Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Chapter 618

'Is that a good idea?'

Yi-Han hesitated at the knights' words.

Of course, Yi-Han thought he had become somewhat close with Moradi, but there were different kinds of friendships.

Among them was the kind of friendship where if you showed up at someone's mansion saying, 'Hey, I came to hang out!', the other person would get annoyed.

Yi-Han thought that Moradi had a stingy and miserly side, so there was a high chance she would treat a visiting friend coldly...

"Oh. Has Miss Moradi arrived?"

"!"

Yi-Han was startled by the sudden appearance of a Moradi family bloodline.

Speak of the devil, and Moradi too...

"I'm Balpatan of the Moradi family. Nice to meet you."

'Ah. It wasn't her.'

The one who came in was another bloodline of the Moradi family.

Balpatan Moradi.

As a 3rd-year student of Einroguard belonging to the Moradi family, he had come out of curiosity after hearing that a mage from the Pengerin family and an Einroguard junior had visited the family.

In fact, he already knew quite well what kind of person Alcicle from the Pengerin family was, as he was already famous.

But the junior was different.

He heard that he was from the Wardanaz family, wasn't he!

-Sir Ingkan. Is he really from the Wardanaz family?-

-Yes. He really is.-

-That's great. I had a lot of questions I wanted to ask!-

It wasn't just because he was from the Wardanaz family.

Rumors about the Wardanaz family's 1st-year student were already circulating among some seniors at Einroguard.

-I heard he's from the enchantment magic school.-

-I heard he's the crazy skeleton bastard's top disciple, isn't he dangerous?-

-I heard he's close with Ilendil...-

-Then he must be dangerous, right?-

-No. I heard he's close with the dark magic school.-

-Then he's really dangerous, isn't he?-

In addition to these, there were also unfounded rumors like he fought the King of Ghouls, fought the King of Frost Giants, or went out and subjugated magic criminals or anti-magic extremists, so it was impossible not to be curious.

And unlike others, Balpatan had one more thing he was curious about.

"Mr. Pengerin. Nice to meet you."

After greeting the others, Balpatan looked at Yi-Han and asked.

"...Uh, Gainando...?"

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

Yi-Han brazenly feigned ignorance.

***

Yi-Han had various talents.

One of them was the ability to push through with lies without changing his facial expression.

People who fell for this often became confused, thinking, 'Huh? Is that so?'

Balpatan was no exception.

"Ah. Is that so? Did I mishear back then because I was flustered?"

"Yes. Gainando is my friend's name. You probably got confused because my friend was with me."

"That might be it. Man, this is embarrassing. And I'm a senior too."

Balpatan felt awkward.

To think he misheard a name as a senior.

Thinking about the misunderstandings that followed because of that mistake made him feel even more embarrassed.

"Anyway, nice to meet you, Wardanaz! I've heard a lot about you."

This time, Yi-Han wasn't surprised.

He calmly smiled and asked back.

"You must have heard from the knight order knights?"

"I heard from other Einroguard students though?"

"...?!"

Yi-Han was slightly flustered by the unexpected answer.

"From the dark magic school seniors?"

"No. I'm not really close with those dark magic guys. Just a few friends from the tower were talking about it. They said a junior worked across several schools during the realm rift. Oh right! You sliced up a penguin swordsman from another realm back then, didn't you!? How on earth did you do that?"

At Balpatan's words, the knights who had been sitting loosely quickly straightened their posture.

It was a very interesting story.

"Actually, that wasn't something I did, but I borrowed the power of another summon..."

"That's right! I heard you're the top student in the swordsmanship lecture? Everyone, I heard that Wardanaz is the top student in the swordsmanship lecture! Beating out those from other knight families!"

'Is this person not listening to me?'

Yi-Han inwardly thought, seeing Balpatan bring up a new topic before he could even answer.

"Oh...!"

"Top student..."

The knights looked at Yi-Han with sparkling eyes. Since this wasn't particularly distorted, Yi-Han had nothing to say.

"I practiced swordsmanship diligently from a young age."

"Let's hear more about that story."

Balpatan pulled up a chair and sat down comfortably in front of Yi-Han.

His attitude suggested he was going to listen to everything that had happened at Einroguard.

'Damn. If he wasn't a senior, I would have ignored this.'

To think he had to explain one by one all the exaggerated rumors about himself (though some weren't exaggerated) in front of the knights.

If he wasn't a senior, he would have cut it short!

***

"...And that's how we dealt with the anti-magic extremists."

"Ah. Wait. I'm tearing up a bit."

Balpatan wiped his eyes with a handkerchief, moved.

The other knights also had slightly choked-up expressions.

"It's not something to cry about, is it...?"

"What are you saying? It's so moving. Wow. That's really a good story. I should tell my friends about it later."

The knights' sensitivity was very different from Yi-Han's. Balpatan and the knights seemed very impressed by the battle where young mages fought without running away.

"Right. Are you close with Jijel? Seeing as you fought together, you seem close, is it true?"

Another knight answered Balpatan's question.

"Yes. He said they're very close."

"Is that so?"

"I didn't say 'very'..."

"That's interesting."

Balpatan found it curious.

Although he was related to Jijel, Jijel wasn't basically a person easy to get close to.

As a direct descendant of the Moradi family, she had inherited the most cold and blade-like personality.

Balpatan, being from a branch family and having trained at various knight families, had become more easygoing in personality, but in Jijel's case, having been taught as a direct descendant within the family, she was thorough in these aspects.

