Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 992

Chapter 992

'I don't think that's likely.'

Yonaire thought inwardly as she opened the tower door with the key.

The door of the tower shrouded in darkness opened with a clank, and warm workshop air flowed out.

"The professor won't be here, right?"

"At this hour, he's tending to cacti in the Einroguard desert. Let's go in."

Gainando was amazed by his friend's thoroughness in knowing the professor's schedule down to the hour.

"How does Yi-Han memorize all that?"

"You memorize every letter on mage cards too."

"Wh-why bring that up!"

While the two chattered behind, Yi-Han quickly checked the first floor.

Even if the professor was absent, one shouldn't let their guard down inside a magic tower.

He had to check for any newly added alarm magic or traps first.

'Nothing.'

Yi-Han clicked his tongue inwardly.

It was due to Professor Uregor's complacency.

Even if he trusted his disciples and entrusted them with keys, such lax security awareness was too much.

'The professor is really careless.'

Of course, he was benefiting from it by easily ransacking the place, but that was that, and a disciple's duty was another matter.

As Yi-Han checked his surroundings, he discovered an envelope on the table. Surprisingly, the handwriting on it was quite familiar.

'...Wait. This is a letter from Professor Bagrak.'

Yi-Han was surprised in many ways.

First, he was surprised that Professor Bagrak had written a letter, and also that he had written to Professor Uregor.

Normally, as a loyal disciple, he should protect the professors' secrets, but unfortunately, the letter had slipped out of the envelope and was openly spread on the table. This too was due to Professor Uregor's complacency.

'Professor, really. You're so careless. I have no choice.'

Yi-Han grabbed the letter to prevent it from falling and accidentally read its contents.

[Capital. Urgent. Summons. Lord Gonadaltes. Request lecture exchange.

Bagrak Boladi]

"????"

For a moment, Yi-Han thought it was a code, but then he belatedly realized.

'Ah. So the principal urgently called him to the capital and he left?'

This was surprising in its own way.

Some professors were already in the capital with the skull principal, and now Professor Bagrak too?

'...Has there been a rebellion in the capital??'

Yi-Han couldn't understand.

He simply couldn't fathom why so many Einroguard professors had to gather in the capital like this.

If he hadn't known the emperor's race, he might have really thought the skull principal was staging a rebellion.

'I hope it's not because Jourin caused trouble.'

Yi-Han, who had been feeling uneasy, soon shook his head.

The skull principal and professors had gone up to the capital before that. Jourin's escape couldn't be the cause.

...Probably!

'More importantly, what's this lecture exchange? Surely he's not saying he'll make up for the canceled lecture later?'

Yi-Han, unaware that he had inadvertently hit the nail on the head, fell into contemplation.

Someone rushing to the capital wouldn't be leisurely worrying about making up lectures...

"Yi-Han?"

"Sorry. It's nothing."

Yi-Han snapped out of his thoughts at his friends' voices.

Professor Bagrak going to the capital was one thing, and they had their own job to do.

In a way, it could be fortunate.

If Professor Bagrak and the mad doppelganger lectured together...

"..."

Yi-Han felt goosebumps at the chilling composition he imagined.

"Yi-Han's acting strange. Could he have been affected by magic?"

"But the potions and incenses here shouldn't affect Yi-Han..."

As Gainando and Yonaire whispered, Yi-Han waved his hand apologetically.

"Sorry. I'm really fine. I was just surprised that Professor Bagrak went to the capital."

"Gasp. Did Professor Mortum go too???"

"No."

"Aww."

Gainando became dejected.

Why wasn't Professor Mortum invited to this either?

"More importantly, we need to check what Professor Uregor was doing. Can you both help?"

His friends nodded.

The three carefully approached the workshop area Professor Uregor used and began gathering clues.

"High-quality paper, water bottle, brush, tobacco leaves, acacia tree sap... What magic is this, Yi-Han?"

"...That's just the professor making cigarettes."

"Oh."

Gainando grumbled.

Why make cigarettes by hand in the workshop area, confusing people?

"He seems to have used poison hemlock."

"He made two new potions..."

Still, with two prodigies from the alchemy schools, clue gathering progressed quickly.

They set aside recently used ingredients and potions, and further separated those likely used for lectures.

"Is the cockatrice poison for lectures or not?"

"That's for lectures. I heard it was used in 4th year lectures."

'I shouldn't have asked...'

Yonaire regretted it as she drew a line with her quill on the paper.

Learning about an unfortunate future made her feel more unhappy than expected.

"Sulfur mercury, wing feather of a three-year-old crow."

"Thunderbird's cry, ghoul giant's claw."

"Crystal golem's core, musician mushroom, mandrake..."

"...Cinnabar, wait. Isn't this Arkan's Eternal Severance??"

Yonaire shouted in surprise.

As it was a recipe created by her family's ancestor, she could recognize it first.

Yonaire took out Arkan's grimoire she usually carried and quickly flipped through the pages to compare.

"It seems right?"

"Sorry, Yonaire. I know well about <Maykin Family's Sweet Pan Chocolate> or <Maykin Family's Magical Chocolate Eclair>, but Eternal Severance..."

"...R-right."

Normally one wouldn't know much about chocolate or eclairs either, but Yonaire didn't get flustered and began explaining.

"It's a poison. A poison that works on the soul..."

It was a terrible poison that literally severed the soul's connections eternally.

