I decided to accept the situation I was in.
I was doomed.
Quite badly, at that.
Completely and utterly doomed.
‘I distinctly decided not to cause any trouble……’
Before I had even officially taken up my professorship, I had already caused a major incident.
With a sigh, I propped up my suddenly heavy head and was about to engage in some self-reflection when a sharp aroma brushed past my nose.
“What are you thinking about so seriously? Your lecture?”
Aisel brought over coffee and sugar from the other side of the office.
She handed me a cup of coffee.
I pushed the cream and sugar aside and took my time savoring the rich aroma.
Even though I was merely drinking ordinary coffee, Aisel shuddered.
“That is practically espresso… I gave you some warm milk right there……”
“I do not like milk. I am lactose intolerant.”
“Ah… yes.”
After muttering a vague response, Aisel began preparing her own coffee.
I glanced over and saw her drop two whole sugar cubes into it.
At that point, calling it a coffee-flavored sugar drink would have been more accurate than calling it coffee.
I sipped my coffee and thought about Ellin.
Ellin was a monster consumed by the desire to become the best.
At times, she collapsed beneath the weight of that desire, but because the monster was one she herself had nurtured, she could not abandon it halfway. She had no choice but to continue pursuing her ideal.
Normally, she remained quiet like a crouching beast, but the moment she bared her teeth, she never hesitated to bite.
Because of that, people treated her as something that should never be provoked.
If I had to compare her to an animal, she was a honey badger.
That was precisely why Ellin remained alone.
But peel away that outer shell, and she was nothing more than a frail, slender girl.
Her extreme aggression was merely a defense mechanism she had developed from childhood to protect herself.
‘In truth, the best solution would be to embrace her with genuine affection……’
The problem was that Ellin only listened to people who were superior to her.
And Ellin was a genius who ranked first among her peers.
The barrier to even approaching her was absurdly high.
That was why she was always alone in the original story.
‘What I need to be careful of is……’
A monster consumed by the desire to become the best.
An aggressive nature that never hesitated to bite once she bared her teeth.
There was another perfectly suitable word for that.
Obsession.
There was absolutely no possibility that Ellin, having discovered an important clue capable of bringing her closer to the pinnacle known as runes, would simply leave it alone.
‘So I need to cut off the possibility of contact before it can take root.’
Even if I could not erase the evidence completely, I at least needed to smooth over the current situation.
Aisel had said that Mana Traces faded over time as well.
If I kept a low profile for a while, then by the time Ellin attempted to investigate, the trail would have become an unsolvable mystery.
“Professor! Professor!”
While drinking her coffee, Aisel suddenly answered an urgent call and shouted toward me.
“You are loud. Keep your voice down.”
“The Academic Affairs Office is asking when you can do the rehearsal.”
I nodded.
Since I was establishing a new course, the university naturally had an obligation to inspect it.
Despite the level Aiden had reached, he had never submitted a paper to an academic institution, nor did he have any experience working as an educator or researcher.
Naturally, there would be people who questioned his ability to teach.
And in reality, Aiden had not been a particularly good professor.
One of the reasons Aiden had been considered insufferable was his habit of saying, ‘Why can none of you do something this simple?’
‘Of course, all of that gets overlooked because he is one of fewer than ten Masters in the entire world……’
There were only three in this enormous Empire.
Only three.
Even if the scope was expanded to encompass the entire world, their number could still be counted on ten fingers.
That count even included Demi-humans, making the odds of reaching that level roughly one in hundreds of millions.
In truth, someone like Aiden was far too valuable a military asset to be leisurely working as a university professor……
“Aisel.”
“Yes?!”
“I am a far more exceptional individual than you seem to think.”
Aisel tilted her head as though wondering what kind of nonsense I was about to spout this time.
Her eyes regarded me with intense suspicion.
“So there is no need to worry.”
At my confident declaration, Aisel shook her head.
“That is exactly what worries me, Professor.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Your idea of common sense is different from ours. Even when you cause an incident, you do not realize that what you are doing will cause one. That is why Lady Charlotte assigned me to stay beside you.”
She clenched her fist with considerable determination.
She seemed to be burning with resolve to stop me in advance no matter what happened……
This was profoundly unfair.
“Are you saying that I lack common sense?”
I was a perfectly respectable member of society.
