5 – The First Lecture(1) (Maria’s illustrations)
A day passed since the interview.
Before going to work, I was tidying up the stuff in my room.
Then, at that moment,
– Bam!
Someone opens the door without a hint of hesitation.
The culprit was, of course, the current tower master Maria.
“Congratulations on your employment! You’ve finally escaped unemployment!”
Maria, congratulating me while pressing a corn hat on her head. I exhaled a shallow breath in response to her exaggerated action.
“I was not unemployed. I was the successor of the tower master.”
“What good does it do being the tower’s master successor if you’re just locked in a room.”
– Thump!
A weighty fact hit my heart accurately.
Ignoring her fact, I was preparing to go to work.
“But it’s surprising. You’re preparing more than I thought?”
Maria asked while looking at the magic circle I had prepared.
Seeing that, I answered as if it were evident, looking at my magic book.
“It’s not so much that I’ve prepared, but rather that it’s essential at this level.”
“There are plenty of magicians who can’t even manage that much.”
Maria, shaking her head while clicking her tongue.
I couldn’t comprehend that.
The things I’m preparing now are currently the basics of the basics.
Anyways, that is that.
“I will go to my work now.”
“Okay. But don’t crowd the students because they’re cute. Ah! You can touch my daughter!”
At Maria’s sneaky attempt to match her daughter and me, I shook my head and started walking towards the academy.
***
At that time,
Maria, the current tower master’s daughter and a known magic genius, was sighing in the awkward silence enveloping the classroom.
‘Ha, it’s incredibly awkward.’
Actually, her idea of academy life wasn’t like this.
She imagined having fun with her peers.
But, let’s take a look around the classroom now.
-Swish swish.
A woman with long ears fluttering and eyes twinkling brightly.
An elf who lives in the Ellinia forest.
Not just any ordinary elf, but the daughter of a tribal chief is present.
And secondly;
“Heave! Heave!”
There is a muscular man lifting a magic dumbbell in his hand.
Looking at his rich brown skin, he must be a warrior of the Earth Mother.
And three individuals quietly seated, just like himself.
‘The princess, the swordsman’s apprentice, and the son of the Paladin chief.’
Each one of them held powers at least equal to his own.
That left him tongue-tied; unable to speak freely to anyone.
Wrong moves could possibly spark conflicts between these powerhouses.
But, could that only be his viewpoint?
“Calm it down over there.”
Low, the paladin chief’s son, sternly glares at Dab with narrowed eyes.
Dab, somewhat surprised, stops exercising and looks puzzled.
“Is that aimed at me?”
“Who else do you think I’m talking to, the muscle hog?”
“Hmm…I didn’t expect to pick a fight on the first day.”
Saying so, Dab puts down the dumbbell.
Smirking, he resumes speaking.
“Especially, from someone who believes in a false god.”
“What?”
The very next moment, Low’s face hardens with fury.
There’s a palpable tension in the air between the two of them.
Eileen, watching the two, looks perplexed, her head turning from side to side.
-Fizz!
The air crackles between the two as power and holiness ripple through.
In the end, just as Maria was about to step in, unable to bear it any longer.
-Creak!
The classroom door opened.
A handsome man with black pupils and hair walked in.
It was Kael, glancing at Dav and Row.
“What are you two doing? On your first day?”
At Kael’s question, their lips sealed together, silent.
There was no real reason for them to be silent.
Only that a cold sweat trickled down their spines.
‘What’s going on? Why are we so tense?’
‘He’s just an ordinary teacher. Why am I sweating cold sweat?’
The two remained silent in question, and Kael, ignoring their reaction, continued.
“Well, it’s your first day, so I’ll let you off. Both of you, sit down.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Yes…”
Grinding their teeth, they sat down.
Meanwhile, Maria was internally shocked.
‘What! Why is he here?!’
Unlike others, Maria knew the identity of the man before her eyes.
Having heard so much about him from Meria, she knew all too well.
No, it was strange not to know who was becoming the successor of the Matop doctrine over her.
So she didn’t understand.
The man who was called the Grand Magic Master, here as a professor?!
‘What on earth is he doing here?!’
***
Entering the classroom, I quickly surveyed the students.
‘Hmm, I didn’t think there would be a fight on the first day.’
I was aware that the Holy Alliance and the Ilaosi continent were on bad terms.
The Holy Alliance, who believed in the Sun God, and the Ilaosi Continent, who believed in the Earth Mother God.
Their relationship was known to be bad because each nation held completely different beliefs.
But, who would have expected a fight to break out from the very first day?
Thus, I gave them both a warning.
As if to say, don’t even dream of causing trouble at the academy.
“Hmm?”
Maria, at that moment, was looking at me blankly with her mouth wide open.
“Why is she making such a face?”
Since she is Maria’s daughter, I’ve seen her a few times.
Originally, seeing as Maria tried to involve her with me multiple times, it was inevitable that I knew her.
But, right now, she was looking at me in utter disbelief.
Seeing her reaction, it seemed likely that Maria hadn’t explained beforehand.
‘She probably didn’t mention the surprise.’
Thinking so, I turned my gaze to the others.
Elaine, with her long ears flapping, her eyes sparkling.
Ray, the disciple of the Dark Knight, with his expressionless face, just standing still.
Ellie von Lionel, with a meaningful smile on her face.
‘She resembles my sister quite a bit.’
She indeed resembles Jane, the leader of the hero party, who has expelled me.
“I am Professor Kael. Since we are short on time, we will take attendance immediately.”
One by one, I took their attendance.
Once finished, I moved right to the main point.
“I will explain everything related to lectures this morning, so listen carefully. There are classes that you must take every semester. A minimum of 23 credits is required. Any questions?”
“Me!”
At my question, Elaine sharply raised her hand.
