Elbert's Jealousy Ignites
Elbert hated Rai.
Elbert had been an instructor at the academy for four years.
With exceptional talent in magic, he had produced numerous theoretical works that influenced the academic world and earned him a title as a result.
At Legandia Academy, instructors received research grants, drawing many scholars who pursued research—these were referred to as research-track instructors.
When categorizing instructors at the academy, one group consisted of those who had retired after field experience, while the other comprised scholars who came specifically to conduct research.
Elbert belonged to the latter category. He taught power theory to the academy students and continued his research.
Yet, despite his research-track designation, he had not been untouched by war.
Thanks to his famous theories, people had forgotten his earlier battles, but his seemingly handsome appearance masked the fact that he had endured quite a few fights.
And he possessed considerable confidence.
If he had joined the army during the Era of Strife, he believed he might have stood shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Person or Georg—famous imperial generals—had it not been for the Grand Commander Edelian himself.
Unfortunately, his declining health had forced him to focus on managing his father's estate rather than joining the Eastern Front, the primary theater of the Era of Strife.
Still, thanks to his shining talent, he had secured a title, though he vowed that had he been active during the Era of Strife, he would have been even more renowned.
Elbert was driven by an intense hunger for honor and overestimated himself greatly.
Securing an instructor position at a young age had been purely for career advancement. Having taught at the academy would make it easier to advance to higher ranks.
With recommendations from the academy and successful research, he could become a high-ranking official in the central government or secure a key post.
Elbert could not understand those who treated their instructor role as their life's destination.
People with such modest ambitions were beneath him.
He himself was the kind of individual the Emperor favored and would place by his side.
Therefore, all attention had to belong to Elbert alone.
But that was not how things were unfolding.
"Whoa! Rai's so cool! I want to try it too!"
"How do you make this?!"
That foolish instructor was again entertaining the students with childish antics and stealing their popularity.
Rai leaped into the air as if launched by a fusion of gravity and wind magic circles he had drawn on the ground.
He flew straight upward, shrinking to a mere speck against the sky before descending. At the final moment, gravity magic reversed, slowing his descent so he landed safely on the ground.
Elbert could not fathom why anyone found such a spectacle entertaining, yet the students were enthralled, crowding around Rai and begging him to send them flying too.
It was a crude, unverified magic—unsafe, no less. Elbert could not comprehend why the students enjoyed it.
"Amazing! I want to go again!"
Students who had been sent flying, landed with dazed expressions, then joyfully asked Rai to launch them once more.
Witnessing Rai captivate the students with such lowly antics, Elbert frowned deeply.
As an instructor, he was supposed to lead the students with knowledge and dignity, not with lowbrow entertainment that lowered the academy's standards.
And indeed, everything had changed the moment that man arrived.
From the very beginning, he had been unlikable.
Despite having a spotty record, he had become an academy instructor, and now he was claiming all the glory that should have been Elbert's.
Even though he was already famous as a young commander and still maintained military ties, Elbert had tried to cultivate a friendship with the homeroom instructor of Class C, Leila, only to be rebuffed when she defended Rai and belittled Elbert.
Moreover, the princess had been saved by Rai, earning him a medal. Elbert believed he would never have allowed those pathetic assassins to even get close.
Yet Rai had taken all the credit. The only regret was that the rule restricting participation to field-experienced instructors had been in place.
Rai was the kind of person who received daily scoldings from Vice Principal Bright for his careless speech. He was completely unsuited for the academy—not just as an instructor, but even as a student.
Yet the more time passed, the more people followed him.
Instructors like Paul and Xenia began praising Rai one by one, and the students preferred associating with him.
When Elbert had first scoffed at the idea of giving private lessons to some worthless student named Zeroa, it seemed so distant, but now Zeroa, son of a military family, and Philia, daughter of a noble house, had both received private instruction from him.
Both were true luminaries of their families. The Serios family, being political, lacked martial knowledge, so one could imagine them being deceived by a con artist, but the Scape family possessed their own vision of the family, so receiving private lessons made sense.
During lectures, Elbert had to endure the foul-mouthed Abigail's disregard for his words, and in total, he was now giving private lessons to four students.
No instructor in academy history had ever provided private lessons to four students simultaneously.
Elbert believed this was not because Rai was exceptional, but simply because the ignorant students were being hypnotized with words and something unsavory was happening behind the scenes.
Suspicion was there, but without concrete evidence, Elbert decided to wait for proof before leaving the scene.
Every time he saw Rai laughing loudly, his stomach churned with fury.
While walking the academy grounds, Elbert spotted students gathered around a map, discussing with thoughtful expressions and sharing differing opinions. It looked as if they were conducting research.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, Instructor Elbert. We were reviewing the Tactical Training simulation."
Approaching the students and offering to help them was important. Most came from prominent families, and building connections here would prove invaluable when they entered the political arena later.
Thinking only of his own career and gain, Elbert offered a warm smile and studied the map the students had spread out.
Figures representing units dotted the map, forming formations he had once seen before. The single blue unit stood in the center, while red ones encircled it, creating a pincer.
This was the scene of Rai's Tactical Training participation.
Thinking of how the training had been made public and brought popularity even to the city, Elbert's expression briefly hardened, but he maintained his smile and spoke.
"So, Instructor Rai participated in the training."
"Yes, that's right. I'm analyzing it, but there are some discrepancies in the opinions."