I had been one before, and I was more than capable of continuing to be one now.
But betraying my expectations without the slightest hesitation, Aisel nodded.
“Yes.”
“…In any case, tell them I am available for the rehearsal starting today.”
“Are you sure? You have not practiced even once, have you?”
“I am already an authority on Aura. What need do I have for practice? What I say is correct by definition.”
Aisel’s mouth dropped open, apparently overcome by admiration.
A good sign.
Even if everyone else in the world was wrong, if I said I was right, then I was right.
If anyone wanted to argue with me, they could become a Master first.
As I smiled in satisfaction, Aisel, who had gone completely stiff, eventually gave a reluctant nod.
“Then I will arrange it for sometime soon.”
“Do so.”
“Oh, and the department says they want to publicize the course. You do not mind, right? Not that we can really refuse.”
“Handle the minor details however you see fit. I have things to think about, so finish whatever work you need to do and go home afterward.”
Aisel gave me a sullen look before letting her shoulders droop and focusing on her administrative work.
Meanwhile, I immersed myself in thoughts of how I could distance myself from Ellin.
***
Several days later, word quietly began to spread that Aiden, the Empire’s third Master, had joined the Imperial University.
At first, people dismissed it as a ridiculous rumor and demanded to know who had started spreading such nonsense.
But once they heard that the person who had answered Professor Paulo’s question during [Pure Magic Theory] was none other than Aiden, the dying rumor blazed back to life.
And now.
[Understanding the Aura Cultivation Method: Practical Integration of Mana with the Body]
Professor: Toscantana Aiden Peacevolt.
It had not been long since the official notice appeared on the bulletin board, yet the university was already swept up in an unexpected frenzy.
“What? It was actually true?”
“I told you. The professor kept quiet about it, but he never denied it. Why did you refuse to believe me?”
“Wow. The Department of Knighthood finally has some hope……”
“What hope? This is a reversal. A complete reversal. Those damned students from the Department of Magic have had their noses in the clouds for ages……”
“The students from the Department of Spirit Studies are just as bad.”
But the excitement did not last long.
The undergraduate students fell silent as soon as they read the detailed course information written below.
Capacity: 40 students.
Only forty.
The Department of Knighthood had around seven hundred and fifty students across its six years.
Ordinarily, a course would specify which year groups were eligible, but Aiden’s course was a general elective for Department of Knighthood students with no year restriction.
No matter how famous Aiden was, the university could hardly make a newly established course a Major Requirement or General Education Requirement from the outset.
As a result, it had been designated as a small-scale general elective that would not significantly interfere with the existing academic curriculum.
And that decision had inadvertently created a bloodbath.
Silence settled over the gathered students like the calm before a storm.
Each of them glanced at the people in front of them and beside them, all of whom might soon become competitors.
A chill that had never existed before now filled their eyes.
The silent battle of nerves continued for quite some time……
***
With the brightening dawn behind her, as brilliant as though an incandescent lamp had illuminated the entire sky, Aisel made her way toward the classroom.
CREEEAK.
The rear door of the lecture hall opened.
There was still a seat available beside a window flooded with sunlight.
Better yet, it was in the back row.
Seeing that such a prime seat remained unclaimed, Aisel fought off her drowsiness and smiled faintly.
She placed her belongings on a desk in the tiered circular lecture hall.
Muttering that she had once again failed to get enough sleep, she let out a small yawn and neatly took her seat.
She held back the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and stretched her stiff body like the cat back at her family home.
Only then did she finally feel ready to begin the day.
Twenty minutes remained before the lecture began.
She opened her textbook, intending to review the material quietly while she waited……
“Excuse me. You are Aisel, right?”
At the unexpected call, she instinctively turned her head.
A male student stood there, barely managing to conceal his awkwardness as he addressed her.
“What can I do for you?”
“Ah, it is nothing serious. I heard that you are a maid serving the Peacevolt Ducal House.”
Aisel’s eyes instantly turned cold.
‘Again……’
She bit her lip before sharpening her gaze.
“It is true that I am a maid, but I am not a commoner. I am also a member of a noble family that pledges loyalty to His Majesty, so if you intend to look down upon me simply because I am a maid……”
“No, that is not what I meant.”
The male student recoiled and hurriedly waved his hands.
