Surviving at the Magic Academy

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When I opened my eyes, I felt more refreshed than ever.

I stretched and got up from my spot.

I had the most vivid dream. Well, it couldn’t possibly be real.

My tree betraying me and signing a contract on my behalf? Not a single mage would believe that. If it were a story, it would definitely get panned for lack of plausibility.

See, if that were true, the contract would still be on my wrist….

‘If one receives Ilian’s teachings and passes the university entrance exam, they promise to serve Ilian until graduation.’

Oh, there it is.

I rubbed my face with both hands. Fatigue surged in like a tidal wave. This wasn’t refreshing at all. I was just escaping reality.

I still couldn’t grasp what was happening. I looked around. The familiar sight of the workshop greeted me. Right, I had moved my bedroom from the second floor to here.

Yesterday, I spent the entire day tearing down both the second and third floors and remodeled them into one enormous room. Everything had been sent down to the workshop. That’s how I ended up here, falling asleep.

Sure, I woke up, but somehow I felt more tired than before sleeping. I had to go upstairs, but I really didn’t want to. Classes were starting today. I couldn’t even imagine what would unfold.

I slapped my cheeks to snap out of it. I couldn’t have a weak heart. It was already happening, so I might as well do my best. I didn’t know her intentions for binding me with the contract. But one thing was clear. She would take me to the university.

With that thought in mind, I resolved to become a diligent servant. I would respect, follow, and obey Professor Ilian. If I put a positive spin on it, I could say she was now my teacher. I would learn as much as I could. Let’s grow and develop ourselves. That was my only path forward.

I dusted myself off and stood up. I headed upstairs to begin cleaning with the doll. At the same time, I quickly prepared breakfast. As a low-tier mage, I needed to fill my stomach, but there were rumors that high-tier mages could go without food.

Thinking of that, I swiftly prepared some sweet honey tea and biscuits that would go well with it. The sweets from yesterday were already gone. Professor Ilian had devoured them all while I was remodeling the building.

The tea was boiling, filling the first floor with its delicate aroma. Just then, Professor Ilian yawned as she came downstairs. A doll, outfitted with countless functions, stealthily approached her as if it were a powerful weapon of the grand professor.

The doll pulled something from its bosom and quickly presented it in front of her. It was a damp towel. She naturally took it and wiped her face.

That nonchalant manner, I definitely made it right. Your name from now on is Butler. Take good care of the professor on my behalf. Its every function was designed to assist her.

She tossed the towel back at the Butler, caught a whiff of the tea, and smiled slightly. The Butler smoothly stowed the towel away inside itself. Cleaning and drying would occur within.

Following the scent, she approached the table and grabbed a biscuit to nibble on. The Butler naturally poured honey tea into a cup and handed it to her.

“Mmm, nice. This is why I like your doll.”

She smiled contently. I felt a bit relieved by that smile. The Butler continued to attend to her. Whenever her cup became empty, it gently presented the teapot, and only when she held the cup up did it refill.

I stood by, adjusting the Butler’s actions bit by bit. The movements of pouring tea, arm angles, even the doll’s eye direction. I made sure to perfect the flow without missing any details.

After a while of her enjoying tea, she opened a scroll she had pulled from nowhere.

“I noted the rough parts in your doll. Here are the improvements. I’ll be back for dinner, so learn them all.”

I carefully accepted it. She rose from her seat.

Following her to the door and closing it behind her, I let out a sigh of relief. Phew, she’s gone. Just as I breathed out, the door suddenly burst open again. She peeked her head back in.

“I’m taking that doll with me, so hand it over.”

She pointed at the Butler.

I fished out a few mana stones and hung them near the Butler’s magical heart. If its mana runs low, it would swallow them to recharge automatically.

After roughly adjusting it for external activity, I handed the Butler to her. Her mana enveloped the Butler and in the blink of an eye devoured it beyond the threshold.

“If you don’t do your homework, there will be punishment.”

She laughed. Then the door closed again. I gulped. Punishment? What could that possibly be? Her mana came to mind. Just a single hit from that would turn me to dust.

I had to memorize this.

