Prologue: Transported to Another World

I died. This wasn’t just something I felt physically, but an awareness that pierced through the fog of my thoughts as well. I had no clue how I’d died; I only understood that I had.

My consciousness ebbed and flowed, adrift in the sea of death, but through that I could feel a faint shadowy weight on my mind. The umbra gradually spread across me, its heaviness increasing until I could acutely recognize what it was—sorrow and regret.

I hadn’t been able to become the best kendoka in Japan. After my mother’s passing, the only thing that had kept my father going was training me to rank first in the nation, but I was never able to achieve that goal.

After that failure, I had given up on my own dreams and had become a teacher, thinking I could at least inherit my father’s ideals of passing down knowledge to the next generation. Yet over time, even my desire to teach essentially became a curse that ate away at me. I thought that if I couldn’t achieve my own dreams, maybe I could at least help students attain theirs. That didn’t work out either.

The more desperate I got to make an impact, the greater the backlash I received from my students. The conflicts between my fellow teachers were difficult to deal with too. Also, as a new educator, I was at the mercy of impositions from teachers with seniority on top of unreasonable demands from parents. But what weighed on my mind now more than any of that was the regret of not being able to live up to my father’s expectations.

If only I had a chance to redo everything... If only I had a chance to become my ideal self...

As my earnest wishes emerged from my painful memories, my consciousness dissolved, fading away like a mist.

◇

When I opened my eyes again, I could make out the ceiling of what appeared to be a log cabin. It glimmered red, interspersed with dark shadows. The sounds of a crackling fire melded with the sweet aroma of burning wood. The air carried the faint smell of skin from a wild animal too.

I didn’t really have any feeling in my body, so I simply surveyed my surroundings and discovered that I was lying on top of what seemed to be a white pelt. The room was slightly smaller than an average Japanese bedroom, and in the center of the wooden walls were spaces carved out for the windows.

“Hm? You’re awake?”

My eyes darted toward the source of the sudden voice. Through the simple-looking doorway entered a tall, slender individual sporting a large, flowing white robe that dragged behind them as they walked over to me. They were wearing a hood, but took it off as they approached, revealing a face that took my breath away.

I couldn’t tell what gender they were. Their visage could have easily belonged to a man or a woman, and their long, almost waist-length hair made it even harder to distinguish. I felt bewitched by their gorgeous, captivating white locks and green eyes. But the thing that surprised me most was their long, pointy ears.

“Can you understand me? Can you speak?”

It was only after hearing his voice that I registered that the person before me was a man. Unfortunately, I physically couldn’t respond to his questions.

“Hmm... It seems that you’re unaware of what happened. You collapsed in a field near my home. It’s filled with grass as tall as my waist, and it’s far removed from any human establishment or even the main roads. I discovered you there by sheer coincidence.”

The young man sat down cross-legged and looked at me.

“I’m Owain Millers, the Forest Sage. I’m not sure what a young girl like you is doing all the way out here, but I’ll look after you for the time being.”

If I’d had more control of my face, I would have raised an eyebrow.

What does he mean by “young girl”? Well, now that I think about it, this Owain guy is definitely not a normal human. If those ears of his are real, then could he possibly be a fantasy creature...an elf? From the tales I knew, elves lived much longer lives than humans, so from his perspective, I was probably still just a child.

“What’s your name?”

His question came so suddenly that I reflexively answered despite my lack of strength.

“Aoi Konominato...”

“Hmm. That’s an unusual name. Could you possibly be...?”

He started to say something, but the sights and sounds of the world were fading around me. I was too drowsy to stay awake any longer. As various questions hazily came and went in my head, my consciousness gradually faded.

◇

Twelve years had come and gone since the day I was transported to another world. My physical body had grown older and was now in its early twenties. Never in my wildest dreams could I have predicted that I would be reincarnated and experience a second childhood. I’d died in Japan when I was twenty-four years old, so I had yet to even live as many years as I had in my previous life.

I felt quite conflicted when I learned that this wasn’t Earth. For one, I lamented that my past self had died inexperienced, unable to accomplish anything as a teacher. More than anything, though, I couldn’t help but worry about my father, whom I’d left all alone.

However, I realized that no matter how much I agonized over my situation, nothing would magically change nor improve. That was one reason I decided to study this world—to find a way home.

Owain was stricken with curiosity about my arrival, calling me a “Drifter.” Apparently, that was a term used for people who appeared once every few centuries and had knowledge of different worlds. In the past, Drifters had helped to greatly advance countries, cultures, academia, and even sorcery. Perhaps out of his insatiable curiosity, Owain had taught me all about sorcery.

Despite living alone in the middle of a forest, Owain had a far more modern lifestyle than I’d expected, thanks to technology that I assumed had come about due to Drifters’ contributions. For starters, he owned a refrigerator. From what I could tell, it functioned just like the ones I knew from Earth, except it kept food fresh with an ice magic stone that released cold air. He also had a bladeless fan powered by a wind magic stone in its base. This was actually a multifunction device, and Owain could easily switch it to an air conditioner or a heater by adding another stone imbued with ice or fire magic, respectively.

Those advances were surprising enough, but what truly shocked me was the fact that there was a plumbing system connected to barrels of both cold and hot water upstairs, which made taking baths far more convenient. On top of that, the house had magical lighting, a stove, and even a flushable toilet. All of these were apparently sorcery tools.

Owain seemed to be crazy about sorcery tools. Every time he talked about them, I felt like I was watching one of those celebrities in Japan who’d go on shows to advertise home appliances. I couldn’t stand the way he’d drone on forever any time the topic came up, so I generally pretended not to be interested.

Owain had the chiseled beauty of a sculpture, and he wasn’t much more talkative than one when it came to topics outside of his research. When he did speak, he was surprisingly particular about things. For example, whenever I cooked, he muttered critiques about the lack of flavor. But when I snapped back and told him he didn’t have to eat anything I made if he didn’t like it, he promptly wolfed it down. If I was unlucky, he even asked for seconds. Due to his fickle, contrarian personality, I viewed him as a brat.

That being said, Owain was thorough when he taught me sorcery. He was quite the stickler—whenever he could tell I was doing something even slightly incorrectly, he’d immediately point it out.

“Wrong, Aoi,” he said after one such mistake. “Mana manipulation is crucial when using high-level spells, not mana output. Narrow it more. No, not like that. Restrict the flow, but don’t reduce the amount of mana you’re using. Mold your mana into something even thinner than a needle, then maintain it and gradually harden—”

“Cram it for a second. I’m trying to concentrate!”

“Oh, is that right? Do you think you’ll always be in a completely quiet environment devoid of distractions when you’re casting spells? No. Such instances will be few and far between. More often than not, the situations during which you’ll need to cast a spell will be—”

“Ugh! Come on!”

Owain was a man of few words in his ordinary life, but he was an annoying chatterbox when it came to sorcery topics. He lectured me on how casting a spell was the process of drawing a magic circle in one’s head. A spell’s incantation essentially broke down that procedure into individual steps spoken out loud. In other words, incantations were important rituals that formed the foundation of sorcery. Owain was obsessed with shortening spells’ chants.

Ancient sorcery was said to have died out about two hundred years ago, but it apparently required its users to physically draw out magic circles. Owain had investigated, studied, and deciphered this information all on his own.

From the perspective of normal sorcerers, learning ancient sorcery techniques had catapulted Owain past being a genius and veered into the territory of eccentricity. Owain had decided to go even further with his research, though. He had discovered that a sorcerer didn’t need to go through the lengthy process of drawing a magic circle while simultaneously supplying the appropriate amount of mana every time they wanted to cast a spell. Instead, they could simply pour mana into an already completed magic circle, allowing mana to flow through the existing pathway.

The caveat was that the user would need to use the precise amount of mana required for the spell. Adding even a tad more mana than necessary would result in an explosion. Adding too little would expend the mana with no effect. However, if done just right, Owain’s process resulted in incantationless sorcery. Right now, the only people who could successfully perform that feat were Owain and me.

When Owain had first begun his research, everyone had regarded him as a madman. As a result, he had decided to continue his studies alone. What a shame it was that they were so shortsighted.

“All done. I’ve inscribed a three-dimensional magic circle for fire sorcery into the gem on this ring. Even if you fail, the stone will stay intact,” Owain said as he showed off his newest creation.

“Isn’t making three-dimensional magic circles more complex than even what elite-level sorcerers can do?” I asked.

“It is. I’m most likely the only one in the world who can compress magic circles this much.”

“As amazing as that is, maybe you should try to be a little more humble.”

◇

Faster than I’d imagined possible, I mastered everything that Owain had taught me—sorcery, sorcery tools, and even his secret art of incantationless spells. Now, instead of my teacher, he felt more like my peer in collaborative research.

As we finished our dinner one day, we conversed while Owain sat in his favorite chair.

“I think it’d be easier to make with this blue gem instead,” I said.

“Hm... Lechordite, huh? That could work given its high mana conductivity. However, it’s not very durable.”

“What if we formed it into a sphere to make it less prone to breaking, and then attached it to the inner surface of something like a ring or armor? There’s no need for it to be worn on the outside, right?”

“Aoi...have you always been such a genius?” Owain paused for a moment, mouth agape. “Twelve years... In that short amount of time, you’ve taken everything I’ve learned over a century and made it your own,” he muttered, staring into the distance with a wistful smile.

“It’s different. I didn’t start from scratch like you did. I’ve been learning techniques that you already discovered on your own. I can’t even hope to compare to you.” My initial reaction was to comfort him, thinking that he might’ve felt a little dejected, but it seemed that I was wrong.

Owain took a slow sip of his wine. “Don’t worry, I’m not in low spirits or anything. I’m just frustrated.”

“So you are pouting.”

As Owain caught the upset look in my eyes, he snorted and began lightly swirling the wine in his glass.

“I’m not. I’m just frustrated by the fact that this is as far as I can help you grow. I can’t help but wonder how grand of a sorcerer you’d become if I could teach you even more. You might truly achieve the peak of sorcery and even cross the threshold into the abyss of magecraft,” Owain said, a tinge of excitement in his voice.

The “abyss of magecraft” was a term that appeared in ancient sorcery tomes. It referred to a mastery of sorcery so deep that one could completely understand the theory behind the source of mana itself and the necessary magic circles and incantations for performing sorcery. However, no one alive possessed that level of dominion over sorcery, and most people dismissed it as a fairytale. Owain knew better, though. His research into magic circles and subsequently incantationless sorcery had uncovered the potential to reach this pinnacle of magecraft.

“The central continent we’re on is said to be much more advanced in terms of both our civilization and sorcery than the western and eastern continents. The six major countries on this continent have together created the largest sorcery school in the world—Fiddich Academy for Sorcery.”

“Where are you going with this? Don’t tell me you’re suggesting I should go there.”

Owain snorted. “It goes without saying, but the academy includes students and teachers from each of the six great countries. I’ve no doubt that some of them know sorcery techniques that I’ve never witnessed before. I’ve also heard that research flourishes at the school, and all kinds of new sorcery are born there.”

“So you’re saying that I still have more to learn?”

Owain glanced downward. “Well, there’s no way to know if there’s any new sorcery to learn without actually going and finding out. It just so happens that I have a friend at the academy, so that should make things easier.”

I couldn’t help but pause.

Owain tilted his head. “Something the matter?”

“You...have a friend?”

“Are you mocking me?” Owain’s expression stiffened.

“No, sorry. It’s just that I thought you’ve lived in this forest by yourself for thirty years, so...”

“Oh, good point. I didn’t stop to consider whether or not he’s even alive,” Owain said. He sighed and frowned. “Well, he’s not exactly the type of person who’ll die even if he’s killed. I’m sure he’s fine.”

“So who’s this friend of yours?”

“His name is Glen, and he’s the headmaster of the academy. He’s a half-elf, but he’s only a hundred and thirty years old, so I’m sure he’s still in good health,” Owain said.

“If he’s the headmaster, then I’m sure enrolling won’t be a problem. So, you’re having me become a student there, right?”

Owain let out a chuckle. “You? What would be the point of you becoming a student? Those students are still learning the principles and applications of sorcery. No, you should be an instructor so you can interact with some of the teachers from other countries and conduct your own research.”

He presented his plan in a matter-of-fact tone, but I could feel my brow furrowing. I thought back to when I used to be a teacher in Japan. I’d been young and immature then, and I could remember all the times when senior teachers and my students’ parents had foisted unreasonable demands on me.

“Aren’t you more suited to be an instructor?” I asked. “I could be your assistant instead.”

“I have no desire to do anything that tedious. The reason I live in this secluded forest is because I detest being told what to do.” Annoyance flashed across his features.

But you’re okay with making me do something you consider tedious? “Still, this is all too sudden.”

Owain closed his eyes in thought and played with his glass. “It should be fine. You’re suited for teaching others. Besides, the students are only learning the basics of sorcery and its applications through incantations. You’ve already gone much deeper than that, breaking down the process itself while learning how to create magic circles. Teaching them should be a breeze for you.” He chuckled again.

I watched his shoulders shake while he laughed and felt like I glimpsed the age hiding behind his youthful looks.

“Fine. I’ll go. But how will I get there?”

“I’ll take you to the highway. It’s a two-day walk from the forest. After that, all you have to do is follow the road there.”

“On foot?”

“If you use a flight spell too close to the forest, dragons might attack you. Although it’s possible you could handle one of them, two or three would be difficult. Not that you asked, but I can handle five with ease,” he crowed.

“You’re right. I didn’t ask.” I sighed after snapping back at Owain. “So we’ll have to keep walking even after getting to the highway? There isn’t anything convenient I can use like a teleportation spell, is there?”

He gasped and looked at me in surprise. “Teleportation? Are you suggesting we use sorcery to travel from one place to another? That’s... Is that even possible? No, it definitely is. After all, it’s possible to produce spirits out of thin air. But when the sorcery ends, the spirits disappear. So essentially, it might be the same thing as summoning spirits from a different dimension and then having them return. If that’s the case, then...”

I should have kept my mouth shut. Now I’ve put him in full-on researcher mode. Any thought about me going to the academy has flown out of his head.

◇

After two days of walking with some breaks sprinkled in, we exited the forest, found the highway, and continued south.

“The magic beasts here are strong, and there are bandits. You probably won’t see any regular carriages around here.”

“Why do you live in an area like this?” I asked in bewilderment as we continued down the highway.

This was a dangerous route for most people, but with the two of us, it was surprisingly not that big of a deal. We defeated any magic beasts we ran into, and drove away any bandits that crossed our paths.

Eventually, we reached Highwood, the city of commerce. I was intrigued by how similar the cityscape was to Eastern Europe. This was my first time seeing a large city in this world, so I was fairly impressed. Owain’s home had been so modern that it hadn’t been too jarring compared to my previous home in Japan. Plus, I’d often almost forgotten that he was an elf because his most prominent traits were how engrossed he was in his research and sorcery tools.

“Were you thinking something rude right now?” he asked.

“Nope.”

Owain shrugged. “Well, this is where we say farewell. I’m giving you thirty gold pieces and thirty silver pieces.” He handed me a pouch. “That should be enough to keep you comfortable for a few months of leisurely travel. You should go to the trading company over there and ask them if you can accompany one of their merchant caravans headed to Fiddich.”

“You’re leaving already? You should at least stay a night to rest.”

“I have a new research topic that I must attend to—teleportation sorcery.”

“Fine. Forget it.” I offered him a wry smile. Then, I looked around for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Owain wasn’t my parent, and it felt wrong to call him my friend. It seemed most correct to consider myself his apprentice or maybe even his research colleague. I had to find the right words to say to him before we went our separate ways.

“Thanks...for everything. I’ll do my best!” I said cheerily.

In my mind, these were the most appropriate parting words for the two of us. But Owain simply nodded and placed his hand on my head.

“I should be thanking you. Though it may be impudent for me to do so, I think of you as my daughter. Come home if you ever need anything.”

Though the words were a little clumsy, the sincerity in his voice and attitude resonated deeply within me. I could feel the warmth from his body through the hand he’d placed on my head. It made me realize that this was the first time anyone had patted my head. I sniffled, tears naturally beginning to well up.

“Come straight home if you find anything useful for my research.”

“Seriously?”

Up until the very last moment where we bade farewell to each other, he remained the same Owain I’d grown up with.

Chapter 1: Fiddich Academy

“So this is Fiddich Academy, huh?”

A short distance away, a massive, castle-like building loomed. The stone walls and spires, which resembled gothic architecture, towered over me, and I felt my eyes widen in amazement at the sheer scale of the structure. The front of the school appeared to separate into two sides, and a river flowed along its borders. I could only imagine how large this school was.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a building this big, even on Earth.

I meandered down the stone-paved entry path, simply awestruck by the academy. As I looked around, I saw all types of people: some had animal ears or tails, others had long ears, and still others weren’t very tall but had thick beards. They all wore different kinds of clothing, but what caught my eye most were those donning armor, helmets, or robes that covered their entire bodies.

As crazy as the diverse crowd seemed at first glance, I’d already become used to the existence of demi-humans, beastkin, and elves. It was very normal for all kinds of races to live together in large cities like this, although it was rare to see certain races such as giants, merfolk, and fairies.

I craned my neck and gazed at the magnificent gates to the school. Then, I exhaled and strode forward. Suddenly, a voice called out to me.

“You there. Past this gate is the world’s greatest school of sorcery, Fiddich Academy. I’ve heard nothing about any transfer students this late into the year, so what business do you have here?” His voice had a beautiful timbre, making his distrustful question sound like a gentle song.

Before me stood a handsome young man with stunning blue hair. He wore the type of outfit that nobles preferred—a cross between a military uniform and a business suit. It exuded a formal aura, with a black motif embroidered with a silver crest. Even from a single glance, I could tell how expensive his clothes were.

“I was told to work here. Could I ask you to inform Headmaster Glen of my arrival?”

The young man gave a genial smile but shook his head. “I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid I’ll need some sort of identification listing your status to corroborate what you’ve said, or perhaps a letter of introduction from someone of the headmaster’s status. I’m sure you’re aware that the headmaster rose to the position of marquess due to his overwhelming amount of mana and his various legendary feats. He’s not someone with whom you can easily get an audience,” he said, surveying me as if sizing me up.

I furrowed my brow. “Well, that’s problematic. I’m a commoner, so I don’t have anything to prove my status. Oh, actually, I do have a guild card from the Sorcerers’ Association, though I’m not sure if that’s acceptable...”

The man clearly lost all interest in speaking with me after that response. “It’s not, so I must ask that you leave. I’ll be on my way as well,” he said curtly before turning on his heel.

“Could you please at least allow me to pass this letter on to him?”

He paused and turned around to face me once more. “A letter?” He looked at it warily and folded his arms.

I could tell that he was very suspicious of me, but I seized the opportunity and pulled out a letter from my bag. It didn’t bear a wax seal; it was a simple piece of paper, folded three times. It seemed to pique the young man’s curiosity a bit.

“What does the letter say?” he asked.

“It’s apparently a recommendation of sorts. This goes without saying, but it’s just a plain letter. It should be safe to present to Headmaster Glen.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” He took it from me and shot me a look of ridicule.

The man’s handsome appearance contrasted starkly with his rude words. I could already imagine what a headache it would be to deal with him in anything but a limited capacity. His eyes squinted as he began to examine the folded paper. A shadow crossed his face and his long eyelashes began to quiver. I found myself a little annoyed at how glamorous he looked during our whole exchange.

“It certainly doesn’t seem to contain any sorcery... Now for the contents...”

As soon as he said that, I activated Little Palm, a spell with no elemental affinity, and stole back the letter. I cast the spell without any incantation and used the lowest amount of mana possible so that the young guy in front of me, who seemed to be a high-level sorcerer, couldn’t detect it at all.

“I don’t want to trouble you, so I’ll deliver it.” With that, I activated a new spell. In return, he quickly began preparing a defensive spell of his own, as if to tell me that I wouldn’t catch him off guard again.

“Air Mail,” I said softly. Instantly, the letter floated and then flew toward the highest floor of the castle, as if it were being pulled there by a string made of mana. The young man could only stare, stunned, as it disappeared from sight.

This situation is growing too tedious to deal with. I should leave before he focuses on me again. I quickly left, pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Interlude: Speyside

What a strange woman. Her black, silky hair is already a rare sight around these parts. If I had to guess, she’s probably in her late teens, but she acts as if she’s older than me.

The woman was slender, and she possessed a sharp pair of eyes. Her posture was as good as a soldier’s. She conducted herself so boldly that even though she hadn’t arrived in a carriage, I’d initially assumed that she was a noble. But once we started talking, I quickly realized that she was a commoner.

Just like how anyone could take the entrance exam to enroll in the academy regardless of their social status, the school could hire instructors irrespective of their status as well. But from a logical standpoint, this school was for sorcerers of the highest ability, so most people here were of noble birth. All of the instructors were first-rate sorcerers, and the majority of them came from the families of marquesses or counts.

As such, it was unheard of for a commoner—one who didn’t even belong to the school, no less—to request a meeting with the headmaster. I figured that the woman must either be a swindler or a lunatic, so I tried to blow her off and get her to leave, but seemingly as a last resort, she produced a letter.

The paper was pure white and of an unusually high quality, so it caught my attention. But while I was distracted by these details, she used sorcery to snatch the letter from me. I had no idea what spell she’d cast, and I hadn’t even heard her use an incantation. Unbelievably, her use of sorcery hadn’t even registered to me until after she’d finished casting the spell.

This situation had never happened to me before. It discombobulated me and sent my heartrate into a frenzy. I immediately tensed up and lowered myself while beginning to recite an incantation for a defensive spell.

“I don’t want to trouble you, so I’ll deliver it.”

As soon as she said that, she activated a spell I’d never seen before and levitated the letter into the sky, leaving me stunned as I watched it fly away. Though this was the second time she’d used sorcery in front of me, I had absolutely no clue when she’d done the preparation needed to cast it. There was no way she could have been using incantationless sorcery. She must have just been shortening incantations to the absolute extreme. With my specialty in water sorcery, I could use shortened incantations, but even then, her spells activated more quickly than mine. I couldn’t comprehend how she was doing this.

“Who...are you?”

I turned back to look at her, but all I saw were the familiar stones of the academy’s road and walls. The woman had disappeared without a trace.

Interlude: Glen

A pattern of light-colored stones formed the walls of my office. The room had a vaulted ceiling and thick wooden floorboards. Its only source of light was an old lamp powered by a magic stone, which cast its glow upon old wooden furniture. All of the objects in this room were well used and had many years of memories attached to them.

Through the window, I could survey the expansive academy, which had become somewhat of a second home to me. I groaned from my seat at my antique wooden desk as I glared at today’s paperwork.

“Why are there always problems?” I expelled a mixture of a groan and a sigh.

I wanted nothing more than to just take it easy in my office, sipping tea while leisurely doing work. I couldn’t do that, though, when problems occurred every single day. I knew the causes, but they were incredibly difficult issues to fix, which is why I’d kept putting off trying to resolve them.

The first root cause of the school’s problems was the fact that the instructors were too egotistical. Because their jobs involved teaching talented sorcerers, the instructors we hired needed to not only be first-rate sorcerers themselves, but also to demonstrate results in their research of sorcery composition. As a result, all of them were bullheaded eccentrics. On top of that, many of them had simply become teachers to gain the special privileges offered by the academy, so they barely put any effort into their classes.

The other fundamental issue was that the students also had inflated egos. The public perception of people recognized as talented sorcerers was that they were essentially guaranteed a great future. That meant that the royal and noble familes alike strove to become skilled sorcerers in an effort to improve their stations or prevent their families from falling behind. Thus, the majority of students who spent their years at the academy and become high-level sorcerers naturally ended up being from noble families.

On top of being born as nobles, these students had enough skill in sorcery to graduate from Fiddich Academy, which itself was a high achievement. It was only natural that they would be full of themselves, especially at such a young age.

When students inevitably got into disagreements and butted heads, they always ended up using sorcery, regardless of whether their issues were with fellow students or instructors. Despite the strict rules and punishments of the academy, neither party in an argument would ever back down with their pride as a noble on the line.

The most effective way to deal with this predicament would be to mete out punishment equally, regardless of social status. However, that was easier said than done given that the leaders of the six great countries all sent their children to attend the academy. If we acted too harshly toward them, their parents—our patrons—would not stay silent.

Essentially, our system of schooling was prone to problems due to the way it was constructed. With that context in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but cradle my head in agony as I read a new complaint that an instructor had submitted to me regarding an incident between a student and another instructor. The report presented the grievance in such a juvenile fashion that it was hard to believe an adult had written it.

The report, which spanned multiple pages of high-quality white paper, could be boiled down to two sentences: Although this instructor is only the third son of a baron, he had the audacity to be rude to the second son of a duke. How will you deal with this, knowing that it will affect the survival of this academy?

I let out another sigh after I finished rereading the complaint. “How should I know?”

From what I could tell purely from the report, it didn’t seem like the second son of the duke had done anything wrong. However, based on his previous evaluations and what I’d seen from observing the classes he was in, he had to have been at fault. His instructor, Strath, wasn’t very expressive, friendly, or soft-spoken, but he also wasn’t one to discriminate or treat anyone differently. He simply spoke very bluntly about others’ flaws and strengths. Though he didn’t care much for forming relationships with others, he wasn’t by any means a bad person.

In contrast, Bahrel, the second son of a duke in the Kingdom of Karvun, generally had a very poor reputation. He only attended classes he felt were necessary and skipped the rest. He also threw tantrums any time he was reprimanded or warned.

The worst part was that Bahrel was actually talented in sorcery, and he had top marks in certain subjects. Due to his status and talent, there was an ever-increasing list of instructors who kept their distances from Bahrel because he was annoying to deal with and impossible to reprimand.

“Would it be best to expel him?” I wondered out loud.

There was precedent for expelling students who were especially big troublemakers, even if they were royalty. However, doing that guaranteed a diplomatic headache. My experience told me that the situation would certainly become more troublesome if I expelled Bahrel. After all, royalty and dukes were the highest of the high in regard to status.

“Well this is quite the conundrum...” I leaned back in my chair and huffed.

Seriously. Nothing but problems. Suddenly, I sensed an unusual mana signature.

“Hm? This is non-elemental sorcery. How unusual,” I muttered as I looked through the window to find a birdlike piece of paper flapping its wings.

I waved my finger, using a non-elemental spell of my own to unlock and open the window. The paper bird flew in and fluttered down onto my desk at once. That’s when I realized that this was not just an ordinary letter, but a letter of introduction. I gasped when I saw the name of an old friend.

“Owain Millers? I haven’t heard that name in a while... The brusqueness of his writing hasn’t changed one bit,” I said with a smirk.

His letter was very short to begin with, but the actual introduction was a single line: “I’ve taken on my first apprentice, but she’s learned too fast, and now I’ve run out of things to teach her. Hire her as an instructor.”

“He’s trying to brag about his apprentice, isn’t he?” I muttered grumpily while stroking my beard.

The more times I read his letter, the more my disbelief grew. Owain Millers was from the same village that I was, and in addition to being my friend, he was a fellow great sorcerer. However, I was a half-elf and now an old man, while he was a rare, pure-blooded elf whose mana and skill both exceeded mine. And now, he had taken on an apprentice.

Owain was single-mindedly devoted to his research. It was hard to believe that he would have ever given up time doing his experiments to teach another person. If there was someone out there who had been able to capture his attention, they had to be overflowing with talent.

“The last time we met was thirty...no, forty years ago. If he speaks so highly of this person, they must have spent at least thirty years learning from him and gaining his knowledge.”

This piqued my interest. As headmaster of the academy, I’d met all sorts of people, but this type of person was a first for me. If Owain had taught them, then they were definitely more than qualified to teach here. Plus, it was possible that all of the students would behave in the class of such an overwhelmingly powerful teacher.

“I’d very much like to meet them. Are they already on their way? Hm... The letter says that it’s just his disciple coming here, but if they delivered the letter to me, where are they?” I tilted my head and began examining the other side of the paper for a hidden seal or any other clues to this mysterious person’s identity. In the midst of my inspection, I heard a knock at my door.

“Yes?” I asked.

The door opened and Speyside, the instructor of water sorcery, entered.

“Pardon me for interrupting,” he said. He bowed deeply before approaching. “A little while ago, there was a suspicious woman who sent a letter-like object flying up here, so I’ve come to check on you.”

“A suspicious woman? You saw who sent this? Where did she go?” If she was by herself, then she must have been Owain’s disciple.

Speyside shook his head. “I’m not sure. She didn’t have any identification, and she kept asking to meet you, so I told her to leave.” His face broke out in a sneer.

“Oh no...” I groaned.

From the attitude he’d adopted toward this woman and how he was making fun of her, I had a sinking feeling. Did he really send her away?

“Sh-Should I not have?” Speyside asked, grimacing as he noticed my reaction.

Speyside had an elitist personality. I doubted he’d ever treat someone who didn’t have identification with respect. Usually the academy’s guards helped to greet visitors at the gate, but Speyside had business outside the academy today, so he must have coincidentally run into her there. What horrible luck.

“That woman is the apprentice of a friend of mine. She’s a very important visitor. She’s most likely still in the city somewhere. Find her and bring her to me at once.”

Hearing this, Speyside grew pale and straightened up.

I might have spoken a bit too forcefully out of panic.

“I-I’ll find her immediately!” Speyside exclaimed.

I watched as he burst out of the room and rushed away.

“If she knows flying sorcery then we may be out of luck. She may have already left,” I said as I turned to gaze out the window. I breathed another heavy sigh and prayed that Speyside would be able to immediately find the woman he’d turned away.

Aoi

I walked along the pristine, stone-paved road and felt my spirits lift as I observed a plethora of stores spreading out before me. This city was called Winturbly, and it was a special autonomous region of the Kingdom of Vahtedd. Since it was the continent’s biggest hub of commerce and the home of the best sorcery academy in the world, it fell under the protection of all six great countries.

There was next to no chance that this area would ever get mixed up in a war, and due to the sheer number of high-born students from all six great countries studying here, it was very affluent. The city’s lavishness had grown even further due to the fact that merchants from all over the world came here to sell their wares.

Winturbly was naturally a popular tourist destination. Its largest road, Main Street, was as lively as a festival. I strolled past vendors selling grilled meat skewers, and the mouthwatering aromas filled my nose while the sizzles called out to me temptingly. I also saw an assortment of restaurants selling fried foods and freshly squeezed fruit juices. Beyond them lay outdoor stalls selling precious metals and clothes made of luxurious spider silk. Some stalls even sold weapons, shields, and armor.

The people milling about were just as varied as the types of stores and goods being sold. Some of them sauntered around as if they owned the place. I could say without a doubt that this was the liveliest city I’d experienced so far. I recalled that at the entrance of the city, there had been stores that sold slaves, carts, and tamed magic beasts as well. I’d heard that there were underground casinos too, which meant there was a high probability that a mafia-like organization operated here.

“I guess there are always two sides to every coin,” I said under my breath.

As I continued down the street, something caught my eye. In a dirty, dark alleyway, which stood in stark contrast to Main Street, I could see what looked like a pile of worn-out rags. I strained my eyes against the darkness and quickly realized that this wasn’t an object someone had dropped, but rather a person who had collapsed. I dashed toward them and began preparing to cast a healing spell.

“Are you all right? Are you—”

As soon as I called out, a woman burst from beneath the cloth with her arms spread wide, a curved sword in each hand.

“Don’t move,” she commanded.

My first thought as she brought the tips of the blades to my throat was that she had a surprisingly low voice for a woman. From what I could glean from the way she carried herself, she wasn’t skilled enough to hurt me or measure up in a fight, but I decided to listen to her for the time being.

“Who are you?” I asked. “I only arrived in this city today, and I don’t think I’ve done anything to get on anyone’s bad side just yet.”

She sneered at me. “You still don’t get it? There’s nobody hurt or sick here—just a fool who got duped.” She tried to stifle a laugh, and the act twisted her face into a grimace.

A moment later, two men appeared from farther down the alleyway.

“Oh, not a bad catch.”

“This must be our reward for working so hard.”

The two of them greeted me with contemptuous smiles as they scrutinized my face.

“I don’t really have much money on me...”

The three assailants burst into laughter. The two men held up chains and what looked like an iron collar.

“You stupid country bumpkin. We’re selling you!”

“You’ll probably easily go for at least two gold pieces.”

As they cackled and approached me with the shackles, I sighed and opened my mouth, ready to fight back. Before I could act, though, a gust of wind roared through the alleyway. It roped around my would-be kidnappers, binding their bodies and stopping them in their tracks.

This must be the wind spell, Bind. Whoever cast this has great precision. Usually with this spell, the targets could still move their hands, fingers, or at least their necks, but in this case the bound criminals literally couldn’t move a muscle.

“Are you all right?” a man asked me in a deep voice.

While the two trussed men broke out into cold sweats from being unable to move, a tall man walked over, unhurried. His silver hair practically sparkled even in the dim light of the alleyway. He wore a black sorcerer’s outfit, which looked like a cross between a suit and a robe. His chest and right shoulder both bore the crest of Fiddich Academy woven with golden threads. Judging by his outfit, I assumed he was an instructor. Owain had told me that although instructors could generally wear whatever they liked, in formal situations, they often had to don this outfit, which the academy provided.

“I’m okay. Thank you,” I said. I pinched the flat sides of the blade tips menacing my throat, and moved them away.

The woman who’d threatened me was currently crying from fear, but I paid her no heed and stood up, pushing her out of my way. I turned and met the gaze of the man who’d come to my aid, who stared back with a furrowed brow and a look of confusion. He was handsome, but his eyes were extremely sharp, and he appeared to be in his late thirties. With his black attire, he looked almost like an assassin.

As I studied his appearance, he slightly turned his head to the side, his mouth open. It was a surprisingly adorable action.

“You resisted my spell? Are you a sorcerer?”

“Yes, I am. I tried to enter the Fiddich Academy grounds today, but someone with blue hair stopped me at the gate.”

“Blue hair? Speyside, huh? He... Never mind. I’ll take you there. Follow me.” He promptly turned around and began walking away, seeming to accept my words without question.

“Hey, wait!” I blurted out.

The man looked back at me. “Oh. These riffraff? I’ll alert the guards. Until then, they’ll stay like this.”

“No, I wasn’t concerned about that. I wanted to ask your name. Mine is Aoi Konominato.”

He raised an eyebrow before turning around again. “I see. I’m Strath Clyde. I’m an instructor of wind sorcery. Due to how large the academy is, I doubt we’ll run into each other much, but feel free to come to me if you need anything,” he said brusquely before beginning to walk again.

He’s probably the type of person who’s socially awkward but kind. I smiled and followed him, fixated on the way his silver hair swayed with each step.

◇

When we returned to the academy, Strath finally led me past the gate and the thick walls. Soon, the massive castle and its spires dominated my field of vision as we approached.

“Whoa...” It was impossible not to let that exclamation slip as the grandeur and magnificence of the academy dazzled my senses. It was truly a sight to behold, especially under the sunlight that filtered through gaps between the clouds. As I took everything in, I heard a voice from behind me.

“Are you coming?”

I turned around and saw Strath standing in front of a house-like structure behind the academy gate. Next to him was a short old man. I walked toward him and fixed my posture before speaking.

“Hello. My name is Aoi Konominato. I’ve come under orders to be an instructor here. Could I possibly meet with Headmaster Glen?”

“Oh, you’re quite young, little lady. Are you sure you’re not a student?”

“I’m actually twenty years old, for your information.” Strath shot me a look of surprise. “I mean, I’m actually twenty years old, sir,” I said, softening my tone. I was used to this—plenty of other people had assumed I was younger than I actually was during my journey to the academy.

Strath exhaled, but his look of surprise didn’t fade. “You’re...four years younger than I am? You don’t look like you’re the same age as my younger sister.”

“Huh? You’re twenty-four years old?” I asked, shocked as well. I’d honestly thought he was in his thirties. Now I felt bad. We silently stared at each other until the old man smiled.

“All right, I understand the situation. I actually received a message from the headmaster not too long ago. Professor Strath, please take her to him.”

Strath and I both nodded in reply.

◇

We walked along the thickly carpeted halls of the castle-like structure as we made our way to the top floor. Countless magical lamp fixtures illuminated the intricate stone walls and ceiling. Every part of the construction of this academy—even the hallways and the stairs—was so abnormally spacious that it exuded an air of lavishness.

Are the classrooms also going to be this large? At least that would explain why the academy is so huge. I wouldn’t have been surprised if gymnasiums, stadiums, and training grounds lay at the bottoms of its myriad spires. But the biggest thought that occupied my mind was how this was the first time in about twelve years that I’d stepped foot in a school. It was quite the emotional experience...even if every aspect of this school, including its teachers and students, was different from the one in which I’d taught.

“We’ve arrived,” Strath said as he came to a stop.

While I’d been gawking like a tourist, we’d reached our destination. Behind Strath, who’d turned to face me, stood a set of oversized double doors which stretched up toward the lofty ceiling. The doors were made of a black metal adorned with silver decorations. Though they looked extremely heavy, to my surprise they automatically opened inward after Strath knocked on them.

We entered a large but unexpectedly normal room with simple decorations. Like the hallway, this room had a high ceiling. Well-stocked bookshelves and large windows lined the walls. Up until this point, the smell of stone and bark had filled my nose, but this room smelled more like a library, a mixture of wood and books. Deep in the room, an elderly man with a full, white beard sat at a desk that was about three meters long. He raised his head to look at me and then spread his hands with a grin.

“Oh, are you the one who sent this letter? You’re quite the lovely young lady. I’m Glen Mohrt, the headmaster of this school.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Aoi Konominato. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me even though I arrived unannounced.”

Glen waved a hand. “It’s no problem at all. So tell me, how is Owain Millers doing? It’s been decades since I last saw him,” he replied happily.

“He’s doing almost too well.”

