Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy
chapter-543

'Is that something to be so excited about?'

Professor Kirmin Ku was puzzled to see Yi-Han and Ratford excitedly disassembling the boxes.

Of course, as a professor, he was happy that the students were interested in the lecture content and showed enthusiasm, but no matter how he thought about it, it was rather confusing for them to be so passionate about something not very fun.

"Professor. Are there any more difficult boxes?"

"Wardanaz. You're not trying to steal something somewhere, are you?"

Professor Kirmin Ku said jokingly.

Yi-Han's eyes wavered very slightly.

"Wh-what are you talking about? It's academic curiosity about illusion magic."

"Th-that's right. There's no way that's the case."

"I'm joking. I'm joking."

***

Unlike some professors who liked whips and sticks, Professor Kirmin Ku was a gentle professor who preferred whips and carrots.

Since the students had been wrestling with boring and tedious boxes, it was only fair to show them something interesting next.

"You all worked hard dealing with the boring boxes."

"No. It was fun."

At Yi-Han's words, his friends glared at him from behind as if they were going to kill him.

They couldn't glare from the front, so they had no choice but to glare from behind.

This is why the top student...!

"Then shall we continue explaining the magic I taught you last time? You all remember, right?"

"Yes, Professor!"

The students' faces brightened.

The boring analysis and disabling were over, and a lecture close to practical application had arrived.

The professor called a student and said.

"Now. Try it."

"...Re-refract!"

As the student who cast the <Projectile Refraction> magic additionally cast Magic Missile, the blue sphere the size of a fist, which should have flown straight, appeared to be flying from a different direction than the actual one.

It was an illusion magic that confused the trajectory of the magic cast by the mage in an unexpected way.

"Uh oh...!"

As the Magic Missile seemed to hit the professor's face directly, the student who cast it made a startled sound.

Yi-Han looked at it with slightly expectant eyes.

Of course, Professor Kirmin Ku didn't let himself get hit. The moment the magic exploded, the professor's doppelganger disappeared as if it had collapsed.

"!"

"...!!"

Chills ran down the spines of the students in their seats.

The professor they had been talking to until just now was actually a doppelganger. They had no idea when it had changed.

"Well done, well done. But you're too honest. You'll have to learn how to use more tricks."

All excellent illusion mages were skilled at trickery.

If they had to attack a fortress, an enhancement mage would go in from the front like a heavily armored knight, deflect the incoming attacks, and crush the enemies.

But an illusion mage would eliminate the commander before the people in the fortress even noticed and pretend to be the commander of the fortress himself.

Contrary to a head-on match or flashiness, surprise attacks and trickery that struck at the weak point were essential in illusion magic.

"Now. Let's pair up in twos. One person attacks, one person defends. The person in charge of the attack should somehow deceive and subdue the opponent. Understand? Wardanaz. Where are you going? You have to do it with me. You did it with me last time too."

"Yes..."

Yi-Han returned to Professor Kirmin Ku, looking gloomy.

The students sent respectful greetings to the professor. Professor Kirmin Ku waved his hand as if he understood their feelings well.

"Honestly, wouldn't it be unfair if you, Wardanaz, competed with them?"

"Not really?"

Professor Kirmin Ku pretended not to hear Yi-Han's words. As one served as a professor at Einroguard, one developed the skill to pretend not to hear words that were unfavorable to oneself.

"You learned like that from Professor Bagrak, so it's too much for ordinary students."

"I didn't learn much."

"Wardanaz, did you erase the memory of you pretending to be dead and attacking me last time?"

Professor Kirmin Ku looked at Yi-Han in disbelief.

How dumbfounded he had been when Yi-Han suddenly collapsed as if having a heart attack during the last lecture, and when he approached, Yi-Han immediately cast a spell.

No matter how he thought about it, it was a suspicious trick that reminded him of a certain professor.

"Now. Let's stop the nonsense and start."

"Yes. Multiply!"

Yi-Han chanted the <Projectile Multiplication> spell.

It was similar to <Projectile Refraction> earlier, but a bit more difficult illusion magic.

It was about casting an illusion on the staff that increased the number of projectiles cast by the mage.

"Water!"

Yi-Han lightly launched the water orbs at Professor Kirmin Ku while erratically shaking their trajectories.

Since it was a session to practice illusion magic, there was no need for a level of power that would knock down the opponent.

Professor Kirmin Ku spoke as if it was absurd.

"You pretended to cast an illusion magic, but you actually launched multiple real ones, right?"

"No."

"It is."

The professor waved his staff. Then the flying water orbs all shattered and fell.

They were all real water with substance.

It was a splendid trick worthy of a high score. Of course, not everyone could waste mana like that...

'It's probably fake.'

Yi-Han focused his attention on Professor Kirmin Ku in front of him.

It wasn't simply a guess from experience, but a very subtle awkwardness was actually felt from Professor Kirmin Ku's appearance.

It wasn't that his appearance was awkward.

That subtle difference inevitably felt when magic was cast.

An ordinary mage wouldn't be able to feel it, but someone like Yi-Han, whose sensitivity to mana was extremely keen, could feel it.

"Hmm."

Yi-Han suddenly poked a White Tiger Tower student who was diligently competing in illusion magic with Ratford next to him with his staff.

"Ahh!"

"Sorry. I thought you were the professor."

"How can you say that..."

"Wardanaz. It's remarkable that you noticed, but that method is not allowed."

Professor Kirmin Ku tapped the floor with his staff, indicating that it shouldn't be done.

If an illusion mage had to hide in a village, he couldn't attack all the villagers, could he?

Yi-Han scanned his surroundings again.

Since he didn't know where and how the professor was hiding, a wide-area attack...

