Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 655
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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 655
“H-how could you say such terrible things to someone you just met?”
Priest Siana muttered in shock.
Among Einroguard students, being called a fifth-year was worse than insulting one’s family.
No matter how much of an enemy they were, how could anyone tell someone to stay at Einroguard that long?
“C-calm down, Priest. It might have a different meaning at Baldrogard.”
“No magic school would mean anything good by telling someone to rot there for five years!”
Ingsen was flustered by the words of the snake beastkin student wearing Flameng Order priest robes.
The priest’s language was too harsh.
‘Is she really a priest…?’
“What do you mean by fifth-year?”
Lee Han, who had been maintaining quiet silence, finally spoke up.
Though there was no particular change in expression, Yoner could sense the subtle killing intent hidden beneath Lee Han’s statue-like face.
No matter how iron-willed a friend might be, being told to stay until fifth year was hard to endure.
“Well… that… You are Senior Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family, correct? The fifth-year of Einroguard…”
“?”
“?????”
Not only Lee Han but his friends were also confused.
What year?
“Fifth-year?”
“Yes. Fifth-year… oh, are you a fourth-year?”
“…”
Only then did his friends realize that the Baldrogard students had mistaken Lee Han’s year, and they began whispering.
“Those bastards, why do they think Wardanaz is a fifth-year?”
“Isn’t it because of what happened in Granden City?”
“What did I do?”
“You fought the King of Ghouls, fought a Basilisk, fought a Sea Serpent, fought Anti-Magic Extremists, fought magical criminals.”
“…S-some of those weren’t in Granden City.”
Lee Han had no rebuttal, so he nitpicked the details.
Of course, it wasn’t very effective. His friends ignored Lee Han’s words.
“Well, rumors do spread fast. If I heard rumors like that, I would have thought he was a fourth-year senior too.”
“They think he’s a fifth-year though?”
“No, even so, it’s strange. There’s no way incidents from Granden City and Einroguard would spread that far.”
Lee Han spoke again, but his friends ignored him again.
“Guys, can you not hear me?”
“Um…”
The two Baldrogard students were confused as the atmosphere took a strange turn.
“Aren’t you a fifth-year, Senior?”
“I’m more curious why you thought I was a fifth-year.”
At those words, Basiyu whispered quietly so only Ingsen could hear.
“Oh no, he was a fourth-year.”
“…”
While Lee Han stared at Basiyu in disbelief, Ingsen stepped forward to explain.
“Last year, our school’s seniors visited Einroguard. At that time…”
“Ah, so that’s how it happened.”
From Ingsen’s words, Lee Han realized what had occurred.
“What is it?”
“Remember the assignment Professor Knighton gave during the festival?”
“What was it? Imperial rainfall and resulting road damage, plus repair cost calculations?”
“The number of mages needed to maintain the Empire’s fortress network?”
“Research possible within Einroguard using Lee Han’s mana?”
Since he was a professor who gave out so many assignments, his friends’ answers were all over the place.
Some of them weren’t even real assignments.
“All wrong. And the last one wasn’t even assigned.”
“Oh. Lee Han. The professor mentioned the last one when you weren’t there. You were out fulfilling that Pocketknife Fortress commission at the time.”
“…”
Lee Han was shocked.
Trying to sell him out to his friends while he was away!
“…That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about the light and illusion statue Professor Knighton made during the festival.”
“Ah.”
Only then did his friends understand what Lee Han was talking about.
During last year’s festival, various outsiders had visited, and they, as first-year students, had worked hard to prepare to host those outsiders.
One of those was Professor Alpen’s magic circle that created light and illusions…
“That wasn’t an assignment, that was you doing something the professor didn’t even ask for…?”
“Shh. Nilia. Lee Han gets hurt by that too.”
Yoner stopped Nilia.
No matter how innocent the question, it could hurt Lee Han’s feelings.
“…Let’s just call it an assignment. Anyway, Baldrogard students came then and broke the magic circle.”
“Right. That happened.”
“Those Baldrogard bastards really… mmph mmph.”
Lee Han covered Gainando’s mouth and continued explaining.
“I was lucky enough to substitute it with magic I had learned.”
The Baldrogard students who visited as guests for the festival had accidentally broken Professor Alpen’s magic circle.
Naturally, the Einroguard students criticized them, and Lee Han, worried that a fight might break out and they’d all get in trouble (and having already beaten the Baldrogard students with water orbs), stopped the fight and somehow resolved the situation with 【Azirmo’s Blessing】.
“Why is that relevant?”
“The Baldrogard students called me senior then…”
“…”
“…”
His friends were speechless with disbelief.
Just how strong an impression did he leave to be called senior by students from another school?
“I thought the misunderstanding was cleared up when I spoke to your professor, but apparently not.”
“That’s a relief!”
Siana said with a sigh of relief.
“I thought those crazy bastards were telling Wardanaz to go to fifth year and was about to get angry.”
“Right. Haha. I was confused too.”
‘Hasn’t Priest Siana’s language gotten a bit rough?’
‘The Phoenix Tower priests have all changed overall.’
While Nilia and Yoner whispered, Lee Han turned to face Ingsen and Basiyu.
“I think I understand how that misunderstanding arose. When the Baldrogard students visited, this happened…”
Lee Han explained the heartwarming incident related to Professor Alpen’s magic circle.
Being mistaken for a senior because of unfamiliar magic was quite amusing.
“Haha. What a coincidence. Rumors really can’t be trusted, right?”
“…N-no way. That was also Lee Han of the Wardanaz Family?!”
“…?”
Lee Han was confused again by the unexpected reaction.
Huh?
‘Wasn’t it because of this?’
“The… the person who fixed the broken magic circle was… uh oh…”
“This is strange…? D-dual personality…?”
