The mana that went rogue resulted in an explosion that dealt critical damage to Garakse.
However, Yi-han wasn’t spared either, and he was sent flying backward after being hit by a force that shook his entire body.
‘Kuh…!’
A clean hit from Arlong’s sword didn’t hurt nearly as much as this.
Yi-han began regretting his decision.
‘Did I pour in too much mana!?’
Dead set on putting an end to the fight, he had poured in as much mana as he could, which resulted in something unexpected.
The shockwave had rendered him immobile.
Fortunately, all the enemies near him were down…
“Yi-han!”
What surprised him was that Professor Garcia was running over to him from afar.
‘What happened to the other assailants that were attacking her?’
It didn’t take long for him to get his answer. There were several people sprawled around her, with injuries that appeared to have come from getting hit by a massive hammer.
There was blood on the professor’s fist, and it didn’t seem to be hers.
‘Right…she’s a troll mix-blood…’
Yi-han was really starting to regret his decisions now.
Even if he hadn’t stepped out, Professor Garcia might’ve been able to deal with the assailants by herself with those fists of hers.
After all, with or without magic, her troll lineage granted her an impressive physique.
“WHO DARES!”
A blob of green light and a massive skeleton flew over from the direction of the academy.
Under normal circumstances, Yi-han would’ve freaked out seeing the Principal, but he felt relieved to see him for once.
‘Time to rest.’
Yi-han closed his eyes and lied down where he was. His body throbbed all over the place, and he wanted to get some well-deserved rest.
***
Principal Skelly had rushed over with Professor Bolady in tow.
The anti-magic extremists were like poisonous mushrooms and mold that secretly grew in the dark, and this time around, one of the academy’s professors had been attacked.
“I’m sorry, Professor Kim. Because of my carelessness, you were placed in a dangerous situation.”
After taking a look at the battlefield, the principal lowered his head and apologized.
“P-please raise your head, Lord Gonadaltes. It’s impossible for anyone to predict the attacks of anti-magic extremists ahead of time, especially ones that involve the Twilight Dawn.”
A sincere apology from the principal was a rare sight to behold, and Professor Garcia, who was at the receiving end of it, became flustered.
Professor Bolady, who was watching from the sidelines, opened his mouth.
“That’s where you’re incorrect. A principal of Einroguard should be able to prevent it.”
“…”
…..
Professor Garcia became utterly speechless hearing this.
No one asked for your opinion, you social misfit of a professor!
Principal Skelly wished to smack the vampire’s head, but he held back. After all, he was indeed at fault here.
“I should’ve checked the surroundings first. I’m deeply ashamed. Wait…is that an ancient relic?”
“Yes. It’s a powerful relic that can suck all the mana in the nearby area.”
They came fully prepared.
Principal Skelly clicked his tongue.
The ancient relic that they brought was a testament to the fact that none were as skilled as the anti-magic extremists when it came to dealing with mages.
“This man’s Garakse.”
Professor Bolady was able to identify the dying swordsman.
Garakse was a famous figure within the Twilight Dawn. As an expert at anti-mage combat, he had the nickname of the ‘Mage Killer’.
“He’s still alive. I’ll imprison him in the dungeon, dig through his memories, and obtain information about the Twilight Dawn. By the way…”
Principal Skelly gave the battlefield another glance.
It was clear that most of the assailants had been scorched by Professor Garcia’s lightning magic.
As someone whose expertise wasn’t in magic combat, she had done well to restrain herself and not destroy the nearby region.
However, what caught his eye was something else.
Some of the assailants had been stabbed in the stomach or knocked unconscious using telekinesis.
It didn’t take much brainpower to know who was behind this. It was clearly the handiwork of the boy from the Wardanaz Family, who had fallen asleep on the road.
‘Why is someone from the Wardanaz Family such a great swordsman?’
Luck could only go so far. To defeat Garakse, being proficient with the sword was a must.
Though Principal Skelly was curious, he didn’t bother waking Yi-han up.
Just because they were mages, it didn’t mean they studied magic 24/7.
They each had their own hobbies, with some people being interested in horsemanship, others in knitting, and so on.
It just so happened that Yi-han’s hobby was swordsmanship.
Noticing the principal’s gaze, Professor Garcia opened her mouth.
“If student Yi-han didn’t assist me, the outcome would’ve been disastrous. It’s thanks to him that things ended without the workers getting hurt.”
“I see. He’s a talented one. To cast magic successfully without panicking during an attack…he might have a knack for magic combat. Professor Bolady, was it you that taught him? I’m pleasantly surprised.”
“There’s nothing to be surprised about. This boy from the Wardanaz Family is the type of person that remains sharp in the face of danger. He’s also got an enormous mana reserve. It’s obvious that he would shine in battle.”
‘I shouldn’t have brought him here.’
Fearing for the worst, Principal Skelly had brought Professor Bolady along since he was a skilled combat mage. However, every time the professor opened his mouth, it only served to rub salt on the principal’s wound.
Although the vampire professor didn’t think much of Yi-han’s accomplishments, Principal Skelly begged to differ.
He wasn’t the type to hand out praises either, but Yi-han’s performance tonight was beyond impressive.
As a newly recruited student, he had put up a fight against the infamous anti-magic extremists.
The principal became even more impressed once Professor Garcia explained how the fight progressed.
He wouldn’t have reacted so strongly if Yi-han had subdued the assailants through magic or force.
What left a deep impression on him was the fact that the boy had overcome all odds and emerged victorious despite being weaker than the enemies.
Yi-han had what it took to become a great mage.
