7. Everyone's Plans
"Let's deal with that professor first, then talk..."
Askleon muttered softly as he perched on a chair in the dormitory. Even if the Eastern Union Kingdom was the Empire's main enemy, the statement itself wasn't wrong. Opening a new course and inviting a new professor the moment the wand's owner was decided? This had to be the academy principal's doing. So fighting among themselves right now was pointless. Even if one of them survived to the end, they couldn't escape the principal's grasp alone.
"That sounds plausible."
A temporary alliance wouldn't hurt, then. Askleon called one of his trusted aides.
"Jerome. I have a job for you."
The prince tossed the letter into the fireplace and issued his command.
"Spread bad rumors about that professor, by any means necessary. Make sure the students don't side with her."
He figured that would be enough. He believed smearing her reputation and stirring up negative public opinion would be plenty to get rid of her.
"That should suffice to boot out a parachute professor."
For someone who'd guarded the academy for five hundred years, it was a regrettable choice. If she wanted to protect the wand holder in front of the four major powers, she shouldn't have brought in some rookie like that.
"At the very least..."
She should have brought Olivia herself, the wand's creator. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
The Saintess, Clara, was thinking along similar lines.
"The Olive Wand was undoubtedly made by Lady Olivia especially for our Holy Kingdom."
A wand specialized in healing and protection. Only the Holy Kingdom, with its three hundred years of faith in the gods, could draw out its full power. A street urchin girl like that obviously couldn't wield it properly. That's why Clara had no intention of leaving them be.
"To fulfill Lady Olivia's will, the wand must belong to us."
Clara was a girl who believed in fate. The Holy Kingdom taught that the will of the heavens was fate itself. Her own abilities. The wand's attributes. The revival of the Maou. Lady Olivia's intentions as the wand's creator. The arrow of heaven's decree already pointed straight to the Holy Kingdom—and to her.
"The will of the heavens cannot be changed."
Clara looked at the priests around her and gave her order.
"So, if it's something that's going to happen anyway... it won't hurt if we lend a hand."
"Indeed."
"Send a letter of agreement. Let's discuss it."
"Hah, full of empty talk."
Gunter Nordenburk crumpled the letter. From his perspective, none of the factions vying for the wand made any sense. The rumors of the Maou's revival weren't fake—over the past five years, the monsters beyond the Absolute Defense Line had been increasing relentlessly. And every time, it was the Nordenburk warriors who died.
At this rate, things were precarious. They might have to abandon the line and fall back south. They needed reinforcements. That was the constant refrain. Even the sturdy northern warriors who'd held the line for three hundred years were starting to feel the strain.
So to Gunter, talk of the wand's attributes, its symbolic meaning, or political influence meant nothing.
"People are dying over here."
The Empire's succession struggle? Power struggles? Those only mattered because the Absolute Defense Line held.
"Just pretend to go along for now. We don't have the bandwidth to deal with them."
Time was short for the current Nordenburk.
"Focus on finding Olivia and persuading the wand's owner to our side."
Extreme measures could wait until all else failed. Gunter's attention was fixed somewhere slightly different from the other three powers.
Academy professors are busy. That's because Sylvia granted them as much authority as possible. No matter how great a mage Sylvia was, she couldn't master every field.
Leave specialties to the specialists, that was her thinking.
"Good intentions, but... I'm dying here."
A parachute drop three days before the semester started. For an unprepared rookie professor, it was far too little time to prepare. She'd barely finalized the syllabus and lesson plans, but that wasn't the end.
Today, she had to report them to Sylvia.
She gave maximum authority, so why report syllabi and progress? Because of the occasional ego-maniac professors. There was that mad one who, to teach about dark magic, claimed you needed to understand it—and cursed a student.
"Sigh..."
No helping it. Few at the peak of their fields were truly normal. So now there was minimal oversight: Was it age-appropriate? Any dangerous topics like dark magic?
She wasn't exempt. If anything, they were stricter with her. Unlike veteran professors with proven track records, she was a half-parachute hire.
"So, sis, I'll tweak it to make sure students don't dismiss you. Tell me your rough plans."
"Got it."
Not a bad offer for her. Double-checking couldn't hurt.
"First off... I'm planning to teach about the bond between wand and user."
Wands are often called an extension of the body. But that's just a metaphor—wands can never truly become part of you.
"People fixate on the 'part of you' bit, though."
No one should treat a sentient being like an extension.
"So I'll instill the concept of bonds between wand and user, and teach more efficient magic handling."
In a meritocracy like this academy, ways to get stronger? Even hated professors had to be heeded.
"Definitely the best topic for you, sis. Even if they dislike you, they'll attend if it makes them stronger."
The praise made her feel good; a goofy smile slipped out.
"But... this alone might not pass the end-of-month eval?"
"True."
Evaluations were up to students, separate from content. Bad reviews meant dismissal. Fair, maybe—getting two-thirds "completely bad" required turning all four powers hostile. Tough to pull off. And no normal professor would antagonize all four anyway.
"Don't worry."
She hadn't jumped into this without a plan.
"Not planning to fight four-on-one."
Charging blindly led to that. But poach one faction, and it's three-on-two. Much stabler. And conveniently, the academy had one faction slightly different from the rest.
"I'll win Nordenburk to my side."
The others sought the wand for power; Nordenburk needed it for real. Plus, the only house unentangled in central politics.
"Sounds best, but..."
Sylvia nodded in agreement, then added cautiously.
"Nordenburk won't be easy. They judge purely on strength."
"I know."
The Zitan Wood Wand's master. The first Nordenburk was the same. Fantasy Vikings, basically. Made them easier to handle, actually.
"Just show strength, right?"
"How?"
Professors rarely demo power to students. Their role was teaching, not showing off—unless combat magic specialists. But... that's normal times. Now? Different. With an Olive Wand holder attending.
"Don't worry."
And she knew a faction that'd attack the academy for the wand: Maou's remnants, the black mages.
"Something to show soon enough."
Her gaze drifted to the calendar. The semester's big event: aptitude evaluation, the first major exam. Two weeks left.
She'd play normal until then. No need to tank her rep on day one.
...Or so she thought.
"Professor, I have a question."
"Jerome? Go ahead."
On the first day of class, an utterly unexpected question came—delivered with blatant disdain.
"I'm curious how your skills compare to Lady Olivia's, Professor."