?”

“Y-yeah.”

The White Tiger Tower students seemed slightly intimidated by the overly luxurious appearance of the gathering.

Lee Han didn’t pay much attention and stopped in front of the main gate. Then he dusted off his shoes.

A knight beside him who was about to just walk in saw Lee Han and quickly dusted himself off with an ‘I see!’ expression.

Creak-

The inside was just as splendid as the outside. From the carpets laid on the floor to the furniture they had brought, it seemed like one could live here comfortably – one could only wonder how many gold coins they had poured into this single gathering.

When Angrago and Bartrek were about to carelessly throw their coats over chairs, Lee Han spoke up.

“Wait. You can’t leave them there. This isn’t Einroguard.”

“Uh… then where?”

“There should be a space used as a reception room. You should put them there.”

Two knights sitting in front flinched. They quietly stood up, then quickly looked around, picked up the coats they had thrown on the floor, and dusted them off.

“…?”

By then, Lee Han was beginning to sense something strange.

“Wardanaz. Is it okay to just sit anywhere?”

“Just don’t sit in the seat of honor by the fireplace.”

A lavishly dressed knight flinched and stood up from his seat.

“Is it okay to take off gloves?”

“No. Keep them on.”

A knight adorned with various accessories quickly put on his gloves.

“…Gentlemen. I’m sorry. You can just sit comfortably.”

“No!”

“We were going to do this anyway, we were just taking a brief rest!”

The knights waved their hands, strongly insisting ‘I’m not usually such an ill-mannered person, I just made a slight mistake.’

“This is a knights’ gathering, so knights should be able to act more comfortably.”

“Hey. We’re knights too…”

The White Tiger Tower friends whispered as if feeling wronged.

Why are we the only ones being criticized?

“Would you act the same way when you participate in noble gatherings later? You need to learn in advance.”

“Ah, no… that’s true, but…”

Being hit with valid points, the friends couldn’t argue back.

While the White Tiger Tower students were being tormented, the knights hurriedly adjusted their attire and began checking themselves.

“Do I look alright? Wait. Is this the right order for the vest?”

“You said you knew etiquette well!”

“I do, I do know it well, but I’m just asking just in case.”

The Knights of the Hornbeam Knight Order had been confident they were acting quite nobly before Lee Han arrived, but when the real deal appeared, that confidence began to waver.

“Is it… is it okay to wear the sword here?”

“Wait, wait. Was it okay to wear this many accessories? I don’t think it was.”

“What’s all this fuss about? What’s wrong?”

“Actually, the boy from the Wardanaz family…”

“Ah! He said he was coming! But why?”

“I had thrown my coat on the floor.”

“You can’t throw it on the floor??”

“Apparently not! How much the nobles mock such behavior!”

“Then why did you throw it on the floor? You said it was okay to throw it, so I believed…”

“Shut up and hurry up and clean it up! Don’t nitpick!”

Even the knight who had been praised among knights for being dignified and well-versed in etiquette blushed with shame.

Jangcliff, who returned late, was startled by the hall’s appearance, which was different from its usual relaxed and sloppy atmosphere.

‘What on earth happened?!’

* * *

“Ah. So that’s what happened.”

Jangcliff was impressed.

There were none more excellent in etiquette among knights than the Hornbeam Knight Order.

But just like swordsmanship, there’s always a sky above the sky.

“Learning by seeing the real thing must have been a very good experience. They’ll grow another level too. Haha!”

“…What exactly are they growing in…”

Giselle, who had been gritting her teeth trying to endure, couldn’t help but blurt out.

If they’re knights, they should be swinging swords, what the hell…

“Shh. Moradi. This is a gathering of other knights.”

“…”

When Lee Han made a valid point, Giselle trembled with humiliation.

She had almost lost control of her emotions and made a mistake…

But why did it have to be that Wardanaz bastard!

“It’s alcohol!”

“Can’t we take some of that?!”

Giselle felt dizzy at Angrago and Bartrek’s refined conversation.

‘To think I’d miss Einroguard.’

“Wow. This is really expensive alcohol.”

“Right? Wardanaz?”

“Let’s take a few bottles together later.”

“Hahahaha! That’s a joke… …it’s not a joke, is it.”

“Right.”

“…”

“Wardanaz… please… unlike you, I’m from a knight family, so if rumors spread…”

Angrago pleaded.

Even if they got caught together, Lee Han might be fine, but wouldn’t Angrago get a title like ‘bottle thief’ among the knights?

“No… I wasn’t talking about stealing, but asking and taking some. They’d give us that much.”

“Ah. That’s what you meant?”

Angrago’s face brightened. Bartrek also swallowed his saliva.

Giselle closed her eyes tightly, disgusted by the sight.

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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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