“Alright. Let’s hear it.” “How many credits would each course be?”
“Major courses give 3 credits, and general courses are worth 2 credits”.
“And what courses do you teach, Professor?”
In that instant, all eyes focused on me.
I answered in a calm and composed voice.
“The major course is a practical course, and the general course is on magic. And for you, the S-grade class, my major class is mandatory, as is the allocated time.”
Suddenly, the students in front of me are surprised.
They likely didn’t expect that my major would be compulsory.
“I have a question, professor.”
This time quiet Elaine raises her hand.
As if I was inviting her to speak, she held her serious voice and asked.
“What do we do if I can’t attend due to special circumstances?”
It is indeed possible for Elaine, a princess, not to be able to attend.
I gave her the answer she wanted.
“You don’t have to worry too much; absences due to unavoidable circumstances will be recognized as attendance. However, you should attend your assigned time slot as much as you can.”
“But what is an assigned time?”
Elaine tilts her head with a puzzled look.
At this, the other students also have question marks floating above their heads.
“Think of it as the time for counseling or group activities.”
“Aha!”
With that, the students seemed to understand instantly.
Ignoring the students’ reactions, I took out some papers.
I passed them out.
“Let’s conclude the morning lecture here. Submit by before lunchtime.”
With that, I successfully finished the morning lecture.
***
The students left in the classroom were deep in thought about what subject to take.
And amongst them, one person was most troubled.
That was none other than Maria.
‘Hmm. Should I take this?’
The course she was contemplating about was none other than Kael’s Magic Lecture.
Maria couldn’t understand why she wasn’t chosen as the successor to the Magic Tower.
That man named Kael was certainly outstanding.
But she didn’t think she lost to him either.
She is, after all, the daughter of the current magician.
So she didn’t understand.
Why her father had chosen that man over her to be the successor of the Magic Tower.
‘Alright. I should at least listen to his lecture once. To see how good he really is.’
Thinking thus, she checked Karel’s elective subject, the Magic Lecture.
The next moment, Elaine, who was flicking her ears, approached and greeted her.
“Hey, are you by any chance also taking the Professor’s subject?”
So naturally she asked that almost without noticing, I almost nodded.
Maria answered that question in an awkward voice.
“Um, yeah. But you are too?”
“I’ve also applied. Ah! Sorry, I should start with introductions right? I’m Elaine from Ellinia Forest!”
Saying so, Elaine extended her hand.
Could it be because she made a friend of equal status for the first time?
Maria, holding the hand Elaine extended, introduced herself.
“I’m Maria.”
“Huh? Maria, as in the daughter of Matop?”
“Um, yeah.”
From Noble mtl dot com
She had heard it too many times.
Usually, when someone hears that, it means they have some ulterior motive for approaching.
However.
“Wow! So you’ve seen the Archmage too?!”
Unlike the others, Elaine asked the question with a voice full of pure curiosity.
“What does the Archmage look like? I’ve heard he has a very, long beard?!”
In an instant, the students pricked their ears, looking over.
That reaction was expected.
The Archmage Karel is a revolutionary figure across all continents, and the one who slew the Demon Warlord and the Four Heavenly Kings on the battlefield.
‘Anyway, what should I do about this?’
Looking at their expressions, it seems like they are all curious about what the Archmage looks like.
But, Karel has not revealed his identity.
Therefore, it appears there is no benefit in revealing it unnecessarily.
As Maria was scratching her cheek while trying to beat around the bush at that moment.
“I’ve heard that even inside the magic tower, The Archmage barely comes out of his room.”
Someone naturally intervened between the two.
And that person was none other than the third princess, Elis von Lionel.
“Just as the princess said. The Grand Wizard hardly ever leaves his room, so I haven’t seen him directly.”
“Ah, I see… how disappointing.”
The next moment, Elaine wore a glum expression.
‘Hmm? Why does she seem so disappointed?’
As Maria questions Elaine’s reaction, Eli directs a question to both of them.
“By the way, are two of you also attending the professor’s lecture this afternoon?”
“Ah! Yes!”
“Speak informally here in the academy. It doesn’t matter the rank here.”
“Well, okay.”
Feeling awkward at the thought of speaking informally to the princess.
Eli ignores Maria’s reaction and opens her mouth.
“Then, let’s go together this afternoon. I was planning on attending Professor Kael’s lecture as well.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Now quickly, let’s go apply. We wouldn’t want to be late.”
“What about the others… huh?”
As Elaine looks around and realizes no one else is around, she grimaces.
At that, Eli speaks again.
“The other three said they were attending different lectures. Well, none of them are wizards.”
“I see.”
Elaine nods her head in understanding.
Soon, Maria stood up from her seat.
“Then let’s hurry and apply before it’s too late.”
With that, the three of them left to submit their applications to Kael.
***
The afternoon lecture arrived after lunchtime ended.
I looked at the people in the lecture room with a somewhat surprised face.
‘I didn’t expect so many people to apply.’
I am a new professor.
Because of this, I expected a low number of student registrations, but surprisingly, a lot of students applied.
And the most unexpected part was…
“Ellie, Elaine, Maria?”
The first two made sense.
However, I really couldn’t understand why Maria insisted on attending my magic lectures.
Coldly said, even if she has no particular reason to listen to my lectures, it doesn’t particularly help either.
Just then.
“Huh?”
My gaze met another unexpected figure.
It was Nell, who had guided me through the academy yesterday.
Given her expression, it seems she was worried and came to see.
“The more I see, the more you seem alike.”
Anyway, with this, all the preparations were complete.
Facing the students, I opened my mouth.
“Alright, let’s start the basic magic lecture now.”
With that said, I slowly released my magical energy.
This is literally Walmart/wish version of the war hero lmfao and bad one at that