***
“Alright, that concludes this class.”
Though I had suddenly taken up the teacher’s pointer, I was able to finish the class without any issues.
My experience teaching as a professor on Earth was a great help, and I found myself getting so into talking about Mana Control that I ended up giving a rather passionate lecture.
“Professor! You worked hard!”
“Class President Professor. It was an informative class.”
“I think it’d be fine if the class president just kept teaching the class.”
To be honest, I had been a little skeptical even as I was conducting the lecture.
Although mana tool-ification was an unnecessary process that caused inefficiency, this world’s magical engineering had formed all its theories with mana tool-ification as its foundation.
Therefore, most of the students who had enrolled here were accustomed to mana tool-ification.
I was worried about telling these kids to abandon the mana tool-ification they had been doing all along and showing them a new path.
‘But they all followed along surprisingly well.’
[You may not have realized it because your standards are so high, Master, but Class A of the Imperial Academy is a gathering of the Empire’s greatest talents.]
True, they may seem like a strange bunch of half-baked eccentrics, but they are the ones who achieved the top scores at the Empire’s most prestigious academy.
“You worked hard.”
“Yeah. It was a bit of work.”
“The lecture was very substantial. Professor Raniel.”
When I returned to my seat, El and the black-haired guy greeted me.
“Was the class any good?”
“It’s a new theory, so it’s still hard to adapt, but I can tell that it’s definitely a much better theory than before.”
“It was a good class. Though I haven’t been able to apply it completely yet.”
The lecture was well-received by El and the black-haired guy as well.
The black-haired guy was even using Mana Control, albeit clumsily.
I had thought El would be quicker to get the hang of Mana Control, so that was unexpected.
‘As expected of a promising slave candidate.’
As I passed the time chatting idly, the break ended.
The following classes passed without any particular problems.
Most of it was content I already knew, but there were still some perspectives I hadn’t noticed and a few pieces of knowledge I didn’t have.
We had a simple lunch at the campus cafeteria, and the afternoon classes also went by without any particular issues.
And so, when it was after school, the sun was already beginning to set.
“Raniel, you’re going back to the dorms too, right?”
“No, I have to submit that list the homeroom professor asked for earlier.”
“Oh, that thing from the House of Cliché? Alright, see you later then!”
Linia, El, and the black-haired guy told me to have fun with my work and headed back to the dorms first.
And I, tucking the list into my clothes, headed toward the faculty building.
However,
“H-huh.”
Professors passing by flinched when they saw me.
‘What’s with them?’
[After collecting ambient voice data, it seems a rumor is spreading that you said to Professor Dayron,
‘To stand on the podium with such pathetic knowledge, it’s so contemptible that I’m at a loss for words. Instead of spouting such half-baked knowledge, how about you embrace your shame and jump out the window?’
and that’s why Professor Dayron jumped out the window.]
‘…What?’
[Of course, you didn’t say that, but since Professor Dayron did jump in a similar context, it doesn’t seem like a completely false rumor.]
‘No, how did it turn into that?! I never said anything that extreme!’
Just how twisted does a rumor have to get for something like that to be going around?!
-Is that the kid who threw a professor out because he said his level was low?
-A demonic kid.
-Just look at his face, he looks like a villain.
-I heard he was fine in the other professors’ classes.
-You never know, who knows what he’ll do if something doesn’t sit right with him?
Meanwhile, the professors who had flinched at me started muttering nonsense amongst themselves as soon as they were a little farther away.
I was boiling with rage on the inside, but trying to go and explain would only make the situation worse, so I pretended not to notice and passed by.
I arrived at the homeroom professor’s lab and knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
As I stepped inside, the room was filled to the brim with all sorts of experimental tools and equipment, as befitting a magical engineering professor’s lab.
And at the very back of the room, the homeroom professor smiled brightly at me.
“You’re here? Professor Executioner.”
“Don’t tell me that’s my nickname?”
“Oh my, you haven’t heard yet? It’s already spread widely among the professors. A nickname on the first day of school, that’s a new record!”
