Shakuntala Academy was the mages’ dream school. It was a very prestigious school where talented mages, whether they were genius nobles, sons of aristocrats, or those who had received the sponsorship of high ranking mages, could enter.
With a 90-year history, the academy was famous for being the academy that had enrolled the world-renowned Great Sage, Hellison Valestia.
Thanks to the support of the mage towers, the buildings and facades of Shakuntala Academy always looked new and magical.
Most of the mages who had graduated from the academy would become famous, either being recruited by the mage towers or becoming a kingdom mage to enjoy both wealth and honor.
Magic was not a field that one could easily get into. One needed considerable talent to even stand a fighting chance of being recognized as a mage. Due to that reason, the children who studied in this particular academy often thought of themselves as the chosen ones.
Mages also made up the lowest percentage in the entire continent. Even then, most mages were only at the 1st to 2nd Circle. A handful of them were at the 3rd Circle.
—I just realized how talented your younger sister, Winley, and the members of the Alpha Reinforcement Mages are.
Perserque was right. Even after receiving plenty of support, there were only a few students who had graduated from the academy and reached the 4th Circle.
Regardless, everyone in Shakuntala Academy was undeniably talented.
Severes sighed, rubbing his lips with the tips of his thumb and index finger, as he stood in front of the door of an auditorium. Then, he looked back at Davey and said, “The students should still be unaware that you’re the one taking the class, Prince Davey. However, rumors of them being taught by an instructor of the same age as them has already spread.”
Davey was reminded of the conversation between the students who he had heard on their way here.
“That seems to be the case, yes.”
“I won’t ask you about what you’ve discussed with the Great Sage or how you became a temporary instructor for 15 days. Of course, I also won’t question your abilities. Since my master, the Great Sage, has chosen you for this job, then I will trust his judgment.”
“What does a teacher look like?” Davey asked calmly.
Severes shook his head. “The academic community does not believe that you, Prince Davey, is an exemplary mage. If we follow common sense, magic is not something that can possibly grow and develop in such a short period of time. You’re young.”
After stating the general consensus, Severes expressed his own opinion. He had a slightly different take on the matter. He said, “However, I don’t believe the rumors surrounding you, Prince Davey, are fake.”
There were many things in the world, and these things often did not follow the convention of common sense.
Severes asked calmly, “Instructor Davey, are your skills and abilities all lies?”
“What do you think?”
“It would be nice if they’re true. But even if they’re false, I believe the students here would still be able to learn a lot from you.”
Unlike the others, Severes was aware of Davey’s fame and how well-known his achievements were in the entire continent.
Looking down, Severes then said, “Please… Please be lenient. Even if the students are rude to you, please…”
The old man had a cold appearance, but…
The tips of Davey’s fingers twitched when he felt the professor’s deep love for his students.
Back on earth, the only such teacher who Davey had met was his elementary school teacher. He had to stop attending classes ever since middle school due to his illness. As for the teachers who he had encountered in this life…
[F*cking Davey, are you crazy?! You’re f*cking crazy, right? Who told you to breathe like that? Huh? Do you want to never breathe again?]
Davey’s lessons in holy mana had given him resistance to abusive language and curses.
[If you can’t make that formula one last time, I will make you burn under Hellfire for an entire week! Do it again!!!]
Odin, the one hailed as the God of Magic, had forced Davey to figure out formulas that she had never taught him. If he ever got it wrong, she would throw him into a pit of flames.
[As expected, you have to experience the spirit magic’s techniques personally. Don’t you think so too?]
‘Not at all, b*tch.’
[How about sending you off and submerging your body deep under the sea for a month?]
There had even been a time when all Davey could do was breathe. Back then, he had been trapped deep under the sea for so long that he had wondered if he was a fish or a human being.
[A sword mind… Kghhk! Mind of the sword. Oh my, my vision is blurring. Just read my mind and try to figure it out on your own. Kghhk!]
Davey had almost lost his arm from the Heavenly Destroyer’s relentless attacks in the Drunken Swordsmanship.
[I’m tired and sleepy. Just go and slash your weapon 200,000 times. Come find me once you’re done.]
Even the training that he had undergone under the simple and idiotic Sword God had been enough to bring chills to his spine.
[You bastard. I told you to practice sorcery, what are you doing slashing like that? Who told you that? Do you think daoist magic is a joke, huh?]
[It’s hyung.]
[This bastard!]