Glen seemed to be quite amused by my answer. He nodded over and over while chortling. “I’m not surprised. Unlike me, he’s a pure-blooded elf. I’m sure both his appearance and his mana levels haven’t aged one bit.” He smiled as he picked up the letter in front of him. In a flash, a pair of glasses appeared on his face, and he promptly adjusted them with his fingers before continuing to speak. “He writes that he’d like you to be an instructor here, but did he make a mistake? Did he actually want you to be a student?”

“There’s no mistake. I don’t mean to be rude, but according to Owain, there’s nothing that I could learn from the academy as a student. He said that the best way to accomplish my goal of gaining more knowledge is to work here as an instructor. Plus, it would be a little hard for me to enroll as a student at my age.”

“Oh? Would it be all right if I assess you?”

“By all means.”

After getting my approval, Glen cast an assessment spell, and I began to feel strangely itchy. Most people who had such a spell used on them would only feel a discomfort so slight that they might not even notice it, but people like me with high mana levels could acutely detect the sorcery. For the record, if there was too much of a difference in mana levels between the caster and the target, the spell would be repelled. The fact that the spell worked on me proved that Glen was a very impressive sorcerer. When the assessment spell took effect, Glen’s eyes narrowed as if he were reading a book with small text, and then a look of bewilderment took hold of his features.

“I can’t believe my eyes. You have more mana than I do, and there’s a part of it which even I can’t assess. You remind me of the six heroes of legend,” Glen remarked in a subdued voice.

Strath, who had been silent this entire time, spoke up with a look of wonder. “The...six heroes? Are you sure?”

Glen let out a long exhale. “Yes. It also would seem that she’s actually twenty years old despite her youthful appearance. It’s astounding that she’s not too much younger than you are, Strath.” The rude comment flew from his mouth effortlessly.

“It’s very hard to believe...” Strath responded even more rudely.

I’d been treated like a child many times on the way to the school, so this wasn’t exactly unusual, but I still couldn’t help but glare at them. “Is there something wrong with my age?” I grumbled.

Glen and Strath jumped a little bit and gulped.

“N-No, nothing wrong. Nothing at all,” said Glen.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it,” added Strath.

They both quickly apologized. I wasn’t sure why, but Glen had a similar energy to Owain. Because of that, I might have ended up unconsciously treating him like my mentor. I knew neither Glen nor Strath had meant anything malicious by what they’d said, so I decided to forgive them.

“So, will you hire me as an instructor?”

Glen’s face stiffened. “Y-Yes. However, just because you can cast sorcery, it doesn’t necessarily mean you know how to teach it. First, how about you try teaching me a spell that you consider yourself proficient at? And don’t worry, even if you’re unable to teach sorcery, you could still teach other classes such as language, geography, history, culture, or magic tools.”

“I suppose I’ll demonstrate a water spell, if that’s okay.”

“Yes, go ahead. The majority of our instructors teach water, fire, and earth sorcery. If you’re at least able to teach up to mid-level spells and can show me how you’d give a lesson on one of your favorites, then I’ll have absolutely no problem hiring you as a sorcery instructor,” Glen said excitedly.

I could tell from the look in his eyes that he had great expectations for me. Though I found Glen’s almost adolescent energy strange, I tried to shift my focus to what spell I could actually teach.

It’s probably best to teach a spell which has principles that are easy to understand. “In that case, I’ll teach Flowing Orb.”

“I see. A mid-level spell.”

I nodded and held my palm out facing upward. Soon after, a ball of water began floating above it. I could tell that Glen and Strath were extremely impressed, and I launched into my explanation of the spell.

“When using water spells, the first thing you need to do is learn the special properties of water. In general, there are three fundamentals: the amount, the shape, and the speed of the flow. You should use a good amount of water, match the shape to the application you’re aiming for, and keep a steady speed. By doing that, you can use Flowing Orb as a very flexible spell in many different kinds of situations.”

“I see.”

As both Glen and Strath bobbed their heads along with my lecture, I changed the shape of the floating water, creating a tube that extended from the bottom of the sphere. I gradually made the cylinder thinner and thinner.

“If you can change its shape, maintain it, and raise the rate of flow to its absolute limit, you will be able to make it into something that’s on par with a high-level spell. If you mix in a powdered abrasive, then you can even make it into an elite-level spell, Abrasive Cutter, which is easily capable of slicing through an orichalcum shield or armor.”

“W-Wait!” exclaimed Glen.

“Is there something wrong?” I asked, frowning. I’d thought that the explanation was going smoothly.

“N-No, it’s just that although you explained some very impressive content smoothly, I’ve never actually heard of this Abrasive Cutter spell that you mentioned. In the first place, who even came up with the idea of mixing an abrasive with an already activated spell?” Glen asked, wide-eyed.

“You haven’t heard of it because it’s a spell I made up on my own.”

“You made it up?!” Glen gasped.

“An original spell?” Strath added.

The two of them once again stared at me in disbelief. My teacher, Owain, had told me that all first-rate sorcerers have an original spell or two that they’ve created, so I wasn’t sure why they were so surprised.

“Moving on, I’ll teach the fundamentals behind constructing the mid-level spell Aqua Sphere.”

“W-Wait a second! Why are you going back to that mid-level spell like nothing just happened?! Please teach me that original spell of yours!” Glen leaped to his feet, visibly shaken.

I guess instructors at a sorcery school go crazy when they see new spells. “But I’m in the middle of an exam to judge whether I can be an instructor, aren’t I? I’d like to demonstrate how I’m able to explain a mid-level spell so the students can underst—”

“Forget it! You pass! Hooray! Now teach me that original spell!” Glen howled as blood rushed to his head.

That was how I passed my instructor’s examination. No fanfare or anything.

◇

After that, I gave a light lecture on my original spell, and only after I’d promised to continue with practical lessons at another time was I allowed to leave. Glen, his face beaming with bliss, declared that I should be treated as an upper-level instructor and ordered Strath to take me to the faculty dorms.

Upper-level instructors were teachers who either functioned as heads of entire school years or managed entire subjects at the academy. They also received various perks such as priority use of in-school facilities and sometimes even personal research rooms. Apparently, their dorm rooms and salaries were also better.

From what I was told, usually the only people who were immediately hired as upper-level instructors upon their arrival to the academy were court sorcerers from foreign countries or authors of famous spellbooks. In those situations, the position was more of an honorary one, only offered as a way to attract them to the academy. In my case, I’d received the rank because I’d demonstrated an original spell.

I’d hesitated to accept the offer at first, as I believed that getting special treatment would only attract trouble. However, I couldn’t help but say yes once I’d heard that I’d get access to certain facilities, including a special library and my own research lab.

While I was lost in thought, we reached our destination. Strath stopped and turned around in front of the entrance to a medium-sized tower.

“We’re here. This building is for the female instructors. The first three floors are for general instructors. The fourth and higher floors are for upper-level instructors. If you have any other questions, be sure to ask the dorm mother.” He then turned to leave.

“Wait,” I said, calling after him. “Could you introduce me to her?”

The look on his face practically screamed that he didn’t want to. “Men aren’t allowed inside the women’s dorm. Even if I yelled, I doubt she’d come out...” As he rattled off excuses, a young, small-framed woman exited the tower.

She had long green hair tied into a single braid. Although she had pointed ears, my guess was that she was most likely a dwarf, not an elf. She wore adorably large glasses, along with what seemed to be a red and white folk outfit. I hadn’t seen this kind of style in this world yet, but it reminded me of the folk costume of Switzerland back on Earth. At first glance, she appeared to be about fifteen years old, but that’s just how most dwarves were—small and young-looking. After all, one’s appearance wasn’t always a good indicator of their age.

“Strath! What brings you here?!” she asked in a boisterous voice, moving over to him.

He made a big show of ignoring her and instead turned to me. “Good timing. This thing here is Elisa Woodford—an earth sorcerer. Despite this thing’s looks, it teaches mid-level and upper-level sorcery. You can direct all of your questions to it.” His words were rude but his tone was playful.

“Hey! Are you referring to me?!” Elisa asked.

Strath simply sighed and shook his head. “As loud as this thing might be, it’s not so bad. Noisy? Sure. But it’s not intentional. You may end up wishing to plug your ears, but this thing can help you out with whatever you need.”

As he continued to emphasize how sonorous Elisa was, she hopped up and down in protest.

“You’re calling me ‘loud’?! Don’t you think you’re being a little mean?! I demand better treatment! In the first place, the only reason I sound so loud is because you’re always so quiet in comparison! I was famous in my dwarven homeland of Gransanth for being a graceful lady!”

“I definitely never want to visit that country...” he said.

“Wh-What?!”

The two of them began bickering with each other, leaving me completely alone. As lively and entertaining as this was, we were getting nowhere, so I cleared my throat and turned to Elisa.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I’m Aoi Konominato. I’ll be under your care starting today. Could you possibly help me meet with the dorm mother?”

Elisa waved her hands in a panic. “O-O-Oh! I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you were an instructor! You’re very young!”

That’s like the pot calling the kettle black. I almost said that out loud, but I managed to bite my tongue and just tilted my head instead. Elisa sheepishly calmed down.

“Well, heh heh heh... Sorry for the late introduction, but I’m Elisa Woodford, a dwarf. You’re a human, right? I look forward to working with you! I-I’ll take you to the dorm mother’s room. Come this way,” she said. She bowed her head multiple times before turning to take me into the dorm.

Strath heaved a sigh and waved. “I’ll see you around, then.”

“Right. Thank you again,” I replied. The seemingly exhausted Strath shuffled away.

Elisa’s eyes were fixed on me, her interest evidently piqued.

“U-Um, are you royalty, by any chance?” she asked, stopping in her tracks.

“No, I’m not. Why do you ask?”

Elisa looked back at me in surprise. “Even when someone from a duke’s family became an instructor here, we heard about them taking the exam beforehand. Also, most of the time after taking the exam, people will stay in regular hotels in the city while waiting on the results instead of going straight to the dorm. That makes me wonder if you’re actually someone with a very impressive background.”

“I don’t really have much of a background. I’ve just spent most of my life training as a sorcerer.”

“Huh?! Really?! Well, the only room open on the general instructors’ floor is the one next to mine. Are you going to teach mid-level or higher-level sorcery? What element?”

“Water.”

“Whoa! Water, huh? The most popular types of sorcery classes are water and fire! I’m so jealous! Earth sorcery is so boring and plain...”

The loquacious Elisa guided me through the dorm until we finally reached our destination.

◇

“I’m Gleanorra Nobascotia, the dorm mother. The headmaster contacted me a little while ago. You’re Aoi Konominato, right?”

“Y-Yes... That’s me.” I shrank away a little as I saw who exactly was running the dorm.

A large woman with brown hair furrowed her brow as she looked down at me. She appeared to be in her forties and she was a little on the plump side, but the strength she emanated made me think that it was actually all muscle rather than fat. This woman could’ve passed as a female pro wrestler, yet she was the dorm mother. She looked me up and down with her piercing gaze.

“I see... I’ll take you to the last upper-level instructor room I have. Follow me.”

“Okay.”

A high-pitched scream of surprise sounded behind me. “U-Upper-level?! You’re an upper-level instructor?! But you just got here!”

Gleanorra silently walked over to Elisa and bopped her on the top of her head with a thud. A moment later, Elisa sank to the ground.

“Quiet down.”

“O-Okay. I’m sorry...” she said timidly.

I glanced back at Elisa as I followed Gleanorra farther into the tower. She scrambled to her feet and started slowly following behind us.

Mental note: Don’t ever talk back to the dorm mother.

◇

The three of us walked through the dorm, and the other women showed me the cafeteria, toilet, and bath, along with a library which was essentially a shared space. After that, we got into the elevator. I’d known they existed here, but this was the first one I’d actually been on in this world. It felt fairly different to ride in compared to the elevators on Earth. Because of how smoothly the cab ascended, it almost felt as if we’d become weightless.

When I’d entered the school grounds earlier, I hadn’t seen too many other people, but as the elevator doors opened, I caught sight of quite a few women wearing the school’s black uniform. Most of them regarded me with confusion.

“This is it,” Gleanorra said, stopping in front of what was most likely going to be my room. In the middle of the white stone wall, there were a comically large set of black doors decorated with gold.

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen an upper-level instructor’s room!” For some reason Elisa, who was standing behind me, was the most excited person here.

“Go ahead and open the doors,” Gleanorra said.

I grasped the handles. Though the doors were thick, they swung easily. Light poured in from outside, revealing the room.

“Whoa!” Elisa exclaimed.

I nodded, echoing her sentiment. The front wall of the room had a large glass window, through which I could see the picturesque spires of Fiddich Academy stretching up toward the blue sky. The room was also commodious and the ceiling provided far more headspace than I needed.

As I walked in and looked around, I noticed that there were three other doors inside. I passed by a round table and chairs in the corner of the room, then I opened the door closest to the entrance. Inside it was a changing room that led to a toilet and shower.

“Do all of the faculty dorm rooms have their own bathrooms like this?” I asked.

Gleanorra shook her head.

“They don’t! Only the upper-level faculty get them! But why are there two additional rooms on top of having a bathroom?!” Elisa questioned loudly, gesturing at the other doors.

“One’s a bedroom and the other’s a study.”

“I only have one room!” Elisa muttered, on the verge of tears.

Gleanorra snorted and crossed her arms. “If you don’t like it, become an upper-level instructor. Or go and stay at an inn.”

“They’re too expensive... Besides, your food is really good...”

The corners of Gleanorra’s mouth turned up a bit as Elisa let out her honest complaints. Elisa was an easy person to like.

“I’m okay with only having a bedroom. I don’t mind taking the room next to Elisa,” I said to Gleanorra.

She flipped around and looked right at me. “The headmaster gave you this room. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with him. But asking to change your room to one on a lower floor might rub the general-level faculty the wrong way. They’d do almost anything to become upper-level instructors.” With that, the dorm mother exited the room.

“She was giving me advice, right?” I asked Elisa.

“That’s right. Gleanorra might be strict, but she’s kind! Strath too! Oh, people say I’m kind too! Let me tell you all of the rules for the dorm!”

Elisa seemed to have switched gears, and she was back to being her cheerful self as she happily explained the regulations to me.

Chapter 2: Instructor

After I finished my tour of the dorm, Elisa and I went to the cafeteria and ate dinner together. By the time we finished eating, it was late. We’d spent more time together than we’d realized, so we said good night. From what I understood, the academy didn’t place a curfew on instructors, since many of them spent late nights holed up in their laboratories conducting research. I took advantage of this freedom to explore, and I set out on a stroll around the academy.

The night air was crisp, invigorating my walk. I observed how the castle-like academy centered around the school building. The right and left sides led to the male and female dorms, respectively. Since the academy was smack-dab in the middle of Winturbly, there were exits in all four cardinal directions. However, most of the time, the south gate was the only one that was open, and it was through there that the students and staff entered and exited the city. I also knew from my conversations earlier that the research rooms were on the northern side of the campus.

Few people were out and about at night, so the school was a mostly vacant but still well-illuminated space, giving my promenade a dreamlike essence. I looked up at one of the towering spires bathed in a multitude of lights. It reminded me of the Sagrada Familia, a Spanish basilica I’d seen on TV back on Earth. As I continued my walk, admiring the architecture, I suddenly heard sobbing emanating from the shadows. I tensed up, expecting to see a ghost or something, but what I found was much less frightening. As I moved closer and got a good look, I saw a small person with fluffy white hair and an equally snowy tail, garbed in black.

“A tail?” I whispered to myself.

As soon as I spoke, the person jolted their head upright and trembled, then they slowly turned around and looked up at me. Before me stood a female beastkin. Though her face and body looked the same as a human’s, she had animal ears and a tail. The reason her hair had looked fluffy to me was because her ears had been lying flat instead of perking up.

I figured she was probably around fourteen or fifteen years old. She looked adorable—small and slender with eyes that curved downward at the corners.

The beastkin began to back away from me in fear while tears streamed down her face. As she inched backward, I tried to calm her by speaking as warmly as I could.

“Are you all right?” I asked. She gulped, and I continued, “I won’t hurt you or anything, so come on out.”

The girl cautiously slunk out into the light. When I saw her condition, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Her skirt had burn marks, and her shoes were missing. I also saw some fresh cuts on her left leg. Sorrow and shame gripped her face, and she wouldn’t meet my gaze. I’d seen students with that same look before, back on Earth.

She’s being bullied. My brow involuntarily furrowed.

“Stay still,” I said as I extended my hand to her leg. She twitched a bit, but I ignored the motion and began to cast a healing spell using very uncommon light sorcery. “Curing Hand.”

A warm, gentle aura flowed from my hand. The girl’s eyes widened, then she stared at me in shock before looking back to her leg. The wound continued to heal, and the vestiges of blood on the outside dried and hardened before crumbling to dust. The sorcery left the girl with a perfectly healthy leg.

“All better. I guess I can’t do much about your missing shoes, but at least I can do this...” I murmured. I scooped up the stunned beastkin and put her on my back.

“Huh?! U-Um—”

As she sputtered, I realized that my actions were easy to misinterpret since I was a stranger. I’d undoubtedly frightened her by picking her up out of the blue. I looked over my shoulder and smiled at her as I trudged back toward the dorms.

“Your shoes are gone, right? You don’t have much of a choice, so relax.”

Surprisingly, she took my words to heart and calmed down. Slowly—very slowly—she rested her hands on my shoulders and then her body against my back.

Do I have any clothes or shoes that will fit a petite girl like this? I’m not especially tall, but I’m still bigger than she is. As I mulled over my wardrobe, a certain person popped into my head.

“Oh! I can go to Elisa.”

She could lend this girl some clothes and a pair of shoes. I had no doubt that a kind person like Elisa wouldn’t hesitate to help someone in need. I was almost blown away by my genius idea. With that decided, I made my way to the room of a woman I’d only just met hours ago.

◇

I stealthily crept toward Elisa’s room with the beastkin girl riding piggyback. There were a couple of close calls with other instructors, but once I got up to the second floor, I didn’t run into anyone else. Once we arrived at Elisa’s room, I knocked on her door and let the girl down off my back.

“Yesh? Who ish it?” came Elisa’s slurred voice from the other side of the door.

When she opened the door, she popped her head out, wearing a relaxed expression. By the way she wobbled, I could tell that she’d stumbled on her way over. She was obviously drunk.

Is it okay for me to show this side of an instructor to a student?

After thinking it over for a few seconds, I decided that this might actually be a good thing. If Elisa was drunk, then she might be more willing to lend the girl her clothes, no questions asked.

“Sorry to drop by so late at night. I was wondering if I could borrow some clothes.”

Elisa looked at me unsteadily and then noticed the girl beside me. Instantly, her face sobered and creases formed on her brow.

“Come in,” she said, opening her door wide.

“Y-Yes, Professor...” The girl flinched a little when she heard Elisa’s serious tone, but she quickly entered the room.

“You too, Aoi.”

I was surprised by how quickly Elisa had taken charge of the situation, and I followed her inside without protest. As I entered, the smells of alcohol and flowers struck my nose. The room was about five meters long and four meters wide, and the furniture was a lot more chic than I’d expected. Elisa’s lamp and accessory boxes had cute designs, but the table in the center of her room had a wooden cup of alcohol and a pile of snacks. The clash between the girly aesthetic and things I’d find in an old man’s room made for a unique abode.

Elisa had a singular chair in her entire living space. She offered it to the girl while she sat on the floor.

“What happened?” she asked compassionately.

The girl drooped her chin, on the verge of tears.

“Aoi?”

I began explaining what I knew of the situation while trying to be as considerate of the girl’s fragile state as possible. After I finished, Elisa fixated on her with a pained expression.

“You’re Shenley from the high school division, right? I’ve heard that you’re a serious student who’s earnest in your studies. Could you please tell me what happened?” Elisa asked delicately.

Shenley pursed her lips, tears running down her face. She either doesn’t want to answer or can’t. If it’s the latter, then... Elisa seemed to understand what I was thinking, and she shot me a brief, solemn look before almost immediately returning to her gentle expression.

“Well, why don’t I lend you some of my clothes for now, huh? How’s that?” she asked, patting Shenley on the head.

Elisa changed gears from questioning Shenley, and she had her pick out a set of clothes and change into them. While the girl donned her new outfit, Elisa came over and whispered in my ear.

“Aoi, I don’t have a shower in my room, and students aren’t allowed in the faculty ones, so could you...” She spoke in a joking tone, but I could tell she had only done so to lighten the atmosphere. Underneath the joviality, she was genuinely concerned about Shenley. I chuckled a little.

We went up to my room so Shenley could take a shower. Her eyes widened with surprise at the sheer size of my room, but she calmed down after scanning it a few times. Perhaps she was more used to seeing these kinds of lavish rooms than I was.

Elisa watched as Shenley silently disappeared into the bathroom to take a shower.

“It seems like she lives on campus, so would it be okay if she sleeps in my room tonight?” I asked.

“Generally, students have a roommate, but Shenley doesn’t have one, so that should be okay.” Elisa gave a sad smile as a shadow crossed her face. “Shenley skipped a grade to enter the high school division. That’s not particularly rare at a school like ours with a merit-based system, but some students may have had problems with her being a beastkin and having viscount status on top of that.”

“What kind of problems?” I surprised myself with how much anger filled my voice.

Is this racism? Or is it elitism? I can’t be certain, but there should be no tiers when it comes to your fellow students. I’d seen this behavior in Japan too. Merely observing the act of bullying was enough to send me into a rage due to its depravity.

Elisa noticed my bubbling fury and frantically waved her hands. “O-Of course, I don’t share those prejudices, though! It’s sadly inevitable that castes form based on not just how strong people are, but also their statuses, birthplaces, and races. Even I hear people cursing behind my back about how I shouldn’t be where I am because I’m a dwarf!”

“There are researchers who theorize that the reason dwarves and beastkin generally aren’t great sorcerers is because they constantly use the sorcery that their bodies naturally produce. As a result, they’re only able to release the small amounts of mana that are left.”

Elisa’s expression shifted into one of hopelessness. “Sure, some people believe that, but it doesn’t change the prevailing stereotype.”

Though she spoke softly, I could feel the force of her words. It was likely that she’d agonized over this problem for a long time and had thoroughly thought it through. She seemed defeated, having found no solution.

“I see. But at the very least, I think that kind of discrimination shouldn’t exist at this school.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Elisa replied with a sigh. “The high school division creates a rare and unique environment due to the composition of the students. After all, children from the royal families of the six great countries attend this school. Factions naturally form around them, whether that’s purposeful or not.”

“I see...”

We heard Shenley coming out of the shower, so I stopped talking about this heavy subject. Once she returned, the three of us shared snacks and small talk to keep the mood as light as possible. Eventually, Elisa left to go back to her room.

Shenley had calmed down quite a bit by now, and seemed more comfortable speaking with me. She began to tell me about the things she enjoyed, such as her classes, the school facilities, the well-stocked library, and so on. Since she’d become so relaxed in my company, I ventured a request.

“If you don’t mind...could I touch your ears?”

“Huh?!” she squeaked, pulling away from me.

I think I freaked her out. Apparently, this wasn’t something you should ask of someone you’d only just met. Her constantly twitching ears fascinated me, but I wasn’t going to force her to let me touch them. I sincerely apologized for my rudeness, and that prompted Shenley to open up to me even more.

Once she was back in good spirits, she accepted my invitation to stay in my room for the night, and I had my first sleepover in my new dorm room.

The next day, I woke up early on the floor of my unfamiliar room, deeply regretting not having done any food shopping. I dug around in my handmade magic bag and pulled out some ingredients.

I whipped up a stir-fry with rottwolf meat, vegetables, and salt and pepper. After that, I made a sunny-side up egg, sprinkled some salt onto it, sliced up a baguette with herbs, and put everything together for a simple breakfast. I was about to get out some homemade jam too when Shenley woke up.

“Good morning...” she said. She awkwardly approached and I offered her a chair.

“Good morning. Eat up.”

After wavering for a moment, Shenley sat down and took a forkful of the meat. As soon as she tasted it, her eyes sparkled.

“It’s yummy...”

After that, she eagerly dug into the other foods too. I beamed as I joined her. Even though I’d fried the meat until it was just a little burned on one side, it was still tender, and every bite burst with flavor. The spice of the pepper paired with the salt gave the meat a richness that the vegetables tempered, forming a culinary balance. The sweetness of the sunny-side up eggs provided a delectable contrast to the other tastes.

“After you’re done eating, would you like to walk to the school building together?” I asked.

Shenley hesitated for a bit, but eventually she nodded.

◇

Each time we passed a student as we made our way to the school building, I wished them a good morning. Only about half of them actually replied to me. Properly greeting others was basic etiquette that they all should have learned, which led me to believe that those who hadn’t replied might not have been raised well. As I pondered, Shenley looked up from beside me.

“A-Are you an instructor for a high school class?” she asked.

“Today’s my first day, so I’m not sure yet.”

“Huh? It is?!”

Shenley’s bewilderment amused me. We then entered the main school building and headed toward the headmaster’s office. Since there was still time before classes started, I asked Shenley to accompany me.

I didn’t know much about the different sections of the school building, but I noticed that the people we passed along the way had shifted from students to instructors. I continued to greet everyone who crossed paths with me, but the majority of them looked at me as if there were something on my face.

Eventually, we arrived in front of a pair of lavish, intricate doors.

“Excuse me,” I said as I knocked and waited for a response.

“U-Um, Professor Aoi?” Shenley asked, strangely tugging on my sleeve. Before I could answer her, Headmaster Glen called out for me to enter, so I opened the door.

“Oh, Aoi. Morning.” Glen was lounging at his desk, his hand raised in greeting.

“Good morning, Headmaster. I thought maybe I could jump right into observing classes today.”

“Well, I’d planned on using today to give you a tour of the academy, but if you’d prefer observing classes, then... Hm? Who’s that with you?” Glen asked, noticing Shenley hiding behind me. I placed my hand on her back and moved next to her. When he saw my companion, Glen raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, Shenley Le Rosentiel. You’re the beastkin who made the news for skipping a grade. Good morning. Are you and Aoi acquaintances?”

Glen spoke warmly, but I got a slight sense of more complicated emotions behind his eyes. Shenley timidly bowed her head and I shot Glen a sharp look.

“I have a few requests for when I officially begin as an instructor.”

From the look on Glen’s face, he clearly didn’t like where this was going, and he leaned back. “Nope! I can’t hear you! I have a horrible feeling about this! This is just like in my youth when Owain and I were summoned by the king of Karvun after completing a dragon extermination quest. During that audience—”

“For my first request—”

“Please, at least hear my story to the end! You’ve inherited some very troublesome traits from your mentor! I-I’m sorry! I apologize, so please don’t make that face! C-Can’t you see how old of a man I am? I’m such a sweet, old, old man. Please be nice to me!”

Glen didn’t want to hear my request so badly that he was trembling. It was kind of annoying, so I folded my arms and glared at him. In response, he straightened his back and sat properly so he could listen to me. Once it was clear that he wasn’t going to have another outburst, I uncrossed my arms.

“I detest discrimination. A place of learning has absolutely no need for any kind of prejudice based on race, status, or any other trait. Students should simply learn about sorcery, how to use it, how to live properly, and other general knowledge. Instructors should strive to understand their students and be good role models for them.”

“W-Well, yes. Ideally,” Glen said.

I took a step forward. “In order to be such a role model, I will call out anyone—regardless of who they are—if I see them bullying someone. In especially bad cases, I’m sure that a mere talking-to won’t suffice.”

“Eek!” Glen let out a shriek.

I’ll take that as him agreeing with me. “Which leads me to my second request.”

“O-Okay. I’m still shaking from how flustered I am...”

“I understand that this might be difficult for a school like this one where students come from different countries, but I’d like to have a parents’ day where they can freely observe classes. We’ll declare in front of the parents that we’ll punish their children if they misbehave.”

“Oh...” Glen pressed a palm to his forehead and leaned back again. In the meantime, I considered whether there was anything else I’d like to ask for.

I sighed. “I suppose just those two requests will do for now.”

“They’re already huge asks! I feel a headache coming on...” Glen said with a weak smile.

“So you agree, then? If not, I’ll make home visits even without the backing of the school.”

Glen chuckled and heaved a long, heavy sigh. “Well... I suppose I used to have the same sort of gumption as you, but now I’ve gotten into the habit of trying to avoid anything uncomfortable altogether. I think that with your strength, things might work out. All right, I suppose I’ll leave it to you to fix the morals of this academy.”

Glen stood up and walked over to us. He crouched down in front of Shenley and put a hand on her shoulder. Shenley appeared confused, but Glen greeted her with a kind expression.

“This is the first time we’ve spoken one-on-one like this. I’m Glen Mohrt, the headmaster of the academy.”

“Y-Yes, it’s an honor to speak with you directly like this...” Shenley said haltingly. Her uneasiness soon transformed into confusion as she watched the old man bow his head and knit his brow with sorrow.

“I’m truly sorry. I’ve heard about the bullying from some of the instructors. But...I’ve held off on acting due to the statuses of their families.” His apology sounded very heartfelt and genuine. I could tell that he truly regretted his inaction.

At first, Shenley froze up, but the sincerity must have struck a chord with her. She hung her head deeply, tears streaming down her face.

“You simply knowing about my situation and saying these words to me is...” She couldn’t finish her sentence through her sobbing.

Glen looked up, his face racked with sorrow, and then he lightly bowed his head.

“Is an apology all you’re offering? If so, then you’re still guilty.”

“Huh?!” Glen practically screamed as he jumped up a little. Even Shenley seemed surprised, though she was still crying. “I-I’m...guilty?” Glen asked, confused.

I nodded back at him and wrapped my arms around Shenley’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, but you didn’t do anything about her bullying despite knowing about it. If you truly think you’ve earned her forgiveness simply because you’ve apologized, you should think again. You’re an adult, so in addition to apologizing you should also figure out ways to improve the situation so that this never happens again. That’s what true sincerity is.”

“Oh...” Dejected, Glen slumped his shoulders.

“So now that you understand, I hope that you’ll have my back even if I go overboard.”

“I understand... You’ve truly inherited a lot of troublesome traits from your mentor...” Glen said with a wry smile, echoing his words from before.

I simply grinned back at him.

◇

Glen introduced me to another instructor so I could observe his lecture. I followed him to his mid-level fire sorcery class in the high school division. The instructor’s name was Féamus Grauss, and he apparently belonged to the camp of people who believed that one’s social status was everything. He was about forty years old and had short blond hair. A dignified aura surrounded him. He certainly both looked and acted the part of a noble.

I began to wonder if Glen sticking me with this instructor first was some sort of a challenge. He might have wanted me to have firsthand experience with what he’d been dealing with and to learn why it’d been so difficult for him to reform the academy. As I contemplated this possibility, Féamus entered the classroom ahead of me and began speaking to the students.

“Today, we have a special visitor—an additional instructor I’d like to introduce you all to. This is Aoi Konominato. Even though she’s only started today, she’s already become an upper-level instructor. Pay attention, everyone.” He shot me a glance.

I sighed at his snide introduction and entered the classroom. Up until now, the predominant smells I’d encountered in the school building had been of wood, stone, and cloth, but here a variety of scents that reminded me of incense and herbs swirled in the air.

I made my way to the podium and stood next to Féamus. As I took in the layout of the classroom, I saw rows of seats ascending in levels, like stairs. In them sat about twenty students, the majority of whom were nobles. All of them seemed perfectly calm.

While I surveyed the pupils, I introduced myself. “I’m Aoi Konominato, and I’m starting as an instructor here today. I specialize in water sorcery. Please feel free to ask me anything you’d like.”

Since this was my first day, I’d chosen a simple, standard introduction in order to see how they’d react. For some reason, Féamus responded by stretching out his open palm toward me.

“She’s a very, very rare case of someone who received the prestigious position of an upper-level instructor despite this being only her first day, and she’s a commoner on top of that. I’m sure she earned this honor as a result of hard work. Let’s give her a round of applause.”

Féamus’s malice toward me dripped from his words, and an awkward smattering of applause followed. As Féamus himself made a show of clapping loudly, a blond student sitting in the top row of the classroom spoke up. He was small in stature and had a look of impudence. Although he was part of the high school division, he could have only been fifteen years old at most.

“Is this some kind of mistake?” he asked Féamus after sizing me up. “I thought only the most distinguished sorcery professors or those in charge of entire grade years could become upper-level instructors. I doubt it’s possible for a commoner to become one.” His face distorted into a sneer.

As if he’d expected the student to say this, Féamus shrugged in an exaggerated fashion and shook his head. “That’s true. The position of upper-level instructor is usually awarded to the most distinguished sorcerers from among the greater nobles.”

I could see many of the students nod in agreement. Féamus smirked and looked at me. “Essentially, that means she’s talented enough to leap past these illustrious greater nobles and become an upper-level instructor herself. How impressive! You know, I would absolutely love to see a demonstration of her strength. How about all of you?” He turned back to the students, who let out boisterous cheers.

It was true that noble lineages typically passed down their talents for sorcery, so most eminent sorcerers were nobles. On the other side of the coin, commoners produced relatively few skilled sorcerers. This divide probably reinforced the nobles’ pointless haughtiness. Seeing a commoner like me in a position like this evidently didn’t sit well with them, and some might have even believed that I was faking my strength.

I let out a long sigh and fixed my eyes on the students. “First of all, allow me to say that I believe using your family’s title at a school is unnecessary. Of course, I also think it’s detestable to believe that you’re better than someone else just because of their race.” The classroom buzzed with murmurs. I simply surveyed the students and continued speaking. “That’s why I intend to fairly punish any and all troublemakers who treat people unfairly simply because of who they are.”

As I stressed my disciplinary policies to the class, the blond-haired boy from before clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked at Féamus.

“That’s what this delusional woman says, but what do you think, Professor Féamus?” he asked irritatedly. At first, I thought it was just him being rebellious against me, but the other young men around him also looked exasperated, their faces taut.

“Bahrel... Even if you’re speaking the truth, remember that you’re talking to an instructor. You mustn’t forget to choose your words with grace. However, allow me to properly teach you your place, Ms. Konominato.” Though he had a smile on his face, his eyes burned with anger.

“By ‘my place,’ do you perhaps mean the difference between a general-level instructor such as yourself and an upper-level instructor like me?” I asked, keeping a straight face.

As soon as the last word left my mouth, Féamus’s expression warped. He drew his staff from his belt and thrust it toward my face, beginning an incantation.

Fire sorcery, and it’s an offensive spell at that. “Using offensive sorcery not only on school grounds but also in front of students and toward a fellow instructor...this would easily be grounds for you to be fired at any other school. Freeze.”

Before Féamus could finish his incantation, I cast a spell of my own, binding him with invisible rope. He couldn’t move a muscle, and he stared in utter shock, essentially reduced to a tubelike inanimate object.

With Féamus immobilized, I turned back to face the class. Bahrel was just as wide-eyed as his professor was, but he seemed to have no intention of challenging me. The other students looked to one another, trying to figure out what had happened, and some of them glowered at me.

I met their stares and began my lecture. “Your skill in sorcery doesn’t determine your value. Don’t compare your abilities as sorcerers and your social statuses. Instead, work together and help each other become greater sorcerers. Of course, I also think that instructors should disregard statuses and earnestly help their students learn. Please do not hesitate to ask instructors for help if you need it. I’m sure you’ll be able to come to a better solution than if you try on your own.”

My voice echoed across the now silent rows of students. They seemed at a loss for words. I’d said my piece, so I was satisfied.

“Release.” I undid my spell, and Féamus found himself able to move once more.

“Wh-What was that?!” he barked in confusion, keeping his staff pointed at me while scowling.

“It’s time for your class to start, isn’t it? Please go ahead. I look forward to seeing how you teach in a way that’s easy for all of them to understand. This goes without saying, but if there are any students who can’t follow along, it obviously means you’re lacking as an instructor.”

I pressed Féamus with my words because getting him in line was a necessary step for ridding his classroom of discrimination. However, he clicked his tongue with annoyance and looked away from me.

“This is Fiddich, the world’s greatest sorcery academy. Anyone unable to follow my lectures isn’t worthy of being at this school,” he said before beginning to teach.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but surprisingly, the lecture’s contents were very simple. That might have been because although he was explaining mid-level fire sorcery, he was teaching it from the basics.

Or maybe he did take what I said to heart. I continued to watch from behind him with my arms folded.

◇

The rumors about how Féamus—a candidate for promotion to upper-level instructor status—had been defeated in a confrontation with a new instructor spread like wildfire. Soon after, I saw Elisa madly dashing over to me.

“A-A-Aoi?! Did you do something extremely crazy on your first day?!” she practically howled. In tears, she grabbed onto me, but she was so small and cute that I felt my protective instincts kick in. “Wh-Why are you rubbing my head?!” she yelled.

“It was a reflex.”

“Seriously?!”

Elisa was cute even when she was mad, so I couldn’t resist patting her head once more.

She puffed out her cheeks and moved away from me. “Please be serious! This isn’t the time to play around!” Elisa furiously waved her arms as she explained the situation.

“Professor Féamus is from House Grauss! He comes from a family of counts in the Kingdom of Karvun! Plus, there are rumors that he’s going to be promoted to an upper-level instructor soon! But you beat him up!”

“I didn’t do that per se...”

“Professor Aoi! Listen to me!”

Elisa went off, ignoring what I had to say. According to her, the six great countries were fighting a sort of proxy war through the academy. The prestige of a particular country would rise if it produced upper-level instructors or students who took elite sorcery classes.

The six great countries closely monitored any changes in the academy, and the noble instructors and students diligently strove to become the most influential voices in the school. If Féamus’s status within the academy increased, so would the value of House Grauss. However, now I’d supposedly “ridiculed” him, according to the rumors.

“I didn’t ridicule him. If anything, he ridiculed me.” We were in a place of learning, and I wished that everyone would treat it as such. This stupid fight over authority had no place at a school.

