Chapter 22

### Chapter 22: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-6)

After becoming a regular student, as soon as the first class began, the professor said, "From today, the magic circle manipulation class will be conducted by this assistant professor."

"Please take care of us."

The assistant professor, who was standing next to the professor, greeted the class.

*Clap, clap, clap.*

As usual, I pretended to clap and took the opportunity to observe the assistant professor. He was dressed in a black outfit similar to other professors, but he seemed more imposing for a wizard. He looked to be in his mid-30s?

And his demeanor was...

'The dirty professor has been replaced by a dirty assistant professor...'

[What's the difference?]

'There is a difference...'

If the professor was the type to nitpick over the smallest details, the assistant professor gave off the vibe that if you messed up, it wouldn't end quietly.

After the professor finished speaking, he stepped down from the podium.

"Then I'll be going."

"I'll make sure to guide them properly."

The assistant professor bowed respectfully to the departing professor.

*Thud.*

As soon as the professor left, the assistant professor ascended the podium and began scanning the students.

It felt like he was scanning us?

He slowly turned his head and his gaze landed on me.

Suddenly, he smiled at me.

I felt a shiver run down my spine.

'Damn, why is he smiling! Is he gay or something!?'

[No, he's not looking at you. He's looking at Luna Schtauffen.]

'Phew... I'm relieved. I was really scared...'

The trauma from the vigilante incident came back to haunt me.

The assistant professor stared at Luna for a while before turning his attention back to the class and continuing the lesson.

The class proceeded as usual, with the focus on drawing magic circles.

The assistant professor set the tone at the start of the class and talked about the upcoming test.

"In a week, we will have a magic circle manipulation test. You will need to draw not only the simple shapes you've been practicing but also runic symbols. The test will cover the input, output, and coordinates of the magic circle, so pay attention. Understand?"

"Yes."

'Ugh~'

[...]

After that, the class felt significantly more challenging.

According to the assistant professor, it was still at a beginner level, but many students in the class were seeing runic symbols for the first time.

If yesterday was like a children's art class, today was like a children's calligraphy class.

'Hehehe, it's a mess.'

[Everyone is seeing runic symbols for the first time, so it's understandable.]

'Wow, even Luna is struggling with this?'

I glanced at her and saw her diligently drawing the runic symbols.

While the letters themselves were drawn neatly, the size and placement of the symbols were all over the place.

I chuckled at the sight and placed my hands on the desk, trying to create an air of a creator.

'Hmm, mere mortals... I'll show you my true skills.'

[...]

I began drawing the runic symbols in the air.

Despite never having seen these symbols before, I drew them flawlessly in the air.

There was not a single flaw in their position, size, or shape.

Luna glanced at my runic symbols and compared them to hers.

After a while, she erased her previous work and started drawing again, more focused this time.

It was definitely better than before.

Better than before...

'Hehe, keep trying.'

[Guardian, the assistant professor is coming this way.]

'Oh.'

I quickly composed myself to avoid any unnecessary trouble and focused on drawing the runic symbols.

However, the assistant professor wasn't coming to me; he was heading to Luna.

The assistant professor stood behind Luna, watching her draw the runic symbols, and said, "Hmm, for a first try, you're doing quite well."

"Thank you."

"That runic symbol over there should be a bit more to the side..."

The assistant professor was more focused on talking to Luna than on conducting the class.

I could sense the discomfort among the other students.

No one likes a teacher who plays favorites on the first day.

'Wow... No one can say anything to him, not even the students.'

[Since the assistant professor can influence the professor, you should be careful, Guardian.]

'I don't care. It's just annoying that he keeps making noise next to me.'

The class ended with the assistant professor's favoritism.

***

After the magic circle manipulation class, I attended my first class in another subject.

Basic Elemental Studies.

It was a course that taught the fundamentals of the elements used in magic.

Even if you didn't use a particular element, you had to learn it to understand how to counter it.

