Chapter 32 – Academy Standards
Freya’s proposition caught me off guard, at least.
“What? Use Ryn as our team mercenary during the Eunwol Festival?”
“Huh…? Did I not say that?”
“You didn’t.”
“I did mention I’d offer a good solution last time.”
After racking my brain for a while, I recalled the day when Cecilia and Windine started gossiping after Ryn’s slip of the tongue calling me “Oppa.”
Indeed, back then, Freya had mentioned something about a solution or a good idea. But did she think I could understand with such vague implications?
“We’re short of one team member anyway, right? Ryn’s from the Vannir tribe. He’s been learning sorcery since he was young. And among them, Ryn, who was even mentioned as a candidate for the Brisingamen, should be capable of competing with students to some extent.”
“That’s not the issue. Is it even possible to use Ryn as a mercenary?”
Ryn looked puzzled as he glanced at us. He seemed completely clueless.
Deciding on information I hadn’t yet disclosed to him was quite audacious, making Freya seem quite remarkable in various ways.
“hehehe, I already used the Chairman’s privilege~ If Ryn performs well in this Eunwol Festival, he can also enroll in our school~”
What kind of all-powerful privilege is this Chairman’s privilege?
“So, take him to class too. Instead of me, who you forcibly made a part of your inflated group.”
“Such a strong back. Are you still holding a grudge about that?”
“…….. What do you know.”
Freya playfully stuck out her tongue and chuckled. What’s she up to? I shrugged my shoulders and looked at Rin.
“Rin, I don’t know what Freya is thinking, but let’s go too. Staying here is just boring and uneasy. Either Aegis Professor or Ignis will take care of Ran.”
Luckily, Rin, who was kind and gentle, nodded with a determined smile, relieving some of my worries.
“Yes! Oppa!”
You are an angel.
***
Now, I might say this again, but unfortunately, my classes aren’t very popular among the students.
Despite putting thorough effort into class preparations, unlike Professor Jung, whose main focus is research… I’ve never had a satisfactory evaluation.
If it was just dissatisfaction with ‘Professor Neferna,’ I could tolerate it. Generally, sharp criticisms came regarding the quality of my lectures, and each time, the wounds to my heart were quite deep.
ㅡ ‘It’s interesting. It is.’
ㅡ ‘So boring…….’
ㅡ ‘Sleeping is the only advantage. That’s it.’
ㅡ ‘Is it fun to go ahead on your own?’
Looking at the list, it suddenly occurred to me that this was just a small and relatively gentle part of the evaluations, not even a significant portion among the critiques of the lectures.
When I received a lengthy criticism, almost 5700 characters long, and called it an evaluation, it felt like my heart as a teacher was dropping and falling apart. If Freya and Undine, who were there to review it together, hadn’t comforted me, my spirit might have been completely shattered.
Among the students, my lectures are labeled as ‘not really wanted to be heard, but since it’s hard to postpone and impossible to graduate without taking it, it’s a class reluctantly attended. However, since there’s always plenty of space, it’s a class you choose as an alternative when you want to take it with a close friend.’ I’m in a state of overturning the unshakable stigma.
Through the closed door, I could hear the students’ conversation. The classroom was already filled with a lively atmosphere before the class.
“Hey, I’ve got the Eunwol Tournament brackets. Which team are you in?”
“The strong contender for the victory is Professor Alexander’s team, isn’t it?”
“Many are betting on Professor Fernandez’s team too. … And Professor Aurora’s lab is quite impressive.”
“Professor Aegis just participates formally… Well, their lab isn’t related to combat studies anyway…”
“Hah, can’t believe we only got to see those huge… you know. Wow… I could cry just thinking about it.”
“Why, again. What’s the big deal?”
“Wanna see some cleavage!”
“Shut up, you crazy person! Everyone can hear you.”
“Ah~~ I want to see some cleavage~~~”
“Hey, you! Please! Shut your mouth!”
