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Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy Chapter 1049
🕑 Added 2024-11-22 12:10:27 +0000 UTCChapter 1049
While Jourin was marveling at dungeon traps she didn't know about, Yi-Han quickly erased the text.
The dragon who had prepared this treasure chest had written asking to wait about 71 more years.
The reason was that the gems inside needed that long to regain their complete radiance.
'Must prevent opening.'
Rather than clumsily opening it and disappointing her, it would be better for Jourin to get completed gems later.
-What about there?-
Having her interest drawn to the treasure chest, Jourin pointed at a newly appeared fountain at the end of the path.
The fountain built in Seven Kingdoms era style and the room it was situated in didn't feel particularly dangerous.
In some ways it looked like an inner chamber of an old noble's mansion.
But Yi-Han didn't let his guard down.
"Evil enemies might be hiding in the fountain. Like sirens."
-Sirens! Jourin heard they're at Einroguard too!-
"You know very well, Your Highness. They're very evil ones."
Sirens who took professors' commissions to interfere with students' exams were a cunning and evil race.
Even more so since Yi-Han had nearly fallen victim several times.
"I'll check."
Leaving Jourin nodding her head up and down, Yi-Han approached and checked text engraved on the fountain.
[Rest Area #21 (Incomplete - Still need to add decorations)
ㄴNeed to add large bath for playing in water
ㄴNeed to add large mana phonograph
ㄴTo allow flying, ceiling height needs to be...]
"..."
It was bewildering enough having such a rest area in a dungeon, but even more surprising that it was still incomplete.
Yi-Han covered the text while enduring a feeling of becoming endlessly stupid.
'No. Can't let my guard down. Still a dungeon. Other dragons might be raising monsters to satisfy Jourin.'
When he firmly endured and gestured behind him, Jourin and Eandurde quickly ran over.
-Stay away from the fountain, Eandurde! Sirens might appear!-
"Hmph. Even if they do..."
-Come here!-
Jourin tightly hugged Eandurde with her front legs as she approached the fountain aggressively.
Bubble bubble-
"?!?"
Yi-Han was startled.
Bubbles suddenly started rising to the fountain's surface. Jourin and Eandurde began making a fuss about sirens appearing.
-Indeed!-
The baby basilisk emitted hostility from atop Jourin while holding its tail straight up.
And with water spray, a spirit revealed itself. From the powerful force felt, it was clearly quite a high-ranking spirit.
The high-ranking water spirit shook its flowing body and prepared for work.
Starting with managing the rest area, it needed to check if any water in the dungeon was contaminated, and if there were problems, begin purification work. To fulfill the contract with dragons it needed to move diligently...
......
"..."
-......-
The spirit froze upon meeting their eyes. It felt more like a cold spirit than a water spirit.
-Is, is it a hostile spirit?-
Jourin asked Yi-Han.
Spirits weren't necessarily kind and gentle in personality. There were plenty of violent and arrogant spirits too.
Moreover, in enclosed spaces with distorted mana like dungeons, spirits' temperaments could become even more eccentric. In fact, adventurers exploring dungeons would immediately become wary upon meeting spirits inside.
However, Yi-Han instinctively knew the spirit that appeared now was different from such cases.
First there was no hostility or threat felt, and more than anything...
'It's flustered!'
He could feel the spirit panicking. Having learned soul perception magic, he could grasp intentions somewhat even without conversation.
"Could you perhaps be summoned to manage the dungeon after contracting with another dragon?"
-!-
The frozen water spirit was greatly surprised.
-Y-yes. Did you perhaps know when entering?-
"Not that but..."
-Please have mercy! I must keep this secret.-
The water spirit earnestly pleaded.
Originally the contract with dragons was to periodically manage the dungeon but absolutely not be discovered if people visited later.
How disappointing would it be if such a cleanup spirit appeared in a perilous dungeon?
-...That's what it was?-
When Jourin realized other dragons had gone beyond tending the dungeon to secretly overprotecting her, she became slightly dejected.
She had come down for exciting adventures with friends but it turned out to be little different from walking around the mansion.
-Wait. Then maybe that treasure chest earlier wasn't a trap either?-
Yi-Han inwardly shuddered at Jourin's increasingly rising intelligence.
After just a bit more time, she might really become hard to deceive.
"More importantly Your Highness. We need to resolve the spirit first."
-Jourin will keep the secret...-
The water spirit panicked at Jourin speaking dejectedly.
Though it heard the answer, it was still quite worried.
If the dragon who entrusted management noticed something strange and expressed dissatisfaction...
-Wait. Mage sir. Are you perhaps Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family? The Butterfly Prince's brother?-
The water spirit wriggled while looking at Yi-Han and conveyed its thoughts as if noticing something.
Yi-Han nodded.
"That's right. ...Wait. How did you know?"
At first he thought it guessed because he was an Einroguard mage walking with Jourin, but thinking about it was strange.
Even among imperial people only a very few knew, so how did this spirit know?
'Ah.'
Yi-Han finally guessed.
"Because of this."
Among the various marks received through contracts was the mark of Upinum, the spirit who called itself Guardian of the Great Sea and Storm.
Since the other was a water spirit, it likely recognized this.
-What? Ah... could it be the Guardian's mark!? I-I didn't know!-
"?"
The water spirit was startled seeing Upinum's mark.
To think it would see a mark left by the Guardian of the Great Sea and Storm here.
This rough and violent spirit was an object of fear even among fellow spirits.
