Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-443

"What did you say?"

Yi-Han, who was sitting on the devouring-ship fish, asked in puzzlement.

-Perfect score...-

"It's not a perfect score! It's not, so everyone come in!"

Professor Rosine hurriedly covered the demon's mouth and called the students.

The exam hadn't even started yet, and he was arbitrarily giving a perfect score!

-Why are you doing that?-

"That's for me to say! The exam hasn't even started yet!"

-But with that level, there's no point in taking the exam...-

Orifulas was genuinely upset.

He was trying to reduce the work for Professor Rosine's sake!

"We have to take the exam."

-Don't tell me, mage. Are you also someone who follows unnecessary formalities just because it's customary?-

"...There are still many unconfirmed parts."

Professor Rosine didn't waver.

Of course, she understood to some extent why Orifulas had shouted perfect score just now.

Just being able to control such a devouring-ship fish without hindrance and arrive in front of the lecture hall was already quite remarkable.

But the evaluation criteria for the midterm exam were not just one, and various aspects had to be considered comprehensively.

"First, where and in what situation did you find it..."

-Where did you meet it?-

"Yi-Han summoned it with the prie... priests."

-Perfect score!! Perfect score!!!-

Orifulas applauded in admiration.

Even though he had been working for over a hundred years bound by the empire's mages, such an amazing sight was rare.

"I told you to stay still!"

Professor Rosine gritted her teeth and covered Orifulas's mouth. The contract binding the demon activated, and Orifulas's tongue stuck to the ceiling.

-Mmph! Mmph!-

"...How did you all make the contract?"

Professor Rosine tried to move on but couldn't resist asking.

Honestly, she was too curious.

Let's say it was possible to summon it just by being really lucky.

Of course, this was still hard to understand right now, but...

But how did they really make the contract?

'What kind of contract would it be to control the devouring-ship fish like that?'

"Yi-Han asked, do you want to attack the principal's room? Or will you help us? Then it said it would help."

-Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!-

Orifulas applauded with a moved expression, his mouth covered.

To think a student who had learned for a semester would use such an advanced technique.

The advanced technique of proposing a choice that the summoned being can barely make but is reluctant to choose, and then guiding them to the real choice.

It was that technique where inexperienced and lacking beings from other dimensions would be so scared after being tricked once that they would develop a mage phobia.

"...Yi-Han, you don't need to take the midterm exam, so just observe from the side."

"Pardon? What did I do wrong?"

Yi-Han, who was wiping off the moisture, was flustered.

Professor Rosine, who always praised students in a lively voice, looked so exhausted.

'Did I make a mistake?'

Fortunately, he didn't.

After grasping the situation, Yi-Han sympathized with Professor Rosine's instructions.

"The principal is really too much."

"Of, of course the principal has his own thoughts!"

Professor Rosine, who was exhausted, came to her senses at Yi-Han's words.

The role of a professor was to stop students when they cursed the principal, not encourage them.

"He must have his own thoughts, yes. Thoughts of giving pain to the students."

"..."

Professor Rosine wondered if Yi-Han had been hit by the skull principal.

-Grrrr mage! Grrrr kill!-

"I... I didn't even trap it, why are you doing this to me! I, I'll call Yi-Han!"

Gainando shouted at the monster trapped in the cage, turning pale.

Of course, the monster didn't understand Yi-Han's name and roared fiercely.

-Hmm... Threatening is a good choice, but you should have used a name the other party knows.-

Orifulas gave advice and scored from the side.

-If it's a name the other party doesn't know, you should at least explain it so the other party can guess.-

"Be, behind me is a crazy friend who takes all magic courses at Einroguard!"

-Grrrr kill! Grrrr!-

Unfortunately, the monster didn't understand. Orifulas finished scoring in disappointment.

-Next!-

"It seems you like jewels. I brought some jewels. If you make a contract with me, next week, the same amount of jewels as this..."

-Quickly grasping the other party's likes and dislikes is also important. You've improved a lot.-

"Th, thank you."

-But such beings are greedy and don't like promises of periodic rewards. Of course, they sometimes accept, but then it's even more dangerous. Some try to kill the contractor and cut open the goose's belly to take out the gold.-

"..."

While the students were taking the exam, Yi-Han approached the devouring-ship fish, which was splashing and drinking water in the corridor in front of the lecture hall.

And then he asked.

"Are you alright?"

-...-

The devouring-ship fish didn't answer. It seemed slightly sulky.

"Uh, when this exam is over, we need to move to the next lecture location."

-...Need to... recover strength...-

The devouring-ship fish made a gurgling sound as if it was really unwilling and spewed water to the side.

It seemed to be subtly hinting that it wanted to rest somehow and wanted Yi-Han to understand.

"Recovery. Mr. Orifulas. Is there any way to recover the devouring-ship fish?"

Orifulas, who was evaluating the students, quickly ran over at Yi-Han's call.

Most of the tasks requested by the imperial mages were boring, so he had to fully enjoy it when there was such a fun task.

When would he see a young mage making a devouring-ship fish work through a contract again?

As a demon, such comical moments were sweet happiness.

-Recovery! It's easy but difficult. A corpse from when it was alive would be good, or do you have any reagents left that you used for summoning?-

"We used them all during the summoning."

-That's a shame. But it can't be helped.-

It would be more surprising if there were reagents left after summoning such a huge monster like a devouring-ship fish.

Orifulas was not surprised.

