Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Chapter 650

"Is that so? Everyone has unexpected aspects, don't they?"

Yi-Han was confident that he wouldn't be surprised even if Professor Boladi had made this.

Couldn't Professor Boladi have gone through a stormy period in his youth?

"Even unexpected things have limits."

"But the principal was a handsome man when he was alive."

Having learned this fact, Yi-Han had gained a more flexible perspective.

There were no limits in the world, and magic was boundless.

"...That's too... long ago. Bagrak's youth isn't that ancient!"

Alcicle had to strive for the honor of Boladi, whom he didn't even consider particularly close.

After repeated persuasion, Yi-Han accepted that it might not be Professor Boladi's doing.

"I guess it might not be... Well, maybe it was made by a magic criminal who snuck into the school."

"Hey. Just because I said it wasn't Bagrak's doing doesn't mean you need to forcibly come up with an implausible hypothesis."

Alcicle felt upset at Yi-Han's appearance of casually blurting out while clearly marking Professor Boladi as the culprit in his mind.

"And more important than who the owner is, is the magic imbued in it."

"I agree."

Yi-Han nodded.

Who the owner was wasn't really important.

What was important was that he had obtained such an artifact.

When Yi-Han agreed, Alcicle also looked at his junior with pleased eyes. At times like this, they understood each other as fellow mages.

They both spoke to each other simultaneously.

"First, try to master the imbued magic. You might be able to meet the owner then."

"It's quite a useful artifact, so I'll carry it around and use it when it's dangerous, and if necessary, sell it... Huh?"

"?"

"??"

Alcicle and Yi-Han looked at each other once. Alcicle flapped his flippers to organize the conversation.

"Wait. My opinion was for you to try mastering the magic imbued in it. You might have a chance to learn new arcane magic if you happen to meet the owner." �

"Yes."

"Your opinion is... I don't know what nonsense you're talking about."

'No, that's too much.'

Yi-Han protested at the senior mage's ice-cold response.

"How can there be a chance to meet an owner who's hard to find? It's normal to just use it as an artifact."

"Don't you know that magic calls to magic? You never know when or how you'll meet. How regrettable would it be if you met the owner but couldn't master the magic? You'd be wasting an opportunity to learn magic!"

Like a born mage, Alcicle didn't want to waste any opportunity to learn any magic.

Moreover, it wasn't just any magic, but someone skilled enough to engrave time magic on such a pocket watch.

Such a skilled person must have created several unique and extraordinary magics of their own.

He had to prepare for that someday without fail.

And wasn't there an old saying that magic calls to magic?

If he mastered it, fate might lead him to the owner.

"I think the saying 'magic calls to magic' is about revenge. When White Tiger Tower students attack Black Tortoise Tower with magic, Black Tortoise Tower students attack White Tiger Tower with magic in return."

"..."

Alcicle clacked his beak in displeasure at the sight of Yi-Han interpreting a proverb symbolizing romantic fate in his own vulgar way.

"And Mr. Pengerin. There's a biggest problem with your plan."

"What is it?"

"It's that I might not be able to master the magic engraved here."

Yi-Han said seriously.

This was the biggest problem from the start.

Time magic was a very high-difficulty magic.

Even a magic like engraved on this pocket watch would clearly take an enormous amount of time to master.

Moreover, wasn't Yi-Han in a situation where he had to research other magics at the same time?

It might be a wiser choice to just use it usefully as an artifact itself, rather than being played by this artifact made by some madman.

"Wardanaz."

Alcicle sighed deeply.

"Yes?"

"You can master it."

"No, how do you know that, Mr. Pengerin?"

"I said you can master it, you bastard. Got it? You can master it. Stop talking nonsense and just master it. Master it by today."

'He's really violent today.'

Yi-Han grumbled inwardly at the sight of Alcicle making unreasonable demands.

***

Dolgyu slowly rode his horse.

He neither rode a luxurious carriage, nor a too skinny and old horse.

A knight's journey was to move proudly on a well-built warhorse with the family crest engraved on the chest.

'Huh?'

In the distance, on a hill above, he saw a group of mercenaries surrounding and making a fuss around a traveler.

Dolgyu, who was passing along the imperial road, immediately grasped his sword.

He could have just passed by, but Dolgyu had no intention of doing so.

It was a knight's duty to protect travelers walking on the empire's roads.

Even if it wasn't his family's land, it was the same. Dolgyu immediately spurred his horse.

"Sob, my sins are too deep. Can I turn back? Can I atone even now?"

Nod.

"Really? These hands soaked in blood?"

Nod.

"Oh... Oh!"

"I will... I will atone!"

"I'll put down my sword and return to my hometown...!"

"?????"

Dolgyu wondered if some evil god worshippers had come.

To think that rough and fierce mercenaries were repenting with tears like gentle lambs.

What on earth was this nonsensical situation?

'Is it mental magic?!'

Arsil, who was standing among the mercenaries, patted their shoulders as if he understood.

Then he gestured for them to follow him. The mercenaries followed behind Arsil, crying loudly.

"...Wh-what did I just see?"

Dolgyu came to his senses and tried to follow belatedly, but surprisingly, the mercenaries had disappeared.

It felt like being bewitched by ghosts.

"Aren't you Mr. Dolgyu of the Choi family?"

