Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-454

'Undoubtedly, he is preparing some vile test.'

Yi-Han didn't trust the skull principal at all.

He would rather believe Gainando studied for a whole week than believe the skull principal was looking around the submerged scenery of Einroguard and feeling sorry for the students' suffering.

What kind of exam was he preparing for?

Crackle crackle-

“What are you doing?”

The skull principal looked at his disciple, who broke through several layers of magic barriers he had set up around him, as if dumbfounded.

It was already absurd that he had just said goodbye and immediately swam over to approach...

'What an ignorant fellow.'

It was even more absurd that he had crudely broken through the intricately woven magic curtain by swinging his mana recklessly.

With that much mana, such a crude method became an effective method.

Einroguard professors wouldn't have taught such a crude method (if someone had taught him, they would have to be locked up in the punishment room), so he must have learned it on his own, but he was really an absurd fellow.

‘Is he really from the Wardanaz family?’

"I went for a swim because the night air was nice."

“While breaking my magic?”

"There was something in the way, so I used a bit of force, but I didn't know it was the principal's magic."

Yi-Han stuck his head above the water and answered shamelessly.

Unfortunately, the skull principal was much more thorough than expected.

He had set up several layers of magic curtains over a fairly wide area around himself to prevent intrusion.

It felt like a thoroughness that would prevent even watching from afar.

“Isn't it too early for you to attack me? Well, I guess you could try it around now.”

"What nonsense are you talking about? I have never thought of attacking the principal! If a disciple thinks of attacking his teacher, is he even human?"

“Your second greatest strength is that very loyalty to respect your teacher. Well, if you were going to attack, you wouldn't have done it so sloppily.”

The skull principal nodded as if he understood.

“You must have followed me because you coveted the treasure hidden in my warehouse, right? Students are all thieves. The moment I turn my eyes away, they're desperate to raid my warehouse!”

'Then provide some meals, bedding, and experimental materials...'

Yi-Han cursed inwardly.

He induced it himself and then!

“Unfortunately, I didn't come to manage the warehouse today.”

"Then why did you come?"

“I told you. I was looking around the submerged scenery of Einroguard and feeling sorry for the students' suffering. I came to help the students.”

"..."

Yi-Han had to grit his teeth to hold back the scornful laughter that was about to burst out.

'He's really telling lies without sincerity.'

"Then I will help you by your side."

“Really?”

The skull principal turned his gaze to Yi-Han as if he had heard an unexpected remark.

Yi-Han asked as if testing him.

"Would it be inconvenient if I'm here?"

“It's not inconvenient, but there are times when I want to punch you.”

"..."

“I'm joking.”

It didn't sound like a joke, but Yi-Han nodded.

“If it were other students, I would have told them to stop wasting time and study, but for you... it should be fine. Okay. Help me by my side.”

The skull principal readily accepted.

Come to think of it, Yi-Han didn't have to study separately for the exams anyway, so it wouldn't be bad to see what he was going to do in advance.

Yi-Han was slightly flustered by that acceptance.

'What? He's not refusing.'

Even if he didn't completely refuse, Yi-Han thought the skull principal would grumble about being disturbed.

But he accepted so easily.

'Is there another trap? Something I won't be able to notice even if I watch from the side? Or something that would be meaningless even if I noticed...'

As Yi-Han was deeply immersed in thought, the skull principal spoke from the side in a dumbfounded voice.

“What are you doing when you said you would help?”

The skull principal hooked a telekinetic hook on the raft Yi-Han was riding and made it follow him quickly.

The raft, which originally moved by rowing, chased after the skull principal at a fast pace.

“The people of the empire think this territory is protected by a great magic barrier.”

"Isn't it?"

“It's not entirely wrong.”

Einroguard itself was a huge existence of magic.

It was the origin and legitimate line of ancient magic that had existed longer than the history of the empire, in a place where the flow of mana was one of the strongest in the entire empire.

It had never sunk during that long history, so it was natural for the people of the empire to have illusions about it.

“But if magic was that easy and convenient, mages wouldn't have dedicated their lives to it.”

The magic cast on Einroguard was so complex, numerous, and powerful that even the skull principal couldn't fully grasp it.

These magics sometimes collided with each other, creating unexpected phenomena, and more rarely, creating holes.

“Nothing goes well if left alone without doing anything. Everything needs management. If a sword is not polished, it rusts, and if clothes are not cared for, they wear out and tear. Einroguard is the same.”

Therefore, one of the skull principal's duties was to patrol and check every corner of the vast Einroguard and fix problems before they occurred.

“Sometimes catching runaway students too…”

Moreover, when a huge phenomenon like the current spirit flood occurred, the magical order of Einroguard became even more chaotic and eccentric.

These patrols and repairs were especially essential.

“If you see a building that is broken or cracked, or if you find something different from usual, let me know.”

"..."

Yi-Han looked at the skull principal very suspiciously.

The explanation was so plausible that it was even more suspicious.

'Logically, it makes sense. But it's suspicious.'

Was it really a coincidence that he was floating around and glowing his eyes ominously during the midterm exam period?

Yi-Han didn't think so.

“Why are you doing that?”

"I thought it was a pity that outsiders look down on the principal's dedication like this."

