Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 696
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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 696
“What about Senior?!”
Yoner asked in surprise when he saw Lee Han return alone.
“He got caught.”
“At least that’s fortunate! That Wardanaz didn’t get caught.”
“A blessing in disguise. Let’s go!”
“…”
Lee Han stared at his friends with a look of shock.
Did his friends perhaps have no human emotions whatsoever?
* * *
The three who safely escaped quickly erased the carriage’s insignia and detached the cargo compartment to separate it.
Then they moved to the location where they had parted ways with their friends.
“!”
“They’re not here…”
“Lee Han. We need to move.”
“I know. Let’s go.”
Just because the other friends weren’t there didn’t mean they could go looking for them.
Wasn’t this one of the situations they had anticipated from the beginning when making their plan?
If they had to leave their position due to countermeasures, they would meet again in front of the school’s main gate.
As Lee Han continued to show signs of worry while driving the carriage, Yoner comforted him from the side.
“Everyone will be fine. It’s probably because the merchant carriage came out a little early.”
“Right? They wouldn’t have encountered the Death Knight patrol unit, would they?”
“Huh, there’s such a thing too…?”
“I don’t know. But it’s possible.”
“…”
Yoner was dumbfounded, but Lee Han was quite serious.
He had felt it a lot while going in and out of the school.
It wouldn’t be strange at all if there were Death Knight patrol units!
“Wardanaz. I hear strange sounds.”
Ratford perked up his ears and signaled.
Eerie crying sounds were coming from somewhere.
-Sob sob…
“…Wh, what is it? A monster…?”
Yoner was flustered.
It was now past dawn and the darkness was almost completely dispersed, so what kind of ghost-type monster was appearing?
-I don’t want to go back to school…
-Waaah…
“…”
“…”
Lee Han and his friends discovered other friends crying loudly beyond the hill and made bitter expressions.
It wasn’t monsters, but friends returning to school.
“Hey guys.”
“Wardanaz!”
“Stop crying and let’s go.”
“Someone like you Wardanaz who fits well with Einroguard wouldn’t understand!”
“…These bastards.”
Lee Han drew his staff in anger.
Normally he might have laughed it off, but the mental fatigue accumulated during the smuggling operation made his patience disappear.
There are things people can say and things they can’t say – how could they say such things?
“If you don’t stop crying and start running right now, I’ll make you shed more tears here.”
“Y, you bad bastard!”
The friends cursed at Lee Han while hurriedly running away toward the school.
Lee Han glared at their retreating figures and muttered.
“How dare they spout such nonsense.”
“…”
“…”
Yoner and Ratford quietly kept their mouths shut. Lee Han turned his head to the two and asked.
“You guys think it’s nonsense too, right?”
“Huh? Yeah. Of course.”
“I, I think it’s nonsense.”
The closer they got to the school, the more familiar faces began to appear.
Lee Han spotted Adenart and her group of followers and greeted them.
“Ah. Imperial Princess.”
“Wardanaz. I received your letter well.”
“Mm. I also received yours well…”
While answering, Lee Han trailed off.
He was a bit cautious about whether it was okay to say he received Adenart’s letter well.
‘Would it be okay to ask her to write less content in the future? Wouldn’t that be a bit rude?’
One of the followers beside her said enviously to Lee Han.
“You even received a letter from Her Highness? How enviable!”
“You could send one too.”
“Acting so familiar on your own would be rude, Wardanaz!”
‘Not sending letters as a group seems more rude…’
To put it nicely it was politeness, but honestly it seemed like ostracism.
Lee Han thought so but decided to speak favorably.
“That’s true. You guys would have spent time close together during the vacation, so there wouldn’t have been a need to send letters.”
Adenart nodded with satisfaction showing on her expressionless face.
After each finished meeting with their families, the followers had gathered around Adenart to spend the vacation period together.
It was truly a faithful and fulfilling winter vacation.
Hunting, snow mountain exploration, mage guild tours, workshop participation, banquets, and so on.