"Oh. Priestess Siana."

Dolgyu turned his head at the familiar voice coming from a carriage rolling in the distance.

He saw the flag of the Flameng Order, carriages, and priests.

As expected of an order counted among the largest in the empire, the carriage was large and sturdy, though not flashy.

"You look like you've seen the principal in broad daylight."

"What a terrible joke... It-it's nothing."

Dolgyu rode his horse down the hill.

He felt like no one would believe him if he told them about the scene he had just witnessed.

Even he himself wasn't sure, as if he had dreamed it...

"May Flameng's wisdom lead to perfection."

"Ah. With that perfection, I shall show even more extraordinary wisdom."

Dolgyu responded to the priests' greetings, trying hard to recall.

The Flameng Order priests looked pleased at his appropriate response.

Not many knights could give polite greetings suitable for the order. Especially if it was a young knight.

"The knight of the Choi family truly has dignity."

'I learned it following Yi-Han around.'

Dolgyu asked Priestess Siana,

"Are you heading to the Wardanaz family mansion?"

"Yes, yes. We're thinking of stopping by the town ahead on the way."

"All of the order members...?"

"Not all of us. The other priests are here because of the town."

The Flameng Order priests often traveled around the empire making potions.

Good alchemists were rare in remote places.

The high-quality potions made by the Flameng Order priests were very useful to such people.

Udamhwa town wasn't a remote place, nor did it have a temple of the Flameng Order, but the priests had set the town as their destination to accompany the young Priestess Siana.

"People are happy when we go to the town and distribute potions."

"Hmm. That's excellent work."

Dolgyu nodded up and down.

He had seen such good deeds by Flameng Order priests in the north too. In the cold and harsh northern regions, it was an even more important good deed than in other regions.

"The townsfolk will be moved too."

"You think so too, right? Should we build a temple too?"

"Th-that's not..."

Dolgyu expressed reluctance.

Unlike Yi-Han, Dolgyu felt very awkward when mingling with students from other towers.

How would Dolgyu know what priests liked?

He couldn't talk about hunting stories or northern monster stories...

"...Ah. Right. Do you know that Yi-Han visited the north this time?"

"!"

Priestess Siana looked at him with great interest.

Dolgyu inwardly felt relieved at finding a decent topic.

"He visited the Moradi family. I heard it from other friends by letter."

"Wow. The Moradi family?! Weren't they on terribly bad terms?"

"Priestess Siana."

One of the senior priests of the Flameng Order wagged his finger in warning.

Although her skills had greatly improved after entering Einroguard, there were times when he worried that her personality had become too hasty at the same time.

To the extent that he couldn't understand why she was like this when there must be other priests at Einroguard too.

"I'm sorry. Weren't they on dog-awful terms?"

'I don't think saying it quietly makes it any better.'

Dolgyu wondered if it was okay for a priest to be like this, but he decided not to interfere in the affairs of another order that wasn't his own family.

"Actually, they get along well enough despite seeming to bicker."

"Oh my. Really?"

"Yes. How could they not be close after taking sword lectures together and joining forces for a year? You can just think of them as friends who appear to be on slightly bad terms on the surface."

Dolgyu defended them earnestly.

He had always felt sorry to see the two who had fought side by side quarreling.

Surely there must be an invisible bond of comradeship built up between them!

Of course, it was an unsolicited defense that neither of them wanted.

"Oh..."

Priestess Siana excitedly scribbled with her quill.

She had found something to write about when sending letters to student priests of other orders.

"Then this visit too?"

"That's right. It's a token of friendship."

"But Mr. Dolgyu of the Choi family, he didn't visit your mansion, did he?"

"..."

Caught off guard, Dolgyu was flustered.

"You don't have to visit to be close..."

"But looking at this alone, doesn't it mean that Miss Jijel of the Moradi family is closer than Mr. Dolgyu of the Choi family?"

"...Actually, Moradi isn't that close with Yi-Han."

"?!"

Backed into a corner, Dolgyu threw the knight's honor to the roadside and began slandering Moradi.

"No, you just said they were close."

"I said they were close enough. They often fight originally. I'm closer."

'Can this person be trusted?'

Priestess Siana narrowed her eyes, characteristic of the snake mixed-blood race, as she looked at Dolgyu.

There was a strong smell of bluster in what he had just said.

Like words spoken by the Blue Dragon Tower prince...

"In my opinion, I think Yi-Han's visit this time was probably consideration to somewhat mend the worsened friendship with Moradi. Moradi isn't a bad friend, but doesn't she have a dogmatic and sharp temperament? So it's not that Moradi is necessarily closer..."

"I-I see."

Priestess Siana couldn't bear to watch any longer and stopped Dolgyu.

"And I'm visiting Yi-Han's territory directly. So I'm closer."

"Yes..."

The town could be seen in the distance.

But something was strange. People were out on the road in front of the town.

"Oh, are you perhaps priests of the Flameng Order?"

"That's right. Do you need help?"

"Oh my, no! Um... Could you wait a moment?"

"Pardon?"

"S-someone knocked over a haystack in the town and the square is a complete mess. We need to clean it up!"

"We'll help you."

"No, no, no!! We can't ask such a thing of travelers! Just wait a little bit, please!"

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