Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1045

Chapter 1045

"Come to think of it, Eandurde wouldn't have acted so foolishly."

"Indeed."

"...You knew?!"

Yi-Han was bewildered by the professor's reaction.

Well, as the school's master who had watched longer than Yi-Han, it wouldn't be strange for Professor Boladi to judge Eandurde accurately.

'But then why didn't you stop me??'

"Then why did you come looking?"

"?"

Professor Boladi slightly raised the end of his eyebrow and looked at his disciple.

Though the other wasn't someone who expressed emotions intensely, having built up experience, Yi-Han could read what it meant.

That was a question mark. More specifically, it could be said to mean 'What are you saying now?'

-You were the one making all sorts of fuss and commotion about Eandurde disappearing?-

'Ah.'

Yi-Han became very embarrassed.

Come to think of it, he was the one who had made a fuss saying 'Eandurde went to an underground arena! We must save her quickly!!' just from hearing Alhidle's words.

From Professor Boladi's position, even if uncertain, with his senior acting so frantically he had no choice but to accompany the search.

"...I'm sorry. I should have judged more carefully."

"No. Having deep friendship as members of the same school is praiseworthy."

'There are only two of us though.'

With only two people in the school, even Gainando and Anglago might become close.

Leaving the slum district with the professor, Yi-Han reflected once more.

From now on, he would develop the habit of verifying facts before recklessly attacking.

...The guild members, half sprawled and half being dragged away by capital guards, would have their guts turned if they heard this.

  *

"Indeed I see."

Professor Garcia looked at her disciple with an ambiguous expression, unsure whether to praise or not.

Eandurde shook an old coin purse with a satisfied face.

She had remembered hearing that one of the slave merchants had hidden gold coins in a closed arena, but to think she would use it like this.

Indeed the saying that knowledge is power wasn't wrong.

"That's not how that saying is used... anyway I'm glad you're safe..."

"Shouldn't we tell Yi-Han who went looking?"

"Shh. Keep quiet, he might feel bad unnecessarily."

The 2nd year students who had gathered hearing the news whispered behind them. Seeing this, Alhidle asked puzzled.

"What are you all talking about?"

"Huh? Uh... we were discussing how much the ratio of fire grass reagent affects power when casting dark magic."

Gainando hurriedly made excuses.

At that excuse, Alhidle sent an even more admiring look. To be so focused on magic even during break.

Indeed the 2nd year seniors were different in some way.

'We can't even compare.'

It was diligence incomparable to friends who indulged in feasting and novel magazines as soon as break started.

"Hey. How did you come up with that?"

"Shh. I just followed a topic Senior was researching."

"..."

While his friend looked at Gainando pathetically, Yi-Han and Professor Boladi returned.

Seeing the mages gathered in front of the hall, Yi-Han let out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry we're late, Professor."

"No. I'm glad you both returned safely. Nothing happened, right?"

"Yes. Nothing happened."

At Yi-Han's answer, his friends nodded as if accepting this.

However, Jijel tilted her head. An unfamiliar bloodstain had appeared on the upper left shoulder of Wardanaz.

'Isn't that blood?'

Though she felt something off, before she could ask, Yi-Han gathered his friends.

"Everyone gather here. A graduated senior left gifts for you all."

"What? Really?"

The friends expressed doubt at these unexpected words.

They had wondered about the pile of gifts stacked there, but those were gifts for them?

"I thought those were things Wardanaz bought with his own money."

"Maybe Wardanaz bought them with his money then made up an imaginary senior?"

The friends who had zero faith in Einroguard seniors whispered.

Thinking of the graduates they had met so far, there was no way they would have given such gifts.

"Why would I do that? Quickly come line up."

'He's more suspicious since he's not strongly denying it.'

The 2nd year students were skeptical inwardly.

Given Yi-Han's image as someone from a great noble family who continuously took commissions even during semester, such wealth wasn't particularly strange.

"Well Wardanaz doesn't really care about gold coins anyway."

"...What?!"

Yonaire was shocked at the voice of students from other towers talking beside her.

Why such a misunderstanding?

"Why do you think that?"

"Wh-what. Maykin. Do you have a problem with Wardanaz?"

"Ah, no... that's not it. Just curious about the reason?"

"He makes food without taking money."

"..."

Yonaire was momentarily speechless.

It was too hard to refute, so all she could barely think to answer was:

"He... he does take money."

"Hm? Ah. Silver coins? That's basically not charging compared to seniors."

"That's... well... never mind..."

Yonaire considered how to clear up the misunderstanding but sighed deeply and gave up.

It seemed they wouldn't listen even if she said Yi-Han actually cared a lot about gold coins.

"Yonaire. Here's a <Water Horse Mountain Range Magic Tower's Triangular Flask>."

Yi-Han held out a magically enchanted flask to his friend from the alchemy school. Reading the description, Yonaire opened her eyes wide.

"Component detection, replication, purification, and transformation? Isn't that too many functions?"

Yonaire wondered while examining the flask from various angles.

One might think what's wrong with an artifact having many functions, but actually it was a problem.