This time, Aisel was the one left confused.
“Then why did you bring it up?”
The student gave an awkward smile before shaking his head insistently.
“That really is not what I meant.”
“I only heard that you were assigned to Professor Aiden’s office as an undergraduate intern.”
“Ah……”
“Right, exactly. That is what I meant. I have absolutely no intention of looking down on you for being a maid. Not even a little.”
“Then what exactly do you want?”
The male student scratched the back of his head before lowering his voice, apparently embarrassed.
“Well… Professor Aiden’s general elective. Could you get me into the class?”
Aisel froze for a moment, wondering whether she had heard him correctly.
Apparently interpreting her silence as a question of compensation, the male student began gesturing extravagantly as he spoke.
“Of course, I am not asking you to do it for nothing. I might not look like it, but I am the eldest son of a count’s family. If you need money, just say so. It does not even have to be money. Anything you want……”
“I am sorry, but that is entirely under the professor’s authority, so I cannot interfere. I truly apologize.”
Aisel cut him off decisively before he could press the issue further and began gathering her belongings.
She was unhappy about having to surrender such a perfect seat after going through the trouble of claiming it, but……
‘If I stay here, someone else will only come looking for trouble.’
She needed to leave.
The sense of superiority possessed by nobles like that rarely cared who its target was.
“Huh? W-wait.”
The male student frowned and grabbed Aisel by the forearm as she tried to leave.
“Wait. Let go of me.”
“Hey. I was asking nicely, and you are just going to ignore me?”
His expression hardened.
Aisel looked at his face with open disgust.
Again.
Again with that revolting mask.
They acted friendly whenever they wanted something, only to completely change their faces the moment matters stopped going their way.
Even though they were both nobles, people like him made her sick.
“Let go of me.”
“I told you that I am the eldest son of a count’s family. I even said I would pay you. How dare a mere maid ignore my—”
A low, irritated voice slipped from his throat as though he were struggling to suppress the urge to shout.
Aisel wanted to resist, but the clear disparity in their social standing made her hesitate.
As she remained trapped in his grip and endured his increasingly harsh words, tears began gathering at the corners of her eyes.
Not wanting him to notice, she twisted her face into a scowl.
Perhaps he mistook that for defiance.
The male student flew into a rage and raised his hand……
“You little—”
“What is this commotion?”
Aisel and the male student turned their heads at the same time.
Aiden stood there.
His eyes were cold.
***
The University Information Office was suffering beneath an endless flood of telephone calls.
It was true that the beginning of a semester, just before course registration, was always a period when inquiries poured in, but this time the situation was particularly severe.
Ordinarily, most callers would have contacted the Academic Administration Team rather than the university’s main line.
But considering that even these calls were now reaching the Information Office, it was easy enough to imagine what condition the Academic Administration Team was already in.
The man mechanically answering the telephone let out a heavy sigh.
The sun was already high in the sky, yet he had done nothing since arriving at work except answer calls.
And they were not even calls concerning problems he could actually solve.
Instead, one question kept coming in over and over again.
‘Why is the Academic Administration Team not answering their phone?’
Obviously, he could not respond with, ‘I have no idea. Why are you asking me?’
So he had spent the entire morning repeating variations of, ‘That department receives a large volume of calls during this period. Please wait for a while and try again later.’
The man rubbed both hands down his face and glared wearily at the telephone when it began ringing yet again.
Even this was probably better than what the Academic Administration Team was enduring.
Their situation had to be at least as bad as his, if not worse.
“…Why did he have to take a position here of all places?”
The man was steadily accumulating reasons to resent Aiden.
And the President, who now found himself facing the same disaster, apparently felt much the same way.
The President looked exhausted as he glanced sideways at the Dean seated before him.
The Head of the Department of Knighthood had also been there, but after exchanging several looks with the President without receiving much criticism, he had been allowed to leave the President’s Office.
The real problem was the Dean.
An awkward atmosphere filled the President’s Office.
After the silence dragged on for some time, the President finally managed to speak.
Unfortunately, what he said was hardly conducive to a productive conversation.
“Why did you fail to foresee this situation? I am half tempted to redirect every letter arriving on my desk straight to you.”
At those words, the Dean—who until only yesterday had been celebrating the fact that his path to promotion seemed wide open—swallowed a bitter silence.