“We also had a fun time together.”
Ratford also seemed to want to boast as he spoke up after a long time.
Though the gains were small, it was a winter vacation filled with friendship.
“Oh. How did you spend it?”
“We visited the Wardanaz Family estate and toured the territory.”
“!”
At Ratford’s words, Adenart was amazed and felt slightly envious.
The Wardanaz Family territory was something that anyone who seriously studied magic couldn’t help but be curious about.
“How curious? The Wardanaz Family territory.”
“Right. I wonder if it’s like a place similar to Einroguard?”
“You guys are being too harsh with your words. Haha.”
When the followers showed unexpectedly positive reactions, Adenart was intrigued.
If everyone was interested, then next vacation…
“Why didn’t you guys visit too?”
“Ah. That won’t do. If Her Imperial Highness visits other noble family territories, unnecessary rumors might spread.”
“It requires a very careful sequence considering the Empire’s politics. If she visited a loyalist territory, next she’d have to visit a noble faction territory.”
“Our family is neutral faction though.”
“Still, no. His Majesty is strict.”
Adenart became dejected as her own words came back to bind her feet.
“What’s next?”
“We went to Plahur City and visited Lord Gainando’s manor.”
“That doesn’t sound very enviable.”
“Looks boring.”
“The Imperial Princess’s manor would have been better.”
Immediately, lukewarm reactions from the followers burst out.
Adenart also shrugged her shoulders, seemingly not very envious of that either.
Then, remembering something, she poked at her followers.
“I think we can do it now.”
“Do what?”
“…What I mentioned before. Don’t you remember?”
“What do you… Ah! Oh!”
The followers remembered and exclaimed.
“Wardanaz!”
“Hm?”
“We heard you have a big misunderstanding. A misunderstanding that Her Imperial Highness stole bread from the White Tiger Tower students.”
“It’s not that serious…”
“That’s a misunderstanding! Her Highness only took it back because we had our bread stolen first.”
“That’s right. Her Highness absolutely didn’t steal it first.”
“…”
“…”
Yoner and Ratford looked at the proud followers and Adenart with pitying gazes. Whatever else they might be good at, those people didn’t seem very skilled at making excuses.
Being so obvious about it would create false accusations even where none existed.
“Come to think of it, I did think something was strange.”
Lee Han answered like that while looking at the two. Yoner immediately chimed in.
“I said it was strange from the beginning!”
“That’s right. I also remember saying that bread thievery isn’t something just anyone does. Haha!”
At the three’s responses, Adenart and her followers left very satisfied.
Then this time, a new friend appeared.
It was Asan from the Dalcard family.
“Asan. How have you been? Did you receive the letter well?”
“I’ve been well. It was a good vacation. My older brother and sister were happy when they received the letter.”
“That’s a relief.”
“They said they wished you were their younger brother?”
“Haha. Even as a joke, that feels good.”
“It seemed like they were serious? They asked when you’d visit next time.”
“…”
Lee Han decided to be a bit more careful when visiting the Dalcard family in the future.
He already had enough eccentric families and didn’t want to increase their number any further.
“Lee Han. Over there!”
Yoner whispered while containing his joy. Nilia’s group was coming from far away.
“Everyone’s safe!”
“What a relief!”
“…Why does Gainando look like that?”
Lee Han felt puzzled and muttered.
Unlike the other friends, only Gainando’s complexion was pale as if he were half-undead.
“Wasn’t he always like that?”
“I think he was like that.”
At their reactions, Lee Han wondered if he had momentarily seen wrong.
But he hadn’t.
“He is pale!”
“Maybe it’s from learning dark magic?”
“There’s no such effect, you know? Is everyone okay?”
As his friends approached, Lee Han checked their condition first. Fortunately, there were no other problems besides Gainando’s pale complexion.
“Gainando. Why is your face…”
When Lee Han asked, Gainando grinned as if he had been waiting for this.
