Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 717
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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 717
“Where did you get this?”
“I received it from Professor Verdus.”
“What?!?!”
An even more intense reaction burst out than the previous one.
When the senior looked at him as if treating him like a spy, Lee Han hastily explained.
“I can explain.”
“I don’t usually enjoy chatting when teleportation comes up, but I need to hear this before we go.”
Sevius crossed his arms with a stubborn attitude and stared at his junior.
He couldn’t even guess what reason there could have been to receive such a key from Professor Verdus.
Wasn’t Professor Verdus a crazy professor who wouldn’t give even a handful of reagents to his own school’s direct disciples?
It would be even more impossible for a junior who had been a first-year until last year to obtain one.
“Actually…”
Lee Han briefly explained what had happened last year.
Last year he had been overworked by Professor Verdus, and a graduating senior in the punishment room who saw this became enraged and secured him some rights…
‘What am I listening to right now?’
Sevius endured the mental confusion and concentrated.
He couldn’t tell whether this was a story about a first-year student or a legendary ancient senior wandering around Einroguard.
“…That’s how it happened. I received this key as payment for working during last year.”
“Hmm. Right. Truly amazing.”
Sevius realized that when there are too many things to point out, people give up.
There was no time, but there were too many parts to ask about.
“You were lucky. Who would have thought you’d have the key to this place.”
‘Hasn’t his way of speaking become a bit strange?’
When the senior answered stiffly as if he had been hit by some paralysis curse, Lee Han found it suspicious.
“I’m sorry. It would have been much easier if we had entered here directly.”
“That’s not true. We would have had to keep moving around to secure all the books anyway. It was just a difference in entrance, it would have been the same.”
“Thank you for saying that. Shall we go in then?”
Sevius checked the time briefly and decided to ask only the one thing he was most curious about.
“…But what exactly did you do to end up in the deep punishment room?”
* * *
The door opened and Professor Verdus’s official underground warehouse revealed itself.
Unlike the disorderly previous warehouses, it showed a thoroughly managed appearance…
…or rather it didn’t, and was similar to the other warehouses. Miscellaneous items were rolling around everywhere and reagents were mixed up haphazardly in chests.
But there was definitely a difference.
‘This is definitely a place the professor uses.’
The items in the forgotten warehouses were full of trash that had broken or lost their effects due to poor management, but here in the official underground warehouse connected to the Sacred Workshop, everything was immediately usable.
Sevius glanced at his junior and said.
“You can take some if you want.”
“!”
“I don’t usually allow stealing freely during operations… but being able to enter here was purely thanks to you, wasn’t it? You can take some if you want.”
“It’s fine.”
“…I can see why Ratford speaks highly of you. Restraining greed is truly a great talent. Don’t you think so?”
“Actually, since I can enter anytime, I was thinking of bringing friends and sweeping the place clean later when needed.”
“…”
Sevius grumbled inwardly.
He thought he had gotten used to Einroguard, but seeing this junior made that thought completely disappear.
Einroguard was always an amazing place. It seemed like he would never adapt to it in his lifetime.
“I’m worried the teleportation club members might get fat because of you.”
“?”
“If you rely too much on others, you forget how to take care of yourself. How are you getting along with the Blue Dragon Tower students?”
“Don’t worry. I’m always helping them within appropriate limits.”
“Well, someone like you wouldn’t just give everything away indiscriminately.”
Sevius, unaware that Lee Han was indeed giving everything away indiscriminately to the Blue Dragon Tower students, didn’t notice and moved on.
If he had known the truth, he would have grabbed him by the collar and shouted, ‘You call that helping within appropriate limits?’
“Do you know why I only take books?”
“Other valuable items likely have separate alarm magic or defensive magic on them, and to dispel that magic would consume time, mana, and concentration, increasing the risk of getting caught, right?”
When an unexpectedly professional reason came out immediately, Sevius’s jaw dropped.
‘Is this guy really from a thieves’ guild?’
“…That’s right too, but there’s also another reason. It’s because of Senior Illeg.”
When the library club president’s name came up, Lee Han was startled.
“Did Senior Illeg threaten to kill you if you stole things??”
“Hey. What do you think of Senior Illeg?”
Sevius got slightly offended.
Although Senior Illeg had powerful strength, he wasn’t someone who beat people…
…well, he was someone who beat people, but anyway, he didn’t beat just anyone.
“I’m sorry. Then why?”
“It was when I was actively teleporting around Einroguard. I happened to enter a place where Senior Illeg was staying.”
Sevius spoke while recalling the memory.
Illeg discovered Sevius ransacking the warehouse, but instead of subduing him with his fists, he gifted him the book he was holding.
“He gifted you a book?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. Was it a magic book with location tracking? To wipe out your accomplices too?”
“…It was just a book, you bastard. Senior Illeg said this: Taking treasure is good, but it seems you’ve forgotten the real treasure here.”
Sevius, who left that place, initially thought like a typical Phoenix Tower priest that he was a strange guy.
No matter how good-natured, to even gift a book to a thief.
Then, curious, Sevius opened the book once. He was curious about what content warranted giving it to him like that.
“What kind of book was it? Scripture? Fables?”
“It was just a popular novel. About a thief who was framed and trapped on a lonely island in the vast ocean, who escapes and takes revenge on those who framed him. Strangely, it made me cry.”
‘I think I know why.’
Lee Han thought he also knew why Senior Illeg had given him that novel.
It must have been for practical purposes.
