Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1029

Chapter 1029

When her thoughts reached that point, Professor Garcia subtly broached the subject.

"Yi-Han. Did you know there are quite a few students at Petroguard interested in chant studies?"

"?"

Yi-Han didn't understand why Professor Garcia had brought this up.

Suddenly?

'What is this? Is she telling me not to hate Petroguard students?'

But that seemed too random for such a purpose. One couldn't hate them less just because they were interested in chant studies.

"Ah, I see. Chants are important in magic."

For mages, chants weren't simply tools of concentration that resonated with the soul.

Broadly speaking, they were also powerful frameworks that defined the form of magic.

Though not a major concern for mages who used existing magic as is, mages trying to create or improve magic always needed to know how to practically compromise from infinite possibilities.

Though magic's possibilities were said to be limitless, the mages casting it were real people.

Therefore, these chants served as anchors for mages.

They became barriers preventing unintended possibility surges or loss of control that even mages themselves couldn't predict.

"I'm interested in chant studies too."

Yi-Han liked efficient and compressed chants.

Chants related to ancient magic served as simple summaries just by calling their names, making them good for quick concentration and drawing out magic.

"No, no. Petroguard students prefer the beauty of the chants themselves."

"Pardon?"

"That is, the rhythm or melody of the chants themselves, the inherent mana effects they produce..."

As she spoke, Professor Garcia sent a gaze as if hoping her disciple would realize.

A clever disciple should be able to notice what magic this connected to.

Music magic that produced effects through the chants themselves!

"Wow. Do they really have that much spare time?"

"..."

"I'm sorry, Professor. That slipped out."

"It's alright, Yi-Han."

Professor Garcia was slightly deflated.

She had wanted to leave a good impression of Petroguard since they had come all this way, but it didn't seem easy.

"We've arrived."

Dalser pointed ahead.

On the flat field ahead, over dozens of carriages with waterproof canvas roofs were gathered in a circular formation. They looked more like wandering peddlers or pioneers than mages.

However, there was something unusual about the sight.

If they were peddlers or pioneers, there should have been all sorts of luggage, camping supplies, and lit bonfires inside the circle of carriages, but there was none of that.

"Let's go in."

"Where?"

"Ah. You can just lift any carriage's cover and go in."

Saying this, the Petroguard mages abruptly entered a nearby carriage.

Professor Garcia, Professor Boladi, and Alcicle moved as if not particularly surprised. The students carefully followed behind.

Whoosh!

Gainando was startled.

A completely different scene greeted them upon entering the carriage.

'The carriages were all magic passages!'

He had wondered how a magic school like Petroguard could travel throughout the empire, but this method made sense.

The magic school territory existed in a separate magic space and only the carriages serving as entrances moved leisurely.

The Petroguard territory gave off a completely different atmosphere from Einroguard.

First, there was no main building, and buildings constructed without uniformity were scattered throughout the territory as if randomly thrown.

From buildings shaped like demon horns to buildings perched atop growing giant trees, buildings floating on lakes, and buildings with just tents draped over them with <Petroguard Lecture Hall> signs attached.

Gainando called Yi-Han beside him.

"Really unique, isn't it? Right, Yi-Han? ...Yi-Han?"

Gainando looked around. Though he could see the others, Yi-Han was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did Yi-Han go?!?!"

"What are you talking about? He came in togeth... R-really, where did he go?!"

  *

At first, Yi-Han thought Petroguard was truly a unique magic school.

To think the school was in a basement.

However, that wasn't it.

When the mage ghost he had met before suddenly appeared beside him, Yi-Han realized something had gone wrong.

-You promised... to solve the magic...-

At the ghost's voice that seemed somehow more intelligent and resentful than before, Yi-Han made excuses first.

"No. I'm trying. It just takes time. Isn't this a difficult problem that other mages couldn't solve either?"

He never thought the ghost would suddenly kidnap him for not solving the magic.

Yi-Han spoke while trying not to provoke the other.

"How could you kidnap me like this?"

-Kidnap...?-

The ghost reacted as if not understanding the meaning of kidnap.

"You brought me here, didn't you? ...Wait, there were professors on both sides, how?"

Moreover, one was Einroguard's power king and the other was Professor Boladi - how did it kidnap through their watch?

-I... did not kidnap... You... visited...-

"...??!"

Yi-Han kept asking questions to grasp the situation while holding onto the mad mage's ghost.

Though it wasn't easy since the other wasn't capable of rational conversation, as the questions accumulated, he was able to understand somewhat.

So...

'You're saying I was drawn to this basement by chance while space traveling?'

Mages who traveled through realms sometimes got caught in annoying curses.

Like some monster smelling the scent from a mage's soul and chasing them beyond realms upon realms, or their physical form transforming when crossing realms...

Yi-Han's case was a bit different but similarly annoying.

To fly to this basement by chance while space traveling.

Then did this mean he could randomly come to this capital villa basement whenever he space traveled in the future?

Though he didn't space travel often, it was quite an annoying restriction.

'Is this because I accepted the ghost's proposal?'

Yi-Han wanted to check what magical principle had brought him here but it wasn't easy.

Since other mages had given up solving it and destroyed it, traces connected to this abstruse space labyrinth were very hard to find.

