Becoming a Magic School Mage

Chapter 2

The imperial family, imperial princes, imperial princesses… The label of “imperial” generally brought with it a certain regal bearing of majesty and power, but things were a little different in the empire.

That was because the imperial family here was... larger than you might think.

Doesn’t the emperor have over a hundred kids right now? No matter how powerful the imperial family was, when the emperor’s direct descendants alone numbered in the triple digits, you had to admit there was a problem. At this rate, even if Ehan sneaked into the palace, the emperor would probably just assume he was one of his own.

But just as Ehan had been sentenced to a hardworking life for the crime of being born later than his brothers, the emperor’s children were in a similar predicament: if you weren’t born first... You got nothing.

In some respects, the imperial children actually had it worse than Ehan. At least the head of House Wardanaz remembered his children’s names and looked after them. The emperor’s children, on the other hand, had to forge their own paths without any attention paid to them.

Gold was still gold, even covered in mud, so the emperor’s children still wielded considerable power in the eyes of commoners, but the kids here hailed from prestigious families of their own and had no need to bow and scrape before some nobody prince. Yonehr Maykin herself was probably better off than most of the princes and princesses, so why was she going around with this prince?

Is she... a little stupid? Ehan wondered, which definitely would’ve made Yonehr angry if she’d known.

There were actually a few students nearby who were mocking her for throwing away her noble pride to wait on some prince. The nobles of the empire were just as proud as the imperial family, and in truth not even the emperor could push around the highest-ranking among them.

“All right, I’ll go.”

Despite everything, Ehan accepted Yonehr’s suggestion. Can’t hurt. It was Maykin the others were laughing at, not Ehan who’d only received an offer. Besides, there was no need to start off on the wrong foot with a prince just because he held no power. Any friendship could be beneficial in the long run.

“Thanks! What a relief!” Yonehr’s smile was radiant.

Her excessive cheer puzzled Ehan. “Why’s that?”

“I’ve already been turned down three times, you see.”

Ehan felt a twinge of regret. Maybe I should’ve said no too.

* * *

Prince Guynando was the ninety-seventh prince. He had several siblings who were born around the same time, so some questioned whether he wasn’t actually the 101st, but Guynando himself was adamant that he was the ninety-seventh, probably because he didn’t want to get pushed into the triple-digits.

Aside from that, Guynando was quite immature. Citizens of the empire may have been treated like adults when they turned fifteen, but not everyone was equally mature at that age. It was clear that Guynando had yet to understand that his imperial status didn’t carry much weight at Einrogard.

“Did you hear me, Ehan?? That jerk turned me down!”

“Yes, yes. I heard you,” Ehan replied.

“How dare he?!”

“He must just not grasp how venerable you are.”

“Venerable? What’s that?” Guynando asked, looking confused.

Ehan stared at him, then nodded with a kind smile. His opinion of the prince had just dropped a notch, but Guynando was none the wiser. “It means that you are a valued person of high standing.”

“Oh. That does describe me,” the prince agreed.

“Indeed,” Ehan said.

“Anyway, that guy rejected my offer, and now he’s off talking to Adenart! How insulting!”

Adenart, the student Guynando had pointed out, was another member of the imperial family—the forty-third or forty-fourth princess, if Ehan remembered correctly. They really are completely different.

Her flowing silver hair and striking blue eyes complemented her intelligent, elegant countenance, and her silent presence alone seemed to chill the air around her. It was no wonder that her effortless dignity would command the respect of the noble students.

Not to mention that Adenart... Probably didn’t make anyone fetch people for her. While noble children certainly had no shortage of pride, they weren’t rude enough to ignore a member of the imperial family outright if approached directly. Guynando would probably have gathered an audience too if he’d just gone up to the other students himself and made an effort to be friendly.

“Can you teach that jerk a lesson later?” Guynando asked Ehan.

Ehan was taller and more solidly built than his peers due to his swordsmanship training. The new students may have all been aspiring mages, but they hadn’t actually learned anything yet, so physical strength would still win out in any fight.

Of course, Ehan had no interest in fighting to defend Guynando’s bruised ego. “Guynando.”

“Yes?”

“The venerable do not order people to bully others.”

“It’s not bullying, it’s punish—”

“Either way, the venerable don’t do that. Think it over.”

“Hmm.” Guynando made a face of contemplation. When Ehan put it that way, it had sounded a bit undignified. “Then Ehan, what do you think I should do instead?”

“You should be the bigger person and forgive him.”

“Any other ideas...?”

“You could also challenge him to a duel yourself.”

“Hmph. I’d better be the bigger person.”

Guynando quickly chose to let it go, evidently unwilling to fight someone himself. But in the process, Ehan had found one of Guynando’s redeeming qualities: he was simpler than expected.

“Whoa. That was amazing. You talked Guynando out of something,” Yonehr said with a surprised look on her face.

Curious, Ehan asked, “Why do you associate with Guynando, anyway?”

“We’re related. He’s my cousin.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to listen to everything he says. With House Maykin’s status—”

But before he could question her further, a booming voice filled the hall.

“Did you have a nice chat, metalheads? Well, that’s enough of that! You’ll have plenty of time for talking in the years to come.”