'Huh?'

Professor Rosine, who was listening from the side, was puzzled.

Where did the 1st year students get the reagents for summoning a devouring-ship fish?

'It wouldn't be easy to obtain?'

-It's a bit delicate to bring this up... but what about mana? I remember you had a lot of mana...-

Orifulas was cautious like a gentlemanly demon.

Mana was like life to a mage.

No matter how much mana one had, it was not easy to have enough to recover the strength of a huge monster like a devouring-ship fish.

"Mana will do?!"

Yi-Han was startled.

No way, with such an easy method?

-I don't know why you're surprised, but if the quality and quantity are sufficient, it's possible.-

"Is it possible to recover it even more? Right now, in an incomplete spiritual state..."

The devouring-ship fish suddenly started coughing and spewing water from its mouth and back.

As an outstanding spiritual beast, it instinctively sensed danger.

-That's impossible. Recovering beyond the state when it was summoned goes against the rules.-

"That's a shame."

-More importantly, are you really okay? Right now, it seems we should talk about general recovery, not recovery beyond the limit...-

Even general recovery seemed difficult, but he was saying such things.

Orifulas was worried.

What if this young mage collapsed and the devouring-ship fish was freed from the contract? How disappointing would that be?

"It's alright. O devourer of ships. I am grateful for your dedication, and to recover you, I will offer my mana."

-Don't do that...-

Before the devouring-ship fish could finish speaking, the mana began to move.

The bones of the devouring-ship fish, which were exhausted and stretched out, gradually began to glow, and the color of the body composed of spiritual body also regained vitality.

-...-

"You're recovered, right?"

The devouring-ship fish didn't answer. Instead, Orifulas answered.

-You will become an excellent summoner. Please torment other beings for a long, long time.-

When the exam was over, the students lined up to ride the devouring-ship fish.

The exhausted devouring-ship fish kept its mouth shut and didn't respond to the students' words of gratitude.

"You all did really well!! If you did this much even in such a difficult situation, you will surely do better in other situations!!"

Professor Rosine energetically sent off the students who had finished the exam.

The students who were struggling deserved such a greeting.

“Professor Fluerwerk. Did you take the box from Spirit Warehouse 47?”

"Yes. I needed it to trap the heart predator in a cage..."

“I think it's a waste to use such an expensive one for the ironheads…”

The skull principal, who was floating down, was shocked to see the devouring-ship fish summoned and waiting miserably in front of the lecture hall.

“Oh my skull! What is that!!”

"???"

"??????"

The students who were lining up were startled by the skull principal's scream.

"Principal. That's... a devouring-ship fish. Don't you know what a devouring-ship fish is?"

The skull principal hung Gainando upside down with just his gaze. The upside-down Gainando let out a scream filled with injustice.

“Who the hell obtained a devouring-ship fish and where!”

"...We don't know!"

"We don't know anything about it!"

The students bravely confronted him.

One of the things they learned at Einroguard was 'If there's no evidence, insist stubbornly.'

But the skull principal wasn't asking because he didn't know in the first place.

“Wardanaz!”

"Yes?"

“How the hell did you obtain it?”

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

“...”

For a moment, the skull principal almost grabbed his disciple's collar, breaking the principle of 'innocent if not caught' that he had repeatedly told the students.

Just like his disciple...

“I'm not angry, so tell me honestly. I'm asking out of pure curiosity.”

"I don't know what you're talking about. We just met the devouring-ship fish while it was drifting."

“...Beavle? You must have obtained it through Beavle, right?”

The skull principal asked questions as if leading.

However, the disciple in front of him was not easy. He answered again with no change in expression.

"I don't know what you're..."

“...”

The skull principal glared at Yi-Han with suspicious eyes.

It wasn't because the devouring-ship fish was taken from him now.

No, of course that was absurd too, but...

'How the hell did he enter the professors' lounge and steal it?'

What the skull principal wanted to know was the method.

If he couldn't figure that out, the professors' lounge could be breached again.

“Beavle... It must be Beavle. There's no one else but Beavle.”

The skull principal spoke as if half convinced and half probing.

Yi-Han didn't say anything. At times like this, it was best to stay as still as possible.

“Very impressive. But remember. The devouring-ship fish is a very fierce beast…”

The skull principal, who was about to curse something out of frustration, saw the devouring-ship fish waiting dejectedly.

It was doing all sorts of odd jobs, as if properly bound by the contract.

“You stupid thing! You call yourself a spiritual beast of the sea after doing that?!”

The devouring-ship fish spewed water with a sad expression at the sudden insult from the grand mage.

It was already miserable...

“Yes. I'll acknowledge it this time. But someday... Someday you will fall into a trap too. Understood?”

"I will keep that in mind."

“Hmph. Let's see then. I'll prepare the most boring and tedious spot in the punishment room for you!”

The skull principal disappeared into the distance, making an eerie sound.

The students behind thought inwardly.

'...The professors' lounge...'

'...He stole from it??'

While the friends were shocked, thinking it couldn't be, Orifulas opened his mouth.

-Two perfect scores, two perfect scores...!-

"Shh. Be quiet."

Professor Rosine silenced Orifulas, watching the skull principal fly away.

Provoking the skull principal, who was in a very grumpy mood, was not a good idea.

'I just had wondered where he got the materials needed for summoning the devouring-ship fish...'

Professor Rosine quietly added another + next to the A+.

It was a sign of respect for an outstanding student.