An Admiring Heart
"Kids these days sure are quick on the uptake."
I muttered softly to myself as I eyed the boy who'd thrown out that question. Jerome. A student from the western dorms, born in the Empire. From what I remembered of his student file, he had no particular talents worth noting. No direct connections to the prince either, so I'd pegged him as just your average student. Who knew he was actually one of Second Prince Askleon's sneaky lackeys?
Eighteen years old, and already pulling stunts like this? Yeah, he was quick, alright. Then again, maybe that's exactly why a kid like him could vie for the imperial throne.
I let those idle thoughts swirl in my head as I reconfirmed his question.
"So, you're wondering which of us is better—Olivia or me?"
Insulting a professor was grounds for a legitimate point deduction. Which meant this student had no room to complain if I docked his score. I'd said it with a blatant mocking edge, and everyone here knew it was a loaded question.
But... slapping him with points off right away would make things look fishy. If the comeback to "You're inferior to Olivia, so why are you even here?" was just "Yeah, points deducted," it'd come off weird, right? And if I admitted out loud that I was a lesser professor than Olivia, they'd just hit back with "Then why are you here?"
No matter how I answered, my evaluation would take a hit.
...Or so he probably thought. Not bad for a kid—he'd put some real brainpower into that one. For a child, anyway.
A faint smile played on my lips as I shot back.
"Before I answer, Jerome—what do you think is the most important quality a professor should have?"
"Uh..."
Jerome's overconfident expression went blank for a split second. His "perfect" question had been met with a question of its own, so no surprise there.
"Hmm, not sure?"
I didn't wait for a reply—I struck first. No point expecting a solid answer anyway.
"I think the most important quality for a professor is a genuine desire to teach their students."
Pretty impressive phrasing for a kid? Fine, then. Time to show him some adult-level rhetoric.
"The principal sent invitations to both Olivia and me. She turned hers down, but I accepted."
I placed my left hand over my chest and flashed a grin.
"So, doesn't that make me better suited as a professor than Olivia?"
"..."
Jerome's smug posture froze solid. A sidelong glance caught Second Prince Askleon, his smiling face equally stiff. Proof that my brief counterattack had ended in a flawless victory.
"Any more questions? If not, shall we get back to the lesson?"
I could've wrapped it there, but for some reason, I didn't want to.
"Oh, and Lily?"
"Y-yes...!"
Unfortunately, I wasn't the type to just take hits lying down.
"Come see me after class, Lily. There's something I need to tell you privately."
No matter what you schemers say, Lily's mine. If you want her, come claim her yourself instead of sending your minions.
With that intent tucked away, I grinned.
Lily's academy life turned out far smoother than she'd expected.
The recruitment attempts were purely perfunctory, and there was no bullying from the four major factions. Sure, some kids shot her curious glances now and then—"Isn't she the one...?"—but that was harmless compared to the tension she'd braced for right up until classes started. This was downright cute by contrast.
Finding the reason wasn't hard.
"I'll protect you."
The silver-haired girl who'd declared it so boldly. It was all thanks to Professor Ria.
Without Ria sweeping up every gaze that should've been on Lily, could she have enjoyed such a peaceful academy life? Lily shook her head.
Professor Ria was strong and brilliant—far beyond the "weird person" impression from their first meeting. She'd breezed through those tricky questions and run the first class flawlessly. Beneath that pretty face lay thorns sharper than anyone's.
Professor Ria was someone Lily couldn't help but admire, in every way.
Maybe that's why. Lily, who'd lost her parents and lived alone her whole life, had finally opened her heart to another person. For the first time, she'd come to idolize someone. A girl's budding feelings were a complicated tangle.
"Hoo..."
Leaning against the door to the professor's private office, Lily placed her right hand over her chest and let out a deep breath. She didn't want to show these messy emotions to the object of her admiration.
Calming her willful, pounding heart, the girl knocked and spoke in her usual serene voice.
"Professor Ria, it's me."
"Ah, come in!"
Inside was a silver head buried in a mountain of paperwork.
"Oh..."
For a moment, Lily wondered, Am I being a bother? Even Professor Ria wouldn't welcome interruptions mid-paperwork. She froze just as she started to open the door.
"If you're busy, I can come back later..."
