Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-427

Yi-Han’s friends were baffled on how to advise him, who had already mastered complex spells like <Light of Truth Enchantment> and <Purification Enchantment> but was struggling with <Latent Heat Enchantment>.

However, Professor Verduus was different as expected of a professor. He grasped the situation as soon as he saw it and skillfully advised.

"Relax your strength! You fool!"

"..."

Salko saw Yi-Han's fist clenching tightly and slightly anticipated.

'Could he hit the professor? No. Even so, he wouldn't. But if it's that Wardanaz guy... he might be able to.'

"Mana isn't something that can be put in and taken out so easily."

"It can be done eas... ily."

"It's not that diffi... cult."

The friends who unintentionally answered next to him bowed their heads after reading the atmosphere.

If one didn't have a lot of mana, adjusting the mana amount wasn't that difficult.

Honestly, increasing the mana amount was more difficult than reducing it...

"Sigh. It can't be helped. I'll help you. Come on. Try it again. Relax your strength."

"No... it's fine. I can practice alone."

Yi-Han said that sincerely.

Honestly, it seemed better for Yi-Han to practice alone than for Professor Verduus to help.

"No. Gonadaltes told me to take care of you a bit."

"This isn't taking care of me?"

"No. It is taking care of you."

"You don't seem to know the meaning of taking care."

"I know it well. Come on. I'll help you! Relax your strength! Now. Roughly reduce the mana amount to 1/14 there!"

"What do you mean? How?"

"Just intuitively!"

"..."

In the end, Yi-Han couldn't perfectly master only <Latent Heat Enchantment> (the friends who took his time were sorry as if it were their own business).

But in Yi-Han's view, it wasn't because his friends took his time, but because Professor Verduus was distracting him next to him.

If only Professor Verduus wasn't there, he could have really mastered it all within the lecture time.

"...So that's why I couldn't master it all. It's really because of Professor Verduus."

"...Is, is that so?"

Priestess Tijiling looked at Yi-Han with a perplexed gaze.

She just normally greeted him with 'How was today's lecture?' but she didn't expect such a long answer to come back.

"But Mr. Wardanaz. As far as I know, such magic is not meant to be learned all at once in a single lecture, but to be learned over several lectures..."

"That's true."

"Then you don't need to be impatient, do you?"

"That's not it. If I take it easy because there's ample time, I might get overtaken by other friends."

"?"

Priestess Tijiling stopped stirring the hot beef stew with the ladle and tilted her head.

"From what I heard, the other students only practiced one magic today?"

Due to the difficulty level, the friends all chose one magic and diligently refined and practiced it.

"They did."

"But how would you get overtaken?"

"Suddenly mastering a different magic or practicing while I'm taking other lectures. And if there are several such friends, if I'm not careful, I'll go down from A to B. It happens quite often, Priestess Tijiling."

"...?????"

Priestess Tijiling turned her head, thinking that Yi-Han was joking but she couldn't understand because she lacked a sense of humor.

However, Yi-Han's face, who was chopping ingredients with a knife, was very serious.

"...I, I see."

Priestess Tijiling, who wasn't particularly interested in grades, didn't understand well, but she decided to accept it for now.

"Oh right. I don't think I can help with today's duty."

"You're not on duty today anyway..."

Despite Yi-Han's turn having ended before and it being the turn of other priests to take over, Yi-Han was helping.

It wasn't because the priests were cuter and more precious than the Blue Dragon Tower students (although that was true), but for a more practical reason.

It was because the priests kept fighting if Yi-Han wasn't there.

-I didn't expect you to succeed in the white flame conversion so quickly. Heh... come to think of it, I was worried for nothing. There's no way Aphar wouldn't cherish a believer like Mr. Wardanaz. Thinking about it again, really...-

-...Priest Nigisor. Do you have to brag in front of others now?-

Yi-Han had never thought that the Immortal Phoenix Tower priests could be annoying beings.

But surprisingly, it was possible.

The excited priests were unexpectedly more demanding than the Blue Dragon Tower students.

They didn't know that when bragging about something, they had to be aware of the situation and place!

They bragged like that in front of the denomination priests who hadn't awakened holy magic yet because they had never bragged before, and the priests who had no immunity to such bragging flared up and suggested settling it with a doctrine debate...

"But I'm glad that the priests seem to think a bit before bragging in front of others now."

At Yi-Han's words, Priestess Tijiling was embarrassed.

They were priests from denominations representing the empire, what a disgrace this was.

"But Priestess Tijiling, don't you have any plans to teach something related to the Presinga Order? Now that it's your turn."

"What I've been taught isn't like that... If Lord Presinga wants to give something, I think it's closer to my belief that he would set the time himself. Do you want to increase your curses more by any chance?"

"No, that's not it."

Yi-Han immediately denied it.

Mana-related curses were fine even if he got more, but other curses were quite troublesome.

Priestess Tijiling readily accepted it as if she didn't have high expectations.

"In fact, you're already carrying too many curses now."

'I had forgotten.'

Mana-related curses were honestly so meaningless that he forgot their existence.

The meaning of the Presinga Order priests was in enduring curses with their own bodies and practicing asceticism to the point where one wondered if it was okay to do this.

"If you're not doing duty today, do you have another appointment?"

"That's right."

Priestess Tijiling closed her eyes tightly as if she was going to guess and opened her mouth.

"Are you going to receive teachings from the principal?"

"...No?!"

