Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-451

'Has he adapted too well to Einroguard?'

The lone wolf-like hunter from the Shadow Patrol had disappeared, and only the seasoned Einroguard student remained.

The Black Tortoise Tower students were very disappointed when Nillia backed off.

"Ah... I thought it might work if we did it well...!"

"Wouldn't silver coins have been better?"

"An offer that doesn't work on us wouldn't have worked on Wardanaz because of money."

"I thought there was a high possibility of it working since Nillia is close with the Blue Dragon Tower kids."

Twitch!

Yi-Han clearly saw Nillia twitch and scan her friends' expressions.

"...Nillia. Wait a moment."

"Huh? Why? What is it?"

"The Blue Dragon Tower kids were looking for you. They seem to be having a hard time without you."

"...Huh? Really↗?"

Even if she tried to hide it, she couldn't hide the rising tone of her voice and her ears slightly perking up.

"Of course. Without you, half of the Blue Dragon Tower kids would starve to death. I know you're busy because of the Black Tortoise Tower friends, but pay some attention to them."

Nillia nodded her head with the most dignified expression possible.

"Ha. Darn! I didn't think of that."

"It can happen."

Behind them, the Black Tortoise Tower students stared at Nillia with admiring faces.

Nillia, whom even the high noble family students from the Blue Dragon Tower relied on and respected, was an object of admiration among her friends.

The aloof hunter from the Shadow Patrol who came down from the distant northern mountains, on a different level from them!

Hearing the conversation just now, their respect only grew.

"She didn't even blink an eye at the ball last time. She didn't even flinch."

"To Nillia, who has been through all sorts of trials, something like a ball must have seemed like child's play?"

"..."

Nillia listened to the conversation with her ears perked up, then sneakily whispered to Yi-Han.

"But did the Blue Dragon Tower kids really look for me?"

"Uh..."

"...Anyway, thanks."

Nillia nodded her head as if she knew it would be like this and expressed her gratitude to Yi-Han.

Wednesday morning.

Yi-Han, who had finished helping Anpagon with the students taking the enchantment magic midterm exam, went outside to prepare for the next exam.

"Hmm..."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"What the senior said was a bit strange."

Yi-Han explained what had happened to Yonaire, who was casting a fishing rod next to him.

It wasn't surprising that Yi-Han had helped Anpagon and supervised the enchantment magic exam since all his friends knew about it, but what Anpagon said after the exam was a bit strange.

"What did he say?"

"He said it would be better to be careful because it would be bothersome if rumors spread among other seniors about an outstanding junior..."

Yi-Han didn't understand.

First of all, Yi-Han had already made a name for himself among the seniors since the 1st semester.

Just looking at what Senior Direth or Senior Ogoldos said last time, there were quite a few seniors who knew Yi-Han's name.

'Isn't it already too late? Oh? Is it not too late yet?'

"If that's the case, could it be that only the dark magic school seniors know about it?"

Yi-Han made a slightly hopeful prediction.

It wouldn't be strange if the dark magic school seniors, who basically had unfortunate social relationships, didn't tell others about Yi-Han.

'Hmm?'

Yonaire, who had caught a trout and thrown it into the net, was puzzled.

According to what she had heard, the enchantment magic school seniors also seemed to have quite unfortunate social relationships.

In Yonaire's view, the enchantment magic school seniors seemed to have even narrower human relationships than the dark magic school seniors.

At least the dark magic school seniors had enough social skills to cooperate with friends from other schools and summon the King of Frost Giants to the academy, right?

Whether that was a positive thing or not, she wasn't sure...

'Could the enchantment magic school senior be mistaken?'

"Yonaire. Yonaire. Are you listening? I think only the dark magic side seniors know. Then, unexpectedly, other seniors might not have much interest."

Yi-Han was delighted.

He didn't want to receive unnecessary attention beyond what was needed.

"Yeah... Hmm."

Yonaire couldn't bring herself to tell her friend what she was thinking when she saw him happy.

"Wardanaz! Come down quickly!"

"?"

Yi-Han, who was sitting on the devouring-ship fish, turned his head.

The White Tiger Tower friends, who had left earlier to take the swordsmanship exam, were splashing and swimming in the water.

"Why are you guys doing that there?"

"What are you talking about? We have to take the exam!"

"...??"

Yi-Han was momentarily flustered.

'Shouldn't swordsmanship be tested on solid ground?'

Since it was a swordsmanship class, he naturally thought it would be done on solid ground.

"Don't tell me the exam is taken in the water?"

"Yeah. We heard we have to steal a ship."

"Hurry up and come in! It's hard without you!"

"You have to get rid of things like the devouring-ship fish or ships. Get rid of them and come in."

"...How do I know you're not deceiving me?"

At Yi-Han's suspicious gaze, the White Tiger Tower students shouted, choked up.

"Would we all be doing this here just to deceive you?!"

"Just come in quickly!"

Some of the White Tiger Tower students who were shouting angrily suddenly thought inwardly.

'Huh? Wouldn't it be worth trying to deceive Wardanaz once?'

Come to think of it, it was a sufficiently profitable deal.

The knights of the White Wood Knight Order who had come to help with the exam were startled by the sight of Einroguard, which had completely turned into a sea.

"First, we need to stop the rain and drain the water, right?"

"Unfortunately, the principal said it's difficult."

"Pardon? That can't be. I know that in the past, Lord Gonadaltes once dried up seawater, so for just this level of flood..."

