Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 534

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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 534

He was sorry, but this couldn’t be helped.

How could Lee Han have known that the Skeleton Principal would call him like this?

-The Principal took Wardanaz away!

-Damn it. We’ve been found out!?

“Why are they chasing after us like that?”

“They must be sad that I’m leaving.”

“Well, they’d be sad when the guy who prepares their meals disappears.”

Lee Han was slightly hurt by the Skeleton Principal’s sarcastic remark.

“The friendship between my friends and me isn’t like that.”

“Then who prepares the meals?”

“I do prepare them, but I get paid for it…”

“Of course. By the way, my servants also get paid for their work. They probably get paid more than what you receive from your friends.”

Lee Han resolved to help Ifadur’s music magic research as actively as possible.

If he could turn the Skeleton Principal’s world upside down, what couldn’t he do?

* * *

The temple choir of Philone Village was startled by Ifadur’s visit.

They had only gained a little fame in the vicinity of the village, so it was natural to be surprised when they got to meet one of the Empire’s most famous bards in person.

“It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s an honor. Master Ifadur! Who, who is this person?”

“This is Lord Gonadaltes.”

“…”

“…”

The choir members immediately panicked and prostrated themselves on the ground.

They had occasionally seen floating skeletons, but this was the first time seeing him in human form.

Who would have thought that the Principal of Einroguard would visit like this?

Lee Han asked in bewilderment at people’s reactions.

“Did you do something here?”

“Of course not. They’re just scared by false rumors.”

“Still, there must be a reason.”

“There would be. You descendant of the Wardanaz Family who eats people for breakfast, spirits for lunch, and demons for dinner.”

The choir members who were about to get up heard the name of the Wardanaz Family and prostrated themselves on the ground again.

Even with a little thought, it was an absurd rumor, but the Wardanaz Family’s reputation had the power to make people believe even such nonsense.

Lee Han looked at the Skeleton Principal as if he was dumbfounded.

‘This person is really.’

He understood that the Principal was in a foul mood because he came out with Ifadur due to music magic, but that anger should be directed at the unnamed upperclassmen who had shown interest in music magic and petitioned for it, not at Lee Han.

“That’s enough. Get up. Today I need your help.”

The Skeleton Principal made the choir members stand up.

“Wh, what can we do for you?”

“Of course, you can’t do anything… No. As you well know, the hymns you sing sometimes contain sacred power.”

“Ah. Yes. That’s right. When we all sing together in unison, sacred power spreads far and wide.”

“…Don’t lie from the start. It wasn’t to that extent. And it’s only sometimes. Not always.”

The Skeleton Principal suppressed his irritation and spoke to the choir members.

This was why he didn’t like discussing mysterious phenomena with people who weren’t mages.

Unlike records, they thought according to their own memories, making already difficult work even more complicated.

Ifadur opened his mouth to defend the choir.

“Isn’t it natural that songs have different emotions when sung yesterday, today, and tomorrow? I believe in your songs.”

“Master Ifadur…!”

The choir members’ eyes welled up with tears at the encouragement from the Empire’s greatest bard who understood their hearts.

Of course, the Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“That’s right. Magic isn’t cast only with the head, but also with a passionately beating heart. Isn’t singing the same?”

“????”

At Lee Han’s sudden words, the Skeleton Principal looked at Lee Han with shocked eyes.

It was similar to the shock he would feel if a Death Knight said something like ‘Come to think of it, I think I’ve accumulated too much killing karma, Master. I’m going to put down my sword and live peacefully.’

What nonsense was this guy who had learned enough saying?

“Indeed…! Master Mage. You understand!”

“A mage who visited the village before listened to our songs and then insulted us by saying we were lying!”

The village choir members seemed to have a lot of pent-up frustration as they fumed.

From a mage’s perspective, they would come because they heard that songs could produce magic-like effects, but if they only got reactions like ‘It’s not working well today’ or ‘That’s strange, why isn’t it working?’, they couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. But from the singers’ perspective, it was unavoidable.

What could they do when effects didn’t appear despite singing their best?

“If… if it’s alright, could you let us listen and record it directly?”

“It would be an honor. Master Bard!”

The choir members took their positions at Ifadur’s words and cleared their throats.

“Ah, ah, ah. Cut the enemies’ throats to use as fertilizer! Draw the enemies’ blood to use as water for the furrows…”

‘Aren’t the lyrics too violent?’

Lee Han thought so, but neither Ifadur nor the Skeleton Principal paid much attention to the lyrics.

“There’s nothing. No effect.”

“Yes. It’s unfortunate. I think it might be because they’re nervous.”

“Weak. Too weak.”

The Skeleton Principal clicked his tongue again as if lamenting.

In the Skeleton Principal’s view, music magic had a structurally fatal weakness.

That was the fact that the magic’s power was far too weak.

The instability of primitive magics being influenced by emotions or moods was a disadvantage, but it was a disadvantage that could somehow be overcome.

However, weak magical power was difficult to overcome.

Just look at divine magic.

Even if it was an irrational method, a certain level of power could be guaranteed as long as the caster drew out and offered their own vitality and mana.

But music magic didn’t draw out and offer vitality or mana in that way.

