Becoming a Magic School Mage

Chapter 7

Looking at the picture of the herb they were meant to be finding, Ehan thought, It looks like a cross between ginseng and a reishi mushroom. The description said it was an ingredient used in brewing antidotes called “filthweed.”

“Have you ever handled this herb before?” he asked Yonehr.

“Yup.”

“That’s good,” Ehan said, feeling relieved.

Trying to distinguish one herb among the countless plants growing in hills, fields, and the forest was quite a difficult task. It was easy for a beginner to get confused even with a visual reference, so partnering up with someone familiar with the herb would be helpful.

“But I don’t like the idea of only having two people in our group,” she said.

“I suppose it might be dangerous,” he agreed.

“Exactly. It’s safer to move in groups of three or more. Maybe I shouldn’t have beaten Guynando up.”

“He wouldn’t have followed us here even if you hadn’t hit him, so it doesn’t matter,” he pointed out.

Yonehr grinned. “Should we just work as a pair then?”

“No. I don’t want to end up in the obituaries.”

As famous as Einrogard was, there were a great many horrible rumors about it as well. Magic was an inherently dangerous field of study, so students did sometimes die. Before Ehan had arrived at the school, he’d thought himself that these accidents were just an inevitable part of learning magic, something even the most vigilant professors couldn’t always prevent—but now he was starting to question that.

It’s like nobody here takes safety seriously. Neither the professors nor the students seemed to care whether they lived or died. From Ehan’s perspective as a transmigrator, it was an unbelievable attitude.

“Not the obituaries... Don’t make such morbid jokes looking like you do. It doesn’t suit you,” Yonehr said.

“I wasn’t joking,” Ehan replied.

“That’s even worse! Right, I think we should team up with someone else from our tower after all.” Yonehr glanced around in hopes of finding a Blue Dragon to recruit to their team, but no one was around them. “Mm... Are we screwed?”

“Can’t we ask Her Highness?” Ehan suggested.

“You really want to approach her? She seems super prickly.”

“Well, we’re looking for an herb, not holding a ball.”

Yonehr nodded. He had a point.

“But I think we’re too late anyway,” Ehan added.

There were already several students surrounding the princess. It appeared she had also realized the importance of forming a big group.

“Hold on, there are Black Tortoises in her group too!”

How unfair. If they were going to fear and avoid him for being a Wardanaz, shouldn’t they be steering clear of an actual princess as well? But to his surprise, several of the students gathered around Adenart belonged to the Black Tortoise Tower.

“Well, Her Highness was famous even before she came here...” Yonehr pointed out.

There were bound to be a few new students each year whose reputations preceded them. Adenart was known for being exceptionally intelligent and amazingly talented even compared to other royals, so it was only natural that both nobles and commoners would flock to her from the beginning of the term.

“Was she?” Ehan asked.

“I know House Wardanaz is reclusive, but don’t you at least read the paper?” she asked.

“I only read the section on new business endeavors within the empire, not the news about royals,” he replied.

“Ah, that section is interesting. Did you read about the initiative to give coins back to adventurers who return potion bottles instead of littering dungeons with them? Isn’t that a pretty clever idea?”

“It really is.”

“Hang on. This is besides the point,” Yonehr said, realizing they’d gotten sidetracked. “Anyway, if you kept up with news of the imperial family, you’d know that Adenart has already made a name for herself. It’s only natural for people to flock to her like that.”

“Has Guynando gotten famous for anything?”

“Nope.”

“I see. Guynando doesn’t have much going for him, huh.”

“He really doesn’t,” Yonehr agreed.

Guynando, who was currently drinking a potion in the infirmary, didn’t even realize the unjust blow he’d been dealt.

“Then let’s give up on Her Highness and look for someone else,” Ehan suggested.

“Do you think that’ll work? It looks like the only ones left are Black Tortoises.”

Ehan frowned. Hmm. Yonehr was right. It was true that the only students left were all Tortoises. If they grabbed anyone at random and asked them to team up, a few might say yes, but Ehan had to be sure that they wouldn’t get in each other’s way.

Above all, he wanted capable people. After all, a group was only as strong as the abilities of each member.

Ehan scanned their surroundings, soon spotting someone suitable.

* * *

Nilia, a first-year Black Tortoise, was a dark elf from the Shadow Patrol of the northern region, a group of elite hunters and scouts who knew the mountains of the north like the back of their hand—and, due to her upbringing, she was just as sure of her own wilderness navigation abilities.

Ha. This is a walk in the park. Though she’d never seen filthweed in person, once she knew what something looked like, tracking it down was a walk in the park. The edge she had over the clueless eggheads here who’d never once ventured into the great outdoors at all was incomparable.

Truthfully, Nilia had been battling feelings of inadequacy ever since arriving at Einrogard. Leaving aside the others, even the Black Tortoise Tower was overflowing with first-years with dazzling backgrounds, from freshly minted nobility and renowned merchant families to even renowned adventurers. It was hard not to feel overshadowed given her humbler upbringing spent traversing mountains and forests, and her first experiences with magic classes had left her feeling utterly discouraged.

So naturally, she was experiencing quite a surge of motivation now that she finally had the chance to shine. Hmph. I’ll show them. I’ll find it way before anyone else. Nilia’s plan was to move through the wilderness quickly on her own to find the filthweed. Other students might have formed groups because they weren’t as familiar with mountains or forests, but she was confident she could do it alone.

