Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

The students of the Blue Dragon, who arrived belatedly, were puzzled by the noisy scene in the lounge and asked, "What's going on?"

"Word has it that Wardanaz will raid the White Tiger to steal their flag!"

"Wow! I've been waiting for this!"

Each new arrival joined in with cheers upon hearing the situation.

"Shouldn't we consider a trade instead?" Gainando murmured, still unconvinced.

Yi-Han, curious, asked, "Why do you think that?"

"A trade would allow us to complete the task safely, without any danger."

"True, but we concluded it's not possible because we can't trust the White Tiger guys."

"They seemed trustworthy this time."

"Why?"

"They were nice to me, offering bread and milk..."

Yi-Han was shocked. In their current situation, where even their own food was scarce, giving away bread and milk couldn't be mere kindness. A half piece of bread might be considered kind, but more than that hinted at a darker motive. 'Were they trying to bribe Gainando?'

'Why him, though? Now that I think about it, Gainando is a prime target.'

His status granted him influence (though the White Tiger students probably didn't know the exact dynamics of the Blue Dragon), and he seemed easy enough to manipulate...

After a brief contemplation, Yi-Han decided, "Alright, Gainando. Let's try your way before the attack."

"Really?"

"Yes. Go tell the White Tiger guys I've changed my mind."

"Aren't you going to tell the others?"

Gainando was puzzled. Shouldn't they inform their excited friends about the change in plans?

"They won't accept your brilliant plan."

"That makes sense. I'll go and talk to them!"

Gainando left confidently. Yonaire, having overheard their conversation, looked worried.

Yi-Han, understanding Yonaire's concern, nodded, "Don't worry. The White Tiger guys might be nasty, but they won't harm Gainando in the current situation."

"I was worried Gainando might betray us."

"Gainando's not like that, is he?"

"But you never know. Wish we had a potion to prevent betrayal."

Yi-Han felt a slight fear of Yonaire.

Besides, Gainando is your cousin!

"All set?"

"Yes, it's done."

The White Tiger students were satisfied with the elegant flag. Surprisingly, they were seriously considering a flag exchange… With a fake flag!

The idea to exchange a fake flag for a real one was quite ingenious. It wasn't easy, though. They had to deceive the sharp-eyed Blue Dragon students. So, they went to the Black Tortoise's underground market over the weekend, trading precious rabbit meat for fabric and dye. It was a painful sacrifice, given their hunger, but necessary.

"Moradi! It's done! The prince has fallen for it! He wants to set a time and place for the exchange! We agreed to meet tomorrow when the sun is overhead, in front of the main building!"

Anglago, a satyr student from the White Tiger, excitedly announced after meeting Gainando.

"Indeed! Well done, Anglago!"

"After treating him to such precious food, it's the least I could do!"

While everyone clapped and stomped their feet in excitement, Jijel still wore a look of unease.

Next to her, the dwarf student, Dukma, asked, "What's wrong, Moradi? Is there a problem?"

"I'm still not sure if that prince is of any use..."

Jijel had a reason for her unease. In any group, the leader always had a distinct aura. Reluctantly, she had to admit that even Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family possessed such a presence.

Even if not a leader, anyone with a certain standing in a group couldn't help but show it, but Prince Gainando strangely lacked this quality.

"Moradi, trust Anglago's judgment. That prince will surely prove to be a useful leverage."

"Right. I agree."

As Dukma sided with Anglago, the other students joined in.

Jijel thought, 'What does this kid, full of confidence but no ability, know?'

Of course, she wasn't swayed by the friendship of such friends. Objectively, Anglago wasn't particularly talented. If he were, he wouldn't have run away crying when they faced Wardanaz with three people!

But Jijel chose to remain silent. Even though she acted like a leader in the White Tiger, she couldn't always have her way. Her friends, who followed her commands, trusting her abilities and family, were also people with feelings and complaints.

If she pushed her commands too forcefully, it could backfire. Sometimes, she needed to show she was listening to her friends, who, being knights, were very sensitive to such pride.

"Alright. If Anglago insists so, it must be right."

"Hehe."

Anglago scratched the back of his head with a shy smile.

'Even if it fails, it's just a fake flag.'

Even if the trade failed or the other side prepared a trap, they wouldn't suffer much damage since it was just a fake flag. At most, they would lose a fake flag that had no use.

With this thought, Jijel nodded and said, "Okay then, let's disperse. We'll try the exchange tomorrow."

"Understood!"

During the night, when everyone was asleep, Yi-Han and his friends moved out of the tower under the cover of darkness. Surprisingly, it wasn't just the students of the Blue Dragon; there was also one from the Black Tortoise.

It was Ratford, a professional thief.