“Oh... I can imagine that,” Elisa said. She looked downcast for a moment, but her bubbly yet stern demeanor quickly bounced back. “However, you can’t fight nobles conventionally. Especially greater nobles! They’ll use any means necessary to get what they want. They might even kill you!”

“Okay. I’ll be careful.” A bemused smile crossed my face as I remembered that Elisa herself was one of those greater nobles.

After our discussion, Elisa took me to the cafeteria, where I soothed her while we ate an early lunch. The food was delicious, lavish, and completely free. I took advantage of that and helped myself to as much as I wanted.

In the afternoon, I got the opportunity to sit in on a wind sorcery class, which coincidentally would be taught by Strath.

“Thank you for allowing me to observe you,” I said.

“No problem...”

His response was a bit awkward, but nonetheless, I followed him out of the school building toward the large training grounds behind the academy. They were about as large as the typical courses for track-and-field sports back on Earth, probably around four hundred meters in circumference. Three-meter-high walls surrounded the area. By the time we arrived, approximately fifty to sixty students had already gathered.

“I’ll take attendance now,” Strath said, calling out the names of the students on his class roster.

He didn’t greet the students or even introduce me to them. Should I keep waiting until he does that? For the time being, I crouched down and ran my fingers through the reddish dirt on the ground. Once Strath finished taking attendance, he looked over at me.

“We’ll start class for elementary and mid-level wind sorcery now. However, before that, introduce yourself.”

“Huh?” I hadn’t been prepared for him to call on me. I quickly wiped the dirt from my hands and stood up. “My name is Aoi Konominato, and today is my first day here as an instructor. I look forward to working with all of you. Please feel free to ask me any questions you have about sorcery,” I said with a bow.

The students gave me scattered applause. Strath nodded, seemingly satisfied with the response.

“Let’s begin class, then. Form a line, face this way, and cast the basic wind spell Wind Touch.”

Strath dove right into his lesson without any real transition, and the students rushed to follow his instructions. They began their incantations and raised their hands by their heads. Some of the faster students immediately cast the spell. The best of them created a wind so strong that it was enough to push them back a bit. On the other hand, the less skilled students’ sorcery produced little more than gentle breezes.

How will he teach this class properly when there’s such a gap in skill levels? I watched in curiosity as Strath began switching the students’ positions, alternating them between those who were proficient and those who were not very skilled. After that, he had them cast the spell once more. This time, the overall strength of the wind increased.

“Wind sorcery is more powerful when multiple people cast it together. Even though you can’t see the wind, you should be able to sense its flow, shape, movement, and strength. You should have felt the way that the wind from the students next to you amplified yours. Commit that feeling to memory.”

After his speech, Strath cast the same wind spell the students had, creating a blustering gust. “You may believe that wind is something that you can’t perceive, but I think of it as something similar to water. If you need a sharp blade of wind, you can focus the burst you initially released to the tip of your hand and instantly narrow it.”

Strath demonstrated the technique, continuously compressing the wind. Once its force had grown powerful enough, he released it into the ruddy dirt, leaving a gash in the ground akin to a claw mark from a dragon. The students gasped in amazement and some bobbed their heads in understanding at his explanation.

The lecture was incredibly easy to follow. I had no doubt that all of these students would be able to learn mid-level wind sorcery. As I watched the class fondly, Strath cast me a glance.

“Professor Aoi, is there anything you’d like to add?” He’d once again spoken to me out of nowhere, which flustered me, but I quickly got myself together and activated a water spell.

“Mist.” The next moment, a thick fog hung in front of the students. “By adding mist to the air, you can visualize the wind. Let’s have you all go one by one and learn how to do this.” The students and Strath looked at me in surprise.

Strath put a finger to his chin. “I see... This certainly will make it easier to teach. It’ll also help them to better understand more complex spells,” Strath said. He cast a spell into the mist.

The students marveled as he created a swirl of wind that flew upward diagonally. They were all very impressed, but then they unexpectedly turned to me.

“Professor Aoi, can you show us your wind sorcery too, please?” one of the students asked.

I initially didn’t want to, but all of their eyes, including Strath’s, were locked on me. I guess I have to. The best way to sate their curiosity was to acquiesce, so I decided to demonstrate a fun spell that would also be helpful for their studies.

“Okay then, I’ll start with an elementary-level spell and then gradually add to it, so watch closely. Wind Twister.” I activated the spell in the center of the mist, creating a spiral of wind which gradually picked up speed. “Gather the wind and increase the amount. Let the force of the wind naturally drag the air in, and focus on minimizing the amount of force that escapes through the top.”

As I explained this, the wind that was sucking in the mist became a dome, and it roared as the strength built. Some of the students gulped and stepped backward, and then I raised my hand.

“You can freely choose the direction toward which the wind will release, so I’ll demonstrate that by sending it upward.”

A thunderous boom sounded as the dome of wind became a violent vortex that flew high into the sky, leaving the astounded students with their mouths agape.

Chapter 3: Rumors About the New Instructor

A rumor began circulating on campus that the sudden whirlwind that’d flown out of the training grounds had been a spell cast by the new upper-level instructor. However, it took a while for the gossip to reach my ears. Before I learned what the students were saying, I was focused on how happy I was that my first day had gone better than I’d expected.

“You look so happy, Aoi,” Elisa said with a grin.

“Not to toot my own horn, but I think I did pretty well for my first day.”

“You did! Even Strath said that you did a great job. So far you’ve observed a fire class and a wind class, so that leaves water and earth. Oh! Maybe you’ll be in my class tomorrow!” Elisa chirped.

I nodded and dug in to my evening meal: pasta with minced meat. Though it was a brown, unappetizing color and looked like it would sit like a brick in my stomach, it was surprisingly refreshing and delicious. Even the accompanying salad and bread had lots of flavor. I savored the meal while having another rousing conversation with Elisa in the dorm.

The next day, the rays of the morning sun filtered through the window, slowly coaxing me from my slumber in my soft bed. I surveyed my surroundings, which could have easily been the interior of a room at a fancy hotel. Outside of my upper-floor window, I could see majestic spires and castle walls that on Earth would have easily made this school a prime candidate for a world heritage site. As dreamlike as this scenery was, I needed to get up now. Apparently, I’d been a lot more nervous yesterday than I’d thought. It had all caught up to me last night, knocking me out like a light the moment my head had hit the pillow.

I drank a cup of water while still in my pajamas. Then, I washed my face and changed into comfortable underwear and my perfectly fitted uniform. I felt refreshed and ready to take on my second day of teaching.

I headed down to the cafeteria, where Elisa was already waiting for me.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning,” I replied.

We grabbed our breakfast. It was a rather odd menu—a meat pie, bread, and vegetable soup. Just like with last night’s dinner, it was all scrumptious.

After we finished eating, Elisa and I walked to the school building, where we saw Féamus waiting just past the entrance.

“Morning... I have a message from the headmaster. He’d like you to observe Mr. Ohde’s water sorcery class in the morning and then Ms. Woodford’s earth sorcery class in the afternoon. That’s all.” He left before I could reply.

“I don’t have any clue where the classroom is, though.” I guess this is his way of getting under my skin.

“The classroom for mid-level water sorcery is on this floor, all the way in the back,” Elisa said, hurriedly pointing. “Keep going down the right hallway and it’ll be at the end. Oh, and let’s have lunch together at the school cafeteria. I’ll see you there! Bye!”

Elisa dashed off, leaving me alone before I could even process what she’d said. I had no way to check the current time, but it was possible that I was running late. Now that I think about it, I don’t see anyone else around.

“Down the right hallway and it’ll be at the end, huh?” I repeated Elisa’s instructions aloud and briskly took off walking. The school was extremely large, though. Even traversing a single hallway took a long time. Just as I opened the classroom door, the bell that signaled the start of class rang.

“I’m very sorry I’m late,” I said as I entered.

“Oh, it’s you.” Standing at the instructor’s podium was the same handsome young man with blue hair whom I’d run into on my first day. “I’m Speyside Ohde, the instructor for this class.” He paused, knitting his brow before speaking again. “A sudden whirlwind rose from the training grounds yesterday. I believe it was an elite-level spell known as Aerial Gale. Am I wrong in assuming that you were the one who cast that?”

The classroom buzzed in anticipation, but I shook my head. “That was a mid-level spell of my own creation, which I then tweaked a bit. It’s not an elite-level spell.”

Speyside’s eyes widened slightly and the students exchanged looks before one of them spoke up.

“I’m Colt Hegge Battler, a third-year in the high school division. Original spells are already considered very difficult, high-level techniques, so I have a hard time believing that it’s possible to make a mid-level spell as powerful as an elite-level spell. Could you possibly explain how you did that?”

He spoke in an extremely polite manner, and interestingly, the rest of the students in the class went completely silent after hearing his question. Colt had red hair so light that it verged on pink. He was probably about sixteen or seventeen years old, stood tall and slender, and seemed very put together. I held my hand in the air.

“Since this is a lecture on water sorcery, I’ll use a water spell.” I cast Flowing Orb, the same spell I’d shown Glen.

The class began murmuring as I activated the spell, and I saw Speyside watching me with a stern look.

Colt watched my spell closely, very intrigued. “Amazing...” His speech rang out clearly even over the chattering of the other students.

After I finished my demonstration, Speyside got back on track and finally began the class. His lecture was quite simple, and he presented everything in a way that was easy to grasp. Though he wasn’t always direct with his points, he taught well and seemed to leave all of the students on the same page by the end. I was so caught up watching that before I knew it, class ended and he dismissed the students.

I have a good idea of how the instructors run their classes now. As I started to leave the classroom, Colt unexpectedly joined me.

“Professor Aoi, are you going to have lunch now?”

“Yes. I have plans to eat with Elisa in the cafeteria.”

Colt flashed a friendly grin. “If it’s not too much of an imposition, may I join? I’d love to learn some more from you.”

I couldn’t exactly say no, so I accepted.

“Huh?! Colt?!” Elisa’s surprised voice accosted me as soon as I entered the cafeteria. Colt awkwardly smiled. “Wh-What happened? D-Did Aoi do something again?”

“No,” I said. My tone rebuked her rudeness in assuming that I was some sort of troublemaker.

“I wouldn’t say that you did nothing, especially after coming in as a new instructor and demonstrating an original spell that was as powerful as an elite-level spell,” Colt said. The corner of his mouth crept upward.

Elisa face-palmed. “Aoi, you’ve become the talk of the school. It usually takes years and years to make even one original spell. Why do you keep doing things that make you stand out?”

“I didn’t think they’d make me stand out.”

“Of course they would! Well, there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Just try not to make too much of a scene from now on, okay?”

“Okay.”

Elisa breathed a sigh of relief. “Great!” she said. “All right, let’s have lunch!” With her worries eased, Elisa was now all smiles.

We sat down for lunch and I happily devoured the food in front of me. There was a meat cutlet with salad, onion soup, and bread. I’m so happy that every meal I’ve had at the school so far has been excellent.

As I ate, I noticed Elisa focusing on me.

“Aoi, aren’t you bothered by the looks you’re getting?” she asked as she glanced around and munched on her bread. “I already want to run away.” I cast my eye over the room. The cafeteria was spacious, with a tall ceiling full of skylights, so it ordinarily felt freeing to be in here. Right now, though, the overwhelming amount of stares directed at our table made the space feel much more cramped. The majority of the looks we were getting came from girls.

“It’s a bit uncomfortable, but I’m not really bothered.” I turned my focus to Colt, whom I suspected was the cause of our unwanted attention. The boy looked troubled.

“Sorry. I usually eat in a private room, so seeing me in a public cafeteria must be a surprising sight for everyone,” he quipped.

Elisa’s face stiffened. “I think it’s because you’re very popular with the girls...” she mumbled with a dry laugh.

As we talked more, I learned that Colt was the heir to a greater noble from the Colt Highland Federation, one of the six great countries. He always got top marks, excelled at sports, and was one of the more affable children of greater nobles in the high school division.

With those qualities, he was naturally a very desirable guy at this academy, since a lot of nobles’ daughters attended. It was an extremely rare sight for him to have a meal with others, and it was a big deal among the female students.

Ultimately, we decided that leaving would be too much trouble, so we stayed and enjoyed our meals while bathed in the angry and jealous gazes of the girls all around us. Elisa trembled the entire time, but Colt seemed amused by my unbothered reaction. While we did end up discussing sorcery, about half of our conversation was just small talk with Colt.

“Oh, yeah. You’ll be observing your first earth sorcery class this afternoon, right?” Elisa asked. She stood up and puffed out her chest while looking me in the eye. “My class! How great is that?” She waved her hands excitedly.

I couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness, but Colt sighed in disappointment.

“I have a different lecture this afternoon. How unfortunate. I hope to have another class with you soon! Have a good day.” Colt left the cafeteria.

He speaks so formally that it feels like he’s bidding us farewell during a ball or something, not at a school.

“He’s a very peculiar kid,” I said, smiling.

Elisa shook her head, looking exhausted. “You’re the first person I’ve ever met who’s had that impression of him,” she said with a smirk.

◇

As we walked to the classroom, I saw a familiar face—a cute girl with white hair and a tail. It was Shenley. When she noticed me, her ears perked up and her eyes sparkled. She didn’t speak, but her tail wagged.

“Good afternoon, class! I’m gonna start with attendance!” Elisa greeted her students cheerily and went through her class roster. When Elisa called Shenley’s name, the girl answered in a loud voice.

Once class began, Elisa started with a simple earth spell. She gradually progressed into more and more difficult sorcery until she finally demonstrated a mid-level spell.

“So, as you can see, the more advanced a spell is, the more flexibility there is in its application. For example, when you increase the complexity of spells that only change the shapes, sizes, hardnesses, or other properties of objects, their effects and potential uses become completely different.” In the midst of her explanation, Elisa turned to Shenley. “All right, Shenley. Can you tell us how creating a wall with earth sorcery will change depending on the difficulty of the spell?”

“Y-Yes! If it’s an elementary-level spell, it might only go as high as one’s waist and be as thick as a fist, but for a mid-level version it would be taller than the average person. I’ve heard that at advanced levels it can grow higher than three meters.” Although Shenley had been called on spur-of-the-moment, she was able to give a thorough answer.

Elisa beamed. “Very good! The height, thickness, and hardness of the wall will also change due to the amount of mana the caster has and their proficiency. When it comes to hardness, there isn’t too much of a difference between the elementary and mid-level versions, but there’s a significant disparity between advanced and elite-level spells. When an elite-level sorcerer casts Sand Wall, they can create something similar to a castle wall,” she said. The students gasped in amazement and she continued. “Though earth sorcery might be referred to as the boring sorcery, it’s actually an incredible and versatile branch. Let’s do our best to work our way from elementary-level spells all the way to advanced-level spells!”

The class cheered at Elisa’s pep talk. Shenley had a happy look on her face, but it gradually began to fall. Behind her, a boy with sharp eyes was speaking to a large-framed boy with blond hair who sat next to him. I couldn’t make out their exact words, but their conversation was loud enough to disturb the class.

“Um, Rox? Felter? Could I ask you both to quiet down a bit?” Elisa admonished gently.

The other students in the room turned to look, but the two boys she’d called out didn’t pay her any attention.

“You both are being a little too loud,” Elisa said, finally getting them to notice her.

“You talking to me?” the redhead boy asked, pointing at himself.

“Who else would she be talking to?” the larger boy snorted.

The red-haired student scratched his head and stood up. “We’re not middle schoolers, but you’re starting with elementary-level sorcery. It’s a waste of time, so what’s the problem with us talking while you go through that useless material?”

His reasoning was shortsighted, but he clearly believed what he was saying. I could tell that Elisa wasn’t sure how to react, but she tried to be understanding while stating her own position.

“I know that you already understand and can use some of the more difficult mid-level spells, but not everyone here can do that yet. There are students here who are taking mid-level sorcery classes for the first time, so please don’t interrupt their learning.”

As always, a smile accompanied Elisa’s words, but Rox clicked his tongue in annoyance and slammed his fist on the desk. The ensuing bang startled many of his fellow students.

“Then split up the class. There’s two of you, right?” He gazed at me with condescension. “You’re new here, but you can at least do elementary-level sorcery, right, woman?” He obviously wasn’t happy with the way Elisa ran her class. However, that was no excuse to disrespect a teacher.

I half smiled at Rox. “I’m Aoi Konominato, a new instructor. While it’s true that I just started here at the academy, I do hope you’re able to use your critical thinking to comprehend what it means to be accepted as an instructor here.”

Rox’s eyes grew wide, then he wrinkled his forehead angrily.

“You dare to look down on me? Do you even know who you’re talking to? Go ahead. Say it!” he demanded, staring daggers at me.

I inclined my chin. “I’m speaking with a student named Rox who has a bad attitude and argues using logic that’s too immature for even elementary schoolers. Did I miss anything?”

Rox jumped on top of his desk and used it as a springboard to leap toward me. “You’re dead!” he screamed.

I dodged to the side. “Freeze.”

As Rox landed, he shifted to try to strike me, but my spell took effect first. He froze up as stiff as a board and slammed into the floor.

Rox bellowed in confusion as he rolled around. The entire classroom fell silent and Felter, the burly student he’d been talking to earlier, looked astounded.

“Now then, this might be a little old-school, but I’m going to punish you for misbehaving.” I grabbed him by the belt and hoisted him up like a suitcase, carrying him outside of the classroom. Reduced to little more than an object, Rox could do nothing as I brought him out and placed him standing against the wall. He kind of looks like a poorly made poster... Not my best work, but oh well. “You’ll stay like that until class is over.”

I reentered the classroom and saw a sea of stunned faces staring back at me. Shenley looked anxious.

“I know you might feel bad for him, but if we let him continue like this, he’ll become a delinquent. He needs a little tough love. You all understand, right?”

The only person who responded was Elisa, who sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“You’re standing out... You’re standing out way, way too much...”

◇

With Rox in the hallway, the rest of the class went smoothly. Well, it was as smooth as it could have been under the circumstances, with Elisa’s close-to-crying voice mournfully echoing across the room, which apart from her was as silent as a wake.

After the class ended, I undid the spell. “Release.”

Rox fell flat on his butt. “Urk! Wh-What happened?” he muttered from the floor.

Felter walked over to him. “A student who underestimated a new instructor got punished. That’s it,” he said quietly while shooting me a glance.

Rox gasped and looked at me. “Y-You! Do you think you can—”

It seemed like he was about to burst into another fit of rage, but he shut up once I raised my hand toward him. Once it was clear that he’d stay silent, I spoke.

“School isn’t a place where you treat people differently because of their social statuses. Instructors are instructors. Students are students. That’s it. There are no other factors you need to take into account.”

“Do you even know how much money my family—the royal family—pays this school?” he growled as blood rushed to his head.

I smirked. “It’d be one thing if you were working and paying the school yourself, but aren’t you the least bit embarrassed to talk so high and mighty when it’s your parents’ money? Or is that part of your pride?” I intentionally provoked him to see what he’d do.

At first, he looked as if he’d taken the bait, but then he successfully held himself back.

“I’ll remember this. I’ll never forget how you made a fool of me, regardless of the reason.” Rox about-faced and stomped away.

Elisa had gone as pale as a sheet at this point. In the middle of storming off, Rox stopped and looked back, realizing that Felter wasn’t following.

“You coming or what?” he snarled.

Felter waved him off. “I have something I wanna ask this instructor.”

Rox glowered suspiciously at Felter, but after catching my eye, he huffed and left. After confirming that he was gone, Felter looked down at me. He was very tall for a kid—in fact, I suppose he didn’t really look much like a kid at all. His clothes were tight from his large muscles pressing against them. He also had a tail and a golden head of hair that reminded me of a lion’s mane.

“Are you a beastkin?”

“You got a problem with that?” he asked with a leonine glare.

I smiled and shook my head. “Not at all. However, I would be happy if you could squat down a little.”

The confused Felter bent over.

“Please pardon me.” Soon, a toothy grin spread across my face as I placed both my hands on his head.

“Wha—”

I ignored his noises of confusion and continued to pet his head. My objective then came into view. They were triangular, with rounded tips. Felter’s thick ears had bushy fur all over them. I imagined how soft they would feel.

“Th-These ears are so much more adorable than I imagined. May I touch them?”

“Of course not!” he screamed, his cute ears retreating from my hands.

“Aw...”

“Why do you look so disappointed?! Don’t do that!” Felter’s hair stood on end, betraying how guarded he was now.

Elisa rushed in, panicking. “I-I’m so sorry! Aoi is a bit of an airhead!” she stammered, trying to cover for me but rudely attacking my character in the process.

I suppose my hands moved before I could think. I’d already forgotten that patting the head of someone you’re meeting for the first time is rude. I’ll be sure to ask for permission first next time.

Felter regarded me with a blend of anger and uneasiness. “You’re a hard book to read, but...” He straightened up properly, disengaging from his combative posture. The boy exhaled before speaking again. “Your footwork, your defensive stance in relation to your opponent... To me, it looks like you know martial arts, not just sorcery. What do you practice?”

“The sword.”

Felter’s face brightened again. “Ever since I came here, I haven’t been able to find anyone good at martial arts. Everyone stands at a distance while practicing sorcery even if they’re good at fortifying their body with spells.” He made a fist and held it up to my face. “I’d love a challenge from someone else strong.” After baring his teeth in a ferocious smile, he took off.

His frame was imposing, but the way his tail swayed as he left was adorable. The cute swagger felt appropriate for a kid his age, and it amused me.

◇

“Aoi! Why did you do that?!” Elisa asked, in tears.

Shenley, who hadn’t left the classroom yet, also nervously approached. “A-Are you all right? Felter is the heir to a marquess in the Bushmills Empire, and Rox is...” Shenley began softly, her voice filled with worry.

Elisa began fervently nodding. “Rox Kilbeggan is from the Vahtedd royal family—they’re the people with the deepest ties to this school! And he’s the second prince on top of that!” Elisa clasped her head as if to keep it from shaking while Shenley took a frightened step back.

It had turned out that both Rox and Felter were from very important families in the six great countries.

“So both a prince and a marquess’s heir apparent acted like that in public? Maybe I should’ve been even stricter with my discipline...”

“No, you should’ve been more lenient!” Elisa wailed.

“Y-You shouldn’t involve yourself with them too much...” Shenley added.

Though both of them tried to sway me from my path of punishment, I remained firm in my position.

“School should be a place where everyone is equal. It doesn’t matter who your parents are or what country you come from; all students should study together in harmony and enjoy their school days as equals. Instructors are supposed to be role models too, so they should treat all students equally.”

“Um, didn’t you just say something about regretting not being tougher on him because he’s royalty?”

“That’s different.” I brushed off Elisa’s comment and turned to Shenley. “If anyone tries to act like they’re better than you, let me know, okay? Professor Elisa and I don’t care about the social statuses of the students here.”

“You’re including me too?!” Elisa’s protests hit a new volume.

“You wouldn’t help a student in trouble, Professor Elisa?”

Elisa looked like she was about to cry at my question, and she fell silent.

Shenley looked at Elisa apprehensively. “U-Um, you don’t have to help me... Just you worrying about me is more than enough...” Shenley spoke selflessly with tears in her eyes, practically melting Elisa.

The student’s pure words dealt a strong blow to Elisa’s kind heart. “That’s not fair... There’s no way I can say no after that...”

That was how Elisa ended up deciding to help Shenley.

◇

“Well done.”

That was the first thing that Strath said to me before he patted my shoulders approvingly. He wasn’t usually the type of person to show what he was thinking, but this time I could easily tell that he was happy.

“Huh?! Why are you complimenting her?!” Elisa asked. She flapped her arms up and down in exasperation.

Strath tilted his head. “What’s wrong with what she did? She disciplined those insolent students who were causing a disturbance in class,” he said. His face was dead serious.

Elisa rested her elbows on the table and cradled her head in her hands. As she hung her head, I looked around the restaurant where we’d met up. It was a roomy establishment, but the lighting was a bit dim inside. Patrons sat on leather couches at wooden tables. Plants decorated the walls and the supporting pillars. The servers comported themselves with elegance as well, making it easy to tell at a glance that this was a nice restaurant.

“Are we going to be able to afford this?” I asked. Though I still had some money that I’d earned during my journey here, I couldn’t picture my two companions having much on them. I could’ve sworn I remembered Elisa saying something to that effect to the dorm mother as well.

The two of them looked at me blankly.

“Instructors at Fiddich Academy receive a high salary! We can afford to eat out at least!” said Elisa.

“Now that I think about it, Aoi has yet to receive a paycheck,” Strath commented.

Elisa gasped. She might have thought I didn’t have any money for the meal.

“Oh, no. I can pay for myself. I just remember Elisa mentioning that she was concerned about the prices of lodgings in the city.”

Strath turned to Elisa, and she shrank from his gaze, not making eye contact.

“I’m barely scraping by with my research stipend, but an occasional meal won’t break the bank. It’s just my recurring fees that are kind of... Well, I’ve heard that upper-level instructors get paid three times as much as general instructors though...”

Strath sensed that Elisa wanted something, and he squinted at her. “No mooching, Elisa. Not only is Aoi younger than you, but she’s a new instructor too.” He shot down her unspoken request casually.

She scowled at him. “I’m older than you, you know? How about you pay some respect to your elder by sharing some of your research stipend with me?”

“Don’t become like her, Aoi.”

As hilarious as their argument was, it left me with a burning question. “May I ask you both something? I’m sure there are better ways to earn money using sorcery than being an instructor here, so why did you both choose to teach?”

They exchanged glances before answering.

“Well, there are a lot of reasons people become instructors, but there are two...no, three main ones,” said Strath.

Elisa jumped in to continue his explanation for him. “Some instructors do it for the sake of representing their homelands. For example, Professor Féamus Grauss aims to demonstrate the high skill level of sorcerers from Karvun and highlight the excellent standing of the counts in his house,” she explained, holding up her index finger. Then she raised her middle finger as well. “The second group of instructors teaches for the sake of their families. For example, there are a decent number of former nobles who have fallen to ruin and thus get looked down upon in their countries. Unfortunately, it’s more difficult for nobles who have fallen from grace to regain favor than it is for new nobles to earn it. People like that, who want to prove that they still have the same value they once did, also come to Fiddich academy to be instructors.” Lastly, she put up her ring finger. “The instructors in the third group teach for their own sakes. There are people who simply want to devote their lives to sorcery, those who have a certain type of sorcery they want to invent, and others who are just looking for someone to marry.”

Oh, I see. Things made a lot more sense now. “So, where do the two of you fall?”

“The third one,” Strath said.

“Same here,” Elisa echoed.

The two of them answered almost immediately.

“Could you both elaborate?”

Strath nodded. “There’s already an upper-level instructor from Vahtedd, and he’s a baron. Simply by becoming an instructor, he raised the prestige of his name greatly. That’s why I want to see how great of a sorcerer I can become.” He sounded like a protagonist from a shonen manga.

I smiled as he finished speaking and sipped his drink.

“I’m pretty much in the same boat,” Elisa said. “It’d be nice if Gransanth could produce more sorcerers, but right now, we at least have more instructors and students representing us than we did in the past! That’s why my goal is to try and invent a new type of sorcery.” She held a fist against her chest.

“A new type of sorcery?”

“Yes! You can use earth sorcery for all kinds of things like making roads, castle walls, and more! But the instant your mana runs out, they return to dirt. It’s the same no matter how powerful of a sorcerer you are. Even if you change the properties of the ground to turn it into stone, it’ll still crumble and fall apart. That’s why I want to invent a type of sorcery where the structure will stay intact no matter what! If I can do that, then we can create entire buildings and bridges!”

Elisa’s passion seemed to be giving Strath a headache. “Again with this...” he said. “How many times do I have to ask if it’s even possible for sorcery to last endlessly? Don’t you need to continuously feed mana to spells?”

“Anything’s possible when it comes to sorcery! I think that there’s potential in the lost magic circles of the ancients! To begin with, there are plenty of objects and buildings in the ruins that you wouldn’t think they would have been capable of making.”

The two professors erupted in a lively debate about sorcery.

“What do you think, Aoi?!” asked Elisa.

“Feel free to be brutally honest. Chasing after the impossible is a waste of time, and it’s just sad.”

“Can’t you be nice?!” Elisa roared.

They were really pressing me for an answer, so I stopped eating my chicken. “Well,” I said, feeling my lips curve into a smile. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea for Elisa to do this research. There are still weapons, pieces of armor, and buildings left from ancient times that used magic circles. However, magic circles cease to function if something interrupts their lines, so they’re usually covered with the same materials they’re written on to protect them. That means you probably won’t have many chances to examine them still intact.”

Elisa’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “Y-Y-You know about magic circles?!”

“Don’t tell me you’ve been researching magic circles too,” Strath said.

Someone appeared beside us, startling my two companions. When I looked up, I saw Speyside standing there. He looked at me, then Elisa, and lastly Strath. He scowled and let out a deep sigh.

“Could you be a little quieter? You’re in public. Think about those around you.”

Elisa gasped and bowed her head. “I-I’m so sorry! I got a little too excited... I’m really so sorry!”

Speyside snorted and walked off. Strath seemed a little annoyed, but Speyside was right that we were at fault here. There was no way that Strath would say anything back to him.

However, as Speyside walked away, I called out after him. “Excuse me.” He stopped and glanced back. “I’m very sorry for how loud we were. By the way, did you come here alone?”

A look of annoyance crossed Speyside’s face, and he seemed to be at a loss for words for a second. “I’m here with Foar Pelno Rozes. I ask that you do not cause any further disturbances,” he said before returning to his table in a private room at the back of the restaurant.

“Is the person he mentioned an instructor?” I asked.

Strath grimaced and Elisa had a twisted smile. “He’s one of the upper-level instructors and one of the ones who...you know, has a strong sense of pride for his status as a noble. Neither Strath nor I really have had many opportunities to interact with him.”

I certainly understood Strath’s facial expression now.

Chapter 4: Anger

The academy was home to extremely talented sorcerers who specialized in fire, water, wind, earth, and even healing spells. However, less than a tenth of the over one hundred instructors at the academy were upper-level instructors.

Most people who were able to become upper-level instructors focused primarily on their research. Publishing their results and sharing their creations profited both them and the academy. As a result, unlike general instructors, upper-level instructors only taught once a week—twice at most.

Foar Pelno Rozes, one of the upper-level instructors for water sorcery, was particularly devoted to his research and only conducted class once a week for two hours, aside from special occasions. Fortunately, I had the chance to sit in on this valuable class on only my third day as an instructor.

In the morning, I headed out to the school yard with the students. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the ones in this advanced class looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old. There were twenty students, all of whom bore focused expressions as they waited for their professor to arrive. However, I noticed Rox Kilbeggan and Felter Cayan were both in this class, and they repeatedly glanced at me. Do they actually have good grades if they’re in this class?

I didn’t have long to process my surprise, though. A black-robed man with long, dark gray hair and a lengthy beard entered the arena-like schoolyard. He was thin, looked around fifty years old, and had sharp eyes. With his dark cloak, he truly was the spitting image of a magic user.

As Foar Pelno Rozes took his place at the front of the class and surveyed the assembled students, they all tensed up with nervousness.

“I’ll take attendance,” he said without even greeting his pupils. After reading the names one by one from the class roster, he turned to me. “Lastly, Professor Aoi Konominato.”

“Present. Thank you for allowing me to observe,” I said, bowing.

He scanned me from head to toe. I felt a bit uncomfortable under his intense stare.

“Professor Aoi’s only just started at the academy, but I hear that she’s already been appointed as an upper-level instructor,” Rox suddenly said. “She must be quite the amazing sorcerer.”

Foar glared at Rox for mouthing off, and Rox shut up immediately. Then, the professor looked at me. “This academy only employs talented instructors. However, to become an upper-level instructor, one must at least know the basics of proper etiquette. As such, I believe that nobles, who have been instilled with all kinds of manners from a young age, are most suited to become upper-level instructors. If I remember correctly, you’re a commoner, are you not?”

“Yes, I’m a commoner. I’m from a country you’ve never heard of as well. Does that make me unsuited to become an upper-level instructor?” I asked.

Foar paused for a few seconds before letting out a breath. “I’ll decide that based on your behavior from now on. Keep in mind that if I deem you unworthy, I’ll go straight to the headmaster,” he said harshly. Then, he began the lecture, jumping right into advanced water sorcery.

I was surprised to learn that he could not only use elite-level water spells but also advanced fire and wind spells. Being capable of casting elite-level spells for multiple elements put him on the same level as royal court sorcerers, so Foar seemed to be the real deal. Even more impressively, he needed merely two verses of an incantation to activate these spells, which indicated that he had researched incantation shortening as well.

Foar’s incantations took only about two to three seconds, which meant that he was definitely close to achieving incantationless sorcery. Plus, he seemed well able to adjust his spells while activating them, which I knew became harder the more one shortened the chants.

“Tidal Wave.” The instant he cast the spell, a massive sphere of water appeared before him and gushed forth a torrent. Its tsunami-like force could have easily washed away soldiers or even carriages.

The students’ eyes sparkled with wonder, and they cried out in amazement. I could understand their reactions, since I’d heard that being able to use even a single advanced-level spell on your own would demonstrate enough skill to graduate from this school.

After his feat of sorcery, Foar split the class into groups of five and had them attempt to cast advanced water spells as teams. Interestingly, while some of the students were able to pull this off, the activation speed and power differed between the groups.

Some of them activated the spells slowly, and the results lacked force. One quintet was able to replicate the spell at an equal strength to Foar’s. On the other hand, a different group was able to cast the spell with decent power, but it fizzled out due to mistakes in their timings.

The techniques that the students individually used to shorten their incantations were all over the place. However, one student could shorten it to three verses, and those who could cast the spell in four tried to use their method as a reference. The teens learned from each other—some of them struggled with casting, but they understood the special properties of the spell and used their observations of their classmates as hints to figure out what they needed to do. I could tell that this class was well planned, just like some of the other classes I’d observed. As I surveyed everyone’s efforts, Rox, who had been earnestly paying attention to the lesson, looked over at me.

“Professor Foar, for our future reference, perhaps Professor Aoi should show us her sorcery as well.”

Foar thought for a moment. “I’ll admit I, too, am curious. It took me fifteen years to become an upper-level instructor, and that was quicker than most people. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in your skills, Professor Aoi.” He shot me a glance but then let out a short exhale. “However, this is not the time. Just seeing her prowess as a sorcerer won’t teach you much. First, I want you to learn to cast advanced spells in three verses.”

To my surprise, Foar had shut down Rox’s suggestion. It seemed that Rox hadn’t expected this turn of events. He glared at me, frustrated that his scheme hadn’t worked out, but silently gave up. Ultimately, Foar had me do nothing more than observe the lesson.

◇

After the lecture ended, I decided to discuss it with Elisa over lunch.

“I didn’t really get the impression that Professor Foar has such a huge ego over noble status that it’ll become a problem,” I said, tilting my head.

Elisa paused in the middle of biting into a piece of bread almost as big as her face. She mirrored my body language, tipping her head to the side as well.

“Hm... Really? Strath and I don’t have many opportunities to interact with him. Maybe all that talk about him caring about social status was nothing but a rumor.” Then, her head straightened as if she’d suddenly remembered something. “Oh! Speaking of rumors, the students have been talking about you!”

“They...have?”

Elisa nodded fervently. “Yes! It’s still just a small portion of the students, but these are definitely people who have grudges against you!”

“So they’re not talking about me in a good way... Could you tell me more?”

Elisa hesitated for a second before speaking solemnly. “They say that since you’re a commoner, you despise nobles and are using your position as an instructor to unlawfully tyrannize them.” She hurriedly waved her hands. “B-But both Strath and I know that you’re not like that! We know that you want to teach the students fairly and kindly! It’s just that social statuses are so deeply ingrained here that if someone with a high status starts a rumor, it’ll spread as if it’s the truth.” Frustration crossed Elisa’s face and she cast her gaze downward.

I smiled back at her. “Don’t worry. I don’t care one bit about social status. I’m going to take them head-on.”

Elisa’s face froze and she let out a dry laugh.

Interlude: Shenley

I walked as silently as possible to the back corner of the classroom in an effort to not attract any attention. At Fiddich Academy, people didn’t just care about your skill in sorcery—they also judged you for your social status and sometimes your race.

In the middle school division, I’d been one of the more talented sorcerers. Though I hadn’t necessarily been as powerful as others, I’d learned more quickly. Due to that trade-off, my time in middle school had been normal, even though I hadn’t had many friends. Sadly, that had all changed when I’d skipped a year and entered the high school division.

Now, people talked behind my back and I got bullied. While I’d earned good grades in middle school, I was below average in high school. That, combined with the fact that I was a beastkin from a family that had viscount status in name only, led to everyone looking at me like I was worthless trash.

If I made mistakes in class, the other students mocked and laughed at me. If I stood out too much, they’d bully me for not knowing my place. I’d been pushed down the stairs and had my clothes burned by fire spells while walking back to my dorm.

In the span of a few months, I’d gone from a talented student to a nervous wreck who couldn’t do anything. In class, I felt pressured to never mess up, and whenever I tried to cast a spell, a huge wave of anxiety would wash over me and make my body tremble, causing me to fail.

I know this is an endless cycle that won’t change if I don’t try, but what can I do? I’d tried secretly practicing spells at night, but whenever I entered a classroom, I still shrank under the stares of my peers as I shook and held back tears.

I’d thought about dropping out, but doing so would devastate my house to the point where it’d probably be better for them if I died in some sort of freak accident instead. How nice would it be if I could just disappear? If only I could just fall asleep and never wake up again.

However, in the pit of my despair and the seemingly never-ending days of my suffering, there had been a sudden change. A young upper-level instructor named Professor Aoi had reached out to me. Most instructors pretended like they didn’t see me, but not her. Just the fact that she was willing to initiate conversations with me had saved me more than she could possibly imagine.

