Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy - Chapter 819
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 819
Duke Ikalderen, completely intimidated, hurriedly grabbed his quill and began signing ‘I will sponsor Yukveltire’s artificial dimension research.’
In his appearance, there was not a trace of the confidence he usually had when controlling the underworld in the shadowy corners of the Empire.
It was as pitiful as a wealthy man who had gone bankrupt in his old age, writing his will with trembling hands.
Lee Han and Yukveltire watched the scene with satisfaction. Fortunately, Diret, who was still in his right mind, grabbed both of their shoulders and whispered.
“Hey. Wait a minute.”
“?”
“??”
The two looked at Diret as if asking why he was doing this.
“…I said we should maintain some courtesy.”
“It’s resolved, isn’t it? Now we just need to keep him locked up until the end of this week.”
“Don’t worry, senior. I’ll make sure he gets his meals properly.”
His friend was being irritating and his junior was obliviously saying something else, but Diret gritted his teeth and maintained his patience.
“Umrgrgrdrgrji…”
“Diret. Speak properly. Don’t be so undignified.”
“I think he said ‘Even so, that’s going too far’…”
Lee Han took a step back as he spoke. Yukveltire wondered why her junior was stepping back.
Smack!
Diret hit his friend’s head with the end of his staff.
Yukveltire blinked her eyes repeatedly with a look as if the sky had fallen from her trusted friend’s betrayal.
“Wh-why?”
“You call that talking! Are you only going to do magic for one more year? That duke will eventually be released and go back, do you want to get on the blacklist among the Empire’s nobles!”
“But…”
Yukveltire tried to argue.
There were many great nobles in the Empire, and no matter how much Duke Ikalderen held a grudge and spread bad rumors, as long as she had excellent magical skills, there would be plenty of nobles willing to show interest and provide sponsorship…
Smack!
“And you’re making your junior get blood on his hands to get sponsorship for your research! Are you even human!”
“That’s…”
Yukveltire tried to argue again.
The threat Lee Han had just made wasn’t something she had directly ordered, was it?
But Yukveltire said nothing and kept her mouth shut.
Somehow she felt that if she spoke here, a curse would come flying instead of a staff.
It was a mistake not to prepare for close-range curses, trusting Diret. Yukveltire reflected on her naive innocence.
“Senior. Please calm down.”
Lee Han hid behind Yukveltire and tried to explain.
“Honestly, that duke was impossible to persuade. You know that too, senior.”
“…He was a bit scared and talking nonsense… but still, persuasion… Wait. It seems like you two have met before, what happened?”
“Nothing but receiving a few invitations.”
“Really? His reaction seems too intense for just that.”
“At the end, I did go to arrest him with the Principal…”
Diret glared at his junior.
Shouldn’t he have said that first?
“No wonder he was going on about the disciple of the Dark Mage… Sigh. If you want magic to last long, making enemies won’t do you any good.”
“No matter how much Duke Ikalderen holds a grudge and spreads bad rumors, with excellent magical skills, it can be sufficiently overcome…”
“You be quiet.”
After shutting up his friend who was being additionally irritating, Diret sighed.
He didn’t care whether Yukveltire made enemies by the legion, but he was worried that his junior had already built enmity with an Imperial duke.
Having many enemies in a mage’s future path was never good.
The Skeleton Principal must know this too, yet he took Lee Han along to make an arrest.
It was clearly malicious intent to spread rumors, truly nasty beyond measure.
As Diret kept sighing deeply, Lee Han became slightly worried.
“Is the rumor about being the Dark Mage’s disciple that dangerous?”
“No… you’ll be respected in your own way.”
“But you’ll be hated just as much.”
“Senior. Please restrain yourself!”
Lee Han hurriedly grabbed Diret’s arm to stop him. Seeing the green flash in his eyes, at least a poisoned curse was being prepared.
Yukveltire asked as if she didn’t understand.
“I explained it, so why is he acting like that?”
“I think I understand… Anyway, the rumor about being the Dark Mage’s disciple seems to be a double-edged sword.”
Diret was about to say ‘It’s more like a sword with an edge only facing the master’ but held back, feeling sorry for his junior.
Seeing her friend and junior looking dejected, Yukveltire felt the need to give practical advice.
“Diret. If you’re that worried about your junior, there’s a way.”
“…What is it.”
“Threaten Duke Ikalderen more thoroughly now. So that even when he’s released, he won’t dare go against our will.”
Since courtesy and reconciliation were already out of the question, she was suggesting they thoroughly intimidate him to avoid future trouble.
Lee Han was intrigued by those words.
“Please explain in more detail…”
“Hey. Come outside.”
‘No. I wanted to hear it.’
At Diret’s cold voice, Lee Han felt disappointed inside.
If he got the chance, he thought he should ask Yukveltire for details separately later.
If nothing else, as Professor Verdus’s disciple, she seemed very reliable in this kind of matter.
* * *
After mediating the duel between the two seniors and guiding the duke to a warm bed in the underground of the Dark Tower (it was quite cozy with a corpse-burning furnace nearby), Lee Han returned to the dormitory as if nothing had happened.
On the 7th floor, friends and seniors who had been targeting sponsors with predatory eyes were also returning one by one after finishing their work.
“You worked hard, Senior Perse.”
“I didn’t work that hard. Most of the Ballgame Club sponsors are good people. And we also receive support from the Imperial Ballgame Association… Oh right. Junior. I heard you received separate sponsorship? As expected of the master of the Basilisk and Griffin.”
Perse looked at his junior with respectful eyes for his excellent performance.
He couldn’t even imagine that an ancient being had awakened and come looking for him with hidden treasure.
Lee Han smiled artificially.
“I was lucky.”
“Where’s the luck in that. Oh right. You guys. Did you hear the rumor about the duke?”