Quickly, I unrolled the scroll. The designs of the dolls she had purchased until now were contained within it. Just glancing at it, I could tell there were dozens. Did I sell this many? But they were different from the designs I knew. The body was the same, but the internal circuitry was dozens of times more complex.

What the…?

Feeling dazed, I stared at it. Unfathomable flows, incomprehensible circuits. But it was clear that it was based on my circuits. My own traces remained within that complicated structure.

However, I couldn’t understand any of the other parts. For instance, the rolling cylindrical doll at the forefront. It was simply designed to suck dust off the floor. So its circuit was very simple. I applied magic to circulate air and to move the wheels.

But that simple circuit had become unrecognizable. Even while looking at it, I couldn’t grasp it at all. The straight line I drew wobbled like a tree trunk, branching out into numerous paths.

How could this structure even come to be? If it proceeds like this, wouldn’t it be short on mana?

The reason I used to draw as a straight line was solely to consider mana efficiency. If it had such complexity as in this design, it surely would run out of mana. I had always thought that way.

I decided to quickly sketch out a simple circuit. Contrary to my expectations, that flow contained a more ordered and stronger mana than the previous design. The mana that split at the junction flowed with greater force and cascaded downward. How could this be happening? No matter how long I stared, I couldn’t comprehend it.

In such situations, there was only one thing I could do.

I went down to the workshop. I swiftly gathered wood to be the body of the doll and piled it next to the workbench, wrapping mana around the carving knife to slice the wood. Let’s just make it first and think later. If I don’t know, I’ll just hammer it into my body. Continuously producing dolls, I had no choice but to use my body to understand this flow.

Thus, I swung the knife.

The dolls stacked up and filled the workshop.

And gradually, I began to understand. It was wood.

The circuits were like wood.

As I savored this small revelation, suddenly the workshop’s defensive magic shattered. Startled, I looked toward the descending stairs. Professor Ilian was rushing down.

I checked the time. It was past 9 o’clock. Already this late. She surveyed the inside of the workshop. Her gaze landed on the heaps of dolls, and she picked one up to examine it.

“How’s it going?”

She asked. I looked down at the scroll. Hundreds of designs densely packed inside. Managed? Not at all. I hadn’t properly comprehended a single one here. I just had a vague grasp of the structure.

“I only understood a bit.”

I admitted honestly. At that moment, a powerful shock hit my body. It was only when I banged against the wall of the workshop that I realized I’d been hit. I didn’t even know what hit me. A tremendous pain hit me with a delay.

Looking up while collapsed on the floor, I saw the Butler throwing jabs in the air like a boxer. I guess it threw punches on its own in compliance with her command. Enhanced by the professor’s magic, every jab it threw resonated heavily with an airy thud.

I had indeed instructed it to assist the professor, but I hadn’t expected it to go this far. Being too well-made is also a problem. I coughed up blood and rose from my place.

“That’s punishment for not completing your homework.”

She said.

“This is just a taste. Next time, I’ll knock you out extracting your soul.”

“I’m sorry. Please give me a bit more time, and I will definitely grasp it.”

I returned to my prior position and bowed at a right angle. If I took another hit, I’d be dead. I didn’t understand what it meant to extract a soul, but it was something I had to avoid at all costs. She threw the doll she had been holding behind her.

“It only looks similar but is entirely different. I didn’t understand it at all. Huh, you’re dumber than I thought.”

I had nothing to say in my defense. This scroll was the textbook the professor had made for me based on my level. But here I was, unable to correctly grasp its contents. I realized again. I was a commoner, unable to seize this rare opportunity properly.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll have to teach you in a simpler way.”

Professor Ilian approached the workbench. The doll I had just been tinkering with lay on top of it.

“Oh, but this one is a bit different.”

Color tinged her face. I had applied the small insights I’d gained at the end. I wasn’t merely following the design. I had embedded my understanding into it.

With the circuit structure changed, I naturally realized how to stuff more magic into the doll. While not as perfect as the designs in the scroll, it was undoubtedly far superior to my original designs.

A proud smile crept onto my face. This was my creation made with utmost effort during this brief time. I had made sure it was placed where she could see it better.

“Yes, I’ve revised the parts I could somewhat understand.”

“Really? Let’s take a look.”

