Blessed, Yea, Blessed (5)
The students' mouths hung open, utterly speechless.
This was a place of learning. A moment of enlightenment. The entire classroom had transformed into a gathering of seekers pursuing truth.
It was no place for discord.
Professor Antonelli's single remark had been a siege tower crumbling the fortress that confined them. Every word from his lips had been a paving stone laid for this very instant.
On the surface, it might seem like a simple directive: think for yourselves and act freely. But the depth of meaning embedded within was profound.
Enlightenment. A realization far beyond what they had imagined, reaching higher realms.
The thrill of recognizing that what they thought was an insurmountable limit was merely a wall they could breach.
The certainty that they could grow further.
It was ecstasy beyond imagination—exhilarating, electrifying. An indescribable joy and pleasure coursed through every student in the room. Their dazed eyes were fixed on Professor Antonelli.
And for Laura von Adelaide, it was even more.
She had opened her notebook, meticulously reviewing every lesson note from Professor Antonelli's classes so far.
'Unbelievable. Unbelievable…!'
For the past three years as a mage, she had been blocked by a wall. She formed magic circles as written in books, refined her mana by the book, and followed her parents' and professors' teachings to the letter.
Those paths they had paved were convenient and smooth, granting wings to Laura, who already possessed exceptional magical talent.
Yet over those three years, she had increasingly felt that her own ideas might surpass the methods of her parents, mentors, or the books.
But she never strayed from their path. She whipped herself harder, dismissing such thoughts as distractions.
Just do as told. Stay safe. Don't climb clumsily with my half-baked ways.
That was why she had hit the wall. She realized it just moments ago.
'What I've learned isn't wasted effort. But….'
It had surely benefited her, but in absorbing and filtering it, residue had built up, hardening into a wall. This was a massive burden for Laura.
Though others called her a genius, lately she had been deeply discouraged. How harshly had she trained under her strict father's guidance?
Her father, Duke Maximilian von Adelaide, had shown faint disappointment that it took her three years to break through the wall. And yet…
'I could have grown more…!' Perhaps even reaching the 5th Circle wasn't impossible.
She trembled all over. A new kind of pleasure raced up her spine. She drowned in that sweet ecstasy that made her teeth ache.
"Everyone."
And the one man who had granted them all this.
"I think I've given you enough time to savor the afterglow."
Professor Antonelli.
His face was still as stony as ever. No change in expression, just that silent, haggard visage. Disheveled hair like a beggar's.
The same Professor Antonelli as always. But.
"Now, let's examine the assignments you submitted, one by one."
The cold, dark, irritable demeanor from their first encounter was gone.
That stoic face, to Laura von Adelaide, appeared endlessly kind and warm.
Was it an illusion?
I knew the students approached learning too passively. The moment I realized it, I couldn't suppress a sigh.
Caldea Imperial Academy, which produced only the elite of the elite. Even among all academies, renowned as the pinnacle—yet here they were, so rigidly unprepared for my class.
At the very least, I wanted the students in my charge, 1st Year Class A, to develop autonomous learning abilities. That was why I had devoted a full month to crafting my lessons.
I didn't want my students shackled by rigid prejudices in class.
And I believed my predecessor wouldn't have wanted that either. I wanted to believe it.
"As the scriptures describe, this is a created personality, a love solidified by faith. Divine Power springs from it."
Unlike the previous boring lessons where they merely zoned out, their eyes now burned with focus. I could continue the theology lecture like this, but I decided to start by reviewing their assignments together.
You can't fill up on the first bite. If I interpreted the assignments for them first, studying them afterward was their task. And I trusted my students.
"Eirin has sublimated faith in the Lord into solidified love and the emotions it creates as a new personality. Not wrong, but in my personal view… there's no need to treat faith in the Lord and the love blooming from it as a separate personality."
Eirin, meeting my gaze, nodded slowly. She was sharp; she'd understand.
"Yet Eirin's assertion is fundamentally correct. The source of Divine Power stems from faith, proven by love for the Lord."