“Your words are truly right. They are fools who don't know what's important.”

The skull principal agreed and his eyes flashed.

Then, bricks began to attach themselves in the water, and a tower was completed in an instant.

“These stupid 3rd years. If you summoned a being from the dark element realm, you should have kept it locked up properly. It escaped.”

"..."

Yi-Han couldn't believe his ears.

“It can't be helped. It's a waste to lose a building that was built with effort, but... the next students will make good use of it. Oh, right. If you want to lock up your summons too, remember this sealing tower.”

The skull principal kindly advised Yi-Han as he was helping with the work.

Of course, the content wasn't very kind.

“But don't lock up weak ones here. Four wings, six legs, weight about eight pairs of foundation stones of the castle wall? It's better to lock up only those above this level.”

"Ah. Yes."

“You can try fixing that one. Try fixing it.”

"?"

Yi-Han looked in the direction the skull principal was pointing and blinked.

There was nothing.

"What was originally there?"

“Ah. Sorry. You won't be able to see it with your eyes.”

The skull principal spun three times in the air and shouted, “All students are ironheads.”

Then, a classic and flat stone house appeared out of thin air.

“You'll see the crack there, right? Try repairing it.”

"What building is this?"

Yi-Han asked, bringing the raft close to the stone house.

The buildings commonly seen at the academy were usually towers (built by many professors) or huts (built by many students).

This type of low-rise building that required a lot of materials was not very popular at Einroguard.

It was classic and beautiful, but practicality was more important than that.

Even a hut hastily built with wood and leather was not a big problem for a mage who could use magic.

“It was a building built by a smart student who wanted to raise a monster…”

"Uh, it doesn't look very good for a monster to live in."

It was a pretty building, but what was important for a monster was a wide space that was good for running around.

“That's right. So he didn't use it much after building it.”

'Isn't he not very smart?'

“Since then, junior students have been using it for different purposes for generations. It must have changed several times. Ten years ago, the ball game club used it as their clubhouse, and five years ago, the mage card club held a tournament... or not? Did a fire break out in a duel before the tournament? It's not very important. Now it's being used as a dormitory for guests who are properly 'invited' from outside.”

The skull principal emphasized 'invited'.

He seemed to really hate guests coming from outside.

“Anyway, since it's being used as a dormitory, it needs to be properly repaired. You've mastered all the earth, wood, and rock elements among elemental magic, right?”

"No?"

Yi-Han was dumbfounded.

Knowing that Yi-Han was suffering from advanced elements like lightning, dark, flame, and cold, he still said such things?

-Oh dear. I'll have to tell Bagrak.-

"..."

“I'm joking, so don't glare at me like that. You probably didn't learn wood or rock professionally. You won't need them in the 1st year. What about earth?”

"I only know the basics."

“Shape transformation, maintenance... can you decompose by any chance? Decomposition is important.”

"Yes."

Thankfully, he had learned <Tutanta Family's Rock Disintegration> from Salko before.

He hadn't completely mastered it, but he could use it thanks to his mana.

“Then it's not basic, you ironhead.”

The skull principal scolded Yi-Han.

Humility was not a good habit for a mage.

“Now you may be busy eating, sleeping, and playing like a beast, but when you become a 2nd year, you'll have quite a lot of construction work to do. It won't hurt to learn it now. But this requires some knowledge of transformation magic... Ah. I was worrying for nothing.”

The skull principal recalled the schools of magic Yi-Han had been learning and canceled what he had just said.

"Uh, I'm not confident in transformation magic yet..."

“Just listen quietly.”

The skull principal decided to dismiss 95% of what Yi-Han said from now on as an exaggeration.

Earth elemental magic had a fairly easy difficulty level.

Since every mage lived with their feet on the ground, they couldn't help but be familiar with it.

Moreover, unlike fire or water, earth was the easiest to call from the closest proximity.

Magics like calling earth, shaping it, and fixing it firmly were things that other students could also do.

However, to repair a building made with complex materials, one had to know how to control not only earth but also various other elements.

The skull principal pushed Yi-Han to be able to transform rock into sand and sand into rock.

Although Yi-Han had somehow mastered transforming cloth into iron, transforming solid rock into sand was still not easy.

To help his disciple who had hit a wall, the skull principal threw gravel and sprinkled sand.

“Feel it! Feel it! The last transformation was slow to react. The last transformation lost focus! Pour more mana into it. You can waste some mana for this magic anyway!”

Yi-Han desperately learned magic to escape from the gravel and sand hitting his face even for a moment.

And he really succeeded.

"...!"

When he quickly transformed the damaged part of the stone house and made the cracks disappear, Yi-Han suddenly felt doubt about himself.

Why do I only succeed after getting hit?

'Is it right to keep succeeding this way? It's efficient, but...'

“Well done. Those magics will come in handy. Rock is quite bothersome to knead as it is…”

'I could definitely earn some pocket money at any stonemason guild.'

The two mages had different thoughts.

"Where to next?"

“Hmm. There was a pier by the lakeside, and I think there will be damage there too. Let's go there.”

"Yes. ...?"

Yi-Han, who was about to nod and go, felt something strange.

Huh?

'Is he really only doing repairs?'

Was he not preparing any wicked plots or exam preparations?