She raised her mana and sliced the doll in half. My mouth dropped open. A silent scream erupted from within. The fruit of my labor, the result of my blood-stained research.

She rummaged through the bisected doll.

“Still rough. So dirty.”

Grumbling, she pulled out a scroll and started etching something onto it.

A glance at it revealed circuits far more beautiful than anything I had ever drawn. It was a design far simpler than the one she had previously given me.

It felt like the freshness of looking at a tree.

After completely demolishing the doll, Professor Ilian took a sip from the tea the Butler handed her before crossing her arms. Her mana began to exert a weighty pressure that felt annoyed.

“It’s terrible, really terrible. Do I have to teach you how to draw circuits too?”

I found myself kneeling under her immense mana, unable to utter a single sound. Just look at that incredible circuit. If a mage like that calls my circuit trash, then it’s trash indeed.

“But magic is fun. Its uniqueness shines through.”

Professor Ilian tossed me another scroll.

“Write down all the spells you know.”

I hurriedly spread out the scroll on the floor and pulled out a pen. I poured mana into the pen and began jotting down every spell I knew. The most basic ones, cheap spells I had collected over the past 20 years, and the various original spells I had created by combining them.

Magic is a form of a knowledge currency. Mages don’t want to share their spells with others, and even if they do, they sell them at exorbitant prices. Under these circumstances, as a bottom-tier mage, the only spells I knew were these cheap ones.

After I had written everything down and set the pen down, she snatched the scroll away. Professor Ilian frowned as she read the first line and crinkled her face more as she approached the scroll’s end.

“The spells themselves are a problem.”

She clicked her tongue.

“Here, the last few spells. Did you create these?”

“Yes, I tried to modify the spells to inscribe onto the dolls.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Did she like my magic? Given how things have gone so far, that’s unlikely. I felt a bit hopeful.

“It’s a bit lacking, no, it’s severely lacking. There are far too many areas for improvement.”

Of course. My hope deflated like a burst balloon. Still, one thing became certain. This professor truly intended to teach me.

I opened my eyes wide and sat up straight. Every word from the professor felt like gold, something I had to pay close attention to.

“Still, I can see roughly what direction you’re trying to go.”

She drew lines across the scroll I had handed her. Then she handed it back to me.

I gingerly accepted it and unfurled it. Most of the spells I had collected over the past 20 years had lines drawn through them. Particularly, all the various attack spells I had paid a high price for were thoroughly struck out.

“I left only the relatively decent ones. From now on, focus on these.”

I checked the remaining spells.

Cleaning water spell. This spell was inspired by water whips, aimed to be utilized with rags. Of course, the water whip had just been struck out.

Air purification spell. A spell utilizing wind blades. I had attempted to create a kind of circulation by rotating blades. Again, the wind blade was similarly struck out.

It was pretty much like that.

My original spells survived, but all the attack spells they were based on were wiped out. Just because there was a bit of aggressiveness, they all got excluded.

Ah, there’s one thing left. The explosive spell. My self-destruct device that I had favored since I first created the doll. It was a spell that I had refined repeatedly to gain maximum firepower with minimal sacrifice. That spell had been half-struck out.

By filtering through what remained, it turned out I had a slew of cheap auxiliary spells and my original spells left. By examining these, I clearly understood the professor’s intention.

“Are attack spells… completely out of the question?”

“Attack? You?”

Professor Ilian looked down at me, seemingly puzzled, before tilting her head slightly.

“You said you wanted to get into the university. But you lack talent. Do you think you could win against the other students?”

I couldn’t. Thoughts of that swordsman from the previous exam crossed my mind. All my means had been completely shut down under just a few of his sword strikes.

“Look at the spells you’ve created. The way magic develops reveals the inclinations and talents of the person. What you’ve made? All everyday spells. None meant to harm anyone, just spells that aim to make yourself more comfortable.”

She was right. That was something I had never considered before. I had merely thought I lacked talent for attack spells. The insights that someone without knowledge or background, a wandering mage, could only imagine at such levels were astounding. In this brief time, the gulf of knowledge between Professor Ilian and me was starkly apparent.

“And the university isn’t a place you get into just by being good at fighting. Um… well, you can get in more easily if you’re good at fighting.”

