Chapter 167
Chapter Title: The Instructor's Authority
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167
Leo opened the classroom door on his left and walked in.
The eyes of the Emerald students seated in the lecture hall instantly fixed on Leo.
*Thud, thud.*
Stepping onto the platform, Leo scanned the room.
His gaze met that of a particular girl.
Flinch!
The girl, Silla, flinched, as if pricked by the memory of trying to trick him with a complex magic formula in Lumeria City the day before.
*Was she an admission candidate?*
With a faint smile, Leo stood at the lectern.
“It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Leo Flove.”
At his words, the Emerald students began to murmur.
“Leo Flove?”
“You mean the All-Class?”
“The Leo Flove from the Gigantes subjugation.”
“Didn’t he also conquer the World of the Ancestor of the Nebula this time?”
The students looked at the boy—who might soon be their direct senior and had already built a career far more impressive than most upperclassmen despite being only a first-year—with eyes full of curiosity.
Of course, among them were some who watched Leo with suspicion.
“As an instructor assisting with the class, I'll be taking over for Professor Ren today. I look forward to working with you.”
As he finished speaking, someone raised a hand.
It was a boy around Leo’s age.
The boy spoke with a slightly defiant gaze.
“My name is Kun Veiya.”
Befitting a scion of the Kun family, a renowned magical house in the east, he had the characteristic black hair and black eyes of someone from the eastern continent.
Having introduced himself, Veiya asked with a subtly provocative smile.
“Are you skilled enough to teach us?”
“Who knows? Professor Ren sent me to teach, so I imagine I'm capable enough.”
Leo replied with a broad smile.
As a magic professor, Ren was truly remarkable.
The reason all first-year magic students genuinely respected Ren and were passionate about his classes wasn't simply because he was a professor, but because his teaching ability was exceptionally outstanding.
That was why the first-year magic students trusted Ren's word, at least when it came to classes and magic.
But the Emerald students were different.
Even with the mention of Ren’s name, they still looked at him with distrust.
“We came here to attend Professor Ren's class, not to listen to some low-level lecture from a mere first-year.”
Veiya, who had spoken as if picking a fight with Leo, curled his lip into a smirk.
This would have been unthinkable at Lumerne.
The admission age for Lumerne was between fourteen and seventeen. As a result, it was quite common for seniors and juniors to be the same age, or for juniors to be older than their seniors.
However, that didn't mean juniors could act disrespectfully toward their seniors.
Lumerne’s curriculum was anything but easy.
In fact, it was a system designed to filter out the unqualified.
One couldn't maintain their status as a Lumerne student simply by putting in the time, and even if they managed to survive, they couldn't advance to the next year without passing the promotion exams.
One year.
It might seem short, but a year at Lumerne was a world apart from a year for anyone else.
Surviving for an extra year meant they were fully deserving of respect.
Not all Lumerne students were the same.
But the Emerald students, who had yet to experience Lumerne, didn't understand this.
Though they were only candidates, some of them believed that once they were admitted, they would be on equal footing with the current students.
Veiya was one of them.
*We're both fifteen, anyway.*
A few other students sided with Veiya.
Not only that, but other Emerald students could be seen glancing at Veiya, gauging his reaction.
“So? You don't want to take my class?”
“That's right. So could you go get the professor for us?”
“Sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to make do with me.”
“And why should we?”
Veiya, thinking Leo was intimidated, pressed him relentlessly.
Watching Veiya, Leo smiled and said,
“Lumerne's professors aren't particularly fond of teaching unqualified students.”
For a moment, Veiya’s face stiffened.
“The fact that they teach you at all is a kindness, you could say. They aren't people you can just summon at will.”
“Are you saying I'm not qualified to learn magic from Professor Ren?”
“I didn't say that, did I? Did I strike a nerve?”
At Leo’s words, Veiya’s face turned red with anger.
“How dare you! To me, a member of the Kun family!”
“If you're an admission candidate for Lumerne, let me give you a piece of advice.”
Leo said in an indifferent tone.
“Lumerne is a place where skill is everything. I couldn't care less what family you're from.”
“Hmph! What? You dare challenge the authority of the Kun family…”
“Hey. Veiya. Wait a minute. Leo Flove's maternal family is the Jerdingers.”
Another student urgently stopped Veiya, who was raising his voice, unable to control his excitement.
Hearing this, Veiya flinched for a moment.
Even if the Kun family was a famous heroic house in the east, it couldn't compare to the Jerdinger family.
But he soon gritted his teeth.
“So what if it's the Jerdingers! It's his maternal family! He's not even a direct heir!”
Veiya shot up from his seat, shouting in frustration.