Even while staggering from poison sickness, he had been waiting only for a chance to boast.
“Well…”
“Where did the senior go?”
“He got caught.”
Lee Han answered with a gloomy expression.
Worried that the other friends might react as heartlessly as Yoner or Ratford, Lee Han quickly explained what had happened.
With as much dramatic embellishment as possible!
“That’s unbelievable…!”
“Amazing! Who would have thought he was that kind of senior!”
Whether it was effective, his friends reacted differently than before.
Yoner and Ratford, perhaps embarrassed, whispered separately to Lee Han.
“I just said I was glad you at least made it out. You know that, right?”
“I thought that senior got caught while betraying us.”
Siana spoke as if she truly found it hard to believe.
“To think he would draw attention by using such magic. What a surprising thing.”
“I really agree. Though the senior isn’t from a knight family, it was a knight-like sacrifice. I didn’t think he was that kind of person when I first met him.”
“Wardanaz, your actions changed the senior’s heart. Among the mountain range hunters, there are people who are eccentric but good once you get close to them.”
Lee Han and his friends nodded and commemorated Senior Erde’s sacrifice.
After finishing the conversation, Lee Han looked at Gainando again and asked.
“So, why does your face look like that?”
“…Wait. I’ll tell you later. If I say it now, my story will seem a bit…”
“What do you mean later? Tell me now.”
“No! If I say it now, it’ll be compared and seem weak!”
While they were chattering, Lee Han momentarily felt something was off.
‘What is it?’
It felt as if a massive magic had secretly deceived Lee Han’s senses and passed by.
Pop!
“!”
Sure enough, that sense of unease was exactly right.
When he came to his senses, all the second-year students who had been waiting outside the main gate had moved inside.
Welcome!
“…Yes…”
“Nice to see you…”
The second-year students grasped the situation and greeted the Skeleton Principal with lifeless voices.
The year they spent at Einroguard had taught them well.
Aren’t you happy about the new semester?
“We’re happy…”
Of course you are! You are no longer blockheads! Having spent a valuable year at school, you must be at least bronze-heads now!
“…”
“…”
The students who had earned bronze qualifications glared at the Skeleton Principal with eyes that looked ready to collapse from joy.
That’s not all. Now you have the qualification to meet and talk with your seniors! You’ll meet those who entered before you, studied before you, and became much more vicious and cruel plunderers than you!
“Can we join clubs too?”
Of course! But seeing how you only care about social activities instead of asking about magical research or new lectures you can take, I can clearly see your future!
The White Tiger Tower student who got scolded just for asking one question grumbled.
What lectures you’ll attend, what research you’ll conduct, how you’ll secure gold coins, and how you’ll participate in club activities – all of that will be explained by your seniors, not me. There’s no need to be so impatient. You’ll see your seniors’ skills during the inspection time that’s coming up.
“Inspection time?”
“What’s that?”
Several friends who didn’t know yet tilted their heads in confusion.
Lee Han’s group managed their expressions. There was nothing good about appearing to know.
I’d like to say farewell and wish you a good day, but there’s one thing I must do before leaving.
The Skeleton Principal said as he drew up mana like a waterfall.
Now that you have the qualification to meet and speak with your seniors, you have the obligation not to meet and speak with your juniors. This prohibition will protect the innocent blockheads from you wicked ones!
Along with his cry, powerful magic created successive green waves that rippled like water between the students.
The prohibition had begun for all of this year’s second-year students.
A prohibition that made them unrecognizable to first years and prevented direct contact with second years!
The students, having already experienced their first year, didn’t panic and accepted it calmly. After all, prohibitions, restrictions, and secret oaths were as natural as breathing at Einroguard.
Meanwhile, Lee Han tilted his head in confusion.
No matter how he looked at it, he didn’t feel like the magic had taken effect on him.
“Uh, Principal? I think you left me out.”
You have too much mana so it doesn’t work well on you. Avoid them on your own. You should be able to do at least that much.
“…”
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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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