"Wardanaz. Wide-area magic is not allowed either."

Yi-Han looked at the professor in front of him in annoyance.

"If everything is not allowed, what do you want me to do?"

"This is an illusion magic lecture, not Professor Bagrak's lecture, right?"

It was certainly a valid point.

Yi-Han reflected a little and launched a water orb at the professor. The professor lightly defended against it.

'I need to find the sense of discomfort.'

A distinctly heterogeneous flow, clearly different from the general flow of mana felt in nature.

Usually, such a flow was a clue to detect a mage's magic.

The problem was that other students' magic was constantly exploding in this lecture room.

Since magic was flying around in all directions, the flow of mana was very capricious.

"Light fog, spread."

"!"

Professor Kirmin Ku made a slightly moved expression when he saw Yi-Han casting <Ogonin's Light Fog>.

To think that a mere 1st-year student would cast a 3rd circle magic, and Ogonin's illusion magic at that, so cleanly.

Even though he broke the magic circles for lectures with mana every time or broke the materials with mana, it was rare to see such a remarkable student like Wardanaz.

'I need to hide myself first.'

Yi-Han faithfully acted according to the teachings.

No matter how much Yi-Han had the attacking role, it would be disadvantageous to let Professor Kirmin Ku keep observing him.

He had to somehow shake his sight for a moment.

"Cloak, engulf me..."

'He's doing well?'

Professor Kirmin Ku admired as Yi-Han's form completely disappeared into the rippling fog.

He wasn't called <Bagrak's Only Disciple> for nothing.

How many times had he taught this kind of illusion magic duel, and he was already so proficient?

'Yeah. You should know how to hide yourself even when attacking.'

Swish!

Suddenly, the windows closed and the curtains were drawn.

The students who were waving their staffs and kicking each other's shins also paused and turned their gazes.

Professor Kirmin Ku unknowingly shouted with an ominous feeling.

"Hey, wait...!"

Crash!!

Yi-Han mercilessly shattered the magic lamps on the lecture room ceiling.

The artifact that had been emitting light broke with a loud noise, and the lecture room instantly darkened.

The professor simultaneously felt the desire to praise him and the desire to call Professor Bagrak and argue, 'Stop making the kid so weird'.

'He's breaking that!'

However, the inside didn't become completely dark.

The light penetrating the curtains and the afterglow of the magic emitted by the students remained.

"Darkness, flow out!"

"...!"

Professor Kirmin Ku laughed hollowly at the persistent will that even mobilized that rare dark element to create a blackout.

He was fully enjoying the privilege of the attacking side.

"So, Wardanaz? Calling the darkness was a good idea, but it seems more disadvantageous to find the main body."

"No. I found it."

Yi-Han stopped behind Ymirg, dispelled the invisibility magic, and lightly hit his back with his staff.

Then Ymirg's appearance changed into Professor Kirmin Ku. As the lecture room brightened, the students next to him screamed in surprise.

"How did you find me?"

Professor Kirmin Ku asked, truly not expecting it.

Wardanaz was approaching in a good direction, but he still had a long way to go to find the answer.

But how?

"I cast an invisibility magic and also cast <Ogonin's Emotion Perception> magic."

"Ah. <Mr. Ogonin's Emotion Perception>? That's a really clever choice."

"Uh... yes. Mr. Ogonin."

Yi-Han glanced around and added the honorific.

It seemed he had to be a bit more careful with the terminology in front of Professor Kirmin Ku.

The reason for using <Ogonin's Emotion Perception> was simple.

If Professor Kirmin Ku was hiding as one of the students, he thought he would show a calm emotion unlike the other students.

The professor was very satisfied with Yi-Han's idea and clapped his hands.

"Yeah. How did you notice? Did you notice the magic bouncing off? Ymirg has strong magic resistance, but not enough to block all these emotion perception-type magics."

"Uh... well, the magic itself succeeded."

Professor Kirmin Ku was startled by Yi-Han's words.

Since it wasn't a combat situation, Professor Kirmin Ku didn't go around the school with multiple defensive magics cast.

Still, as an illusion mage, there were magics he habitually cast for security...

And he just penetrated through that?

"My goodness. There's a reason why Professor Bagrak likes you so much."

"Pardon???"

Yi-Han became serious for the first time in a while.

***

Professor Verduus's summons, which originally called Yi-Han whenever he was bored, had drastically decreased, but Yi-Han didn't care at all.

Because he knew very well that the moment he went there and asked, "Professor, are you alright?" he would fall deep into the swamp called Professor Verduus.

He was just enjoying the peace that the senior, who was probably in the underground prison now, had created.

'Thank you. Senior Kettle.'

But he couldn't avoid Professor Verduus forever.

A typical example was lecture time.

"Wardanaz. Why do you look so bright for an enchantment magic lecture?"

Anglago couldn't understand.

Moreover, wasn't Wardanaz the one who had to bring the professor?

If it were Anglago, just thinking about it would make his stomach hurt...

"Ah. I'm suddenly happy thinking that I only have to meet the professor during lecture time."

"..."

Jijel, who was passing by, looked at Yi-Han as if he was crazy.

"Professor?"

Before the lecture began, Yi-Han knocked on the door of Professor Verduus's workshop.

Professor Verduus gestured from afar to open the door and told him to come in.

"Ah. Were you in the middle of work? Should I come back later?"

"No. I have to go to the lecture. They said they'd kill me if I don't go."

Yi-Han didn't ask, "Who?" He just smiled gently.

Professor Verduus grumbled and quickly finished his work.

"This is so annoying! What crazy bastard breaks the magic lamps in the lecture room?"

"..."