However, Lee Han’s confusion was nothing compared to Ingsen and Basiyu’s confusion.
The two were receiving a shock as if their entire world had collapsed.
The upperclassman who had despicably attacked Baldrogard students with water orbs and the upperclassman who had kindly helped the Baldrogard students fix their ruined illusion magic were the same person.
“Wait. Then why exactly did you think I was a 5th year student?”
“Well, didn’t you beat up the seniors with water orbs? Wa, wait a minute. Is this also a false rumor?”
“…No. That part is actually true.”
“…”
An awkward silence filled the reception room.
* * *
It took about two hours for Ingsen and Basiyu to accept the fact that Lee Han was the same age and had helped fix the magic circle after beating Baldrogard seniors with water orbs.
Gainando looked at the two from the side as if they were pathetic.
If it had been Gainando, he would have understood in about 5 minutes.
‘How can they be so stupid!’
“So… the water orbs…”
“There’s a bit of a misunderstanding about that. It wasn’t a proper duel or magical combat, but festival games, entertainment of sorts.”
Lee Han shamelessly spouted lies.
If the parties involved had been there, they would never have accepted such lies.
It may have been called festival games and entertainment, but the participants had dodged the water orbs almost risking their lives.
If that wasn’t a duel, then what on earth was a duel?
“It was like festival games, but because of that I brought shame to Baldrogard’s seniors? That’s a completely wrong rumor. You shouldn’t believe such rumors.”
“Bu, but the seniors said you were a 5th year student, and that they were terrifyingly defeated…”
“That’s a joke.”
“A, a joke?”
With Yoner’s support, Lee Han sent a grateful look and continued speaking.
“A mischievous joke. Einroguard’s seniors also make mischievous jokes sometimes. Like putting poison in the underground corridors…”
“????”
“…or teasing incoming new students. Can you be certain it wasn’t that kind of joke? Really?”
Lee Han pressed the two strongly.
When he glared at them and pressured them with ‘Do you really believe the story that I trampled your seniors with magic!’, Ingsen and Basiyu were greatly shaken.
“Is… is that so…? Was it a joke…?”
“Bu, but that was definitely serious. The seniors didn’t seem to be joking. They were trembling while talking…”
Lee Han said firmly.
“Acting.”
“Ac, acting?!”
“Seniors are always serious about tormenting their juniors. It’s natural that they would act too.”
“…!”
Ingsen and Basiyu received a huge shock.
Until now, they had thought Baldrogard’s seniors were always honorable nobles among nobles who never lied, but that wasn’t the case!
“That… that’s impossible! The seniors are nobles!”
“Haha. Just because they’re nobles doesn’t mean they don’t lie. This would be a well-intentioned lie to get closer to their juniors, wouldn’t it.”
Lee Han mercilessly turned Baldrogard’s seniors into liars and then finished cleaning up the situation.
“Is, is that so…”
“Maybe we trusted the seniors too much. We should have believed what we heard and saw with our own ears and eyes.”
“Right. Just because they couldn’t dodge water orbs doesn’t prove their magical ability. The seniors might have known that and were teasing us.”
It was ridiculous talk, but Lee Han didn’t bother to point it out.
Lee Han also didn’t want to have a title like 【Baldrogard’s Nose Bone Collector】.
If he had won in an honorable duel, it would at least be glorious, but breaking Baldrogard students’ nose bones with water orbs at a festival was closer to infamy.
‘Somehow it’s been resolved. Just wait and see, Baldrogard bastards.’
Lee Han was resentful.
He had kindly helped fix their ruined magic circle, but they spread rumors just because they got hit in the nose a bit at the festival.
Next time he met them, he would challenge them to a proper duel!
“What nonsense!”
“?!”
Gainando didn’t let it slide.
“If you can’t dodge water orbs, you can’t do magic! Don’t make excuses after failing to dodge!”
“What are you saying, those are separate things!”
Ingsen unconsciously dropped his respectful speech and protested at Gainando’s outburst.
Basiyu also seemed to agree and shouted.
“Magical ability isn’t about how fast you cast, but about how great the magic you cast is…”
“Can’t hear you, loser!”
“Are you listening? So dodging water orbs has nothing to do with magical ability? Even the great mage Bakwantallana…”
“Can’t hear you, dirt destroyers!”
“Magic isn’t about fighting in the mud of the marketplace, but something much more noble and dignified…!”
“Woo! Losers! Dirt destroyers! Defeated dirt destroyers!”
“Eeek!”
At Gainando’s mockery and provocation, both their faces turned bright red.
“How, how can a person who’s a prince act so undignifiedly…! Basiyu was right, you have no dignity as royalty!”
“Losers, losers, losers, losers!”
His friends were amazed.
‘Don’t they even fight this much in Baldrogard?’
‘Why can’t they handle such provocation?’
Lee Han was worried inside.
‘It’ll be dangerous if they suggest settling it with magic.’
Even if the opponents were slower and clumsier at casting magic than Gainando, that didn’t mean they lacked comprehensive magical ability.
It was just that Einroguard’s educational methods were unique; among the Empire’s mages, there were many who were slow and clumsy at casting.
Since there were rarely urgent situations requiring quick spell completion, it wasn’t a major flaw.
It might be dangerous if they competed in areas where Gainando was weak.
“This… to act rudely just because you trust in magic. Do you think magic is everything just because you’re good at it? If you have no honor and no character, that magic has no value! Even if you’re the top student of your year!”
“???”
However, instead of challenging Gainando to a duel, Ingsen and Basiyu tucked their tails and criticized him.
Siana tilted her head and asked.
“Who are you talking about right now? Are you insulting Wardanaz?”
“I think they’re talking about Gainando…”
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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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