Corridor
Waver Velvet's sudden collapse was like a boulder smashing into a calm lake, stirring up no small commotion.
The ridiculous part was that most of the people present did not actually care whether Waver lived or died.
What they cared about was only that guy, Anzai Kane.
Yes…
Though their hearts were full of jealousy, the moment they heard there was a chance to study the Second Magic, both students and professors alike could not help growing greedy.
If all it took was kneeling and pledging loyalty…
If Waver could do it, why couldn't they…
Gulp—
A chorus of swallowing sounds echoed along the corridor.
The people who had been brimming with anger moments ago were now filled only with greed.
That was the Second Magic.
A shortcut straight to the top.
And the price they had to pay was merely kneeling to this brat.
Just as their knees were about to bend, ready to drop to the floor—
A contemptuous snort rang out from the end of the corridor, shattering the atmosphere.
"Hmph."
"Student Anzai, you certainly know how to throw your weight around."
"In your eyes, is magic really so worthless?"
The snort was laced with disdain, brimming with arrogance far beyond that of ordinary people.
It came from an adult man with slicked-back blond hair, wearing a deep-blue sorcerer's robe.
His hands were clasped behind his back, his chin habitually lifted, always looking down at others with condescending eyes.
The moment he appeared, the students in the corridor reacted as if they had just seen their natural enemy.
They scattered in all directions, fleeing the scene…
The reason was simple.
The man standing before them was one of the Lords of the Clock Tower.
…
Hearing that familiar voice, Kane also turned around to look at the man behind him.
"Professor Kayneth, did you need something?"
Kane put on a puzzled expression and asked with a smile.
"You skipped my class without cause yesterday. Do you not intend to explain yourself?"
"When a student refuses to attend a professor's lecture, it is a provocation against the professor himself."
"Or is it…"
"That you, as the 'Second Magician'…"
"Have already grown so arrogant you no longer put me, your professor, in your eyes?"
There was clear displeasure in Kayneth's tone. It was obvious he had come here specifically for this.
Unfortunately for him…
The young man standing opposite was not someone who played fair.
"Eh—?"
"Did that old geezer forget to take a leave of absence for me?"
"I'm sure the old man was just too busy."
"How about this…"
"I'll have the Old Man of Jewels apologize to you in person."
Kane feigned innocence as he answered Kayneth's questioning.
The moment his words fell…
A sharp intake of breath swept through the onlookers in the corridor.
Kayneth himself was among them, even subconsciously stepping back a pace.
Have the Old Man of Jewels apologize?
Is he insane?
As a Lord, what right did Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald have to receive an apology like that?
This reckless brat must be tired of living.
That was the Mage Marshal, a living legend.
…
"Hmph…"
"There's no need for an apology…"
"But as for the classes you've missed, as your professor, I can't simply turn a blind eye."
"Come to my office. I'll tutor you one-on-one and make sure you've fully grasped this knowledge."
Kayneth's expression was unpleasant, but out of a sense of duty as a teacher, he still spoke.
Even if he didn't like the student before him, as a teacher he could not just leave him alone.
The material he taught might be basic, but it was the very foundation leading toward the future.
If the foundation was unstable, then the road ahead would inevitably be paved with thorns.
That was something he, as a teacher, did not wish to see.
In response to this…
Kane didn't refuse.
"Sure…"
He glanced at the unconscious Waver, shrugged helplessly, then snapped his fingers.
A strange phenomenon immediately occurred in the corridor.
A two-meter-tall stone man stepped out from within the wall in an eerie fashion.
It carefully scooped the unconscious Waver into its arms, then dashed off in the direction of the infirmary.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
Every step it took produced a thunderous rumble.
But strangely, no one dared to stand in its way.
The reason was simple…
Because the face of that stone man was the same ugly mug as Kayneth's.
"Y-You little…!"
Watching the stone man disappear into the distance, Kayneth ground his teeth, his eyelids twitching nonstop.
Yet in that moment, his heart was filled with shock. He had no idea how Kane had pulled that off.
That stone man…
Had clearly been created on the spot by Kane.
For modern magi, achieving that kind of result without any prepared materials was completely impossible.
But that monster of a boy had realized it with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.
Unwillingness…
Humiliation…
Confusion…
Astonishment…
The one hailed as a "prodigy" had actually been shaken by his own student.
"This is a spell called 'Summon Elemental Golem.'"
"If you cast it on the ground or on a wall, you get an earth golem."
"If you cast it on a stream or the sea, you get a water golem."
"The more practiced the caster is, the more lifelike the movements of the elemental golem become."
"If you're interested, I can teach you."
Perceptive as ever, Kane noticed the change in Kayneth's expression, and his smile grew even brighter.
"Crooked tricks."
"And you dare call this 'magic'?"
"Student Anzai, it seems I really do need to give you a proper remedial lesson in basic common sense."
Kayneth snapped irritably, then turned on his heel and strode off without another glance.
"Don't be so stiff."
Kane followed after him with a mischievous grin. To him, magic was nothing more than a tool.
If it couldn't bring him any benefit or improve his quality of life, then it wasn't even worth learning.
…
A few minutes later…
Kayneth's office.
As one of the Clock Tower's most notorious problem children, Kane had visited this place many times.
Passing the coffee table, he casually took an apple from the fruit platter.
Then he lazily kicked off his shoes, sat cross-legged on the sofa, and made himself comfortable in whatever way felt best.
Kane's behavior, acting as if he weren't an outsider at all, made Kayneth's whole body tremble with anger.
But it was Kane's next words that truly showed Kayneth how utterly lawless he could be.
"Professor Kayneth…"
"You've always been the one tutoring me…"
"Today, how about letting me, the student, give you a lesson instead…"
(End of Chapter)
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