The Vice Principal's Quiet Warning
Elbert moved with lightning speed.
He contacted the nearby instructors to announce the match, and even slipped the news to the students during lectures, letting it spread as fact.
As the rumor rippled through the academy and students came running to ask the real truth—whether it was truly Rai and him fighting—Elbert felt a surge of satisfaction.
Now the slippery instructor could no longer escape.
All that remained was to crush him in the match and prove who was the greater man.
That was what he had thought.
Until Vice Principal Bright arrived.
“Instructor Rai is to fight you, correct?”
Bright entered the research room, took the cup of tea Elbert had offered, and spoke gently.
Elbert knew Bright despised Rai.
No, not even the most oblivious person could miss it. Whenever the dignified Bright looked at Rai, his eyes would snap with hatred; everyone knew it.
“Yes, Vice Principal. I will crush that cunning instructor.”
“… …”
Elbert answered in his usual bold tone, thinking Bright would be pleased.
Instead, Bright simply glanced at him once before setting the cup down.
The strange atmosphere made Elbert replay his words.
Bright valued dignity above all. The strong response must have rubbed him the wrong way.
“Haha, well, the expression ‘crush’ is hardly appropriate. Even if joking, my words were too much.”
Laughing as if nothing happened, Bright kept staring without a word.
After a long pause, Bright set the cup down and spoke.
“Could you stop the match?”
“… …”
This time Elbert was stunned speechless. Bright had praised his work so well; the unexpected words left him blinking in confusion.
“Ah! If the match grows heated, it could harm the students. Don’t worry. It’s just a friendly spar. You know Rai finishes anything he starts without fail.”
Thinking the caring Bright was only worried about the academy’s atmosphere, Elbert answered confidently.
And he noticed Bright’s expression hadn’t changed at all.
“… …”
“Why are you stopping it?”
Elbert’s voice hardened after the long silence.
“I don’t want to lose Instructor Elbert.”
“… … Who… I mean, who is behind Rai?”
“I don’t know. But you haven’t understood my words, Instructor Elbert.”
Bright let out a small sigh as if apologizing, then continued.
“I care for my students. Whether they excel or struggle, every single one is my student, and I wish them to grow on the right path.”
Bright’s love for students was well-known to all instructors.
He always put the students first.
“For students to grow, instructors are necessary. So I value instructors too.”
Instructors are important for the students. To serve as role models and deliver proper education, Bright demanded dignity and ability from them.
Everyone knew it.
That was why, whenever Rai acted without dignity, Bright’s eyes flared with rage instead of backing him.
Reprimanding such a reckless man deserved support—and Bright was demanding the match be stopped.
“I know Instructor Elbert sees the academy only as a stepping stone toward future glory. I know you’re waiting for the Headmistress’s recommendation.”
“No, Vice Principal, I—”
“It’s fine. No need to deny it. There are plenty of instructors like that these days. Times have changed.”
Even as he spoke, Bright looked bitter and took a sip of tea.
In the quiet room, the sound of the cup being set down rang clearly.
“I don’t mind. Everyone has their own life. As long as you influence the students positively while instructing, it’s fine. And Instructor Elbert is a good lecturer.”
“… …”
Elbert, unsure whether the words were a reprimand or praise, answered quietly and watched Bright’s face.
Bright’s expression, as if something was stuck in his throat, slowly lifted to meet Elbert’s gaze.
“Instructor Elbert has a strong sense of pride. Public humiliation from someone who thinks they are nothing will be unbearable.”
“… …”
Elbert finally understood why Bright kept circling the subject.
He was essentially saying: You will lose the match, so don’t get humiliated—stop it.
And that only twisted Elbert’s pride further.
“You… mean I will lose?”
“Yes.”
Bright’s firm words left Elbert stunned. He laughed out loud in open disbelief, revealing how furious he truly was.
Even though Bright remained calm, Elbert’s tone rose.
“Why are you stopping it? The pure mage Elbert is facing the knight-like Rai in a magic dispel match. Two cycles.”
Magic Dispel had been one of the oldest ways mages tested each other: alternately building circles and dismantling them within time. It evaluated knowledge, mana, and spellcraft—perfect for gauging a mage’s overall power.
A cycle meant one full circulation of mana, roughly four to five seconds. Two cycles equaled ten seconds.
The circle builder had to complete it within two cycles, so ten seconds.
The faster the cycle, the stronger the mage. Knowledge alone wasn’t enough; you needed comprehensive magical ability to activate spells quickly.
“Public opinion isn’t kind right now. A pure mage like Elbert challenging a knight-like Rai with magic.”
A pure mage using magic against a relatively weak knight.
No need to think how shameless it was.
Yet people who couldn’t bring themselves to call it cowardly only spoke of “the match is expected” or “it’s fine.”
Enraged and unable to think straight, Elbert ignored their behind-the-back comments.
“It’s because that guy keeps seducing students with magic. This is a warning. You’re using crude magic and harming the students. Of course it must be stopped.”
“Is that so?”
Elbert’s words made Bright stroke his beard thoughtfully before answering.
“I consider it a rather good magic experiment. It’s a bit playful, but the students are interested and trying hard, so it’s having a positive influence.”
“Teaching such low-level magic to elite students is bad.”
Elbert’s voice rose in anger, but he forced himself to calm down while staring at Bright’s unchanged face.
“Do you really not know? Or are you pretending not to see?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Rai is not just a pure mage… he is purer than any mage who carries the title ‘pure.’”
Elbert stared blankly at Bright.
Bright’s eyes held no joke—only seriousness.
At the academy, Bright had been the one to pursue Rai most often.
Whenever Rai caused trouble, Bright chased him, noticing his exceptional skill even while running.