“An All-Class, so what? He’s probably a jack-of-all-trades, master of none! And the Gigantes? The entire first year just ganged up on it! The World of the Great Hero? He probably just got lucky because the third-year reps from Lumerne and Seirun were with him! Who does he think he is, trying to teach us?”
Veiya spread his arms, inciting the Emerald students.
Watching him, Leo said,
“Should I prove it, then?”
“What?”
“Whether or not I'm skilled enough to teach you.”
Leo said in a bored voice.
“Name your preferred field of magic. I'll take you on in whatever you choose.”
Veiya flinched at his words.
He had tried to belittle his opponent by flaunting his family name as usual, but Leo wasn't someone who would fall for that.
“What? Not confident?”
At Leo’s question, posed with his arms crossed, Veiya hesitated before speaking.
“We can't fight over personal feelings during class time.”
He said, lifting his chin.
“If it's the Lumerne way for a student to teach another student, then I have no choice but to follow.”
Watching him, Leo clicked his tongue.
*All he knows is how to flaunt his family name. No skill, and no guts either.*
In Leo’s eyes, he was a lost cause.
In any case, thanks to Veiya backing down after his grand provocation nearly led to a display of skill, no other student voiced any complaints about Leo teaching the class.
The students who had been dissatisfied with Leo now watched him with expressions that said, ‘Alright, let's see how good you really are.’
Standing before the blackboard, Leo spoke.
“Since you're all preparing for the Lumerne entrance exam, I assume you've done some preliminary studying. You can all use activation formulas, right?”
All the Emerald students nodded.
“At Lumerne, the beginning of the semester is spent studying to understand the magic activated by these formulas.”
At his words, most of the Emerald students looked confused.
They couldn't grasp the concept of needing to understand magic they could already cast.
This was a question most Lumerne magic students had at the beginning of their first year.
“Why do we have to do that?”
A female student in the front row raised her hand, tilting her head.
It was out of pure curiosity, not an attempt to challenge Leo.
The girl, who was around Chelsea's age, blinked her large eyes and stared intently at Leo.
Watching her, Leo opened his palm.
*Vwoom-!*
A magic formula materialized above his hand.
“I assume no one here doesn't know what this is.”
“Isn't that the magic formula for Fireball?”
“Correct. But can you use this Fireball formula to create a Water Ball?”
“If you need to use Water Ball, you just use the Water Ball formula. What's so difficult about that?”
Veiya scoffed.
Ignoring Veiya, Leo rearranged the formula's array.
With that, a Water Ball was instantly cast.
“So why go through all that trouble…”
“Veiya, could you be quiet for a moment?”
“Shh!”
Everyone in the room, except for Veiya, had realized what Leo was trying to say.
Activation formulas were convenient to learn and allowed for quick spellcasting.
But to cast a different spell, one had to learn a new activation formula.
In other words, it meant more memorization.
However, if one understood and could apply the structure and principles of the formula itself, they could use a single formula to cast magic of the opposite attribute.
This was a tremendous advantage.
It meant having one more card to play in a split-second situation.
“That's amazing, but isn't it difficult?”
Another male student raised his hand.
The Emerald students had begun to treat Leo as a ‘professor.’
Though he looked their age, they realized that Leo's knowledge and skill in magic were superior to their own.
Moreover, Leo had presented the Emerald students with a new concept.
Mages were, by nature, people who enjoyed learning new things.
Emerald, the magic academy, was filled with students of that disposition.
To the male student’s question, Leo replied calmly,
“This is a basic requirement for magic students at Lumerne.”
At his words, the Emerald students’ faces hardened.
*This is basic?*
*It looks difficult at first glance.*
Everyone swallowed hard.
They keenly felt the difference between Lumerne and Emerald.
They also understood why they had to aim for Lumerne.
They were now certain that to become the best mages, they had to enroll at Lumerne.
“It's impossible to master this during the joint class period. But I can teach you the basics.”
Leo grinned.
“That's what studying is for, isn't it?”
With that, Leo picked up a piece of chalk.
“From now on, I'll explain the concept of this magic formula modification.”
At his words, the Emerald students hastily took out their writing tools.
And they began to focus on Leo's every word.
Seeing this, Veiya’s face twisted.
*These damn bookworms! What's so great about this that you're all hanging on the every word of a kid who's not even a real professor?*
He glared at the other academy students with a displeased expression.
He then proceeded to disrupt the class by asking blatantly strange questions and jeering.
About ten minutes later.
An Emerald student cautiously raised his hand, then, after a moment of hesitation, mustered his courage and spoke.