The difficulty and cost increased exponentially with each additional magic enchanted.

From magic conflicts to mana supply issues, adding reagents for stability...

Rather than that, one could just use several artifacts with divided functions. There was no need to forcibly cram everything into one.

"Yeah. That's why they say the mage who made it was disciplined. Another mage brought it to the auction house as proxy."

"Th-thank you. I'll use it well."

Yi-Han nodded. Seeing the reaction, he felt confident he had chosen the right gift for his friend.

Asan received a crystal astrolabe (Asan bewildered Yi-Han by declaring he didn't need brothers or sisters anymore), Dolgyu got leather gauntlets with barrier shields, Ratford got new lockpicks and magic bugs for exploring inside keyholes, Nigisor got a lantern that reacted with fire spirits to create various attribute flames...

"Wait. Wardanaz. Were you perhaps the person who bought everything before auctions started while going around the hall earlier?"

"It wasn't me but a graduated senior..."

"I see indeed."

'That response seems to have some other meaning?'

Yi-Han felt something odd about his friend's response but passed over it without probing further.

There wasn't time if he wanted to distribute useful items from what was bought today.

"Here, Nillia."

"Th-thanks?"

Nillia was bewildered receiving the <Cursed Red Spear>.

Though she didn't understand why this was given as a gift, since Wardanaz gave it, she figured he must have some intention.

"...No. Why are you taking that?! Your gift is this quill here!"

Yi-Han, belatedly startled, snatched back the spear and pointed to a quill.

This quill that helped with composition according to its owner's commands was an artifact for Nillia who would need to write hundreds of invitation letters for social activities in the future.

'...The spear seems more useful though...'

Nillia thought inwardly while receiving the quill. No matter how she thought about it, spear > quill.

Yi-Han continued distributing gifts.

Raphael got a thick book cataloging contractible undead beings for dark mages (though grumbling, Raphael still expressed thanks), Siana got a monocle of wisdom, Salko got a dark shovel enchanted with decomposition magic...

"Moradi, this sword is..."

"I already have a sword I'm using."

Jijel answered somewhat awkwardly.

Though she didn't want to refuse the gift, she already had her family's sword she was using.

"Listen to the end. This sword looks like a sword but is actually a magic artifact with hidden throwing knives inside. They say a famous duelist mage often used it. If you pretend to draw the sword like this, compressed wind bullets from the hilt..."

"..."

Jijel was shocked at Yi-Han explaining excitedly.

It was an even more pathetic gift than she had thought.

'It's more ridiculous because it sounds plausible!'

Jijel felt slightly ashamed of herself for being tempted by that explanation.

When there was no response, Yi-Han became slightly dejected.

"Don't you like it? I thought it was a really good weapon."

"Ah, no. It's not bad... seems good too... thanks..."

Having received it, Jijel put it at her waist. If anyone asked why she was carrying three swords, she planned to punch them in the mouth.

To Tijiling he gave the cursed red spear (Nillia sent a slightly envious look), to Adenart a blessed picnic basket (Adenart tilted her head after receiving it), to Sharukal a conch shell imbued with water element magic, then Yi-Han called Gainando.

"Gainando. This inkwell is an artifact for mages lacking concentration. If you do other things while sitting at your desk, it shoots ink at your face."

"...Seems like I'm the only one getting a weird gift..."

"And here's some bonus mage cards. Got them at the auction house."

Yi-Han held out a thick stack of cards.

Seeing the familiar card list, Gainando's eyes welled up with tears of emotion.

"This is a miracle!!!"

"...It doesn't seem that amazing??"

  *

After returning to the villa mansion with his friends, Yi-Han called Eandurde separately.

It was to discuss when to go meet Jourin.

"Should we go meet her after buying your gift?"

"That seems good. However..."

Eandurde hesitated unusually. Yi-Han was slightly surprised at this sight.

'What?'

What could make Eandurde act like this?

'Could she be short on gold coins?'

"I have a question."

Raising her hand, Eandurde considered several times before opening her mouth.

Though she went around in circles and expressed it verbosely, summarized it was this:

When friendship toward a friend conflicts with respect toward a senior, which should one choose?

'This kid...!'

Yi-Han was slightly moved and called Yonaire.

"Yonaire. Yonaire."

"Huh? What?"

"Seems Eandurde has already made many friends."

Having called Yonaire, Yi-Han explained what he had just heard.

From the looks of it, Eandurde was clearly worrying whether she should spend the remaining break with seniors or if she could choose playing with friends.

"?"

Yonaire tilted her head.

'Something seems off.'

Though she strongly felt that wasn't it, Yi-Han had already opened his mouth.

"Of course you should choose friendship with friends. Eandurde. You can use seniors however convenient then throw them away."

"...Hey..."

Yonaire looked at Yi-Han with a very complicated expression.

We're seniors too!

"...Is that so?"

"Of course! Do you perhaps have plans with friends?"

Eandurde shook her head side to side. Then spoke with a resolved face.

"I'll go meet Her Highness together tomorrow!"

'Is this something to say so resolutely?'