Whether she knew of my burning insides or not, the homeroom professor showed a playful smile.
“So, what’s up?”
“I’m here to deliver the list of participants for the dungeon exploration you mentioned this morning.”
“Ah, that? You can just leave it there.”
I did as the homeroom professor said, placing the document on the desk right next to me before turning around.
“Oh, by the way, Professor Dayron Criphton submitted a leave of absence and went to the mountains, so you can rest easy about that.”
“Who?”
“You know, the person you made jump.”
“I didn’t do that.”
Come to think of it, the professor who jumped was named Dayron Criphton.
Since I unintentionally settled my one-point grudge, it’s a name I don’t need to remember.
“Anyway, the tool-ification class is now open, so I’m counting on you for that, Class President.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m telling you to keep teaching the class. You were doing a good job from what I saw.”
Wondering what this was all about, I looked at the homeroom professor with a quizzical expression.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to watch. It was just the first day, so I was watching from the back to see if the kids were doing well.”
“No, that’s not what I mean. You want me to take over the class? Is that even possible?”
“You won’t be teaching it permanently, just temporarily until Professor Dayron’s spot is filled.”
“No, even so…”
“Don’t worry. I approved it. If I approve it, who’s going to say anything?”
I stared intently at the homeroom professor for a moment.
“What? Is my face that pretty?”
It didn’t sound like she was joking.
But was it even plausible to have an undergraduate student formally teach a class in place of a professor?
‘To be able to decide something like that on a whim, as expected…’
I nodded my head for the time being.
“I understand what you’re saying for now.”
“Good.”
“However, there is something I need to confirm first.”
I took a deep breath and then opened my mouth.
“What will my salary be? Surely you don’t expect me to teach the students for free, do you?”
“H-huh?”
“I also paid a large sum of tuition to enroll here, so I assume this isn’t a case of me paying my tuition while also teaching for free.”
At my torrent of words, the homeroom professor wore a dumbfounded expression for a moment.
“And does my standing on the podium mean I’ll be employed as a professor? If so, I’m also curious if my treatment will be the same as a professor’s, in other words, if I can be assigned a research lab or use the faculty building.”
“Uh…”
“Surely you’re not just making me teach on a whim, without any procedures or preparations, are you?”
From the looks of it, that seems to be exactly the case.
[She’s a person without a plan.]
‘Still, it’s not bad. If I play this right, I might be able to become a professor much faster than planned.’
Having a joker-like person on my side who can lightly ignore school regulations and act on a whim isn’t bad.
I might even be able to skip the existing professor appointment process and become a full professor.
[Is that possible?]
‘That’s how it works. You have them work as an intern, and if you like them, they become a full-time employee.
You give them a task without much thought, and if they do better than expected, and there’s no one else to hire, you think, maybe I’ll have them do it a little longer? And before you know it, they’ve settled into the position.
And even if that doesn’t happen, if I build up a good rapport from here, it’ll be advantageous for my professor appointment later on.’
[Master, you have a truly calculating mind! It’s very efficient and wonderful to see!]
Having finished all my efficient calculations, I shifted my gaze to the homeroom professor, who had been silent for a while now.
“Professor?”
“Uh, uh-huh?”
“You were quiet, so…”
“Ah, right, so… uh, umm…”
The flustered homeroom professor seemed to stomp her feet for a moment, then spoke with a look of resolve.
“I’ll get it sorted out and let you know by tomorrow! Anyway, the class will proceed as is. Got it?”
If I push back again here, she’ll get pouty.
As someone who had engaged in countless push-and-pull negotiations with the Minister of Defense over budget issues, I knew this instinctively.
“Understood.”
“Right, right. Then I’m counting on you for the class!”
“Yes, then I’ll be on my way…”
And so, with the homeroom professor seeing me off, I gave a small bow and immediately left the lab.
<><><>
[She was quite an extraordinary person.]
‘You can say that again.’
However, it seemed I’d have to check a little more to see exactly how amazing she was.