She paused for a moment. The Butler offered her a warm cup of tea again. She accepted it and took a sip.

“In any case, you don’t have the potential in that regard. That’s why it’s crucial to develop what you’re good at.”

What was I good at…? In the past 20 years, I had never once thought about it. I was merely a drifting weed, moving about to survive, to carry on day by day.

After pondering, the answer came swiftly. What I was good at, that was….

“Yeah, you just support others.”

Yeah, supporting others. My talent was in becoming someone else’s servant.

Wait, did I mishear that?

“Just load your dolls up with everyday spells. That’s your talent.”

What? Wasn’t it my turn to be told about some amazing talent? I stared at the professor in confusion.

“Why do you think I chose you? I don’t expect extraordinary talent from you. I’m bringing you to the university because your dolls are useful.”

It means to nurture your talent. As she said this, Professor Ilian handed her cup to the Butler. The Butler humbly received it and stowed it inside its body. I just sat there, stupefied.

“This is your homework until tomorrow. If you fail to understand it, there will be punishment.”

She placed the scroll with the drawn circuits on the workbench. Then she turned and left the workshop. Another assignment appeared. I rose carefully and unfurled the scroll. Beautiful patterns caught my eye. Despair gripped my heart. I had no idea what it was about again.

Moreover, what she said. I have a talent for supporting others?

For a moment, I felt a burning sensation inside. But I forced myself to cool it. She explicitly said that’s my talent. Whether it’s true or not, I need to consider that from now on as my talent. No, I shouldn’t just think it; that is the reality. I have to believe it.

With this change in perspective, her words struck me more heavily. In fact, they were all true. The experiences from the past 20 years, no, from the moment I started creating dolls.

My ability to escape from the island wasn’t because I was good at magic. It was because I was skilled at making dolls. My decorative and everyday spells embedded within made them popular enough to get me here.

My shop was the same. I didn’t sell attack dolls; they were just piled high with dolls that made others comfortable. Not only was it difficult to incorporate attack magic, but it was also the easiest to create and sell.

I also thought about why I had established this shop. It was the most comfortable and safe thing for me. Roaming outside was too dangerous, and no matter how high the rewards were, safety was just as valuable to me.

With that, I reflected on the last 10 years of exams. Honestly, they had been a disaster. I believed competition with others was fundamental and wasted loads of money learning useless attack magic.

What was the result? Here I am, a twelfth-grade student. The mindset of competing with others never matched with me at all. Why did I even think to compete? What a grand miscalculation.

“I was foolish.”

I swallowed a sigh. Could I really defeat other extraordinary mages through combat? That’s ludicrous. If those damned swordsmen swing their swords, my attack spells would get cut like paper. The explosive spells I’d refined over the last 20 years would be effortlessly dispatched by a swordsman twenty years younger than me.

Trying to compete with them was the very proof of my stupidity.

Professor Ilian was absolutely right. Just by reviewing my magic, she had picked up on that. The shudder ran through me at her keen insight. She truly is different.

Let’s create the perfect servant. That’s the resolve I made.

As Professor Ilian said, I wouldn’t think about combat at all, only focusing on safety and comfort. I would create a flawless and complete servant doll, providing a service satisfying enough that any mage would be content. That way, I wouldn’t need to compete with anyone.

If there are strong ones, I follow them. If there’s fighting, I avoid it.

Based on that, I reconsidered the last exam. I had fought desperately to win, but I ended up losing everything. But what if I had respected my opponent and offered satisfactory service enough for a draw? Even if I couldn’t win, a draw would have been possible. I would have been just one among the many duels they had had. They would have accepted my request for a draw after I secured minimal safety using explosive magic, providing comfort and rest for them.

A revelation struck me. That fell like rain upon the saplings. To provide a service that would satisfy any strong being. If I could accomplish that, there would be no need for hostility. That’s the direction I should aim for.

I placed a piece of wood on the workbench. I didn’t have a moment to rest. Not a second could I waste. I couldn’t afford to waste a single second of this precious time Professor Ilian had granted me.

For the next ten months, I needed to dedicate myself, honing my magic according to the professor’s words.

 

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