"...Uh, then how did you recognize me?"
-I felt threatening pressure from your mana.-
"..."
Yi-Han's expression hardened at the spirit speaking rude telepathy with a polite attitude.
'This guy?'
"Just because you felt pressure doesn't mean it had to be me? There are so many mages in the empire who emit pressure from mana... well not many but there are monsters too..."
-Yi-Han...-
Jourin looked at her rambling contractor as if pitying him.
To think her usually cool-headed contractor would show such a reaction.
-I-I'm sorry. I made needless assumptions...-
"...No."
Yi-Han stopped the spirit's apology with a bitter expression.
Honestly he wanted to write down exactly what rumors were circulating among spirits but couldn't bring himself to ask.
-Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family. Please bestow your grace. If you do so, I will never forget this favor.-
"Hmph. What's the point when all spirits will avoid me anyway."
'I will do my best to soothe you.'
After speaking, Yi-Han realized his thoughts and words had come out opposite. The water spirit panicked even more.
"Please forget what I just said. More importantly, Your Highness is already disappointed... Hmm. Are there perhaps any less managed areas inside?"
-If the dragon gets hurt even slightly, all spirits contracted to this dungeon will meet a terrible fate!-
The water spirit shuddered as if just imagining was horrifying. The emotion could be felt even though it was a spirit without a face.
'The overprotection is much worse than expected.'
Meanwhile, Jourin was becoming more and more dejected. Even Eandurde who had been disappointed together was trying to comfort her instead.
-Jourin chose wrong...-
"Ah, no. It's not that bad!"
-That's right! A comfortable and pleasant dungeon like this is good too!-
While they were making noise, a 'boom' sound was heard from deep in the dungeon.
Unlike sound made by physical impact. As a mage, Yi-Han instinctively knew it was impact from mana.
"Wait! That impact just now might be monsters from another realm attacking!"
-No. It's a mana wave created by artifacts absorbing mana and being strengthened.-
"...Are you perhaps tactless?"
*
"Professor Boladi is with them?"
"Yes."
The skull principal who had come looking for Professor Garcia after roughly finishing busy miscellaneous work expressed surprise at the unexpected news.
"If I had known that I wouldn't have worried needlessly. I was concerned they might infiltrate the imperial palace."
"What?"
"Nothing."
The skull principal waved his hand.
Perhaps because they met at a cafe with tables set up outside, some passing nobles recognized the skull principal in human form and tried to show respect in surprise.
"Your Excellency Magic Administrator!"
"I don't know such a person."
"...Aren't you Your Excellency Gonadaltes?"
"Don't know? Who's that?"
"???"
The nobles moved away wearing expressions like they were possessed by ghosts.
After everyone left, Professor Garcia covered her face in embarrassment and spoke.
"...Please stop telling such lies."
"Why?"
"Because it's embarrassing when found out later! Don't you feel awkward when meeting them while receiving donations?"
"Doesn't matter. I can just say it was my doppelganger I parted with long ago."
"..."
Professor Garcia was too dumbfounded to speak. The skull principal shooed away connoisseurs approaching thinking he was a new actor from the nearby capital theater troupe, then asked.
"What about Wardanaz? Is he stimulating Professor Boladi again to learn difficult magic?"
"Ah. No. He went to meet Princess Jourin now. Taking Eandurde too."
"!"
The skull principal was startled.
"What? Where did you say they went?"
"To Her Highness's mansion..."
"Professor Garcia! How could you just leave that be!"
The skull principal thundered as an educator for the first time in a while.
Professor Garcia blinked at receiving such scolding from the person who worried least about students at Einroguard.
"B-but... why? Isn't it one of the safest places in the capital?"
"One of the safest places. But for Wardanaz it's the most dangerous place. Let's go."
The magic administrator jumped up from his seat.
Though Jourin wasn't a violent dragon, dragons' growth was originally hard to predict. The skull principal had keenly felt this while training under dragons in the distant past.
Dragons were beings who wouldn't be surprising even if they suddenly declared 'I want to change the tragic fate of continental races marked by struggle' after playing with mage cards until yesterday.
"Are you worried Princess Jourin might do something to Yi-Han? Unlike other dragons, Her Highness isn't someone who would do that."
"No? She's more than capable of doing that."
That complete lack of trust was rather admirable. Professor Garcia wavered slightly.
Could she have misjudged Jourin?
"In my opinion, Her Highness is highly likely to thoroughly bind Wardanaz and not let him out until break ends. Hmm. Would have been good if Pengerin was here. Is Pengerin in the capital?"
"W-well..."
Professor Garcia avoided his gaze.
He hadn't returned from Petroguard yet.
"Why him?"
"Throw Pengerin and get Wardanaz back... No. That won't work."
It might have worked when they first met, but now he couldn't be traded for 1 Pengerin.
Just as you can't buy gold because a random roadside stone looks cute.
"Move aside!"
-I knew we'd be caught...-
The skull principal pushed aside the knights in front of the mansion, opened the main gate and went inside.
Then a familiar cave revealed itself inside the mansion. And chains hanging on the wall that were obviously made by dragons...?
"!!!"
"I won't explicitly say 'What did I tell you.'"
'After saying it all.'
Following the chains' location, the two discovered a pitch black dungeon entrance.
Professor Garcia burst out with a scream-like shout.
"Did Her Highness make this dungeon to imprison Yi-Han?!"
"...Th-that's probably not it."
The skull principal was slightly bewildered by his former disciple's rich imagination.
