This Instructor Teaches Really Well (1)
The bestowal of Chrome Midas’s peerage did not come with any grand ceremony. There was no lavish banquet, no assembly of civil and military officials, no moment where the Emperor of the Empire would personally call his name while Chrome bowed his head and swore eternal loyalty. None of that happened.
It was an unprecedented situation to begin with. The imperial prince and princess had waged a battle that put both their honor and political lives on the line, and the previous emperor had rewarded the victor by granting rights over imperial territory. Strictly speaking, what Princess Lyla had received was the authority to appoint lords, not the authority to bestow peerages. The title had simply been tacked on as a courtesy to prevent the absurd scenario of an imperial lord who wasn’t an imperial noble.
The reason no one raised any objections to this bizarre, delicate arrangement was that the previous emperor himself had proposed it, and the current emperor had given it his full support. In truth, he had simply shrugged and said, “Well, I suppose it’s fine,” but only a handful of attendants and the chancellor standing before him knew that.
In the end, the bestowal was handled with simple paperwork and a messenger from the imperial family delivering the decree. Neither Chrome nor the old knight who had received his title as the representative of Spero’s fallen royal family made any fuss about it. Chrome’s attitude was that he had already received everything that mattered, so the format was irrelevant. As for the Spero side, they were uncomfortable with the idea of bowing their heads to the Emperor in the heart of the empire. No matter how much they had chosen to align with the princess for the sake of their kingdom’s future, their resentment toward the empire had not simply vanished overnight.
“This is simply too much. No matter what, there should be proper decorum.”
The only person truly displeased was the red-haired princess.
“Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
“Aren’t you disappointed, Chrome? A once-in-a-lifetime special event was brushed aside so carelessly.”
“Honestly, I’d rather have it this way than be tied down for days with formalities… Actually, never mind. Yes, Your Highness.”
The moment he saw sparks flying from the princess’s eyes, Chrome wisely shut his mouth. Some arguments were simply not worth winning—or losing.
“Titles and all that don’t really mean much anyway. Is it worth making such a fuss over?”
Not everyone shared Chrome’s pragmatic mindset. The moment the battle-hungry mercenary girl casually tossed out her opinion—that results mattered more than anything—the atmosphere around the princess grew icy.
“Do you even understand what you’re saying? The lives of nobles and commoners are completely different.”
“I thought this academy taught people to focus on improving their skills instead of worrying about such things.”
“We cannot live here forever.”
“Looking at how things are going, graduating doesn’t seem like it’ll change much either.”
Damn it, why are they like this?
Chrome quietly edged away from the brewing storm, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. As he did, Fiore set down tea and snacks before him and let out a bright, tinkling laugh.
“Kyaa, you’re so popular, Brother. How does it feel to have two beautiful flowers fighting over you?”
“Could you stop pouring oil on the fire when this has nothing to do with you…?”
One of those “flowers” was a carnivorous plant, and the other was a blazing cistus. He was more likely to feel his life in danger than to be charmed by their fragrance.
“But in the end, you left me behind and went off to the southern army with only Miss Ligret. Isn’t this much revenge just cute?”
“If I had taken you along too, my older brother would have tried to strangle me.”
“What an unmanly excuse.”
“With a monster like that around who makes most manly men look weak, don’t you think someone at my level is necessary to balance things out?”
While Chrome exchanged pointless banter with Fiore, the two who seemed to have reached a draw—thankfully they had enough self-control not to start a physical fight indoors—approached them. Princess Lyla asked,
“So, when do you plan to visit your territory? You don’t need to worry about classes. The academy has already received word from above, so they won’t complain about a short absence.”
“I’m thinking roughly a month from now.”
“Isn’t that a bit too relaxed?”
“It’s not a good time to leave the academy right now.”
Most of the second-year students were currently being thrown into the Shadow Mine, suffering regardless of their magic color aptitude. However, the few first-years who had distinguished themselves during the previous assignment were in a different position. They were expected to assist with the ‘Integrated Combat’ classes and act as teaching assistants for the new first-years.
The Midas incident had been wrapped up as quickly as possible, so Chrome had barely made it in time. If he left again now, he would definitely be late. Eventually, the creation of a special mission team or similar programs would mean more students would be away from the academy for longer periods, and the curriculum would adjust accordingly. There was no need to rush to inspect his territory.