Even though they had been the heroes of their own era, they hadn’t been true teachers who could teach well. If Davey were to be asked about whether they had been true teachers or not, he was one hundred percent sure that his answer would be no.
Needless to say, the profession of a teacher had no weight or meaning to Davey. After all, his learning had all been done only because he had been prepared to die.
At least, for Davey to teach someone, he would never do something so inefficient.
—Pfft. I don’t know if a human being can live if they had to study like you did.
‘I won’t do that. You’ll see.’
Wasn’t he a very detailed and caring teacher when he had taught Tanya archery before? But Perserque just snorted at Davey’s rebuttal.
—Where did that caring teacher go when you took away her sight, threw her in the forest, and let her roll around on the ground?
‘That’s because it’s a pressing situation.’
—Sure enough.
Feeling an inch, Davey was just about to tug at the sneering Perserque’s cheeks when the quick-witted woman vanished into thin air.
“Then… Let’s go inside. Ah, the Great Sage had said that it was better for you not to mention your name, Prince Davey.”
“That’s what I intend to do.”
As long as the students knew Davey’s name, whether they liked him or not, they would still end up becoming students with proper classroom etiquette.
For Davey, it did not really matter if he was a world-renowned Saint or an unknown instructor to the students. In fact, the act of teaching someone else did not have any meaning or purpose to him.
‘I’ll save yo…’
“Cough.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing. I was thinking about something else.”
Severes looked at Davey in doubt as he rapped on the door.
Not long after, a light shone from the wooden door that had no knob. The wooden door began to change, opening up like an automatic entrance to reveal a dozen pairs of eyes. The students were already all seated inside the fan-shaped auditorium.
Severes, with his already cold expression becoming even colder, said, “We will start the class.”
As he stepped onto the teacher’s platform, he noticed that his words brought exhaustion and defeat to the faces of his students. He asked, “Timmy, what’s with your expression?”
“Ah. That, that is… Professor.”
“Timmy Lendarogue, five points,” Severes snapped coldly, making the boy named Timmy jump from his seat.
“This… This is ridiculous…” Timmy flinched in his seat.
“Do you have any complaints?”
“N… No, sir.”
“You have a total of 78 penalty points. If you get 100 penalty points, you will be expelled from the school. I suggest you gain more merits and clear up the penalty points that you have accumulated,” Severes said briefly, dismissing all of the students’ complaints.
Looking around at the students and spotting an empty seat, he could not help but frown. He asked, “Where did Josiah go?”
“She said she’s uninterested in the class, so she’s not going to come, Professor.”
“As always, she’s practicing magic all by herself,” a boy wearing glasses answered timidly.
Severes frowned for a moment, then said, “Your class will proceed as per usual. However, for the next fifteen days, things will be slightly different for you.”
Immediately, the students looked at Davey with curiosity and anticipation. They had been waiting for this very moment.
“Who’s that?”
“Is he really our age?”
“So handsome…”
Whispers and murmurs rang out in the classroom.
“Doesn’t his face look ordinary?”
“Not at all. A calm, relaxed, and likable person like that is a very handsome man. Those people who glitter and shine brightly, the handsome and beautiful ones? We would eventually get used to their faces. We have to understand that it’s the inside that matters.”
Hearing someone openly praise him in a quiet voice, Davey thought, ‘Since you said that I’m handsome, I will cut you a bit of slack.’
However, Davey hid his innermost thoughts and remained silent.
Glancing over at Davey, Severes coughed to silence everyone. He then said, “Everything is according to the academy’s policies. Instructor Devy will be the one giving you lessons for fifteen days, starting from today. Even though it will only be for a short time, I expect you to show courtesy toward your instructor and not tarnish the academy’s honor and prestige.”
Severes’ brief introduction brought a smile to Davey’s face
Davey said, “My name is Devy. Although it’s not the case for everyone, I heard that most of the students are the same age as me. Let’s work well together.”
Davey then wore a delighted smile on his face. This was his first time being formally introduced as a teacher, and he had always wanted to try this.
Unfortunately, the students stuck to their earlier reactions. The boys, especially, were looking at Davey in disgust and disapproval. Perhaps they found it annoying that someone of the same age was going to act as their teacher and instructor.
“I’ll leave you to it, Instructor Devy. Ah, just in case…” Severes stopped talking and looked back at the students, who flinched at his gaze. He then continued, “…please let me know if those children behave rudely and act unruly.”
