WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Surviving in the Magic Academy

Chapter 179

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179.

I glanced around. Evening was drawing near, but the streets were still crowded. Everyone would probably end up staying in the city. The same went for us.

“Hmm, are you going to the lodging now?”

Mira asked, linking arms with me. I nodded. Mira let out a small laugh and leaned her head against me. Supporting her, I slowly started walking.

Since I had come to the city this time, I planned to stay for a few days. To do business, I needed a proper grasp of the market. I also had to secure a spot in advance.

Of course, I needed to finish the advancement evaluation first. Still, the evaluation was tomorrow, so I only had to suffer through one day. With that, I moved along with the flow of people together with Mira.

The inn I had reserved was in a district higher than the very lowest floor. Even so, I had a little more breathing room with points these days, so I could afford this much luxury. I entered the inn and opened the door to the room.

The magic blocking the room came undone, and I felt the scene inside unfold before my eyes. Perhaps because of the space-expansion magic, the guest room was far wider than it looked from the outside.

It was a clean space with several rooms attached. As expected, it was worth the points. I nodded and stepped inside, and a loud commotion rang out.

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit lifted her axe high, eyes sparkling. Then she rushed forward and brought it down. Cassian, standing opposite her, smoothly channeled magical power into her sword and met the axe blade head-on.

The two weapons, each packed with magical power, clashed and scattered a powerful surge. That was where the noise was coming from. The two of them were tussling in the spacious living room.

It was less a fight and more a kind of spar. Both of them looked playful as their weapons crossed. The bear puppet was rolling around nearby and stuffing itself with snacks too, which made that even clearer.

Cassian soon withdrew her sword. She seemed to have noticed us entering the guest room. With a satisfied look, she reached out to Rabbit. Rabbit took her hand in return and burst into loud laughter.

Cassian immediately collapsed onto the bear puppet and began rolling around with it. Watching her, I clicked my tongue. I had been thinking of nagging her about not rampaging inside the room, but I had not expected her to cover her ears that quickly.

Unlike Cassian, Rabbit’s eyes sparkled when she saw me. She put away her axe and ran toward me. Then she stopped in front of me and pulled a small statue from her arms.

“Slaughter!”

She seemed to want to show off what she had bought. Rabbit looked so happy that even my desire to nag disappeared. Well, since it was her first outing, I could let it slide. I accepted it with a slight smile.

“Oh, this has an interesting structure. Where did you buy it?”

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit pointed at herself. It meant she had gone to a place that sold puppets. I stroked my chin and channeled magical power into the statue. The statue was shaped like a suit of armor, with a hollow structure inside.

I sent magical power into it casually, then could not help admiring it. This had not been made simply for show. The various spells flowing inside were truly refined.

At this level, there would be no problem using it in actual combat right away. On top of that, the flow of magical power blended exquisitely with Rabbit’s body. In other words, it would fit the armor-professor who would receive this gift perfectly too.

Who in the world had made armor like this? It also felt familiar somehow. And I soon realized where I had felt this sensation before.

I glanced down at Rabbit. She had taken out a puppet and was playing with it. It was a puppet made by reducing magical power consumption to the absolute limit, containing an efficiency I could not dare imitate.

It was definitely Mauro’s work. I fiddled with the armor. It seemed he had made this for Rabbit. Perhaps out of consideration for the user, it did not carry the peculiar sensation of a puppet.

Apparently, after drifting along, they had made it all the way to puppet street. Mauro must have noticed traces of me on Rabbit and given this as a gift. It would have been hard to get an item like this with the points I had given her.

I lightly scratched my head. It seemed I would have to stop by Mauro’s place and express my thanks. No, it might be fine to go straight to him and discuss a new business idea. If the puppeteers joined in, it could expand even further.

I tapped the armor lightly. There was no doubt it was an excellent item. It would suit the armor-professor, who would soon wake, very well too. I returned the small armor to Rabbit.

“You bought well. This should be more than enough.”

“Slaughter!”

Rabbit looked proud and ran back to Cassian. She threw herself toward Cassian, who was in the bear puppet’s arms. Then she shook the puppet above her.

Cassian took out a similar puppet and started moving it too. Watching that, I smiled warmly. It seemed Rabbit had grown quite close to Cassian.

In the tower, she had not approached Cassian easily, perhaps because she was wary of Cassian’s power. But thanks to this chance, they had sparred like that and even played together. That meant both of them were clearly satisfied with this outing.

By contrast, this side showed no sign of getting closer. I glanced at Mira, who was leaning against me. I saw her click her tongue lightly toward the table on one side of the living room.

That was where Isabella was sitting. I bowed my head to her. Managing Cassian and Rabbit must not have been easy, and the fact that they were fine meant she had worked that hard.

“You went through a lot, Isabella.”