“Ahem.”

Huh? Nilia was a bit startled by the sudden appearance of a pretty redheaded girl. “Who’re you?” she demanded.

“I’m Yonehr of House Maykin. And this is...”

“Ehan. Nice to meet you.”

Nilia deduced from their greeting that Yonehr was a noble, but Ehan wasn’t, since nobles typically mentioned the name of their house when introducing themselves. Wait, isn’t he a Blue Dragon though?

“What’s up with her?” Ehan asked.

“It’s obviously because you left out your family name,” Yonehr said, looking incredulous. Why had he only given his first name?

“Isn’t it a bother to say your family name every time you introduce yourself? What’s next? Should I state the name of our head of house and tell you where our lands are located?”

“But that’s standard protocol at noble gatherings,” Yonehr replied.

A look of disdain flitted across Ehan’s face.

Watching them, Nilia said guardedly, “If you’re going to chat, do it somewhere else. Why are you two talking here?”

“How would you like to team up with us?” he asked her.

Ehan’s offer shocked Nilia. She hadn’t seen this coming at all. “What’s your angle?” she shot back, glaring at Ehan with eyes full of hostility.

She didn’t think very highly of noble children. Back in her northern homeland, the nobles who occasionally came to the mountains to visit would always scowl and ask, “How can anyone live in a place like this?” Despite the hunters offering them the best they had, the nobles would grumble about the tasteless food and uncomfortable beds, accusing them of being terrible hosts. It was enough to make a few of the scouts joke that if they just happened to push the nobles off a cliff while pretending to show them around the mountain, no one would ever know.

So naturally, Nilia had little reason to view the Blue Dragon Tower students favorably.

“You’re putting yourself at a disadvantage traveling an area this large on your own. You’ll need at least three people to fight off any monsters.”

“Tch, I don’t need anyone,” Nilia scoffed.

Ehan questioned calmly, “Can I ask why?”

“Why do you want to know?” she retorted.

“Because your reasons for declining will help us understand who you are. Hmm. Should I take a guess?” he thought about it for a moment before saying, “I hope you’re not under the impression that we’d try to use you as bait or leave you behind in a dangerous situation. That would be a great insult to our honor.”

“It’s... not that.” No one could accuse two nobles of such a thing to their faces. Despite her aversion to them, she couldn’t cross that line.

“Then you must believe you can do this all on your own,” Ehan said.

“Yes, that’s exactly—”

“But that can’t possibly be it, can it? No matter your level of skill, you can’t predict everything that will happen in the wilderness. Not to mention that finding the herb is only half the battle— You have to harvest it the right way too. You’d have to be truly stupid to think you could manage that alone, and you don’t strike me as a stupid person. Hmm. Well, I’m at a loss here.”

“Shut up. Fine, I’ll team up with you!” Nilia snapped, turning around in a huff.

Ehan nodded in satisfaction as Yonehr stared at him in surprise. What exactly do they teach you in House Wardanaz?

* * *

Nilia’s steps were light and quick, and she cut a path at the front of the group as if she were already a skilled hunter.

Yonehr glanced at Ehan curiously. “She really is good at this. How did you know to choose her?”

“I saw that she has well-developed leg muscles and calluses on her palms and fingers that indicate familiarity with a bow. It’s the mark of an experienced hunter.”

A chill ran down not just Yonehr’s but Nilia’s spine as well. He’d deduced her background just from that? Nilia had written him off for being from a noble house, but there was a curious aura about him that made him difficult to take lightly. It was like he could see right through you.

“I’m joking,” Ehan said. “She’s wearing the insignia of the Shadow Patrol at her side. Anyone affiliated with them would know their way around the mountains.”

Nilia turned her head sharply to glare at him, and Yonehr smiled. “You were listening?”

“I wasn’t!” Nilia insisted.

“Let’s move together. Can you slow down to match our pace?”

“Why should I have to slow down for you? You two should be speeding up!”

Ehan replied, “Because Yonehr is the only one in our group we know for sure can identify the herb. If she gets too tired to keep going, we’ll have to find it on our own.”

Nilia couldn’t say anything to that, and she was too proud to childishly dig in her heels. “Fine, I’ll slow down.”

“Great! Just as I’d expect from the wise Shadow Pa—” Ehan began.

“Are you mocking me now? Are you?” she asked.

“It was a compliment.”

Peeved by the way he kept getting the last word in, Nilia turned her attack onto him, demanding, “If she’s identifying the herb, and I’m the guide, then what do you do? What are you contributing?”

I guess saying “Freeloading” wouldn’t go over well, Ehan thought. There was no need to provoke her further. “I’m in charge of fending off any wild beasts or monsters,” he said instead.

Nilia couldn’t argue with that either, as it was an essential role for any group embarking on a mountain expedition. Now that she thought about it, Ehan seemed more like someone from a family of knights. He was tall and solidly built, his balanced musculature suggesting long training. Wait, I thought knights were assigned to the White Tiger Tower?

“I don’t think I caught the name earlier. Which house did you say you belonged to?” she asked.

“Wardanaz. House Wardanaz.”

Nilia recoiled, looking appalled. Ehan felt a bit hurt.