'Ugh. Should I have studied more space-time magic.'

While having such unreasonable thoughts, Yi-Han looked around.

Though there seemed no way to enter this basement from outside, once inside it was an extremely ordinary basement.

"Is there no way out of here?"

-What... are you... talking about... Can't you just go out those stairs...-

"?!"

Yi-Han was bewildered by those words that were obvious when you thought about it.

Though you couldn't enter from outside, that didn't mean you couldn't exit either.

Carefully, Yi-Han stepped onto the stairs.

At that moment space changed again. Yi-Han dropped right into the Petroguard territory he had been heading to.

  *

Recently, many Petroguard students were completely captivated by someone called the 'Great Artist'.

Though they didn't know their name, status, age, gender, or even face, such things weren't important.

The other's ability and charisma were enough to captivate the Petroguard students.

"Therefore, you shall prosper happily in this land! ...This is your right and duty!"

The Great Artist overwhelmed the audience with a languid voice that contained powerful strength within.

"To reach the heights of great magic, you must think only of yourself, your own self. Being utterly selfish is the ultimate good. You need not think of anything else. Understand?"

One of the listening Petroguard mages raised their hand and asked.

"G-Great Artist. I'm not only using up the tuition from my family but spending all the money they send too. But is that alright?"

"It's alright. I forgive you. If that's what you want to do, it is good."

"Great Artist! My family tells me to build my career as a mage as soon as possible and enter a decent official position or guild, but I don't want to. The moment I go work in such places, I feel my art will disappear!"

"It's alright. If you don't want to work, you don't have to. If that's what you want to do, that too is good."

Passionate cheers erupted from the gathered students. It was like the response of fanatics.

The Great Artist lightly touched the black purplestone jasper placed in the center.

This hard ore that usually resisted ordinary refining methods due to its mana absorption properties began to elegantly reveal its form, blooming like a flower at the Great Artist's single light movement.

The students stamped their feet and wailed at this masterpiece of beauty whose magic method was impossible to guess.

Just then, one student quickly came back and whispered.

It was a student the Great Artist had recruited in advance to report if anything unusual happened at the school (like a floating skull appearing).

"Great Artist. Guests have visited the school."

"What kind of guests?"

"They say they're guests from Einroguard."

"!"

Though their face was hidden by a mask, the Great Artist noticeably wavered.

"Is there perhaps a flying skull among them?"

"No. There wasn't."

"...That's fine then. Wait. If not the skull, who would visit this land of happy hedonists?"

"I heard it was Professor Garcia Kim and Professor Boladi Bagrak."

"Those traitor brats...!"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. It doesn't matter anyway. Those brats cannot persuade me."

Bang crash!

"???"

The Great Artist turned their gaze at the sudden commotion from the audience.

A mage who clearly seemed to be from elsewhere was mixed among the Petroguard students and apologizing.

"I'm very sorry about this. I didn't know I would suddenly fall here."

"Is there a problem with the carriage's space door? Anyway don't worry, it's fine. Rather, this worked out well. You've gained quite a good opportunity."

"Pardon?"

"The Great Artist, a great mage who came to teach us true art, was giving a lecture. Do you know what they just told me? They said I never have to work in my life."

"...Uh, that's a lecture?"

Yi-Han was bewildered.

What kind of Great Artist's lecture was at Gainando's level?

No, even Gainando wasn't that bad.

'Even Gainando would look at me nervously after playing for a week and ask if there's anything to study.'

"Are you a guest from Einroguard?"

The Great Artist called Yi-Han in a languid voice.

Facing the great mage who completely hid their identity with a mask, loose robe, and surrounding magic, Yi-Han tensed slightly.

"Yes, that's right."

"Everyone welcome our guest from Einroguard! Einroguard mages are the empire's pitiful ones who deserve sympathy!"

Though others might have felt slightly insulted, Yi-Han reacted somewhat differently.

Rather, he was slightly moved.

'Are they a good person?'

"They learn magic for absurdly nonsensical purposes. They throw themselves into and dedicate themselves to that arcane knowledge. As a result, all that remains is a handful of useless magic."

"I-I don't think it's quite that bad."

Yi-Han was bewildered by the outrageous overpraise.

There were quite a few students at Einroguard who studied magic half-heartedly too.

The Great Artist seemed to know this too and didn't deny it.

"Quite a sharp comment! That's right. Not all Einroguard mages are like that! That's some hope at least. Any mage with their right mind tries to graduate as quickly as possible and never set foot in that cursed land again."

"Actually I was like that too."

"Is that true?"

The Great Artist showed a very favorable reaction to Yi-Han's agreement.

"But that was before, and lately my thoughts have changed a bit..."

"Why? How did they change?"

"Well..."

Yi-Han who was about to talk about what happened with the skull principal's doppelganger paused.

He thought the other might get angry if they were the skull principal's former disciple.

"You won't get angry if I tell you, will you?"

The Great Artist burst out laughing.

"Me? I never get angry. Do you know why? Because I live for my own pleasure. Such a person has no anger."

"Actually, I learned magic from the principal and his doppelganger..."

Crash!

The Great Artist, unable to contain their anger, threw the black jasper flower to the floor.