Isabella, who had been sitting at the table reading a book, gave a faint smile. She shook her head slightly and closed the book. The red magical power flickering from her slowly pulled out the chair across from her.

[Not at all. I am glad I could be of help to Master. Did the matter you went out to handle go well?]

Isabella placed a hand over her chest and gently bowed her head. There was dignity in that movement. It was probably a habit from when she was alive. She must have held a rather high position somewhere.

I nodded. Arcana General Trading Company would prepare the entrance exam properly, so all I had to do was watch. I had also received the company’s token, so all preparations for the business were finished too.

I sat in the seat Isabella had offered and met her eyes. She smiled gently, drew out magic, and offered me a teacup. It was Perfect Tea magic.

I accepted it and carefully savored the aroma. Since waking, she had assisted me by my side like this. For someone like me, who had only ever assisted others, it was truly a new feeling.

“Thank you. How was it for you, Isabella? I believe you said there was something you needed to look into.”

I asked while drinking the tea. Its taste was lacking compared to mine, but it was much more refined than what she had made before. That meant she was steadily practicing. At my question, she gave a vague smile.

[Hmm... yes, perhaps it went well. It is not something Master needs to concern himself with. Thank you for worrying about me.]

The writing released from her scattered into the air with a suspicious air. Mira laughed softly at that and narrowed her eyes.

“It is not good to hide too much. Evron is quite suspicious, you know.”

[I appreciate your concern, but I will handle it myself. So I believe Mira need not concern herself with it.]

“Hehe, to think you would ignore my worried heart like this. I am truly saddened.”

The two women laughed like that. Their magical power also rippled with laughter. Feeling the mood sink a little, I stroked my chin. Mm, I did want the two of them to grow a little closer.

Looking at the current situation, though, that day still seemed far away. They carried on their small war of nerves for a moment, then let their magical power ease. Between them, I nodded slightly.

“Still, if you need my help, please tell me anytime. I will help right away. Are we not one household now?”

If Isabella did not want to say it, I would not ask either. It was necessary to respect each person’s boundaries. Mira clicked her tongue lightly beside me. Isabella smiled at her and nodded.

Like that, I spent some time talking with Isabella. Then, after who knew how long, she placed a hand over her chest. She seemed to be checking the magical power beyond it.

Isabella soon shook her head slightly and rose from her seat. She bowed to us and smiled lightly.

[It seems I should go in now. Perhaps because it has been a while since I came out, my magical power is being consumed faster than expected.]

I saw the hand Isabella had placed on her chest trembling slightly. Her magical power was slipping out of control. That phenomenon was happening because her soul had not fully adapted yet.

Because of that, it was a difficult problem for me to solve as well. The only solution was for her to adapt quickly to her body. When I nodded, she turned and headed toward a room.

Mira, who had been quietly watching her back, lightly tapped my chest with a finger. She glanced at me and puffed out her cheeks slightly.

“Are you not treating that person too leniently? It is enough to make me jealous.”

I saw a hint of dissatisfaction flicker in her eyes. I gave a small shrug.

“I intend to respect everyone by my side. Isabella treats me with goodwill, so I only treat her the same way. Just as Mira does.”

Mira stared at me, then clicked her tongue. Still hugging my arm, she smiled toward the room Isabella had entered.

“Well, it is amusing, so shall I leave it be? She seems useful enough too.”

Mira quietly smacked her lips. I felt a hint of desire leak out from her. I could not tell whether it was directed at me or at Isabella.

Since that conversation was settled for now, should I sort out the items first? I leaned back in the chair and took out the spatial pouch from my arms. When I filled it with magical power and stirred it, many items began popping out.

I stared down at the things now sitting on the table. They were materials good for making puppets, such as jewels, magical beast cores, and mana stones.

Looking down at them, I stroked my chin. Then I sent out my will to check my remaining points. The mirror bug that detected my signal slowly floated up.

0 points.

Looking at that, I could only shake my head. To think I would be cleaned out of every point like this. I really could not help admiring Hwaryeong’s business skills.

I searched my memory. I had definitely been in the middle of discussing my business. But at some point, I had been swept into her rhythm. And when I came to my senses, I found myself already buying items.

These were the items I had bought after spending every last point like that. I had even gone into a little debt. So I needed to tighten my belt for the next few months.

Well, what could I do? These were not things I could call wasteful spending. They were all useful. Hwaryeong had merely dug into that point.

As I made that sort of excuse, a question suddenly rose in me. Hwaryeong was clearly someone from a great family. Then why was she so obsessed with results?

I lightly tapped the table. Hwaryeong had been promoted very quickly. That momentum surely would not stop in the future either. Just as it had so far, even if she waited quietly, her influence would grow on its own.

But Hwaryeong was very interested in handling my affairs. Even more than I had thought. She even looked impatient, as if someone were chasing her.

