Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

'Wait. How many years has this project been going on?'

Yi-Han became curious after seeing the dates and worn traces written here and there, so he asked.

"How many years have you been working on this?"

"Uh... 20..."

"!!"

20 years.

Yi-Han was shocked.

He knew Professor Beavle was a madman, but to think he had been holding onto a single project for 20 years.

"...30... 40...? I don't think it was 40 years... I can't remember."

"..."

The numbers kept going up.

Yi-Han was at a loss for words.

"Isn't this too long to be holding onto?"

"It is."

"Could it be that it's just taking a long time, but there is definite progress? If that's the case..."

It would be understandable to pour time into it if it was too complex or delicate, as long as completion was possible.

"No. There are many parts where I'm stuck, so it's impossible in the current state."

"I see."

It was absurd, but also a bit admirable.

To think he kept challenging a project with no progress and many obstacles without giving up.

He was a madman, but a scholarly madman was bound to be a little admirable.

"Even if it doesn't reach actual production, this much must have cost you quite a bit. It seems like you spent a lot of your own money."

"Huh? Uh... Did I? I'm not sure. I think quite a bit of my own money went into it too."

"???"

Yi-Han was surprised again by Professor Beavle's words.

Of course, judging by Professor Beavle's personality, it was obvious that he had little interest in gold coins.

However, it made no sense that there was no budget management while proceeding with such a project.

If he didn't get money from somewhere, it wouldn't even be possible to proceed, right?

"If you don't know well, Professor, where did the money come from?"

"I got investment from Gonadaltes, and that... that. I forgot the name, but I got investment from a duke over a decade ago, and uh... that... Anyway, I got investment from someone else too. I forgot."

"..."

Yi-Han began to seriously worry about Professor Beavle's life.

'It wouldn't be strange if an assassin came.'

To think he received investments and has been running away with the money for over a decade. If Yi-Han were the investor, he would have seriously gone to challenge him to a duel.

"Stop asking boring questions! I called you here to let you participate in this fun plan."

"Wow..."

"Excited?"

"Ah. Yes."

Professor Beavle couldn't distinguish well between 'Wow!' and 'Wow...'.

"But Professor. The parts I can follow here are... um... this, this, this, and this."

Yi-Han pointed to the front sail, mast, bow, and watchtower.

It was filled with magic too complex to follow, but based on the rough structure, he could guess the principle of gathering and amplifying the wind.

In fact, it was indeed remarkable for a first-year student to grasp this much at a glance. Even the skull principal would have acknowledged it.

However, Professor Beavle was cold.

"That's because you're stupid."

"Ah. Yes."

"You can study and catch up on that later. The important thing now is the hull here. The bottom of the hull is the key. Do you see it?"

Numerous magic circles were engraved on the large keel supporting the center of the hull's bottom.

They were so complex and numerous that Yi-Han felt dizzy just looking at them.

No matter which magic circle he pointed to, none of them operated separately. The sight of all the magic circles connected like gears and operating organically made his spine tingle.

Obsession.

The mad result of a genius pouring countless years into it was right in front of him.

Yi-Han felt a sense of awe similar to when he saw the skull principal's unique world.

'Is that... a magic circle possible with human wisdom?'

"I see it."

"This needs to make the weight of the galleon lighter, reverse gravity, gather wind, create lift, and also strengthen the durability of the hull."

"..."

Although Yi-Han still didn't know much about enchantment magic, he could tell that Professor Beavle was ridiculously greedy.

'I think you'll have to give up a few of those functions.'

"Wouldn't it be better to just hire mages and put them on the ship?"

"Then why are we doing this? Are you stupid?"

Professor Beavle grumbled at Yi-Han's common-sense suggestion.

"Ah. Yes. So?"

"The outer magic circles here are supposed to gather, maintain, and amplify the mana needed for the magic circles, but they seem to be lacking."

"Of course."

To maintain all those functions, it seemed like mages would have to permanently reside and endure it, not just magic circles.

No matter what, there should be a limit.

"So I had a thought. You see these mana stones placed in the outer magic circles?"

"Yes."

It would be nice if the magic circles could draw all the mana from nature, but in reality, it was often difficult to fully supply mana with just that.

In such cases, gemstones with condensed mana, like mana stones, were used as auxiliary batteries.

Of course, they couldn't be used or placed as is.

They had to be processed and enchanted to fit the magic circles in order to be used as batteries.

The outer magic circles Professor Beavle pointed to had mana stones densely placed, too many to count.

Whoever made it, it seemed like they would shed tears of blood if they had to make it.

"We'll make all these mana stones into a mana-oversaturated state and place them here."

"Will that supply the necessary mana?"

"I don't know. We'll have to experiment to find out how much effect it has when oversaturated. It's too complex to calculate."

"Indeed..."

Yi-Han, who had been listening, suddenly thought of something and asked.

"But Professor. Who will make them into a mana-oversaturated state?"

"You have to do it, of course?"

"...Anyone other than me?"

"Huh? There isn't anyone else?"

Professor Beavle answered with an innocent face.

Where else would there be a mage who could overcharge with almost infinite mana like Yi-Han every time he cast an enchantment spell?

"Aha."

Yi-Han nodded and looked around.

'Shouldn't I kill him now?'

