Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 695

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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 695

“This way!”

Stopping Lee Han who was trying to rush to the stairs after passing through the door, Erde came to a halt beneath a copper picture frame.

Then he stomped his feet three times and did one backward roll.

“…What are you doing?”

“Making a shortcut!”

Thud!

Stairs suddenly appeared beneath the picture frame.

“Only a few people in the Blue Dragon Tower know about this path, so don’t go telling anyone!”

“I’ll keep it in mind. But how did you find this path, Senior? Perhaps with illusion magic?”

The stairs that had just appeared were hidden so perfectly that even Lee Han couldn’t detect any mana.

Yet he knew about such a path.

Lee Han wondered if the illusion magic school upperclassmen had different tricks for finding secret paths.

“No. I discovered it long ago when I was wandering around at night, got startled by a professor, fell over, and noticed it.”

“I see…”

“…There are paths I found using illusion magic too, so don’t be too disappointed.”

“I’m not disappointed. Haha.”

* * *

Ratford hesitated at the sound of footsteps coming from afar.

The Death Knights wearing heavy armor created distinctive heavy sounds even when moving around.

However, the approaching footsteps now weren’t from Death Knights.

This was…

“A, a professor is coming!”

“Which professor?!”

Yoner asked back with a tense expression.

If it was a professor like Professor Garcia who could be reasoned with or sympathized with students, that would be fortunate.

Even if caught, there would be room for compromise.

But if it wasn’t such a professor…

“P, Professor Verdus…!”

“…”

Yoner bit his lips hard at the appearance of an unpredictable, troublesome opponent.

Wasn’t he one of Einroguard’s eccentrics who couldn’t be persuaded, compromised with, or threatened!

Even the Principal couldn’t reason with him, so could Yoner, a mere student, resolve this with words?

“He’ll arrive soon. What should we do?”

“I’ll handle him. Give me a signal when he gets close.”

Yoner stood near the storage entrance.

Then he waited calmly.

Three, two, one…

“Aah! The cargo collapsed! I’ll need help from the mages to reorganize this! Go call the mages!”

Thud-

The footsteps from outside stopped.

Then sounds of quickly fleeing in the opposite direction began to be heard.

“…”

“…Phew. We’re saved.”

“Y, Yoner, you’re a genius…!”

Ratford was amazed.

To predict Professor Verdus’s selfish nature and turn him away like this!

“It was… it was lucky. Lee Han often talked about Professor Verdus.”

“What did he say?”

“That he’s a crazy person.”

‘That doesn’t really relate to the current situation though…?’

Ratford thought to himself.

“It’s fortunate. Somehow the professor disappeared.”

“Yeah, that’s…”

Knock knock-

The storage door opened along with the sound of knocking.

Then a professor revealed herself.

An elderly human female professor wearing a monocle over one eye.

It was Professor Milay, who was in charge of the summoning magic school.

‘We’re doomed.’

Yoner squeezed his eyes shut.

He might have been able to fool Professor Verdus. He was mostly indifferent to things outside his interests.

But strict Professor Milay wasn’t someone who wouldn’t notice the discrepancy in the number of workers and cargo.

“Professor Verdus said help was needed, so I came…”

Professor Milay looked around.

Ratford suppressed his trembling voice and said.

“W, we cleaned it up ourselves.”

“In that short time?”

‘Oh no.’

The two belatedly realized their mistake.

They should have messed up the surroundings more.

The insufficient number of workers and cargo. The lie that felt off.

Cold sweat ran down their backs.

“Yes.”

“Hmm.”

Professor Milay looked around the storage and stared intently at the two.

Under the gaze that felt penetrating, the two felt even more anxious.

After pondering for a while, Professor Milay let out a light sigh and opened her mouth.

“Clean up quietly and go.”

With those words, the professor turned around and left.

The two, who thought it was surely the end but had a miraculous escape, looked at each other in surprise.

“Wh, what was that just now?”

“I… I don’t know either.”

“Isn’t it a trap? To catch us together when Wardanaz returns…”

“…It doesn’t seem like that.”

Yoner was slightly impressed by Ratford’s idea.

Indeed, befitting someone from a thief guild, his shrewd thinking was on a different level.

* * *

“Ah, how beautiful…”

“The box, you mean?”

“Aren’t you too emotionally barren?”

Erde grumbled at his junior’s nitpicking from the side.

Any student who had attended Einroguard would surely agree.

The box before their eyes was far more beautiful than any beautiful poem or masterpiece painting!

For no reason, his eyes seemed to sting and tears seemed to well up.

“If you’re done stacking, let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

“…Right. It’s not over yet.”

Erde steeled himself.

When his junior was showing such a spirited attitude, he couldn’t disgrace himself as a senior.

The work was only half finished.

Only after completing the remaining half would it be a true success.

“Let’s go. If we succeed, you’ll become one of Einroguard’s legends, junior. You’ve never done work on this scale before, right?”

“I did take friends outside the school last year though.”

“Friend ‘s’? You took many out then. Three? Four?”

“Almost the entire grade…”

“…Don’t joke around.”

“I’m not joking though.”

“That’s impossible!”

Erde stopped mid-argument, forgetting the situation.

The atmosphere seemed ominous as they tried to exit through the copper frame below.