Unfortunately, I’d yet to be in a class taught by her, but I’d always catch her smiling and waving from a distance. I can feel the weight being lifted from my shoulders. I feel as if I’ve finally found a place where I belong.

Whenever we passed each other in the hallways or in the cafeteria, we always exchanged greetings. In contrast, even my friends from the middle school division wouldn’t speak with me in public because they were scared of the upperclassmen. That’s why when I heard Rox bad-mouthing Professor Aoi, I couldn’t hold back.

“There’s definitely something shady about that woman,” he said. “Rumor has it that she can use elite-level sorcery, but she hasn’t shown it off a single time, even when I’ve told her to. There’s gotta be some kinda dirty trick to her sorcery. She’s a swindler who’s weaseled her way into becoming an upper-level instructor, and she can’t even treat royalty properly. She threatens not just the order of the academy but the six great countries too.”

I heard this in the hallway and was struck with sorrow, anger, and helplessness. My chest felt constricted. Rox was the prince of the Kingdom of Vahtedd and a prodigy who could use fire, water, wind, and earth sorcery at an advanced level. As a result, his words carried unparalleled weight. A person with that level of influence bad-mouthing Professor Aoi could prove troublesome.

“We gotta take her down. I mean, who’s gonna miss a stupid, rotten to the core commoner like her?” he asked, cackling.

The others around him began snickering as well, and I couldn’t stand idly by any longer.

“P-Professor Aoi is a great instructor who treats all students equally! You’re stupid for belittling her!” I exclaimed with tears in my eyes. I’d spoken without thinking, but now I realized that I’d just yelled at royalty.

“What’d you say to me, twerp?” Rox growled.

His other greater noble toadies began sneering in amusement. I was so frightened that my knees nearly buckled, but I withstood my terror and yelled with all my might.

“Don’t bully Professor Aoi!”

Interlude: Colt

Aoi Konominato was without a doubt just a human who looked to be in her teens, but her skill with sorcery was at least on par with that of an upper-level instructor or a court mage. If all of the rumors I’d heard were true, she might even have reached the headmaster’s level.

However, when I researched the new instructor, I found absolutely no record of her—not even where she’d been born or which country she’d lived in before arriving. It was possible that she’d lived outside of the six great countries, in a remote part of a smaller nation.

Almost all sorcerers in the six great countries were listed in the birth census. The only exceptions were the hidden children of prostitutes or of thieves and bandits who lived far from human settlements.

Even in those fringe cases, sorcery talent typically didn’t stay hidden. Sorcerers were worth good money, and those without a verifiable background were frequently sold into slavery by their parents.

Assuming that Professor Aoi was from a small country, I didn’t understand why she would come here to teach. If she’d revealed her birthplace and asked to be hired as a sorcerer in any of the six great countries, she could have easily obtained noble status and wealth.

“So why would she choose to teach at the academy? If she’s this accomplished in sorcery and learned it all on her own, could she be the daughter of a noble? But she says she’s a commoner, so...”

I wanted to take more classes with her, but unfortunately, I had no clue which lectures she’d be sitting in to observe. As of now, I’d only had the opportunity to be in one class that she’d observed, but she’d most likely be assigned a course of her own soon. I greedily hoped it would be one that I could take.

A high-pitched scream snapped me out of my thoughts. I peeked around the corner and saw a girl lying on the ground with Rox Kilbeggan standing over her. Rox’s usual lackies, the greater nobles of the Kingdom of Vahtedd, surrounded her, laughing in derision. From the way she was coughing and trembling, it seemed like the girl on the ground had been hurt. She’s really small. Could she be from the middle school division?

“Something fun happening? Must be since you all are laughing so much,” I said, tossing a metaphorical bucket of cold water on them.

All of these nobles were from a different country than I was, and Rox was the prince of his kingdom. I was from the Colt Highland Federation, where my family, House Battler, had the highest status. Unlike the other great countries, though, our federation was made up of smaller countries that had formed an alliance out of fear of the other countries becoming too strong, while maintaining individual independence.

Our federation and the Kingdom of Vahtedd were in different leagues when it came to military power. If they ever set their sights on us, there was no question that we’d get destroyed. I’d bet there’d even be some people who’d offer up my family’s heads as a peace offering. In short, making an enemy of Rox was a huge risk for me. He was one of several people I had to be careful of, and from whom I’d been keeping a safe distance. I figured I could probably handle this situation tactfully, so I began approaching Rox while keeping an eye on the girl on the ground.

“Something wrong?” I asked.

Rox looked a little annoyed. “Hmph. Colt, huh? You a friend of this idiot?”

“No, I don’t think we’ve met. I was just wondering what the future leaders of the Kingdom of Vahtedd were talking about over here so excitedly, since classes are already done for the day.”

Rox snorted and pointed at the girl. “This idiot talked back to me. Oh yeah, Colt, do you want in? We’re thinkin’ about takin’ that Aoi woman down. We’re gonna teach her what happens when you belittle royalty.” He turned to me with a hideous smile.

In my mind, I intended to just say something like “Oh, how fun” and smile back to smooth things over. To my surprise, that’s not what came out. “That’s a pretty stupid game you’re playing,” I said. “Although I suppose that’s typical of the Kingdom of Vahtedd.”

Shocked by my own words, I immediately tried to fix my attitude and thoughts so I could apologize, but there was something wrong with me today. Everything just seemed so ridiculous—the friction between our countries, making Rox, a person stronger than me, angry—everything. Right now, all I wanted to do was give this stupid, haughty prince a piece of my mind.

Rox squinted at me and lowered his voice, not knowing what I was thinking. “What’d you say to me?” It felt like his eyes flashed as he growled.

Even in the face of his clear intimidation tactics, for some reason I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “I mean, come on. You’re seriously the second prince?”

As soon as I said that, Rox exploded with anger and began an incantation.

Interlude: Felter

Was Colt always this kind of person? I followed everyone into the courtyard, where anger had taken over Rox’s mind. He cast a spell while the rest of his group supported him by slinging spells of their own. Since this was a school for sorcery, everyone in the fray could use at least mid-level spells. They cast them one after another—balls of fire, ice arrows, blades of wind, and rock spears. Colt carried the beastkin girl in one arm while fighting back.

Well, technically, this was a fight, but Colt had yet to actually cast any offensive spells of his own and was mostly just evading the onslaught. That being said, he was blocking their attacks with some excellent spellwork. From what I could tell, he was pretty skilled at earth sorcery, which allowed him to quickly ward off attacks with elementary and mid-level spells. Even so, there was definitely a limit to how long he could keep going. Unless he was on the level of the instructors, there was no way he’d be able to defend against this barrage of spells for much longer.

Colt created a rock to shoot back at one of his attackers, but it broke before he could throw it and the shards hit him in the leg, knocking him to the ground along with the girl.

“Argh!”

Rox’s group sobered up and turned pale as they saw blood flowing from Colt’s leg. I wasn’t surprised. Regardless of how he conducted himself, Colt was the heir to the representatives of the Colt Highland Federation. Injuring him could spark an international incident. The boys all froze as they looked at him.

“Pathetic,” I whispered. If you’re going to freak out, then you shouldn’t have attacked in the first place.

“Move.” Rox pushed through his group, knocking two of his sycophants to the ground. In the corner of the courtyard, the girl he’d been bullying groaned with pain while she protectively covered Colt, whose leg was bleeding. Rox looked down at them and clicked his tongue. “This is what you get for trying to stand up to someone while not being particularly strong yourself. And here I thought you were smarter than that, Colt Hegge Battler. Don’t tell me you caught feelings for that piece of trash or something, huh?” he scoffed.

Rox clearly thought poorly of Colt, but I didn’t agree. “Colt, despite your lack of power, you’re actually pretty good in a fight,” I said. “You move like someone who’s seen real combat. The way you carry yourself tricked me into thinking otherwise, but I bet you can hold your own in a one-on-one.”

Colt chuckled and grimaced. “You’re giving me way too much credit,” he mumbled, standing up. It looked like standing would be painful given the wound on his leg, but Colt kept a straight face.

Rox folded his arms and glared at him. “I can still forgive you, Colt,” he said, pointing his chin at him. “You just have to swear to never defy me again.”

He spoke as if he were magnanimously showing Colt mercy, which was very on-brand for him. Oddly enough, his words carried no traces of ill will. I knew that the royal Rox simply thought that it was only natural for those beneath him to obey his whims. In his mind, Colt had made a mistake, and he was forgiving him. Regardless of his status, though, Rox still shouldn’t have spoken that way to the child of a noble.

Colt couldn’t back down at this point. He was smart enough to understand that he couldn’t just play things off and let the situation slide. His honor as a noble hung in the balance. As I watched, curious how things would turn out, an intrepid grin crossed Colt’s face as he drew a dagger and pointed it at Rox.

“How about you get on your knees and beg for forgiveness. Maybe I’ll consider giving it to you, stupid prince.”

All sense of reason left Rox as his mind snapped. He pulled out his wand and began chanting a spell.

Interlude: Bahrel

When I stepped out into the courtyard, I heard a commotion with insults yelled in rapid succession. I decided to check out what was happening and saw Rox shooting multiple spells at a wall of stone. At first, I wondered if he was practicing sorcery, but judging from the way he was screaming, that probably wasn’t the case.

“You stepped up to me, but this is the best you can do?! That’s pathetic, Colt!” Rox shouted as he continued his bombardment of mid-level spells.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. I’d heard that royals were on a different level as sorcerers, but Rox was really a cut above the rest. After all, he was the only student who could use all four elements at an advanced level.

Felter stood not too far away from Rox. He was pretty skilled at non-elemental sorcery, which was uncommon, and he was also in a league of his own when it came to using the majority of other sorceries at an intermediate level. Outside of sorcery, he was physically strong and liked to have mock fights. He hadn’t lost to anyone since entering the school, and most notably he’d even beaten an instructor in combat.

“What idiot could be fighting those two?” I muttered to myself. “Probably some commoners who don’t understand how outmatched they are compared to nobles. Wait... But I think I heard him say ‘Colt.’”

The stone wall broke apart, unable to withstand the ferocious attacks from Rox. As it fell, it revealed a girl with white hair and beast ears. I recognized her as Shenley Le Rosentiel, a beastkin who’d skipped grades just like I had. I remembered her because it was so rare for beastkin to skip grades.

“Aqua Shot!” Shenley cried, sending a water spell at Rox.

He effortlessly blocked it with earth sorcery. Rox was incredibly skilled. I assumed that he’d used an elementary-level spell due to the near-instant casting time, but he’d set it up at the perfect angle to avoid being hit. Now, both Shenley and Rox would have to cast new spells, and I was certain Rox would be quicker on the draw. Then, someone appeared from the opposite side of Shenley.

“Rock Shell!” The caster was a tall guy with red hair. He’d used Shenley’s Aqua Shot as a diversion while he’d prepared his own spell as the real source of damage. Even though Rox was stronger than his opponent, that didn’t matter right now. This spell could do some serious damage to Rox unless he managed to twist his body out of the way. That’s not what happened, though.

Instead, Rox suddenly vanished. At that moment, I hadn’t perceived what had happened, but Felter, who’d been standing a decent distance away from Rox, had somehow managed to pull him out of the way. His movements were abnormal. If even I couldn’t understand what had happened while having a clear view of the entire fight, there was no way that Shenley and the guy she was with would know.

“You want to fight too, Felter Cayan?”

After hearing the voice of the guy with a fearless smile plastered on his face, I finally realized who he was. That’s Colt Hegge Battler. His expression was so different from usual that I hadn’t recognized him until now.

“I got the sense that his life was in danger. Plus, it looks like we have a gallery now,” Felter said, placing Rox on the ground.

The prince immediately shot to his feet. He’s looking at me. I jumped, but then I realized that Felter wasn’t staring at me, but rather past me at someone coming from the opposite direction. In fact, everyone had turned to look. The shadow of a figure walking against the sinking sun came into view as the sound of pebbles crunching underfoot grew closer and closer.

“What are you doing?” came a woman’s quiet voice. Her words echoed forcefully throughout the courtyard even though she hadn’t spoken loudly. Goose bumps erupted over my skin and everyone froze in place.

Then, large tears streaked down Shenley’s face as she called out. “Professor Aoi!”

Sheley’s voice was desperate and it sounded like she was close to coughing up blood. The approaching woman released an overwhelming, fearsome aura of rage. My legs began to tremble. It was pathetic—I hadn’t done anything wrong, but fear gripped my heart as if I’d been caught in the middle of a heinous act. Even so, Rox stood there perfectly unbothered, glaring at the woman.

“You again? What now? Have somethin’ else you wanna say? We’re past the point of no return here. Open your mouth now and you’ll be starting an international confl—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Aoi Konominato, the new instructor, slapped him so hard that she sent him tumbling across the ground. It was as if he’d been kicked by a rampaging horse. The professor had moved too quickly for the eye to see, though. I only knew she’d slapped him from the position of her body after the fact.

“I’ll take you on if you plan on fighting for your country,” she said in the same soft tone while looking down at Rox. Her expression was inscrutable. “Come at me as if I’m about to destroy your entire country.”

Rox looked at her in utter disbelief while Felter grinned with amusement.

Aoi

I was pissed off. This might have been the first time since arriving in this world that I’d felt this angry. Rox groaned as he stood up, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. Felter stood nearby, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

A few meters from me lay Shenley, trembling, and Colt, whose leg was bleeding. This wasn’t just a fight between children or even bullying. Those words were too mild to describe what’d happened here.

I put my hand on Shenley’s shoulder, focused my mana, and used Cure. As soon as the spell’s name left my lips, Shenley’s body healed fully. Even the smallest cuts and bruises vanished. Next, I turned to Colt, who had wounds all across his body.

“Life Water.” I grabbed him by both shoulders to support him while I concentrated my mana once more and activated the healing spell. I was confident I’d fixed any serious damage to his organs and fully repaired his other lacerations.

Colt watched in surprise as the damage to his leg closed up before his eyes.

“Looks like you’re all better now,” I said after double-checking his condition. I turned to Rox and Felter. “Tell me why you did this. Even if it started because of an argument, it’s wrong to hurt others. These are spells that can take lives. One wrong step and you could—”

Rox snorted and pointed at me. “You sayin’ that it’s a crime for royalty to hurt even commoners?”

“Of course. Are you an idiot? Any kingdom that kills its commoners without any rhyme or reason won’t last very long. Ignoring the will of the people under your rule will only lead to decline. You’ll end up like the Roman Empire.”

Rox laughed. “You’re the idiot! No one can judge a king! I don’t know what the hell country you’re talking about, but there’s nobody who hasn’t heard of Vahtedd! How could a country like ours, the most advanced out of all the six great countries, ever fall to ruin?!”

Rox cackled again as if what he’d said was an immutable fact. Colt and Shenley both hung their heads in frustration. I gave them both a look of sympathy, then I shrugged at Rox’s comment.

“No country in history has lasted forever. Besides, dictators never reign for long. After they’re forced from power, what happens to them next is pretty miserable,” I lectured.

None of the six great countries were older than a few centuries. Before them, there had been three powerful countries known as the great empires, but they had only lasted a few hundred years at best. It was the same situation on Earth. As long as countries were built by fallible people, they would always meet their ends.

Rox didn’t seem to understand this. “Don’t compare our country to those other riffraff! You don’t even know anything about Vahtedd’s unification, so don’t give me that nonsense! You should be embarrassed by your ignorance!”

“I’ll admit that I don’t know much in that regard, so please do tell me a little more about the greatness of Vahtedd. Do you think that you are equipped with not only common sense but good sense as well?”

Rox thumped his chest and bobbed his head emphatically. “Of course! I’ve been taught by all the greats of Vahtedd, including court sorcerers and the knight commander. The fact that I’m at the top of my class at this academy proves just how wonderful my country is.”

I let out a deep sigh after hearing his confident speech. “That’s a shame. If you’re the best your country can produce then it’s not long for this world.”

Rox flew into a rage and rushed toward me. He most likely intends to strike me with a spell. He must think that since I’m a woman, he won’t lose in a battle of physical strength. He’s really looking down on me. As I mulled my options for a counterattack, I noticed Rox take a sparkling object out from underneath his clothes. It was a knife about fifty centimeters long. No, not a knife—that’s a shortsword. There was a spell seal on it. I could tell it was a very powerful item.

“It’s too late to repent for what you’ve done! Fifth Crimson!” He poured his mana into the dagger and a multilayered magic circle appeared around his hands. Five lances made of flames manifested parallel to the ground in front of him. The heat the fiery weapons gave off distorted the air, but I could see Rox’s warped grin behind them. “Take this!” he yelled as he sent the spears flying.

They shot toward me in an instant, but as soon as they got close to me, they exploded into a wall of flames that burned everything around me. The inferno had the power of a lesser advanced-level spell. But that was only because the fire had spread out—if the lances had maintained their shapes and flew at me one by one, the firepower would’ve been equivalent to an elite-level spell. This must be a secret artifact of the royal family. If he used this against a normal enemy, it would be more than enough to come out on top.

I could hear Rox boasting in assurance of his victory. “Hmph. She was stupid to think she could defy me,” he said with a chuckle.

I sighed again and cast a spell of my own. “Frost Edge.”

A pool of water formed at my feet, spreading to about six meters in diameter within seconds. The water level gradually rose until it was higher than the wall of flame. Ripples on the surface turned into waves, which became pillars of water. Once they engulfed the wall of flame, I froze everything over.

“Wh-What...?”

Rox’s eyes went wide as he watched his precious conflagration turn to ice. He froze in place, not because of my ice sorcery but due to his own disbelief.

“Rox Kilbeggan...” I called out. His shoulders trembled. He must not have thought that I could break through his secret technique, and he was in such a state of shock that he couldn’t speak. “You attacked not one, but two of your fellow students with sorcery, injuring them. On top of that, you cast a fire spell at an instructor. I will be taking this matter very seriously.”

Rox was guarded, but he clicked his tongue again in annoyance. The cold sweat running down his face betrayed that he’d taken a bigger hit to his psyche than I’d thought.

I gave a soft smile. “I’m going to set up a parent-teacher conference.”

Rox gawked at me, dumbfounded. “Wh-What are you scheming, you monster?!”

Though he tried to erase the fear from his voice by yelling, Rox screamed at me, his face like a wild animal’s. The corners of my lips crept upward even more, and I stepped on the surface of the lake of ice, cracking it. Even I was surprised by how crazy of a sound it made as it all broke down. I stood in front of him, erasing my smile and replacing it with a glare, making him tremble.

“I’ll call your parents here and give them a stern lecture. You’d better be prepared. It doesn’t matter if they’re kings or even emperors. I’ve no sympathy for any parents who raise their children poorly.”

At first, Rox’s face went taut and he laughed, but he quickly realized I wasn’t joking and went pale as a sheet.

Interlude: Strath

Rumors of a fearsome witch began spreading among students and instructors alike. Some students saw her as a witch of justice, doling out punishment to an arrogant royal. Others viewed her only as a commoner who had raised her voice at a royal, making her deserving of something much more severe than the death penalty.

The opinion among the instructors was even more split. There were those who feared how Vahtedd would retaliate and those who thought Aoi needed lessons in how to treat royalty. These were the reactions on the milder side. However, other instructors believed the academy should hand over Aoi to Vahtedd in order to avoid the possibility of the academy’s destruction at their hands. What everyone who had negative feelings about the incident agreed on, though, was that Aoi was a witch of calamity.

“Because of what that crazy witch did, the king of Vahtedd is coming here with the royal guard!”

“This academy is done for!”

“No, the headmaster is Vahtedd noble. The academy will survive one way or another, but I can’t say the same for him. After all, somebody has to take responsibility for her.”

I heard the other instructors prattling on about Aoi. The majority of them either feared or hated her, but none of them were brave enough to say any of these complaints to her face. Perhaps showing restraint due to how big of a ruckus he’d caused, Rox hadn’t shown himself in public for around three days. On the other hand, Aoi had acted as if nothing had happened and continued to observe classes.

“I can’t believe you actually called the king himself for a parent-teacher conference,” I said.

“Do you think he’ll really come? I doubt it. No way, right? There’s no chance a king would do that,” Elisa asked nervously.

“I heard he’s already in the next town over,” I replied.

“Eek!” Elisa shrieked.

Aoi looked at her in confusion. “Is Vahtedd’s royal capital that close?”

“That’s what you’re taking away from this?!” Elisa exclaimed, leaping to her feet.

Speyside, who’d been drinking tea at a nearby table, stood up and began walking over to us. “I distinctly remember warning the three of you to be quiet in public places. Do you have some kind of condition where you must be loud when you’re having a meal?” Speyside asked snidely.

Aoi immediately bowed her head. “I’m sorry. We’ll be quieter.”

Perhaps not expecting her to apologize so easily, Speyside seemed a little perplexed.

“Y-Your attitude of remorse is laudable. I suppose even the great upper-level instructor, Professor Konominato, is fearful of the king himself coming.” He began to laugh, but it caught in his throat as Aoi made eye contact with him. He recoiled slightly before giving a sarcastic smile. “Pardon me. I forgot that you’re not a meek kind of person,” he muttered while shrugging. “But if...” Speyside narrowed his eyes and met her gaze. “If you need assistance, I will lend you my aid as someone from a Marquess’s household. But this would just be a onetime thing.”

I was taken aback to see Speyside take Aoi’s side. Elisa also seemed incredibly surprised, and she watched him in silence as he walked away. Even Aoi herself was wide-eyed. She and Elisa silently exchanged looks, trying to confirm if they’d heard the same thing. It was an amusing sight.

Though everyone seemed to be freaking out over the impending arrival of the king, I wasn’t too concerned. I knew what kind of man he was, and considering Headmaster Glen’s influence in Vahtedd, I was sure that this wouldn’t blow up into a huge issue. The only real problem was how those within the academy would react. I drank my fruit juice as I contemplated the current state of affairs.

Interlude: Shenley

What should I do? It’s my fault that Professor Aoi... If I hadn’t stood up to Rox, then Colt wouldn’t have gotten hurt either. These bad thoughts spun around in my head, weaving webs of even worse ideas which trapped a horrible disdain for myself.

“If only I weren’t here...” I whispered, on the verge of tears.

A kind voice called out to me. “Even if you hadn’t done anything, Professor Aoi wouldn’t have acted any differently. There’s nothing for you to regret,” Colt said.

He’d found me crouched against a wall in the courtyard. I looked up at him, and he smiled at me.

“I believe Professor Aoi truly treasures her students. She would never hate you, so don’t worry.”

I understood what he was saying, yet I couldn’t bring myself to feel positively about this situation. I continued to look down, and before I knew it, my mouth moved on its own.

“I’m worthless. I shouldn’t have skipped a grade. I belong in the middle school division... I learned sorcery a little faster than others and got a big head, thinking that maybe I was really talented, but I was just being delusional. I might not even belong at the academy in general...”

I’m so pathetic. I’m showing my weak side to someone else. It’s so embarrassing and pitiful. I want to disappear. But I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I hated myself so much and couldn’t stand how wretched I was. Maybe I wanted someone to hear me out. Would they be disgusted with me? Make fun of me? Hate me? My heart brimmed with anxiety.

Despite everything, Colt’s compassionate look never wavered. He seemed a little sad, but he gently raised his hand and pointed. “It’s okay. Look.”

I raised my head, following his finger. In the distance, I saw Professor Aoi running toward me.

“Did something happen?” she asked. She crouched down beside me, her face filled with concern.

“U-Uh, no. It’s just that I’m so pathetic, I can’t...” I could tell how genuinely concerned she was for me, and I couldn’t stop the tears. But then I remembered something important I wanted to say to her. “S-Sorry! It’s my fault that you...” I couldn’t believe that I was talking about myself in a situation like this. I tried to apologize, but Professor Aoi closed her eyes and shook her head.

“You did nothing wrong, Shenley. Rox was way too violent, so I used my judgment and called his parents here.”

“B-But—”

“Don’t let this weigh on your mind. This is nothing more than a simple parent-teacher conference. Social titles don’t matter. They’re just the parents of a student. That’s why there’s nothing you need to feel bad about.” She lightly rested her hand on my shoulder.

Professor Aoi’s eyes were closer than I’d ever seen them, and they seemed to shine brightly. Is that what conviction looks like? I wasn’t sure why, but after hearing her words and looking into her eyes, I felt like everything would work out. No matter what anyone threw her way, she would overcome it. Someone like her could even save me. I found myself smiling before I knew it.

That’s right. Professor Aoi is amazing. She’s my hero.

Chapter 5: Parent-Teacher Conference

Rhythmic, almost robotic footsteps rang out along the stone-paved road. Clangs of metal and the rattles of a large horse-drawn carriage advancing accompanied them. This cacophony of sound came to a stop in front of the academy, where the order of knights surrounding the carriage halted. The mounted knight leading them deftly dismounted and walked toward the check-in station at the gate.

“The king, queen, and four hundred members of the royal guard have arrived from the royal capital, and we request permission to enter,” he said.

“Sure, no problem. I assume you want to enter as soon as possible this morning. You may leave all of your weapons here. Then, I’ll need every person who plans to enter to sign their names in this log book.”

“Uh...all of us? I don’t think we have that kind of time.”

“Sorry, but those are the rules. So here’s the log book.” The gatekeeper handed it to the knight captain.

The leader of the royal guard quickly began scribbling down the names of his subordinates. Around an hour later, the procession of King Middleton Inish Kilbeggan finally entered the academy.

The faculty ran around the school like headless chickens while the students watched with amusement. Amid this chaos, the king’s procession marched forward in single file, following their guides. Since the path needed to be checked for safety by the royal guard before the king and queen traversed it, there were three guides total for the different groups. One of them was Speyside, who wiped cold sweat from his brow as he gave directions. Middleton calmly trailed behind while scanning the school with his sharp gaze.

“I see a lot of students around. Have classes not begun yet?” he asked.

“Classes will begin shortly. As for your itinerary, we planned for you to spend the morning speaking with the headmaster and the afternoon observing classes. Is that acceptable?”

“Hm? It was my understanding that we were called here by a new instructor by the name of Aoi Konominato.”

“O-Oh, yes. That’s correct. I apologize.” Speyside became progressively more of a nervous wreck with each word he exchanged with the king as he led him to the second-floor drawing room.

The anxious professor opened the heavy set of doors, revealing four leather sofas, each capable of seating about three people, and a low table with chairs on each side. In the back of the room, Headmaster Glen sat on a sofa and Aoi stood next to him.

Two members of the royal guard accompanied the king and queen inside the room.

“Welcome to Fiddich Academy. Glad to have you all here!” Glen greeted them.

The two knights narrowed their eyes at his overly casual tone, but the king signaled for them to relax by raising his hand. His lips curled into a smile.

“You haven’t changed at all, Marquess Glen Mohrt. Simply having you as a citizen of our kingdom prevents the other five countries from underestimating us. Keep up the good work.”

Glen chuckled. “You flatter me. I’m just a simple old man.”

The queen watched them exchange pleasantries, bemused. “You two get along quite well. I’m sure you could talk for hours, but that would be rude to the instructor, wouldn’t it?”

Though the queen was gentle with her warning, the men sheepishly turned to Aoi.

“Oh, so you’re Aoi Konominato? I’m Middleton Inish Kilbeggan, the king of the Kingdom of Vahtedd. I’ve been told that you have something you’d like to discuss with me about my son, Rox. Thank you for your invitation.”

The queen moved up next to him. “I’m his wife, Leah Bery Kilbeggan. Thank you for having us,” she said, beaming kindly before moving to the sofa.

Middleton sat next to her and Aoi took her place on the sofa across from them. The royals looked at her expectantly. As she met their gazes, her expression shifted into seriousness.

“I’m Aoi Konominato, a new instructor who just began working here a few days ago. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintances.”

“Likewise,” Middleton replied calmly.

Aoi launched into the main topic for the day. “I’ve called you here to speak with you as the parents of Rox, the high school sorcery student.”

“Well, that’s an interesting way of phrasing that,” Middleton said, raising an eyebrow.

Aoi nodded. “What I mean to say is that I’d like to talk to you two as Rox’s parents, and not as the king and queen of Vahtedd,” she said bluntly.

Speyside, who’d been standing by the door, went pale. His face stiffened and he looked as if he were about to faint. Glen sat quietly with a resigned smile.

Middleton looked conflicted, and he leaned back with a grunt. “I see. Well, let’s hear what you have to say.”

Leah let out a cheerful laugh. “Don’t worry. Remember all the things we’ve heard from the parents of his friends and his servants? He’s a prodigy who’s dedicated to his studies,” she proclaimed.

A sorrowful look filled Aoi’s face as she shook her head. “Unfortunately, Mrs. Kilbeggan, that’s not the case.”

Aoi’s interjection shut the queen down in the middle of singing her son’s praises, and Leah froze up. So did Glen and Middleton. It was hard to tell whether Aoi picked up on this or not, but she continued speaking, completely unbothered.

“Rox absolutely possesses above-average talent in sorcery. However, he’s not diligent in his studies. I’d certainly like for him to take his classes more seriously, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss.”

Aoi’s blunt declaration nearly knocked Speyside’s soul from his body. He desperately tried not to pass out as Middleton replied to Aoi with a grimace.

“He’s not taking school seriously?”

“That’s right. And from what I’ve seen, he’s actively disrupted the studies of others. There are even instructors who abhor teaching him.”

“Are you sure this isn’t some kind of mistake? This is considerably different from what we’ve heard,” Middleton said.

“There’s no mistake. I’d like to address this further, but perhaps that’s more suited for another day. What I’d like to discuss today is unrelated.”

Aoi began to tell them the truth about Rox’s behavior and how he committed violence on a daily basis. At a certain point, Speyside had to excuse himself, feigning illness, but Aoi continued revealing all of Rox’s evil deeds. The room was dead silent save for her voice.

“And that concludes what I’d like to say. Do you have any questions?”

At the end of Aoi’s explanation, Middleton looked horrified while Leah appeared to be on the verge of tears. Glen was completely expressionless.

After a few moments of silence, Aoi continued. “If you don’t have any questions, let’s talk about the steps I’d like to take moving forward.”

“Wait a second,” Middleton interrupted softly. The two royal guards in the room felt beads of cold sweat trickle down their backs.

“Yes?” Aoi asked.

Middleton directed a pained look at Aoi. “This viscount’s daughter, Shenley, that Rox has been bullying... Isn’t it possible that she started it? I’d like to hear my son’s side of the story as well, not just hers.”

“Regardless of the reason, students shouldn’t be using offensive spells against their peers and injuring them. Ganging up on someone weaker isn’t just wrong to do as nobles or royals, but wrong to do for anyone. Even more so, royals shouldn’t make fun of beastkin, commoners, or lesser nobles. It’s also not right to fire spells at instructors. Is anything I said incorrect?” Aoi asked, shooting a frigid gaze back at Middleton, who recoiled.

Middleton was left speechless, but Leah replied, still sobbing. “I truly can’t believe that my son would bully a girl. Do you have any proof? Spreading bad rumors about members of royalty in a place with as much prominence as this school can negatively affect a country’s influence. Couldn’t it be possible that a bad actor is lying about our son to do just that?”

Aoi replied coldly to Leah’s confused sobbing. “No. It’s precisely because this school is under the strict watch of the six great countries that a poorly conceived plan like that would simply backfire. However, if you still don’t believe me, I can show you evidence.”

The king and queen stared dumbfounded as they watched Rox hurl lances of flame at Aoi and then saw the instructor freeze the entire area around her. Aoi continued playing the scene with her projection spell until they got to the point where Rox had called her a “monster.”

“As you can see, he was extremely disrespectful to an instructor, and—”

Before Aoi could finish her sentence, Glen energetically raised his hand and his voice. “Aoi! What is that?!” he asked. He practically leaped out of his seat, and Aoi reflexively flinched, raising both of her hands vertically in front of her like a startled cat.

“This is an original spell that’s a combination of elementary fire and water sorcery,” she answered with a frown. “Its main flaw is that I can only capture the images from my point of view, but I’m already thinking of ways to improve it.”

“Oh...” Glen cradled his head in his hands, astonished at how casually and easily Aoi talked about this unfathomable spell. “Not only did you make this spell yourself, but you’re going to improve it further? Seriously, what are you? I wouldn’t be surprised if you turned out to be a demon lord at this point,” Glen muttered in a voice soft enough that he thought Aoi wouldn’t hear him.

“What was that?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all!”

In the midst of this exchange, Middleton finally regained his composure and cleared his throat. “Let’s leave this fearsome spell aside for now,” he said, pointing at the projection. “That fire spell that Rox used... Do you know what it is?” he asked, his tone growing serious.

Aoi lightly exhaled and shook her head. “I don’t. However, I can make a guess. In order to cast the spell, he had to supply that shortsword with mana, which allowed him to cast it without any incantation. In other words, it’s a sorcery tool that allows spellcasting simply by pouring mana into it.”

Glen’s head jerked up, his eyes sparkling. “What?! Could that possibly be a relic?!”

“That’s right. With that relic alone, you can single-handedly turn the tide of a battle. It’s one of four relics that our country possesses,” Middleton explained.

“A relic...” repeated Aoi.

Middleton looked directly at her. “As long as the wielder has enough mana, they can produce a mid-level spell without reciting an incantation. At the right place and time, relics can even be used for assassinations. Naturally, the more of them that a country has, the bigger their advantage is in war,” Middleton said.

Glen’s eyes narrowed. “Relics are state secrets. Even if it’s known that a country possesses a relic, unless you know what element of spell it uses, the threat is hard to counter. However, Aoi was able to immediately deal with the fire spell without any difficulty, even using an advanced-level water spell to do so. In that case—”

“We can talk about that another time,” Aoi said, promptly cutting Glen off before he could drone on for too long. She gracefully straightened her back and stopped the projection. “Let’s focus the discussion on Rox’s words and behavior. Tools of war are irrelevant.” Both Glen and Middleton displayed visible shock at Aoi’s curt statement. Her words echoed loudly in the now silent room. “Rox speaks to others rudely due to his arrogance as royalty. He believes that royals are better than everyone else, and thus he looks down on anyone of lower status. Is that something the two of you have taught him?”

Middleton and Leah failed to find the words to answer her. They looked at each other with consternation, and then Leah turned to Aoi with a delicate smile.

“Um, Ms. Aoi? As a friendly piece of advice, people who speak out of order to royalty can receive the death penalty. You should perhaps be a little softer with your words.” The look in her eyes displayed that she was testing the waters, but Aoi met her gaze with a sharp glare.

“That kind of law serves only to amplify Rox’s mistaken belief. Royals are only humans just like the rest of us. He thinks that he can humiliate commoners, and if they fight back, their lives are simply forfeit. His bad behavior interferes with his education as well. The way he acts, making enemies of others in a school filled with royalty and nobles from other countries, is unwise for a royal.”

“Assassin Edge.” The moment the words left Leah’s lips, a huge quantity of mana gathered around her shoulders as a triple-layered magic circle floated in the air. Two massive curved swords made of ice, each serrated with additional thin, round blades, burst from either side of Leah and Middleton. They thrust at Aoi in a flash. The sight was enough to make the men in the room tremble.

But in the next instant, Aoi uttered a spell. “Flare.” Countless red lights flew through the air, leaving crimson trails in their wakes. They whizzed in a circle around Aoi, melting and disassembling the blades of ice the instant they threatened to touch her.

“Wh-What?!” Glen screamed in excitement.

Aoi shot him a look of warning, which shut him up. “Please don’t move. If you touch these red lights, consider yourself dead. The spell lasts for ten seconds before I’m able to stop it.”

Frigid, dew-like sweat broke out over Glen’s body, and he sat back in his seat. The room once again fell into absolute silence with all eyes on Aoi.

“I’m choosing my words intentionally, knowing they may come off as rude. I could have just taken both of your lives if I’d so chosen. King Middleton, Queen Leah, your status as royalty can’t shield you from me even though I’m a commoner. Of course, if I had taken your lives, I would be forced to leave the country and go to one of Vahtedd’s enemies to join their war efforts.”

Aoi’s spell ended and the lights disappeared, leaving the room dominated by a deafening silence for several seconds until Middleton finally spoke.

“You got us. It’s our loss. I’m sure you’re angry, but I’d like you to at least take Leah’s genuine words of advice to heart.”

“I understand,” Aoi said.

Leah took out a necklace from underneath her dress. “It seems that our country’s secret treasures don’t work on you. It’s frustrating that you’ve beaten us so thoroughly, but at the same time, it’s almost refreshing.”

“Allow me to apologize as well for testing you like that,” said Middleton. “Also, I’d like to leave Rox to you, Lady Aoi. Though your words may be a bit harsh, there’s truth in a lot of what you’ve said. Thinking back, we’ve left his education to those who have a strong sense of nationalism. Everyone worshipping the ground he walks on has probably made him feel like a god. I’m sorry, but if I directly punish Rox, it may cause unnecessary rumors and strife. I know he’s a handful, but I think you’re probably the only one with the freedom to be strict with him.”

Aoi blinked with surprise. “Was this the plan from the start? Whose idea was it? Was Headmaster Glen in on this and just testing me?” Aoi asked. She turned to Glen, who promptly looked away, an awkward smile plastered on his face.

The king and queen mirrored his expression.

“To be honest, we’ve been getting reports from Marquess Glen for a while, although they were much more nicely phrased than your descriptions,” Middleton said.

“Yes, and we’d heard that the contents of this meeting might be a little extreme, but I never expected to be so thoroughly lectured like that,” Leah added.

Aoi pouted, her face darkening as the two laughed.

“For the record, I came into this meeting a little nervous, but I fought through that to talk to the two of you candidly,” Aoi complained.

Middleton grinned. “Forgive us. We can only entrust Rox to those who have proven trustworthy. From our conversation, I can tell that you are an instructor who simply wants to guide students and fix their behavior.”

Middleton expelled a hearty laugh while Leah tried to cover her growing smile with one hand. Aoi let out a heavy sigh of relief.

