Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1089

Chapter 1089

In any case, since the members of the Sentinels of Einroguard were all highly suspicious by nature, even if one impersonated another member, it would be hard to gain any significant advantage.

Just imagine if someone contacted Yi-Han saying, ‘I’m Baqwantallana; could you lend me a hundred imperial gold coins?’ He would block them without hesitation.

“Impersonation is fine, but please just tell me which artifacts they use.”

Even if he couldn’t use it immediately, the information might become a clue to finding the other members later.

Yi-Han carefully wrote down every piece of information the young prince provided.

‘So Baqwantallana uses a mirror artifact to enter the club. Immortal… uses a room? A whole room as an artifact? Is there such a place in Einroguard?’

As he took notes, Yi-Han found this fascinating.

It wasn’t surprising that Baqwantallana used a mirror artifact. When Yi-Han first joined the Sentinels of Einroguard, he had used a similar artifact himself.

Mirrors, due to their conceptual and ritualistic nature, were well-suited as magic tools that could gather mana. They complemented the Sentinels of Einroguard artifact, which required a steady mana supply.

But it was truly interesting that Immortal used an entire room as an artifact.

In theory, channeling and circulating mana from an entire room wasn’t too difficult, but doing so stably within Einroguard’s confines was no simple feat.

To enter the Sentinels of Einroguard, you needed a stable entry point. Where in Einroguard could one find such a room?

‘Did they remodel a personal chamber? But that would be really inconvenient to live in. Or maybe there’s some good spot I’m unaware of.’

While Yi-Han pondered this, a new message arrived. It was a private, one-on-one contact from Baqwantallana.

Baqwantallana: There’s a lunatic intruder trying to destroy the Sentinels of Einroguard right now.

“......”

Yi-Han froze for a moment.

The common space that the Sentinels of Einroguard shared had been seized, but private messaging still worked.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: What on earth is happening?!

Immortal: Could it be the principal who broke in?!

Not only Baqwantallana, but other members with whom Yi-Han had some rapport were also contacting him one-on-one.

Yi-Han decided to respond to the senior whose identity he knew.

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: By the way, could you ask Baqwantallana how long it’ll take to fix this? I need to find someone with a smuggling plan before the semester starts.

Gonadaltes: Why don’t you ask yourself?

The young prince watching from the side looked at Yi-Han with shining eyes.

What a moving alias, ‘Gonadaltes’!

Beaver-Penguin-Fox: I blocked Baqwantallana last time after a debate.

Gonadaltes: ...I’ll pass on the message.

Yi-Han relayed it, and Baqwantallana replied:

Baqwantallana: I’ll hurry, but it’ll take about a week. Tell Beaver-Penguin-Fox to be cautious. Who knows what the intruder might do.

Gonadaltes: Just speak directly.

Baqwantallana: We both blocked each other, so it’s impossible. By the way, do you have any guess who the intruder might be?

Gonadaltes: Not at all. Perhaps a Baldurguard spy.

Baqwantallana: Indeed. That’s possible. We recently had an outsider join as a member as well.

‘Huh.’

Yi-Han sighed.

Hiding his identity in the Sentinels of Einroguard was turning out to be more difficult than expected.

-Well then, Disciple. Shall we set off?-

“Understood. By the way, where is that outer garment stored?”

-It’s well hidden in a basement beneath some ruins no one cares about. I traveled all over the continent, so I set up these hidden caches in various places.-

Traveling constantly across the continent to fight evil required more than brute strength and magic. Continuous and meticulous preparation was also essential.

-As I said, it’s not something easily taken, so you can look forward to it.-

Buoyed by the young prince’s confident words, Yi-Han’s spirits rose.

He was about to receive an ancient relic for free!

Perhaps this was what a real vacation felt like.

Trailing after the principal and professors, suffering hardships, must have been the fake vacation…

“Heh heh. Thank you, Master.”

***

“......”

Yi-Han was left speechless in front of a certain noble family’s mansion located west of the capital.

Huh?

[Oh.]

The young prince was equally flustered.

He had originally hidden his cache under the basement of some swampy ruins that no one would approach. But now, the swamp had disappeared, and a luxurious noble mansion stood in its place.

“...Hmm. Thinking about it, the capital must have expanded over time, and the swamp might have been reclaimed. Someone might have taken—”

[The hideout hasn’t been touched, Disciple.]

“!”

Yi-Han’s eyes widened slightly at the young prince’s writing.

Not touched yet?

‘Then is it still down in the mansion’s basement? Well, they wouldn’t have thoroughly excavated the entire underground when building a mansion...’

As long as the basement space remained, they wouldn’t have dug deeper or searched every nook below.

If that was the case, it made sense that the prince’s hideout still existed.

[Disciple, there’s only one way.]

“I see. Understood.”

Yi-Han nodded.

Using his status as a noble from a grand family to enjoy some socializing wasn’t his style, but he had no choice under these circumstances.

He would visit the mansion as a member of the Wardanaz family to build rapport…

[I was thinking we could find an empty house nearby, dig a tunnel into their basement, and enter from below, but your way works too, Disciple!]