“I don’t know who his master is, but perhaps it was someone from an earlier era… or maybe not even human. The word ‘pure’ has been around nearly a hundred years. In any case, Rai learned from a mage before the pure era, and that master turned him into the mage he is now.”
A mage who didn’t carry the “pure” label.
In the current age, pure mages differed greatly from mages of old.
Pure mages handed magic to warriors and took on many battlefield roles themselves. What they taught now were mostly large-scale spells with long cast times or supporting magic useful in combat.
But when magic belonged only to mages, they had to do everything in battle.
They needed to defeat enemies, destroy strong foes, provide support, heal, and solve desperate situations. Mages were like iron men.
With so much to do, truly exceptional mages were rare. Many spent their lives mastering magic without success and lived meaningless lives.
“Rai is a complete mage.”
“That’s impossible. The students Rai teaches privately are Philia and Aslan…”
“There’s no rule that mages must only learn magic. Even famous, foolish mages become court mages by liking punches?”
Elbert’s grandfather. Too famous for the empire’s citizens not to know the name, so Elbert fell silent.
“Instructor Elbert’s theoretical brilliance is admirable. You wouldn’t be embarrassed if you didn’t know his true power.”
The words were meant as praise, but Elbert’s insides boiled.
He had experienced battles—monster hunts, border conflicts—with nothing but victories. If he had been on the Eastern Front, he would have fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Edelian.
To be dismissed by a man who ended the Era of Strife in battle, Elbert’s rage surged.
His expression stayed ice-cold, eyes lifeless like those of a creature watching prey.
Bright frowned.
“You’re worrying over nothing. Return to your research.”
Bright stared at Elbert with the same gaze he always used.
This wasn’t the Bright Elbert knew. Thinking he had wounded pride, Elbert realized further words were useless and stood up.
Elbert sat calmly, feeling the threshold crossed.
If the mage was truly this powerful, he welcomed it. A demented old man could babble all he wanted; the win would still be his. No matter what anyone said, the match would continue—and he would win to prove to those fools who to respect.
No one could stop him.
“Stop it.”
Elbert stared blankly at Headmistress Celenas.
Called suddenly and told to stop the match—after Bright, now the Headmistress herself—Elbert’s brows furrowed.
“But…”
“No buts. I am not asking. As Headmistress, I am issuing an order.”
Celenas stopped his mouth with a kind smile.
Elbert, choked, forced himself calm and asked.
“If Rai is so precious, why do everyone run around worrying?”
“Hmm… does that include me? Yes, Rai-kun is important. I’m running to you because of it.”
Even in his mocking tone, Celenas nodded.
Her usual seductive smile now irritated more than any other expression.
“Are you more important than me? You know how I influence students and instructors, don’t you?”
“Vice Principal thought it over and stopped it. I’m stopping it for Rai-kun.”
Elbert’s threat-filled words made Celenas laugh lightly.
She set the pen down from the documents and stared straight at him.
“If you won’t listen, stop being an instructor.”
“Do you think people will accept such an insult?”
“Shall we test it?”
Celenas’s posture held no hesitation, same threat and laugh.
Elbert stayed silent.
“You know your place. That would even extend your life a little.”
Seeing Elbert hesitate, Celenas smiled faintly and told him to leave.
Elbert, dazed, walked out and immediately smashed the table before him.
The Headmistress’s secretary rushed over in panic, but one look from Elbert froze him in place.
Gasping for air, Elbert left the building with unsteady steps.
Someone tried to stop him and speak, but he ignored them and headed toward Rai’s house.
“Wahaha! Is that all? Can’t you do any better?”
Rai was fighting the four students he had called for private tutoring.
The surrounding wards kept damage outside, but the garden inside was a mess.
Zeroa lay unconscious on the ground.
Philia and Abigail, exhausted and bruised, answered while both took hits to the face and flew backward into the ward.
Aslan alone was kicked before he could even move, then sent flying toward the other two.
It wasn’t simple sparring.
“Today I’m going to stab you right in the side.”
“Abigail, flank and attack from behind.”
“Don’t give orders.”
The three mud-covered students stood up, ready to charge—then stopped, staring blankly behind Rai.
Rai, laughing and flicking his fingers, turned when they looked.
Elbert stood there.
The ward allowed entry, but one didn’t simply enter during practice. It was about manners, not just danger.
“Oh? What’s this? Huh? I didn’t do anything today. Did Vice Principal call me again?”
Rai, suspicious of Elbert’s unexpected visit, asked.
Elbert’s cold eyes met his, then he built a complex magic circle.
Rai glanced at the circle behind Elbert’s back, tilted his head, and looked at him.
“… …?”
“Dispel it.”
“Huh?”
“Dispel it.”
Elbert’s commanding tone made Rai stare silently, then shift his gaze to Aslan.
Aslan shook his head, equally clueless.
Rai turned back, pointed at the circle with a finger.
— *Pang!*
The circle shattered instantly. Mana fragments scattered into the air and vanished.
“Is that it? But why did you do that?”
It was his greatest magic circle—triple-layered disguise, protection, everything.
Elbert stared blankly at Rai’s effortless dispel, then laughed bitterly and turned away.
“What? Why are you like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s a magic dispel.”
“So what?”
Aslan’s question left Rai confused.
“Hey… do you remember we were supposed to fight Elbert-sensei?”
“Eh? Uh… really?”
Rai, who had forgotten during a visit to the city with Hana, blinked.
Aslan sighed.
The academy was buzzing because of the match, but the one involved knew nothing.
“More importantly, let’s prepare for the martial arts tournament.”
“More importantly? Isn’t that the more important thing?”
“That thing just now—ended, right?”
Rai brushed it off casually.
Both Aslan and Philia looked at him with disdain.
But the moment Rai began attacking, there was no time to think—only movement.
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Disperse Magic Circle — Complete Elimination
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