Surely as reference for escaping Einroguard…
“After reading it all night, I went to find Senior Illeg. I returned the book and thanked him. Then the senior gave me the next book. After reading the next book, another next book… That’s how I ended up joining the library club. From then on, I stopped teleporting other things.”
“That’s amazing.”
Lee Han looked at Sevius with slight admiration.
If someone told Lee Han right now not to teleport from the Skeleton Principal’s warehouse, he would immediately grab them by the collar and shout ‘Who are you to tell me that?’
But the senior before him had escaped from such greed.
“Amazing my ass… Damn, I don’t know why I told this to a junior who just entered like you. Probably because you seem like someone who will consistently be active in either the library club or teleportation club. I won’t be here from next year, but you’ll continue to be here.”
As Sevius kept emphasizing that he wouldn’t be here from next year, Lee Han strangely felt an ominous feeling.
‘He’s not going to be here next year too, is he?’
“Teleportation is good, but don’t fall into greed and forget what’s important. I’ve seen many guys who kept doing it because operations went well and ended up in the punishment room.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“There it is.”
Sevius spotted 【Comprehensive Gemology】 stuck in the bookshelf and pointed to it.
The thick, purple-bound book had several bookmarks inserted. It didn’t have a speck of dust, as if it had been read recently.
“…”
“Why is that?”
“It looks like Professor Verdus was reading it.”
“Even better. Let’s take it.”
Lee Han thought that if he could cause Professor Verdus pain as a result of his work, he’d consider it a nice little bonus.
“…No. If Professor Verdus was reading it, we can’t.”
“Senior. Don’t you remember the other books? There were books trapped in slime too, right? This book might end up the same way.”
“I know. I know that. Damn it.”
Despite his junior’s logical persuasion, Sevius let out deep sighs and shook his head.
“I’m really sorry. But I can’t take it.”
“No… this is your work, senior. It’s fine. You’re the one making the decision.”
When his junior comforted him, Sevius felt even more sorry.
He had brought him all the way here only to back down.
“Damn it. Someone who never read the books we took, what wind is blowing that he’s reading that book…”
“It’s right to back down since taking such a book might get us caught. Instead, senior. Let’s take these.”
Lee Han pointed to books stuck in other parts of the bookshelf. They had been untouched for so long that dust had piled up thickly on them.
Seeing that, Sevius chuckled.
“You’re better than me. Right. We should take those.”
The hamster beastman senior swept the remaining books into his backpack with skilled movements.
While they had entered through the rear gate, since they had the key, they could just exit through the main gate.
The two headed for the storage’s main gate…
“Who’s there?”
With a rustling sound, the miscellaneous items in the back collapsed and a mage stood up.
It was Professor Verdus.
“…”
“…”
Lee Han could clearly see the color rapidly draining from his senior’s face, turning pale.
“It’s me, Professor.”
“Oh, what’s going on? How did you get in here?”
Professor Verdus recognized Lee Han and looked puzzled.
“You gave me this key last year.”
“How did you get that key?!”
At his shameless attempt to erase memories of things unfavorable to him, Lee Han spoke seriously and explained.
“Didn’t I receive it as payment for helping you last year?”
“Can’t you give it back?”
“Am I crazy?”
Professor Verdus grumbled at his disciple’s attitude.
Even though he had received it legitimately, not returning his storage key because of his own greed.
He was truly greedy.
“But who’s next to you?”
“He’s my senior.”
“Why are you together?”
“He came to help me take reagents from the storage.”
“…How much are you going to take?”
Professor Verdus looked at Lee Han pleadingly.
His usual appearance of squeezing Lee Han like a madman was nowhere to be seen. The professor instinctively utilized the beaver beastman’s characteristic appearance, trying to evoke sympathy.
Of course, Lee Han had long since lost any sense of cuteness toward all beavers in the world since meeting Professor Verdus.
“I’ll take as much as I need.”
“What magic are you going to do? Tell me. I’ll help you. Originally, if you craft magic well, reagent consumption decreases too.”
“I’m trying to attack the principal…”
Lee Han gestured to Sevius. It meant to go outside during this opportunity.
Thrilled by his junior’s ability to toy with Professor Verdus, Sevius headed outside.
‘No one will believe what happened today.’
To think Professor Verdus could be persuaded through conversation.
Even students who had overcome all sorts of mysteries and difficulties at Einroguard wouldn’t believe this!
* * *
“Are you okay?!”
“Yes.”
Sevius, who had been waiting outside, rushed over urgently when Lee Han came out.
He had come out much later than expected.
“What happened that took so long…”
“Ah. Professor Verdus kept trying to recommend cheap magic, so I was delayed. Nothing serious happened.”
“…Take this.”
Sevius took out a small pouch and held it out. Lee Han received it puzzledly. It was heavy and made a jingling sound the moment he took it.
“Empire gold coins. Twelve pieces? Is that right?”
“…How did you know?!”
“Why are you giving me this?”
“Why did I give it? Because you did work. Originally we settle up after teleportation is finished. If we had come out with more expensive treasure, I might have given you more… And, don’t worry too much about what I said earlier. Whether it’s the Library Club or Teleportation Club, if you’re not interested, just say so comfortably. I can take responsibility and get you out of both clubs.”
‘I should at least do this much.’
Thinking of the dedication his junior had shown today, Sevius thought even this much repayment was insufficient.
He might face bookshelf punishment or have Teleportation Club members grab his pant legs, but this was something he had to do.
However, his junior answered seriously.
“What are you talking about? Let’s go retrieve the next book.”
“Do you by any chance not sleep?”
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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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