◇

The group decided that Aoi would accompany the king and queen to their class observation. Coincidentally, it was a water sorcery class taught by Speyside. When they entered, Speyside’s movements became as rigid as a robot’s, and he began sweating bullets. He then proceeded to take attendance.

“Hm, there are more people than I expected. I would have thought that there’d be fewer people in an advanced class,” Middleton commented.

The classroom buzzed as the students chattered among themselves. From his seat, Rox smirked as he saw Aoi enter with his parents.

“Let’s begin our advanced water sorcery class. Today we’ll be focusing on a spell that you’re all capable of casting. Our goal will be to shorten its incantation by one verse,” Speyside said, doing his best to clearly lay out the objective.

The students looked from Speyside to Middleton with amusement. The professor became even more robotic under the pressure.

Leah, who’d been the last to enter the classroom, gave a nod. “This is a high-level class for sure. It just goes to show that at an advanced level, simply being able to cast spells isn’t enough,” she said.

Aoi slightly tilted her head, but Speyside seemed relieved and continued speaking.

“First, we’ll cast the spell normally.” Speyside proceeded to chant five verses, and then a small sphere of water formed. It was densely packed with mana and could release a massive amount of water, enough to cause a flash flood. “Remember, if you don’t designate a target, this spell will dissipate. Now let’s have all of you give it a try.”

The students began their incantations. Or, at least, everyone except Rox did. The boy folded his arms with a fearless smile on his face and spoke up.

“Professor Speyside, it’s a waste of time to do something this easy. Oh, is that the upper-level instructor Professor Aoi I see? How about splitting the class into two?”

Rox then cast the spell in three verses. Some of the students gasped in surprise, but the king and queen frowned. Rox’s grin deepened as the sphere of water he’d created floated in the air and he looked down at Aoi.

“Or what, is this not something you’re capable of teaching, Professor Aoi? ‘Upper-level instructor’ might just be a title, but I’d think that something like this would be a cinch for you to teach, or am I wrong?” He struck a pose of superiority, full of himself. Both Middleton and Leah stared at him, perturbed, but Rox didn’t notice at all. “Surely you can cast this spell in fewer verses than both me and Professor Speyside, right? It seems that you’re good at covertly chanting, but if you’re doing multiple spells at once, then you’ll have no choice but to chant them out loud in front of all of us. How about you activate an elementary fire spell and a water spell?”

Aoi exhaled, puzzled at where this confidence to boss her around had come from after she’d humbled him the other day. “This is Professor Speyside’s class. Please keep your outbursts to yourself.”

Rox’s pupils expanded at Aoi’s gall to ignore his statement and tell him to quiet down instead. “What?! Were you talking to me?! Me?! A royal?!” he exclaimed, overemphasizing every syllable.

Middleton further furrowed his brow, and Leah’s face froze in a nervous look.

“As I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter what your social status is,” Aoi replied. “You are a student at this school, and Professor Speyside and I are instructors. Listen to what we say and pay att—”

Rox cut her off with a yell. “What?! You’re telling me, a member of the Vahtedd royal family, to listen to you, a commoner?! Do you even know who you’re standing next to?! You don’t, do you?! Let me teach you!” Flaunting Aoi’s warning, Rox screamed to emphasize his point.

Aoi pursed her lips and let out a long breath. “Freeze.” The spell trussed Rox from head to toe.

Felter, who was watching nearby with his arms folded, snorted. Middleton called out to the royal guards.

“Take him.”

“Yes, sir!”

While Speyside and the stunned students looked on, the royal guards hauled Rox away. Middleton acted as if the disturbance hadn’t even happened and raised his hand.

“Sorry about that. I’d like for you all to continue focusing on the class.” He gallantly exited into the hallway, and the sound of something hard and heavy colliding with something blunt rang out. Leah, who hadn’t budged and still wore a faux smile, bowed and exited the classroom as well. A slap echoed across the hallway. Everyone in the classroom was stunned, and then Leah poked her head back in.

“Professor Aoi, may I borrow you?”

“Y-Yes, of course. Excuse me, Professor Speyside.”

Once the fact that the queen herself had asked for Aoi had sunk in, Speyside nodded repeatedly to dismiss her. “R-Right. Go ahead.”

When Aoi exited into the hallway, she saw Middleton walking away with a bright grin while holding the stiff-as-a-board Rox by his hair. Aoi regarded Rox with some sympathy as his father dragged him along.

Leah smirked. “Is there anywhere around that nobody will disturb us? Ideally, a soundproof room. Oh, perhaps there’s an interrogation room on campus?”

“I don’t think we have an interrogation room...but I believe the experiment rooms inside the research labs are very durable and soundproof.”

“Oh, an experiment room! That sounds lovely. Would you mind taking us there?” she asked eagerly.

Aoi’s face grew stiff. “Follow me...”

Leah called out to Middleton. “Aoi tells me she knows a good place. It’s sturdy and soundproof!”

“Oh yeah? Very good! Yes, please show us the way. There are some things we’d like to discuss with our son.”

“Yes, indeed,” Leah agreed.

The faces of the royal guards went pale. Aoi looked at Rox, who was still frozen in place, and slowly put her hands together in prayer for him.

◇

Aoi

We walked out into the back of the school, and I took the king and queen to my research room that I’d yet to use. After that, I returned to Speyside’s classroom. I could have sworn that they’d said they’d leave his discipline to me, but oh well. Disciplining a child is supposed to be a parent’s job anyway, so this is probably for the best. If he still acts out after this, though, then I’ll just have to teach him a tough lesson, I decided as I made it back to the class.

When I reentered, I felt everyone’s eyes land on me. Feeling a little awkward, I bowed my head at Speyside. “I’m sorry for the ruckus. Please continue class.”

Speyside looked uncomfortable. He turned back to the class. “Let’s talk about shortening an incantation by one verse. In middle school, I’m sure you learned that each word in an incantation holds meaning. You must be able to break down those words and reduce the number of characters while preserving the content. Also, you’ll need to try various patterns because the necessary amount of mana can change.”

The students nodded one by one at Speyside’s explanation, then they began trying to parse through their incantations. Some of them might have thought that he should have just jumped right to teaching them the established incantation shortened to three verses, but that wouldn’t help them learn nearly as much. Sorcery was complex, and ten different people could each have their own way of doing things. Since there wasn’t one right answer, it was possible that a student could eventually figure out a way to shorten this incantation to four verses using a method that even the headmaster hadn’t thought of.

This was the perfect opportunity for the students in this advanced class to practice their own ways of shortening incantations and to learn how to research sorcery on their own. Even if they didn’t succeed at abridging their spellcasting, sometimes they’d accidentally succeed in creating another spell with a different effect. That was why there were so many sorcery researchers across the world.

Those who discovered leads on how to create new spells had to work extremely hard and endure a lot of stress to perfect the process. Depending on the spell, they sometimes needed large spaces to practice. There were even people who dabbled in alchemy, which used ore.

Right now, the students in Speyside’s class just needed to follow the teacher’s instructions to find the solution to this particular problem. However, those who eventually chose to become researchers would find that the pursuit of new techniques was a never-ending journey.

Since I’d helped Owain with his research, I’d been able to learn all kinds of sorcery and had even helped him create new spells. I wasn’t a researcher at heart, though. I understood what it was like to conduct difficult research, but I couldn’t comprehend the mindset of someone who’d choose to do it as a career. I just didn’t want to discourage the students’ curiosity to learn or hurt their aspirations by saying so.

Rather than speak about my thoughts on sorcery research, I simply attended to any student who didn’t seem like they grasped what Speyside was teaching them. The one having the most difficulty was a tall young man with blond hair that resembled a lion’s mane, whom I recognized as Felter Cayan. He was sitting by the wall.

“Is water sorcery not your strong point, Felter?” I asked.

He looked at me in annoyance. “I don’t struggle with any particular elements. It’s just that I’m not good at shortening incantations unless it’s for body fortification sorcery.”

He seemed very peeved, but he was still concentrating on his desk, earnestly trying to face the task at hand. Despite his dedication, he hadn’t been able to make any headway. I moved next to him, still shocked that he was actually a diligent student.

“What are you stuck on?” I asked.

“Breaking down the words. I think that this incantation means...” he trailed off.

“Oh, I see. This is for producing the water sphere, while this other part is for compressing it. That one is for rotating the sphere to maintain its shape and compression. Then these last parts are to trigger the activation of the spell and to make it disappear if it doesn’t successfully activate. Think about each individual function and then try condensing the ones you think you can.”

“Oh...”

My explanation was apparently all it took to unlock Felter’s understanding of how to compose the shortened incantation. Sorcery script had a unique system, but as long as you understood its principles, you could easily cut down any incantation by at least one verse. Felter was smart, so if he put his mind to it, he’d get the hang of it in no time. I couldn’t help but smile, and that’s when I heard whispers.

“The witch just smiled.”

“Oh no, is she putting a curse on Felter?”

I turned to see the origin of this terribly rude conversation, but as soon as I did, several students whipped their heads around with such speed that I wouldn’t have been surprised if their noggins flew off their necks. I glowered at them for a bit until Speyside intentionally cleared his throat to draw the class’s attention.

“I will continue class, but first, I have a request, Professor Konominato.”

“Yes?” I asked, unsure what to expect.

With a straight face, he said, “Please continue your explanation.”

◇

Ultimately, everyone in the classroom, including Speyside, began asking me questions about their research. Speyside’s questions were naturally of a much higher level than the students’, but they served as a good lesson. By the time the class ended, everyone had some kind of hint to further their research. Some students had even already managed to shorten their incantations to two verses. In some regards, one could say that today’s class had been a huge success.

“It pains me to admit this, but there’s no doubt that you possess a seemingly bottomless wealth of knowledge about sorcery. I’d like to push past my shame and ask if you could help me with my research,” said Speyside.

“I respectfully decline.”

He paused. “How about two gold coins per hour?”

“I respectfully decline.”

Even after class had ended, Speyside strangely continued to pester me with his requests, but I rebuffed him and left the classroom. I walked down the hallway, making my way back to the research room, where I saw the royal guards lined up in front.

“Um, where’s Rox?” I asked one of the guards, who pointed to the room. “Um...it’s been about an hour already,” I continued.

The royal guard simply inclined his head. Curious about what was going on, I opened the door, peeked inside, and saw the shadow of someone. Though I was sure it was Rox, I couldn’t believe my eyes. In the hour since I’d seen him, he’d become gaunt and hunched over, and his eyes darted all about the room as if he were frightened of something. When his gaze landed on me, he shrieked, sharply inhaling and falling on his butt. He was so different that I felt compelled to reach out to him.

“Are you all right? What happ—”

“Eek! Eeeek!”

As I tried to approach, he screamed and quickly scurried away from me, pushing himself along with his hands. I stood there bewildered as the king and queen appeared from the back of the room with wide, satisfied smiles.

“Didn’t wait too long, I hope.”

“Thank you again, Aoi.”

I turned my head to them, keeping Rox in my peripheral vision. “He seems abnormally frightened...”

Middleton bent down toward me. “We talked a bit about how to reconcile with the excessive number of enemies he’s made, and what kind of future awaits him if he doesn’t change his violent ways. We made sure to really hammer it into him.”

“I know healing spells, so we also gave him a little taste of that future as well.”

The two of them looked on in satisfaction while Rox trembled on the ground.

“I think you may have gone overboard...” I said with exasperation, but the two of them seemed to pay my words no heed.

Chapter 6: Felter Cayan

Shenley blinked repeatedly, trying to confirm what was unfolding before her. She wasn’t alone—the other students and even Elisa, who was in the middle of a lecture, had all frozen up. They had their eyes glued to the astounding sight of Rox silently sitting in his chair, facing forward, not being disruptive for once. Elisa resumed class but kept shooting glances at me every now and then.

“W-Well, let’s continue class. Um...you can use sorcery to morph earth into a wide range of shapes, but when you’re trying to shorten an incantation or even create a new spell entirely, you can’t change the part of the language that means ‘rock.’ If you want to change the properties of the rock you create, you have to alter it bit by bit until it eventually takes the form that you want.” Elisa continued speaking, her face taut. “However, if you’re trying to make a new spell, then it could be many years before you’re successful if you’re unlucky. Becoming a sorcery researcher is a popular career path, but you have to be prepared for failures along the way.”

The students’ expressions grew solemn as Elisa told them the hard truth. I guess a lot of them want to become researchers.

“I have no interest in research,” Felter blurted out from next to Rox. “I just want to perfect body fortification sorcery to achieve my ideal form of it. I don’t know where to start, so I’m taking every class I can. It doesn’t matter to me what kinda sorcery I gotta research. Anything you can think of that’ll be useful for body fortification?”

“W-Well...” Elisa faltered. “Oh, I know! How about we ask Professor Aoi! She’s at the forefront of sorcery research, so I’m sure she’ll have a great answer for you!”

She turned to me, perspiration breaking out across her face. Now the entire class’s focus was on me as Elisa bowed her head slightly in apology. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She’s dodging the entire thing completely and dumping it on me? Well, that’s okay, I guess. I half smiled and began casting an earth spell.

“Create Material,” I said, holding up my hand. A fist-sized rock appeared, and then I changed its shape. “This spell allows the simultaneous alteration of both the material’s properties and its shape. In contrast, with a spell like Rock Bullet, you can only create rocks because the language of the incantation specifies the type of material.”

As I explained this, I sculpted a statue of Elisa, partially to get back at her for making me shoulder the explanation. The students gasped in amazement.

“If you can identify which parts of the sorcery script are related to the fixed properties of a spell, you can then learn how to alter the language to change those properties. Modifying the properties of a rock is similar to changing water into ice. As you can see, different elemental sorceries are more related than you might think.”

Felter opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, but before he could, Elisa interjected with a sound of surprise.

“W-Wait! Wh-What was that spell, Aoi?!” Elisa came rushing toward me at an unbelievable speed, and I stopped her charge with one hand. I offered her the statue with the other.

“Here you go.”

“Whoa! Thank you! Wait, is this me?!” Elisa was obviously surprised by how clear the likeness was.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Felter grow visibly annoyed. “What exactly does changing the shape of a rock have to do with improving body fortification?”

“In order to fully answer that, I first have to know what type of body fortification we’re talking about. There are spells that raise the strength of your upper or lower body and ones that raise your stamina. I suppose there are also ones that can raise your defenses. There’s no one simple, right answer when it comes to describing the relationship between body fortification sorcery and other types, since there are too many potential options.”

Wrinkles appeared on Felter’s forehead. “If you use body fortification to strengthen your upper body, you’ll be slower on your feet. If you harden your skin, you’ll lose your flexibility and have poor movement. It’s the same for the others. If you fortify one aspect, you’ll be weaker in a different regard. That’s why people don’t use body fortification sorcery that often and why barely anyone even researches it.” He stood up and walked over to Elisa and me.

Felter snatched the statue from Elisa, let out a grunt, and crushed it with his bare hands.

“I-I’ve been turned to dust!”

Felter ignored Elisa’s cries and made eye contact with me. “Having only strength is meaningless. But if it’s possible to get rid of the drawbacks of body fortification sorcery, then it’ll become the best-suited sorcery for battle.”

“How dare you disrespect an instructor, Felter!” Rox exclaimed as Felter puffed his chest out proudly.

Even I couldn’t help but turn to look at him in disbelief.

“R-Rox?” Elisa asked, dumbfounded.

Rox stood up and walked over to us. “Apologize, Felter! Students are at the bottom of the totem pole at school. Disrespecting an instructor could absolutely lead to getting the death sentence!” Rox warned Felter with a grim look on his face.

“Are you really Rox, or an imposter?” Felter asked, looking at him with confusion. “The Rox I know would never bend the knee to anyone.”

Rox took another step forward, his face grave. “Apologize. There’s still time for you.”

Felter scrunched up his face. “I only obey those stronger than me. The only reason I went along with you even though you’re weaker than me is because you had a strong spirit and never bowed to anyone. If you’re telling me to apologize to an instructor who’s weaker than me, then you’re no longer the Rox I knew.” Felter’s voice was tinged with anger, which was unusual for him.

Rox clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You just don’t know true fear yet...” He returned to his seat.

Felter looked disappointedly at Rox before turning his attention back to me. “So, as I was saying...”

“I appreciate your enthusiasm to learn, but I agree that your attitude toward instructors needs improvement. It’s important to be respectful to everyone.”

“Why? If we fight, I’ll win.”

“That’s the kind of logic that animals use. If your opponent is better than you at something other than sheer strength, then they might have the last laugh.”

“House Cayan has fought our way to the top by winning every battle with our might.”

His resolute words and iron will gave me a lot of insight into how he’d been raised. I could also tell by how he looked at and acted toward Elisa that he believed she was beneath him.

“All right, then. In that case, how about you fight Professor Elisa since you think she’s weaker than you?”

Elisa’s eyes bugged out. “Huh?!”

◇

Amid a flurry of cheers, Felter and Elisa faced each other in the center of the arena at the back of the academy. Class had just ended and the students didn’t have anything else to do, so they’d flocked here.

“I guess everyone’s got a lot of time on their hands...” I commented.

“Aoi?! They came here after what you said! Why do I have to fight Felter?!” she asked, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me.

“You have no choice, so please do your best.”

Elisa clutched her head, tears welling up in her eyes. “Felter hasn’t lost a single time since entering the school! He even won against an instructor when he was in middle school! They resigned out of shock and returned to their home country!”

“It’ll be okay. If you fight him seriously, you’ll win. The trick is to focus on his weaknesses.”

I tried to give her advice, but she simply trembled in place. However, I truly believed that in a fair fight, she wouldn’t lose to Felter, since I’d seen her sorcery in action.

“What are you doing?” Strath asked as he walked toward us. He’d run over here after noticing all of the commotion caused by the students. We explained the situation and he gave us a disapproving look.

“Are you looking to get killed?” he asked Elisa.

“I’m not the one who asked for this!” Elisa wailed through tears.

Strath turned to me. “Are you trying to kill her?”

“I think she can win.”

Strath folded his arms and groaned. But after looking Elisa up and down, he said, “I think she has a good shot too.”

“Huh?”

Elisa blushed a bit from Strath’s response, but he seemed oblivious and looked at me instead.

“What’s the plan?”

“It seems that he likes to fight at close range using body fortification sorcery. So, I advised Elisa to fight at a distance.”

“But that’s how everyone else lost...” Strath said with confusion.

I smiled and beckoned Elisa closer. “A word?”

“Yes?”

I brought my mouth to her ear and whispered. She seemed puzzled, but listened to what I had to say.

◇

“You ready yet?” Felter asked.

Elisa nodded firmly, confidence having replaced the previous despair on her face.

“What advice did you give her?” Strath asked.

“That’s a secret,” I said as the two of us stood against the wall of the arena to watch.

A girl with white hair frantically rushed toward us. It was Shenley. “Professor Aoi! Wh-What happened?!”

I could tell how worried she was. “Felter underestimates Elisa and thinks she’s weak, so now I’m having the two of them fight.”

“You set this up?!”

I returned Shenley’s shock with a smile. “It’s okay. Professor Elisa will win.”

“Huh?! She can beat him?!” Shenley asked, looking unconvinced.

“They’re starting,” Strath said. His eyes were locked on the contenders.

It was almost as if his words had been the signal to start the fight, because both Elisa and Felter began their incantations that very instant. Elisa walked backward while Felter stood in place, whispering an incantation. As I expected, Elisa was quicker and activated her spell first.

“Sand Wall!” Elisa shouted. She created a silty barrier between her and Felter before beginning to chant her next spell.

As she did so, Felter’s spell activated. “Power Force.” Immediately, a pale green light enveloped Felter’s body. He walked toward the wall of sand, cocked his fist, and released it forward.

“Hmph!” he grunted. His fist struck the wall, piercing through it and breaking off a piece.

“Eep!” Shenley squealed, surprised by the sheer amount of force he wielded.

Strath’s eyes hadn’t strayed from the fight. “It’s good that Elisa made a wall of sand and not of solid rock, otherwise she might have been hurt by flying fragments.”

“She planned it all. Her next move should end the fight.”

Elisa activated her second spell. “Sandstorm!”

A small but dense tempest of sand formed, about five meters in diameter. It robbed Felter of visibility and made it difficult for him to keep walking forward. However, he didn’t panic. He raised both of his hands before bringing them down with a percussive thud, breaking the ground with his fearsome strength. The shock wave that radiated outward weakened the strength of the sandstorm. Felter seized the opening and flew forward, breaking free of the squall of sand.

At the exact same time, Elisa activated her next spell. “Sandpit!” As Felter escaped the sandstorm and began looking around for Elisa, he instead found himself sinking into quicksand.

“What...” For the first time, Felter seemed surprised. He clawed at the ground, but everything around him was as fluid as water. There was nothing he could grab on to for purchase. Perhaps realizing that he couldn’t use his arms to break free, Felter began a different incantation. However, that gave Elisa the opportunity to cast one elementary-level spell after the next.

“Sand Ball!”

“Urk!”

Though Elisa was using low-level spells, even Felter couldn’t focus on casting while being pelted by them. Plus, since Elisa could shorten the incantations, he couldn’t beat her speed.

This is her perfect victory. No notes.

But Felter didn’t give up, and he growled while glaring at Elisa. He bent over, lowering his face, then he grunted as a ball of sand struck him, sending his head flying back again. Even elementary-level spells were enough to produce a force on the same level as or stronger than getting punched.

“Huh?!” Elisa suddenly cried out. Even while being pelted, Felter had been able to begin chanting an incantation. Elisa frantically began her own spell and shot another ball of sand, but Felter continued casting while taking the damage head-on.

“Leg Focus.” Felter activated his spell, which enveloped his body in a white light.

“Grrr! Ahh!” he roared. He struggled until he was able to get a slight foothold and then broke free of the sand little by little. Before long, he fully emerged and landed on solid ground. He parried the balls of sand being flung at him while shooting Elisa a death glare.

“You’re the first person who’s given me this much trouble,” he said.

“Rock Wall!”

Elisa activated her spell before Felter could get into a battle stance. An instant later, a large stone wall, about three meters high, partitioned the arena. However, Felter easily jumped over it.

“Admit you’ve lost!” Felter barked.

“N-No! I can’t surrender here!” Elisa yelled, beginning her next spell.

Felter expelled his breath and charged at her.

“The match is over,” I said, moving between the two of them to stop the fight before any damage could be done.

Felter halted and lowered his fists as if he’d expected this.

“P-Professor Aoi...” Elisa looked disappointed and frustrated, tears forming in her eyes as she slowly lowered her wand.

“I’m so sorry. I misjudged Felter’s strength,” I said.

“N-No! If I hadn’t let my guard down, I would have... I’m so sorry, Aoi...” Elisa whimpered, her shoulders falling.

Felter clicked his tongue with annoyance. “I would’ve won no matter what.”

“I wouldn’t be so fast to say that,” I said, earning a scowl from him.

“I’ll admit that she was stronger than I thought, but I would’ve won no matter what.”

I didn’t challenge his statement, unsure what else I could say to convince him. “I understand. I’ll heal both of you and then after that, how about you and I have a match?”

A ferocious grin spread across Felter’s face.

◇

If someone were to ask me what kind of teachings I dutifully followed, I would tell them without hesitation that it was the path of the blade. Of course, I was very serious about my sorcery training, and put everything I had into it, but things were different when it came to kendo. One could say that it was essentially a part of me. That’s why I decided to fight Felter with a wooden sword.

Felter raised his fists at me, and I had to make sure he was ready. “I said that you can use a weapon if you want.”

“I’ve already got my weapons out,” he replied, showing me his fists equipped with knuckle-dusters.

I was a little surprised, since I would have thought that a weapon with more reach would be better. Ultimately, I decided that it would probably be okay to begin the fight.

“These knuckle-dusters have broken through mithril swords and spears. You sure you’re okay with a wooden sword?” he asked with a fierce grin.

“Of course. This is enough for me.”

“All right, then.”

After confirming that we were on the same page, we began the match. Felter didn’t wait for an official signal to start and immediately got into a fighting stance.

“Let’s fight!”

“Sure.”

The moment I responded, he kicked off the ground, rushing toward me while swinging his fists methodically and reciting an incantation. Instead of taking his fists head-on, I deflected them to the side with my wooden sword.

“Leg Force.” Felter paused for a second to activate his spell and threw one more punch at me before kicking off of the ground and disappearing from my vision. I could hear the faint sounds of footsteps moving around the arena, and I saw his footprints appear over the ground that I’d just cleaned up after the fight with Elisa. As I focused on Felter’s footsteps, which left roughly three-centimeter dents in the ground, I sensed that he was about to attack from my left.

“Hup!” I let out a quick exhale and blocked his fist, then I landed a kick to his stomach during a moment where he’d stood still while preparing his next attack.

“Urk!” he groaned as I knocked the air out of him and he flew backward. “Body fortification, huh? The light around you is so thin that I didn’t notice it at first, but you used it on your legs, didn’t you?” he asked.

“Legs, overall defenses, and arm strength,” I whispered while moving toward him. I’d learned to use this quick step unconsciously during my normal training, but with leg fortification, I became unbelievably fast. I closed the distance between the two of us in an instant, and Felter jumped to the side, his eyes betraying his surprise.

I pursued Felter and swiftly swung my sword horizontally. He just barely blocked it with his knuckle-dusters and moved two or three steps back to avoid the aftershock of the attack. He has good instincts. I wanted to genuinely praise the boy, but it seemed like he wasn’t happy with being put on the defensive. While creating distance with me, he began a new incantation. There was only one possible spell that he’d use here.

“Power Force!” With his upper body strengthened, Felter lowered himself into a battle stance.

“In a sense, you’ve made the right decision. You can’t win against my speed, nor can you beat my technique. So the only remaining choice is trying to reverse the situation by overpowering me with your strength.”

I’d read him like a book, and he scowled once more. “Come at me. Unless you’re scared of my counterattack.”

It’s so obvious what he’s trying to do. I almost want to laugh at his clumsy attempt to taunt me. However, if I don’t take the bait, he’ll think that he could’ve won if only I’d fallen for it.

The only way to get through to someone like Felter, who thought that strength was everything, was to thoroughly beat him into submission. In that case, my only option was to charge right in. I grinned and plodded forward, making my way to Felter. I planned to put myself right into this disadvantageous situation he’d created, increase my strength, and challenge him to a straightforward brawl.

He swung his fist at me, roaring like a lion, but I stopped it with my wooden sword. A frightening sound rang out as our chosen weapons clashed and my feet sank slightly into the ground. Although I’d blocked the attack, I could feel how much power it’d contained. Regardless, though, I’d halted Felter in his tracks. Now the only thing left to do was to counterattack. I batted my sword into his abdomen, sending him flying back like a baseball. He crashed into the ground, got back up, and, for the first time, lost his composure.

“Th-This can’t be happening!” Felter screamed, striking the ground. He looked at the cracked earth beneath him, selected a shard larger than his head, and threw it at me. “Take this!” he bellowed, sending the rock hurtling at me with incredible speed.

I simply swung my sword at the missile, easily slicing it in two. A dry, high-pitched whine echoed as the halves whizzed by.

Felter appeared to be completely stunned. “Wh-What are you?!”

His attacks became frantic, but I continued to cut them down while walking toward him.

“Have you noticed that you’re relying on long-range attacks now? Do you understand what that means? You’re the weakest one here now.”

I was about two meters away from him at this point. He gritted his teeth, raised both of his hands into the air, and tried to slam them down onto my head. I discarded my wooden sword and caught his fists. At this point, he was no longer using any sort of stance or martial arts technique. He was simply attacking me with the full force of his body. It was probably exceedingly powerful, but I repelled the mighty impact with my spell.

“Material Reflect,” I said softly, catching his attack with my bare hands. Then I sent him and his huge body flying into the air as if he’d been hit by a dump truck. He fell onto his back a short distance away. Even Felter, as strong as he was, couldn’t stand after that. The crowd, who’d been alternating between cheers and gasps during our match, fell silent as they saw Felter lying on the ground, completely battered. After a second or two, Strath and Elisa snapped back to their senses and frantically rushed over.

“W-We need healers here immediately!”

“Are you okay, Felter?!”

Many of the students also ran over. I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s pretty tough to begin with. I’ve no doubt that he has a concussion, broken shoulders, and a broken clavicle, but I know that he’s not in critical condition. I looked around and saw Shenley completely stunned, so I walked over to her.

“All right, let’s leave. Are you hungry?”

“Huh? U-Um, will he be okay?”

“Yes, he will. Don’t worry.”

Shenley breathed a sigh of relief. “Will you speak with him later?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m sure he wouldn’t want to talk to me after losing that badly. That’s just how it is. From my experience, it’s hard on someone mentally when they lose at something they’re good at. I think I won’t try to see him for a week.”

“Have you ever lost, Professor Aoi?”

“Yes, I have. I’ve lost many, many, many times before. Would you like me to tell you all about it?”

“Y-Yes! I’d love to hear!” We continued our conversation as we left.

Interlude: Felter

At first, I hadn’t been too interested in Professor Aoi. I simply thought she was a gifted and talented sorcerer. Technically, at this academy for sorcery, one’s social status and connections weren’t supposed to have a huge effect, at least compared to how much of a divide there was in the outside world. If they learned the concepts of sorcery faster than others, even commoners could skip grades past royalty. If students got into fights, they were supposed to be punished regardless of their social statuses. However, the enforcement of these core principles depended on the instructors.

If they were the type who favored nobles and royalty, then they’d probably give preferential treatment to them. Such instructors were in the majority, so the noble students ended up getting more leniency than their commoner peers.

From what I could tell, Aoi didn’t treat anyone differently because of their social status. If she thought you’d done something bad, she would give you a stern talking-to. That was true for both students and instructors. Usually, someone like Aoi would receive pushback until they were forced to resign, but the opposite had happened. Despite the fact that she was new, she had received the position of upper-level instructor, and she had an aura around her that made it hard for other instructors to criticize her.

She’d even scolded Rox Kilbeggan, the prince of this country, and then called his parents to the school on top of that.

Any rational noble probably would have been shaking in their boots if they’d summoned the king and queen. Setting aside the question of whether or not they’d even answer, the mere act of summoning them would have already tarnished their family name.

On their own, no normal noble would have been able to accomplish what Aoi had. Nobles had more pride than anyone—they were even known to hire assassins to retaliate against people who so much as embarrassed them. The only individuals who could punish people of high status were those who had a strong sense of justice or who were very confident in their strength.

I’d heard rumors that Aoi had enough skill in sorcery to back up her actions. The thing that surprised me most was that nobody had ever heard Aoi say an incantation. When she cast spells, they were essentially instantaneous. I’d confirmed that firsthand when Rox had moved first during an argument but Aoi had cast a spell to restrain him a moment later. In other words, she could have only used one line of an incantation at most.

Not only did Aoi’s strength know no bounds, but she also acted as she pleased without the fear of nobles or royals getting in her way. She’d earned the epithet of “witch” in no time at all.

At first, I’d thought that she was the type of sorcerer who’d be done for if you got close to her, but with her ability to cast spells so quickly, that didn’t turn out to be the case. I’d figured she could handle herself in close-quarters combat, and she’d even revealed that she studied the sword. I was in awe. Not since I’d fought my dad prior to coming to the academy had I felt so excited.

With that in mind, I decided to warm up by challenging Elisa Woodford. I’d thought that by fighting in melee range, it’d be a cinch to win, but I couldn’t get close to her at all. She blinded me and restricted my movements, then she trapped me in some kind of weird flowing sand that made it impossible to break free.

Every instructor I’d fought prior to Elisa had only used long-range spells that affected a certain area of the field, so all I’d had to do was block one spell and then immediately close the distance before they could finish chanting the next. I’d thought that as long as I could force a close-quarters fight, I wouldn’t lose to anyone, but I shouldn’t have been so sure of that. The tables had turned on me. I tried to cast my next spell as best I could, and began panicking while I was continuously pelted by spheres of sand every few seconds.

Ultimately, I resolved to let myself get hit while working my way through my incantation no matter what. With that strategy, I just barely managed to cast a spell and squeak out a victory. It’d been a close match, though. Usually, after winning by such a narrow margin, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to say that I wanted to fight Aoi, but she seemed to pick up on what I wanted anyway and suggested that we have a match. For some reason, hearing her offer made me tremble, but not from fear—I simply wanted to fight her. That should’ve been the only thing I felt.

But as soon as the battle began, I could feel something was off. Usually when I moved at my fastest speed, my opponent would begin to panic, desperately trying to catch sight of me. However, Aoi didn’t budge one bit. It was as if she were telling me that she could still deal with me even if I got behind her. All she had was a flimsy wooden sword, yet there was no hesitation in her stance. Her unpredictable behavior irritated me. It was time to see if she could react, or if this would be the end for her.

I moved to attack her, knowing that I’d win if she blocked my fist with her sword because it’d splinter into pieces. With that knowledge, I threw a punch, but she parried it with ease. She smacked my wrist with her sword, and then she kicked my stomach, sending me flying. I could feel the weight of her foot through the strong, sharp attack. I hadn’t even had time to brace for the attack and had simply gone careening across the arena. As I landed, I lost my breath for a second and could taste blood in my mouth.

I asked her if she was using body fortification sorcery in her legs, but she surprised me by declaring that she was using it not only in her legs but also for her defenses and to strengthen her arms. She’d spoken in such a plain and matter-of-fact fashion, but her words were unbelievable. That’s possible? I almost felt myself asking her aloud, but she’d already closed the distance and readied her blade for a straightforward strike. She’d moved so fast that it was like she’d slid across the ground on ice. She hadn’t even been running. That kind of speed wasn’t normal.

Even if I moved back, I wouldn’t be able to get away from her, so I decided to dodge to the side. If she lost sight of me, I could circle behind her. I followed that plan, but while I should’ve gotten some distance from her, she tracked me with ease, swinging her sword once more. Just in the nick of time, I twisted my body and blocked the blade with my fist. In the face of the fearsome force with which she’d attacked, it took all of my energy to avoid being knocked down. I couldn’t afford to look away for even a moment. I jumped back to open space between us while Aoi stared me down resolutely.

Just from that small exchange, I could tell how strong of a swordsman she was. As much as it vexed me, I knew I couldn’t win against her in a competition of pure technique. I couldn’t beat her in speed either, even if that was only because she was enhancing hers with sorcery. The only pathway forward was pure strength.

If I could hit her with my full strength, even if I had to tank a hit to create the opening, I was certain that her dainty little body couldn’t withstand it. Although I wasn’t particularly skilled at taunting, I tried to goad her into attacking me head-on. She smiled, having most likely seen through my act easily. However, she still came straight at me, though maybe that was because she was simply confident in how strong she was.

“I appreciate it...” I whispered.

It was a close-quarters fight, and I planned to hit her with everything I had. I swung my fists down as hard as I could, grunting in exertion, but my hands never reached her body. Her skinny arms, which should have shattered under the force of my fists, somehow stopped them. Then, in a flash she landed a frighteningly powerful blow into my stomach. I couldn’t see straight anymore. I could make out the ground and then the sky before I felt my back hit the rough surface of the arena as I rolled. I was losing even in my ideal type of fight.

The moment that truth dawned on me, everything went white. I desperately tried to reassemble my ego, which had been broken into bits. I couldn’t compete with Aoi in sorcery or close-quarters combat. What could I do, then? How could I possibly win? My head was spinning and I couldn’t think straight, so I tried throwing a rock at her, but she easily split it in two with her sword. She’s a monster. The thrill of battle turned to fear in my heart.

No matter how many rocks I flung, she sliced through them without breaking a sweat until she arrived before me.

“Have you noticed that you’re relying on long-range attacks now? Do you understand what that means? You’re the weakest one here now,” she said.

Her words slashed through my heart more painfully than any sword could. They hurt so much that it truly felt like I’d been stabbed.

I frantically screamed and looked down as she got closer and closer to me. In a last-ditch effort, I sharply exhaled, raised my arms, and tried one final brute force attack, putting the entire weight of my body behind it. As my fists made contact, I could feel that I’d done something, but there was a stronger, opposing force from Aoi. It was an entirely different sensation from breaking rocks with my fists, and I couldn’t tell what’d happened at all. I looked down once more and saw something unbelievable. Aoi had tossed away her sword and had blocked my fists with her bare hands. This petite woman had blocked my fists. After that, my memory became hazy.

Chapter 7: Bad Rumors?

About a month had passed since I arrived at the school, and I’d now observed most of the classes. Since I’d been able to see all of the different instructors’ teaching styles, Glen told me that it was about time for me to teach my own class.

“Would it be better to have a practical class? Or maybe it would be better to teach about the fundamentals and general principles of sorcery?” I asked.

Glen went deep into thought. His face puckered as if he’d eaten something incredibly sour for the first time, but eventually he answered me. “I suppose fundamentals and general principles...”

“Why do you look like you’re about to cough up blood?”

I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on with Glen, but I accepted his decision and decided to conduct a class that focused on deepening students’ understanding of sorcery. From what I knew, students learned fundamentals in the elementary school division. Then they had tests in various subjects to make sure that they had a good grasp on everything. Once they passed, their next goal was to become proficient in using elementary-level sorcery before they could move on to the middle school division. At that point, they usually learned about the applications and activation methods of various spells.

As such, I wasn’t sure if there was a real need for what I was going to teach, but I decided to do a sorcery theory class geared toward middle and high schoolers. At Fiddich Academy, classes took place when the instructors had time to teach. In other words, the instructors dictated the times and dates of their own classes, which could be a maximum of ninety minutes each, and the students followed those schedules.

The first thing that students saw when entering the school building was a bulletin board with the times of the classes. The left side of the board was for elementary-school classes, and the middle and right were for middle-school and high-school classes, respectively. The board contained slots where instructors could place copper plates embossed with the names of their classes. That way, they could easily inform students of what times their classes were happening.

