Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Chapter 634

"Junior. You shouldn't dislike learning."

"Sob."

"Studying is all for your own good. Isn't it comfortable here? It'll be more painful when you enter Einroguard. If you fail the exams, you'll go to the punishment room!"

'That's too much of a lie.'

Alcicle inwardly recoiled.

Of course, Alcicle also sympathized that this barbarian needed education. Especially education about the history and respect for noble families like the Pengerin family was desperately needed.

But who would fall for such lies?

"Don't want punishment room..."

"That's right, that's right. Then you should study."

'No. It actually works.'

Crackle-

A reply came back from the main gate of the .

Alcicle, who had been eagerly waiting, rushed over.

[Welcome. Director departed.]

"?"

Alcicle tilted his head.

Who was the director?

"Who's the director? Is it your brother?"

"What did it say?"

"Here. It says the director has departed."

Yi-Han jumped up in surprise.

Alcicle was also flustered by this urgent appearance that he had never seen from Wardanaz before.

"Wh-what's wrong? Did something go wrong?"

"That can't be possible?"

Yi-Han took the reply and read it.

But the content hadn't changed.

[Welcome. Director departed.]

"No... Could it have come to the wrong place?"

"Who is this director that you're acting like this?"

"Oh, it's the family mother."

Family mother.

In other words, Yi-Han's mother.

Alcicle was surprised.

"You have a mother?!?!"

"..."

"..."

Yi-Han and Eandurde stared at Alcicle.

Eandurde, in particular, gave him a look as if looking at trash. Alcicle, belatedly realizing his rudeness, shouted in panic.

"S-sorry. That, I mean."

"Trash..."

"No! It's not like that! I mean! The Wardanaz family head at least appears occasionally, but his wife has never shown herself, so I didn't even know she existed!" �

Alcicle protested desperately.

Usually, the head of a great noble family or their spouse would be known to the empire regardless of how social they were.

Even for people who weren't very social, there were official events they had to attend, so rumors couldn't help but spread.

But there were simply no rumors about the wife of the Wardanaz family head.

While the family head occasionally showed himself, there were no stories about his wife, so Alcicle had assumed, 'Did she perhaps pass away young?'...

"Ah. The director is a bit unsociable, so that's why. She dislikes external activities."

"?"

Alcicle thought this was nonsense.

The Wardanaz family was already the most unsociable family in the empire.

Even the family head didn't appear unless the empire really needed a great mage, so what was this?

"Um... Wardanaz. This might be rude, but your family... is already unsociable, right? Even the family head isn't a social person..."

"Nah. Compared to the director, the family head is a social person."

"...!!!"

While Alcicle was shocked, Yi-Han provided some additional explanation.

People of the empire often misunderstood because they didn't even know of her existence, but Yi-Han's mother, the family mother of the Wardanaz family and the director of the Dawn Library, was perfectly alive and well.

She just disliked external activities.

"No matter how much she dislikes it, how can she be so unknown?! The officials..."

"Well. It's magic."

"...I'm a mage too, you know. Magic isn't omnipotent."

"So it's like this."

When the Wardanaz family head received a message saying 'A great drought has occurred in the western empire, please help', he would move an entire sea, remove the salt, and create a reservoir.

That's the level of help he would provide.

However, his wife would just ignore the message.

Then she would erase the memory of the messenger who delivered the message, erase the memory of the official who sent the messenger, and if a superior was involved, erase their memory too...

"..."

Alcicle was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth.

Of course, among the highest realms of illusion magic, there was magic that could cut out someone's memories.

However, it was only for a very short moment, and only at the level of slightly touching the immediate previous memory.

To manipulate the memories of all imperial officials related to such an important figure as the Wardanaz family, without missing a single one?

"Is that even possible?!"

"It's possible, that's why you don't know about it, Mr. Alcicle."

"...I-I see."

Alcicle shuddered as if cold ice had been placed on his spine.

When he came, he had a light heart thinking he would witness the amazing magic of the Wardanaz family and the excellent wisdom of the family head and strive to improve, but now he felt only awe mixed with fear, like a boy learning magic for the first time meeting a great mage.

Is this magic?

"Well. I'm not sure why the director is coming out. Actually, I haven't talked with her much either."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"Was it on my eighth birthday? She came then, gave me a gift, and immediately went into another realm."

Although he knew it was a really unnecessary question, Alcicle couldn't overcome his curiosity.

"What did she give you?"

"It was an expensive-looking magic book, but the family head said it was dangerous and took it back. She should have just given me money."

Yi-Han grumbled as if regretful.

'That doesn't seem to be the problem...'

Clunk.

With a small sound, the door of the opened.

From inside, the most vicious and threatening-looking demon Alcicle had ever seen walked out.

Alcicle realized that the light emitted by his defensive artifact was dimming.

Some demons could damage living beings just by being seen, and the demon in front of him was exactly that kind of demon.

Yi-Han quickly covered Eandurde's eyes.

"Director! Your transformation hasn't been undone!"

-Ah.-

The demon, as if belatedly realizing, undid the transformation magic. A pale and slender human mage revealed herself.

Seeing that appearance, Alcicle thought that what Wardanaz had said earlier might have actually been a joke or a lie.

How could a mage with such intelligent and melancholy eyes be such an eccentric person?

"A penguin mixed-blood."

"Yes. This is Mr. Alcicle of the Pengerin family."

