Life of a Magic Academy Mage – 55



Chapter 55

The friends who had incessantly argued that they ‘must go outside’ and ‘find a way’ had finally ceased their quarreling and fell silent. This was indeed fortunate. The weight of Yi-Han’s words had made this possible.

Nillia realized anew the greatness of her friend from the Blue Dragon. A single sentence from him had managed to quieten the noisy students. Could this be the charisma unique to the illustrious Wardanaz family one of the empire’s renowned family of mages?

“All of you are soaked from the rain. You need something warm to eat. Gather around. I’ll prepare something.”

At Yi-Han’s words the students’ faces brightened and they hurriedly gathered around. Nillia watched this scene and suddenly thought of someone familiar. ‘Um… Mother?’ Was it just her imagination? She was slightly taken aback by Yi-Han’s demeanor which seemed so at odds with the imposing charisma of a member of a renowned family of mages.

—

If Gainando had seen it he would have asked ‘Why are you carrying so much stuff?’ But Yi-Han had come to this mountain hike with a backpack filled to the brim. It wasn’t out of caution but rather distrust for the academy. He needed to be prepared to survive in the mountains for at least a month if necessary. Thankfully this meant he had enough provisions to generously feed all the gathered students.

“Spring forth.”

Thanks to Professor Boladi’s harsh training Yi-Han could now effortlessly cast the water creation spell without pausing. He could even simplify the staff movements a testament to his mastery. 

‘Indeed the more skilled one becomes the more freedom there is in spells and movements’ he mused. 

Although he had heard about this back in his family it was only through personal experience that he truly understood it. This was especially true for spells and movements integral parts of the magic world where a mage’s will reshapes reality. Regardless of a mage’s talent doubts could arise when facing unfamiliar magic: ‘Can I perform this spell? Am I misunderstanding something? What if I make a mistake?’ Detailed spells and movements dispelled these doubts strengthening the mage. Conversely as one became more familiar with magic these spells and movements could be simplified.

‘…But still it seems excessive to learn through such harsh methods doesn’t it?’

As the pot placed on the fire began to boil Yi-Han poured water into tin cups and started brewing coffee. The students shivering from the cold spring rain received their cups with a blissful expression.

Thud.

Nillia was puzzled to see Yi-Han crack eggs into a small square frying pan. “Where did you get all these from?”

“I bought them from the students of the Black Tortoise.”

“?!”

Now that she thought about it there had been talk of a huge success in the black market earlier. Was that Wardanaz?

Yi-Han finely chopped the scrambled eggs with a knife and distributed them to his friends. The rhythmic sound of falling rain warm coffee and eggs gradually warmed and relaxed the students who suddenly turned romantic.

“This is actually quite nice.”

“Yeah. This is the first time I’ve felt this good since joining the academy.”

‘Have they developed Stockholm syndrome?’

Yi-Han was astounded by his friends’ sudden change in mood. It wasn’t like the coffee or eggs contained anything special yet their conversation had taken a bizarre turn. Meanwhile Rowena an elf from the White Tiger approached.

“Her Highness the Princess sends her thanks.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

Listening nearby Nillia muttered under her breath “Can’t she say it herself? Is she afraid of a curse or something?”

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“What did you say?” Rowena asked tilting her head in curiosity.

“Nothing” Nillia quickly changed the subject surprised that Rowena had heard her.

“But Mr. Wardanaz?”

“?”

“May I ask when you plan to make that vegetable stew again?”

“…???”

“Wait you’re making that vegetable stew again?”

“The legendary vegetable stew?”

Students from the Black Tortoise who had been sipping coffee sprang to their feet in excitement.

Could it be that very stew?

“No I have no plans for that.”

“…”

The students from the Black Tortoise sat down dejectedly their disappointment apparent.

So he’s not making it! 

Rowena though not as visibly disappointed as the Black Tortoise students also looked let down.

“Is that so? I was looking forward to it after hearing about it.”

Yi-Han was baffled.

How had the rumor spread so fast?

‘Besides I’m not sure if I can recreate the same taste.’

The dish had been a hodgepodge of ingredients boiled together; there was no guarantee it would taste the same if made again.

Rowena whispered something to the princess who listened with an expressionless face. However to Yi-Han her face seemed to betray disappointment.

Yonaire shook her head and said “Seems like overzealous loyalty. The princess probably doesn’t even want it. It’s likely just others pressuring her.”

“Is that so?”

Yi-Han pondered tilting his head.

Yonaire seemed to think of the princess as an ascetic who survived on dew alone.

However to Yi-Han the princess seemed to be a bit…

‘I thought she was like Gainando with a strong appetite but this was too much.’

Yi-Han reflected on his thoughts. Comparing her to Gainando might have been too much.

From Yi-Han’s perspective having run food errands for the princess the idea that she lacked an appetite for food was hard to accept.

She really did eat well…

“!”

The princess stood up. Yi-Han flinched thinking his thoughts about comparing her to Gainando had been discovered.

Rowena spoke on her behalf.