Students took two classes in the morning and two in the afternoon, but there could be two different classes offered at the same time. For example, in the first morning period, they might have the choice between a fire and a water class, but then only have the option to go to a wind class in the second period. In the afternoon, they might choose between an earth and nonelemental class in the first period but have a healing class as the only choice for the second period.

Instructors held classes from Monday through Sunday, so students were free to take whatever day they wanted off. That being said, they tended to focus on the classes that suited them best, so most students had a set schedule they followed. I didn’t know how many of them would want to switch up their schedules to take my class, but I was determined to do my best. At the very least, I had a feeling that Shenley would be there. I think she said that she specializes in water sorcery.

I headed to the entrance of the school building and looked at the class schedule bulletin board. Yesterday I’d made copper plates with my class’s name: “Introduction to the Fundamentals and Applications of Sorcery.”

There seemed to be a lot of classes in the middle school division, and most of the slots had been filled already. In contrast, the high school division only held about two or three classes per day.

“It’d probably be best to be safe and choose times that don’t compete with others, right?” I wondered aloud. I placed the placard for my class in the vacant slot of the first morning period on Tuesday for the middle school division. Then for the high school division, I added one for the second afternoon period on Wednesday. I also took the second period in the morning and the second period in the afternoon on Thursday.

Though I only had four classes per week, these were my only options to prevent overlap with the rest of the middle and high school schedules. But there was a bigger problem than how many class periods I could teach: my lesson plan.

“If I’m going to teach the fundamentals of sorcery, then I should probably start with the relation of mana particles and inanimate objects. Or wait, no. They might have already learned that in elementary school. If that’s the case, then maybe it’d be better to teach them about developing new sorcery.”

I began reflecting on a lot of different things, and since I didn’t have any plans today, I decided to look for Elisa. I pulled myself from my reverie to find that a lot of people had gathered around me. Everyone, students and instructors alike, were looking at me. As I began to wonder what was going on, a group of three girls nervously approached.

“U-Um, a-are you going to be teaching this intro to sorcery class, Professor Aoi?”

“Huh? Y-Yes, I am. Do you perhaps have an interest in taking it?”

All three girls nodded emphatically.

“W-We want to become like you!”

“We’ll definitely be there!”

“Definitely!”

I felt relieved that there was already interest. “All right, then. I’ll see you in class on Tuesday. I’ll do my best to make it a good class, so please do your best with your studies.”

“We will!” the three of them replied, bursting with energy.

I’m so glad! Now I’ll have at least four students in my class!

I then left to go find Elisa so that she could tell me what students learned about the fundamentals of sorcery in the elementary-school division. I had a lot of free time, so we could have a long discussion. If I know what they’ve been taught already, then I should be able to figure out a lesson plan.

I went back to the dorm to look for Elisa, but she was nowhere to be found. I guess since she doesn’t have any classes today, she’s probably not at the school building, so maybe she went to the restaurant in the city. But my guess was once again wrong. She wasn’t at the high-end restaurant, but since I’d come all the way out here, I decided to have lunch by myself.

When I returned to the school, I asked for the location of Elisa’s research room, but she wasn’t there either. Instead, I found a mountain of ore. Left with no other ideas, I asked the other instructors.

“Oh, Professor Speyside?”

“Gah! Professor Konominato?”

We both regarded each other awkwardly. If only he was Strath. I could’ve casually asked him about Elisa’s whereabouts.

“You...need something from me?” he asked, sulking.

“Do you know where Elisa is?” The question came out in a stilted, uncomfortable cadence.

Speyside slowly blinked. “In the space behind the school. You...didn’t know?” he asked, surprised.

His tone made me furrow my brow. Could she...? A certain thought surfaced in my head. I thanked Speyside and then headed to the back of the school where I saw two people, Strath and Elisa. They were both looking at the ground while talking.

“Like I said, Aoi’s methods—”

“No, if I had done it exactly like Aoi had said, I could have won.”

It seemed that the two of them were discussing her battle with Felter the other day. They’d even drawn a simple overhead view of the arena.

“Felter started by strengthening his body as Aoi predicted, but what would have happened if he’d instead started by fortifying his legs and not dropping his guard?” Strath asked.

“Well...if he’d done that, then I would have made a pitfall and a wall after starting the sandstorm.”

“That’s a pretty rough strategy to pull off. If it were me, I would have made a whirlwind around myself while chanting a powerful advanced-level spell.”

“I think that’s a good strategy as well,” I said. The two of them jumped and turned to look at me.

“A-Aoi...” Elisa said. Her eyes brimmed with tears. I wondered what was the matter, and her lips began to quiver as she hung her head. “I’m sorry... You came up with a plan just for me, and I...” she said dejectedly.

I looked at her warmly and shook my head. Though she’d seemed perfectly fine when we’d had dinner on the night she’d lost, it was clear that she was still haunted by losing. Throughout my two lives, I’d seen many people older and younger than me fail. Some had been able to spring back over time and some could just instantly brush off the setbacks. However, others simply broke after failing and realizing precisely how tall the hurdle before them was. I’d thought that Elisa was the type who could bounce back, but there was no helping the fact that she felt this way if she couldn’t. I’d do everything in my power to help her get back on her feet.

“Elisa, you’re a researcher as well as an instructor of sorcery. You have actual combat experience, and you knew that you were at a disadvantage against Felter and the special sorcery that he used. Even so, the fighting style of your sorcery still enables you to fight at the same level as or even above that of your opponent.”

“If that’s true, I really did mess up since I lost...”

I put my hand on Elisa’s shoulder as she grew even more disheartened. She looked up at me as I spoke. “Just because someone has learned how to use a sword, does that mean they can immediately defeat a knight? Like with everything, experience is the most important factor. Compared to how you were before you fought Felter, you’ve grown stronger. If you want to become a powerful sorcerer, I can tell you the location of a good forest with lots of monsters in it! Just spend three months there and you’ll be able to beat Felter overwhelmingly. How about it?”

Elisa gave a smile that came out as more of a grimace. “I-I think I’ll pass...”

After our discussion, I’d asked Elisa and Strath to explain which fundamentals students learned in the elementary school division so I could finally decide on my lesson plan for my class. Now, it was the day of my first class, and I stood in front of the classroom I’d reserved, still nervous. I was about five minutes early, so I figured I’d have time to prepare. However, there were already students here.

“P-Professor Aoi! Good morning!”

“Good morning, Shenley,” I said, walking to the podium while surveying the room.

Shenley sat at the very front of the classroom. The three girls from yesterday were here as well, their eyes sparkling as they looked at me. Also present was a quiet-looking boy. The attendance list on my podium told me that there were a whopping six students signed up. Apparently the demand for new instructors wasn’t high. But even so, I had six students in my class. Six students had come here to take a class with me, of all people. I looked up from the roster and began to take attendance.

“Shenley?”

“Present!”

I continued going down the list until I got to the final name.

“Hm? Felter?” I called out, tilting my head.

“Here.” The door opened, and there stood Felter.

I blinked, unable to believe my eyes. The boy boldly passed by me and took a seat in the front by the window.

“This class isn’t about body fortification. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” he snorted.

Though he was standoffish, something about his behavior was incredibly adorable. Is this what he’s like when he acts his age? I felt much more relaxed now. I surveyed my six students and gave a simple introduction.

“I’m Aoi Konominato. I’m not in charge of a specific subject, so I’ve decided to make this class a simple one that anyone can easily participate in, focusing on building knowledge about sorcery and learning critical thinking when using it. I know I’m a new instructor, so please do let me know if there’s anything that you don’t understand from my explanations. I look forward to having a productive class with all of you.”

I bowed my head and the students clapped. I looked up at everyone, albeit a little sheepishly. “Well then, I’d like for all of you to introduce yourselves as well.”

“I-I’m Shenley Le Rosentiel! I’m from the Holy Maple Leaf Empire! I look forward to learning from you!” Everyone clapped for Shenley’s enthusiastic introduction.

Next, one of the girls in the trio raised her hand. “I’m Ayle Hegge Battler from the Colt Highland Federation! Pleasure to be here!” the redheaded girl said, as she bowed her head.

She was a little tall, but what got my attention the most was her name and how similar she looked to someone else I’d met.

“Oh, are you related to Colt?”

Her face lit up. “I’m proud to say I’m his little sister!”

“Don’t brag like that, Ayle.”

Oh, so they’re siblings. I smiled, then I looked at the girl next to Ayle who’d spoken up.

“Oh. I’m Liz Stewart. I came with Ayle from Colt Highland. It’s a pleasure to be here,” she said, politely bowing. She was a little chubby and had blue hair. From her demeanor, she seemed older than Ayle, but it was likely that she was the same age.

The third girl in their group began to introduce herself. “I’m Belle Berkley! I came with the two of them from Colt Highland. Despite how I look, my specialty is fire sorcery,” she said, puffing out her flat chest. She had bright blonde hair and was short like Elisa, but she gave off a lively impression.

After I’d acknowledged all of the girls, I then looked to the guy who was sitting hunched over in the back of the room. He had long, dark green hair which covered his eyes.

“O-Oh, me? M-My name is Dean Stone. I’m from the Kingdom of Karvun. I’m the fourth son of a newly appointed baron, so I’m not very n-noble-like. Ha ha ha...” he laughed facetiously before looking down.

The boy shrank as everyone’s gazes focused on him, so I turned to Felter who was sitting with his arms folded.

“Felter Cayan. I’m here from the Bushmills Empire. If anyone here tries to lay a finger on Aoi, you’ll have to go through me first.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” I asked. When did he become my bodyguard?

Felter looked back at me sharply before turning away just as quickly. “House Cayan respects those who defeat us, and we work hard to adopt their strengths by either becoming their disciples or marrying them.”

“So...this is a tenet of your house? You’ve taken my class to learn from me, right?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” he responded awkwardly.

Just as my eyes began drifting around, unused to this atmosphere, Shenley gasped as she looked at the door. I turned around to see more people rushing inside.

“Did we make it?”

“I came as soon as my class ended, Professor Aoi!”

“Pardon us.”

Strath, Elisa, and Speyside entered the classroom.

The students gawked at them as they sat down in empty seats.

“All right, please begin class,” Strath said nonchalantly as if nothing were strange about this situation.

Elisa straightened up in her seat and looked at me eagerly.

“Why are you all here?” I asked.

“I was curious,” Strath said with a serious expression.

“Me too!” Elisa said, beaming.

After hearing their answers, Speyside looked at me. “Even if you are an upper-level instructor in name only, classes from upper-level instructors are valuable. I’d like it if you could not betray my expectations for the standards of your class.”

His snark didn’t go unnoticed. A sigh escaped my mouth, but I found myself smiling. “Heh heh. All right, then, let’s begin class.”

I scanned the room once more and saw Glen peeking through the window. My face tensed up in annoyance.

◇

“I have a question.”

“Yes, Strath?” I’d lost count of how many times he’d asked a question at this point, but I still called on him. He stood up.

“I understand that the spellcasting process involves supplying mana first and that mana takes shape with the incantation. Finally, saying the name of the spell activates it. I also understand that the power of one’s thoughts can have an effect on spells, but is it really that significant of a factor?”

The teachers in my class seemed to be more interested in this question than the students were.

“Incantations are essentially guidelines that exist so that anyone can use sorcery. Each word has its own meaning, and even if your mental image of the spell you want to cast isn’t strong enough, the incantation is sufficient to produce the intended spell. As amazing as that is, though, focusing purely on the incantation demonstrates a lack of understanding of the essence of sorcery. I think that it’s important to start by understanding science, or rather to start by understanding natural and physical phenomena.”

Speyside greeted my answer with a dubious look. “That might explain why some spells are more or less powerful than others. However, through research into incantations, we’ve found that the incantation method can change the nature and force of the spell. If that’s the case, then wouldn’t the most important things to learn be the incantation methods and differences that arise from using various amounts of mana?”

I nodded. That response was the closest that someone at this academy could get to the right answer.

“Fire.” I conjured a small ball of flame, slightly startling my audience. “This is the result of keeping my thoughts clear and simply fulfilling the minimum requirements to cast the spell.” I snuffed out the blazing orb and began casting the spell once more while thinking hard about its construction and supplying mana. “Fire.”

Everyone let out sounds of surprise as a ball of flame big enough to consume a person appeared. This growth was the result of me gradually feeding the spell with mana while focusing on the construction to increase the combustion.

“Those were both the same spell, but there was a marked difference,” I said. “Essentially, you need to understand the composition of the spell, and in order to get the maximum effect out of it, your mana...”

As I began breaking down what I’d done, I extinguished the inferno, leaving the class dumbfounded.

◇

So far, my classes had been a hit. The week went by in a flash as I answered any and all questions people had and then broke down spells for them. Although I didn’t end up getting any additional students, I was optimistic that more would come next week because of how much my students were raving about my class. Heart fluttering with pride and hope, I went out with Elisa and Strath to celebrate.

“Congratulations!”

“Congrats.”

“Thank you both.”

We all raised our glasses and drank to a successful week. Strath had liquor with seltzer water as a chaser, while Elisa and I both had fruit wine.

“How was your first week, Professor Aoi?” Elisa asked.

My eyes naturally moved diagonally upward as I thought things over. “Well...thanks to the great students I’ve been blessed with, I think the classes went very smoothly. However, it does bother me that other instructors showed up too...” I looked at the two of them and they immediately averted their gazes. After a moment, I giggled and shook my head. “I’m joking. Having people I know in class with me actually helped calm my nerves,” I said, beaming.

Elisa sheepishly returned my smile, her cheeks turning a light pink. It might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw Strath’s expression soften slightly too. Their reactions warmed my heart.

“Everyone in the class showed so much enthusiasm! I’m eager to see if more students show up next week.”

Suddenly, Strath’s and Elisa’s expressions shifted to dejection, and they traded glances. Then, as if she’d been elected to represent both of their thoughts, Elisa spoke up.

“Um, well, a good portion of the students, they...”

“What about the students?” I asked, curious.

Elisa’s eyes began roaming around the room as a sad look sank into them. “Well, a portion of them won’t take a commoner’s class...”

“Commoner?” As I repeated the word, they froze up.

“I’m not calling you that, though!”

“Me neither!”

Both Strath and Elisa were quick to defend themselves, strangely frightened.

“I’m not upset or anything,” I said with a sigh.

“Really?” Elisa asked, relieved.

“Of course not. After all, I am a commoner. However, their logic of not taking my class because I’m a commoner doesn’t make sense to me.”

Elisa let out a short, terrified shriek. I looked down and realized that I’d inadvertently crushed the glass I’d been holding in my hand. I ignored Elisa’s alarm and wiped off the table.

“This is a school for sorcery, and they are students,” I continued. “Why would they choose whether or not to take classes based on the instructors’ social statuses? As I suspected, the fact that they tie their entire identities to being nobles isn’t conducive to a healthy school environment. We need reform.”

“Um...just for the record, it’s against the rules for individuals to try and police the academy...” Elisa said.

“Anything you do outside of the scope of your class or simple experiments in your research has to go through Headmaster Glen. Depending on the circumstances, someone else can give warnings or reprimands in your stead,” Strath said.

Oh, I see. “That’s to avoid any favoritism by someone from the same country or same noble faction, right? In that case, I suppose I’ll start by speaking with the headmaster.”

They both crinkled their brows.

“Don’t trouble the headmaster too much,” Strath said.

“D-Don’t ask for the impossible from him,” Elisa added.

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best.”

Both of them begin to pray after hearing my noncommittal answer.

At the beginning of the week, I paid a visit to the headmaster’s office first thing in the morning. Apparently, the headmaster’s bedroom and living quarters were in an adjoining room, so in a sense, this office was his home. I knocked on the door, which opened automatically after Glen responded. As I entered, I saw the headmaster sitting on a single-seat sofa, and he raised a hand.

“Hey there, Aoi. Morning. Nice weather we’re having, huh?”

I could tell Glen was in good spirits due to his bright and unusually candid greeting.

“Good morning,” I replied, entering.

Glen looked happy. “I was worried about how things were going to play out, but both the king and queen left here very pleased. Queen Leah, of all people, has taken an interest in you, which is exceedingly rare. She’s someone who barely speaks in public and simply smiles instead. I’m not saying that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but she only speaks when she finds someone especially interesting and wants to test their character.” He held up his fingers one after another as he continued his explanation. “You should be proud of the fact that the queen is fond of you. She’s contributed so much to the kingdom that there are those who would like her to be the chancellor as well. Many years ago she even helped to stop an attempted rebellion by a count.”

“Oh, really?”

Glen fervently nodded. “Yes. Oh, right. Did you need something from me?”

“Yes, Headmaster. I have another request,” I said, shifting my speech to be a bit more formal.

Glen smiled jovially while shaking his head. He swirled some kind of amber-colored liquid in a glass. “Sure, sure. Ask anything.”

Well, if you say so. “Thank you. I began teaching last week, but I don’t have many students yet. At first I thought it was because I’m still new to the school, but I’ve heard that it’s because the noble student faction, or whatever they call themselves, is doing something to interfere. As such, I’d like your permission to destroy that faction.”

“Pffft!” Glen sprayed his drink all over. “G-Gah!” he wheezed, coughing as it went down the wrong pipe. “I don’t think you have to go that far!”

I shook my head. “The problem here is that they identify as nobles above all else. They’re at school so they can learn. Don’t you find it strange that they’re choosing what classes to take based on the statuses of the instructors? You do, don’t you?”

“Y-Yes. I do.”

After confirming that he was on the same page, I continued. “Of course, I’m not going to just take out the ringleader. However, I’ll destroy any efforts they make to harass those who want to become my students. I’d like to conduct an investigation as well. It’s possible that those of higher status are ordering people not to take my class.”

Glen looked at me stunned and I smiled back.

“I understand why Queen Leah is so taken with you now...” he said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all!” he answered robotically.

I shot him a doubtful look. “Well then, I’ll take my leave now,” I said, bowing. “I’ll return once I’ve made some progress with my investigation.”

“Understood.”

As I left his office, I wondered why his reply had been so strangely formal.

Chapter 8: Investigation

I went to the bulletin board to check what times I could hold my classes this week. The schedule hadn’t changed at all from last week, which told me that the other instructors liked to keep a degree of regularity. I guess I won’t be able to teach that many classes, but I’ll use the time I’m not teaching to do research for the school’s benefit. It’d be a waste not to use my research room when they’ve so kindly given one to me.

I needed to test out a lot of new, experimental things that might or might not work in my efforts to return to Japan, but for the moment, I had other priorities, like finding out who was discouraging students from taking my class.

If someone wanted to impress the values of noble society upon the school, then they’d certainly be a noble themselves, and likely one of high standing. In that case, the most suspicious people were students like Rox—members of royalty in the high school division who had good grades.

However, I knew that Rox wouldn’t be perpetuating this hierarchy any longer. I’d heard from both Strath and Elisa that he’d become a new person entirely, behaving in their classes and taking them seriously.

My main problem was that I had little to no information on the students, which meant I had no clues or hints to point me in the right direction. So how should I start my investigation? Just then, I ran into someone who had just the knowledge I needed. As I rounded the corner in the hallway, I saw a boy with red hair walking down the hall by himself while shifting his eyes from side to side.

“Rox?” I called out. It was unusual to see him alone.

He looked surprised to see me. “Gah! P-Professor A-Aoi. N-Need something?”

I’d never seen him freak out this much before. This is suspicious... Very suspicious... Could Rox be the one pulling the strings? I doubted that. Perhaps due to my look of scrutiny, Rox turned away and began to sweat, which made him seem even more suspicious. He kept giving me strange glances too. Is he actually involved in this?

“Are you hiding something, Rox?”

“No! Nothing at all! Why are you looking at me like that, as if I’m a liar?”

I fixed my gaze on him as he panicked, but from what I could tell, it seemed like he was telling the truth. If Rox was the type of person to harass people behind the scenes, I wouldn’t be able to fluster him this easily.

“Sorry. My mistake.”

“O-Oh. Good. Whew...” He looked visibly relieved.

I smiled and used the opening to push for information. “By the way, Rox, someone like you probably knows what kind of people attend this academy, right? Are there many other students who are royalty or close to that status?”

My question plowed deep furrows into Rox’s brow as he regarded me with suspicion. “Royalty? If you plan on calling other students’ parents here like you did with me, I’d think twice if I were you. My father may be a king, but his personality is unique. He might let some things slide, but others won’t.”

“No, I don’t plan to do that. You’re the only student who’s behaved so poorly that I’ve had to resort to calling their parents.”

“Oh...” Rox’s shoulders slumped.

I directed the conversation back to my original question. “So, royal students?”

“Well, starting from the elementary school division...”

“If possible, could you just tell me the ones in the high school division?”

“Huh? Well, in that case, there’s Bahrel Black, who’s the son of a duke in Karvun. He’s just like Shenley and skipped a grade into the high school division. Then there’s Hiram, the imperial prince of Maple Leaf, and then Craggan, the son of a duke in the Kingdom of Gransanth. After that...there’s Balvenie of the Bushmills Empire. He’s staying back to do research even though he has the necessary skills and knowledge to graduate. Oh, and I guess Colt from Colt Highland is pretty much royalty too.”

“Colt?”

Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that he’s one of the greater nobles. Colt always acted so laid-back and spoke so politely that I’d completely forgotten he was a noble. Ever since the first class where we’d met, he’d always come up to me in the hallways or cafeteria to talk. I seriously doubted that he’d be the ringleader behind the current hierarchy, but it would still be best to be thorough and talk to him.

“Hmph. Is that all?” Rox asked, interrupting my train of thought while wearing a slightly dissatisfied look.

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

Rox frowned. “Uh-huh,” he said brusquely as he turned to leave.

I cocked my head. He’s acting suspiciously. “His ears are red. Maybe he’s feeling under the weather?” I whispered to myself as I left.

◇

I tried hard to find Colt, but he wasn’t anywhere I looked. It was almost time for my Tuesday class, so I gave up and started heading to the classroom. On the way, I happened upon Felter and Colt talking. They seemed to be staring each other down with contentious looks, so I ran over.

“No fighting!” I called out. They both turned toward me, then looked back at each other almost immediately and exchanged cryptic nods.

Colt then turned to me. “We weren’t fighting. I’m sorry we made you worry.”

I looked at Felter. “Really? And no bullying either.”

“I wasn’t bullying him,” he said, sulking. He squinted at Colt.

“Bullying?” Colt whispered, the smile on his face turning taut.

For a brief moment, I felt the urge to pat Felter’s fluffy head, but I restrained myself. Speaking with Colt comes first.

“Colt?” I began, preparing to probe for information.

“Oh.” Colt steepled his fingers in a gesture unbecoming of his youth. He pointed down the hallway. “Class is starting soon, isn’t it?”

I was a bit torn by my desire to find out what he knew, but I couldn’t skip class as a teacher. “I’d like to speak with you later,” I said. I walked to the classroom and luckily just made it in time.

“I’m sorry that I’m later than usual,” I said as I entered.

Inside were my usual students, along with Strath, Speyside, and Elisa, who for some reason had decided to attend every one of my classes.

“You’re so late, Professor Aoi!”

“No, she’s right on time, Ayle!”

The chipper chatter of the trio of girls rang out as I took my place in front of the podium and gave a slight smile.

“Huh? Colt?!” called out one of the girls.

I turned toward the doorway and realized that I hadn’t been alone when I’d entered the room.

“Colt?” I asked.

He waved at me with a friendly grin. “Is it too late for me to join the class?”

“No, not at all.”

I handed the attendance list to him and he neatly wrote his name on it, his smile radiating warmth. As much as I was curious about his presence here, we couldn’t talk privately right now, so I decided to begin class. Before I had the chance to speak, though, Colt caught sight of Ayle and peered at her in surprise.

“Huh? What are you doing here? Have you been taking this class from the start?” Colt’s voice was gentle, but Ayle looked away in a huff. It was rare to see her act like this. She pouted angrily, but Colt seemed unbothered, and he sat down at a random desk. Something was definitely going on between them, but I couldn’t look into it further right now.

“Let’s begin class,” I said before taking the roll call.

◇

I could tell that class had gone well, since the trio of Ayle, Belle, and Liz excitedly approached me afterward to ask questions about the lesson. I felt bad turning them down, but I had other matters to attend to.

“I’m very sorry. Please allow me to answer your questions another day. I have something I need to speak to Colt about,” I said.

Ayle frowned, visibly upset. Liz and Belle frantically pulled her away. I should probably talk with her later too.

I chased after Colt as he left the classroom. “Do you have a minute?”

He turned around with his usual kind smile. “Of course. How may I help you?”

His sparkly smile gave me pause, but I’d come here after turning down questions from my students. I couldn’t falter now.

“I’d like to ask you something,” I said resolutely.

Colt lifted his chin. “Is it about having lunch together? If so, the answer’s yes.”

“No, that’s not what I’d like to ask you.” I looked straight at Colt as he raised an eyebrow. “You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?” I asked.

Colt burst out laughing, seemingly unprepared for the question. “Heh. Ha ha ha! Professor Aoi, in my country, people use that line when they’re trying to get the person they like to notice them.”

“Huh? Why?” I asked.

“Allow me to demonstrate a clichéd response,” he said, putting his hand over his heart. “I’m hiding nothing from you. Are you sure you’re not misunderstanding something?”

I had no clue how to respond to that. “I—” The moment I opened my mouth, someone flew in and hit Colt in the stomach.

“Oof!” he grunted.

Ayle stood before me, her face flushed. “I need my brother for something! Excuse us!” she said through gritted teeth, dragging Colt away while he was still coughing from her strike.

The other two girls in her group apologized and chased after them.

“What...just happened?” They’d blown in and out like a storm, leaving me flabbergasted and only able to watch as they sprinted away.

◇

“Something’s fishy,” I said at the lunch table.

Elisa and Strath looked at each other.

Now that I think about it, Colt was acting and speaking differently than usual. Was he trying to run away from me at the start? As I racked my brain about this, Strath scratched the back of his head.

“I think it’s all in your mind.”

I broke out of my musings and looked up.

“Ayle really respects her brother,” Elisa explained shyly.

“That sounds like a good thing.”

Elisa shook her head and let out a long breath. “Well, her respect is a little...excessive.”

“How so?”

“Colt is a rare example of a noble who treats everyone equally despite his high status. He’s very popular because he has a gentle personality and looks like a storybook prince.”

“That’s true. He’s certainly the type of guy that high school girls would be head-over-heels for,” I said. I’d always thought of Colt as just a regular, likable young man, but he came with quite the résumé. After all, he was pretty great with sorcery for a high schooler. Ayle must have been very proud of him. “I’m not sure I follow what you’re trying to say.” I looked at the both of them and Elisa and Strath quickly averted their games. “Care to explain?”

Both of them declined to answer. Knowing their personalities, I was sure that they weren’t trying to be mean to me, so it must’ve been that they knew a secret that they didn’t want to tell.

“Well, given that they’re siblings, I won’t try to dig deep or anything.” It’s not good to pry into other people’s affairs. I decided to back off for now.

Strath stood up and pointed outside. “You haven’t been at the academy long. It wouldn’t be odd if you passed by coincidentally.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” I asked.

“He’s telling you to follow him,” Elisa said. She rose with a smile.

As we walked toward the courtyard, I began seeing fewer and fewer people. The southern area of the academy was mostly home to research rooms and specialized facilities, but there was apparently a small parklike space as well. Far back into it was an area that had many plants, almost like a garden.

“It’s an unspoken agreement, but the back area here is reserved for high school students,” said Elisa. She pointed. “A lot of people from the Colt Highland Federation hang out in this particular corner. I’m sure a lot of students prefer to spend time with people from their home countries.” She began peeking between the trees. “Oh, there they are.”

“Hmm, how rare to see Colt with them as well,” Strath said.

“Ayle probably dragged him straight here,” Elisa replied.

I peered through the foliage alongside Elisa and Strath. I saw four people, including Colt, who were huddled in a circle talking. I strained my ears and could just make out Ayle’s voice.

“You seem to be getting on pretty well with Professor Aoi, Colt.”

“You think so?” he replied. “I’d like to be friends with her, but I haven’t really talked with her that much.”

“Do you plan to bring her to the federation?” Ayle asked further.

“No way. I think that’s a little too tall of an order. It’d be nice if she joined, though. To be honest, I think she’s more skilled than any of our best sorcerers.”

“You mustn’t get close to her using ambiguous feelings. What if she thinks she can get engaged to you? I’ve seen so many girls from great houses in tears because you’ve pulled something like that with them. Don’t be so wanton with how you act with girls.”

I hadn’t seen Ayle use such formal speech before. Liz and Belle grimaced. Colt acted as if he had no idea what she was talking about, but his smile was weak.

I see. It’s understandable that girls would pine for him when he’s so well-rounded and essentially a royal to boot. I could only imagine how many girls had caught feelings for him only to find out it was completely one-sided. He was quite the lady-killer.

“Wait...” I finally realized what Ayle was saying. She thinks that I have unrequited feelings for Colt. I walked briskly toward the four students.

“A-Aoi?” Elisa started, but she was too late to stop me.

“P-Professor Aoi?!”

“Ayle, let’s run!”

Liz and Belle looked around for an escape route, but Ayle planted herself in front of me resolutely.

“Professor Aoi... I’m truly sorry! My brother Colt doesn’t see you in a romantic way! You might think that he was leading you on, but please don’t hate him! It’s his fault for being too wonderful!” She seemed sincerely apologetic.

I rubbed my forehead with my palm, feeling a headache coming on. “I don’t have any kind of romantic feelings for Colt.”

“Huh?” she uttered in disbelief.

◇

Now that I’d cleared up Ayle’s misunderstanding, I turned to face Colt. “Please rest assured that I only see you as one of my students.”

Colt’s shoulders slumped as if he were exhausted, and he shook his head. “Weirdly, that kinda hurts to hear,” he sighed.

He was acting somewhat heartbroken, which left me confused. At the same time, Ayle still didn’t seem to believe me. I concluded that neither of them were the kind of person who would harass others, so I decided to explain everything to put their minds at ease.

“The real reason I wanted to speak with Colt is because I’ve heard that there’s been a concerted effort to interfere with people taking my class.”

“Huh?” Ayle’s outburst was tinged with genuine shock. “Why would they do that?”

I looked at Liz and Belle. “If you two know anything, please let me know.” Then, I turned back to Colt, who had the same mysterious expression as before with Felter.

“What have you heard?” he asked.

I shrugged. “The only thing I know is that there’s probably someone telling people not to take my class,” I said with a sigh.

Colt gestured to Ayle. “I’m not sure if Ayle genuinely hasn’t heard or just isn’t bothered by this, but rumors are going around among the middle and high school students that royalty and greater nobles are taking note of the people who take your classes.”

I knit my brow. “Students have the freedom to choose which classes they’d like to take. They shouldn’t cave to pressure from nobles.”

“O-Of course. I’ve been saying that too, but I don’t have much influence and everyone else is really hesitant to go against the upper echelon. I don’t think Felter or Rox are behind this, so that would only leave either Balvenie, who even the instructors look up to, or His Highness Hiram. Both Craggan and Bahrel are younger than me and don’t have a ton of influence in the academy, so I doubt it’s either of them.”

Colt had really done his research. I nodded, but then Ayle spoke up.

“Huh? Someone’s telling people not to take your class? But it’s such a good class! I only started taking it because I was worried that you were falling for my brother, but I’ve been genuinely enjoying the lessons. I’ve even recommended your class to other people, but none of them have shown up,” she complained.

I hadn’t expected her motivation for taking my class to be so shallow. Regardless of why she’d come originally, though, the end result was that I now had a passionate student who was eager for more lessons. For that, I was grateful.

“All right, then. Let’s go meet with this Balvenie. Is he in class right now?”

Colt shook his head. “No, he usually shuts himself in his research room. Every now and then he comes out to attend a water sorcery class, but that’s about it.”

“H-His research room is right over there! Follow me!” said Liz.

“We’ll take you there as an apology for Ayle’s rude behavior!” added Belle.

The two girls led the way to Balvenie’s research room. As they took us back out to the courtyard, Elisa and Strath awkwardly revealed themselves.

“Huh?” Belle let out.

“Oh, I see. So that’s how Professor Aoi found us,” Colt said with amusement.

Strath folded his arms. “If you’re going to see Balvenie, I’ll accompany you. I assist him every now and then with his research.”

“Really, Professor Strath?” Ayle asked.

Elisa answered in his place. “Balvenie’s research has to do with weather manipulation; that’s why.”

That piqued my curiosity, but I held my tongue and followed the group to Balvenie’s research room. It was small but looked newer than the surrounding buildings. The compact one-story structure was sturdy, built of both stone and wood.

Strath knocked on the wooden door with a sharp rap. After a few moments, a parched voice responded from the other side.

“Yes? Who is it?” The door opened to reveal a boy with long, wavy, dark orange hair. He wore thin-framed glasses, and although stubble lined his face, he looked like he kept up with his hygiene. He surveyed us one by one until he got to Strath.

“A lot of visitors today. Did something happen?” he asked, annoyed.

Strath nodded expressionlessly. “I’m here in regard to the new instructor, Professor Aoi. There’s apparently someone trying to interfere with her classes. Do you know anything about that?”

“Y-You’re being so direct, Professor Strath,” Colt protested.

“Wow...” Ayle said.

Neither of the siblings could hide their surprise at Strath’s straightforward approach. Balvenie, on the other hand, looked confused.

“New instructor? She doesn’t look like a beastkin... Maybe the fourth or fifth daughter of a baron?” His flippant answer irritated me.

“No, Aoi’s not a noble,” Strath explained. “I thought her starting at the academy was big news, but I guess you haven’t heard. She’s a commoner who’s been hired as an upper-level instructor.”

“A commoner upper-level instructor? Uh-huh...” He looked at me with skepticism. “If you’re not a royal court sorcerer from some country, you must be the first huge prodigy we’ve seen since Headmaster Glen. In that case, could I ask you a question?”

“Yes?”

Balvenie’s lips curled. “I’d like to control the weather, you see. Do you know of any sorcery in the past that’s achieved this?”

“The only one I know is Rain Dance, which turns sunny days into rainy ones. It uses a combination of fire, water, and wind sorcery. First, you suspend a sufficient amount of water in the air, then you heat it up with fire, then you use wind to—”

Balvenie’s jaw dropped and stayed frozen in place. I paused, wondering why he was acting so strangely, and turned to Strath for help. Both Strath and Elisa were gaping at me too.

“W-Wait! That spell is a state secret in its country of origin! How do you know about it?!” Balvenie asked. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me excitedly, causing my exasperation to rise.

“Calm down. It’s not too hard to think of when you know how clouds are formed.”

“Huh? You know how clouds are formed? How? Tell me. I have a theory, but I’d like to hear your opinion.”

“Hold on. Right now, I—”

“Oh, you’re going to demonstrate right now? Great! Tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll help. If we’re making clouds, then I suppose it’d be best to have a lot of spheres of water in the air—”

He kept going on and on without letting me get a word in edgewise, so I finally hit him with a firm strike to the gut—or more specifically, the solar plexus, one of the body’s weak points. This martial arts blow caused a shock to run across the diaphragm, making it hard for the target to breathe. The solar plexus lacked bones for defense, had a lot of nerve endings, and was vulnerable no matter how much muscle mass a person had. That was especially true if you did a diagonal hit from below. It’d cause enough excruciating pain to anyone regardless of if they were muscular or overweight. Of course, this was true for Balvenie as well.

“Gah!” The boy couldn’t breathe in even if he wanted to. He simply fell to the floor in a ball.

I’d acted on the spur of the moment, so it was too late for anything but regrets as I looked down on him squirming in agony.

“Calm down. You’ll be quiet now, right?” I asked.

“I don’t think he can answer you,” Elisa said while Balvenie gasped for air in tears.

◇

After physically shutting Balvenie up, I turned to Strath.

“It doesn’t seem like he’s the mastermind either. I’ll apologize to him another day by myself, so let’s go find Hiram.”

Strath and the others agreed.

“W-Wait—” Balvenie tried to say something, but I bowed deeply to him and turned away.

“Th-This way!” said Belle, moving briskly.

“Hiram specializes in wind sorcery, so he should be taking the last class of the day,” Liz added. Colt and Ayle then came up next to me.

“I don’t think you’ve had any classes with Hiram because you specialize in earth sorcery, right? But since I specialize in wind as well, I’ve had class with him a lot,” Ayle said.

“Really? Are you two friends?” Colt replied.

“Not at all. I exchange pleasantries with him at best.”

In contrast to Colt and Ayle’s relaxed conversation, Elisa seemed worried. “Um, is it okay to leave Balvenie like that? He is the fourth son of the emperor of Bushmills.”

“I’ll apologize later.”

“Fine... Just don’t blame me if anything happens.”

Elisa looked defeated as we made our way toward Hiram’s classroom. The halls were clear, likely because students were either still in class or already done for the day. Eventually, we arrived in front of a classroom on the third floor. The lecture had just ended, and students had begun walking out. As we entered the room, Colt waved to someone sitting in the front row.

“Hiram!”

The person Colt had called out to was a young man with spiky purple hair who was surrounded by girls. Maybe it was just his baby face, but he looked to be the same age as Shenley.

“Hey, Colt. It’s been a while. Hope you’ve been doing well.”

“I have, thanks! Glad to see you again.”

Hiram walked over to us. He had an androgynous appearance with large, round eyes. From the way he smiled, I figured that he was good at being friendly with others. The girls who’d been around him kept exclaiming about how cute he was.

“Do you need something from me?” Hiram asked. “Oh wow! You’re Professor Aoi Konominato, right?! I’ve wanted to meet you, but my schedule hasn’t really worked out... Would you let me take your class when I’m able to?”

“Oh. Uh, yes. My class is open to anyone.”

Hiram happily clasped my hands. “I really look forward to it! They say you’re the next huge prodigy after Headmaster Glen!” Although his mannerisms were overexaggerated, his smile was as innocent as a child’s. I was almost scared by how quickly I found myself mirroring his grin.