In music magic, lyrics substituted for incantations, and melody substituted for gestures or magical structures, but…

There was nothing to substitute for the necessary mana. It was natural since they didn’t offer vitality or mana like other magics.

Then where did that power come from?

They simply drew upon and used the weak mana power flowing in nature.

While it didn’t burden the individual caster, this naturally made the magic’s power extremely weak. If the surrounding mana weakened even slightly, music magic itself couldn’t be cast immediately.

In the Skeleton Principal’s view, the reason choirs showed even slightly more music magic-like cases was because multiple people sang together.

When multiple people sang together, even insufficient power had a higher chance of gathering and being amplified, and occasionally a musician truly intoxicated by emotion might instinctively squeeze out their own mana.

“If it’s alright, I’d like to listen a few more times…”

“Do as you please. Until you’re satisfied, or until their voices are all hoarse.”

The Skeleton Principal, already seeming to have lost interest, gestured to Ifadur to do as he pleased.

He was already thinking about how the students who had devoted themselves to music magic this year would whine about not achieving results, which was endlessly bothersome.

Why did young students always mistakenly think they were different from their upperclassmen?

Of course, challenge was a mage’s duty, but if they were stupid, they should at least attempt challenges they could handle…

The Skeleton Principal let out a deep sigh.

Even knowing it was foolish, he felt so tragic and pitiful having to support Einroguard’s budget for his disciples to give it a try.

Could there be another person in the Empire as unfortunate as him?

“Could I also sing along?”

“Oh… that seems like a good idea.”

“No… hey.”

The Skeleton Principal, who had been alone in self-pity, came to his senses at Lee Han’s words.

And he called Lee Han over and whispered quietly.

“Are you doing this because I compared you to the servants’ wages earlier?”

“What do you mean, Principal?”

Lee Han was slightly surprised but played innocent.

Of course, he did want to irritate the Skeleton Principal, but more than that, he had a strong desire to build friendship with the village people while he was out.

If the choir members thought ‘Hehe, that Wardanaz family boy is truly sincere and passionate,’ wouldn’t it increase the chances of them hiding him when he came to the village later?

“…Do as you please. But why is that Wardanaz family bastard showing interest in singing?”

Ifadur looked puzzled at the Skeleton Principal’s words.

“Don’t nobles usually enjoy songs…”

“That’s right. Normal nobles would. The Wardanaz family is… never mind. Forget it. Just sing. I hope you can’t sing and stand out alone.”

Despite the Skeleton Principal’s harsh words, Ifadur and the choir members welcomed Lee Han very warmly.

“You don’t need to worry too much. It’s not a particularly difficult song, and we’ll harmonize with you.”

“We never expected an Einroguard student to show interest in our choir!”

“I’ve always loved singing. I’ve always heard about the reputation of Philone Village’s choir members, but I was sad that I had no opportunity to go outside.”

“Oh…!”

“Ooh…!!!”

Lee Han’s words struck the choir members’ hearts precisely like daggers.

In the choir members’ eyes, Lee Han looked like a promising prospective choir member who might join them.

“Which song among the ones we sang do you like most…”

“Actually, I have a question about the song you sang earlier.”

Lee Han quickly got to the main point to prevent the choir members from saying anything else.

The most important thing in such situations was to sing enthusiastically rather than singing well.

If he just showed an enthusiastic attitude, the choir members would be sufficiently pleased.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Lee Han thought of the undead servants the Skeleton Principal commanded and stirred up his hostility.

Then he began singing together with the choir members.

“Cut the enemies’ throats to use as fertilizer, draw the enemies’ blood to use as water for the furrows…”

Wooooong-

Ifadur was startled by the sensation of goosebumps rising on his skin.

Not only that, but people who were passing by and listening also unconsciously stopped walking and turned their heads.

Unconsciously granting magical power to everyone who listened.

This was a unique effect of music magic that ignored the law that magical effects weakened with distance and required drastically more mana.

“Did you see that? It’s truly amazing!”

“No… this is insane.”

The Skeleton Principal was dumbfounded.

Ifadur was excitedly recording the musical score with his own hands, but the Skeleton Principal was seeing beyond that.

Not only had that Wardanaz bastard scattered mana around to increase the mana concentration, but he was also unconsciously infusing mana into the melody he sang, then combining it with other people’s melodies to resonate the power.

Even placing several powerful mana amplification artifacts around wouldn’t produce that level of effect.

It was absurd.

Infusing mana into words themselves was the beginning of spirit word magic, and naturally it was advanced magic that only upperclassmen who specialized in studying spirit words could perform.

To demonstrate that with trivial magic like music magic.

‘What the hell is that thing doing?’

“Is there some problem?”

“That Wardanaz bastard is amplifying magic. Since you know quite a bit about magic too, let me explain simply…”

The Skeleton Principal drew simple diagrams on the floor while explaining.

He was scattering mana around to increase the concentration, and as if that wasn’t enough, he was unconsciously infusing mana into his own voice to amplify other people’s singing power.

The old turtle beastman poet asked a question because he didn’t understand.

“Why scatter mana around? Isn’t that harmful to health?”

“…That’s what I’m saying.”

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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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