Surviving as a Mage in a Magic Academy

Chapter 668

Yi-Han cursed inwardly, but from his friends' perspective, it couldn't be helped.

When the hunters asked, "Can you do that too?", they couldn't lie and say "Yes!"

After landing, the hunters tied up the poachers tightly and confiscated their equipment.

"Keep walking east. We'll shoot if you look back."

"P-please, if you could return our armor..."

"No."

Yi-Han agreed with the nameless hunters' firmness.

While confiscating weapons was one thing, taking all their other equipment might seem excessive, but the empire's poachers were as tenacious and vile as their prey.

To put it bluntly, couldn't they hide other weapons nearby and jump back into poaching?

They had to remove all equipment so they would reluctantly come down from the mountain...

"Poachers' equipment brings bad luck, so we have to throw it far away."

"..."

At this superstitious reason different from his thoughts, Yi-Han lost his words and made a disgruntled expression.

'Well. The result is the same anyway.'

Yi-Han thought he should stop observing the hunters' work and set up the campsite.

The hunters had been trying to hide their faces with their coats every time Yi-Han looked at them since earlier.

He didn't know what kind of tradition it was, but it didn't feel good.

"Could they be thinking you'll use a petrification curse?"

Niffirg growled in agreement and nodded its head.

The basilisk tapped his wrist with its tail as if to say not to mind it either.

'Isn't it because of these two?'

Yi-Han looked at them with slightly suspicious eyes but didn't voice it.

They were both quite narrow-minded creatures, so they might get upset if he mentioned it.

"Let's prepare the campsite."

At Yi-Han's words, Yonaire tied her hair back tightly and called the friends.

It was to divide the work.

"First, the wall..."

"I'll do it."

"The pit in front..."

"I'll dig it."

"Securing water..."

"I'll make it."

Yonaire stared at Yi-Han. Yi-Han asked, feeling embarrassed,

"Did I take on too much?"

"Taking three out of three isn't a little. Anyway, Yi-Han, you be quiet now. We'll make light too..."

"Ah. I think I should do that."

Yonaire gestured to Siana and Dolgyu. The two dragged Yi-Han away.

"He just used a lot of magic, so let's do it ourselves."

"That would be better."

At Siana's answer, Gainando asked in an anxious voice,

"But what if it's worse than the campsite Yi-Han would make?"

"Then you sleep outside."

"...Come to think of it, it's okay if it's a bit worse. We don't need to make a perfect campsite!"

Two hours later.

The students who had completed the campsite (Yi-Han had also sneaked out to help his friends midway) checked the surroundings.

"You understand? Mountains are basically dangerous places. Even with a campsite like this, you never know what monsters might crawl in."

Nillia, true to her hunter background, pointed out meticulously.

But despite the warning, the friends didn't seem too worried.

The defense of the completed campsite was sturdier than expected.

A moat and repellent herbs to prevent wild beasts from approaching, alarm magic prepared for possible attacks on the campsite gate, wind-blocking magic cast on the wooden walls of the campsite...

Noticing her friends' carelessness, Nillia spoke strongly,

"Mountains are more dangerous than Einroguard!"

"Gasp!"

Only then did the friends check around the campsite with tense expressions.

Professor Bungaegor and the hunters had left to check this nearby area.

The adventurer Seoriegor would return soon after checking the waterfall area in the back, but they had to make sure until then at least.

Yi-Han lazily circled around the fortress riding Niffirg. Nillia asked curiously at this sight,n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"What are you doing?"

"I'm spreading griffin scent in case monsters come. This is enough for weak monsters."

"..."

Nillia looked down at her palms.

Until just now, she had been busy clearing bushes and breaking branches to block the path of snake-type monsters...

Come to think of it, there was a better method.

"Can I borrow your basilisk?"

At Nillia's question, the baby basilisk writhed as if absolutely refusing.

***

"Has the wyvern smell faded?"

At Professor Bungaegor's words, one of the nameless hunters put his hand to his mouth.

It was a signal to reduce noise.

"Are there many monsters?"

Professor Bungaegor accepted the advice and lowered her voice.

The empire's mountain ranges were dangerous places for various reasons, and there were many things to be careful about accordingly.

In the case of the Grief Mountains, extreme caution with sound was necessary from the middle section onwards.

They had to be careful because there were many monsters that reacted to sound.

Although they were still in the entrance section of the mountain range, seeing the nameless hunters telling them to reduce noise, it seemed that monsters from deep inside had come out a lot.

"No, Professor. That friend has a tradition of staying silent during evening mountain trips on even-numbered days."

"..."

Professor Bungaegor made an irritated expression.

The nameless hunters were certainly excellent, but their dozens of superstitions were annoying.

"The wyvern smell seems to have permeated. Monsters aren't approaching."

"Even after such deodorizing, it can't be helped. We'll have to pray that time solves it."

The wyvern's smell prevented other monsters from approaching.

Even unicorns.

So instead of keeping the wyverns at the campsite, they tied them below, and the professor and hunters tried deodorizing with an alchemist's potion...

Yet there was still a faint smell remaining. Wyverns were no ordinary monsters.

"Let's keep moving until the mountain smell naturally permeates."

