4 – Reunion with a Childhood Friend (3)
Nell snuck a glance at Cael who was following behind her.
-Guilt!
Every time she saw him, Nell felt a pang of conscience.
Although she hadn’t forgotten about him, seeing him made her feel guilty again.
Nell, trying to ignore her uneasy heart, opened her mouth.
“Professor Cael, do you have a close relationship with the director?”
“Is there any reason you thought that?”
“Normally, there is no case where the professor’s interview is conducted with the chairman alone.”
Well, it seems that way.
Even if Lionel Academy is prestigious, it’s a rare occurrence to have an interview with the chairman one-on-one.
‘I don’t need to explain everything.’
With a casual wave of his hand, Kael dismissed the issue.
“I was just there on a friend’s recommendation.”
“Is that so….”
“Then how did Professor Nell pass the interview?”
“Well, it’s a bit awkward to say this…but I was also here on a friend’s recommendation….”
In the next moment, an awkward silence flowed between the two.
Unexpectedly, Nell had also been recommended, just like him.
Wondering if the awkwardness was just in his mind, Nell cleared his throat and changed the topic.
“Cough, rather than that, how about changing the way we address each other? We both are colleagues now, aren’t we?”
“For example?”
“Mr. Kael, let’s address each other like this.”
Since they were now both professors and would see each other daily.
So, it would be better to address each other in a relaxed way rather than formally.
Kael nodded at Nell’s suggestion.
“Yes, understood. Mr. Nell.”
“It’s better than before. But Mr. Kael, which class are you in charge of?”
“Well, as far as I remember, I was assigned to the newly established class.”
“What?!”
Instantly, Nell widened her eyes at Kael’s response.
Right now, Kael might not give it much thought, but she knew who was assigned to the newly established class.
“Did the chairman really say that?”
“Yes… But is there a reason to be surprised?”
“Well, um…”
Nell thought about how to answer him.
Even if you don’t tell him now, he will inevitably learn the truth.
“So, it would be good to talk about it right now.”
Nell, having collected her thoughts, nodded gravely.
And then, she opened her mouth.
“In this new class, we have a few special students.”
“Special how?”
“Well, for instance, the daughter of a tower master, a princess, a warrior of the Earth God, a swords grandmaster’s disciple, the son of a grand knight, the daughter of an elf chieftain. Such are the students that are admitted.”
“I see. That is indeed interesting.”
There’s no doubt that they all are special.
Each one of them associated with someone in power.
However, he was kind of used to it.
He’d already had a party with Jane, who held the title of the first princess and hero.
‘Of course, I was abandoned later.’
Anyway, he had interacted with many who had prominent positions, with or without her.
Like the Magic tower master he sees every day.
Or, the grandmaster of the sword he’s met a few times.
So, he couldn’t help but be unfazed.
So, is that why?
“Huh, you don’t seem all that surprised?”
Nell tilted her head slightly as if she found his lack of surprise unexpected.
Kael answered her question by shrugging his shoulders.
“I am surprised, but I kind of expected it.”
Kael quietly pulls out a newspaper.
He pointed to the students listed as incoming in the newspaper.
“Given how much the rumors have spread.”
“Ah, indeed, if the rumors have spread it wouldn’t be strange for you to know. Then let me guide you to your lab first.”
With those words, Nell actively started the tour.
***
She guided him for about an hour.
The academy was indeed vast; the tour took much longer than expected.
“So, how was it?”
At that moment, Nell tilted her head and asked a question.
I recalled the academy facilities I had seen for an hour.
‘It’s definitely not bad.’
I thought it wasn’t bad when I first saw it at the main gate.
Unless it’s comparable to the Mage Tower or the Royal Palace, there aren’t many better facilities than here.
However, from my perspective, it was a bit disappointing.
Compared to my room in the Mage Tower, it was sorely lacking.
‘I’ll have to give it a touch-up later.’
Thinking this, I answered with a pleasant smile.
“The facilities suit a prestigious academy, indeed. They would even compare favorably to the Mage Tower.”