"I see."

Rayana, the director of the Dawn Library and Yi-Han's mother, extended her finger.

Alcicle, unaware of what was about to happen, stood still innocently.

"Director! You can't erase his memory!"

"Why not?"

"Mr. Alcicle's mouth is the heaviest in the empire!"

"...Gasp! I-I absolutely won't tell anyone anywhere!"

Alcicle, realizing that his memory had almost been erased, shouted in panic.

Rayana nodded. It was a nod that seemed less like she believed Yi-Han or Alcicle's words and more like she didn't care much.

"You entered Einroguard."

"Yes. I'm striving to become a mage who won't bring shame to the family name."

"I'm not sure if learning under mundane mages is a good method."

The professors of Einroguard had suddenly become mundane mages.

Yi-Han answered as if he wasn't even surprised.

"I think it's effective because my level is low too."

"I see. Do you need any magic books?"

"I'm fine."

Alcicle looked at him from the side as if to say 'Why are you refusing?!', but Yi-Han was cold.

Even if he mentioned the names of needed magic books, it was obvious they wouldn't come back properly anyway.

She would surely recommend some strange magic book that could collapse one's mind the moment they read it, saying 'Don't read that mundane magic book'.

"By the way, why did you come out, Director?"

"I heard you entered Einroguard and trained for a year."

Alcicle felt slightly touched.

"So you were worried if he was doing alright."

"I came to see how much his magic has improved. You could say that's also being worried if he's doing alright. Is the gorgon mixed-blood next to you the child you had with the penguin mixed-blood?"

"No, it's not."

Alcicle gaped his beak in shock, but the Family Mother paid no attention.

"If you need any magic books while working as the principal, don't hesitate to ask anytime."

"...Director. I just finished my first year."

"Ah."

A moment of silence lingered.

Rayana spoke as if she had made a mistake.

"Perhaps I used too much foresight."

"Your magic must have failed."

"My magic doesn't fail. Yi-Han. If one of the two was wrong, it's the future that was wrong."

'What nonsense she's spouting.'

Yi-Han inwardly rebelled against his mother's words.

What nonsense was she spouting after seeing such a ridiculous future as him being the principal of Einroguard?

"If you miss magic books while learning under mundane mages, write a letter anytime. I'll find and send a reply even if it's late."

"Yes. Thank you."

"Well then, I'm busy so I'll be going."

Rayana made a light gesture and then passed through the door back into the realm.

Only then did Alcicle release his tension and let out a heavy sigh.

There had been rumors about the head of the Wardanaz family that 'that's magic wearing human skin', but his wife seemed like magic that hadn't even bothered to wear skin.

To try to cut out Alcicle's memory with just a finger without even using a staff.

"That was... that was a great experience!"

As the fear subsided, Alcicle spoke in an excited voice.

Earlier he had been too overwhelmed to notice, but looking back, it really was an amazing experience.

From the wife's appearance to her exit.

All the mana around was in the director's grasp. Trying to cast magic with her finger without even a staff was an expression of that confidence.

As a mage himself, Alcicle couldn't help but shudder at that grandeur, apart from the fear.

"Isn't this insane...?"

"Shh. You should only think that inside. It's rude to say it out loud."

Eandurde and Yi-Han recoiled at Alcicle's reaction and distanced themselves.

To say it was a good experience after seeing that?

"N-no... Hey, Wardanaz. You might be used to it because you see her often as a relative, but it was shocking for me."

"I've only met her a few times in my life though?"

'Oh right. This guy is less shocked because of his mana.'

Come to think of it, even when she was in demon form earlier, Wardanaz was just calm.

Besides resistance, control over surrounding mana was also an important factor for mages, like an innate right.

The moment a mage lost confidence in their ability to control surrounding mana, they would receive a strong mental blow.

This was very fatal, as well-cultivated concentration and belief were the source of magic.

However, Wardanaz was different.

Even if all control over surrounding mana was taken away, because he had so much mana, a certain level of control over his immediate surroundings wasn't taken away.

Just like a heavy rock doesn't move even in strong winds, that's how Wardanaz was.

"Anyway! I was really surprised."

"Yes... well..."

"Seeing that your mother calls herself the director, it must be an amazing library."

In the empire, libraries were often created not to spread knowledge widely, but to protect great secrets.

The position of director of such libraries was inherited along with the family and was an honorable name in itself.

Seeing that the Family Mother called herself the director, it was probably a library passed down from ancient times.

"When I was young, my brother received a book from there as a gift and almost died."

"It must be a truly amazing library?"

Alcicle pretended not to hear and changed the subject.

Come to think of it, a couple whose hobby was realm exploration wouldn't have put ordinary magic books in there.

Probably each book was a fatal forbidden book.

"Still, I'm envious."

'Is he really crazy?'

Ignoring Yi-Han's thoughts, Alcicle spoke with an impressed face.

"One is the head of the Wardanaz family, the other is the director of an ancient library. The two of them must have joined hands for the completion of great magic. I want to meet a spouse like that too."

In Alcicle's opinion, the most worthless marriage was one where both parties were consumed by carnal desire.

The next was a marriage for family honor and benefit. This was an ordinary marriage.

The greatest marriage was a union for a noble purpose and knowledge.

Without any selfishness or carnal desire, for the great discipline of magic...

"They just fell in love at first sight and got married though."

"..."

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