Despite this perfectly logical explanation, the princess did not look convinced. Why is she acting like this?
“Is there some flaw in my reasoning?”
“It’s not exactly a flaw, but…”
Princess Lyla hesitated for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully, then spoke.
“Whenever you make plans like this, Chrome, it feels like something else is bound to happen in the meantime.”
“……”
Chrome fell silent. Beside him, Ligret and Fiore burst into laughter. Aside from the one person with an expression like he had swallowed a bug, the atmosphere was remarkably harmonious.
Becoming a baron did not dramatically change how people treated Chrome. The three great professors had nerves too thick to care about such trivial matters, and his fellow second-years simply reacted with, “It’s not like he was ever a normal commoner to begin with.”
“That guy was never quiet even when he was supposedly a commoner.”
“Who knows? Now that his status has risen, maybe he’ll run even wilder.”
“His tongue is already demonic. If it gets any worse, shouldn’t we just seal him away?”
“Passing a disaster on to our descendants a hundred years from now would be cruel. Wouldn’t it be better to send him off cleanly right now?”
There was even some talk among certain students about how eliminating Chrome before he could become something even more monstrous would be a service to the world, but fortunately it never went beyond words. After all, even if they could ignore the man himself, what were they supposed to do about his walking weapon of a bodyguard?
That was the reaction of those who had already experienced Chrome. The first-years, who still didn’t fully understand his true nature, had a completely different atmosphere.
“The hero who stopped a terrorist attack and saved so many people!”
“I heard he played a major role in the battle against the southern army too.”
“They say Her Highness the Princess recognized his talent early and took him as her close aide.”
“He’s so close with the professors that he even influenced the academy’s teaching policies.”
“The reason the seniors are so strong is because of the magic tools he distributed, apparently.”
“There’s a rumor that he’s actually a secret agent dispatched by the imperial family to guide the students’ growth…”
“So that’s the true identity of the endless treasure!”
“They say during the last assignment he pitied the struggling first-years and helped them while fighting.”
“Not only is he incredibly skilled, but his character is outstanding too!”
To anyone who knew the truth, these rumors were so ridiculous they would demand to hear them again, then grab the speaker by the collar or collapse while clutching the back of their neck. Of course, not everyone viewed Chrome favorably. There were also harsh criticisms calling him a leech clinging to the princess, or a parasite who hid behind women and only knew how to flap his silver tongue.
Iris Otreang, the Spero noble girl, was one of those maintaining neutrality amid the swirling opinions. Having personally encountered Chrome Midas during the previous assignment, she knew he was neither the hero the rumors painted nor the trash his critics claimed.
Even Frelia Magnus, the leader of the faction she served, had evaluated him this way:
“He’s like a poisonous herb.”
“You mean he’s harmful?”
“Depending on how you use it, it can become either medicine or poison. The problem is that the choice of whether to use it or not isn’t in our hands.”
Even Frelia Magnus, with her unfathomable depth of schemes and foresight, feared him. Iris had concluded that someone like herself, who couldn’t even fully handle Frelia, had no chance of dealing with Chrome. She had decided to avoid getting involved with him as much as possible.
She had been swept up in the last assignment without understanding what was happening, but since they were in different years, she figured they wouldn’t meet unless she deliberately approached him. She had heard there would be classes with second-year teaching assistants, but twenty or so second-years couldn’t possibly handle all four hundred first-years. Those joint classes were only open to a small number of first-years who had volunteered.
So she simply wouldn’t volunteer.
Or so she thought.
“Um, Professor? Why is my name on the list? I didn’t apply for any special classes.”
“Hmm? Ah, in addition to the volunteers, we’ve also selected top-performing students. Interacting with skilled individuals should help you grow even faster, don’t you think? Consider it a good opportunity.”
What could she do when they said she had been chosen for her excellent grades and academic performance? Iris lacked the courage to pressure the professor into removing her name. She nodded with a heavy heart.
Still, I’m just one out of twenty. The chances of getting picked can’t be that high… right?
“Ah, I’m Chrome Midas. I look forward to working with you all, juniors.”
“……”
So this was what it meant to have no choice in whether to use the poison or not. As expected, the words of the great Lady Magnus were never wrong.