"Please follow me."

Since Yi-Han wasn’t wandering around alone, he needed the eyes of a professional thief. Fortunately, Ratford readily agreed to Yi-Han's request.

“Gasp.”

Yoner inhaled and let out a surprised sound. Yi-Han also tensed up.

What now?

"Why?"

"...We should have called Nillia too...!"

"!!!"

Yi-Han realized his mistake too late.

Of course, Nillia's skills weren't necessary for a theft, but once she found out...

"Ratford. If Nillia asks, I never called you."

"Understood?"

"...No, she'll find out somehow."

It seemed impossible that Nillia wouldn't hear about it, given the number of people involved.

'I'll explain it later.'

"There's the White Tiger."

In the darkness, only the moonlight grandly illuminated the tower. Yi-Han nodded and slowly approached. He wasn't overly unfamiliar with the place, having visited it a few times before.

"Everyone remembers the plan, right? Act accordingly."

The students of the Blue Dragon nodded tensely.

In truth, the plan was straightforward. Yi-Han and Ratford would enter the White Tiger first. The others would hide nearby, entering only when Yi-Han signaled or waiting if he instructed otherwise.

Yet, despite the simplicity, the tension was unavoidable. Especially since they were all from noble imperial families, a midnight raid was almost a new experience for them.

"Rat... Ratford, should we bite on twigs to stay quiet? I read that in a novel."

"There's no need. There aren't many patrols around, and we are few in number."

"Ratford, I've wrapped my shoes in cloth to be silent!"

"You might slip in the night; better to unwrap them."

Thus, Ratford found himself giving impromptu lessons in thievery. Yi-Han gestured to him.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

Yi-Han and Ratford stood before the door of the White Tiger Tower, blending in naturally as if it was their own tower.

Asan, with sweaty palms clenched behind them, suddenly felt puzzled.

'Ratford, maybe, but why does Wardanaz seem so familiar with this...?'

Yi-Han, holding his breath, touched the tower. He tried to read the magic imbued within.

"!"

Suddenly, Yi-Han nearly collapsed.

The overwhelming flood of knowledge and information could make one feel faint. That was what Yi-Han was experiencing now. Countless spells were cast upon this tower. Moreover, Yi-Han's exceptional mana detection only amplified this effect.

Whereas other students might have noticed only a few simple spells nearby, Yi-Han could detect even the most complex layers.

"Are you alright?!" Ratford whispered in alarm, seeing Yi-Han sweat profusely.

"I'm fine. Just a bit overwhelmed. This is no easy task."

"Towers of mages are never easy to enter. If it's too difficult..."

"No. Let's do this."

Yi-Han concentrated, trying not to read the entire tower. After all, the only barrier to break was the magic sealing the entrance!

Woooom-

"!"

A massive surge of mana began to gather, noticeable even to the relatively insensitive Ratford.

'Is this okay?' Ratford was worried. Such a powerful force could seriously harm Yi-Han if mishandled.

'No. Wardanaz should be able to handle it...'

Bang!!!!!

"!!"

"!!!!"

The students of the Blue Dragon, standing behind, were startled by the powerful wave of mana.

Then Yi-Han shouted, "The door's open! Everyone, come in!!"

"Let's... go!"

-"Master. The magic of the White Tiger Tower has stopped."-

“Those anti-magic fools again?! How did they breach the walls?”

Deep in his underground workshop, the skull principal, engrossed in his magical research, was taken aback.

-"It appears to be the work of the new students."-

“Ah. If that's the case, it's understandable. They must be tackling the task I set for them. Should've done it earlier.”

The skull principal quickly regained his composure.

“Wait. But new students shouldn't be able to deceive the tower's magic... Did they find an artifact? Which scoundrel let an artifact slip through? No. There was another way.”

Muttering to himself, the skull principal swiftly arrived at the answer. Among the new students, there was one capable of temporarily halting the tower's magic.

“Did he brute force his way in? How uncouth... But where did he learn such a method?”

The skull principal was slightly baffled.

Such a crude method was practically useless and even dangerous. It was not commonly taught, neither in books nor by the academy's professors. To disable magic, one needed to understand its structure and find a loophole. Who would be so foolish as to just smash through with brute force?

-"Should I find out?"-

“No, you dim-witted skeleton. I wasn't talking to you. But even if they breached the entrance, there should be other spells to thwart intruders. What happened to those?”

The magic of the White Tiger Tower wasn't just placed at the entrance. There were various anti-intrusion spells within the tower as well.

-"Most of the other defensive spells have also stopped."-

The skull principal paused again.

“Not just the entrance, but other spells have stopped too?”

'What kind of fool...!'

“How hard did he hit it to stop the other spells?”