“O-Oh, of course, but I’ve actually come to ask you about something else. Do you have a minute?”

“My body measurements?” Hiram asked.

“No.”

He giggled at my quick response. Ugh. It’s hard to deal with him. He keeps throwing me off. I cleared my throat to get my mind back on track.

“I’d like to talk about something serious, so please listen.”

“You’re really fun, Professor Aoi. You’re not used to being toyed with, are you? Want me to teach you a trick?”

“A trick?” I asked inquisitively.

His grin grew. “There you go! You see, the trick is to not answer questions seriously. When it’s your turn to speak, you don’t give them a chance to talk, and instead you make sure that they answer your questions instead. People like me can’t really accomplish anything if we don’t get the chance to take control of the conversation,” Hiram explained.

I see. So you have to make the conversation go to the beat of your drum. “I understand. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Sounds good! I’m rooting for you, Professor Aoi!”

“Thank you very much.”

Hiram waved at me and walked away with his gaggle of girls, beaming at me all the while.

“You do realize he’s leaving, right?” Strath sighed.

I gasped and caught up to Hiram right as he was about to enter the courtyard.

He burst out laughing. “You really are so much fun! I love it!”

“Please don’t tease your instructors,” I said, feeling my temper flare a tad. “Also, I have something I want to ask you. It seems that someone is stopping students from taking my class. Do you know anything about that?”

Instantly, his genial expression disappeared, replaced by one of suspicion. “Oh yeah? Who said that?” His lips curled upward once more, but this time it seemed like a facade.

“Are you the one behind this?” I asked bluntly.

His faux amiable expression remained unchanged. “And if I said yes? Do you have something you’d like to say to me, the imperial prince of Maple Leaf?” he asked, making a show of every word.

The girls clinging to him squealed. “You’re so cute, Hiram!”

“So cute and scary!”

Hiram looked very pleased with himself. This whole thing was a farce.

“I guess it’s probably not you, although there’s still a possibility, so I won’t rule you out until the very end.” I turned around and began walking away.

“You’re right that it’s not me, but what would you have done if it was?” he asked softly.

“I’d just ask you to stop pressuring everyone. That’s it.”

He chuckled. “That’s how you act to a member of a foreign nation’s royalty? Looks like the rumors are true. I’ve taken an interest in you too. Maybe I really will join your class.”

“There is no social status when it comes to school—just that of student and teacher.”

“Hmm. Is that right? What an interesting way of thinking. Would you like to have a meal together?”

“I’d rather not.”

Hiram snorted. His groupies’ eyes burned into me, but Hiram himself was in high spirits. He began speaking in a whisper.

“Foar Pelno Rozes. He’s a first-rate sorcerer and the pride of our empire, but he’s got a surprisingly childish side to him. I bet he doesn’t really like how you came out of nowhere and are now the only thing anyone can talk about... Good grief,” he whispered.

I turned around and looked at Hiram.

“Did you forget something?” he asked.

“No, just... Thank you very much.” I bowed and departed with the others. Though Hiram had been hard to read, and was quite the vexing young man, ultimately, he’d revealed the information I’d sought after.

More importantly, though, I hadn’t expected the culprit to be Foar. He was a veteran teacher and also an upper-level instructor. Would he really target a new instructor as his enemy? If anything, he’d given me the impression that he didn’t care about other people.

“This is a little hard to believe...” I said under my breath.

“Well, Professor Foar is known for his adherence to the noble system. It makes sense to me,” Colt said, puffing out air.

He was an upper-level instructor who prioritized nobility. I had my suspect now, but I also had a feeling that this situation was going to become fairly troublesome.

Chapter 9: Foar Pelno Rozes

I peeked into the classroom from the hallway. Foar only taught one class per week, and luckily for me, it was today. Most of those in attendance were older high school students, which didn’t surprise me given how valuable classes taught by upper-level instructors were. Though Foar was giving a lecture on water sorcery, the content didn’t seem especially difficult. It was likely that he was using this class to teach the basics before going into applications in a future class.

“As you see, the key to advanced sorcery actually lies within the full incantation for Aqua Ball. If you learn that, you’ll be able to change water into ice and even shoot out a torrent of water. You should also know that some fire and earth spells share verses with some water spells. Though there’s a slight difference with wind, if you correctly understand the points that all elements share, that will help you create new sorcery.” Then Foar began an incantation. “Diamond Mist.”

A white mist surrounded the podium, twinkling as it reflected light. Everything it touched froze in an instant. As the class marveled at the spell, Foar lightly tapped the podium and wall, which had turned white, and began to explain.

“This is a type of water sorcery that I developed on my own. It’s difficult to defend against a spell like this that doesn’t have a clear shape. For the purposes of this class, I’ve considerably limited its range, but at its maximum size it could fill and freeze this entire classroom.”

“The entire classroom?!”

“That’s really water sorcery?!”

“If it hit you, you’d have no time to think about countermeasures before you’d be completely frozen.”

The rapt students listened to Foar’s lecture and occasionally burst out with curious questions about the wonders they’d witnessed. Hmmm. So they pay attention and hang on to every word when it’s another upper-level instructor’s class? Something about this doesn’t feel fair. I bitterly gritted my teeth.

Foar closed his eyes slightly and heaved a sigh. Then he switched from his lecturing tone to more casual speech. “Recently, there have been a lot of rumors about the new instructor, Aoi Konominato. It seems that everyone is impressed by how quickly she’s able to cast advanced spells, since it’s hard to even tell when she says her incantations. That being said, it’s pointless for instructors to teach students things that they won’t be able to replicate.”

I was surprised by how suddenly he’d switched topics to me, and a backhanded compliment at that.

“She’s a commoner, and she’s reached these great heights on her own. I can only imagine the amount of hard work she’s put in to become so accomplished. But in the end, she’s what we call a prodigy, and prodigies do not excel at teaching regular people. As students trying to make the most of your time at this prestigious academy for sorcery, you should choose which classes you take carefully based on what you’d like to learn and what you’ll actually gain from the experience.” Having finished his spiel about me, Foar launched back into his lecture.

“So that’s why students are avoiding my class?” I asked Strath and Elisa, who both looked troubled and let out groans.

Ayle ended up being the first to speak. “Without a doubt. As an upper-level instructor he’s at the top of the school, and now he’s telling people to not take your class,” she said, her scowl stretching as far down on her face as it could go.

Colt tried to be a bit more diplomatic. “Well, he’s not saying it explicitly. He’s simply giving advice. Most likely he doesn’t mean any harm.”

Elisa huffed and shook her head. “Regardless, that’s not something an upper-level instructor like Professor Foar should be saying. The students who take his class clearly respect him and trust his judgment, so they’ll take his words to heart.”

A somber silence fell over the group. Soon after, Foar’s class ended and he began packing up his things to leave. Frustrated, I stood up and opened the door to the classroom.

“Professor Aoi? Wait!” Elisa yelled.

I pretended I didn’t hear her. Whether Foar was acting purposefully or not, his words were impacting my class, and I needed him to know that. As I entered, everyone’s eyes, including Foar’s, turned to me at once. The bell signaling the end of class pealed, highlighting my entrance.

“Professor Foar, may I speak with you?”

“Sure,” he responded.

Since I could tell that speaking in front of his students would cause a commotion, I gestured for us to leave the classroom. Foar stepped out into the hallway with me and noticed Strath, Elisa, Colt, and the others.

“I thought you were smarter than this,” he said to Colt, who responded with an awkward smile.

I looked at Foar disapprovingly. “Are you saying he’s a fool for taking my class?”

Foar looked uncomfortable. “Not the word I would use, but he’s wasting his time. Mages can only improve if they take useful classes, conduct research, and train.”

“Have you observed my class, Professor Foar?” I asked. As I expected, he shook his head.

“No, I haven’t, but I don’t need to. Even in the rumors I hear all about how you only teach advanced sorcery and incantation shortening. It’s too early for students to learn any of that. I don’t take kindly to instructors who give no thought to who they’re teaching and simply force their techniques onto their pupils.”

I grinned at his laughable accusations. He stared at me in confusion, which amused me even more.

“I think your classes are easy to follow since you begin with the fundamentals of sorcery even for your high school students,” I said. “However, I believe this method disregards your students’ talents and affinities. I think you could raise the difficulty of your class a little.”

Foar snorted and looked at me in disbelief. “Looks like I was right. You truly don’t understand the mind of anyone who isn’t a prodigy like you. But by all means, keep teaching in your own way, believing that everyone can accomplish the same feats as you. One day you’ll understand. Once you realize that you’ve produced no results and their progression is too slow, you’ll find yourself vexed.”

I folded my arms and glared back at him. “Why don’t you save your judgments until after my method produces results? It’s insulting for you to make these statements without even observing any of my classes. Why don’t you do that first?”

My words seemed to have struck a nerve with Foar. “You’ve no respect for your senior instructors. I suppose that comes with the territory as a commoner,” he said.

“Well, as a noble, you sure have a rigid mind. But I don’t think anyone would think you’re a noble if they looked at you right now. Perhaps an exalted servant.”

“Stop! Please stop! I-I take the blame! Okay? So please stop fighting!” Elisa cried, embracing me with her hands covering my mouth.

Foar also seemed to have lost interest in continuing the argument. His expression returned to its usual calm state. “If you insist, I’ll attend your next lecture. I’ll see firsthand precisely what kind of class you’re teaching,” Foar said. He turned his back on me and strode away.

Elisa watched as he disappeared into the distance, then she collapsed. “Th-That was so scary...” she cried.

“Upper-level instructors are the next greatest authorities after the headmaster,” Strath agreed. “Nobody can complain about them. I’m not surprised that Professor Foar got so emotional.”

Ayle waved her hands as if trying to shake off her excess anger. “But he was mean! Professor Aoi’s classes are fun and very educational!”

Everyone began to try and calm Ayle. In the meantime, I’d already begun preparing for this vital next class.

Interlude: Foar

Without a doubt, Aoi Konominato was a talented sorcerer. That much was evident from the rumors I’d heard. She had first-class skills in not just wind and fire sorcery, but water as well. In contrast, I specialized in water, and though I could use other types of sorcery, I wasn’t nearly as confident with them.

It was understandable—and inevitable—for Aoi to be arrogant, given her abilities. At her young age, she was on the same level as the best sorcerers in the world, and she likely thought that she could do anything. However, that was incorrect.

I knew that because I had a similar past. Though I came from a noble family, I was the son of a viscount from a worthless territory, and neither of my parents were sorcerers. It just so happened that I’d had a knack for sorcery and had been able to go to school for it, but it had been a miserable experience.

I thought back to my school years. I remembered desperately studying, practicing, and researching sorcery in order to achieve a deeper understanding than anyone else. Before I knew it, I ended up getting accepted into an institution, after which I became an instructor. My hard work hadn’t been in vain. At the time, there was no doubt in my mind that if anyone worked as hard as I had, they’d all be able to become first-rate sorcerers. I was sure that if I kept working hard, I would become this academy’s first upper-level instructor from the Holy Maple Leaf Empire.

Unfortunately, I ended up squandering a few years due to some family problems, and was desperate to produce results. However, the more desperate I became, the worse the results were. Ultimately, I ended up angering the son of a duke from the Bushmills Empire, and I was close to being kicked out of the academy. Over the course of ten years at the school, my temperament eventually grew calmer. I realized that I had to teach content that anyone could understand, otherwise some students wouldn’t be able to follow. I changed my teaching style so that even the slowest of students could keep up. As long as they could use at least one or two advanced spells, I’d give them full marks. This strategy got me promoted to an upper-level instructor, and my family received count status.

I pushed the thoughts of my past from my mind as I reached the door to Aoi Konominato’s classroom. It was time for me to judge her different approach to teaching.

“Excuse me,” I said, opening the door and entering the classroom.

There were more people in the classroom than I’d expected—and not just students, but faculty as well. I glanced over the students and saw Colt, Ayle, Liz, and Belle sitting together, and Shenley up at the front. To my surprise, Dean was here as well. Even Felter Cayan and Rox were in attendance. That made seven students total, plus Strath, Elisa, and...

“You’re attending this class as well, Professor Speyside?” I asked.

Discomfort washed over his face and he pointed to the window. “Even the headmaster is observing, so I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of class this is.”

I followed his finger and saw Headmaster Glen quickly duck down to hide himself. This can’t be real. As headmaster he should be the most knowledgeable and proficient person on campus. It’s his job. So why is he observing this class? Is there something special about it? I took a corner seat in the back of the classroom as questions swirled in my head.

Aoi glanced at me and then down at her attendance list before surveying the class. “It looks like everyone is here, so let’s begin.” She held out her hand with the palm facing upward. “Today we will be learning about lightning sorcery.” After a short pause, she opened her mouth once more. “Ball Lightning.”

A bright body of light with a purple hue, about five centimeters in diameter, appeared above her palm. It crackled and hissed in her hand while flickering. No one in the class dared to move. Aoi grabbed the sphere with both hands and stretched it lengthwise into a thin shape that resembled a lightning bolt.

I jumped to my feet. “Th-There’s no way they can learn how to do that!” I’d initially decided to keep my mouth shut until the end of class, but after seeing this display I couldn’t stay silent. I wasn’t able to pin down exactly what emotion had driven my outburst, but I could feel a twinge of fear flickering in my heart.

Aoi dissipated the lightning as quickly as she’d created it. “And why’s that?” she asked nonchalantly.

I smacked the desk with all my might. “Electricity—I mean, throughout history, wielders of lightning sorcery have been few and far between!” I exclaimed in a raised voice that wasn’t quite a yell. “It’s a secret technique that’s been passed down orally to only a select few people, but there’s nobody who can actually use it anymore!”

“I’m not sure about the spells of the past, but this one is an original of mine. My mentor can use it too.”

“Th-That’s not possible...”

These were the thoughtless words of a prodigy. No, she was beyond a prodigy. She was a monster. My mind created a dozen arguments to use against her, but the absurdity of the situation left me stunned, unable to say a word. I fell back into my chair and let my weight sink into its back.

Fine. If you claim you can teach this, then do it.

Aoi faced the class once more with a neutral expression. “We’ll begin by discussing the composition of clouds. Water vapor in the air rises, and once it’s high enough in the sky that the temperature drops, it forms into clouds. During periods of warm weather, water from sources such as rivers and the ocean evaporates on a larger scale, making the clouds bigger and thicker.”

Aoi created a ball of water above her hand, and it slowly changed into mist. The vapor gradually rose and gathered at the ceiling of the classroom. “This is an artificial cloud. It has a low density, so we’re going to make it denser. I think being able to accomplish this much will be sufficient for today, so let’s all do our best. For the incantation... Let’s try it this way today,” she said as if she’d just come up with the idea on the spot.

She then proceeded to explain the incantation. The first step created water and fixed it in place. The second heated it. The third made it rise. The fourth dealt with circulation, and then the fifth cooled it down.

By adjusting the mana levels while following the incantation, I was able to replicate what Aoi had done on a smaller scale. Performing the spell by myself allowed me to understand the way my mana moved. Though this wasn’t included in the incantation, it seemed like the cooled water would fall down and then get heated back up and rise, forming a cycle.

“This is the composition of a cloud. Those who were able to make one, try increasing the amount of water.”

I followed Aoi’s instructions. Though the task wasn’t impossible, I found it to be quite difficult. I had no doubt that most people wouldn’t be able to do it. I looked around to confirm my suspicions.

“Th-This is hard...”

“It’s all about your imagination, Colt!” Ayle replied. “Try clearly picturing the kind of cloud that Professor Aoi made!”

“Wow, i-it’s actually easier than I thought,” Dean said.

Liz was impressed. “Whoa, Dean! You’re so good at it!”

Rox taunted his beastkin friend. “Heh. Mine is bigger than yours, Felter.”

“Shut up and concentrate,” Felter hissed.

“Whoa! Way to go, Shenley!” Liz cheered.

Ayle turned to her. “Liz! Seriously, focus.”

To my surprise, although everyone was loud and boisterous, they were all able to activate the spell. Some of them had even done it better than I had. I looked at the instructors and found that even Elisa, who I’d heard could only use earth sorcery, had been successful in making a small ball of water.

“Try to remember the properties of the water creation method that I taught you previously, Professor Elisa,” Aoi advised.

“I-I’ll try!”

“Just stay calm, Elisa,” said Strath.

Even Speyside seemed impressed. “Hmmm... This is quite intriguing. So this is a cloud?”

Elisa was struggling since this wasn’t in her wheelhouse, but everyone else had succeeded in casting the spell. After receiving advice from both Strath and Aoi, Elisa eventually ended up being able to create a cloud on her own.

“How is this possible? They’re all taking the same class and learning the same new spell, and yet...” I gazed up at the cloud I’d made, which wasn’t especially large.

Outside the window, a downpour had started, and Headmaster Glen was being pelted by a whirlwind of rain. He sported a huge grin.

Aoi

To my surprise, Foar took the class very seriously. In the brief amount of time I was distracted by Headmaster Glen going crazy outside, Foar increased the size of his cloud without me giving him any pointers.

I didn’t want the headmaster to continue this torrential rain, so I opened the window to scold him. After confirming that he was reflecting on his actions, I took stock of the class. Everyone pretty much has it down. I wonder if this has convinced Foar. But maybe not. Though fewer than ten minutes remained for class, I decided to add a bit more to the lecture.

“Let’s end with a review. I say this every class, but in order to use sorcery, we must first understand the structures of things. Similar to how Professor Elisa, who could only use earth sorcery until recently, has learned how to use other elements, understanding the makeup of natural objects allows you to learn all kinds of different spells, except for non-elemental ones. Some of you may learn certain things more quickly than others, but I know you’re all highly capable—just look at how everyone has accomplished the goal of today’s class.”

From Foar’s face, I could tell that he hadn’t considered this approach to learning before. This could probably be very valuable to his own teaching and studies, if he was willing to take it to heart. I happily looked over the gathered students and instructors once more.

“Well then, next class we will focus on lightning. To do that, you’ll need to remember how to change the properties of water, so be sure to thoroughly review today’s lesson.”

◇

“What did you think?” I asked Foar after class. “Do you still consider me a failure of an instructor?” I asked.

Foar’s mouth didn’t move at first, and I could almost see the gears in his head turning as he struggled to choose his words carefully. “I...don’t know yet. However, for the time being I can say that you taught a good class. I look forward to the next one.” With that, he turned and left.

Elisa tutted as she watched him walk away. “He’s so stubborn. He’s definitely thinking about how amazing you are! I’d bet on it!”

“I don’t know. It would be nice if he approved of me, though.”

“He does! That’s why he said he’d be back! Out of everyone, he’s probably the person who’s the most eager for your next class!”

“Are you sure it’s not just because he wants to observe a little longer?”

Strath chimed in. “Don’t worry. Despite how he presents himself, Foar is a very understanding person. Even if he isn’t immediately accepting, I know that deep down he approves of you as an instructor,” he said, giving me his own stamp of approval.

Well, I guess if both of them agree on this, then it’s okay. I have class again tomorrow, so let’s see how things go. I should think a little more about how I want tomorrow’s lesson to go.

The next day, Foar was already in his seat when I arrived. He sat nonchalantly waiting for class to begin, silent and with his eyes closed. I couldn’t help but stare at him, and I noticed the students gawking too as they walked to their seats. I took attendance, and after confirming that everyone was here, I began to speak.

“Let’s begin class.”

Foar’s eyes snapped open. Though I was slightly perturbed by the way his eyes bored into me, I turned my palm upward and created a cloud.

“First, let’s review yesterday’s class. I’d like you all to make a cloud. If you have trouble, please let me know.”

Unexpectedly, everyone easily made a cloud as if it were second nature. Even Elisa’s cloud was of a respectable size.

“As expected of Fiddich Academy. You’re all spectacular sorcerers,” I said before moving into my explanation of the composition of lightning. “You should more or less understand the structure of a cloud now that you can create one with your own mana. The water evaporates due to heat and rises, just like with normal weather. When the temperature is high, the evaporated water rises at a faster rate. As a result, summer clouds are denser and higher. These clouds cool as they rise, and the water they release as rain rubs up against the rising evaporated water.”

For an easy-to-understand, tangible example, I created countless small shards of ice and made them move up and down. I continued to add more and increase their speed until I made visible static electricity.

“When objects rub against each other, they create static electricity, which is a much smaller version of lightning. Understanding this process and combining it with spellcasting is what lightning sorcery is.”

The students were so enraptured with my words that they forgot about maintaining their clouds.

“So lightning sorcery comes from water sorcery?” Strath asked.

I shook my head. “No. If you’re just using water sorcery, you’ll only be able to create uncontrollable lightning clouds. Also, since you’re artificially creating the lightning, if you don’t sustain it with your mana, it will disappear since the conditions aren’t met for the cloud to be naturally created.”

Strath murmured as he went deep into thought. Speyside took the opportunity to ask his own question.

“But wouldn’t that mean you’d need multiple people to successfully use this sorcery? It’s already incredibly difficult to interfere with a spell that someone else has cast, but let’s forget about that for now. Yesterday, you were able to create lightning all by yourself. That must mean that it’s possible to do it without others, right?”

Speyside’s question caused Foar to look up. While bathed in everyone’s gazes, I began forming my explanation using common-sense terms.

“First, let me start by clearing up a misconception. It’s absolutely possible to cast spells with multiple elements simultaneously and not just one after another.”

The class began buzzing with excitement.

Rox stood up. “I’ve heard about this from my family. Those kinds of people are called Doubles, right? And I bet it’s not something that only my family’s heard of. I’m sure that other royal families have their own stories they’ve been told. But from what you’ve described about lightning sorcery, it fits with the legend of Doubles.” He put a hand over his mouth, perhaps realizing that he wasn’t supposed to let that information slip.

This time, Shenley spoke up. “I-In that case, does that mean the reason that lightning sorcery has been lost is because there are no more sorcerers who can use multiple elements at the same time?”

Everyone waited with bated breath for my answer. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very well-versed on this topic. That being said, if I was just talking about the last ten years, my teacher, Owain Millers, had learned how to use lightning sorcery. As far as I could tell, you didn’t necessarily have to be special in order to use two elements at once.

“To my knowledge, there are at least two sorcerers, including me, who can use two elements at once. The same goes for the number of sorcerers who can use lightning sorcery. If I had to guess, the secret technique was lost because it was selectively passed down.”

Colt stood up eagerly. “D-Does that mean we can learn to use two elements simultaneously?!”

“Most likely.” I held up a finger. “I’m sorry that this has become somewhat of an experiment, but if you’re able to learn the fundamentals of lightning sorcery, I believe it will prove that it’s possible for anyone to learn to use multiple elements at once.”

The classroom fell silent. Foar raised his hand. “How long are you planning this unit to last for?”

“One week.” I figure that should give everyone more than enough time. Everyone here was so gifted that I was confident they could get the fundamentals down in three classes.

Foar opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, doubt shadowing his face. As he noticed Glen pressed up against the window looking inside, he just shook his head.

“All right, then. Please continue,” he said quietly.

Chapter 10: Change

To my surprise, even at my next class, Foar was the first one to arrive. At this point, neither the students nor the other instructors seemed unnerved by his presence. They chatted among themselves as they took their seats.

Hm... I don’t see Headmaster Glen. Is he taking today off? I guess he’s not trying for perfect attendance. Oh well. Wait... No, there he is. He’d simply moved to the window closest to the front of the classroom. The other attendees saw him but pretended they didn’t. Since everyone had arrived, I took attendance and started my lesson.

“Let’s continue where we left off last time. I’ll be teaching you all how to use two elements at the same time,” I said.

During the previous class, I’d helped everyone learn how to make their clouds even bigger. There were two ways to go about making a thundercloud: The first was to continue casting water spells until you formed one, and the second was to use two elements simultaneously. Adding wind to the spell quickened the formation of a thundercloud.

Since I’d already given them the key to the first method, if they kept practicing every day, they’d all learn how to do it eventually. But for the second method, they had to learn how to cast wind sorcery at the same time. I mulled over how to start the lecture before looking out at the eager faces of the class.

“First, let’s learn about electricity. Many different things produce it. However, it won’t flow through pure water, which, as the name suggests, is water without any impurities. Water made with sorcery is thought to be very close to pure water.” Maybe this concept is a bit too hard for them to grasp. They’re all looking at me blankly. “This near-distilled water quickly absorbs water-soluble materials in the air, thus becoming conductive. So, even with just regular water spells, you’ll eventually be able to create a thundercloud. That being said, the problem with this method is its inefficiency, which brings us to the solution—using two or more elements simultaneously.” I cast a water and a wind spell. “You can use water and earth sorcery to create a thundercloud, but water and wind is much easier. First, let’s have you all learn the incantation. Understanding the structure of its verses will help you grasp how much mana you’ll need.”

I raised the temperature of the sphere of water I’d created and used the wind to increase the speed of its rotation. This created a whirlwind effect, which I focused and condensed in the center. This swirling core pushed the materials outward, resulting in a ball of water and wind approximately one meter in diameter. Suddenly, static electricity began to charge in the center of the sphere, and after a while it started releasing outward. Though the electricity was strong, this was still the most basic of spells.

“This is the starting point of lightning sorcery—Electric Ball. Now, let’s have everyone try.”

Though I’d expected Foar to angrily interject, he was actually very motivated to try, along with the rest of the class. I masked my surprise and continued my lecture.

“The incantation involves creating water, heating it, creating wind, accelerating it, and condensing it—five verses in all. If you try to create the same effects with the full verses of your usual water and wind spells, then it’ll become longer than ten verses and will most likely backfire. For that reason, this incantation uses considerably different language than the regular spells. You will need to understand each word and recite them clearly.”

I began explaining the meaning and effects of each word in the incantation. Once the class got over their astonishment at these revelations, they began asking questions. In the end, even Foar seemed satisfied, and he began ardently attempting the incantation. The first person to pull off the spell was surprisingly Dean, the youngest student and the one who stood out the least.

“P-Professor Aoi! Are you seeing this?!” He was panicking as a sphere crackled with electricity in front of him.

If he’d been calmer, I would have advised him to reduce the supply of mana and shrink the size, but I doubted he was in a clear enough headspace to do that right now.

“Try focusing your mana. By doing that, you’ll be able to make the lightning even stronger.”

“Huh?! You’re not going to help me calm it down?!”

I walked toward the flabbergasted Dean, who was struggling with his flashing sphere.

“You’ve done everything right when it comes to the size of the sphere, but the mana balance is simply unstable. I think you’re supplying too much to the heating part of the spell. Since you’ve already come this far, all that’s left is to devote eighty percent of your attention to speeding up and condensing the wind. Doing that will make the spell grow on its own. I’ll stop it if it looks like it’ll get out of control, so go ahead and try.”

“O-Out of control?! Will I be okay?!”

“You’ll be fine.”

Dean looked like he was on the verge of tears, but a resolute expression took hold of his face as he focused on controlling his mana. He’s a pretty quick learner. He seems to have a good grasp on the composition of electricity. At this rate, he’ll be able to get to the next step.

The electricity increased, and the sphere violently flickered as the energy inside grew exponentially. Dean began sweating bullets as he desperately tried to control it and maintain its size, but I could tell he’d reached his limit.

“Let’s stop here. Lightning Rod,” I said.

My earth sorcery created a metallic rod that rose from the floor right as the sphere reached critical mass. With a loud crack, the out-of-control lightning leaped to the lightning rod and dissipated. The thundercloud, which had been made of mana, disappeared as well.

Dean sank to the ground in relief. “Sh-Sheesh... That freaked me out...” he said, half smiling. Then, he noticed that the entire classroom was staring at him and gulped.

“That was amazing, Dean!” Shenley said. “How’d you learn to do it already?” She approached him with a bright smile.

Dean turned red and shrugged. “Huh? W-Well, I’m not really sure... U-Um, it was like not having it rotate in a straight line, but like along multiple lines instead. Hearing the part about friction made me think that it might do this...” As flustered as he was, he tried to explain things to the best of his abilities.

Elisa’s eyes were locked on him. “He’s a year younger than the rest like Shenley, and he specializes in earth sorcery, yet here he is casting water sorcery like a natural with Aoi’s help...” she whispered.

Speyside frowned. “Are you saying my water sorcery classes weren’t good enough to teach him?”

“N-No! Sorry!” she said frantically.

Strath butted in to defuse the tension. “I have a feeling that students are quicker to pick up new spells than instructors in general. It doesn’t have anything to do with what you’re good or not good at.”

Strath’s words resonated with me and I addressed the class. “He’s right. Students’ minds are likely more malleable in terms of their common-sense understanding of sorcery. To be frank, this school teaches sorcery fundamentals in a roundabout way that doesn’t leave much room for creativity.”

“I’d ask you what you mean by that, but...I understand,” Foar responded. “Your class is completely different from ours, and not just because you’re teaching new spells. You provide a unique view of how to think about incantations and how to understand and imagine the constructions of objects. Your perspective is clearly different from ours. So are your incantations—or lack thereof.”

I stroked my chin introspectively. “Well, the most important thing isn’t memorizing incantations but dissecting the sorcery script that the incantations use. If you focus your research on that, then you may get different results. Also, my ability to skip incantations is the result of my research on magic circles.”

“Magic circles?!” Elisa exclaimed.

“Have you deciphered them?” Strath asked.

Foar spoke again, remaining composed. “That’s an incredibly secret technique. I won’t say that you must teach that, but I’d like to see a demonstration at least once. Incantationless sorcery is essentially a legend in this era.”

I pondered what would be the best spell to show him. Well, I suppose all the elements would be good. I cast multiple spells, creating a lance of flame, a sphere of water, a wall of sand, and an incredibly small whirlwind with streaks of lightning. Lastly, I showed a healing spell.

I could have used a non-elemental spell as well, but since not many people used that kind of sorcery, I didn’t think it would be a good reference for them. At the end of my spellcasting session, everyone’s jaws were on the floor.

“Professor Aoi... How close to the pinnacle of sorcery have you gotten? Have you reached the truth of sorcery? Have you reached the abyss of magecraft?” he asked, his stern eyes boring into me.

The classroom went quiet and everyone waited for my answer with bated breath. I didn’t quite know how to answer, but I couldn’t leave them hanging.

“Well, it’s hard to say how far I’ve gotten, but if I had to quantify my progress, I’m at the point where I can use advanced-level sorcery in all elements without any incantations. Also, I’ve created original spells using each of the elements. However, I don’t believe I’ve reached the pinnacle of sorcery. There’s still much more to research.”

Foar ignored the buzzing of the students and continued his interrogation. “What else could you possibly research? What’s your goal? Are you aiming for an even more powerful type of sorcery?” he asked in an almost exasperated tone.

I shrugged. “My master is researching a spell that would allow you to instantaneously move from one location to another. I’d like to be of some help to him with that, at the very least.” To be honest, I’m researching a way to return to Japan, but I’m hesitant to say that out loud. I think it’s better to talk about Owain’s research instead.

“Instantaneous transportation? I see. That’s certainly something worthy of your research. No, if anything, it may be something that only you can research,” Foar murmured, nodding to himself.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class.

“Well, let’s end here for today. Please don’t cast the lightning spell by yourselves until next class. You may understand how to use it, but it’s still possible for you to lose control. As such, I forbid you from using it outside of class until I deem that there are no problems with your spellcasting. That includes you too, Headmaster Glen.” I shot a pointed look outside, where he was excitedly conjuring electricity.

Glen, singled out, dropped the spell and made the universal “okay” sign with his hand. He smiled back at me, but I couldn’t help but be suspicious. Apparently, there’d been some sort of mysterious localized downpour last night. Maybe it’d be best to keep watch on the headmaster for now. But on second thought, maybe I shouldn’t. That’d be pretty rude of me. Regardless of how he acts, he’s the headmaster of the most prestigious academy for sorcery in the world. I’m sure he can control himself.

With that, I formally ended the class.

The next day, people were talking about how there’d been lightning last night despite a total lack of clouds in the sky, so I summoned the headmaster. But as he stood in front of me with his head hung, soaking wet like an abandoned dog in the rain, I couldn’t bring myself to be harsh. Instead, I gave him a warning.

“The next time you don’t listen to me, I won’t teach you any new spells.”

“Oh...” He wrung his hands and his head remained bowed. Is he not feeling well? I suppose even the headmaster can’t win against aging. I’ll be kind.

“You shouldn’t push yourself. I’m sure you’re very interested in my class, but you don’t need to come every time.”

“Don’t be absurd! Please don’t ban me from coming to your classes! You’ve gotten to such an interesting topic! If I can’t attend your classes, I won’t be able to sleep at night!”

“Please stop clinging to me. I don’t appreciate sexual harassment.”

“Wh-What?! Oh, I’m so sorry!” He skedaddled away from me.

If I keep this up, it’ll basically equate to bullying. I suppose I have no choice. I sighed and relaxed my shoulders.

“It’s okay. Just keep in mind what I told you. Have a nice day.”

“O-Oh! Thank you! Thank you so much, Aoi!” he said, jumping with joy.

I walked away to prepare for my next class as his excessive exclamations of gratitude faded into the distance. I made my way to the space next to the arena, which I’d gotten permission to use for this lesson.

Before I held my next class, I needed to prepare a structure that could withstand powerful spells. Hmm. How should I construct this? Maybe it’d be better to make it with self-repairing functions instead of focusing on making it as hard as possible. I could create walls of different sizes depending on the type of sorcery I used, but I needed to wall off an area that was at least six meters tall, five meters long, and fifteen meters wide to block large-scale spells.

“Rock Wall.” I focused my mana and created a rampart of stone. It was about six meters tall, five meters long, and one meter thick. If I were simply trying to make a normal wall, it would have been perfectly serviceable, and maybe even excessively sturdy. However, it was much too thin for what I needed it for—to defend against powerful spells. That’s why I continued to supply it with mana while inscribing a magic circle onto it.

Though the process might have seemed easy to an outside observer, it was nothing of the sort. While creating the magic circle didn’t require as much mana as casting the spell itself did, I still had to continuously adjust the outflow to maintain the minimum amount of mana necessary to keep the wall’s shape. If I failed to properly manage this flow, cracks could form in the wall and chunks might even fall off. Since I had to focus my attention on inscribing the magic circle, all of these adjustments to the mana needed to happen more or less unconsciously. That was something that even the great Owain Millers struggled with.

“I’ll keep it simple and have the spell maintain the wall’s hardness while automatically repairing any damage. For the mana supply, I’ll have it use the mana of whoever’s in the immediate area. But wait... If a child mistakenly comes here, it’ll sap everything from them and they’ll pass out from mana deficiency.”

In addition to that, if the mana supply was disrupted by someone falling unconscious, the wall would lose its form. Luckily, an idea popped into my head. If that’s the case, then all I need to do is limit who can enter the area.

“I’ll make it so that only those who can use advanced sorcery—people who wouldn’t become mana-deficient—can enter. And...all done!”

I created three more walls and a ceiling using the same principles, and I set a heavy metal door in one wall. The end result was a rectangular building with walls made of white stone. It stuck out a bit compared to the rest of the campus, but I was sure that people would get used to it in no time. I’d completed my first building since the time I’d helped Owain make a new house for his research.

“I’ll figure out the rest during next week’s class when we’re actually using it.”

When I returned to the dorm, I ran into Elisa, who was taking the weekend off due to her class schedule. She sprinted toward me at an unbelievable speed.

“A-Aoi! Where were you all day?! I’ve been looking for you! Come to my room—actually, no, let’s go to your room! I’d like to talk...”

I didn’t have time to respond to her overly hyper greeting before someone suddenly appeared behind her. Their eyes glinted as their massive hands formed a vice grip around Elisa’s head.

“Eek!” Elisa trembled in the grasp of the dorm mother, Gleanorra Nobascotia.

“Quiet down, Elisa. You’re making a racket.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! Sorry!”

Elisa’s back cracked as Gleanorra forced her to straighten her posture.

“L-Let’s go,” Elisa said, terror in her eyes. “Very quietly...and quickly.” Finally released from Gleanorra’s clutches, she bowed her head and pushed on my back, forcing me into a light jog as we left the scene.

Gleanorra’s eyes narrowed. “Run through the halls and you’re dead.”

“Aah!” Elisa softly yelped. She slowed her pace but continued leading me away.

I wasn’t sure why she’d decided to go to my room, but the answer became immediately apparent when we arrived.

“Upper-level instructor rooms are so big! Maybe someday, I can...” Elisa’s eyes sparkled as she looked around, but then she gasped, snapping out of her daydream. “O-Oh, right!” she said, turning around. “I wanted to ask you a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”

Elisa got down on one knee and laced her fingers in front of her face as if she were praying. It reminded me of the way that knights would kneel, but when Elisa did it, she looked really cute because of her youthful appearance.

“Please teach me about magic circles! I’m okay if it’s even just a tiny bit! Please, Master!”

I tilted my head in confusion. “Uh... Master?” It was the first time anyone had ever called me that.

For the time being, I had Elisa sit on the sofa while I made tea. The leaves suffused the room with a gentle aroma. It might have just been my imagination, but it felt a lot more elegant inside now.

“I’m sorry I don’t have any snacks to serve.”

“Oh, no! You don’t have to worry about anything like that!” Elisa brought the cup to her mouth, but maybe it was too hot, because she recoiled as soon as her lips touched it. How adorable.

“So, why do you want to be my apprentice?”

Elisa fixed her posture. “I believe I’ve told you before that I’m researching magic circles. In my home country, the Kingdom of Gransanth, fewer and fewer people have been able to become sorcerers over time. I can’t think of any good solution to fix the country’s problems, but maybe your research could give everyone an equal opportunity to become sorcerers. Every person in the kingdom has mana, so maybe if I can bring back magic circles, everyone will be able to cast spells.”