"Will the students be alright?"

To Murangse the patroller's question, Professor Bungaegor answered as if there was nothing to worry about.

"They'll be fine, no need to worry."

"Well, Seoriegor is there too..."

"Ah. Right. He's there too."

"..."

Murangse was dumbfounded at the sight of Professor Bungaegor belatedly remembering her relative.

Then what did she trust when she said it was fine just now?

"The Einroguard students must be very reliable. Well, I have a friend called Ghetse. He said Einroguard students are amazing. First-year students stacking several enchantments and even shattering rocks..."

"I think he was teasing you? Even if Einroguard first-years are amazing, they're not that good."

"Is that so? No, Ghetse isn't that kind of friend..."

"Anyway, the Einroguard students will be fine. There's a reliable one among them."

The nameless hunters started whispering.

Since it was obvious who they were talking about without listening, Professor Bungaegor said irritably,

"The griffin and basilisk were tamed by chance! There's no need to worry with strange superstitions."

"Basilisk?"

'Oops.'

Professor Bungaegor realized her mistake.

Come to think of it, the hunters only knew about the tamed griffin, not the basilisk.

The nameless hunters whispered frantically. Murangse worried that the Wardanaz family boy might be banned from entering some of the empire's mountain ranges.

"There are more poachers than expected, Professor."

One of the nameless hunters who had gone scouting returned and reported with a serious face.

"How many?"

"That many. It seems the rumors about the unicorn have spread a lot. I saw three groups lurking around this area alone."

Murangse made a worried expression at those words.

To think they would waste time because of poachers when they barely had enough time to find the unicorn quickly.

But it couldn't be helped.

There was a saying among The Wasteland Stargazers' maxims.

Sometimes the roundabout path is the fastest path.

"Let's go to the campsite for now. After catching all the poachers first..."

"Huh? It's fine. Let's finish checking the area first. Remember that the wyvern smell hasn't completely disappeared yet..."

"P-Professor. I understand you want to find the unicorn, but there are three groups of poachers."

Murangse was flustered.

Poachers weren't simple and stupid novice bandits.

Of course, if they faced Einroguard students head-on, they would be shattered into pieces unable to withstand the storm of magic, but if the poachers discovered the campsite, they would naturally use cunning tricks.

Moreover, since some time had passed after they arrived, rumors might have spread among the poachers about what kind of group had newly entered the mountains. Then the students would be in even more danger.

After all, there was no more threatening existence than a hunter who knew their prey well.

"I heard, but it's fine. Now, let's go."

"N-no...!"

"I said it's fine. Everyone move! Thinking about the time we'll be disturbed by the poachers, we need to move faster!"

***

Julban the poacher was a hunter with a lot of experience in several mountain ranges including the Grief Mountains.

In fact, an excellent poacher had to be an excellent hunter.

How could one not be excellent when sneaking into mountain ranges avoiding the empire's watchers, capturing forbidden monsters, and bringing them out?

As such, Julban also had excellent hunting skills.

But Julban had an ability that other hunters didn't have, and that was sociability.

For most hunters, selling the beasts they caught in towns or cities at the foot of the mountains was the extent of their social activities.

But Julban was different.

Julban knew how to meet and deal with merchants looking for forbidden monsters in the city, how to find and curry favor with nobles urgently seeking those monsters, and how to lure and employ wandering mercenaries or adventurers.

A poacher of this scale was almost no different from a bandit group.

"Adventurers arrived leading hunters and mages?"

"They've already set up a campsite!"

"We absolutely can't give up the unicorn..."

Julban clicked his tongue.

There wasn't just one client looking for the unicorn now. If he could just get the unicorn, enough gold would roll in to retire right away.

'But I really don't want to clash with mages...'

"Don't worry, Julban! There's someone who saw the campsite now, and they're all young kids!"

"Is that true!"

"There aren't even any hunters at the campsite now."

"!"

It seemed like too good an opportunity, so Julban momentarily wondered if it was a trick.

But thinking about it, that was nonsense. Who would set such a trap while looking for a unicorn?

"I'll check myself."

Julban climbed up a distant rock to check the campsite.

It was a well-made campsite as if to show off that there were mages, but there were certainly gaps as his subordinates had said.

Unlike hunters, there were many geniuses among mages who were active at relatively young ages.

It was natural since they only needed to know how to use magic, but to experienced poachers like Julban, they just looked like prey.

"Good! Let's go subdue them. Since they're mages, the ransom should be decent too!"

***

"You have to endure."

Yi-Han soothed Niffirg who was getting angry after being put in the temporary stable inside the campsite.

After spreading the scent around, Yi-Han had ruthlessly shoved Niffirg into the stable.

Although they said unicorns didn't mind griffin scent, they didn't know how it would react if it saw a griffin.

Niffirg protested, 'How dare you treat me the same as low creatures like wyverns that unicorns avoid!', but it didn't reach Yi-Han.

He was already annoyed because someone kept watching from afar...!

"Someone keeps watching? Probably poachers. Don't worry. Surely they won't approach unless they're crazy."

-A-are you mage sirs?-

"!"

Yi-Han was startled by the voice coming from outside and climbed up to the watchtower.

Then he immediately cast a spell.

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