Receiving one-on-one teachings from the principal after dinner and during break time.

Yi-Han was shocked.

"I don't receive teachings after dinner! Even so! It's break time!"

"Huh? Oh, I thought you liked it."

"..."

Yi-Han was doubly shocked.

"Then Professor Verduus..."

"Absolutely not, I'm going for a walk around the school."

"Ah. Is that so."

Priestess Tijiling nodded her head while moving the finished stew.

Huh?

"But walks are prohibited after dinner, aren't they?"

"Yeah. I'm sneaking out."

"..."

Priestess Tijiling pondered saying something at the sight of Yi-Han declaring he would sneak out as naturally as breathing, but stopped.

She thought there was no point in stopping him since other tower students were sneaking out anyway.

"Due to the principal increasing the search personnel, the means of going out are being blocked. I need to find them in advance."

"Everything you just said doesn't make sense to me, but... ah. Right. There's a good way."

"?"

"How about going out with the priests of our tower?"

The priests were basically allowed to go out even after dinner for prayers or rituals.

Wasn't that why Yi-Han borrowed priest robes before?

Of course, he switched to using invisibility magic because it was more convenient, but...

"They won't be suspicious if you're among the priests."

"But is it okay to exploit faith like that?"

"Now that you say that..."

Priestess Tijiling looked at Yi-Han as if asking why he was suddenly acting like this. It hurt a bit more because it was the gaze of Priestess Tijiling, who was always kind.

'I should show a more faithful side in the future.'

"Yeah. I'd be grateful if you go with me. Actually, it's better to go for night walks with several people."

"Is that so? Why?"

"First, it's easier to respond to problems when you have a vanguard and rearguard."

Yi-Han didn't mention the fact that someone had to play the role of a sacrificial lamb to draw attention in case of an emergency.

He was afraid Priestess Tijiling would give him a contemptuous look.

"It's better to divide roles after all."

"Do you divide roles with magic?"

"No. Rather than that, someone who specializes in keys and traps and someone who has to take hits with their body if something happens..."

Yi-Han felt the topic was a bit too explicit, so he changed the subject.

"Anyway, it's good to have several people, so I'll ask you a favor. Wait. But is it okay to call priests from other orders when it's not their turn? Will they understand this?"

"No. They won't understand, so it's better to ask Priest Nigisor and Priestess Siana."

"Priestess Tijiling, you're not angry at your friends, are you?"

The good thing about going out with Priest Nigisor and Priestess Siana was that there were no lounge priests to glare at them even if they bragged to each other.

The two of them talked about how amazing, wonderful, and miraculous their faith was with each step.

Instead of looking at the dark corridor ahead, Yi-Han watched Priestess Tijiling's reaction.

'Did I bring those guys for nothing?'

-We're caught, run away!!!-

-You run away first!-

-Sob!! I'll remember this!-

Faintly familiar voices were heard from afar. It seemed other tower students were also wandering around and got caught somewhere.

"Good evening."

But the priests didn't. When they bowed their heads in greeting, the Death Knight walking down the corridor also bowed his head and passed by.

'It really works.'

If it were just one priest, they might find it a bit suspicious, but when several priests walked together, they seemed to let it slide, thinking they were looking for a place to pray.

Yi-Han had a futile thought of whether they would let him pass through the main gate if he disguised himself as a priest.

'That's probably impossible.'

Tak-

Fortunately, luck was on his side today.

Except for the spinning stairs and the trap that showed a lava illusion the moment you stepped on it, there were no obstacles to reaching the 3rd floor of the main building.

"Huff... huff."

"Did you see the illusion just now? Did you see the illusion just now!??!"

Priest Nigisor and Priestess Siana were drenched in sweat and had frightened expressions.

Regardless, Yi-Han said with relief.

"Today's luck is very good. To think there are only these traps!"

"..."

"..."

The two priests were looking at Yi-Han as if he was crazy, but Yi-Han, who was concentrating at the front and didn't notice, continued.

"Friends who go for night walks quite often like the 3rd floor of the main building the most. After all, the 2nd floor of the main building is a bit safer, but there's less change, so there's less to find. In comparison, there's much more to find on the 3rd floor of the main building. Last time, Salko said he saw a room full of canned food in the corner of the 3rd floor with his friends. Can you believe it? A room full of canned food!"

"This is the first time I've seen Mr. Wardanaz so excited."

Priestess Siana spoke in a slightly surprised voice.

He was so solemn when taking care of the priests...

"I'll have everyone cast the light of truth on their staffs, so if you find something while walking around, tell me right away."

"Ah. Mr. Wardanaz. I think I found something. Isn't this a fake wall here?"

Priestess Siana pointed at the wall in amazement.

It was a wall with a hidden door, although it was intricately made.

"Ah. That's indeed a fake wall. But if you go in there, it leads to an underground alley, so be careful. Last time, two people from the White Tiger Tower went in there and couldn't find their way, so they were dragged to the punishment room."

"..."

Priestess Siana took a step back in fright.

Just how much night walking have you done...!?

"And take this. It's a simple map I made. I made it while exchanging information with other tower students."

"Th, thank you."

"Oh. If you come across a place that's not on the map, always stop and stand still. Last time, someone saw a manticore, but it was an illusion, so if it's a mid-level monster or above, it's likely to be an illusion. It's better to stand still. There's no point in resisting anyway if it's to that extent."

Even Priest Nigisor and Priestess Tijiling were starting to get frightened.