Professor Ingurdel quickly changed the subject.

Talking about this topic for a long time would only lead to the knights from outside cursing Einroguard.

"Turning a crisis into an opportunity is also a knight's virtue. You don't have to worry. We can take the exam even in this environment."

"Aha. Are you taking the exam indoors?"

The knights looked at the professor as if it was a very good idea.

If they took it indoors, they could see proper swordsmanship skills even in this flooded situation.

"The inside is also heavily flooded right now... We have prepared a ship here."

Professor Ingurdel pointed behind him.

A sleek warship with a quite agile appearance was waiting behind.

"Aha! Having the students duel with swords on top of that...!"

"I'm thinking of having the students swim and try to steal this ship."

"..."

The knights were momentarily at a loss for words.

The young squires behind them whispered.

-Isn't this too much?-

-Telling them to swim and steal a ship in this weather is a bit…-

Professor Ingurdel himself didn't notice, but in the eyes of outsiders, Professor Ingurdel was already a sufficiently excellent Einroguard professor.

"...First, let's all come up with a plan."

Yi-Han talked with the White Tiger Tower students while floating on the water.

Three in a group, without using magic, swim with bare hands, and steal one warship located in a designated place.

It was a simple but unbelievable exam.

'Has Professor Ingurdel finally been completely absorbed into Einroguard?'

Yi-Han felt sorry.

Professor Ingurdel was someone who had maintained a line to some extent...

"Wh, what? Why are you all in the water?"

"Come in. Quickly."

The students who entered later than Yi-Han were dumbfounded when they heard the exam content.

"Where is the ship?"

"Do you see the reef and peak over there in the sea?"

"It's not a reef, it's a stable, and it's not a peak, it's a tower..."

"Anyway, if you go around there, there's a warship."

"Then why are we doing this here?"

"...To hear Wardanaz's plan?"

"What are you talking about!"

Dukma shouted as if he couldn't believe it.

"Of course it's every man for himself. Do you think we'll take orders from Wardanaz?! Wardanaz is also a competitor!"

"Hey. Wait a minute! At least listen to what he says..."

"You guys stay here! Let's go! We'll be the first to plant the flag!"

Dukma took his team members and started swimming vigorously. Yi-Han looked at their backs and felt sorry.

'They left without even deciding how to use it!'

After Dukma and his friends disappeared around the stable, no, the reef, there was a moment of silence.

Swish swish swish swish splash!

And fierce water spears began to fly above the water surface.

"!!"

"Ugh! Ack! Bleh! Bleh bleh!"

Although not sharply honed, the thick water spears had the power to push students deep into the sea with each hit.

Dukma and his friends screamed and dived deep into the water. Then they hurriedly distanced themselves and returned to their friends.

"What happened????"

"The, the knights on the ship... so underhanded...!"

They had expected interference from the deck once they climbed onto the ship, but they didn't think they would immediately fire water spears with crossbows before they even approached.

Dukma and his friends coughed and spat out water.

"Thanks, Dukma. Thanks to your sacrifice, we were able to know what happens."

"...Wardanaz."

Dukma reflected a little.

Even though Wardanaz wasn't from the White Tiger Tower, he was focusing on the problem at hand, putting aside personal competitiveness or emotions.

But Dukma himself had rebelled against that and ended up like this.

"Since you're already going, let's try once more. This time, let's spread out in threes..."

"...Get lost!!"

Dukma turned his head away, grumbling in anger. Yi-Han felt sorry.

"Was I too hasty?"

"I, I think so."

Even Dolgyu couldn't take Yi-Han's side.

When Yi-Han failed to come up with any special plan, the students began to murmur.

"Wardanaz. Do you really have no plan?"

"It seems difficult if we can't use magic."

"Really?"

"...Do you think I can't beat you guys if I can't use magic right now?"

The White Tiger Tower students, who were about to doubt him, flinched and backed away at Yi-Han's serious question.

"Damn it. Is it too much even for Wardanaz..."

"Well, it's a competitive exam in the first place. Okay. Let's try to break through on our own."

As the students scattered on the water, Yi-Han also fell into thought.

'Can't use underwater breathing, can't use illusion magic, can't use cold magic... It's certainly difficult.'

Yi-Han realized that he relied on magic much more than he thought.

Perhaps Professor Ingurdel threw the students into this extreme situation to teach them this.

Or maybe he just wanted to see the students suffer like the other Einroguard professors.

"Wait. Dolgyu. Where did Moradi go?"

"Wh, why are you asking that now?"

"I didn't notice earlier because there were many White Tiger Tower students."

"Moradi said she would do some scouting before you came and moved."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a small splash from the opposite side, and Jijel raised her head from the water.

Yi-Han shouted as if he had realized it.

"Did you go around the opposite direction and approach? You saw through their carelessness thinking the path was too long for you to come this way! But there still would have been someone watching... Ah. I see. If you go around the opposite direction, it's near the Logging Tower, so there would be a lot of debris drifting in the water. If you disguised yourself among that debris, you could approach without being noticed. Well done, Moradi! Let's leave right away!"

Now that the other students were distracting attention by floundering from the front, it was the perfect opportunity.

In order not to waste even a little time, Yi-Han began to swim in the direction Moradi had come from. Dolgyu quietly followed behind, taken aback.

"..."

Jijel, who had swum far and returned, gasping for breath and about to explain, was dumbfounded to see the two of them.

That guy...

...What the hell is he??