Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-432

A leaky bowl inside is bound to leak outside as well.

A mage who stole village livestock for transformation magic experiments and borrowed city guild property for alchemy was likely to have accumulated assets in various ways even when he was in Einroguard.

'I covet that legacy.'

While Yi-Han was inwardly harboring such sinister thoughts and making his eyes shine, the senior looked around at the juniors and said.

"You juniors are still 1st years, right? Most of you probably don't know about night walks or outings."

"No... um... no. Keep talking."

The skull principal was about to say 'The 1st years of your time and the 1st years of this time are quite different' but stopped.

"That time is very good. Dear juniors. Once you break a rule, you break it a second time, and when you break it a second time, you break it a third time... You must not ignore the school rules! Sometimes friends who ignore the school rules may look cool, but that's a misconception."

The juniors reacted fiercely to the senior's sincere sermon.

"What is he saying? Is that really a senior?"

"He's a puppet bought by the principal!"

"After graduating and living a luxurious life, he can't remember his own 1st year days!"

"Boo! Get lost! The principal's puppet!"

Telling the 1st year juniors, whose temperament had become sharp from eating only rough and hard food, to 'follow the school rules' didn't work.

Rather, it only had the opposite effect.

"Dear juniors! Calm down! You may not believe what I'm saying now, but as time passes..."

"Get lost! Get lost!"

Gainando excitedly crumpled up a wad of paper and threw it.

The skull principal looked at him as if he was pathetic.

'What a dimwit.'

Moreover, it wasn't even something the skull principal had ordered. The skull principal didn't forbid students' deviations.

Of course, he did get angry when students occasionally raided even the skull principal's warehouse, but...

Even considering that, such a creepy spirit of self-discipline was the source of improving magic skills.

'It's enough if they don't do it outside the academy. Blaming the academy when they can't restrain themselves.'

"Dear juniors! Dear juniors! Please listen to me!"

"Boo! Get lost!"

"My words..."

"Get lost! Get lost!"

Bang!

The senior tapped the floor with his staff.

Then, Gainando's coat transformed into dozens of birds and began to peck at Gainando like crazy.

"Ahh! Ahhh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"..."

The friends who were booing immediately shut their mouths at the sight of Gainando.

No matter how weak he looked, the senior in front of them was also a monster who had gone through the hell called Einroguard.

The senior belatedly came to his senses and released Gainando, but the atmosphere had already turned chilly.

"...Principal. Is this okay?"

"Who knows. How would I know?"

At the skull principal's cold tone, the senior broke out in a cold sweat.

As he was dragged here as a price for causing trouble outside, this mage from Einroguard had to do a job befitting of that.

-Participate in the lecture. Clearly teach the ironheads why they shouldn't cause trouble outside.-

-Principal! Even so, I'm a mage who graduated from Einroguard...-

-Then stay locked up in the punishment room.-

-...Thank you so much for entrusting me with such a task!-

The senior was desperate as he had received an offer to reduce his imprisonment period in consideration of his merits if he did well in the lecture.

However, the atmosphere of the 1st years was chilly.

Although they no longer booed out of fear, their eyes were filled with distrust.

"...Dear juniors. I got a little excited just now. But I'm really not a dangerous person."

"..."

Gainando sobbed and plucked out feathers. His friends glared at the senior.

"...Does anyone have any questions? Ask me anything."

"I have one. Senior."

In a situation where no one raised their hand, only Yi-Han raised his hand alone.

The senior was delighted at the sight.

"Ask away!"

"It seems you committed a crime and got caught, so where were you imprisoned?"

"Uh... in the Einroguard punishment room. Juniors may not know, but here in Einroguard, there is a punishment room..."

"Isn't the punishment room only for students?"

"Good question. You see, there are several punishment rooms. At first, when you're in a lower year, you only go to the outer punishment room, but later when you're in a higher year, there's a hidden inner punishment room. There, even mages caught from outside..."

"Hey, you dimwit. Is that something to talk about in a lecture now?"

When the skull principal expressed annoyance, the senior was startled and shut his mouth.

Yi-Han looked at the skull principal as if he was disappointed.

"Principal. I was only asking how poor and painful the punishment room is for the sake of my friends. If they know that the punishment room is such a place, won't my friends also be careful not to go there?"

The senior admired those words.

Among the 1st year students, there was a model student who was trying to help him.

Of course, the skull principal was so dumbfounded that he couldn't even speak.

"That's very excellent. Your friends will surely understand your intention."

"Since we're on the topic, could you tell us about the location of the punishment room? I'm curious about how deep and impenetrable it is that students have to be careful."

"You're forbidden from asking questions."

The skull principal couldn't stand it and made Yi-Han shut his mouth.

The senior looked at the skull principal as if he was resentful.

'He was finally helping to create a good atmosphere...'

"Look away. You dimwit. You don't even know what you're going through."

At the sight of the foolish graduate looking at him with an absurd attitude, the skull principal clicked his tongue and gave an order.

"Stop doing useless things and just show them magic. Magic that shouldn't be used outside. Then you'll at least do the basics."

"Ah, I understand."

The senior cleared his throat and raised his staff to create a space.

The desks in the lecture hall disappeared, and the students gathered in a circle to prepare to watch the magic.

"Now. Everyone, watch."

A spell was cast, and a chair transformed into a sheep.

