Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-537

It wasn't the ability he wanted, but after spending nearly a year at Einroguard, Yi-Han had gained the ability to read the skull principal's thoughts to some extent.

It was the same now.

Seeing the mercenaries training to get out of the warehouse, he strangely had a specific imagination of what would happen at the end of this year.

The skull principal would suddenly make a fuss that there was an attack from the outside, tell them to be wary of outsiders, and a bunch of mercenaries strangely accustomed to dealing with mages would rush in...

'Could it be that the anti-magic extremists or adventurers from last time were also the skull principal's trap?'

The skull principal would have been very wronged if he heard it, but this was actually close to karma.

Just as the boy who cried wolf lost trust through repeated pranks, the skull principal had already lost trust.

Yi-Han confirmed the appearance of the mercenaries through the cracks in the warehouse wall.

It was truly absurd to see mercenaries who looked like they could easily kill a few people like having lunch being scared by the Death Knight and chattering among themselves about 'how to deal with mages'.

'I'll have to tell the other guys to be careful since I've memorized their faces.'

Having finished the final exam, no, the confirmation of the mercenaries, Yi-Han turned around.

He had to return as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

***

Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap-

"...?"

Yi-Han, who had returned to the original cafe, was startled.

The applause erupting from all directions was much more intense than when Ipadour sang a song earlier.

'What's going on? Did Einroguard collapse by any chance?'

In Yi-Han's imagination, it was hard for this level of applause to erupt unless Einroguard collapsed.

Amidst the noise, Yi-Han grabbed the elf merchant next to him as calmly as possible and asked.

"What happened?"

The elf couldn't answer. He was sobbing, unable to escape from the overwhelming emotion.

"Please sing just one more song!"

"Just one more! Just one more!"

"I think it's time to go. By the way, where is that Wardanaz guy?"

At the skull principal's words, Yi-Han raised his hand.

"I'm here."

"Why are you there?"

"People pushed me?"

"You got pushed and you let them? Did you attend Einroguard or did you attend a pasture where sheep leisurely graze on grass?"

The skull principal scolded Yi-Han and gestured.

The people who were immersed in emotion reached out with ecstatic expressions at that gesture, but they were greatly pushed back by an intangible force.

"Let's go. I'm doing all sorts of things because of the disciples who insist on doing useless magic."

"Uh, it was truly moving."

Yi-Han spoke tactfully.

He hadn't heard the skull principal's song, but judging from the surrounding reaction, it seemed to be quite a moving song.

Ipadour vehemently agreed. The old minstrel's eyes were moist.

"That's right...! Isn't this kind of song the reason why this old poet is alive?"

'No, what did he sing and how?'

Yi-Han suspected that the skull principal had called the Death Knights and threatened them to be moved.

"That's enough. It's not a pleasant compliment anyway."

"How on earth did you learn such an amazing song?"

"I learned it to make the people of the palace happy when I was a prince. It was a very long time ago."

Ipadour was moved by the touching story.

However, Yi-Han was a bit flustered.

'I can't imagine it.'

Telling him about the skull principal's childhood was just confusing.

Just like being told, "Professor Bagrak was a very kind and good-natured kid when he was young," it was just confusing.

"Let's go. There's a place we need to stop by before it closes."

"Huh? Where?"

"We need to get an instrument too. To practice music magic."

The central district of Granden City was a quiet space frequented mainly by city nobles or the wealthy.

Among the various old-fashioned stores located there was <Inpalenin's Trio>.

"Ah. I've heard the name. He's an excellent instrument craftsman."

"He probably is. Even when I called him before regarding artifacts, his skills were quite good."

'Why a trio?'

Yi-Han followed the two into the store, wondering.

The store was like a museum of instruments.

From familiar instruments that Yi-Han knew the names of to strange-looking instruments he had never seen before, various instruments were on display.

The sound of a seven-stringed zither was heard faintly from somewhere and then abruptly stopped.

And soon, the store owner, Inpalenin, appeared.

'Ah.'

Yi-Han could understand why the store name was a trio. Inpalenin was an Asura with three heads and six arms.

"Oh... oh... oh my goodness. The two people I respect the most are in my store...!"

"Calm down. Keep your arms still."

The skull principal hurriedly stopped Inpalenin from swinging his six arms randomly, worried that he might knock over the instruments.

He couldn't bear to see this well-organized space in a reddish-brown color become a mess with the debris of broken instruments.

"Wh-what brings you here... Could it be that you need help making an artifact? But I... I... that..."

"We didn't come to ask for an artifact."

At the skull principal's words, Inpalenin's face brightened.

"That's a relief! I didn't have the confidence to meet the demands of that mage...!"

"..."

Yi-Han looked at the skull principal, somehow feeling like he knew about the rampage of a certain mage.

The skull principal also sighed as if he was truly sorry.

"...I apologize. You won't have to deal with that bas... that person, so don't worry. If he asks you to work in the future, make sure to keep your distance."

"No. It was an honor that you entrusted it to me, but it was my lack of ability."

"We came to buy an instrument today. This disciple of mine wants to play something... Oh. Do you know how to play any instruments?"

The skull principal asked without much expectation.

He naturally thought there wouldn't be any and was going to choose the easiest instrument for him.

Like a pan flute or kalimba...

"I know how to play the violin."

"Violin?"

The skull principal was surprised by the unexpected answer.

Although music was included in the nobles' education, it was only for appreciation, not for playing.

To play at a decent level, it required bloody efforts, so it didn't suit the lazy nobles.

But the boy from the Wardanaz family knew how to play the violin.