Oh, how he wished to snatch him up!
Principal Skelly’s non-existent hands began to itch.
If he could have it his way, he would’ve gone the traditional way of locking Yi-han in his office and taking him in as his disciple.
In the past, mages used to select one disciple and had them inherit their legacy. However, that was no longer allowed in this day and age.
If the principal tried to take Yi-han for himself, there would be protests from the professors, the Wardanaz Family, and even the Emperor himself.
– Sir, learning magic isn’t the end-all-be-all! He must be allowed to mingle with others! You know better than anyone here what kind of horrible deeds mages that have walked down the wrong path are capable of!
– Os Gonadaltes, you worthless bag of bones. Is this how you teach students at your academy? Is this all you got? I would’ve taught him myself had I known that was the case.
– Os, I’ve been providing your academy with financial support in the hopes of developing talents that would serve as the Empire’s pillars. You think I’m paying you to raise unhinged lunatics? What in the world are you doing with a rare talent? Are you trying to rebel?
…Being taught one-on-one by a grand mage often resulted in the disciple becoming twisted in one way or another.
‘What an annoying era we live in,’ the principal thought to himself as he sighed.
It was a pity, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, this was a rule that he had created himself.
The good thing was that as long as Yi-han attended Einroguard, they would have to cross paths eventually.
Principal Skelly sincerely wished that Yi-han would come under his wings several years down the line.
He would teach the boy all sorts of forbidden wonders and knowledge obtained from years of research!
“Clean this place up and compensate the workers. They’ve earned it. Oh, and don’t forget to retrieve the relic.”
Principal Skelly laid down his orders to his summoned creatures.
To not spread fear and unease to nearby towns, they had to clean up the place.
“Professor Bolady, what are you doing?”
The principal had asked out of curiosity, noticing that Professor Bolady was carefully observing some of the assailants.
“They appear to have suffered some kind of special attack. I was trying to figure out what it was.”
“Hmmm… you’re right. How did Waradanaz defeat them?”
Both the principal and the professor were left puzzled.
They could immediately tell that some of them were stabbed and slashed by a sword, while others were struck down using an iron orb.
However, a small group of assailants was found with injuries that seemed to have come from being hit by a massive hammer.
What could have caused this?
‘Did he use telekinesis on a boulder? With what? Even with that much mana, that shouldn’t be possible…how did he do it?’
“…U-um, I took them down using my fist.”
Professor Garcia fessed up, raising her hand bashfully.
***
Waking up on a soft bed, the first thing that greeted Yi-han was the principal’s skull.
‘Is this a nightmare?’
“Yi-han, thanks for your help earlier. You must be tired.”
Professor Garcia was beside him.
“I-I simply did what I had to do in that situation.”
Even so, that doesn’t negate your accomplishment. You’ve done well.
“Thank you.”
Though of course, you’ll still be punished for trying to escape the academy.
‘Fuck me.’
Yi-han’s hatred toward the anti-magic extremists shot up in that instant.
He would’ve been in a town by now if not for them!
Professor Garica looked at him apologetically.
“I’m sorry, Yi-han. You’ve done so much…”
“What’s there to feel sorry about? Rules are rules. Rewards are rewards. Punishments, punishments. By the way, how were you able to go past the warehouse? That’s not somewhere you can go past in your second week.”
This was something that truly stumped the principal.
Each year, a handful of freshmen would attempt to enter the warehouse that was located behind the central stairways of the academy’s main building.
Not all of them were trying to escape. In fact, most students were simply hungry, so much so that they would sell their souls to the devil if it meant getting access to the storage room where the food was being kept.
The principal, who knew this, would purposely scatter keys to the back of the central stairways in the hopes of luring in students.
However, he didn’t think someone would actually manage to get past the warehouse.
First of all, it required indomitable will to ignore all the goods inside the large storage room. Second of all, there was the warehouse keeper.
How did Yi-han manage to shake him off?
“I have no idea what you’re saying, sir.”
Yi-han kept his mouth shut and dodged the question.
He had already been caught. He had no intention of letting his secret out as well.
Principal Skelly, however, knew what he was thinking and grinned.
You’re not simple, I’ll give you that. Unfortunately, I’ll make it so it’s impossible for you to access the underground warehouse again.
‘Shit!’
The principal then became serious.
Yi-han of the Wardanaz Family. For standing up against the anti-magic extremists and for protecting the workers and a professor of the academy, I would like to represent Einroguard in extending our sincere gratitude.
“..!”
As a sign of our gratitude, you will be bestowed the sword “Star of Dawn”.
“I gratefully… wait a minute. Isn’t this the sword that the enemy used?”
Yi-han was so flustered he forgot to ask whether it was alright to give a real sword to a teenage student.
“Should we break it instead then?”
“You have a point. I’ll gratefully accept.”
It took all but one second for Yi-han to be convinced.
‘I could sell it in the future.’
Professor Garcia, who had been watching, was dumbstruck by how quickly Yi-han changed his mind.
She had planned on convincing him, thinking he would refuse to the bitter end.
‘The sword has done no wrong. It was simply in the hands of the wrong person. Yi-han, please use this sword for good,’ was what she had planned on saying.
Take this as well. It’s an exit permit.
“…!!”
Yi-han appreciated this reward much more than the sword.
Principal Skelly was baffled to see this boy who always remained expressionless become visibly happy.
The sword’s worth much more though?!
“Thank you, sir! I’ll devote myself to the academy!”
“R-right.”
The madness in his eyes overwhelmed even the principal.
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