“She says she would like to help with the work in return for the food and drink she received.”

“That would be appreciated.”

Yi-Han brightened up.

The princess was a person of renowned magic talent.

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Her assistance would be greatly beneficial.

“Wow…”

“Remarkable.”

The princess raised her staff and chanted a spell.

Suddenly clumps of earthy and flickering red masses appeared in mid-air solidifying the ground and strengthening the campfire.

‘Spirits!’

Yi-Han recognized them as spirits right away.

Even though she hadn’t formally learned it the princess had managed to summon spirits using what she heard in other classes and read in books.

Yi-Han imagined her interacting and building rapport with spirits in the spirit realm before summoning them and suddenly regretted attending Professor Boladi’s class.

…Would it have been better to attend a more popular lecture?

Thud-

“!!”

While everyone marveled at the princess’s spirits a massive form burst through the rain.

It was a golem.

—

Contrary to the common stereotype that knightly families were only skilled in swordplay the reality was different.

It made sense when one thought about it.

To confront monsters and bandits in the frontier a variety of skills were necessary.

If they had only been proficient in swordplay the White Tiger students wouldn’t have come to learn magic.

Accordingly among these students many had surprisingly diverse talents.

Bartreck from the Bark family a dwarf from the eastern part of the empire possessed exceptional talent in alchemy befitting his family’s reputation.

Students from the White Tiger suffering from muscle aches and bruises were so grateful that Bartreck would personally make and lend them ointments. His skills were so impressive that even Jijel the leader of the White Tiger first-year students praised him.

“Here drink this tea” Bartreck said in his gruff voice pouring tea from the kettle.

The students from the White Tiger were amazed by the Bark family’s secret herbal tea. It instantly warmed their bodies.

“Thanks Bartreck. You’re the best.”

“Maybe even better than Priestess Siana huh? Hahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”

At that moment the students of the White Tiger were gathered with those from the Immortal Phoenix. They had sought shelter together from the sudden downpour that ensued after Professor Ingurdel’s disappearance.

In a way they were lucky. Had the students of the Blue Dragon and White Tiger been together a fight would have surely ensued. However the White Tiger students absorbed in their laughter and chatter failed to notice Siana’s scowling face. The remark had been a casual joke not meant for the Immortal Phoenix students to hear.

“…”

“…”

The Immortal Phoenix students without realizing it were wary of Siana’s reaction. They hoped the tea wasn’t poisoned.

“Looks like the rain is letting up. Should we try to find a way through?”

“Doesn’t seem like it’s easing up to me?”

“Isn’t it easing up?”

“I think we can make it through this.”

The students from the White Tiger were much more vigorous than those from the Blue Dragon. They knew moving in the rain was risky but the presence of so many students gave them confidence. There seemed to be no reason to hesitate.

“Shouldn’t we try to reunite with students from other towers as well?”

“The Blue Dragon? Those arrogant ones?”

The White Tiger students grimaced at the thought. However the Immortal Phoenix students were not easily dissuaded.

“We can’t just leave the other tower students behind can we?”

“Hmm…”

Though fierce and wild the White Tiger students hesitated to show their temper in front of the priests.

“Well we do have to look for the Black Tortoise as well. Annoying but…”

“Let’s first look for the other tower students. But where on earth did Professor Ingurdel go?”

Thud-

The same incident that had occurred to Yi-Han and his group now happened to the students of the White Tiger Tower.

A golem had appeared before them.

“…!!!”

—

The golem towering at least 3 meters tall was made of mud. The students froze in place. Rowena urgently warned them.

“Don’t move rashly! Golems act according to rules. As long as we don’t break those rules first it won’t harm us!”

Golems were different from other wild monsters. They were artificial monsters created by mages.

Made from materials like mud stone or metal they were shaped to the creator’s will and activated by inserting a magic core.

The problem arose when these magic cores were damaged or discarded accidentally merging with materials giving birth to rogue golems that no longer obeyed human commands.

‘This magic academy really has a problem with safety management’ Yi-Han thought cursing inwardly as he held his staff.

Indeed as Rowena said the golem operated on rules whether it was intact or damaged.

The issue was that the rules governing a damaged golem were hard to predict.

If for instance it had a rule like ‘destroy all freshmen’…

Swiftly the mud golem approached the students seemingly threatening them and began to draw a line with its foot.

A thick line was etched on the ground in front of the students sheltering from the rain below the cliff.

“??”

“Is it saying not to cross the line? What happens if we do?”

“Let’s test it out.”

“No! Don’t Wardanaz! There’s no Gainando!!”

Asan screamed attempting to stop him. Naturally Yi-Han had no intention of stepping out himself.

A bone summon clattered forward and leaped out. The mud golem swung its fist mercilessly at it.

Crash!

“…”

“…”

The students were horrified.

Fortunately the shattered bone summon quickly resurrected and returned to its original form.

Witnessing this Rowena’s attention was caught by another aspect.

‘Wait can a summon resurrect so quickly?’

A summon that had been dispelled usually required a considerable amount of time and mana to recover…?

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