Fortunately, Professor Beavle had no intention of making all the outer magic circles needed for the galleon right now.

...The creepy part was that he might make them someday, but for now, Professor Beavle's basic goal was confirmation.

How much mana could be secured using such a method?

"Carpet. I've engraved a makeshift magic circle on this carpet. You just need to prepare the mana stones that will go in here."

"Professor?"

"Yeah?"

"Be quiet, please. It's noisy."

"Okay."

There was a hint of venom in Yi-Han's voice as he worked late into the night without even having dinner.

If he cast poison element magic now, it seemed like quite a strong deadly poison would come out.

The magic Yi-Han had just learned from Professor Beavle was <Beavle's Mana Emission Enchantment>.

When cast on a mana stone, it would gain the property of slowly emitting the mana contained within.

And this magic was a 3rd circle magic.

'Should I have just endured and said I couldn't do it well?'

Yi-Han regretted his past self who had thoughtlessly waved his staff a few times and ended it with 'Is this how it's done?' 'Like this?' 'Ah, so it's like this.'

Embedding dozens of mana stones one by one into the magic circle and connecting them by drawing lines with mana ink, he felt like his mental strength was wearing out even though his mana was fine.

Regardless, Professor Beavle was humming beside him, manipulating the magic circle on the carpet.

"Do you know why there are many mages riding carpets in old fairy tales?"

"No."

"Usually, mages who ride these rely more on summoned beings they have contracts with rather than using magic themselves. Otherwise, the consumption would be severe."

"Yes."

"But in the past, there were far more people who didn't know about magic, so riding carpets like this must have looked impressive."

"Yes."

"Interesting, right?"

"Haha."

While Yi-Han mechanically rotated through three responses, someone knocked on the door.

Direth poked her head in with a worried look.

"Isn't the junior going to sleep?"

"It's fine. It's fine."

'What's fine?'

For a moment, Direth didn't understand what Professor Beavle meant by it's fine.

I asked the junior, so why are you...

'Oops. What am I saying to a crazy person?'

Direth came to her senses.

She had spent several years at Einroguard, yet she chose a direct approach against a professor.

"Junior!"

"??"

"Are you okay?! Did your injury worsen?!"

"...!"

Direth conveyed her meaning through her gaze.

Yi-Han was surprised by her actions.

And he was impressed.

'That's the power of a senior...!'

"Cough, cough. It feels like my mana is suddenly twisting..."

"That's why I told you not to overdo it earlier! You got beaten up so badly by that undead chimera!"

"I, I apologize. Enchantment magic was just so fun."

"Still, there's a limit. You even got poisoned by the thorns the undead chimera stabbed you with earlier."

"Cough. Cough."

"Can't you endure it a bit longer?"

Professor Beavle asked regretfully, but the two students ignored him as if they hadn't heard.

"You need to rest. Junior. Go lie down quickly."

"Th, thank you. Professor. I'm sorry."

"What time should I wake you up tomorrow?"

The two students left the room, ignoring him again as if they hadn't heard.

Early morning.

As soon as he woke up, Yi-Han checked his surroundings.

Fortunately, Professor Beavle wasn't waiting for him in the bedroom.

"Young Master."

"Shh. Is Professor Beavle nearby?"

"Pardon? He's not here, but..."

"I see. Thank you."

"But you have a guest."

"..."

Yi-Han, who was about to escape the residence through the window, hesitated.

"Is it a professor?"

"No... It's your friend. A priestess from the Presinga Order..."

"Aha."

Yi-Han was relieved.

Fortunately, he seemed to have avoided the worst-case scenario of another crazy professor coming.

'Is it the religious event she mentioned before?'

Since Yi-Han had promised to participate in the Presinga Order's event, he was planning to go.

It also served as an excuse to run away from Professor Beavle...

'Wait.'

Yi-Han became lost in thought.

Come to think of it, there were few people as good as Professor Beavle when it came to artifact experts.

What if he took Professor Beavle to the Presinga Order?

'I could avoid the mad work and might even be able to obtain and purify useful artifacts!'

"Professor! Professor!"

"Huh!? Why!?"

Professor Beavle, who had been sleeping, woke up with a start.

"Can't you cancel the promise?"

"No. It was a promise I made with my honor as an individual, the honor of my family, and my pride as a mage at stake."

"Ugh..."

Although Professor Beavle grumbled, he couldn't say anything more when Yi-Han put it that way.

He had put his individual, family, and mage honor on the line, so how could he stop him?

"If you help, Professor, the work might end quickly. And if the work ends quickly..."

"We can work on the mana stones!"

"...Yes."

Yi-Han answered while biting his lips hard. Professor Beavle nodded.

"Alright. I'll help."

"...????"

Priestess Tijiling was perplexed after hearing the conversation between Yi-Han and Professor Beavle.

Was it...

such a heavy promise?

"Was it... that kind of promise? I don't think it was..."

"Priestess Tijiling. Memories usually change a bit. I think I made that promise with such determination at that time."

"..."

Priestess Tijiling stared at Yi-Han.

It was something she had been feeling these days, but this young man from the Wardanaz family might not be as cold and calculating as he appeared on the outside.

'He seems a bit more soft-hearted than I thought...?'