“Huh? Are you from the Mage Tower, Mr. Kael?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then, have you seen the Great Mage?”
At the next moment, Nell’s eyes flashed as she moved closer.
Judging by her expression, she seemed to be a fan of the Great Mage.
‘Hmm, that Great Mage is me.’
Seeing her reaction, I had a clear idea of what would happen if I revealed my identity.
I quickly denied her question to avoid any misunderstandings.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t have met him. He is expected to be the next Tower Master, someone a person like me wouldn’t meet easily.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes. More often than not, he is doing his research inside his room , so I haven’t really seen him.”
“It should take that kind of effort to become a Great Mage.”
Upon hearing this, I felt a guilty pang of conscience.
In truth, I had just studied my life away to forget about the companions and childhood friends who had abandoned me.
Just then,
“Is your major Magic Lecture, Mr. Kael?”
Nell asked with a curious tone.
Upon hearing this, Kael recalled the contents written in the documents earlier.
Shaking his head, he denied the question.
“I majored in practical training, with Magic Lecture as a collateral course.”
“Oh, you’re a magician from Matapju, isn’t magic lectures not your major?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Hmm, I don’t know what the director has in mind. Well, he is not the type to act without thought, so I’m not too worried.”
It seems that director Makarov has earned credibility from the professors.
From Nel’s perspective, it must have been uncomfortable.
“Then, let’s end the orientation here.”
“Yes, let’s do that. Oh! Does work start tomorrow right away?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then, feel free to ask me anytime if you have any questions. I’ll advise you.”
“Understood.”
That was the end of Kael’s smoothly disappearing words.
Nel looked at his fading figure and suddenly looked glum.
‘Sigh. I hope I didn’t look obvious.’
In truth, all along, pretending to be cheerful was hard work.
The recurring sense of regret and guilt every time she faced him.
But, the heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
She had no right to like him.
No matter the circumstances, she should have spoken up before leaving.
But every time she saw him, her heart pounded uncontrollably, driving her crazy.
Ignoring the beating heart, she took out the magic crystal ball.
‘Let’s check the schedule.’
Nel quietly checked the schedule.
The schedule was already updated before she knew it.
‘The morning overlaps, and the afternoon is…’
There was empty time, unlike Kael.
Therefore, it’s possible to attend Kael’s magic lectures.
‘Come to think of it, I became a wizard of the Matap tower.’
Kael, who as a child decided to get a job on the Royal Road to take her to the Royal Road.
Back then, she thought it was impossible.
How many people have strived to become a wizard of the Matapju?
In a way, you could say that the wizards of the Magic Tower are, quite literally, reserved for the elite.
No, in fact, it is known to be hard for even the considerable elites to get in there.
‘The standard for entering the Magic Tower is known to be quite high.’
The one who promised employment in such a place was none other than Cael.
As a result, she was happy just by his saying so.
That’s how sincere Cael was.
‘What should I have done?’
Should I have depended on Cael, who knew nothing at all?
Or should I have acted like my past self, even at the risk of regret?
Many questions arose in my mind.
However, in the end, I could not provide a proper answer to that question.
Because whatever answer I would come up with, I assumed it would still lead to a bad ending.
‘Right. Rather than that, let’s think about tomorrow.’
Cael’s magic class that takes place tomorrow.
It’s bound to draw lots of attention.
Because he’s none other than the professor in charge of the S-rank class.
And.
‘Some professors will probably look down on it.’
They might think Cael’s position is undeserved.
He didn’t go through an official interview process. He simply got the job through a friend’s recommendation.
Moreover, he wasn’t just placed in any class.
He became a professor in charge of the S-rank class, where all the glory is bestowed if handled well.
‘I need to focus.’
From Noble mtl dot com
Other instructors might try to interfere with Cael’s lecture.
So, to avoid that, I must attend Cael’s lecture tomorrow without fail.
With these thoughts settled in her mind, Nell headed to her lab, trying to justify the situation.
Unaware that Cael’s lecture tomorrow might cause quite a stir.