“Instructor. I… I can't concentrate on the class. Because of… someone.”
Hearing this, Veiya flared up.
“What? Say that again! You can't concentrate on the…”
“Hey. Get out.”
“What?”
“The others are saying you're disrupting the class. Get out.”
“Ha! I've had enough of this. Who do you think you are, telling me to get… Gack!”
Leo unleashed his magic.
Lifting Veiya with telekinesis, Leo threw him out of the lecture hall.
*Crash-!*
“Ugh!”
Veiya slammed into the classroom door and was thrown outside.
All the students stared with wide eyes, looking back and forth between Leo and Veiya.
“What's going on?”
Anna furrowed her brow and poked her head into the classroom.
“A student was disrupting the class.”
At those words, Anna narrowed her eyes and looked at Veiya, who was struggling to get back on his feet.
“You bastard! That's it! I'm telling my family everything! I'll tell them I was treated unfairly during class…”
*Grab-!*
“Gak!”
Anna reached out with a delicate hand, grabbed Veiya by the collar, and smiled sweetly.
“I understand. I'll handle this matter. Student Leo, please continue with the class.”
“L-let go of…”
“Hey.”
Veiya flinched at Anna's chilling voice.
“Stop disrupting the class and shut up.”
“Eek!”
Veiya’s face filled with terror at Anna's menacing glare.
For Anna, who was constantly tormented by Ren, subduing a clueless brat with a single look was child's play.
As Veiya was dragged away by the collar, the Emerald students wore expressions of relief.
“Shall we continue with the class, then?”
“Yes!”
The Emerald students’ eyes sparkled as they nodded.
By now, they were all completely engrossed in Leo's lesson.
***
Three days had passed since the joint classes began.
Most of the students from the other academies had more or less adapted to Lumerne’s academic schedule.
As expected, there had been some trouble at first.
But when the professors ruthlessly sent everyone home, most of the students who had relied on their families and expected special treatment out of a sense of entitlement were expelled.
All the students came to realize it.
This was a hero academy, different from the three great class academies.
With only the genuine students remaining, everyone was able to focus solely on their classes.
The way they looked at the instructors assisting with the admission candidates' classes had also changed.
At first, most had looked down on them or regarded them with displeasure, but after witnessing the instructors' skills, they were all silenced.
In fact, the number of students trying to get friendly with the instructors had increased.
“Instructor Celia! May I sit here?”
“…Do as you please.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
As Celia spoke in a reluctant tone, a male student from Ikote quickly sat down in front of her with his tray.
“Instructor Celia! Are you perhaps free during winter break?”
Watching the Ikote student making a pass at her with sparkling eyes, Celia clicked her tongue.
Due to her distinguished family, skill, and looks, there were quite a few students who blatantly hit on her like this.
The surrounding Knight Department students snickered.
“Wanna bet on how many seconds it takes for him to get shot down?”
“I say ten seconds.”
“Too short. Fifteen seconds.”
A moment later, exactly ten seconds later, the rejected male student walked away to another table, his shoulders slumped.
Seeing this, the Knight Department students burst out laughing, then hastily fled when Celia glared at them.
Amidst this growing camaraderie among the students.
Leo sat on a bench with a weary expression, watching the students come and go.
*For now, I don't see anyone who seems to be from Tartaros.*
Since the incident at the Great Library, Leo had been carefully observing the Lumerne students.
But among them, there wasn't a single person he suspected of being with Tartaros.
*I don't know what they're plotting, but are they really going to give up this easily? No. They must know that if that happens, it's only a matter of time before all their spies hidden in Lumerne are rooted out.*
The organization belonging to Lumerne, unknown to the students.
The group known as the Shadows was still secretly investigating everyone's movements.
They had caught a trail.
No matter how secretly they moved, they couldn't escape Lumerne's eyes.
*In that case, given their tendencies… they'll surely try to force an incident.*
Just as Leo was narrowing his eyes at that thought.
*Thud, thud.*
He saw someone approaching him.
*Swoosh.*
A shadow fell over Leo.
Seeing the person, Leo wore a puzzled expression.
“What is it?”
Standing before Leo was a student from Ikote.
Leo's puzzled expression instantly sharpened.
And with that—
*Swish.*
The Ikote student raised his hand and swung his arm down at Leo.
*Crash-!*
The bench Leo had been sitting on was shattered to pieces.
“Well, well.”
Leo let out a hollow laugh.
“I expected something, but I didn't think you'd act so directly.”
*Goooooooo-!*
Watching the male student—no, the demon—emitting black magic, Leo clenched his fists.
“Leo Flove.”
He said in an ominous voice.
“You will die here.”