Even if one had high poison resistance in flesh or blood, this kind of poison wasn't easy to endure.

'Why did he make this?'

Yi-Han wondered why Professor Uregor had made this poison.

Gainando shouted, struck with fear.

"C-could it be he made it targeting Yi-Han? Because he was angry that poison doesn't work on Yi-Han..."

"..."

"...No. This probably won't work well on Yi-Han either. Soul-related approaches don't work if mana is high."

'Couldn't you deny it in a different way?'

Yi-Han thought inwardly but remained silent.

The most likely hypothesis was that Professor Uregor had made it to deal with the mad doppelganger.

The mad doppelganger had given unreasonable orders, and Professor Uregor, feeling he couldn't take it anymore, had made the poison...

"...I should at least know the antidote for now. Yonaire. Can you show me the grimoire?"

"Here."

"Thanks."

Though Yonaire wasn't the type to hide such things, even considering that, readily handing over a family grimoire like this wasn't easy without trust in a friend.

Yi-Han expressed his gratitude as he received the book.

"..."

"..."

"...Yi-Han, you're not looking at the chocolate eclair recipe right now, are you?"

"S-sorry. It's so extraordinary... Indeed. So raspberry was the secret. I had only thought of custard cream..."

"If you're curious, I'll show you later, so look at the antidote part."

Yonaire urged her friend with a slightly annoyed voice.

Honestly, she was proud of the admiration for her family's secret techniques, but she couldn't believe he was staring at the eclair recipe as if entranced in a situation like this.

Even if cooking was part of alchemy...!

"Thanks, Yonaire. I've checked."

"Are you going to make it?"

"...I think I should make it just in case."

Yi-Han spoke with a heavy expression.

Though it was unknown whether Professor Uregor would really use the poison or not, Yi-Han, as a disciple of both mages, needed to be prepared.

"Then let's gather the ingredients. It's hard to make this with what's in the warehouse."

"Yi-Han. Yi-Han!"

"But that would reveal we visited here."

"...Yi-Han! Hey! Yonaire!"

"Should we have seniors do it..."

"Look here!!"

When the two ignored him and kept talking, Gainando stomped his feet. Only then did the two realize their friend had been calling and turned their gaze.

"What is it?"

"Isn't this the antidote the professor made?"

"..."

Yi-Han checked the potion bottle Gainando was holding and shaking. Surprisingly, it was indeed the antidote.

"Where did you find this??"

"The professor left it on the table where he was making cigarettes."

"...We shouldn't be the ones saying this, but isn't the professor too careless?"

At Yonaire's words, Yi-Han unconsciously nodded.

  *

"Master. You must not consume anything offered to drink or eat."

"...Have you perhaps lost your mind?"

In the morning.

The mad doppelganger, heading together to the <Imperial Languages That Become Blood and Flesh> lecture hall, threw a 'what on earth is wrong with my disciple' look.

Though his disciple was usually hard to predict, today's statement was truly incomprehensible. He couldn't even guess what he meant.

"I hear there's a trend of poisoning food or drinks going around Einroguard these days."

Even as he spoke, Yi-Han felt it might be nonsense. However, the mad doppelganger unexpectedly nodded.

"That could be. It's a common occurrence among mages. You, disciple, probably never had to worry about poison innately, but you still shouldn't be careless."

"...Yes!"

As they conversed, Orifulas, a demon who had been serving as an imperial legal officer for 132 years, walked over from the opposite direction.

A reliable assistant helping with lectures alongside the professor...

-Aaaaargh! No! No! I haven't done anything wrong yet!-

Orifulas suddenly screamed and tried to flee in the opposite direction.

Of course, the contract's shackles didn't just let the demon go. Professor Fluerwerk was startled when the fleeing demon was caught by the contract and started choking.

"What's wrong? You know you can't escape anyway!"

The demon didn't give up. He inflicted strong damage on himself and was temporarily reverse summoned.

"..."

"..."

When Yi-Han looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, the mad doppelganger answered as if it didn't matter.

"What need is there for a demon's advice when royalty is present? It's rather a good thing."

"...I apologize, Professor."

"N-no. Yi-Han. I didn't expect Legal Officer Orifulas to disappear like that either."

"Demon folks do strange things from time to time, don't they?"

Yi-Han answered shamelessly.

Though Professor Fluerwerk threw a reproachful look saying 'Are you saying that sincerely?', Yi-Han pretended not to see.

Meanwhile, the mad doppelganger swiftly entered the lecture hall. The 2nd year students, already accustomed, greeted politely.

"Hello, Great Mage."

"Huh, where did the demon legal officer go?"

When someone expressed doubt, Yi-Han answered in a small voice.

"Master will help instead today."

"...Wardanaz, at this rate, all the other professors might disappear within two weeks!"

His friends whispered excitedly.

Though Wardanaz said it was a coincidence, it was an undeniable fact that the number of professors had been decreasing particularly this semester.

If that principal's doppelganger stayed just a bit longer, this year might really become a pleasant year with only Einroguard students...

"Have you gained insight into the arcane geometry we discussed last time?"

"..."

All the students fell silent and quietly averted their gaze. The mad doppelganger showed displeasure at the dull achievements of his disciple's companions.

"Despite being given over a day, this is the result. My disciple learned it on the spot."

"No...!"

Yi-Han tried to stop his master's mouth.

His master was now trying to socially bury Yi-Han among his friends!