Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

"What a shameless guy. Now that you've escaped the crisis, you're saying you can't pay?"

Yi-Han looked at Raphael as if he couldn't believe it.

"There's such a conscienceless guy in this world... Are you really a knight?"

Gainando also looked at Raphael as if he couldn't believe it. Raphael exploded and shouted.

"Who said I won't pay! I'll pay! I said I'll pay!"

"Strongly denying it like that makes it even more suspicious."

"Shut up!"

Raphael snapped at Gainando and turned away.

"As expected, those White Tiger Tower guys have a temper..."

"They even beat up seniors if things go wrong."

At the dark magic school seniors' whispers, Yi-Han flinched.

He recalled the time when he went with Eumidiphos to learn water element magic behind the mountain range and ambushed the third-year seniors to take their belongings.

"...The White Tiger Tower students aren't that bad."

"Are you covering for them because they're your friends? How kind."

"But Wardanaz, how come you, a Blue Dragon Tower student, are close with the White Tiger Tower?"

Yi-Han answered with a hypocritical smile.

"We all came here to learn magic, so there's no reason to fight each other just because we're from different towers, right?"

"...Is this kid really an Einroguard student?"

"Strange? Did the rules change starting this year?"

Yi-Han gave a textbook-perfect answer, but it didn't work on the seniors.

Unfortunately, the seniors were already thoroughly twisted due to their life at Einroguard.

'How unfortunate. They're all twisted.'

Yi-Han sincerely felt sorry for the twisted seniors, unlike his very normal self.

When Professor Mortum's speech (which started with a life story that would make any dark mage shed tears and ended with the tragedy of the Mound Fortress, where countless dark mages' tears were buried) ended, the dark magic school students began their own stories.

"I'm trying to summon a Hroekal this time, but it's difficult. After all, it's an undead that lives in the water."

"Underwater undead are even more difficult. Their poison is strong, so it's hard to defend against. What are you using as bait?"

"I'm throwing rotten meat, but this bastard just eats it and never tries to make a contract with me. Ah. Should I find another undead realm..."

"Senior Direth. Are you going to the fifth year?"

"I'm considering it. I think it would be better to stay at Einroguard if I want to continue my current research."

Direth answered and turned her gaze to Yi-Han.

She had been curious since earlier but hadn't had a chance.

"By the way, junior. About professors fighting on the street..."

"Senior Direth! I have a concern. Should I stay at Einroguard next year too?"

"...Shall we have a separate counseling session later?"

"My original goal was to take over as the gravedigger near the town. But I think I can sufficiently take over with my current level, and my parents seem to want me to come and settle down... I can still do research there, but... Ah. It's difficult. Really."

Direth swallowed her regret and comforted the junior who was worrying about his career path.

"Think about the magic research you're trying to do now once more..."

"Senior. I received a somewhat suspicious offer this time. They're looking for a dark mage skilled in curse magic, but they won't tell me where to cast the curse. Should I accept this offer?"

"No. You shouldn't accept offers that don't specify the details. Especially for dark mages..."

"Senior. I'm in urgent need of silver coins to buy a new staff, and the adventurers of Langyen are looking for a dark mage. Is it okay for me to participate here?"

'Interesting.'

Yi-Han listened attentively to the conversations between the seniors.

Next to him, Gainando was playing Mage Cards with Ymirg and was getting beaten up senselessly, his face pale.

"T-This is cheating, right?! You cheated, didn't you?!"

"I-If I had cheated, you would have lost even more miserably..."

"Yi-Han! Yi-Han! Be the judge! This is cheating, right?"

"No. You lost because you're bad at it."

"You didn't even look!"

Yi-Han ignored Gainando's words and played with his quill.

Seeing Yi-Han diligently writing, Professor Mortum asked with a puzzled expression.

"Cough. Wardanaz. It's not like you'll be taking missions during the break, so why are you writing those down?"

"I am planning to take them."

"..."

Professor Mortum looked at Yi-Han with a gaze that said, 'You're really a strange fellow.'

"I think I know why the principal likes you... Cough. You're similar."

"No, your words are much...!"

Yi-Han shouted in anger without realizing it.

It was an insult that even Yi-Han, who was good at controlling his emotions, found hard to endure.

"Too much?"

"...It's an overstatement!"

"Is that so? Cough. I thought you might feel bad... But even considering that, Lord Gonadaltes is indeed a great mage."

Professor Mortum seemed to already know the skull principal's eccentric personality well.

'Well, anyone who's with him can't help but know.'

If they had eyes, no, even without eyes, they had no choice but to know his personality.

"Cough. If you like working during the break... There will be an overlap phenomenon soon, so how about participating in that together?"

"Professor?!"

The dark magic school seniors were more surprised than Yi-Han.

"Professor! He's a first-year!"

"A first-year who faced the King of Frost Giants and survived... Cough. It's fine for him to participate."

"The King of Frost Giants?"

"Why did a first-year face that... How did he face... Has Einroguard gone crazy...? No, it was already crazy, but..."

Seeing the juniors murmuring, Direth lowered her head in embarrassment and covered herself with her wings.

She vowed to bury Coholti and Kumandas upside down in the cemetery when she returned to the academy!

"Is the overlap referring to the phenomenon where realms overlap?"

"That's right. Wow. You're really amazing."

One of the seniors exclaimed in admiration and began to explain.

Originally, for mages to visit other realms, quite complex magic was required.

