Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1091

Chapter 1091

“Do you mean the magical energy?”

“Yes.”

‘Was there such a thing?’

The butler was puzzled again. Nobles did not purchase mansions haphazardly.

Buying something blindly just because it was cheap was something that might happen in the Einroguard black market, but noble families tended to be much more meticulous.

They would check the mansion’s past owners, recent events, what families resided nearby…

They would even hire mages to inspect for any unusual phenomena in the mansion. Of course, this villa-like mansion had undergone all those processes.

There had been nothing particularly strange.

“Tr-Truly! I myself have suspected the mansion’s magical energy a few times. I kept trying to verify the magic prepared by Senior Zandanni, but I kept failing for some reason.”

“……”

Yi-Han almost blurted out, ‘That’s because your senior is just unskilled.’

‘Oops. I must be careful.’

He realized it had been a trap. The other side’s naivete was sharper than expected. Yi-Han reminded himself not to let his guard down.

“That is correct. The magical energy beneath the mansion is subtly twisted. It’s so delicate and hard to perceive that one normally wouldn’t notice. However, it can greatly affect advanced magic attempts.”

“How could this be! I’ve checked several times…”

The butler’s face turned pale.

For someone of his caliber not to notice this was mortifying.

“It’s not your fault, Butler. Such things are not easily detected. Do not worry. I will handle it immediately.”

“Th-Thank you!”

The butler was touched by the considerate actions of the young mage from the Wardanaz family.

Perhaps this was why Einroguard mages wanted to see the basement first—because of things like this.

Yi-Han summoned his skeleton warrior, Gonadaltes, at the forefront, and then a legion of skeletons. If it were a battle, he would have summoned a golem, but for simple digging in a basement, skeleton warriors were more suitable.

[Disciple…!]

The young prince was once again moved.

From the club alias to the summon’s name, his disciple’s thoughtfulness seemed deeper than a great sea.

‘…I must never reveal its origin.’

Yi-Han made that vow to himself as he began digging. Using telekinesis, the skeleton warriors carefully excavated the basement floor.

“Should I help too?”

Irendi, who had been waiting for a chance, asked hesitantly. Yi-Han gladly accepted. There was no reason to refuse.

“Good. What kind of magic will you use?”

“I’ll show you my gem dancers!”

Irendi placed a ruby, an opal, a sapphire, and a garnet between her fingers and spoke.

This magic used the mana imbued in gems to summon intricately designed, inanimate summon creatures. It was one of Irendi’s specialties.

Though each use consumed the jewel entirely, it was worth it. Summoning creatures like these without any contract from another realm was no easy feat.

Yi-Han swallowed the urge to scream.

“…That won’t be necessary. We already have enough workers.”

“Really…”

The distant relative of Gainando nodded sullenly.

She had wanted to show off her skills in front of a senior mage from Einroguard!

Ka-ka-kak–

“!”

A sound different in nature from mere earth digging emerged.

It resembled metal scraping, but more precisely, it was a tearing sound of mana—something only a mage could perceive.

[Disciple, prepare yourself.]

Yi-Han nodded and gripped his staff.

Soon, the secret cache the young prince had hidden would come to light…

Thump!

From beneath the excavated dirt, a bronze guardian emerged.

It was common to find such guardians in dungeons or ruins, crafted to guard their domains, but Yi-Han felt chills run down his spine.

With his keen senses, he recognized the layered enchantments inscribed upon it.

‘What the…?!’

High-level fire resistance, high-level cold resistance, high-level lightning resistance, high-level darkness resistance…

The entire body was covered in all sorts of resistances, and even the resistance magic itself was complicated. It seemed like ancient magic with multiple traps to prevent external dispelling.

Just one glance conjured up a familiar image in Yi-Han’s mind.

This had certainly been created by the skull principal in his younger days.

Could a great mage simply mold bronze into a sentinel and achieve this kind of power?

Yi-Han gritted his teeth and began casting.

The most powerful piercing magic he could currently think of was the 5th Circle spell <Wardanaz’s Brainfire>, but considering all those resistances, relying purely on lightning might not be efficient.

‘In that case…’

A truly skillful mage adapted quickly.

Yi-Han immediately changed tactics. Orb-like droplets of water formed in midair, spinning rapidly.

Even if the enemy had strong water resistance, the cumulative impact from their spin should still be effective. Using telekinesis, Yi-Han pressed down on the enemy and took careful aim.

–Intercept. Intercept.

Surprisingly, as the bronze guardian’s surface shifted, new magic emerged from its hidden patterns.

The dense inscriptions caused Yi-Han’s head to throb from the sheer amount of information.

‘…A telekinetic spell that stops any moving object within a certain range… No, this…!’

It would halt any incoming projectiles without question.