"It's fine. I'm almost done. Have a seat in that chair opposite and wait just a sec?"
"Yes, ma'am."
The paperwork wrapped up five minutes later.
"Nggggh...!"
Watching the professor stretch her arms wide and arch her back, Lily cautiously broached the topic.
"That's a lot of paperwork..."
"Ahaha, yeah. I got parachuted in three days before the semester started, so..."
"You handled the class great for someone in that spot, though."
"Nah, it wasn't that great."
Even as she denied it, a faint smile tugged at Professor Ria's lips while she slouched languidly in her chair post-stretch. Lily thought it was adorable as she asked why she'd been summoned.
"Is there something else I should know?"
"No, nothing like that. Here we go...!"
Rising from her seat, Professor Ria fished a single sheet from the paperwork pile. It was the exact same academic schedule posted at the school gates. The fountain pen's nib pointed to March 16th.
"You know about the early-semester evaluation on March 16th, right?"
"Yes."
The academy held three major exams per semester: the early evaluation, midterms, and finals. The early one mattered less than the others on paper, but it was crucial. It set the baseline to measure growth against midterm and final scores.
For commoner mages, it was one of the few paths upward. Nail a high early score, get labeled a promising talent, and snag sponsorship from a good noble house.
"Honestly, I'm not worried about the written part. Hitting 8th place in last semester's finals as a first-year means you'll handle it fine again."
"Of course."
Her spite had fueled killer first-year grades. From the 50s in her first early evaluation to 8th by finals.
"The practical's the issue."
Yeah, that was the sticking point. First-years had no practicals—the year was for adapting to school and magic basics. No one was ready to control spells that precisely yet.
"Confident on the practical?"
Lily hesitated.
"...Not really sure."
The mana gap between commoner and noble mages was vast. Nobles grew up pampered on elixirs; commoners never even glimpsed spirit herbs.
Lily was a commoner mage. She started miles behind the nobles.
"With the Olive Wand, topping the practical would be a breeze, but..."
What meaning was there in a first-place win handed by the wand? She didn't want to hear "She only won because of the Olive Wand." That'd haunt her forever as a weakness.
She wanted to prove she was an amazing mage without it. She wanted people to see Lily the human, not just the wand's owner.
Even if Professor Ria didn't get it, that was fine.
"I don't want to use the Olive Wand for the practical."
Lily met her professor's eyes steadily. Those sapphire-blue orbs curved softly.
"As expected from the wand's chosen wielder."
A small hand gently stroked Lily's hair.
"Come to my room after class every day. I'll give you personal lessons until the exam."
"Hoo..."
After sending Lily off, the room fell quiet once more. A rare chance to unwind.
I shoved the finished paperwork aside and melted into the plush chair.
"Man, these past few days were insane."
Parachuted in meant triple the admin backlog. I'd barely slept clearing it.
Maybe that's why sinking into the chair and letting the spring breeze wash over me felt so damn good. My whole body went limp, deliciously drowsy. I nearly dozed off.
What snapped me awake was a voice from outside.
"Sis, coming in?"
The door flew open. In walked Sylvia, holding a single letter.
"Oops, sorry for interrupting your break."
"Nah, it's cool."
I waved off her apologetic look and eyed the letter on the table.
"What's this all of a sudden?"
"Oh, uh... Every year around now, the imperial family hosts a party. They invite folks from all walks—professors from the academy get invites too."
"Oh..."
Parties? Vague memories from a few centuries back. Around three hundred years ago? A victory bash for the Maou War, I think. Not great memories—I'd spent the whole night holed up on the terrace because the glitz made me antsy. I'd planned to skip this one too.
"But this time, Lily's probably getting an invite."
Were it not for those follow-up words.
"What?"
"They invite all the faction heirs and rising stars. Owner of the Olive Wand? She's a lock."
...That changed things.
As an academy professor, squashing student schemes was no sweat—professor authority was absolute on campus. But at the party? Students plus parents? I'd be outranked.
Couldn't protect Lily as plain Professor Ria there. Tell her to decline an imperial invite? From the Emperor himself?
"No helping it, then."
I wasn't ready to reveal my identity. Olivia moonlighting as an academy prof? Nothing good would come of that leaking.
"I'll go to the party too."
So...
"As both Ria and Olivia."
Just play both roles. Easy.