Whether she was someone who could really ignore the school regulations and elevate me to professor. Or if she was just a wild child that the department couldn’t bear to throw away.
“Raniel! Are you done?”
When I came out of the lab, Linia, El, and the black-haired guy were waiting for me.
“What’s this?”
I didn’t recall making any plans.
Besides, putting El and the black-haired guy aside, did this girl Linia come straight here after her warrior department classes ended?
“What do you mean! It’s the first day at the academy, so of course I called you to look around with friends! I sent you an email on your tablet, didn’t you see it?”
At Linia’s words, I took out my tablet and checked my email.
There was indeed an email.
It seemed to have arrived when I had temporarily silenced it while talking with the homeroom professor.
That aside, looking around?
It’s not a tourist spot. Besides, you can find out what’s here just by looking at the guide pamphlet, so is it really necessary?
“What do you mean, looking around? Are you here to play?”
“What a sad thing to say! The Imperial Academy is a place people pay to come and tour!”
“That’s right. While you can’t call it a tourist destination, there are quite a few things to see, so sightseeing wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
El joined in on Linia’s words, providing backup fire.
Their personalities are polar opposites, but they seem to get along surprisingly well.
I passed the two who seemed quite excited and turned my gaze toward the black-haired guy.
This guy didn’t seem particularly keen on it, just like me.
If it’s two against two, I can probably get out of this.
With that thought, I sent a glance toward the black-haired guy.
“Ah, I have a part-time job, so I’ll be going now.”
And the black-haired guy boldly made his exit alone.
Is this why they say you shouldn’t take in a black-haired beast!!
[Master, you also had black hair in your past life?]
‘That was then, and this is now!’
“A part-time job? Are your finances not good?”
“I don’t get support from home, so…”
“You must be having a hard time.”
“As a fellow laborer, I’ll be cheering for you!”
What are you on about, calling yourself a laborer, Linia?!
You’re attending the academy with my money, and you’re getting paid a salary even though you’re not doing any maid work!
Compared to the black-haired guy who was heading off to work right now, Linia’s working environment was nothing short of paradise.
No, since she wasn’t working, the word ‘labor’ itself was absurd.
“Well then, you three have fun. See you later.”
“You work hard.”
“Fighting, working youth! Let’s all do our best!”
The black-haired guy left the group.
After that, their gazes naturally turned to me.
“I have a research project on the 17-fold fission and fusion of planaria, so I’ll be on my way…”
“Yes, yes, we heard you. You can do that later.”
I tried to make a decent exit but was caught by Linia, who knew me too well.
“Alright, so where should we go first?”
“The buildings for each department have different styles, so how about we look around the department buildings first?”
After that, the two of them started planning the schedule on their own.
Linia was always like that, so that was one thing, but this girl El, despite her timid nature, was only proactive at times like these.
“Then let’s go to the warrior department building!”
“What about my opinion?”
“You’re just going to say that walking around is a pain and that we should just hole up somewhere, Raniel.”
As expected, this girl Linia knew me too well.
Instead of wandering around pointlessly, it’s better to be holed up in my room doing research!
“Then let’s go!”
My opinion was completely ignored as I was dragged by Linia and boarded the tram.
<><><>
“I’m finally riding the tram.”
As we boarded the tram, Linia looked around in awe.
Hmm? But that sounds strange.
“Didn’t you ride it when you came from the warrior department building to the magical engineering building?”
“I ran to get here quickly!”
I see. She ran.
Running is faster than the tram.
It was nothing new, but I was once again impressed by warriors.
“Then why are you riding it now?”
“If I were alone, I would have run, of course.”
I see. Warriors don’t need things like trams.
Let’s not think too deeply about it.
I thought I had adapted to this world to some extent, but I still can’t for the life of me understand those warrior types.
By what mechanism does their physical strength become enough to deflect bullets and their running speed become faster than a tram?
[If we’re talking about mechanisms, my body is also…]
‘You are sufficiently scientific.’
[No, it’s just…]
‘Scientific.’
As I was contemplating science and non-science, we soon arrived at the station for the warrior department building.