The 1st year students exclaimed at the high-level transformation magic.

Although it was hard to agree with the senior's opinion, his magic skills were certainly impressive.

"As you can see, this is one of the transformation magics that turn inanimate objects into living things. But there's a very dangerous point in this magic."

"What is that?"

"It's that you shouldn't sell something made with magic like this without saying so."

"..."

"..."

The 1st years looked at the senior coldly, but the senior eagerly explained why it was wrong to make and sell fake livestock.

"And there's more. Look. You see this magically created gem, right?"

"Are you saying we shouldn't sell that?"

"Very good, juniors! Now. Let's all take notes."

The 1st year students muttered curses under their breath and picked up their quills.

They thought they would learn interesting magic, but it was a nonsensical lecture.

'Hmm. That senior will probably go back to the punishment room.'

Yi-Han, who still had things to ask, approached the senior while his friends grumbled and took out paper.

"Senior."

"Aha."

The senior treated Yi-Han very favorably.

He was a junior who had been trying to help with the lecture from earlier. He couldn't help but find him remarkable.

"I know what you're trying to ask."

"Oh. Is that so?"

"Of course. You're trying to ask how to use the magic I showed earlier, right?"

"..."

"But junior. It's too much for a 1st year to use this magic. If you really want to learn it, master iron transformation first and come back."

"I've mastered... No, that's not what's important right now. Senior."

Yi-Han whispered as quickly as possible, taking advantage of the students being distracted.

They had to finish communicating with each other before the skull principal noticed.

"Did you leave anything behind at the academy?"

"...!"

Only then did the senior realize that Yi-Han hadn't approached him with pure intentions.

"Something I left behind at the academy?"

"Yes."

"Not much, but not nothing."

"Let's make a deal."

Yi-Han didn't ask for it for free out of the bond between senior and junior. The senior was surprised by Yi-Han's words about making a deal.

To think a 1st year student had grasped the essence of Einroguard to this extent.

In Einroguard, even siblings didn't make deals empty-handed.

"What deal? Junior. I don't think you have anything to give me."

"Senior. You're going back to the punishment room, aren't you?"

"Are you provoking me now?"

"No. Just tell me the location. I'll bring you food."

"...!"

The senior was amazed for the first time in a long time.

To think a mere 1st year could propose a deal so skillfully.

Certainly, for someone who had to reflect in the punishment room for a long time, the junior's proposal was indeed tempting.

However...

"How can I trust that? If you're a 1st year, you'll lack food for yourself to eat. And above all, you won't be able to break through the punishment room and come."

"It doesn't matter. Senior. When I come, you can tell me then. Even if I fail, there's no loss for you."

"Are you... really a 1st year?"

The senior was genuinely surprised.

Judging from his actions, he seemed like a 4th year or above no matter how you looked at it...

"Okay. Take it."

Thinking there was nothing to lose, the senior handed over a note. In a short time, letters were engraved with magic.

"The letters will be visible if you put it in a dark place. Find me using that."

"What are you two chattering about so much?"

When the skull principal, who sensed something suspicious, approached, the senior and Yi-Han were taken aback.

They had aroused suspicion because the conversation had gotten too long.

"Uh... I was teaching him because he asked about magic."

"Magic?"

'Damn it!'

The senior gritted his teeth.

Perhaps because it had been a while since he graduated, his lying skills seemed to have gotten rusty.

What a terrible lie.

Who would believe that he was teaching such transformation magic to a 1st year student?

"You too? You at least have discerning eyes... It's not time to teach magic, so teach appropriately."

"??"

The senior couldn't believe his ears.

However, even more surprising words had not even begun.

"You were doing other things during lecture time, so as a price, you must learn at least one. I'll check after it's over," the skull principal addressed Yi-han this time.

"That's impossible!"

"What nonsense are you saying about it being impossible? You can learn one. Learn it."

"????"

The senior became confused, not knowing what kind of conversation was going on.

"Wa, waterproof cloths at this price? Really?"

"...Then don't buy it, you bastard."

"Ah, no... If it's cheap, I'm grateful. Thank you. Wardanaz."

The White Tiger Tower student bowed his head and purchased the cloth.

Yi-Han sighed at the sight.

'Damn it. I also want to make huge profits like the Black Tortoise Tower guys.'

The Black Tortoise Tower friends, who usually stockpiled a lot of materials, were excitedly selling in anticipation of the flood.

Other tower students had to purchase various lumber, leather, and reagents while using up their stockpiled food.

However, Yi-Han couldn't raise the price like that.

Because the priests were next to him.

The sight of the priests looking at Yi-Han with sparkling eyes.

In front of them, he absolutely couldn't say things like 'How many times will a flood come, we have to make a lot of money at this time.'

"What did Wardanaz say?"

"He said he's not raising the price?"

"What? I was sure he would raise it... Last exam period, he doubled the price of coffee powder, saying that free market price formation develops Einroguard's economy."

"But what's this market... price... economy thing?"

"I don't know either. It must be the Wardanaz family's vision."

"That Wardanaz guy is from a high noble family. It must be something that goes against his own dignity to make money from this crisis."

"Huh. We have no choice but to acknowledge that..."

"Hey. If you're done buying, get lost."

Annoyed, Yi-Han shot a water orb to chase away the other tower students.