Perse asked, looking not only at Lee Han but also at the other friends behind him.
The Blue Dragon Tower 2nd year students nodded and answered.
“Of course we heard.”
“If you catch the duke, does he really spit out gold coins equal to his weight?”
‘How fast did the rumor spread?’
Lee Han was slightly flustered.
He didn’t expect it to spread enough for even his friends to know, let alone the seniors.
Perse spoke with serious worry clouding his stern, angular face.
“Just in case, don’t get greedy about Duke Ankarden.”
“It’s Duke Ikalderen.”
“Ah. My mistake. Duke Ikalderen. Right. Don’t get greedy about Duke Ikalderen.”
Perse paused while explaining.
How did his junior even know the name?
‘Well, since he attends all schools, he’d hear rumors faster too.’
“The Principal wouldn’t bother imprisoning and then releasing someone without money, so he’ll probably pay out a huge amount of gold coins, but the competition will be fierce. There are even rumors that 5th year seniors are targeting him.”
“Isn’t this too much! If they’re 5th years, they should just graduate!”
“Stop it! Your words are too harsh. Show some respect to the seniors who made it to 5th year. Don’t you have any sympathy?”
‘Senior Perse’s words seem more cruel though…’
Lee Han muttered to himself.
“Don’t worry, senior. We don’t have much desire for the duke.”
“That’s right. I heard the 6th floor corridor was also destroyed because 5th years fought over the duke.”
“…”
Lee Han shuddered at seeing his own actions cleverly mixed into the rumors.
So this is how rumors are made!
Anyway, thanks to that, the 2nd year students seemed to have lost much of their interest in the duke.
The thought of getting involved when upperclassmen were fighting so fiercely among themselves had greatly diminished.
Several friends said they weren’t interested while whispering to Lee Han.
“Wardanaz. Are you really not interested?”
“You’re really, really not interested, right?”
“…I said I’m not.”
“Phew. I see. Then I’m not interested either.”
“Me too!”
“…”
Lee Han was left speechless by his friends’ reliable friendship, ready to join him if he went to kidnap the duke.
“It’s fortunate that you’re not interested in the duke. I wasn’t going to say this much, but there’s a 5th year senior in White Tiger Tower. Senior Catten from the Jahan family, an amazing swordsman who can freely handle aura.”
“He must be good at magic too?”
“Huh? Uh… well. I suppose so. Anyway, this person participated in the duke competition and got his arm shattered. That shows how many strong students are participating. Everyone be careful. Understand? If you’re misunderstood as coming to steal the duke, you might be carried to the infirmary instead of the punishment room.”
“We’ll keep that in mind!”
“Junior. What about you?”
Perse asked sternly when Lee Han didn’t answer.
This student taking classes from all schools was fearless and might get involved in anything. He needed more emphasis.
“I’ll keep it in mind too!”
“Good. That’s enough.”
“But Senior Perse. Isn’t the story about Senior Catten from the Jahan family getting his arm shattered just a false rumor? I can’t believe that person got hurt.”
Lee Han came to his senses and attempted opinion manipulation.
However, Perse shook his head.
“That’s not it. I heard it directly.”
“…From whom?”
Planning to brand whoever said it as a liar, Lee Han asked again.
“Directly from Senior Catten of the Jahan family himself. He emphasized several times that it was really a formidable opponent.”
“…”
Lee Han secretly clenched his fist.
* * *
Even though it was club week, it didn’t mean classes weren’t held.
Students had to attend lectures while also kidnapping and persuading sponsors.
Especially in Lee Han’s case, he was even busier.
‘Thank goodness I handled as much work as possible on the weekend…’
If he had to kidnap everyone from the ancient attendant sent by the insane doppelganger to Duke Ikalderen during weekdays, the work would have been several times more tiring.
Thinking this, Lee Han moved his steps. It wasn’t for lectures or sponsorship. There were chores he had to do periodically.
Taking care of the animals he raised (Ponrig would sulk if he visited the unicorn first, and the unicorn would sulk if he brought the basilisk, so he had to calculate well), acquiring additional food supplies from the vegetable garden he had and the kitchen club area he received from seniors…
Lee Han, who was moving stealthily under cover of the night darkness approaching dawn, stopped when he saw the familiar pirate grandmother in the distance.
“Lady Ragesa?”
“Which brat is… it’s you. Why are you wandering around like a rat with invisibility magic at this hour?”
“Because I should originally be in the dormitory at this time. What are you doing here, Lady Ragesa? The place where sponsors stay shouldn’t be this way.”
“I was looking around out of boredom. I also felt sorry for the students.”
“The seniors are certainly quite pitiful.”
Lee Han deeply empathized.
Then Ragesa burst into anger.
“What’s pitiful about those damn brats! They’re arrogant and insolent!”
“What? The seniors?”
“Yes! Those damn brats.”
‘What on earth did the seniors do?’
Lee Han was truly surprised to see Ragesa genuinely angry in that short time.
“Just because they invested some gold coins in Vible, these damn brats think Torgerd’s daughter is a complete fool! You’re not thinking that way too, are you?”
“Lady Ragesa. I am Professor Verdus’… the professor’s disciple. Professor Verdus’s research is certainly worth investing in.”
“That’s not it.”
“…”
“Never mind. When I said pitiful, I was talking about the new students here. Look over there.”
When Ragesa pointed ahead, Lee Han enhanced his vision and looked.
Looking at it, there was a food basket that Ragesa had thrown there.
‘What?’
Shortly after.
Skinny first-year students came running hurriedly, grabbed the food basket, and began devouring it frantically.
Ragesa shook her head and said.
“Even so, to starve them like that.”
“No, no. They don’t usually starve to that extent…”
“Really? As far as I know, that should be normal. Has it changed in the meantime?”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————