Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Teacher vs Teacher (1)
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“How were the students?”
On the way back to the staff room, Javelin asked.
Jamie pondered for a moment before replying.
“There are some good kids there.”
“Oh? Who?”
“All the ones around my age were pretty impressive. They’ve reached levels that are hard to achieve at that age.”
Javelin looked at Jamie with a curious expression. It was hard to know how to take such words from someone who had accomplished a realm beyond comparison, not just with his peers but even those older than him.
He continued listening intently to Jamie’s words.
“It really feels like a place where exceptional geniuses are gathered. Especially this kid named Anne.”
“Ah, Anne. That child’s really smart.”
“At first, I wondered why she was in Alpha Class, but after some time, it made sense.”
“Her way of thinking is different from the other kids. The academy keeps a close eye on her too.”
“I figured as much.”
It was short, but the process by which Anne deduced Jamie’s subject was still impressive in hindsight.
Unfortunately, her magical talent seemed lacking, but if given the right spark, she’d grow explosively.
She reminds me of that one.
Among his disciples from his past life, there had been one like Anne.
-Master! I figured out the structure of how this spell derives from that flower!
-Master, what do you think is the origin point of elements? I think...
-I understand the structure of the incantation, but I can’t cast it at will.
A disciple whose brilliant mind wasn’t matched by her magical prowess, which had always been a shame.
She had been a particularly sore spot because of it.
But in the end, she turned her back on me.
-Master... I’m sorry... I’m really sorry.
The disciple who left with sad eyes until the very end.
Jamie let out a short sigh.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Ah, no. I was just thinking about what kind of lesson to give.”
“Ah, I see. Even if you say you’re not nervous, anyone would feel tense standing in a spot like that.”
It wasn’t about tension, but Jamie awkwardly smiled without correcting him.
Let bygones be bygones.
The past was irreversible anyway.
His disciples who had turned their backs on him no longer existed in the world. That much time had passed.
But if, by some chance, one of them had survived until now...
I’ll think about it later.
Jamie clenched his small fist tightly as he entered the staff room.
“Since it’s your first time teaching, your subject’s main instructor will mentor you. Today, just observe how the class is run with them.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, I have a class too, so I’ll be off.”
Javelin left with a friendly smile to prepare for his lesson.
Jamie sat in his assigned temporary seat and leaned back in the chair, letting out a low sigh.
He felt a bit tired from the busy morning.
But this was his workplace. Even as a temporary teacher, he’d get paid, so he had to earn it, right?
Jamie’s life motto was ‘give as good as you get.’ Hadn’t he clawed his way to strength to repay the 12 Gods in kind?
Of course, the road ahead was still long.
“Let’s see. Elementary division magic circle instructor...”
Jamie quickly looked up info on his mentor.
Name: Kennyak Azir.
Thirty-five years old. 5th class mage, disciple of Serpent Gerol. Deep interest in magic circles, with over thirty papers published, five of which were recognized internationally.
The photo looks pretty shady.
His dark brown hair hung messily down to his neck, and his sunken cheeks suggested he wasn’t eating well.
His dark circles were so severe they showed even in the photo, and his droopy eyes lacked any vigor.
His shoulders slumped weakly too—it was baffling why this was the main image used.
You couldn’t judge by looks alone, but it wasn’t the kind of impression that inspired fondness on first meeting.
More importantly... his master is Serpent Gerol?
The 3rd Elder Serpent Gerol, the middle-aged man who couldn’t hide his inferiority complex toward Jamie when he first entered the magic world.
A disciple of such a master...
People shouldn’t be judged by appearances, but still.
“Hmm. I’ll see when I meet him.”
He’d have to work with him in two hours anyway, like it or not.
Then, someone cautiously approached Jamie.
“Teacher Jamie.”
Turning, he saw Sophia standing there.
The female teacher who had squealed like his biggest fan and rushed over when he first entered the staff room.
Jamie pulled his chair back slightly, eyeing her warily.
“Haha... I get why you’d react like that, and I don’t have much to say, but I didn’t come to do that again. I came to apologize for earlier—I couldn’t help myself.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. Seeing the hottest star up close startled me...”
“I still don’t get why I’m a star, but please don’t do it again. It was really embarrassing.”
“Yes, yes!”
Sophia nodded eagerly.
Her expression seemed genuinely apologetic. No signs of lying—it was just shock—so Jamie decided to let it go.
Being popular is such a hassle.
Jamie asked Sophia while lost in idle thoughts.
“So, what brings you here? It’s not just to apologize, is it?”
“It’s about Teacher Kennyak.”
“My mentor?”
“Yes. I came to warn you to be careful.”
Be careful?
Before he could ask what that meant, Sophia explained.
“He gets really jealous of anyone better than him. He doesn’t outright sabotage, but if someone seems even a bit superior, he spreads rumors, badmouths them, or stirs up trouble.”
“I see.”
“You achieved 6th class at such a young age, so he won’t take kindly to you. And with his master being the 3rd Elder...”
Serpent Gerol’s poor character was apparently infamous even among the teachers.