“As long as they have a magic circle, all they’ll have to do to activate the corresponding spell is to imagine it while also supplying the appropriate amount of mana. But aren’t there already sorcery tools they can use with their mana?”

“I assume you’re not talking about the ancient sorcery tools from relics but rather things like fire magic stones which can light a fire, right? Those are certainly useful for everyday life, but they’re not as convenient or adaptable as being able to cast spells yourself. If Gransanth falls behind in sorcery research, our country’s power will weaken. I want to enrich my home with more knowledge.”

It was impossible for me to say no to her after seeing her resolute look. “All right. In that case, as limited as I may be in this area, I’ll teach you what I know about magic circles. However, be warned that I’ve studied them for ten years. It won’t be easy for you to learn everything.”

Elisa beamed at me with gleaming eyes. “Thank you!”

◇

“Uh...”

“I don’t remember there being a building here.”

Strath and Speyside were staring curiously at the building I’d made.

“Hmm... Professor Aoi probably made it,” Shenley said.

“Yes, that’s right. I made it yesterday.”

The dead silence that hung in the air felt oppressive, but I was relieved that they all believed in me so much that they’d instantly accepted that I’d created the building. I moved to the door.

“Why are you just acting like this is the most natural thing in the world?!” Strath interjected.

“Aoi?! You made this in a single night?!” Elisa exclaimed.

They were treating me like some kind of problem child. How rude.

“For the record, I got the headmaster’s approval,” I said.

“That’s not the point...” Elisa replied.

Strath and Elisa looked defeated.

“Why are you even surprised anymore?” Felter asked, taking the sight in stride.

Rox nodded. “Yeah, I’ve gotten more or less used to her shenanigans by now.”

Speyside seemingly resigned himself to the reality of what lay before him. “The part that surprises me is how this is yet another new technique. There were buildings made using sorcery in the past, but modern building techniques typically use earth sorcery to create blocks which are lined up and then made firm with ash glaze. Though that method is much quicker than doing it without sorcery, it’d still take more than a day to make a building like this.”

Foar waved a hand. “This technique is quite intriguing, but it’s more pertinent that we continue our class from last time. Perhaps afterward you can ask for an explanation if she has time.”

I was overjoyed that Foar, of all people, was the one to get class back on track. It was now time to enter the building.

“Sorry, but could you go in one by one? Open the door and then shut it behind you.”

Everyone looked at each other to see who’d go first, but Strath took the initiative. The instant he touched the handle, the door faintly glowed.

“Wh-What’s happening?”

“If you aren’t someone with enough mana to use advanced-level sorcery, the door won’t open,” I replied. “The trick I used is simple. The door handle measures the density of your mana, and if it senses that you meet the threshold, it’ll unlock.”

“That’s...simple? Hmm. I suppose it might be.”

“Well, for now, go ahead inside.”

I pushed Strath forward in the middle of his introspection, and he opened the door. As he entered, part of the wall began glowing as it absorbed his mana. The building was essentially just a big box with some ventilation and water drainage. However, between the sunlight from outside and internal lights fueled by mana, it wasn’t dark inside.

“There’s...nothing in there?” Ayle blurted out. Everyone else seemed to share a similar confusion.

Once everyone had come inside, I happily introduced them to my creation. “This is an experiment room for offensive sorcery. Though it won’t withstand extremely powerful spells that affect a wide area like Dragon’s Breath, it should handle regular advanced-level sorcery perfectly fine.” I demonstrated with an electric spell. “Lightning.”

I aimed my palm toward a wall and a white ball floated in the air in front of it. Then a bolt of electricity shot from each of my fingers into the sphere, making it expand to the size of a bowling ball in a flash. Bullet-like rounds sprayed from the sphere, leaving bluish-white trails of light in their wakes. An explosive, ear-piercing noise echoed through the room, followed by the sound of something breaking. The class covered their ears and scrunched up their faces, but once the cacophony was done, they blinked in astonishment.

“It broke a hole in the wall...” Rox whispered.

Colt gesticulated toward the wall. “U-Um, does this mean that no matter how powerful one’s defenses are, electricity can pierce through them?”

I shook my head. “These walls are a mere one meter thick. You could also pierce through them with ice or earth spells that specialize in physical destruction. However, it’s impossible to destroy this building with anything less than advanced-level sorcery.”

The gathered students and instructors soon understood what I meant when the broken rocks began floating and fitting back together in the hole.

“I-It’s...fixing itself,” Shenley remarked.

Elated, Elisa ran up to me. “I-Is this the power of magic circles?! I think there’s a building like this in one of the ruins in the Bushmills Empire.”

I held up my palm to stop her. “Calm down. I’ll explain more about the building itself another time. For now, we will be practicing lightning sorcery.” As long as we practice here, there shouldn’t be any damage to the school.

“Today, we’re going to work on controlling the electricity spell I taught you last class. Once you’ve mastered both the incantation and the appropriate flow of mana, I think it’s safe to say that you’ve learned the spell in its entirety. Now go ahead and try firing it off.”

Just like that, class began.

By the time the lesson ended, everyone had learned how to use lightning sorcery, though some could cast it at greater strengths than others. The students congratulated each other on their progress, and Shenley and Dean came up to ask me more questions. Foar was wandering around restlessly, and I realized that he wanted to talk to me, so I asked Shenley and Dean to wait a bit.

Foar looked down at me with his usual stern expression. “You taught a good lesson. It seems that I was completely wrong about you,” he said softly.

I broke into a big smile. “Do I have your blessing to continue my class?”

“Yes, of course. And I’d like to participate as well, if you’ll have me.”

“Thank you very much. I’d love for you to join.”

Foar gave me a polite nod and left.

At long last, I’d gained the approval of Foar Pelno Rozes, the famed upper-level instructor.

◇

I attended Foar’s next class myself, and he completely changed his tune with his students. He talked about how he approved of my class and how I possessed the appropriate knowledge and techniques for an upper-level instructor.

“I think everyone should take her class at least once,” he said, to the shock of his high school students.

The bad rumors about me were quickly dispelled by Foar’s endorsement. According to Elisa, this caused my reputation to grow tremendously, though some students were still wary of me, either because they had very strong identities as nobles or because they wanted to hear what some of the other upper-level instructors thought of me first. This marked the true start of my life as an instructor, and I resolved to give my all to teaching once more.

Interlude: The Holy Maple Leaf Empire

Historically, the Holy Maple Leaf Empire had long been at the forefront of the study of sorcery, especially when it came to healing spells. In fact, they’d been miles ahead of other countries until that advantage had essentially evaporated due to the establishment of Fiddich Academy in Vahtedd.

All six great countries had contributed funding to the school, and they recognized the area it was in, Winturbly, as an autonomous city-state. However, the territory was still technically a part of Vahtedd.

While Fiddich Academy’s location wasn’t necessarily the sole factor that granted Vahtedd the most influence on the continent, it certainly increased the nation’s diplomatic power. Even during neutral conferences between the six great countries, everyone found it difficult to disagree with Vahtedd’s representatives since their country possessed the most powerful sorcerers. Sensing danger from this power imbalance, the other five countries had begun drawing up plans for their own schools to rival Fiddich, and the Holy Maple Leaf Empire was no exception.

But no matter what they’d tried, their schools had never been able to match the prestige of Fiddich. Even if they brought in court sorcerers as instructors, they couldn’t shake the public perception that people only went to their schools if they got rejected by Fiddich first.

As the empire’s rulers agonized over their embarrassing failures, they received a report from Hiram, who was attending Fiddich Academy. He stated that the pride of their country, Foar Pelno Rozes, had been defeated as a sorcerer by a woman who’d just become an upper-level instructor. Despite the fact that their country had more than twenty court sorcerers and a greater variety of sorcerers in their military than other nations, all anyone in the room could focus on was the fact that Foar had lost.

“Grrr!” The man reading the letter nearly ripped it to shreds but held himself back. He sat heaving ragged breaths, his shoulders shaking with rage. “Alberta!” he barked at one of the imperial guards.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” A large, youthful man clad in white armor stepped forward. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, so his sharp eyes clearly stood out, but not as much as the animal ears which seemed entirely out of place on his head. They almost looked more like horns.

“This letter contains quite vexing news,” he prefaced before reading it aloud.

Alberta’s forehead wrinkled as he listened. “What is your will?” he asked, hesitant to speak his own opinion.

“Bring this sorcerer, Aoi Konominato, before me.”

Alberta bowed his head. “Yes, sir! May I request men to accompany me on this mission?”

“As many as you wish.”

“I’d like ten imperial guardsmen. Also, taking into account the skill of this instructor, I’d like to bring the court sorcerer, Crown Windsor, as well.”

The emperor smirked. Crown was so obsessed with anything that had to do with sorcery that he probably would have accompanied Alberta even if he hadn’t been ordered to.

“Very well. You act under my authority. I’ll give you a letter to bring.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!” Alberta exclaimed, bowing his head deeply once more.

The emperor couldn’t wait to get a look at the witch of Fiddich Academy. His lips curled as he ripped up the letter from Hiram.

Interlude: Elisa

“S-So, both incantations and magic circles are more or less the same thing?” I asked Aoi.

“Essentially. However, the execution is different since incantations use spoken words. Representing the nuances of speech in a magic circle is fairly difficult, and the reverse is also true.”

“Oh, wow!”

I’d been stuck at the same point in my research for many years, and Aoi’s insights were just what I needed to make progress. Up until now, researching magic circles had felt like groping around blindly in the dark, but now it was like the entire area was illuminated. As I asked question after question, Strath’s frown grew until he eventually clinked his cup against mine, causing me to pause.

“Calm down. Save the Q&A for later,” Strath said. He tore a bite from a meat skewer before washing it down with fruit wine.

I dug into my own skewer. “The meat here is really good, isn’t it?” I remarked.

“They use high-quality ingredients. The marinade is also tasty, but the sweetness is quite...”

As Strath and I reviewed the cuisine, a man with silky blue hair emerged from farther inside the restaurant. It was Speyside.

“You three again?” he sighed. He pointed to Aoi. “You. Come with me to the private room.”

“Huh?”

The three of us froze, speechless. Speyside flashed a cryptic smile.

“Foar Pelno Rozes is also present, so it’s perfect timing, isn’t it?”

That was anything but perfect. If we were to sit with Foar, I was sure he’d ask even more questions than I had.

“No way! We’re here to forget about work and deepen our friendsh—!”

As I tried to turn down the invitation, Strath spoke up. “So the pot calls the kettle black, huh?” he said before taking another bite. He looked like he wanted to argue with me, but he wasn’t very intimidating.

Speyside snorted. “Professor Aoi, I believe your time will be much better spent having a meal with Professor Foar and me than—”

“I’ll have to decline. I’ve come here to have dinner with the two of them,” she said, bluntly refusing.

“I see... Well, in that case, please do join us next time.” Speyside sounded slightly bitter, but he still turned to leave after saying one last thing: “Keep your voices down in public.”

The three of us lowered our heads in remorse.

“Sorry...”

Speyside gave a slight wave and walked away. He’d never acted this friendly before, and we exchanged amused looks before toasting with our glasses. Ever since Aoi had come to the academy, I’d gotten the feeling that things were changing dramatically. Though it hadn’t been long since she’d arrived, a lot of things were heading in a positive direction, and she was just getting started.

We spent the rest of the night talking about our classes, the students, and sorcery, and laughing about how much Aoi lacked in common sense.

“Well that’s an unfair characterization,” Aoi said, smiling through pursed lips.

Neither I nor Strath took back what we’d said. We continued to have a fun dinner, but partway through it, Speyside once again angrily appeared before us.

Side Story 1: A Letter to Owain

Ever since entering the academy, I’d been learning new sorcery techniques through books in the school library and conversations with sorcerers from other countries. I’d also found that while each country had its own methods for casting spells, the school taught the process in a standardized way, so students had to essentially relearn how to be sorcerers.

Since Owain was looking for new methods of sorcery, I thought it might be useful for him to delve into each country’s unique way of doing things. However, there was even more potential for learning something new from the students and instructors doing independent research. Regardless of their backgrounds, they were working toward developing new types of sorcery altogether or augmenting existing ones through a process of trial and error. Some of them were conducting research from points of view I hadn’t even considered.

Those were the main things I wrote about in my letter to Owain, but I finished with a few sentences asking about his health. Since Owain lived in a place that merchants couldn’t reach, I sent the letter to a tool shop in the city closest to him, which I knew he typically visited at least once a month. I figured that it’d probably be about a month before I got a response, but within three weeks, Owain came in person.

Or, more accurately, he sent a merchant to deliver a letter to me at Fiddich Academy. It said that Owain was waiting outside the city for me and I should meet with him immediately.

When I got to the meeting spot, I found Owain casually leaning against a tree. “It’s been a while,” he said, waving.

“What are you doing here?” Though there were many things I wanted to say to him, that’s what came out first.

“I read your letter.”

“Oh, I see.” I’d written about sorcery, so of course he’d come all the way here. “We could’ve met in the town.”

He snorted like a petulant child. “I’ve no intention of meeting with any other sorcerers, save for maybe Glen. I’ve got a bit of a reputation here...and it’s not a good one. I asked to meet here to avoid any unnecessary trouble.”

Owain’s discontented expression faded as he seemed to remember something. He pulled out the letter and then pointed at the sparse forest to the side of the highway.

“Talking here is too conspicuous. Follow me. I’ve prepared a place where we can speak privately.”

His total lack of an explanation frustrated me yet piqued my curiosity. He hadn’t changed one bit since the last time I’d seen him. He’s so annoying, and yet this behavior feels strangely nostalgic.

I followed Owain through the forest. Though I’d only been at Fiddich Academy for a few months, it felt like ages since I’d traversed the difficult terrain of a forest. The soft earth dotted with tree roots slowed our pace, but I didn’t mind because the dappled light that filtered through the leaves and branches, accompanied by the fresh scents of the trees, relaxed me.

After we’d walked for about twenty minutes, we entered a clearing. It was like someone had scooped out a hole in the canopy of foliage. Usually, a place like this would be home to marshlands or a winding river, but this one wasn’t.

In the center of the clearing lay a two-story stone house, hastily constructed but of a good quality. It looked brand-new, but it was intimately familiar to me because it looked exactly like the house I’d lived in with Owain.

“Did you bring the house here?” Did he develop teleportation sorcery already?

Owain snorted. “Fool. Of course not. I made this house yesterday. I figured I might as well build it in a shape you’re familiar with,” he joked.

Creating a structure like this in a day wasn’t nearly as outlandish as teleportation sorcery, but Owain clearly didn’t realize how crazy such a feat would sound to the average person. Then again, if he’d shown me this technique before I’d left home for Fiddich, I would have seen it as normal too.

In the brief period of time between when Owain had received my letter and now, he’d cleared out this part of the forest and built an entire house. Even Headmaster Glen would be left speechless.

“Well, whatever. Should we head inside?” I asked.

A frown flashed across Owain’s face, then he snorted again and turned on his heel to walk toward the house. I wondered what his problem was until it dawned on me that he’d probably created this place for my sake. He must’ve known that I’d be happy to see the old house. The thought warmed my heart. Owain was a stubborn, awkward elf who was terrible at communicating, but beneath all of that he was truly kind.

“Come on, I’ll make us a meal. Will you help me with it?”

Owain’s ears twitched. “Hmm... That sounds quite troublesome, but I suppose I could at least wash the dishes,” he said without looking at me.

Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could tell that he was in a much better mood now. I followed Owain inside, bemused. I was greeted by the smell of a newly built house. The interior looked mostly like our old home, just without as many appliances or furnishings. I guess it’s no surprise he wasn’t able to prepare all of those in this short amount of time.

“It feels really strange to be in a house without any books,” I said.

“Don’t remind me. To tell you the truth, I’m very close to caving and raiding Fiddich Academy’s library.”

“Don’t.”

I decided to nip that suggestion in the bud before this sorcery fanatic did anything dangerous. Owain slumped down at his dining table, and I sat down opposite him. Owain spread out the pages of my letter across the table.

“Before we eat, let’s go over a few things,” he said.

“Sure.”

Owain’s eyes sparkled. “First, let’s begin with your fellow instructor, Elisa, who’s studying magic circles. Have you asked her more about her method for making them? Is it different from ours?”

“Yes. It doesn’t seem like she’s discovered any new methods. She’s conducting her research alone on top of her teaching duties, so I’m not surprised that she hasn’t made too much progress... Oh, but I might have something interesting to share.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, the magic circle she’s trying to develop isn’t complete enough to activate a spell. However, it can store mana, and the shape is considerably different from the ones you use.”

“Well, that is very interesting!” Owain exclaimed. “If she’s succeeded in storing mana, then the next step is conversion. It’d be easy to teach her how to make the kinds of magic circles we use, but that wouldn’t be interesting at all. I think it’s best if she figures out the next stage all by herself! Once she succeeds, I’d like to hear all about the success of her experiments in detail.”

“Okay. Let me tell you what I know so far.”

On the back of one of my letters, I began drawing one of the magic circles that Elisa was researching. Actually, based on the shape, it was more like a magic square. While this shape wasn’t as versatile as a circle for traditional sorcery, it had some intriguing possibilities if you made it three-dimensional and paired it with other magic circles.

“I see... This is very interesting. Though I’ve made magic circles circular with the purpose of optimal and even flow of mana, for more complicated spells and the development of new types of sorcery, this may be a better shape,” Owain said, poring over the magic circle Elisa had come up with. Then he looked up at me. “All right. Let’s move on. To be honest, I’m not all that interested in the research being conducted by the general and upper-level instructors, aside from Elisa. From your letter, those instructors’ ideas sound boring and trapped by convention. I’d actually prefer to hear more about Vahtedd’s hidden treasure or this dorm mother, Gleanorra Nobascotia.”

“You want to hear about the dorm mother?” I asked quizzically.

Owain folded his arms and grunted in lieu of saying yes. Well, I guess I did write about a large, frightening, but very kind dorm mother named Gleanorra, but I don’t think I ever mentioned her full name. Does he know something about her that I don’t? Could she be an old acquaintance of his?

Owain pointed at Gleanorra’s name in the letter. “Gleanorra Nobascotia is the former holy woman of the Holy Maple Leaf Empire. In other words, she’s one of the top five healers from that entire country. Maple Leaf is head and shoulders above other countries when it comes to healing sorcery. I’m sure she’s inherited secret techniques due to her former position too.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like spells that could save someone from a half-dead state, regardless of the type of affliction or the severity of their injury—the highest peak of healing sorcery. Back in the day, there was even a holy woman who saved someone from death itself.”

“She resurrected someone?” Though I was surprised that sorcery that powerful existed, what shocked me even more was the idea of Gleanorra being a former holy woman. From her aura alone, I could only picture her being a master of the ultimate offensive spells. I would never have predicted that she was one of the best healers in the world.

Owain jolted me out of my stunned thoughts by clearing his throat. He pointed to a different letter. “Let’s move on to what I was most curious about.”

“Huh?” What else did I write about? I didn’t think there was anything else that would catch his interest.

“It’s about that student, Balvenie, who’s researching rain sorcery.”

“Him?” What is it about him that could have caught Owain’s attention? From my viewpoint, Balvenie’s research was a little pointless. I felt a twinge of guilt for dismissing his work, but it was hard to think otherwise considering that Owain had already succeeded in making spells that created rain, snow, and lightning. Owain seemed to genuinely want to hear about Balvenie, though.

“What’s got you so interested in his research?” I asked.

“I’m surprised you’re not intrigued by it yourself. You asked him about his research, and yet...you didn’t notice?” he asked cryptically.

“Notice what? Unless you’d like your lunch to be extra-spicy curry on rice, you’d better stop beating around the bush.”

“Hmph. Calm down,” Owain said. He pointed up at the ceiling. “To begin with, you seem to think that you’ve discovered everything there is to know about the sorcery for producing rain, but you’ve only considered the method of creating a cloud with fire, water, and wind. You were able to come up with this because you know the way clouds form, but what about sorcerers who don’t? They’ll come up with a different method, won’t they? That’s precisely what Balvenie’s research is based on.”

“A different method?”

Things suddenly clicked in my mind. I gasped and looked up at Owain, who was wearing a smug smirk.

“That’s right. In other words, Balvenie’s research might not involve creating clouds or masses of water to float in the air whatsoever. Your letter doesn’t have an in-depth description of his research, but I’d say it’s safe to posit that his research has something to do with teleportation sorcery. After all, anyone proficient with water sorcery will realize that water spells alone aren’t sufficient to create rain.”

“I’ll ask him for details the next time I see him.”

Owain nodded and the room fell silent. “I’m hungry,” he said.

“Okay. What would you like to eat?”

Owain mulled over his options with an expression far too serious for someone simply choosing food. “Stew...”

“Got it. Coming right up,” I replied, barely holding back a smile at his earnest request.

Though Owain’s face grew expressionless once more, his ears began twitching in anticipation of the meal.

Side Story 2: Day Off with the Students

On my days off, I found myself routinely dining at restaurants in the city with Elisa and Strath. Usually, we just went to the places that they recommended, but every now and then we’d hit up one that we hadn’t been to in a while or a new establishment that had recently become popular.

Since Elisa and Strath both conducted research on their days off, we only got the chance to eat out together at night. Unlike the two of them, I had a lot of freedom on the weekends because I had ample time to complete my own research on weekdays.

During the times where I was free and Elisa and Strath were hard at work, I’d often take a walk around the city and look for a quiet café. In my previous life, I’d never traveled abroad, so walking around this city always felt like an adventure. I enjoyed stopping at cafés that had drastically different atmospheres than the ones I remembered from Japan.

Some establishments lacked elegance, and their walls were festooned with colorful cloth. Other places were chic, and more reminiscent of pubs. There were even cafés that had unique shapes, like one that was built in a hollowed-out tree, and another made from stone that reminded me of traditional kamakura snow huts. This rich variety was due largely to the fact that people came from all over to attend our school. Merchants from across the continent had set up shop in the city built around it to cater to the diverse student body.

“Well then, time to try out the cafés on the east side,” I excitedly said to myself as I left the school grounds. Before I’d gone more than a few steps, I noticed multiple people out of the corner of my eye.

“U-Um...”

“Professor Aoi?”

I turned toward the familiar voices and saw Shenley, Colt, Ayle, Liz, and Belle. Shenley was wearing a white dress, while Colt had on a subdued, black outfit. Ayle, Liz, and Belle all sported intricately embroidered skirts and shirts. Since none of them were in their school uniforms, they’d most likely coordinated to go out to the city together.

It’s unusual to see all five of them together at once, but maybe they made special plans. I’m so happy to see that Shenley is going out and having fun with others.

“Hello, everyone,” I said. “Are you all going to the city as well?”

Shenley wouldn’t make eye contact, and her cheeks burned red.

Ayle gave a teasing smile and answered in her stead. “We heard that you go out to the city every weekend!” she declared excitedly.

“We also found out that Shenley wanted to go out to the city with you, and then my dear little sister decided to meddle... Feel free to say no if it’s too much of an imposition,” Colt added. He chuckled timidly.

I raised an eyebrow. “You...want to go to the city with me? I don’t have anything in particular planned. I was just going to look around at some cafés.”

Ayle spread her arms wide, gesturing at Liz and Belle. “Leave it to the three of us! We know a lot about the cafés here! We’ll take you to the best ones that you’ve never even heard of.”

“Aha ha ha... Yeah. Definitely,” Belle said.

“There you go meddling again, Ayle,” Liz chimed in.

Everyone except Ayle seemed conflicted, like they didn’t want to bother me, but I couldn’t resist Shenley’s pleading face. All right then. Walking around in a big group every now and then might not be so bad.

“Sure. I don’t know if I’ll be great company, but let’s go together.”

Ayle practically jumped for joy while Shenley’s eyes sparkled. Seeing them so happy lifted my spirits in turn.

“I was thinking about checking out cafés in the east side of the city, but do you have any recommendations?”

Ayle raised a hand and looked at Belle and Liz. “Emergency meeting!”

“Yeah!”

“Uh-huh.”

Belle and Liz huddled up with Ayle. After about ten seconds, Ayle emerged, proudly puffing out her chest.

“How about the White Cat’s Room? It’s in the corner of the eastern side of the city, so there aren’t many customers, but it’s spacious and very clean!”

“Oh, I’ve actually been there. It’s a nice place, isn’t it?”

Ayle visibly deflated, but she quickly shook off her disappointment, snapped her head back up, and raised her hand again.

“Double emergency meeting!” she called.

“Ha ha.”

“Uh-huh.”

The trio formed a huddle once more, eliciting a short laugh from Colt. This was probably a headache-inducing sight to the young noble.

While the other girls conferred, Shenley nervously raised her hand. “U-Um...th-there’s a beastkin café. Would that be okay?” Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a whisper when she finished speaking.

“Hm? Sure, I’d love to go there,” I said, curious about what it’d be like.

Shenley’s big smile brightened her face. “R-Really?! Th-Then, let’s go to the Sleeping Tiger Inn...”

Everyone turned to Shenley. “‘Inn’?”

◇

There were a lot fewer shops on the eastern side of the city than the western side. Instead, this half was home to many inexpensive inns. A lot of nobles from different countries resided in the city, so certain areas were wealthier than others. The east happened to be the area where less economically advantaged residents—including many beastkin—lived.

While Vahtedd didn’t have open persecution of demi-humans, such as beastkin, inequality still showed in the workforce. Few demi-humans held important jobs, and most worked doing menial tasks.

The owner of the Sleeping Tiger Inn had built it in an effort to help demi-humans, even if only a little. From the outside, it looked like a log cabin with two floors, and it was bigger than I’d expected. The property was surrounded by a fence, and on the side closest to the building, there was terrace seating where you could enjoy the weather. I saw groups of demi-human customers enjoying their meals.

After excitedly peeking at the clientele, I stepped inside, where the high ceiling instantly caught my eye. The walls were formed from trees without many leaves. The chairs were mostly two-seater sofas, which I assumed was out of consideration for the larger beastkin guests. Plenty of demi-human customers lounged around in the relaxed atmosphere.

Farther into the establishment, there was a counter, behind which a large, muscular beastkin stood with his arms folded. Before I had a chance to guess who he was, Shenley stepped forward.

“I brought my instructor from school, an upperclassman, and my f-friends.”

The man’s previously narrowed eyes opened wide. “Friends. I see...” he said in a soft, deep voice. He seemed to be the owner of this establishment. In contrast to his gruff demeanor, his rounded animal ears were very cute.

I gave a slight bow. I could only assume that the man was sizing us up out of concern for Shenley.

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Aoi Konominato, and I’m an instructor at the academy,” I said.

“I’m Colt Hegge Battler from the Colt Highland Federation,” Colt said, bowing.

Ayle spread both her arms and greeted him cordially. “I’m Ayle Hegge Battler, Shenley’s friend! Thanks for having us!”

Liz and Belle introduced themselves as Shenley’s friends as well. Shenley seemed excited, wagging her tail furiously. The owner noticed this, but he still seemed a bit cautious of us.

“There are some open seats in the back of the second floor terrace. No need for a menu; I’ll be deciding your meal as the chef,” he said curtly.

Colt blinked, perhaps surprised by how casually the owner was acting despite being in the presence of multiple greater nobles. Shenley freaked out a little and jumped in to ease the tension.

“Th-Thank you very much! Your food’s always so good, so we’re looking forward to it! O-Okay everyone, this way!”

She frantically guided us upstairs as if she were an employee here. As we followed her, the space grew brighter and I could see sunlight shining through a crack between a set of wooden double doors at the end of the hallway. Shenley opened the doors, and light flooded in, forcing me to squint. After a moment, my eyes adjusted.

We stepped out onto a terrace with a waist-level railing. The four corners were accentuated by trees that were about as tall as an adult human male. In the center of the room was a round table with six chairs, all of which were ornate. There was a ceiling, but it didn’t obstruct our view.

The view from the terrace was so clear that it was as if the surrounding buildings had been strategically placed to avoid getting in the way. We could get a perfect look at the dazzling blue sky. It was so calm and tranquil here, a huge contrast to what I’d expected based on the owner’s demeanor.

“Oh sheesh, I sure lost when it comes to recommendations. I don’t think I know anywhere that tops this,” Ayle said disappointedly.

Colt looked at his sister in amusement again. “It’s not about winning or losing. The terrace seating here is really wonderful, though. You don’t have to worry about anyone watching you, and the view’s amazing. It’s hard to believe that you’re looking at the city.” He walked to the back of the terrace and gazed at the scenery while tracing his hand across the railing.

“You can see right up to the main street from here,” Ayle said. “You can even see the academy in the distance. It almost looks like a castle.”

“Oh wow, you’re right!” Liz replied.

“It’s so pretty!” Belle said.

Colt, Ayle, and the others all let out exclamations of awe. Shenley smiled happily.

“It’s a very wonderful establishment. Thank you very much for taking us here, Shenley,” I said, making her shake her hands frantically.

“O-Oh, no need to thank me. I only found out about this place by chance...”

Though she was trying to be modest, she couldn’t hide how happy she was. We all sat down and began to chat. In the middle of our conversation, the doors opened and the owner approached with a small serving stand in one hand and a box in another. Paired with how burly the man was, it reminded me of a western-style army ammo box.

“Food’s served,” he said. I noticed everyone at the table inadvertently straighten their postures.

But seeing the food made Shenley panic. “U-Um, is this—”

“The usual one-for-five-hundred set for students. But today it’s on the house,” he said stoically as he put out another dish.

By this point he’d already put out a bowl of soup and a sandwich for each person, but now he’d brought out a large cake, plus seasoned meat with potatoes. There were also two teapots full of what appeared to be black tea. The teacups he gave us had charming flower patterns on them. Each one of the five cups had a different color. With this level of abundance, I had to say something.

“Um, I’m an instructor, so I can pay the full price for the five of them.”

The owner folded his arms and shook his head. “No need. This is a special service to incentivize you to come back again.” He gave Shenley a glance that was awkward yet filled with care. I could tell that he hadn’t just given us a deal to get us to come back again individually—he wanted us to return here with Shenley. Whether or not he knew the full extent of her situation, he was concerned for her well-being. Shenley seemed to catch on, and she looked down as tears welled up in her eyes.

The owner gave me a quick nod before leaving. The trio of girls exchanged looks while Colt cast his eyes over the food in front of us.

“Being treated to a feast like this without giving anything in return would bring shame to our noble names. The five of us should come back again as paying customers soon,” Colt suggested.

Shenley’s head popped up, tears of joy streaming down her face. Ayle finally seemed to come to the same realization that Colt and I had. She whispered to the other two girls and they let out gasps. They all looked over at Shenley, waving their hands happily but exaggerating the motion a bit too much.

“So everyone’s in agreement to come back here? Yay!”

“Let’s come again soon!”

“Yeah!”

The trio of girls began to pour their tea.

Shenley quickly grabbed the other teapot. “I-I’ll pour the tea for you!” she said, filling both my cup and Colt’s.

I watched her from my peripheral vision, and I could tell that she was barely holding back another wave of happy tears. Her outburst of emotion made me feel a little sad for what she’d been through, but also warm inside as I thought about her future.

“Shenley, you’ve truly found a nice establishment with a kind owner.”

Shenley beamed, teardrops rolling down her cheeks. “Thank you!”

◇

After leisurely enjoying the rest of our meal, we returned to the first floor. While the others explored the venue, I approached the owner.

“Thank you very much. Shenley was really happy.”

He nodded. “I should be thanking you. Come back again any time.”

“What made you take notice of Shenley?” I asked.

He let out a deep sigh. “A lot of beastkin from the academy come here, and they used to talk about how Shenley was being bullied. They weren’t gossiping about this to make fun of her; they were just worried. But recently, the stories about her being bullied have been replaced by ones about how a peculiar instructor appeared and knocked a member of the royal family down a peg to save her.” He deeply bowed his head. “To be honest, I can’t believe an instructor like you exists. But thank you for saving Shenley. Please keep taking good care of her.”

His speech was so sincere that I found myself breaking into a smile instantly.

“Of course. I promise that Shenley will have the best possible student life she can.”

◇

The rays of the sun warmed my skin. The sky was cloudless, and an occasional gentle breeze washed over me. I got the feeling that the academy had gone back to being just as peaceful as the weather.

“P-Professor Aoi!”

“Hello.”

“Hello!”

As I walked, the students I passed greeted me with energetic voices and bright smiles. Their eyes glittered like jewels.

I reached the flower garden on campus where a lot of nobles liked to congregate. While the school forbade discrimination based on one’s status or place of birth, cliques still formed based on the students’ countries of origin.

The area I was in seemed to be claimed by students from the Bushmills Empire. One notable characteristic of their country was that it had more racial diversity than others. As a result, there were a lot of noble beastkin here. Since it was rare for beastkin to be strong at sorcery, though, Shenley and Felter were the only ones in my class. I’d never talked with any of the ones hanging out here before.

I walked across the grass of the garden and gazed at the beastkin having idle conversations, desperately fighting my rising desire to pet their ears and tails. But their tails were so fluffy and fuzzy. Their ears were so smooth. I wanted to pet them so badly. Of course, there was no way that I could suddenly request that from someone I was meeting for the first time. I sighed and made my way farther into the garden as the number of people decreased and the foliage got thicker.

This area was hidden from the eyes of others. It felt like I was heading to a secret hideout. Eventually I came across a large wooden bench. Sitting there was a large student.

“Felter?”

He looked up. “Huh? Aoi Konominato? What are you doing here?” he asked, confused.

Felter immediately took his eyes off me and looked to the side, as if he were pretending like he hadn’t actually seen me. I walked closer as his fuzzy ears, surrounded by his mane-like hair, began twitching. Though he was in his teens, he had a very intimidating face for his age, which was further emphasized by his tall, muscular build. Most likely, other students would cower in fear if he so much as glared at them.

In contrast to his thick form his fur was surprisingly thin. Compared to the other beastkin students’ fur, it actually seemed more buoyant and fluffy. I felt an inevitable gravitational pull bringing my hands to his ears. I was powerless to resist. As soon as I touched his soft fur, Felter shot up from his seat.

“What are you doing?”

“Sorry for grabbing you out of the blue,” I said, taking a seat on the bench.

“Why are you sitting here?”

“Because there aren’t any other benches.”

Felter softly grunted and glanced around before folding his arms and looking away. Then, he sighed as if he’d given up and sat back down on the bench, resting his elbows on his legs in a comfortable position.

I waited a bit in silence. If it were a stray cat on the bench instead of Felter, after this amount of time, it would have started to become less bothered by my presence. I wonder how much time he’ll need.

“May I touch your ears?”

“No. Why?” he said, immediately shutting me down.

As expected, it’s still too soon. To actually pet a stray cat, I’d have to meet them every single day and get closer to them bit by bit. Food was very useful in those situations, but you’d have to be careful, because if you didn’t have any plans to take the cat in, it would be irresponsible.

Maybe half a minute or so passed, and I once again looked at Felter, who was now staring off into the distance. His ears were still twitching. Before I knew it, my hand was reaching out again. The fur on his ears ruffled softly as my fingers closed around them. I couldn’t let this opportunity escape me.

“Huh?!” Felter yelped, but I couldn’t stop. “Let go!”

“Just a little more...”

“What the hell?! What’re you tryin’ to do, cast a curse on me?!” Felter began flailing around, so to protect his ears from harm, I gripped his head with my left hand while maintaining my grasp on his ear with my right.

“Urgh!”

Suddenly, Felter broke out into a cold sweat and couldn’t move. This is a perfect chance. Though it was with only one hand, I rubbed his ear all over, feeling its fluffiness. Wow, it feels so nice to touch!

I finally broke out of my trance after hearing the almost scream-like noise Felter was making. Oops. That was close. I should stop if he’s asking me to. I reflexively let go of his ears.

Felter ran off at a clip that surprised even me. He became a dot in the distance in no time. I couldn’t help but be reminded of all the times that I’d failed at petting stray cats.

“Next time for sure...” I whispered.

Afterword

Thank you very much for reading this book. Hey, I’m Mitsuru Inoue. At first, I was extremely nervous, partially because this is my first publication with Earth Star Novels. This is also my first work with a female protagonist. Even before it was published, I’d already begun imagining all of the harsh feedback that readers would give me. I was truly very worried.

However, that fear and anxiety has been overtaken by an overwhelming amount of excitement. After all, the illustrator for this series is none other than Suzuno! As I’m writing this afterword, I’m looking at the beautiful and adorable depictions of Aoi, Shenley, and Elisa. Of course, I’m also happy to see the really handsome images of Strath, Rox, and Felter. They all look so amazing!

I’m just so happy that the characters I’ve written are getting illustrations! It’s no exaggeration to say that this has given me more than enough fuel to keep living each day.

This story takes place at a school in a fantasy world where a female teacher surprises students and fellow instructors alike with how incredibly powerful she is. After deciding on that premise, I thought it’d be fun if she took down the misbehaving nobles. That was my mindset when writing the book. Though I experienced a lot of difficulties, like writing a female protagonist for the first time and trying new things, I had a lot of fun writing this.

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect it to be picked up by the Earth Star Novels of all publishers! Nor did I ever expect the Suzuno to do the illustrations! I was a little frightened by how freakishly lucky I was.

Most likely, I will pass out while standing when I see this book in a bookstore. If you ever see someone weird like that in a bookstore, please assume that it’s me, Mitsuru Inoue.

I’d like to use the rest of this afterword to thank everyone.

To everyone who read this on Shosetsuka ni Naro, it’s all thanks to you that I’m able to write this afterword in a published book. Thank you so much! Also, thank you very much to my editor, S-sama, and to Earth Star Novels for picking up my series and giving me advice! Also, thank you very much to Suzuno for your wonderful illustrations!

It’s all thanks to you that I was able to write this story. I seriously can’t thank all of you enough!

Lastly, thank you to everyone who is reading this book. Truly, truly, thank you! Nothing would make me happier than if those of you reading this enjoy it even a little bit! If possible, I’d love to see you all in the next volume as well!