“Light, illuminate what lies ahead.”

With the quiet incantation, the scene beyond the closed exit began to come into view.

Currently, Death Knights had taken position on the main building’s first floor.

“…”

“…”

Shocked by the rapidly changed situation in that brief time, both widened their eyes.

-Do we really have to participate in that inspection too?

-Yes. It’s Master’s orders.

-Do you think someone hasn’t received Master’s orders? Patrolling the desert region is also Master’s orders. What if gaps appear while we’re inspecting?

-The swamp region I’m in charge of has all sorts of troublesome creatures bubbling up if I take my eyes off it for even a few hours. With so many knights here, wouldn’t one less be fine?

-No exceptions for anyone! Wait until everyone gathers. Once the inspection is over, you may leave for your respective duties.

-Damn. Who exactly hasn’t come yet?

-Isn’t it Count Klzenbelg? He gets lost quite often.

-That guy again?

-Watch your tongue, youngster! If Count Klzenbelg were still alive, a youngster like you wouldn’t dare say a word!

-That’s right, exactly! Count Klzenbelg gets lost because of a curse he received while alive.

-Don’t talk nonsense! He received a new body, so why would the curse remain! He just gets lost!

The Death Knights began arguing noisily without exception.

They seemed determined not to move until everyone gathered.

Lee Han checked the time with an anxious expression. Things were truly becoming dangerous now.

‘If we’re delayed any longer here, the return itself might fail. Should we force our way through? Even with invisibility magic, there are too many and the door itself is blocked, so somehow we need to draw attention…’

While Lee Han pondered, Erde, who had been staring at him intently, tapped him and called out.

“Hey. Junior.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have a method?”

“Please wait a moment. I’ll think of something.”

“Never mind. I’ll give you one last lesson.”

“?”

Lee Han paused at the unexpected words.

Erde continued in a serious voice.

“You’re an amazing guy. They say Einroguard gathers the Empire’s geniuses, but even among them, occasionally special geniuses like you appear. Like Senior Yukveltire.”

“Why that person of all people…”

Lee Han reflexively objected to the unconvincing example.

“When I first saw you, I wondered what kind of guy you were. Everything you said and did was strange, and you were so pretentious that I thought, what kind of braggart is this.”

“I don’t think it was that bad.”

“But I was the one who failed to recognize you. I’ve never seen a guy like you in my grade. The grades above me would be the same.”

Erde’s attitude was solemn.

Initially, he had approached thinking of him only as bait to use for smuggling operations, but that thought had changed long ago.

The junior before him had the ability to lead great affairs at Einroguard.

“Normally, what would someone like me teach a guy like you, but there is one thing I can teach you today. Sometimes you need to know how to abandon people – whether they’re your friends, juniors, or seniors.”

With those final words, Erde pushed Lee Han back forcefully, then opened the exit door under the frame and rushed out.

“?!”

Then he ran toward the Death Knights while casting a spell.

“Terrible memories, arise!”

With an ominous sound, an illusion of the Skeleton Principal floated up.

The magical illusion struck the souls of the surrounding Death Knights, making them fall into hallucinations.

Your work disappoints me!

-We’re sorry, Master… This bastard. What kind of guy is he?

-What insolent fool is this?!

But that was as far as it went.

Against high-level undead like Death Knights, illusion magic prepared on the spot like this couldn’t maintain its effect for more than a second.

The Death Knights, who immediately broke free from the hallucination, frowned at the Skeleton Principal’s illusion floating in the air.

“It’s me!”

-…Ah, no. How did you get in first?

-Isn’t he a crazy student? Why did he come in first?

-Shouldn’t we send him to the infirmary instead of the punishment room?

“I’m perfectly sane, you minions! I came in early to disgrace the Principal’s reputation!”

-He’s sane!

-Fortunately, he’s extremely sane.

-Student. Please follow us. We’ll escort you to the punishment room.

“Hmph.”

Erde snorted.

The Death Knights felt an ominous feeling from that smile.

Einroguard’s delinquent students rarely went quietly even when caught.

-Student. Don’t try any tricks.

“The only tricks are the ones the Principal pulls! Come forth, Illusory Corrosion!”

With the incantation, a giant carnivorous plant began to reveal itself around Erde.

The Death Knights who recognized its identity were horrified.

-No! Don’t do that!

The Illusory Corrosion was a vicious interdimensional plant that destroyed its surroundings and made them its own environment by spitting corrosive liquid mixed with reality and illusion.

If left alone, the main building’s first floor would surely become chaos.

“Try to catch me if you can, minions!”

-Catch him!

The Death Knights rushed at Erde, grinding their teeth.

From what they could see, he seemed to harbor quite a grudge against the Principal. If they didn’t catch him quickly, that chaos could multiply several times over.

Even while being subdued in an instant, Erde gestured toward Lee Han’s direction.

That gesture could only mean one thing.

“…!”

Lee Han squeezed his eyes shut and exited through the frame below, heading toward the back of the first floor.

The Death Knights were all too busy dealing with the aftermath of the Illusory Corrosion to notice Lee Han.

‘…Thank you. Senior.’

Hearing the Death Knights’ shouting and struggling sounds from afar, Lee Han made a resolution.

He would definitely succeed in this smuggling operation and repay this debt!

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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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