Jamie nodded with a smile.
“Got it. Thanks for the heads-up.”
“Um, could I ask one favor?”
“What favor?”
“J-just one autograph... hehe.”
Jamie sighed softly at Sophia’s awkward request.
Class time arrived.
Jamie stood with his assigned textbook in hand.
Then he spotted a man by the door. A gaunt, skull-like figure with sunken cheeks and dark circles so deep his eyes looked hollow.
It was Kennyak Azir, exuding an even darker, damper aura than in his photo.
“This way.”
Kennyak said curtly and headed out.
“He looks exhausted.”
Jamie muttered as he followed.
Kennyak, waiting outside, glanced at Jamie and walked off without a word.
Feeling uneasy about the silence, Jamie greeted his back.
“Hello. Nice to meet you. I’m Jamie Welton, your teaching assistant for the next month.”
“The Welton family. Quite the prestigious house. Made their name across the world with just a sword. And the current head is an impressive Sword Master too.”
Jamie chuckled at the words.
It felt like he was really asking, ‘So why was a magical prodigy like you born into a place like that?’
Kennyak glanced back and narrowed his eyes slightly.
“I always thought rumors were exaggerated. How old are you again?”
“Eight.”
“Eight... What was I doing at eight? Who knows. Not like I was pampered from eight onward like some people.”
Clearly a deeply twisted guy.
Kennyak muttered unpleasant remarks just loud enough to be heard.
Wow, what a rare specimen.
It had been ages since someone sneered so openly.
Even his master Serpent hadn’t voiced his inferiority complex to Jamie’s face, but this disciple took it further.
“I hear you’re learning the sword too? Must be nice having so much talent. Plenty of time left over even if you half-ass your magic studies.”
“Right? Having overflowing talent is great.”
When Jamie grinned and replied, Kennyak stopped in his tracks.
Jamie added, looking at him.
“It’d be nice if others knew how your realm just rises effortlessly too. Don’t you think?”
“...”
Kennyak glared silently before turning and walking again.
No one had ever responded like that before, apparently—despite pretending otherwise, his fluster was obvious.
“Please teach me thoroughly how today’s class goes! I’ll absorb it all right away!”
At Jamie’s final words, Kennyak quickened his pace.
“Wait up!”
Jamie called out brightly and hurried after him.
Watching from afar, Javelin sipped his paper cup coffee and chuckled.
“I don’t wanna do magic circle class.”
“Teacher Kennyak is scary. His looks, his voice... Ugh...”
“But Teacher Jamie’s coming too, so that’s good.”
“I still can’t get used to it. Calling a kid younger than me ‘teacher’...”
The Alpha Class elementary students gossiped animatedly during break.
Then, one burst into the room shouting.
“Ghost teacher’s coming!”
‘Ghost teacher’ was Kennyak’s nickname among students for his ghastly appearance.
The chatting group scrambled back to their seats.
Amid the chaos, Anne kept studying her magic book without losing focus, while Lennon yawned and slumped over his desk.
The door opened, and Kennyak entered, followed by Jamie.
Kennyak swept his hollow gaze over the students and spoke.
“If I hear ‘ghost’ one more time, you won’t get away with it. Got it, Hamel?”
“...Sorry.”
Hamel was the one who had just shouted it while running in.
The classic oblivious kid who gets scolded for yelling a teacher’s nickname.
Kennyak stood at the podium. Jamie quietly took position beside him.
“From today, genius mage Jamie Welton will teach you for a month. Lucky you? You’ve been squealing over him every day, so you won’t have to see a ghost like me for a bit. Sounds great, right?”
Wow, what a repulsive guy.
Jamie had never seen someone start class by mocking students first thing in the morning.
If this were an academy for nobles only, he’d be fired on the spot with no complaints.
“But even a genius doesn’t know how to teach, so he’ll learn from me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“So, I’ll show him how it’s done for about thirty minutes.”
Jamie interjected, but Kennyak ignored him and rambled on.
Seemed like the type who boosted his ego this way.
Jamie thought people came in all varieties.
He watched to see how far it’d go.
“Today, you’ll learn the advanced parts of hexagrams: synergies from symbolic symmetry, rune properties, resulting attribute stimulation and changes, variations, side effects, and more.”
Just the title sounded tough.
“In simple terms, the pros and cons of runes used in hexagrams.”
Jamie simplified it, and Kennyak glared as if to say ‘why are you butting in?’
Jamie just smiled and shrugged.
“Explaining it complicatedly makes it hard for students to understand, right, Teacher Kennyak?”
“...As expected of a genius.”
Sparks flew between the two.
The students swallowed dryly, watching.
“How about this: why don’t you teach from now on? Someone simple like you instead of a complex teacher like me.”
“Sounds good. We’re close in age to the students, so I’ll probably connect better.”
“I hope so.”
“Hahaha.”
“Heh heh heh.”
The two teachers laughed while staring at each other.
What the hell is wrong with these guys?!
Lennon, who had just finished transfer procedures that day, began doubting if this academy was sane.