Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

'What on earth are they trying to summon by doing this?'

Yi-Han felt uneasy looking at the spot Professor Bungaegor had instructed.

Dig the ground deep in the shape of a jar.

Doesn't it mean that something fitting this size will come out at the very least?

"Wardanaz?"

"Yes."

"Supervise your friends' work a bit."

"...Professor. I'm also a 1st year..."

Yi-Han protested, but Professor Bungaegor didn't listen.

"We'll bring it, so don't touch it. No matter what sound comes from inside, never open it. Got it?"

"Do you have to put such a thing here?"

Professor Bungaegor ignored him again.

"Huff, huff..."

"Hey. Don't play around."

"I'm out of mana!"

"Who told you to waste magic like that? At least move your hands."

"This guy..."

The landscaping work instructed by Professor Bungaegor wasn't difficult, but the workload was considerable.

They had to create new paths for beasts to roam on the field and dig deep pits without knowing what would go in.

Unless they were skilled mages, it was common for 1st year students to run out of mana before completing it all.

Of course, running out of mana didn't mean they could rest. The Black Tortoise Tower students urged their friends.

"Pick up the shovel quickly!"

"I'm a knight, so if I pick up a shovel, my honor..."

"Whether you're a knight or not, if you don't pick up the shovel, I'll report to the professor."

"I'm a noble, so if I pick up a shovel, my honor..."

"Hey, Wardanaz! These guys are talking nonsense!"

"Ah, no! No! Don't call Wardanaz!"

The only one who could continue using magic was Yi-Han, but there was a limit to the amount he could do alone.

"Dig, dig, dig..."

"Wardanaz."

"?"

When a few White Tiger Tower students called Yi-Han, he stopped his staff and responded.

"What is it?"

"Isn't this the moment?"

"...What moment? Stop talking nonsense and work."

Yi-Han was wary, thinking the other person was trying to avoid work somehow.

Then the White Tiger Tower students protested with a very resentful face.

"The golem, the golem!"

"Ah. That <Die Flying Skull>?"

"Shh!!"

The White Tiger Tower students weren't as brave as Yi-Han. They hurriedly stopped Yi-Han's words and looked around trembling.

'These guys are too cowardly for knights.'

"We're going to change that name first. Anyway, that thing... it's quite complete now. If you just allow it, we can call it."

Anglago and his friends poured their passion into repairing the golem day and night.

They even ignored other lectures to repair it.

"...Couldn't you have done it while attending lectures?"

"Wardanaz. What's important in life? It's not lectures, but true wisdom..."

"Usually those who say such things don't have true wisdom either. Anyway, I got it. If it's repaired enough to move, you can bring it."

Indeed, if they had the golem now, the work would be finished much faster.

Not only for night shifts, but if it could be used for such tasks, it would be very useful in the future too.

"Knowing you would say that, we're bringing it now!"

"Do you want to get hit?"

"Ah... no... look at the workload. At this rate, it will be difficult to finish today."

The White Tiger Tower students muttered, avoiding eye contact.

"Wardanaz! We're here!"

Anglago was pulling the golem on a wide cart with his White Tiger Tower friends, sweating profusely.

Come to think of it, Yi-Han wondered how they would bring it, but they seemed to have laid a plate on the ground and attached wheels.

"Did you all speak well to Wardanaz?"

"Uh? Uh-huh."

"Mmm. Of course."

When Anglago, who returned, asked, his friends stammered. However, Anglago didn't notice that and asked vigorously.

"Alright. Then. Wardanaz! Activate the golem!"

"...Me?"

"...Uh, uh? Th, then who else would do it?"

At Anglago's innocent question, Yi-Han was about to ask, 'You know I'm also a 1st year, right?' but stopped.

It was a meaningless question.

"I've only read about handling golems in books."

"That should be enough for you, right?"

"...Hey. Come here."

"Wh, why?"

Anglago seemed to sense something ominous in Yi-Han's voice and slowly stepped back. It was different from Gainando's sense.

'Where was the core when it broke last time? Was it this side?'

Golem.

This artificial summon created by mages was used by mages of various schools.

Not only summoning mages but also dark mages claimed, 'We handle golems well,' so there were more than dozens of ways to operate this golem.

Among them, the most common point was...

'Infuse mana into the core.'

Usually, a sleeping golem would wake up when mana was infused into the core.

Some golems had to recite a specific spell or recognize their master to wake up, but seeing that it performed cleaning on its own last time, this golem didn't have such restrictions.

Pat!

Even though quite a bit of mana was infused into the core, there was no change.

Yi-Han didn't know, but the golem's core was old and damaged, so mana leakage was quite severe.

The repair materials for the core were overwhelmingly rare compared to other materials, and the White Tiger Tower students first repaired the relatively easy-to-obtain arms and legs of the golem.

As a result, even when consuming mana, more than half of it leaked out.

An ordinary mage would think, 'There's something wrong with the golem. I should repair the core,' but...

Paaaaaat!

-Golem, <Die Flying Skull> activated. Executing command.-

"It's done, it's done!!"

"It's done!!!"

Yi-Han just forcefully injected mana.

'Do golems originally consume this much mana? It's not normal.'

Yi-Han was amazed to see the golem's glowing eyes.

Looking at what other mages used, there should be a certain level of common sense no matter how much mana it consumed...

