Chapter 4: Reina von Kshanberg
I finished my contract with the demon and rose from my seat, heading straight for the chancellor’s office at a leisurely pace.
It was located on the top floor of the largest building in the academy.
In my previous life, I would have ignored all the rules and flown there using Fly magic. But this time, I simply walked up the stairs.
Unlike before, these legs were incredibly sturdy now.
‘Yeah, being young really is nice.’
Just climbing one floor used to leave me gasping with trembling knees. Now I’d scaled all five floors without even breaking a sweat.
Come to think of it, this body had trained in swordsmanship. When I tensed my muscles even slightly, I could feel them tighten—firm and responsive. With this level of stamina, I was definitely better off than in my younger days.
That would make things much easier.
Of course. Making babies requires stamina, after all.
The only problem was my mana reserves.
I quietly examined the inside of my body.
It was less than one-fifth of what I’d had in my previous life.
It was better than an average person’s, but still pathetically low.
Did that mean Aslan’s original body had possessed an enormous amount of mana? No, that wasn’t the case either.
It was simply that my understanding had been on another level.
Magic is determined by three factors: desperation, will, and understanding.
The closer all three are to perfection, the lower the mana consumption and the higher the spell’s rank. However, if the caster’s mana is insufficient to complete the magic, it simply won’t manifest.
Total mana capacity is decided at birth and, barring special circumstances, remains unchanged until death.
‘That’s right. Magic is ultimately the product of reason and desire.’
The amount of mana itself isn’t what matters.
I lifted my head.
Somehow I had already arrived in front of the chancellor’s office. The guard standing watch asked me my business. I gave my name and stepped boldly inside.
A lavish space greeted me.
Magical tools, rare books, jewels, and antiques filled every inch of the walls. What couldn’t fit on the walls was piled high in one corner.
‘This bastard got even worse after I disappeared.’
Mages were known for being collectors, but this was excessive.
Especially… huh? Wait a second. That’s mine?
Looking closer, a large portion of the pile in the corner belonged to me.
‘That fucking son of a bitch…’
How dare he take my things…!
Rage surged through me, but I quickly schooled my expression when the man sitting at the desk raised his head and stared at me.
I was no longer the old Aslan.
The person standing here right now was Kael Cleanberry, the brand-new teaching assistant who had just started at the academy today.
“You are…”
“I’m Kael Cleanberry, the new teaching assistant. It is an honor to meet the renowned Chancellor Pellermil. Your appearance is even more impressive than the rumors suggested.”
“Rumors?”
“They say that even at the age of eighty, you still possess the looks of a man in his prime, stealing the hearts of countless women…”
At those words, the chancellor smiled brightly.
It seemed my flattery had hit the mark.
“Hohoho. Not at all. How could I compare to a fine young man like yourself?”
As he spoke, his body suddenly trembled.
Hm? What the…?
Pellermil, the academy chancellor.
Despite being eighty-four years old, he maintained the appearance of a man in his fifties thanks to his powerful magic.
He had always been quite the womanizer in his youth, which caused no small amount of scandal. It seemed even becoming chancellor hadn’t cured him of that habit.
Beres’s impressed voice reached my ear.
Wow… Being chancellor must be one hell of a position. Look at him getting a blowjob and cumming right in the middle of a meeting.
He remained silent for a while, savoring the afterglow of his climax. Once it was over, he called someone in from outside.
“Yes, Chancellor?”
“This is our new friend. He’s the teaching assistant for Practical Magic, I believe? Take good care of him. Is class still in session?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Have him observe it as well.”
And with that, I left the room with the chancellor’s secretary.
I glanced back and caught a glimpse of the old pervert smiling lewdly while looking down beneath his desk.
“Enjoy it while you can, Pellermil.”
That happiness of yours won’t last long.
“This will be where you stay from now on.”
I looked around the room.
Aside from the furniture, it was a vast, empty space.
“This room originally belonged to a criminal named Jeren Diya Aslan, who was executed not long ago. Still, since he was a professor, it’s quite large. The chancellor personally assigned it to you, so use it with gratitude.”
Without waiting for my reply, he turned and left.
Now that the explanation was over, it was up to me whether I observed the class or not.
What a rude bastard.
Was he treating me like this because my family and abilities were nothing special?
Most nobles were like that.
Even among nobles, if someone was lower in rank, they trampled all over them.
Of course, they bowed and scraped just as pathetically to those above them.
I walked slowly into the room.
This was the place I had lived in for nearly ten years.
Although all my belongings were gone, a faint wave of nostalgia rose from the remaining furniture.
‘This was your room?’
“Yeah.”
‘The difference from the chancellor’s office is huge. Do humans determine strength by total mana capacity?’
“…You could look at it that way.”
