Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

"Someone more rude than Professor Bagrak is possible..."

Yi-Han, about to speak his mind, belatedly realized that Boladi was right next to him.

"...Isn't it natural? Most people in the empire would be more rude than Professor Bagrak."

"Are you crazy?"

Eumidiphos was dumbfounded.

She was so dumbfounded that she even looked at Professor Bagrak with a gaze that said, 'You try saying it.'

However, Professor Bagrak answered without batting an eye.

"Thank you for that evaluation."

"Haha. I only stated the obvious."

"..."

Eumidiphos was speechless at the sight of this twisted master-disciple relationship.

"No matter how much he's your teacher, you should say things that make sense objectively... Forget it. Let's depart."

Eumidiphos summoned a carriage in front. It was a carriage pulled by water spirits with huge builds.

As befitting a mage's carriage, opening the door revealed a spacious interior, different from what was seen outside.

As expected of an excellent water element mage, the interior consisted of a sea with winding rivers flowing above it.

Eumidiphos casually walked into the sea and leaned her body comfortably. The water parted and supported the old mage's body.

"Why are you doing that?"

"Uh, Lady Eumidiphos. So in what specific way is that disciple more rude than Professor Bagrak?"

Seeing Yi-Han whispering in a small voice, Eumidiphos actually suspected that Yi-Han was judging Boladi quite coldly.

Nillia and Yonaire ate lollipops and whistled. Then, a beautiful mermaid's singing voice flowed out.

It was clear why this <Mermaid's Candy> was the most popular in the candy store.

"Gainando. You try it too."

"No. Yi-Han isn't here."

"Didn't Professor Garcia say he had no choice because something came up?"

"Why does he get kidnapped wherever he goes?"

Gainando grumbled and pushed away the candy Ratford offered.

He wanted the candy, but was willing to resist to show his displeasure.

"That's because Lord Wardanaz has a wide network and is favored by the professors..."

"If they favor him, they should cherish him, not kidnap him!"

As Gainando huffed indignantly, the other three friends unconsciously agreed.

'Well, that's true.'

If it was a cherished disciple, they should let him rest and have fun during the break and give him a chance to recharge, not constantly attempt to kidnap him on the streets.

As a result, Gainando, who had gone out to play only to have his friend taken away by the professors again, was sulking.

"But this time, he'll be back soon."

"Right. Didn't Professor Garcia say it was nothing serious this time?"

"Hmph. How can we trust that? When it's over, they might change their promise and kidnap him again."

Gainando uttered words that Einroguard seniors would have said, 'What a remarkable junior, already realizing the truth.'

Professors were fundamentally liars.

"If that happens, let's go rescue him."

"Rescue?"

Gainando was intrigued by Yonaire's words.

"Yeah. The professors have a conscience, so if we go to get him, they'll let him go, right?"

"Certainly... Besides, they'll be mindful since it's in the city, won't they?"

Gainando's face brightened.

If it was inside Einroguard, a professor could send him to the punishment room with a single finger, but this was outside the school.

If they made a scene, shouting, 'People of the city, this crazy mage is exploiting a noble of the Wardanaz family,' wouldn't they let him go because it was dirty and underhanded?

Yonaire, who hadn't yet realized Gainando's extreme thoughts, nodded.

"Yeah. Let's go rescue him."

"Right. I'll pick the lock."

"Then I'll shoot fire arrows and burn it down."

"...Wait. I said let's rescue him, not fight, right??"

As Yonaire was flustered, Gainando screamed.

"That, that!!"

"What?"

"That carriage! That carriage!!"

"What about that carriage?"

"Yi-Han has been kidnapped! He's being dragged away in that carriage!"

"...!!"

"Such nonsense...!"

Nillia was shocked.

The professors weren't professors for nothing.

Since they could be tracked if they stayed in the city, they kidnapped him and were trying to leave the city to shake off pursuit.

Sometimes, criminals of the empire fled to the cold northern mountains to avoid pursuit...

'This isn't the skill of someone who's only kidnapped once or twice!'

"Chase! We have to chase, Nillia!"

"What? That?"

"You're the... that... that! Right! The proud Shadow Patrol!"

Gainando was so desperate that he even praised Nillia, which he never did.

Ratford chimed in from the side.

"That's right! If not the Shadow Patrol, who will track the traces of that carriage?!"

"...Hmph. I have no choice. Everyone, follow me!!"

'Should I stop them now?'

Yonaire followed the three friends, pondering when to stop them.

Alcicle Pengerin.

Eumidiphos' disciple (though she denied it) and someone more rude than Professor Boladi Bagrak.

Yi-Han couldn't believe it.

'Is that even possible?'

"From the first time he came to me, Alcicle said he was interested in ice magic."

"I see."

Yi-Han nodded and listened.

He still couldn't quite grasp it.

"So he wanted to learn water element magic."

"Certainly, unlike other element magic, those two have a close relationship."

"Yeah. So he told me to teach him water magic to serve as a stepping stone."

"Yes. ...Pardon?"

Yi-Han, who had been listening, paused.

'Did I hear that wrong?'

"What did you say?"

"To be exact, he said he would grant me the honor of being a stepping stone to help the great ice magic he would one day complete."

"..."