“…I’d be arrested for that…”

Yi-Han suddenly recalled some fools who got caught trying to tunnel into a Dwarf bank. He had no desire to make the imperial news that way.

“Is anyone here?”

“What business… Oh, um, what brings you here?”

The gatekeeper, who initially responded irritably, straightened up upon seeing Yi-Han’s face.

He thought it might be a peddler, but it was clearly someone of high status, and by the looks of him, a mage as well.

“I am Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family. I have long admired your household. If it’s not too much trouble, may I come in for a brief conversation?”

“P-Please wait a moment!”

The gatekeeper hurriedly called for someone else.

A direct member of the Wardanaz family was not someone he could treat carelessly. At the very least, the head butler or steward had to handle this.

‘But why did he come personally?’

As he ran, the gatekeeper wondered.

The usual method of invitation or visit among nobles was as follows:

A servant would come with a letter, and after a few exchanges of correspondence, both parties might meet at a club or a hunting ground. After that, one might be invited or encouraged to visit the mansion…

Of course, one could skip the hunting ground or club step.

But coming alone, without any servants, was truly unusual.

‘It must be because they’re from the Wardanaz family.’

The gatekeeper convinced himself. Mage families were known to be somewhat eccentric, and the Wardanaz family was famous for that.

While waiting, Yi-Han observed his surroundings to determine which family this was.

It was not like the Einroguard black market, so they didn’t hang a sign with their family name at the main gate. However, with a discerning eye, one could guess the family name by the ornaments on the mansion or the garden’s decorations.

“...?”

Yi-Han tilted his head.

He seemed to recognize the family crest from somewhere…

‘Uh. What was it? The Kraha family…’

“It’s an honor!”

The head butler rushed out.

Who would’ve thought a mage from the Wardanaz family would visit them like this?

There could only be one reason.

“It’s truly an honor that someone from the Wardanaz family’s mage lineage would come to see Lady Irendi.”

‘Who is Irendi?’

Yi-Han’s mind raced.

Apparently not an Einroguard mage and certainly not a famous established imperial mage either.

If it were a renowned mage, the butler wouldn’t say it’s an honor because Yi-Han visited. It would be the other way around.

‘Then maybe a young mage? Someone around my age? From another magic academy?’

As that thought occurred, Yi-Han suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

If it was a mage from another academy, wealthy and noble enough to own a mansion in the capital…

Ipeldrem: Please help me!!!!

“Gah!”

Yi-Han nearly choked as he received a sudden one-on-one message from a new member in the Sentinels of Einroguard, Ipeldrem.

He hadn’t expected to be contacted at a time like this.

Gonadaltes: Sorry, I’m busy right now. Ask someone else.

Ipeldrem: Everyone else is busy and refused! Please, I beg you!

It seemed the other members were all on edge due to the mysterious intruder. Under such circumstances, they had no patience to deal with a mere Baldurguard student’s pleas.

Gonadaltes: Mmm…

Ipeldrem: There’s an Einroguard student visiting my mansion right now!

Gonadaltes: Pretend you’re not home and tell them to leave. They’re probably here to extort money.

Ipeldrem: H-How could you be so rude! How can you insult an Einroguard student you’ve never even met?!

‘Huh.’

Yi-Han’s expression grew indifferent.

Someone who had never even visited Einroguard was talking big!

Gonadaltes: I’m saying this for your own good. Most Einroguard students are wicked.

Ipeldrem: Even if I grant you a hundred or ten thousand concessions, the student visiting today is not like that. They are a senior student!

Gonadaltes: Being a senior doesn’t make them any different.

Yi-Han considered warning Ipeldrem to be wary of upperclassmen from a certain enchantment magic faction whose name started with ‘U’ and ended with ‘re.’ If a naive Baldurguard student met one of them, they might be swindled down to their last coin.

Ipeldrem: The visitor is from the Wardanaz family. How can I properly entertain them without being rude? How does Einroguard treat guests?

“Ugh.”

Yi-Han coughed, almost choking again. The young prince asked if he was alright.

‘…This is insane…!’

Now Yi-Han understood why he had felt that chill earlier.

The mansion belonged to a Baldurguard student!

And the family crest he had just recalled—Kraha family—was related to Gainando. That meant the other party was some distant relative of Gainando, a Kraha family member attending Baldurguard.

Yi-Han truly wanted to run away now.

‘Damn it. I should’ve just said I was Gainando. No, then I would have been caught immediately.’

Even if they were distant relatives, since they were from the Kraha family, they would at least know what the prince looked like.

If some black-haired stranger showed up claiming to be him, they might have called the knights right away.

Ipeldrem: Hello? Are you angry? I apologize, but you were too rude…

The young prince, observing, offered advice:

[Disciple, this is a good opportunity.]

“Do you have any good suggestions?”

Even in this confusion, Yi-Han brightened at the sight of his Master’s words.

If anyone could handle this tangled situation with wisdom, it was the experienced young prince.

[If the other side wishes to seek your guidance, tell them to donate their mansion to you. They seem eager for magic, so it might work.]

“…Is there a slightly less extreme suggestion?”