I roughly unpacked my things and immediately headed toward the training grounds.
I was curious whether the class was going well in my absence.
‘Who’s teaching it? Jeremy? Or Bartol?’
Either way, they were greenhorns who hadn’t even spent ten years on the battlefield.
And since they had only been in the rear, both of them were far removed from Practical Magic.
That worried me.
If they taught it wrong, they might ruin the few talented students who would shoulder the future.
But when I arrived at the training grounds, I saw someone I had never seen before.
Wait… she looked a little familiar…?
“Um… Are you the professor for Practical Magic?”
“That’s correct.”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Kael Cleanberry, the new teaching assistant for Practical Magic.”
The woman gave a small nod in response to my greeting.
Her pink hair swayed gently up and down with the motion.
Her eyes reminded me of a frozen lake, gazing at the world with cool indifference.
“I see. Nice to meet you. I am Reina von Kshanberg, who has been assigned as the professor for Practical Magic.”
So that’s why she looked familiar…
She was the third princess of the current emperor.
I remembered the first time I met her.
It must have been when she was about eighteen.
‘She stood boldly in front of me and demanded to know why Practical Magic classes were even necessary.’
My class had only been mandatory for six months out of the academy’s five-year program, so we hadn’t crossed paths after that.
I heard she graduated two years ago. For a girl like her to become a professor and take the seat I once occupied…
‘She must have needed the credentials.’
A sheltered princess like her couldn’t go to the front lines like everyone else.
Unlike commoners, nobles and members of the imperial family placed immense importance on justification in their power struggles.
If her siblings went to the front lines while she did nothing, she would naturally fall behind.
‘The real question is whether the students will actually listen to her lessons.’
A princess who had never once stepped onto the front lines.
She had no real experience—only the theoretical knowledge she had learned from me.
Would those little troublemakers actually pay attention and learn from her?
Those cunning, arrogant bastards who were worse than dogs?
When I glanced over, I saw them completely ignoring the lesson.
I heightened my hearing with magic, and their quiet conversation drifted over.
It was pathetic.
Listening to any more would only give me a headache, so I immediately canceled the spell.
The princess probably hadn’t missed any of it either.
At this rate, it was only a matter of days before some kind of problem arose.
‘The Practical Magic class itself might even get canceled.’
That was when Beres spoke up.
‘This is an opportunity.’
‘What kind of opportunity?’
‘The chance to knock that princess down and plant your seed in her, obviously.’
Beres advised me to help the struggling princess, win her heart, and then take her to bed.
As a fellow woman, she claimed there was nothing more effective.
‘It’s what the Demon King who rides the Black Dragon would say.’
Hmm. She had a point.
Humans tend to open their hearts and rely heavily on those who help them when they’re struggling.
Of course, they forget that gratitude easily afterward.
‘It would feel good to watch her squirm, but… I suppose I can help her a little.’
In the end, the class ended in utter failure.
Not a single noble heir had paid attention.
The only ones listening were the commoners.
Even they weren’t listening because it was interesting—they were probably just afraid the consequences would splash back on them.
“Haa…”
Once all the students had left, a long sigh echoed through the now-empty training grounds.
“Um… Your Highness?”
“Hm? Ah… You were still here.”
She must have been incredibly worried.
If she sighed without even noticing I was still there, it was serious.
“Do not call me Your Highness. Just call me Lady Reina.”
“Yes, Lady Reina.”
“Good. What is it?”
“Would you like me to help you?”
The princess’s face softened slightly.
Even so, the wrinkles between her brows made it clear just how much stress this situation was causing her.
She had gained a golden opportunity to build her own faction by becoming a professor, yet she was only losing points. It was only natural she would feel this way.
She shook her head at my offer.
“No. This is something I must resolve myself. You only just arrived today, so you must be tired… Go back to your quarters and rest.”
It was natural for a princess to have pride, but this consideration…
She had more humanity than I expected.
Was she always like this? I thought she was just an arrogant princess with no tact.
But then realization struck me.
‘No. That’s not it. It’s because of my current status as a noble.’
The old Aslan had been a commoner, so he received that kind of treatment. Now, even though I was in the lowest noble rank, I was still a noble, which earned me this consideration.
During class earlier, hadn’t she glared fiercely at any commoner student who dared lose focus even for a second?
It was the complete opposite of the endless leniency she showed toward the noble brats.
She was probably being cautious because they might become useful to her someday.
The moment I realized that, my mood soured instantly.
And a strong desire to knock this woman down and teach her a harsh lesson surged within me.
‘You hypocrite. Once I get on top of you, I’ll grab that pink hair and pump you full of my punitive seed.’
To do that, I first needed to get closer to her.
I looked at the princess with an earnest expression and said…