I sat in thought for a while, then soon shrugged. She must have circumstances of her own. There was no need for me to pay much attention to things I did not know.

I only needed to make use of it. If she was in a hurry, that was good for me. The more she clung to results, the easier it became for me to dig in.

Beside me, Mira began inspecting the items one by one. She looked very satisfied. That was only natural. Most of those items were things she had chosen.

They could be called materials to further refine her body. While fiddling with them, she soon glanced at the others. I saw Cassian and Rabbit talking about something on top of the bear puppet.

“Evron, I suppose you will be moving alone tomorrow?”

I nodded. Then Mira looked at Cassian and Rabbit, narrowing her eyes. Resting her chin in her hand, she smiled mischievously at them.

“Hehe, then I will follow Cassian tomorrow. It has been a while, so I need to properly feel that body. The same goes for Rabbit.”

Mira softly licked her lips. The two who had been playing shivered, as if they had sensed something. I offered silent condolences to the two as they began looking around. It seemed both of them would suffer a little tomorrow.

“We will be playing nicely like that, so please do your best, Evron.”

“Do not worry. I will bring you good news.”

The advancement evaluation was a place that judged only the subject’s potential. Because of that, only I was permitted to enter. So it was impossible for Mira to follow me. Resting her chin in her hand, she stared at me.

“Hmm, even so, I am a little worried. I heard your officer has a bad reputation, you see.”

I scratched my head slightly. Apparently, Hwaryeong had told her about it. It was just as she said. My officer, Merov, was an exceedingly prickly person.

The advancement evaluation for the basic curriculum was usually assigned to upper-floor mages of the 7th floor or higher. That was also a kind of duty. Because of that, there were even people who specialized only in advancement.

Once assigned like that, an officer usually did not change until the subject advanced. Because of that, getting a good officer was also an important part of advancement.

If someone strict was assigned, advancement could not help taking much longer. In that sense, a kind of luck also came into play in advancement.

Of course, even that luck could be overcome with points. I glanced at Cassian. She was exactly such a case.

During both her second floor and third floor advancement evaluations, she had faced someone from the Blade Association. That could be called a kind of declaration. They were showing everyone that she was someone they had chosen.

It could be said to be the result of investing quite a lot to obtain that position. In that sense, her fourth floor evaluation this time would also be handled by swordsmen. They would want to confirm how splendidly that talent had bloomed.

But I did not have an unmatched talent like Cassian. During the earlier second floor evaluation, two organizations had approached me, but that had been to tear a bite out of me.

After taking their bite, they no longer approached me. An unspoken agreement had clearly formed between the two. Professor’s pressure was probably part of it too.

Like that, I ended up being assigned an officer with no connection to me. That was Merov, the one who had rejected me outright last time. After going through that, I had also investigated him quite a lot.

Had they said he mostly took advancement evaluation duties? Perhaps because of that, quite a lot of bad rumors circulated about him. As Mira had said, he was someone no one wanted to meet.

But the current me was different. I put on a confident smile. Unlike Mira’s worries, I had grown a great deal during this time. Compared to the me from three years ago, it was the difference between heaven and earth.

So it was clear that I would advance. With that certainty, I shook my head at Mira. Mira stared at my face, then tilted her head. She gave a vague smile.

“Mm... it is nice to see Evron so confident, but it feels like an incident has always happened whenever you were that certain. I am starting to worry even more.”

“I hope it is only my needless concern,” Mira added, leaning her head against me.

“Surely not. There will be no problem.”

I smiled and shook my head. But I could not stop my body from flinching. For some reason, after hearing her words, a slight ominous feeling had begun flickering inside my chest.

It was not something that had appeared out of nowhere. It was more like an anxiety I had faintly felt from before. The kind of sensation I always felt before an incident happened.

I lightly tapped my chest. I had always yielded to this ominous feeling. But this time would be different. I had prepared thoroughly.

That ominous feeling did not disappear even the next day. If anything, it began flowing thickly beside my tree like a kind of premonition. And that premonition was not wrong.

It happened after I arrived at the evaluation hall. I glanced around. The first thing that caught my eye was a high platform. It had a structure similar to the second floor evaluation hall.

And on top of that high platform sat my officer, Merov. I slowly met his eyes. His face was full of boredom.

As if proving he was an 8th floor mage, he was emitting incredibly powerful magical power. Feeling that magical power wrap around my body and flow over me, I smiled bitterly. I could guess what he would say next.

“You fail.”

Merov rested his chin in his hand and shook his head slightly. At that, I could only let out a small sigh. No wonder it felt ominous. It was exactly the same as three years ago. Once again, I had failed without being able to say a single word.

He frowned and looked down at me. There was no emotion in that gaze. I scratched my head. Well, I had expected this. Still, hearing him tell me I had failed again like this did not feel very good.

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