Seeing Severes bowing lightly and leaving the auditorium, some of the children stretched out as if they were finally able to relax. In fact, almost all of them were doing it. To them, Severes appeared to be a very scary and strict professor.
As for Davey, they saw him as a friend and someone they could be comfortable with. The biggest reason for that was the negligible age difference between them. This made him appear to be far more agreeable and easier to approach.
Davey smiled gently at the students who openly showed their attitudes. They acted as if the class was already over even though he was still standing right in front of them.
‘Right. This is how a student should be. Bright. Naive. Amicable.’
This scene was completely different from that place where horrendous adults would torment, harass, and bully someone until the person almost gave up on their lives. However, there was no lack of students who had the characteristics of bullying their classmates.
What should Davey do? Of course, he had to meet the expectations of his pure and naive students.
“First off, a promise is a promise. So, starting today, I will be your instructor for the next fifteen days. I don’t know much about the reason as to why I am here, but I know our time together will end before the magic festival.”
Everyone leisurely and nonchalantly looked at Davey, who spoke calmly.
“I hope that we can get along during that time. Well then, do you have any questions?”
The students began to raise their hands one after the other.
“Instructor! Are you really in your teens?” a girl with brown hair asked.
Davey nodded. “I’m seventeen. Although it’s a bit shocking, there’s not much of a difference between your ages and mine.”
“Instructor, are you a mage too?”
Davey nodded once again. “That’s right.”
“Then, how many circles do you have?”
Choosing not to lie, Davey answered firmly, “I have transcended the 9th Circle.”
His short answer silenced the entire auditorium.
Based on what the students knew, the 9th Circle was the end.
However, since magic clearly had no end, there was obviously no ceiling to its power. Someone who had gone beyond the 9th Circle would have to carry the word Transcendent in their name and delve into endless studying and learning. The distinction between circles would become meaningless, too.
The meaninglessness of the circles was especially true for Davey, who had reached the level of the circles covering his entire body.
“Pfft…”
At that moment, some of the students laughed at Davey’s calm and firm response. They looked at him as if he had spoken bullshit. Some students were even laughing provocatively, as if calling his bluff.
“Ahahahahahahaha! Instructor, stop lying!”
“Hehe. That’s right. I almost believed you. It’s obviously a lie.”
As expected of children, they had all accepted Davey’s answer as a joke.
“Ha. Of course, you didn’t need to ask that question to get that obvious answer. Do you think someone who’s not even in his twenties can be at the 9th Circle? He’s not even worthy. If you guys are sensible, you shouldn’t make the new teacher uncomfortable by asking…”
Thwack!!!
The boy, who tried mediating between the students and Davey with a nonchalant expression on his face, was suddenly pushed back in his seat. A chalk had suddenly struck him in the forehead.
With just one shot, the boy fainted. This was unsurprising, because the white chalk was embedded into his forehead.
“A… A chalk?! Kyaaack! Celvice!”
The girl sitting right next to the boy screamed, but her reaction did not matter.
Davey just smiled gently at the textbook in front of him before tearing it apart.
The academy only taught theories that looked legitimate on the outside but were completely rubbish in terms of substance. Even if they died in this place, Davey was sure that the students here would not be able to raise their circles.
“I will tell you the reason why I like being a teacher a lot more than I expected,” Davey said graciously, the benevolence seemingly painting him golden.
The students felt a strange sense of dreariness. They felt a chill running down their backs.
“A teacher has the obligation to guide a student back into the right path.”
If the students were no longer on the right path, it was Davey’s job to bring them back to their original path. But how was he to do that if there was a collapse of the teacher’s authority? What if the students were members of royalty, nobility, and aristocracy? What should Davey do?
Well, there was an old saying that went like: The king, the father, and the teacher are all one and the same.[1]
Davey vowed to show the students a lecture that they had never experienced in their lives. After all, the teaching method of a mage who had transcended the 9th Circle was very novel and new.
“Well then, we will start our first class. I have seen quite a lot of good places where we can hold our lectures on my way here. Let’s go there. Don’t worry, you guys only have to do one thing.”
As Davey had mentioned before, humans tended to grow rapidly when placed in extreme and dire situations.
—Where is the kind and benevolent teacher that you were selling to me earlier?
‘This is quite kind and benevolent, no? I’m pulling these hopeless brats back to the right path.’
—You’re crazy…
After hearing his reply, Perserque looked at Davey as if he was very immature and childish.
1. It means that all three were the same and they must be treated with utmost respect and sincerity. ☜
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