Chapter 13
Chapter 13
The Youngest Genius Magic Professor and a Lifetime Slave Bet
Illiana couldn’t forgive herself for trusting the head of the household and ignoring the truth hidden in Evan’s eyes.
The moment class ended, she rushed in a mad frenzy by carriage to find her master, Helena.
“Master! T-this… please look at this!”
She was panting heavily as she handed over the platinum hairpin.
Illiana then poured out everything that had happened.
Helena, startled, took the hairpin and placed it on her own head, drawing in mana.
But nothing changed.
“…This has no effect when I wear it.”
“M-master… what do you mean?”
“Incredible. Truly incredible. I’ve heard of artifacts like this, but in all my years I’ve never touched one myself. Try wearing it again.”
Helena gave a strange smile and returned the hairpin.
The moment Illiana placed it back in her hair, explosive healing mana surged violently from her hands.
“Now do you understand? This artifact only responds to you. I’ve never seen anything like it either. It is perfectly tuned to the wavelength of your soul. How can it measure the flow of mana from the soul itself so precisely? That is considered an unsolvable ancient magical problem. If something like this truly existed, noble houses would have gone to war over artifacts and destroyed each other long ago. But that is not the important part.”
“W-what is it, Master!”
“This is an artifact that has no mana flow at all. It is as if it exists and does not exist at the same time. Where did you obtain something like this? And how was it tuned precisely to your soul’s resonance? I cannot understand it. That man called Evan…”
“Master…”
“Why would he give something like this to you after breaking off your engagement? That part is even more incomprehensible.”
Helena fell into deep thought, then spoke with resolve.
“Illiana. Do you know why I rejected so many offers from across the continent and chose to stay under House Crosswell?”
“Was it not to take me as your disciple?”
“No.”
Her eyes darkened with unusual seriousness.
“I once met the prophet Pino Noah… not from afar, but in direct audience.”
“W-what?!”
“He ordered me not to speak of it, so I kept silent. But he gave a prophecy. The world will end. But one who carries a point of divergence will appear and save it, and that divergence will arise from House Valderk.”
Illiana’s heart pounded violently.
“But for decades, I could not understand those words. I watched Valderk closely. Only a scoundrel son and a normal young lady named Sylvia were born. But then your grandfather, Count Crosswell, suddenly arranged a political marriage with the declining Valderk house. That was long ago.”
“…No way.”
“Yes. It turns out your grandfather was also under the guidance of Pino Noah. I learned that later. So I took you in as my disciple to observe you closely. But… that grand arrangement has now been broken by this breakup.”
Helena looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.
“I can almost hear Pino Noah’s laughter. A massive fate beyond our understanding is clearly swirling around Evan and you. Illiana… I think you should consider re-establishing the engagement with him. Even I did not believe it at first. But he already defeated a hero candidate, Leon, by an inexplicable method. How can you explain that?”
“…!!”
Illiana’s regret deepened.
Why did I abandon him?
Why!
Her master was right.
This platinum hairpin with no mana flow at all was clearly beyond comprehension.
There must be a reason why Pino Noah sealed its existence so tightly.
She clenched her chest, overwhelmed by regret.
I couldn’t find the classroom no matter what.
I had definitely been here before.
So I guess I’m just bad with directions.
No wonder there are carriages everywhere.
If in doubt, spend money.
“Carriage!”
It stopped immediately.
I boarded it, noticing other students inside.
Then—
A system notification appeared.
Condition met.
Heroine “Illiana” has equipped the platinum hairpin.
Special reward for equipment activation.
350 coins have been obtained.
“…Oh, that’s a lot.”
I opened the carriage window and shouted.
“Yoohoo!”
Maybe I lack dignity.
But I used to be a commoner.
And a scoundrel gambler too.
So who cares?
I live how I want.
The other students stared at me strangely.
I didn’t care.
Honestly, I was tense.
I thought she’d throw it away since it came from a broken engagement partner.
But she actually wore it.
Thank you, Illiana.
My coin farm!
Long live Illiana!
While I was enjoying the scenery, I overheard the conversation of the female students behind me.
“Hey, did you hear? There’s a ‘panty thief’ going around the academy.”
“Yeah, I heard. He steals underwear from noble ladies and even professors.”
“And he only takes underwear, even though there are jewels and artifacts everywhere!”
“He’s super organized too. Even knights can’t catch him.”
My shoulders jolted.
That’s not me.
But I did have a lot of that stuff in my inventory.
…Where am I supposed to throw it away?
Better keep it stored for now.
Maybe I can dump it in a dungeon later.
Problem solved.
The carriage arrived at the Magic Faculty building.
First class: Ancient Dungeon Studies.
Sounds grand, but the atmosphere was cold.
Even though I defeated a hero candidate in the Colosseum, the nobles here treated me like a lucky scoundrel.
“Page 3. Second transformation formula of ancient runes. Anyone can read this?”
Hands went up everywhere.
What the hell is this alien language?
It looked like math.
I pretended to listen while half asleep.
I needed private tutoring.
Or another solution.
The next day—
Class of the youngest genius magic professor of the Royal Academy.
I didn’t even sign up for this.
Of course, it was the head of the family’s doing.
Medling parents even controlling university courses… no wonder Evan turned out twisted.
Still, I was glad she was a beauty.
I already secured her panties, so I even knew how they smelled.
But she was known to be strict, so I wasn’t looking forward to it.
The lecture hall was massive.
A dome-shaped structure that symbolized imperial prestige.
And packed with students.
I spotted a familiar golden head.
The First Princess Eresia.
So she’s here too.
Right, she’s in Magic Faculty.
I sat down in the back.
Then the professor stepped in.
Ailin.
Her sharp gaze scanned the room.
She began the lecture.
“Homework was collected. 30 percent approached the correct answer. The rest were incorrect but showed good problem-solving approaches.”
Nobles straightened proudly.
Then her tone turned cold.
“But one student did not submit anything.”
Her eyes scanned the room.
“Evan von Valderk. Who is he?”
The room erupted in laughter.
“There he is! The famous scoundrel!”
“Gambling addict! Historical-level loser!”
The ridicule continued.
Then someone shouted.
“He’s the one who barely won against hero candidate Leon by cowardly forfeit victory!”
Ailin frowned.
“Oh, I see. You are Evan.”
She looked at me.
“Where is your homework?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Homework is mandatory here. No exceptions.”
I tried to explain.
But the pressure in the room made it clear I shouldn’t push further.
“Sorry.”
Her expression darkened.
“Sorry? Is that what a student of the Magic Faculty says? Do you think magic is a joke? Do you think this faculty is beneath you just because you defeated a hero candidate by luck?”
The temperature in the room dropped.
Then another student raised his hand.
“He entered with a 30,000 gold donation!”
The atmosphere froze.
Ailin snapped.
“WHAT?!”
And that was when things truly began to spiral out of control.