Ehan’s eyes widened. The voice he’d heard at the front gates rang out again as a giant skull materialized in the center of the hall. It was radiating an immense magic energy, its eyes ablaze. A lich!

A lich was a great mage who had chosen to cheat death by becoming one of the undead. Ehan had heard rumors about them, but had never seen one in person. The crowd was buzzing with astonishment.

“Here’s a question for you. Why am I calling you metalheads?”

Adenart raised her hand as Guynando glared sullenly at her.

“Answer.”

“It is because new students are symbolized by steel,” Adenart answered.

“Excellent. Ten points to your house!”

“Do we have a point system?”

“Of course not. The first step in becoming a mage is learning how to detect lies.”

A flush replaced the triumphant look on Adenart’s pale face.

“That’s right. Steel is the emblem for you first-years, just as bronze is for the second-years. Steel is versatile and strong, and its quality varies depending on how it is molded. It is truly a metal that suits you all.”

“Ooh.”

“Indeed.”

The crowd of students was impressed by the skull-faced headmaster’s explanation.

“Fooled you again! You gullible idiots. The real reason you’re called ‘metalheads’ is because there’s nothing inside those heads of yours! Give it a knock if you don’t believe me. You’ll hear it ring.”

The atmosphere of the crowd immediately grew frosty. Many of the students in the hall had never before been insulted in this manner, but not one dared to object. The headmaster was just too intimidating.

Incredible. Ehan took a deep breath in and out. The density of the magic energy surrounding them had skyrocketed from the moment the lich headmaster had appeared, making it difficult to move. It was like floating in the deepest depths of the ocean. But... I think I can still move. Yes, I can move if I try.

As Ehan squirmed, the headmaster’s gaze turned toward him, peering at him as if observing a fascinating specimen. Ehan straightened his posture immediately. He was here to get his diploma and build connections, and he couldn’t risk getting on the headmaster’s bad side his first year here.

“Perhaps I’ve been too hard on the future luminaries of the empire who have traveled so far to be here.”

The headmaster’s tone softened, and a few of the students visibly relaxed at his words. Ehan, however, remained skeptical. He’s definitely a bit unhinged.

It was said that becoming a lich meant losing something of yourself, but the headmaster had clearly lost a great many things. Ehan recalled the professor from the lab next to his, back when he was a grad student in his past life. He thought he remembered that professor having that same maniacal gleam in his eyes... Actually, this lich might be an improvement over that professor. Suddenly, the headmaster seemed easier to deal with.

“Listen up! Our best cooks have been working hard since yesterday to prepare a feast for you. It might not be up to your standards, but I hope it’ll help you unwind from your journey. Once you’re done eating, warm blankets and beds will be waiting for you in the dorms.”

At this announcement, a couple of boys who’d never gone hungry in their lives started drooling. What kind of culinary delights were in store for them? Perhaps a dish from the west of the empire, like a well-fed chicken coated in flour and simmered in oil, butter, onions, salt, pepper, and wine? Or maybe a gratin drenched in béchamel sauce?

At this point, they would’ve been perfectly content with thick cheese on white bread slathered with butter, or eastern food like fresh fish covered in red chili paste and grilled over charcoal. While they usually avoided the noodle dishes of the eastern region, considering them cheap and lowbrow, they were so hungry from the long journey that they would happily have dug right into a bowl at this moment.

But there was nothing served on the giant tables in the hall. Huh?

“Fooled you again, you dimwits! When will you learn? How do you plan to become a mage at this rate?”

This guy is a lunatic. The headmaster’s harshness had driven a few of the more emotionally fragile students to the verge of tears.

“All right, now here are the rules. This school is a cradle for mages, and nothing motivates a mage to grow like want!”

With that, a bundle of worn-out cloaks, beat-up staffs, and ragged clothes appeared in the air.

“These will be your uniforms.”

Just as he finished speaking, hard brown bread and cold rice balls also materialized out of thin air.

“And this will be your food.”

“Th-this is outrageous...!” someone shouted.

The headmaster gleefully responded, “There we go! That’s the reaction I was looking for! Do you find the food unappetizing? Learn magic fast so you can provide for yourself! Think the clothes and staffs are awful? Learn magic so you can replace them! You can find whatever you desire in this school if you’re determined enough!”

Ehan was floored. He’d heard Einrogard was harsh, but he’d had no idea it was this bad. Essentially, the rule of the school was this: “If you want better, get better, and fast!” Is this really allowed?

“Hmph. I’ll just have my stuff delivered from outside,” muttered one fuming student with an arrogant attitude.

Upon hearing that, the headmaster became even more excited. “That’s it! I was waiting for that reaction too. First-years are not allowed to leave campus! And forget about asking upperclassmen for things! You won’t even have the chance to meet them!”

Everyone was speechless.

“Dismissed! Good luck, metalheads! May you all become great mages!”

Ehan was certain he heard someone mumble, “Asshole,” but the headmaster ignored it.

Once the headmaster disappeared, Prince Guynando stomped his feet, exploding with anger. “This is ridiculous! How dare they treat royals and nobles like us this way? Ehan! Aren’t you angry? How can anyone live wearing those rags and eating that slop?”

“Hm? Isn’t it fine?” Ehan replied.

Guynando was stunned into silence.