'Is he crazy?'

Yi-Han was startled.

If you wanted to learn magic from someone, you bowed your head and said, 'I'll be in your care,' not 'I'll give you the glory of teaching me.'

Even Gainando knew that common sense.

"Is he from Einroguard, by any chance?"

"No. And surprisingly, those from Einroguard don't do such things."

"Ah... That's true."

Yi-Han agreed.

If he had entered Einroguard with that personality, he might still be locked up in the punishment room without graduating.

There was a harshness that taught manners even to disrespectful students.

"That's startling. You taught magic to such a person?"

"He wasn't without talent... Magical talent comes first, and personality is next."

'No wonder she's Professor Bagrak's teacher.'

Yi-Han's evaluation of Eumidiphos slightly dropped in his heart.

Indeed, old sayings were never wrong.

The saying 'birds of a feather flock together' didn't come out of nowhere...

"Of course, I did subdue him so he couldn't say arrogant things in front of me."

"Well done. So, perhaps reflecting on the past, he might have changed..."

"Not at all."

"..."

Some people's nature didn't change no matter how much they were beaten.

And Eumidiphos' disciple they were going to meet now was such a case.

Not all the geniuses of the empire entered Einroguard.

Some geniuses entered other magic academies for various reasons, and some chose to self-study instead of entering a magic academy.

Alcicle of the Pengerin family was one such case.

Instead of enrolling in a magic academy, he invited teachers in the name of his family and learned separately!

If he had entered a magic academy, his personality would have been somewhat corrected, but learning separately like this, he couldn't even do that.

Moreover, even more unfortunately, Alcicle's talent was objectively outstanding.

Not only did he not enter a magic academy, but he was also only praised for every magic he learned, so it was natural for him to become arrogant and haughty.

It wasn't for nothing that he went to Eumidiphos and said, 'I'll give you the chance to be my stepping stone.'

Of course, he got beaten up for it...

Anyway, Alcicle learned water magic from Eumidiphos at the cost of being beaten and, after achieving some results, moved on to the next stage.

Like many mages who wanted to immerse themselves in research, he built a tower in a place abundant with nature's mana and set up his own workshop.

A tower built deep in a snowy mountain valley.

The transportation was the worst, but it was perfect for magic research.

"What brings you here, Lady Eumidiphos?"

Alcicle asked, somehow pushing back his hair that had grown annoying from not being cut for a long time.

The water spirit Eumidiphos sent as a messenger wrote letters in the air.

"You said you have a disciple I need to teach?"

The water spirit nodded.

That answer seemed to please Alcicle a bit.

"Well, there's no mage like me. I understand Lady Eumidiphos' feelings too."

The water spirit emitted waves of unpleasant emotions, but Alcicle, intoxicated with himself, didn't notice.

To be recommended as a teacher by an excellent great mage like Eumidiphos.

This was something he couldn't help but be happy about.

"Alright. Bring them in! But you should keep this in mind. My teachings are very difficult and abstruse, so it's not my fault if they can't keep up. It's not my fault if the disciple Lady Eumidiphos brought isn't as much of a genius as me!"

The water spirit made a disgusted face once and then went back.

Alcicle burst into laughter towards the valley, then belatedly came to his senses and summoned a mirror made of ice in the air.

"Ugh. It's a complete mess. I need to brush it."

"He's surprisingly agreeing readily."

Yi-Han was surprised to see the ice blocking the front of the valley making a path.

'Do people really need to be beaten?'

How badly was he beaten by Eumidiphos that he was opening the way as soon as he received such a request?

"Alcicle himself is having a hard time these days."

"Having a hard time?"

"He hasn't made progress in his current magic research for several years. I haven't heard any news from the Imperial Society."

Many mages built towers and set up workshops in deep mountains because they wanted to immerse themselves in research, but not many of them actually produced proper results.

Most of them struggled with absurd goals and ideals, then closed their workshops or, very rarely, went mad and tried to dominate the nearby territory.

That's how much pressure there was for a mage to research magic.

For a mage with great pride like Alcicle, the pressure would be even greater.

"If he teaches another mage, it will be a good change of pace to some extent."

"Greetings, Lady Eumidiphos."

A penguin mixed-blood came out from inside, brushing his hair.

Yi-Han was momentarily startled by the cute appearance of him waddling over.

'Why are the crazy ones always cute races, like Professor Beavle?'

They looked harmless and cute on the outside, making them even more vicious beings.

How many people must have been fooled by that impression?

"Nice to meet..."

Before Yi-Han could even greet him, Alcicle looked down at Yi-Han and said,

"I'll say this first. It will be impossible for you to keep up with my teachings. I'm telling you in advance not to despair. Understand?"

"..."

Yi-Han was dumbfounded but nodded instead of getting angry.

Since he already knew he was crazy, there was no need to get angry.

'There's no need to engage with him.'

"By the way, I had already mastered 3rd circle magic at your age. Understand?"

"This one here mastered 4th circle."

"Lady Eumidiphos. Don't make such absurd jokes."

"It's the truth."

"...???"

Alcicle looked at Professor Bagrak, urging him to tell the truth.

However, Professor Bagrak nodded.

"It's true that he mastered 4th circle."

"...Actually, the circle isn't what's important."