The students scribbled furiously, hanging on my words. Unlike before, when they copied mindlessly, now they probed for the intent behind each phrase. It pleased me.
"Next…."
Flip. Flip.
The last remaining assignment fluttered in my hand. I read the name aloud.
"This is the assignment submitted by Laura von Adelaide."
Laura's white hair twitched in the front row. Her gaze lifted, meeting mine.
It was a resolute expression brimming with arrogant confidence.
As if saying, I'm ready—judge the work I poured my soul into.
I didn't dislike her attitude.
"This seems to be the final one. Let's take a look."
It meant that much confidence.
Laura von Adelaide felt her heart might burst. The pounding seemed to echo through the entire classroom.
The thirty-one assignments Professor Antonelli had reviewed before were each praised generously, showcasing their quality.
Surprisingly, he wasn't stingy with praise. He commended merits clearly and pinpointed flaws precisely. No student objected to his fair judgment.
Even Chloe's assignment, before Eirin's, had received extravagant acclaim uncharacteristic of him, astonishing everyone.
Thus, this was a tense moment.
Laura had stayed up nights in fear of this, revising endlessly for it.
But she was confident. Confident of a glowing review from Professor Antonelli.
So she managed that haughty expression.
Her assignment was perfect. Theologically sound, grammatically flawless, not a single typo.
Professor Antonelli, meeting her expectant gaze.
"Then, let's begin."
Opened her assignment. At last, her month's labor saw the light.
Flip. Flip.
One page, two. Unlike the others, he lingered long on each side.
"Hm…." Occasional murmurs, a slight furrow of his brow—unseen in prior reviews.
The other students tensed accordingly.
Laura wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt. Vulgar, but she couldn't calmly pull out a handkerchief now.
Flip.
The final page turned.
"……."
Professor Antonelli closed his eyes briefly. How long did he hold Laura von Adelaide's assignment, lips sealed?
Thud.
He placed it on the podium. Unlike the others, dissected page by page, hers was not.
This planted seeds of anxiety. Laura watched his every move with bated breath.
He stepped to the front of the podium, scanning all the students.
Then, abruptly.
"Everyone. When do you think faith arises?"
An out-of-left-field question. Laura couldn't grasp it.
Why not grade her assignment? Why?
Was it incomplete? Did it fail to satisfy him?
Shattering her thoughts, his words continued.
"Faith blooms from belief in the Lord and the love we gain from Him."
His textbook answer came with a gaze toward her—infinitely warm and compassionate.
He stepped forward slowly. Descending the podium, his destination: Laura's seat.
"Laura von Adelaide."
"Y-yes…?"
To her stunned face, Professor Antonelli said,
"Faith can seem vague. Opinions differ by person."
Laura simply listened. Facing her, he continued.
"Why did you write that a world where all can use Divine Power… is impossible?"
"……."
The classroom froze in shock. The content of Laura's assignment was staggering.
"You detailed the method over nine pages, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"What I question is the final paragraph on the last page. 'It is impossible for all to use Divine Power…' Why that conclusion? I want to hear your reason."
In other words, Laura—Laura von Adelaide—had declared a world where everyone uses Divine Power impossible. Ending her assignment with that sentence.
After explaining everything meticulously upfront, she negated it all with one line. Like overturning a lavish feast.
Yet Laura remained composed. She lifted her lips slightly, replying,
"Because it's the truth."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I figured out how to manifest Divine Power… its primal principle in detail. But the more I did, the more doubts arose."
"What doubts?"
"That if everyone loves their neighbors with true faith, the Lord rewards it. That's impossible."
A world where all have good hearts, show true faith to the Lord, and He responds with love. A world without evil. That's only possible in heaven.
"……."
Silence enveloped the room. Piercing it, Professor Antonelli's words.
"Laura von Adelaide. Congratulations."
His lips curved faintly, almost imperceptibly, into a smile.
"I dare say, among today's assignments… yours is…"
The first faint smile Laura ever saw from him.
"Unequivocally the best."
Ample reward for her month's toil.