The frenzied students chattered noisily, making the floor thud incessantly, leaving no room for anyone else.
From adults to soon-to-be adults, the sprouting seeds responsible for the future of not only the empire but also this world, shouting ‘cleavage’ loudly, it was evident that the future of this country was bright, indeed.
I composed myself, took a deep breath, and then flung the door open.
And as if nothing had happened, I briskly caught their attention with a cheerful tone. Wide strides. A deep yet not heavy voice. And gestures that naturally gathered their focus.
“Alright, let’s start the class~ Gambling is out of my sight, and I’ll overlook it up to a manageable amount. Oh, remember this, if you bet on our team, you’ll definitely win, so keep that in mind.”
As I spoke, banging the blackboard, a chorus of “Ah~” and then a burst of laughter followed from all around.
I stepped up to the podium and scanned the tiered lecture hall.
Undine and Cecilia. Lynn, sitting snugly between them, laughing heartily.
Especially Lynn, who must have been quite surprised by last night’s events, now confidently sitting there, trusting the adults, even brought a smile to my face involuntarily.
If I had such an admirable daughter… I wouldn’t have any wishes left.
Would she follow me eagerly if I offered candies or snacks…?
And Wundine, Cecilia. Please don’t look at me with those burdened eyes as if you’re smiling at me.
He cleared his throat briefly.
“… Well, leaving that aside, I have one question before we start the class. Has anyone seen a suspicious student at the Midnight Garden last night?”
I asked in a passing tone, as if I didn’t really care.
Naturally, no one responded. Raising a hand here would be no different from voluntarily confessing, “I am a disobedient student who broke the dormitory curfew and played at the garden all night, please report me to the dorm supervisor!”
“It’s okay. Do I look like someone who would confess to something like this so meekly?”
“Even if you threaten us, we won’t give you a penny!”
“Threaten? Well… then, since we’re on the topic, how about a cool 10 million? I’m starving these days because I spent all my pocket money on repairing the bike I crashed last time.”
“I’ll share a sandwich with you~”
The boy replied playfully and took his seat with a chuckle.
It was probably just a joke, but if he really meant it, I could graciously accept it in many ways.
However, even though I had a thick skin as a student, taking advantage of others was a bit too much, so I responded with a wry smile.
“Alright, enough small talk. Let’s really start the class. Oh, and if anyone has seen anything suspicious at the Midnight Garden, even if it’s just personally, I hope you’ll tell me.”
“… Was there some kind of incident?”
“… Ah, someone mentioned that a prank was played using illusion magic. We need to find and dispel the illusion, but we have no idea where it is. I’ll have to search diligently after class. It’s driving me crazy. So, unless you want to annoy me, don’t play such pranks.”
There was a brief commotion in the classroom at the impromptu excuse, but I silently opened the textbook and began the lesson.
“Continuing from last time, today let’s explain the reverse placement of Carlos… First, I’m drawing it on the board…”
The class continued, and geometric shapes, numbers, and symbols increased on the board one by one.
As if waiting for this moment, the sound of yawning grew louder.
The lively atmosphere subsided like drizzling rain, and I found myself in a position similar to a mother singing a lullaby.
With each word I add, I feel the air gradually becoming heavier in proportion.
One by one, students’ eyes start to droop.
Droop, droop. It increases again. Droop, droop, droop.
Although they seemed to be showing various tricks, like placing their hands holding pens on the desk and tilting their heads at a 45-degree angle, pretending to be considerate of me, the nature of the tiered lecture hall made it not very effective, as everyone’s gaze was fixed upward.
When one student falls like a domino, others follow suit, collapsing like a cascade.
Nevertheless, I persistently continued the lecture.
“…Alright, up to here. Any questions?”
I asked loudly, but there were no students raising their hands.
Instead, some students who were dozing off hit their foreheads or had elbows slip off the desk edge, creating unfortunate incidents that made my nose cringe just by looking at them.
