Imperial Academy President, Sormon 2
"Hoho, what on earth are you talking about? You sure know how to crack a joke, Miss Kesera, our star freshman."
Imperial Academy President Sormon was sweating bullets, heat rising straight to the top of his head. The root of all his troubles these past few days—the one who'd made his life hell—had finally shown up. If that were all, he could've handled it. He would have mustered his presidential dignity and let it slide with a graceful deflection.
"Eung~? Isn't that the balding uncle? Huh, weird, was uncle the president~? Eung?☆"
But the problem was that this damn brat from next door was treating Sormon—president of the Imperial Academy and archmage extraordinaire—like a total chump. That signature mocking expression, those sneering eyes... Just looking at her made his hands and feet tremble with rage, his knuckles itching to rap her on the head. But the dignified president of the Imperial Academy couldn't lay a hand on her in front of everyone. Not if he wanted to halt the progression of his incurable baldness, anyway. Getting heated would only loosen his follicles and make more hair fall out.
This great academy president's baldness was a secret he'd kept from the world—a top-class classified matter known only to his beloved wife...!
"It's true, right, uncle~☆ Every time you came to our house, you chanted 'Grow, hair~! Grow, hair~! Follicles, fight!' And now you're denying it! Ack!"
"Everyone, carry on with what you were doing. I have business with our top student here. Secretary, hand me those documents you brought and let's go."
"Y-yes, sir! President."
"Ow ow ow! It hurts! Somebody save meeee!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Sormon grabbed Kesera by her long ear and dragged her off. Once the president had yanked the top freshman's ear and stormed out, the commotion died down in an instant. In its place spread wild rumors:
'The president is actually bald!'
And
'This top freshman is the president's most beloved disciple ever.'
Imperial Academy President Sormon had been utterly swamped these past few days, barely able to string a sentence together from sheer exhaustion. He'd hardly slept, dozing off at his desk constantly, and spent more time at the academy than at home. The period from year-end to the start of term was always the busiest, but recent events had made it worse.
The Imperial Academy was open to all—which meant even talented kids from poor rural areas deserved a shot at the entrance exam. Where on earth were you supposed to find child prodigies in the sticks? It took absurd amounts of manpower, funds, and effort just to scout them. And that wasn't all; he had to make time for the children of the noble archmages, the academy's key patrons. After a year of traveling the nation to gather geniuses, the entrance ceremony was the big reveal.
Which meant zero room for error in the proceedings. The top freshman represented the cream of the new crop, so they had to be celebrated with fitting honors, leaving no room for doubt. Botch it, and you'd end up like the dark ages in the history books, when rumors of the academy's collapse swirled and rival provincial schools dared to challenge it—leading to a revolving door of presidents. To avoid repeating their mistakes, the entrance ceremony demanded the utmost frenzy of activity...
So, in this razor-edge moment where not a single deviation could be tolerated!
The last thing anyone expected was for that next-door brat Kesera—barely seven years old—to snag top spot.
Sormon had made a promise with his old friend from academy days, one of the empire's five overlords: Eclina. She'd begged him to let her kid quietly make friends, attend classes, and learn manners without fanfare. Living next door, he'd known Kesera to some extent, of course. She was the little pest who always teased him with "Baldy~!" whenever he visited. He'd never taken off his wig—not at home or in public—but somehow, she had him pegged.
His wig was a masterful blend of dozens of secrecy spells and illusions; it was as good as the real thing. So... he'd always known the kid had freakish magical intuition.
"Huaang...☆ Apologize... Uncle, I'm telling Mom."
How was he supposed to predict she'd demolish the fourth-year top student outright? Reporters were barging into his office daily for scoops on the entrance fiasco, and there was pretty-boy model student Gail's utter devastation to deal with. With the unprecedented duel in the entrance exam, Sormon had sweated blood proving it was legit—no rigging whatsoever. Even the preordained top freshman got bumped to runner-up.
That kid had been hailed as a prodigy since toddlerhood, debating with Imperial Academy professors and familiar to all. Eluna Le Cromi Essentramium, twelve-year-old scion of the Essentramium house—which had produced three archmages.
Kesera's freak victory over her had shattered a perfectly orchestrated setup in one blow. Sormon had even caught flak from friend Eclina via telegram spell. Where was the guy who'd promised to teach her quietly? Come over for tea when you get back.
"Here, have some tea at least. Our mutual friend loves this stuff too, right?"
"Hiiing... Y-yeah... Gimme the tea."
Of all things, Secretary Seryen had served snow flower tea. Sormon's hands shook as Kesera sipped the sweet brew. Watching her daintily lift the cup to her lips, she looked every bit the proper young lady...
"Now, spill it. How exactly did you pull off void magic?"
"What I'm hiding is uncle's bald spot~ Ow! Stop hitting me, you jerk! Hit me more and I'll use magic!"
After one solid thwack, Kesera rubbed her forehead. A red bump swelled up, filling Sormon with guilt over actually striking her—but that unrepentant face made it vanish in a puff.
Still, calm down. Breathe. In and out.
"Kesera, since you see me as the neighbor uncle, I'll put it straight: don't go blabbing about the baldness anywhere."
"Then say it straight~! How am I supposed to know when you're always snapping and honking like a goose without manners, you lame☆ reject!"
Sormon's fist whistled through the air again. But just before it met her forehead, it halted dead.
Kesera twitched one eye and curled her lip in a smirk. In an instant, Sormon's vision filled with psychokinetic force splintered into dozens of strands, gripping his hand and infinitely expanding the space around it. Her mana reserves were pathetically tiny, yet this overwhelming prowess... He couldn't believe his eyes even seeing it.
"Heehee☆ Let's keep it civilized with words, yeah~?"
"Hoo... Fine. So that's your true power. As expected, you take after your mother with that genius talent... Do you know what you need to do at the entrance ceremony?"
"Prove it to everyone, duh? Those tinderbox rags like the newspapers are already yapping—such a pain~☆"
Not just proof—she'd have to tangle with the Essentramium house and their media empire too. Sormon couldn't burden her still-childish form with adult politics. That was for grown-ups to handle. Now that she was enrolled, the academy would protect her as one of its own.
"Think you can pull it off?"
"If I can't even do that, I'd be a total idiot, right? ☆"
"Hoo... Then don't stir up needless fights. You said it yourself—it's a hassle. Fine, I get it; I don't know your full capabilities. But since you can wield void magic, how far can you take it?"
"Huh? Interested? I thought you were just some lame☆ reject uncle☆ Turns out balding uncle's a proper archmage after all~☆"
Kesera boasted confidently, then cast phase magic into the air. It wasn't flashy. To the uninitiated, it'd look like geometric patterns shifting in an optical illusion. But Sormon, who grasped the barest sliver of that higher-dimensional spell, broke out in cold sweat at the incomprehensible realm unfolding before him.
No way... They expected him to shelter this walking bomb at the academy? He should be the one hightailing it to Eclina for tea. Or... maybe this kid could solve the riddle he'd never cracked himself. A flicker of hope stirred.
"Kesera... by any chance, do you know a spell to stop baldness?"
"Pfft... lol, how the heck would you magic away baldness?☆"
Thwack—another hit on the sore spot, and Kesera marched out with two bumps, off to her rehearsal. Being top freshman was a big deal, after all; today was just practice.