Those who praised Rai's inadequate tactics were all of low quality. The general public had no knowledge to compare, but the students who had been fooled by him had no place at the academy.
Elbert was irritated, yet he believed he could easily analyze even the feeble tactics of an instructor like Rai.
He casually shifted the units on the map and explained.
"Rai placed his forces here first. This position avoids easy attacks due to the terrain. Then he divided the squads and sent them in all directions."
The students listening quietly absorbed Elbert's words.
"Actually, this is only possible because it's a training exercise. In real combat, a commander who would do this to save his own life at the expense of his soldiers would be a disgrace. Since lives are not at stake here, we cannot imitate it."
Emphasizing that such tactics were impossible in reality, Elbert moved Rai's units on the map.
"Rai left a gap in the encirclement and moved his forces to Eisen's division. He targeted the arrogant Eisen, believing the situation was favorable. But Eisen acted on his own and was careless until the end. He probably didn't learn properly in the basic tactics class."
Naturally belittling Rai for teaching basic tactics, Elbert continued his explanation.
The students watched the moving figures on the map in silence and, after a long while, looked at one another.
"Hmm... It seems Philia was right."
"After hearing another explanation, I believe it more."
"I watched from the side even though he didn't give us a full tactical overview."
This was not the reaction Elbert had hoped for.
The students recalled Philia's words and exchanged opinions among themselves.
When Elbert asked what she had said, one student answered.
"Instructor Rai treats the students not as a single army but as an alliance. He created openings and positioned near Fureiman's forces, expecting no immediate attack. It's not that he doesn't say it, but he does have some selfish tendencies."
Elbert tried to object, but the student's explanation was faster.
"And Eisen is kind-hearted, so he tried to help the others and ended up being taken down by Rai. Even though he knew it was dangerous, he sent Bella's forces to assist Schultz and covered Bella's area himself."
The student described the situation and shifted the figures on the map accordingly.
"What we were discussing was how much a commander's personal personality can influence the course of war. Instructor's analysis... um, thank you for helping with the analysis."
With an awkward smile, the student thanked Elbert.
Yet Elbert had been stepping on thin ice. He had offered a completely wrong analysis from the start and proudly displayed the errors.
While pretending to teach, he had already concluded the analysis and revealed the correct answer, then openly listed the mistakes.
Anger surged before shame could take hold.
Responding with a barely visible smile to the awkward student who thanked him and urging him to keep working, Elbert turned away, his expression twisting instantly.
Any observer would have fled in fright from the ugly, distorted face he now wore.
Every move Rai made tripped his steps.
Philia should have been chasing him to catch up with the other students. With the political power of the Serios family, she could have greatly aided Elbert's career, but the foolish girl had fallen for the lowly instructor and forgotten her place.
Elbert took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, and forced his face into a calm expression.
Whatever it took, he had calmed himself and repeated his inner mantra that he would win. His heart finally settled.
Then Elbert noticed an academy staff member.
She had twin tails and a cute appearance, always bright and cheerful, making her popular with both instructors and students alike.
Having worked for less than a year, her sociability made her a favorite.
A kind and charming person, Elbert thought she might at least tolerate him despite their status and ability gap.
Of course, marriage was out of the question. To participate in central politics, he needed connections, so he would have to marry a daughter from a prestigious family. It was a pity, but he believed she would understand.
Before marriage, he could at least court her.
Hana—her name was Hana—had spotted him and was running toward him, waving with a bright smile.
'I need to teach her a bit of etiquette.'
However close they were, the gap between instructor and staff remained. Such unreserved behavior was inappropriate.
Elbert thought he should find a private moment to educate her and offered a kind smile in return.
"Hello..."
"Rai!" Where have you been!"
One student passed by Elbert.
With a dazed expression, he turned to see Rai and the girl high-fiving each other, then colliding bodies in an odd manner. Finally, their soles touched, and they burst into laughter, clearly very close.
"Not now! If we don't hurry, it'll all be sold out!"
"Ah, I forgot. Should we go now or might it be too late?"
"No giving up. It's the ultimate golden honey bun. I've been waiting for today only."
Watching Hana's eyes sparkle as she held Rai's arm, Elbert felt something envious stir within him.
And without realizing it, he walked toward Rai.
"Oh, it's Instructor Elbert. Long time no see."
"Hello, Instructor."
The two greeted each other, but Elbert's face remained rigid as he stared only at Rai.
Rai tilted his head, then pointed at the girl, who shook her head, clearly not understanding who he meant.
"Instructor Rai, how is the mana control class going?"
"Well, it's fine. Nothing special."
"It seems you have considerable knowledge of magic, given how well you teach. You also gathered the students' interest in magic earlier."
Elbert smiled as he realized he had not explained his intent clearly.
"Then, shall we have a friendly duel?"
"Huh?"
"Ah—no need to worry. It's just a simple exchange."
With a confident smile, Elbert watched Rai's reaction.
But the girl, distracted by thoughts of the limited-edition bun, looked anxious.
"Sure, why not. But I'm a bit busy right now. Let's talk later."
Rai told her to handle it herself and left with her.
Then he paused and turned back to Elbert.
"By the way, do you like buns? I'm going to get one now—want me to bring you one?"
"I do not."
"Eee—half your life is at stake here. Just try one."
"I do not."
Elbert's firm refusal made Rai shrug and pulled the fidgeting Hana away.
Left alone, Elbert ground his teeth in rage, vowing revenge against Rai for ignoring him.