“I have made my decision!
I will take Chloe, Claire, and Luna as my apprentices!”
Asher’s voice rang out loud and clear, echoing across the entire awakening grounds.
It was as if someone had cast a massive silence spell over the academy.
The previously chaotic hum of the crowd vanished instantly.
In that moment, the courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
A few heavy seconds passed.
Then, the silence shattered, and an absolute uproar exploded across the crowd!
“What?!
Did he just say Chloe, Claire, and Luna?
Is he out of his mind?!”
“He’s got to be!
Maybe he knows he’s getting fired anyway, so he’s just giving up?
Those three only awakened F-Class magic, right?”
“I don’t get it.
I just don’t get it!
Anyone with half a brain would have at least picked from the top of the E-Class students.
What the hell is he playing at?”
The entire awakening ceremony devolved into chaos.
It wasn’t just the students and instructors—even the school administration, who had been watching from the sidelines, were completely stunned by Asher’s ridiculous choice.
Sure, only E and F-Class students were left on the stage, but picking three F-Class students back-to-back?
It was pure madness!
Suddenly, a voice cut through the noise from the student section: “No way… Was that guy right?
Is he seriously taking the twins just to suck up to Director Diana?”
That single sentence hit the crowd like a pause button.
The courtyard went dead silent once more, only to erupt into an even louder, more frantic wave of gossip!
“That’s it!
That has to be it!
Asher knows he’s getting fired no matter what he does, so he’s using his last chance to score points with the Director!”
“Unbelievable.
I always thought Asher was just a quiet loser.
Who knew he had the guts to make such a public play for Director Diana?
That’s actually a brilliant move!”
“Despicable!
Everyone knows how much the Director dotes on her nieces.
Asher is totally exploiting that!
He must have planned this the whole time!”
The whispers grew vicious.
Director Diana was the unspoken goddess of the academy, and plenty of male instructors were now cursing Asher’s name, spitting venom at what they saw as a shameless, manipulative scheme.
Things were spiraling out of control so fast that the school leadership finally had to step in.
“Asher, are you insane?!
Selecting your apprentices isn’t some game!
You need to think very carefully about this!”
Vice Principal Makarov slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, his voice booming like thunder.
Seeing Asher throw away his career over some romantic delusion filled the Vice Principal with deep disappointment.
Ever since the dawn of the Magic Awakening Era and the implementation of the Practical Combat Exams, there had never been a single F-Class student who successfully passed the entrance exams for a magic university.
It was true that all students selected for the combat prep classes received extra resources from the school.
However, those resources were limited.
After the first month, the academy distributed them strictly based on class rankings.
It wasn’t just the First Magic Academy—nearly every high school in Fiore operated this way.
By picking these three students, Asher was guaranteeing his class would place dead last in the first monthly assessment.
Three F-Class talents combined with the absolute minimum amount of school resources?
In Makarov’s eyes, when the combat exams rolled around in six months, Asher’s class would fail spectacularly.
He might as well have handed in his resignation right now.
“Vice Principal Makarov, I am completely serious.
I am absolutely certain I want Chloe, Claire, and Luna as my apprentices!”
Asher turned to face the notoriously hot-tempered Vice Principal, his expression rock-solid and unflinching.
Are you kidding me?
He had three SSS-Class seedlings sitting right in front of him!
Why on earth would he give that up?
No one was going to stop him from taking these students today—not even Zeref himself!
“You—you’re completely hopeless!”
Seeing that Asher was completely ignoring his warning, Makarov’s mustache twitched in anger, and faint sparks of lightning crackled around his clenched fists.
He glared fiercely at Asher for a few seconds before finally letting out a frustrated huff.
He turned to Diana.
“Director Diana, since Instructor Asher’s mind is made up, please record it in the registry!”
Once the selection was written in the official registry, it was set in stone.
Unless there were extreme circumstances, the master-apprentice bond would remain locked until the end of the combat exams.
If Asher was this determined to ruin himself, Makarov wasn’t going to waste his breath trying to save him.
“Director Diana!
Director Diana!”
When she didn’t respond, Makarov raised his voice, the thunderous boom forcing nearby students and teachers to wince and cover their ears.
“Y-Yes, Vice Principal Makarov.
I understand,” Diana finally replied, her eyelashes fluttering as she snapped out of her daze.
She looked deeply unsettled and made no immediate move to write in the registry.
Her eyes were fixed on Asher, the mild curiosity from earlier replaced by a heavy, complicated stare.
Before today, her only impression of Asher was that he was a severely underperforming teacher.
She never imagined he would go this far—willingly throwing away his career to take in Chloe and Claire, all just to win her favor!
Given her family background and looks, she had plenty of suitors at the academy, but no one had ever gone to such insane lengths for her.
Her mind was a mess.
She was genuinely hesitating to write his name down.
Once her pen hit that paper, his fate was sealed.
…
Of course, Asher had absolutely no idea what was going through Diana’s head.
Seeing her hesitate, he was practically vibrating with anxiety.
He wanted to jump up and down and scream at her to hurry up.
He swore to the heavens and the earth—he genuinely, desperately wanted Chloe, Claire, and Luna as his students!
After agonizing for a few more seconds, Asher couldn’t take it anymore.
“Director Diana, I am entirely serious about this.
Please, record it in the registry right now!”
Because he was so anxious, his voice came out sounding rushed and desperate.
But to Diana, it only sounded like a passionate declaration of his resolve.
“God, I hope that simp crashes and burns!”
“Simping never pays off, you idiot!”
Down in the crowd, several male instructors were grinding their teeth, looking like they wanted to tear Asher’s mouth off.
Among them, a particularly handsome, sharp-featured instructor glared at Asher, a dark, vicious glint flashing in his eyes.
“Instructor Asher, I feel I must ask you one last time.
Are you absolutely certain you want Chloe, Claire, and Luna as your apprentices?” Diana asked, having finally come to some sort of internal decision.
“I do!” Asher nodded vigorously before she had even finished her sentence.
‘Just write it down already, Director!
Please!’ he screamed internally.
“Very well.
It is recorded.
From this moment until the conclusion of the Year Two Practical Combat Exams, Chloe, Claire, and Luna are officially your apprentices.” Diana finally put her pen to the registry.
She paused, then added, “Asher, do you need to select any additional apprentices?”
“No, no need.
I only want these three.” Asher shook his head firmly, cutting her off again.
“Understood.” Diana gave him one last, long look before returning to her usual icy demeanor.
“I hereby declare the Year Two Magic Awakening Ceremony concluded!”
The moment the words left her mouth, Asher whipped around to face Chloe, Claire, and Luna.
A huge, triumphant grin spread across his face.
“Hurry up and call me Master!”