Gritting his teeth at the young prince’s meticulous preparations, Yi-Han cast another spell. This was no time to remain idle.

‘Spatial movement!’

He even resorted to a newly learned spell.

Due to the guardian’s potent mana resistance, he couldn’t simply teleport its core away, but he could use teleportation to get past its interception.

The spinning water orbs darted erratically around the basement. Instead of moving in lines, they flashed in and out of existence, appearing as points, flickering in and out.

Though the entire skirmish lasted less than a few seconds, it was a fierce struggle. The bronze guardian tried to freeze the projectiles mid-air, and Yi-Han tried to outmaneuver it by teleporting them.

Yi-Han emerged victorious. Using overwhelming mana and sheer volume of attacks, he gained the upper hand.

‘I broke through!’

No longer feeling any resistance against his projectiles, Yi-Han’s orbs struck the guardian’s torso with a series of impacts.

One hit, two hits, three, four…

He sensed the guardian’s formidable mana wavering. As that happened, the spells recorded inside it became clearer. Yi-Han seized the opportunity, using the obsidian embedded in his staff to cast counter-magic.

‘First, I need to stop these particular spells…!’

He halted the water resistance magic and disrupted its mana. Then he teleported his water bombs directly inside its body.

It was a critical blow. The accumulated shocks erupted all at once, leading to a sudden burst and collapse.

Thud!

‘Phew. That was close.’

Yi-Han sighed in relief.

He had been extra nervous because he was digging in the basement of another family’s mansion. If this were inside Einroguard, it wouldn’t matter if the enemy destroyed the building, but here, a disaster could have ensued.

Mainly a disaster for his gold pouch…

‘And he didn’t warn me about this.’

Yi-Han pulled out the notebook, intending to protest.

Not telling him about the most important part?

He even suspected that, like the skull principal or Professor Boladi, the young prince had intended this fight.

[Disciple?]

[Disciple, there was no need to fight that thing. If I’m here, it won’t attack you.]

[Disciple? Ah, I see, you wanted to test your skills. I’ll cheer you on.]

[Well done! Excellent work!]

“……”

Yi-Han wore a gloomy expression as he read the newly added lines.

…There was no way he could have read this in time!

How could he have paused to read the notebook during such a short interval?

In magical combat, speed was crucial. You had to strike the moment you saw the enemy.

The fight between Yi-Han and the bronze guardian lasted under ten seconds, a brief but intense battle.

If he’d taken the time to read all this, he might have lost.

[Your unyielding spirit makes your nobility shine even brighter, Disciple.]

“…Thank you for the compliment…”

“T-There was something like this underground…!”

The butler was astonished.

He never imagined that the disrupted magical energy would mean something like this.

So it wasn’t just murky mana…

Yi-Han quickly adjusted his expression and spoke:

“Yes, sometimes the mana is merely muddled. But other times, ancient magical constructs may lie dormant underground.”

Though this turned out differently than the young prince might have predicted, they had reached the intended location.

The two looked at Yi-Han with eyes full of awe.

Indeed, a high-grade Einroguard student was on another level!

“Did you see that? That guardian had dozens of spells inside it, and he still brought it down!” Irendi exclaimed, voice brimming with excitement. Yi-Han was taken aback and asked:

“You sensed that?”

Sensing the number of spells inside the bronze sentinel?

He hadn’t counted precisely himself. Just roughly estimating double digits was already impressive. Yi-Han certainly hadn’t counted carefully during those frantic moments.

“Yes? Yes.”

The Baldurguard student answered, not realizing how exceptional her ability was.

“…You really are related to Gainando, correct?”

“Um… Yes, I am.”

“And you attend Baldurguard?”

Irendi nodded, confused by what he was getting at.

‘No matter how unpredictable divination magic is, such talent in Baldurguard…!’

Yi-Han shuddered inwardly.

He had occasionally seen talented mages who had never set foot in Einroguard, like Alcicle Pengerin.

But a mage of this caliber going to Baldurguard was too much of a cosmic joke.

‘Should I inform the principal and have her forcibly transferred to Einroguard?’

Yi-Han’s thoughts stopped there.

He realized that considering the other’s will was important. Forcing her transfer would almost certainly bring misery.

‘Ugh. What am I even thinking? I must have picked up this aggressive mindset from the skull principal over the break.’

Yi-Han was certain he wouldn’t normally think so drastically. It had to be the skull principal’s influence.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes. I’m fine. Could you wait a moment? I need to check for other threats.”

Avoiding their respectful and expectant gazes, Yi-Han looked at the notebook again.

“What should I do now? Should I dig deeper?”

[No, no need. I already took it out and hung it over your shoulder.]

“???”

Yi-Han looked around, surprised.

He felt nothing at all.

…Could it be an outfit that only good-hearted people can see?