Is this how it originally is?

"What can you do?"

Yi-Han asked about the possible commands for the golem. A golem couldn't do more than the commands a mage had pre-programmed.

-I was born to eliminate all the chores in Einroguard.-

"Oh my!"

"What a remarkable...!"

The White Tiger Tower students, who had diligently gathered and rebuilt the golem's limbs, shed tears as if feeling a new emotion.

Other tower students who came after hearing the sound were also amazed at the golem's appearance.

"The White Tiger Tower guys made this? How on earth??"

"I heard Wardanaz made it."

"Ah. Then that makes sense."

"Wardanaz didn't make it!! He just helped repair it!!"

"Ah. Stop it. You ugly guys. What could you have been in charge of for that golem? At most, you were probably in charge of painting."

While his friends were fighting, Yi-Han concentrated.

A golem wasn't a smart spirit that would handle the command well on its own once given.

If given the command 'Dig the ground to make a pond,' a person would dig appropriately, but in the case of a golem, it might keep digging until the end of the world.

Yi-Han gave a command along with the subtle sensation of being connected to the golem he had infused mana into.

"Dig the pit over here."

-Understood.-

"...Ahhh! Aaaaah!"

A White Tiger Tower student who was standing absentmindedly screamed and rolled to the side when the golem suddenly tried to hit and pass him.

Yi-Han apologized.

"Sorry."

"So... sorry is enough?! Wardanaz!"

"Then will you control it?"

At Yi-Han's question, the other friends immediately poured out rebukes.

"Wardanaz can make mistakes too, you jerk!"

"Do you know that if Wardanaz doesn't control that golem, we have to stay here until tonight? If you want to curse, curse after we return to the dormitory!"

'I can hear everything...'

Yi-Han concentrated and gave another command to the golem.

Fortunately, without accidents like before, the golem slowly started digging the pit.

"Huh? Where did the golem come from?"

Professor Bungaegor, who returned, was surprised to see the golem working.

No matter how she thought about it, it wasn't a summon that 1st year students could make.

"Wardanaz..."

"Aha. Did Wardanaz make it? You're really talented too."

"...We repaired it."

"Ah."

Professor Bungaegor was embarrassed.

Hearing it now, she felt a bit strange for thinking a 1st year student made it.

Why did she think that?

"Controlling a golem isn't as easy as you think, but you're giving commands well."

Yi-Han answered while focusing to concentrate.

"It's possible... because they're relatively simple tasks."

"Well, that's true."

Thud!

Professor Bungaegor swung her staff. Then, cages covered with cloth were stacked up behind her.

■■■■■■■■...

When a cry that was difficult to identify as any beast echoed from inside, Yi-Han was very concerned.

'What the hell is it?'

"Ahem. Are you currently controlling the golem?"

"Ah. Professor Mortum."

Professor Bungaegor stopped her work and politely greeted him.

"Professor Bungaegor... Ahem, are you controlling the golem now, Wardanaz?"

"That's right."

Professor Mortum's eyes sparkled upon hearing the answer. Yi-Han became anxious about what misunderstanding the professor was having.

"Wardanaz. You already controlled a golem with dark magic...! Ahem, remarkable! I understand why Professor Garcia was trying to kill me! Leaving behind such a student..."

"Pardon? Who's trying to kill...?"

Yi-Han tried to ask back in disbelief, but Professor Mortum continued to chatter in an excited voice.

"Seeing this, Direth will be really happy. Direth is also a golem's..."

"Oh... Professor Millei."

Professor Bungaegor flinched when she saw Professor Millei, who came to check the landscaping.

For some reason, she felt that the two professors shouldn't be left together.

The old professor, who was walking, noticed the golem that stood out from afar and was surprised, then composed herself and calmly asked.

"Wardanaz. Did you succeed in summoning a golem with summoning magic? Amazing."

"Uh..."

Yi-Han glanced at Professor Mortum next to him.

Professor Mortum's eyes were shaking with desperation.

Those eyes were begging him to say that he did it with dark magic, not summoning magic.

"It would be fine to show this at the summoning mages' festival next week."

Unable to watch any longer, Professor Bungaegor loudly cleared her throat.

Then Professor Millei was surprised and turned her gaze, noticing Professor Mortum's presence.

"Ah. Perhaps with dark magic?"

"It was repaired. Both of you. I mean repaired."

"..."

"..."

The dark magic professor and the summoning magic professor were very embarrassed.

"Ah... well."

"Indeed, that must be it."

The embarrassed professors nodded and gave Yi-Han a few words of encouragement.

What to be mindful of when controlling a golem, what materials are advantageous for mana efficiency (Professor Mortum seemed to want to nitpick Professor Millei's words but endured it), how to give commands...

After the two professors left, Professor Bungaegor said to Yi-Han.

"...You worked hard. Really."

"Professor."

"What is it?"

"Are outsiders coming again next week by any chance?"

The summoning mages' festival mentioned by Professor Millei somehow seemed like it would be held inside Einroguard, so there was an edge in Yi-Han's voice.

There was no reason to be angry when thinking about the festival the priests would come and hold, but Yi-Han had a conviction that it wouldn't be like that.

Why would mages come for no reason!

"...Are you angry by any chance?"

"No? Why would I be angry? What do you mean?"