"The Wardanaz family doesn't hold many concerts, right? You must really like music."

"No..."

Yi-Han was flustered when he suddenly became a music enthusiast after mentioning an instrument he had learned without much thought.

"I don't like music that much."

"Yeah. Yeah. Of course you don't."

"..."

The skull principal treated Yi-Han's words like a rolling stone and started discussing instruments with Ipadour.

Yi-Han glared at the skull principal.

"How about this one?"

"The wood is too fierce. An instrument like this will ruin the performer's reputation."

"You're right. The back of this one is too unique. The resonance is good, but it will develop bad habits."

"Excellent. Ah. This one is quite nice. It uses Jeogyo wood."

"Jeogyo wood? The elements seem too biased to one side... I'll pick it out for now. We'll know when we play it."

The excited Inpalenin also ran over.

"In my opinion, if that student uses it, how about this one? I waited for a month in the cold Sageum Pari Mountains to make this bow..."

Yi-Han, who was watching the three of them chatting excitedly, suddenly became curious and asked.

"By the way, Principal. Whose money are you using to buy the instrument? It can't be that I'm paying for it...?"

"Don't say such nonsense. Others might misunderstand if they hear it."

The skull principal reacted faster than usual, perhaps because there were listening ears nearby.

"Of course I'll pay with my gold coins. It's an item needed for magic research."

"Huh? Is that okay?"

"Yeah. It's terribly regrettable, but it can't be helped. Remember it well. If you try to save money unnecessarily in magic research, you'll end up spending more money later."

'Is this why imperial bureaucrats hate Einroguard?'

The skull principal's words made sense.

If you used cheap materials and equipment just to save gold coins, the results might turn out wrong.

Then, in the end, you would have to do the experiment again, and the cost would be that much...

To avoid such a situation, it was best to prepare with determination from the beginning.

Of course, even if you said that, it wasn't very convincing to the bureaucrats in charge of the empire's finances.

No matter how rationally they tried to think, when they received a report like "I burned half a ton of pure gold to explore magic, haha, but it's still incomplete, so if you could provide more support," their necks would become stiff and their vision would go dark.

"Thank you. I'll use it well."

"Yeah. Don't go and sell it somewhere."

"..."

"Why can't you answer right away?"

"I was momentarily worried that someone might steal it."

"Don't worry. I'll cast a spell on it, so if someone steals it, I'll chase after them and find it for you."

'Tsk.'

Yi-Han clicked his tongue inwardly at the skull principal's thorough remark.

No matter what excuse he made, selling it seemed impossible.

"It would be best to choose one of these three..."

"I think so too."

After a long discussion, the choices were narrowed down to three.

One was made by cutting a fully grown eight-section tree, a stable violin that combined the advantages of the most famous violins in the empire that Inpalenin had seen.

Another one used young Jeogyo wood. It was a piece with a quite adventurous structure for the body and fingerboard, so it lacked stability but had a unique flavor, making it good for growing together with a young performer.

And the last one was not a violin made by Inpalenin, but a violin he had purchased.

The previous performer died due to a love affair, the one before that died in an unfortunate accident during a performance, the one before that died in a fire, and so on, it was an ominous object with a history soaked in blood.

"The first one seems safe, but..."

"I think so too. The student doesn't have much experience either..."

Yi-Han also naturally tried to choose the first one, but the skull principal decisively selected.

"The third one would be good."

"Why on earth?"

In response to Yi-Han's question, the skull principal answered as if it was absurd.

"Can't you feel the mana? It's rare for an object of nature to have that much mana."

"No..."

Did we come to choose an instrument or an object with mana?

Of course, Yi-Han also knew that mana was felt from the third violin.

It was so terribly ominous and violent.

If the owners all met tragic fates one after another, it would be stranger if the mana felt pure and peaceful.

"Considering music magic, you should naturally choose an object with high mana."

"But it's an ominous object."

"Look at your arms."

"?"

At the skull principal's words, Yi-Han looked at his own arms.

The cursed artifacts he usually wore were dangling.

"A guy wearing cursed artifacts like ornaments... Give me that."

"A-are you sure it's okay? This isn't an item I put out for sale..."

"Then it will be cheaper!"

***

When all the schedules were finished, the weekend was almost over.

Yi-Han sighed as he passed through the gates of Einroguard in the carriage.

Even Yi-Han felt bitter that the precious weekend had ended like this.

"Oh."

As the skull principal looked ahead and spoke absentmindedly, Yi-Han also turned his gaze.

Professor Bagrak was waiting with an expressionless face.

"Why is the professor standing there?"

"Oops... Damn it. I forgot. Originally, Professor Bagrak said he had something to teach you on the weekend."

"Why on the weekend?"

"You must have been fully booked with other professors on weekdays."

"...?"

Yi-Han tilted his head at the unidentified sense of discomfort felt in the conversation.

The information sharing among the professors was too natural.

What's going on?

"Professor Bagrak! I'm sorry for shaking up the schedule, but there was a reason."

The skull principal got out of the carriage and approached Professor Bagrak. Yi-Han, whose legs were tied because he was supporting Ipadour from behind, was shocked by the following words.

"That guy was very interested in music magic and begged me to go out with him. So I had no choice. Then I'll be going."

The skull principal returned to his skull form and disappeared with a whoosh.

As Yi-Han made eye contact with the expressionless Professor Bagrak, he unconsciously glanced at Ipadour.

'Hmm. It would be too much for me.'

Yi-Han's magic was too lacking to blame Ipadour and disappear.