"So, Moradi is a bit rude and lacks social skills?"

"Ah, no. I didn't say it to that extent?"

Balpatan was flustered by Yi-Han's question.

"She's just a bit cold and strict. Not someone who easily builds friendships with just anyone."

One of the knights listening from the side spoke up.

"But wouldn't someone from the Wardanaz family be qualified to build a friendship?"

"Hmm. That might be true."

Balpatan thought it was quite a likely story.

Even among the various great noble families of the empire, the reputation of the Wardanaz family was exceptionally outstanding.

The fact that their reputation continued to be maintained without actively participating in political activities or standing out in social circles proved the family's power.

The purest bloodline of magic.

Thinking about that potential, it was highly likely that Jijel had built a friendship with that in mind.

It was a dignified friendship that wouldn't bring shame to either family's reputation.

"As expected of Jijel. She's very smart."

"I'm impressed. Even when making friends, she doesn't do it ordinarily."

"...?"

Yi-Han, listening from the side, tilted his head.

It seemed a bit too much to say that Moradi had built a friendship with that in mind...

'She seemed quite unpleasant though.'

Didn't she pick a fight when a Blue Dragon Tower student took the lecture?

Still, as it was Moradi's family, Yi-Han decided to praise his friend.

"Indeed! Somehow she was respecting my bloodline..."

"So it was like that. Wow. That's amazing. I should brag to my friends later."

Balpatan felt proud, thinking about boasting to his friends after school started that the Moradi family bloodline had such wide connections.

The achievements of other siblings in the family were also his own pride.

Alcicle, listening from the side, asked curiously.

"I don't know well, but is that friend like a very dignified noble despite being from a knight family?"

"Uh, well..."

Balpatan, having finished talking about Jijel, moistened his throat and then sat up straight again.

Yi-Han sensed something ominous from that appearance.

"By the way, about the King of Ghouls..."

'Is this a new form of torture?'

Yi-Han shuddered at the sight of the knights enjoying listening to the same stories over and over again.

How much did they like gossip to be like this?

Bang!

"Miss Moradi is coming!"

Suddenly, the door opened and a knight shouted urgently.

"...?"

"There's more than one Moradi, isn't there."

"I'm Moradi too."

The knight who had shouted urgently caught his breath and shouted again.

"Miss Jicklin of the Moradi family!!"

"!!!!"

The knights suddenly stood up. Balpatan also got up from his seat in shock.

"Move aside!"

"Can't you let go of this? Don't you have seniors?"

"I'll be in big trouble if I'm caught today!"

The knights, without exception, hurriedly escaped.

Balpatan also tried to escape, but because the knights were stuck at the entrance, his movement was delayed by a beat.

In the meantime, a servant who arrived said,

"Mr. Alcicle of the Pengerin family. Mr. Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family. Is that correct? Oh. Mr. Balpatan was here too."

"...I, I was about to leave..."

"Then I'll tell Miss Jicklin."

"Ah, no! I'll stay. Come to think of it, it wasn't anything important."

"Is that so? I understand. Anyway, you two. Miss Jicklin is about to visit with gifts. Is that alright?"

Alcicle and Yi-Han looked at each other.

In this situation, she could just visit, but asking for consent like this before visiting was something only those who placed great importance on etiquette in noble families would do.

"It's fine?"

"Yes. Thank you. I'll convey that."

As the servant left, Balpatan heaved a deep sigh.

"Who is Miss Jicklin?"

"Oh, hasn't Jijel told you? She's Jijel's older sister."

"I see. ...Isn't she your older sister too?"

"What are you talking about?"

Balpatan looked at Yi-Han as if to say, what are you talking about?

Yi-Han also looked at Balpatan as if to say, what are you talking about?

"That's not important right now. Mr. Pengerin. If I have committed any rude behavior, or if other knights have committed any rude behavior, please tell me now. I beg you, despite the rudeness!"

Alcicle looked at the plate of sardines on the side once and said.

"...There was nothing in particular."

"That's a relief. Wardanaz. If I committed any rude behavior..."

"Haha. Senior. There was nothing at all. But you just said Jijel's older sister..."

"Phew... That's good."

Balpatan fidgeted, adjusted his clothes, and cleared his throat.

Even Alcicle found that appearance more puzzling.

"What kind of person is Miss Jicklin of the Moradi family?"

"Ah. It's completely irrelevant to you two. But it's relevant to me. She's a person who's strict about rules and principles..."

Although Balpatan was a person who didn't fit the Moradi family's traditions, Jicklin was no less unfitting. Even though Jicklin was a direct descendant.

Loyalty, fidelity, honor, chivalry...

These days, it was rare for knights to strictly adhere to such virtues. It was natural as even imperial knights had become somewhat secularized.

However, Jicklin was the embodiment of these virtues. She was closer to a knight from the old kingdom era than an imperial knight of the north.

"To think such a person still exists!"

Alcicle marveled.

To think there was still such an old-fashioned knight-like person even among the direct descendants of the Moradi family.

It was truly admirable and respectable.

"It's hard for us."

Balpatan grumbled.

Knights couldn't swing swords and train every day.

Sometimes they needed to socialize, listen to heroic tales, and so on...

"But why did the knights leave just now?"

"It's because they'll get scolded if caught chatting with guests instead of training. I should be fine since I did today's training. Probably."

"..."

For a moment, Yi-Han looked at Balpatan with an expression as if he was looking at Gainando.

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