Even the once lively future gambling prodigies, who were noisy before the class, now seemed to have collectively shut their mouths.
As a teacher, the frustration overwhelmed me, but I calmly nodded my head.
I knew rushing here would be futile, considering my relatively short career.
“………?”
At that moment, like a sprout emerging from dry soil, a small fern-like hand suddenly appeared. There was a small and cute girl with her hand raised, and that girl was Lynn.
“Um… not sure if it’s the right time, but… Teacher! I have a question!”
“Oh, Lynn. Yeah. What is it?”
“The part you wrote on the board over there…”
I quietly checked the part Lynn was pointing to. The Baneer race was known for their proficiency in enchantment, and they received early education in magic theory and formulas related to margin and structural spells. I was doubtful if she could keep up with the class, but she was diligently taking notes.
Her chubby cheeks were adorable. I wanted to give her delicious snacks and pamper her a lot. Ah, cute little one. Won’t you come to our house?
“…Ah, here. Lynn might not know yet. Where… let’s see… this is the content everyone learned in the third week, right? Then, let’s have the magician seniors answer directly. Now, I’ll try to be a cool older sister or brother, boldly tackling this. Let’s go, my daring compatriots.”
“………….”
First to raise her hand was Wendi.
She simply wanted to be called by her name rather than being labeled as a cool older sister.
From Noble mtl dot com
But Wendi, it’s meaningless for you to answer directly.
And Cecilia, don’t you have to know… what will you do if you avoid my gaze?
“Why are you all so shy? Really, no one? Bianca? No, don’t turn your head as soon as I call your name… Then, Clark. How about answering once as the top scorer on the last midterm?”
I gave other students a chance, but they all avoided my gaze. Wendi puffed up her cheeks and evolved into Puffendi.
“Hmm…….”
I tried hard to grasp the atmosphere.
Why?
What’s the problem?
Is it difficult?
No, it’s definitely something I taught.
I emphasized that part.
They couldn’t possibly forget……
Hmm.
They can’t remember.
Let’s change the perspective. Our students are not the kind of people who can’t remember this level of content.
Rather, what if they never understood it in the first place? What then?
“No way… Ah… I see.”
Suddenly, a series of events from the class flashed through my mind.
I had already judged the sleeping students as those who knew everything about the class. I had thought that their drowsiness stemmed from the lack of anything substantial to gain from my lectures.
But what if they simply hadn’t understood from the start…?
There might be some grounds for that.
First-year students.
These were first-year students.
I began to seriously contemplate what it meant to refer to them as first-year students in terms of their level.
Looking back, I had been using Vundi and Ignis as my benchmarks. Ah, Vundi. Come to think of it, due to their usual demeanor, I often forgot, but they were an undeniable genius in magic. I shouldn’t have used Vundi as a benchmark in the first place.
Sigh… If someone had just told me, even one person, things wouldn’t have gone so awry. It was undeniably my mistake and failure, to the extent that I almost wanted to blame someone else.
“Well, I’ve done something quite regrettable…”
I chuckled bitterly and picked up a piece of chalk.
“Alright. Let’s start over from the beginning.”
Where should I begin? Slowly, I continued speaking, trying to grasp a sense of direction as I went along.
“Do you all remember what this course is called?”
“Is it Margin Theory?”
“Yeah, Margin Theory. Strictly speaking, that’s an abbreviation, and the correct answer would be ‘Fundamental Theory of Margin and Structural Magic.’ It’s one of the essential subjects for you first-years. …I believe you need to pass this course to graduate, is that correct?”
“Y-Yes.”
The students nodded, their expressions solemn.
“Judging from your expressions, I don’t think reciting the contents from this textbook will hold much significance for you right now.”
With an eraser, I wiped away everything that was written on the blackboard.
With a perplexed expression, I spoke to the students staring at me.
“Let’s start from the basics of magical margins and spell structures.”