The magic circles installed by Professor Millei, who taught summoning magic, may have looked simple, but they were magic circles that contained advanced wisdom.

Even after visiting like that, the restrictions were considerable. In the first place, it was natural since they were forcibly visiting a world that wasn't their own.

However, there were moments when such means and restrictions disappeared.

When the other realm overlapped and mixed with this realm.

Yi-Han also had something in mind.

'Is it an overlap like when the King of Frost Giants appeared?'

At that time, the upper corridor of Einroguard was a place that was the academy but not the academy.

The realm of the frost giants had overlapped, so the blade-like cold had spread to the surroundings.

This phenomenon could also occur in the undead realm.

"Recently, we found a place where the undead realm will soon overlap. The mana was really pooled there."

"Shouldn't you release it if it's pooled?"

Yi-Han asked, recalling what he had experienced while performing the gravedigger's request last time.

The fact that mana was pooled meant that abnormal phenomena were more likely to occur.

"In principle, that's true, but if it's accumulated to that extent, it's a waste to just release it. That's also an opportunity."

"..."

Yi-Han looked at the seniors suspiciously.

The seniors understood the meaning of that gaze and hurriedly explained.

"It's all done with the Empire's permission!"

"Ah. If that's the case..."

Professor Mortum coughed and continued the explanation.

"For dark mages, opportunities like this where the undead realm overlaps are very good opportunities."

"Is it a chance to make a contract with a powerful summon?"

"Huh?"

The dark mages gathered at the place showed an unexpected reaction to Yi-Han's words.

"Hahaha. You can't just go in and make a contract with a powerful summon like that. Preliminary investigation is necessary."

If it was a low-level summon, it was fine to just go in and sweep the surroundings, but it was difficult to do that with a renowned powerful undead in a rough manner.

First, they had to gather information about that undead, carefully investigate how to make contact, and how to make a contract.

'Isn't Ferkuntra such a powerful being?'

"Something else is more important than a contract."

"What...?"

"Everything."

Professor Mortum moistened his throat with juice and spoke.

"The soil, the bones stuck in the soil, the mushrooms growing on those bones, the bugs eating those mushrooms, the trees those bugs grow on... Everything in the undead realm is a good material and reagent. Cough. Normally, there are many restrictions, so it's not easy to collect them, but it's different during an overlap."

"Of course, it doesn't mean you can dig up just anything. You need a discerning eye."

"If you're really lucky, you can take a break for a year with just one item."

"!"

Yi-Han's eyes shone at the suddenly interesting topic.

"To that extent?"

"Yeah. A considerable number of the things that come out are reagents that only dark mages use, but occasionally, there are also reagents used by other mages or materials coveted by nobles. The price of those skyrockets. Senior Direth here is a legend. In her second year, she found the Sunless Grass..."

Yi-Han looked at Direth with several times stronger respect than usual.

Of course, Direth was more dumbfounded than pleased.

'He's looking at me like that because of this?'

"...Anyway, even though it looks good, it's quite dangerous to enter the overlapped undead realm. After all, it's difficult if you're not a dark mage who knows how to deal with undead. It's usually a bit tough for first-years..."

"As Professor also said, if you give me the opportunity, I will do my best."

The seniors nodded at Yi-Han's words.

Above all, there was no reason to stop him when Professor Mortum had vouched for him.

"Will he really be okay...?"

"But what exactly happened with the King of Frost Giants? Was it the one that caused the snowstorm last time?"

"I thought Senior Coholti resolved it after being cursed out."

Yi-Han, who was listening, suddenly became curious and asked.

"By the way, seniors. Have you heard anything about... the basilisk, or the mage from the Valer family, or the King of Ghouls... Anyway, things like that?"

"Huh? I came here 3 days ago."

"I don't really go around the city much."

"I only read books in the dormitory. Did something happen?"

Yi-Han was moved.

There were few people as simple and comfortable as dark mages!

"...I don't usually say this. I hope you don't misunderstand."

Yoanen cautiously brought up the topic.

"Aren't you doing too many things right now?"

"Pardon? Is that so?"

Yi-Han, who was carefully melting and extracting a white-gray metal with a green flame next to her, asked back in surprise.

"Rather, I thought I had some free time in the past few weeks because the professors didn't come..."

"...R-Right. Please continue the extraction."

When a person meets someone crazier than themselves, they relatively become normal.

Yoanen was originally the type to say, 'Let's focus on work a bit' when an assistant spoke, but...

'Honestly, I'm curious...!'

Just from what she directly heard from Yi-Han, he had magic studies, work at Puyo's staff workshop, and visits to the undead realm scheduled, and if she included the rumors she heard, there was a professor brawl in broad daylight and even the subjugation of the King of Ghouls.

Yoanen was originally the type to not have any other thoughts while working, but in this case, it made even her nonexistent curiosity spring up.

"Shall we stop here? We can also call the alchemists of the workshop and have a meal together..."

"Ah. There are impurities in the composition. We'll have to do it again."

"...This much might be fine?"

It was a statement so surprising that Yonaire would have fainted if she heard it, but Yi-Han shook his head.

"No, it's not."

"Can't we do it after having a meal..."

"No. If we do that, there will be waste in the extraction."

Yoanen glared at her past self who had thoroughly taught him all of that for a moment.

Then she walked back and called a servant.

"Excuse me?"

"Yes. Lady Yoanen."

"Call Yonaire."