As soon as the class began, I looked at the woman standing on the podium and shouted to Armonia.

'Armonia! Show me this woman's temperament right now!'

[...Weren't you focused on Luna?]

'Just show me. I'm really curious!'

I rarely had to deal with the student council president, but the woman on the podium was different.

The status window of the woman on the podium appeared.

=====

Name: Sonia Friedrich

-Temperament-

[Magic Power LV30], [Diligence], [Positivity], [Kindness]...

=====

Sonia Friedrich.

She was a part-time professor teaching Basic Elemental Studies.

She had short blue hair and exuded a mature aura.

Her bright smile instantly put the students at ease.

"Hello, I'm Sonia Friedrich, and I'll be teaching you Basic Elemental Studies from today. Nice to meet you."

She smiled and bowed politely.

*Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.*

The applause was louder than usual.

I compared Sonia to Luna.

Luna was undoubtedly more beautiful.

However, Sonia had a maturity that Luna lacked.

Clearly, everyone has their own charm points.

'Looking at Luna, she definitely seems younger. But she's still beautiful.'

[She looks to be in her late 20s.]

'And I like her temperament.'

Her status window was filled with qualities befitting a passionate educator.

While I was admiring Sonia, she began the class.

"Basic Elemental Studies is very important. The main and secondary elements you will choose in a week might change as you take this course."

True to the nature of Basic Elemental Studies, she explained the broad framework of how to learn and master the elements, rather than focusing on small details.

"Let's start with the basic properties of the elements."

She drew a simple magic circle in the air and activated it.

The small magic circle produced a fireball no bigger than a baseball.

"Well, as you all know, we start with fire. Most renowned wizards use fire as their main element."

The reason fire is widely loved is its balance.

Destruction, mana consumption, and the difficulty of drawing the magic circle...

While other elements have their unique strengths, fire has no outstanding strengths but also no significant weaknesses.

"Of course, it has the weakness of being weak against water, but that's a different story once you reach that level."

Next, she introduced water.

"The strength of water is its versatility. It doesn't consume a lot of mana like wind, and the magic circle is easy to draw like earth. Additionally, you can use water from the environment instead of creating it like fire."

However, it has a low killing power when used on a small scale.

It's more suitable for large-scale battles, requiring a large magic circle, making it less practical.

"But this water element is favored by our school's principal, the Great Wizard Ludwig Rippstein. If you master water, it can be more useful than fire."

Next was wind.

"The strength of wind is its mana efficiency. You can create large-scale wind with a small amount of mana. However, maintaining the magic circle is difficult, and its destructive power is low."

While it seems suitable for large-scale battles, it is more effective in small-scale battles.

In narrow spaces, wind blades can disrupt the enemy, even though they have low killing power.

"Durability... Its destructive power is incredibly strong compared to other elements. However, it consumes a lot of mana. It was known to be useful in large-scale sieges when combined with fire."

However, it is not commonly used now.

Especially in school, students avoid it due to its high mana consumption.

In other words, it's an unpopular element.

"Let's look at the magic circles of these four elements briefly..."

"Professor."

"Yes?"

"Can I ask a question?"

It was Luna, sitting next to me.

"Of course, go ahead."

Sonia smiled at Luna and gestured for her to speak.

"Thank you. I... I want to know about the lightning element."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't think about that part."

"If it bothers you, I apologize. I was just curious..."

"No, I appreciate you bringing it up."

Sonia smiled at Luna and drew a small magic circle the size of a palm.

It was a very dangerous-looking magic circle with yellow sparks.

"Does anyone know anything about lightning magic?"

"..."

No one answered.

'Hehe, if I say 'I know,' I'll probably lose points.'

[...I'm worried you might actually do it, Guardian.]

With no one answering, Sonia began her explanation with a serious expression.

"The strength of lightning magic... is non-existent."

The students' expressions were like question marks thrown at Sonia.

"It consumes a lot of mana, its destructive power is weak due to the scattered lightning, and the magic circle is extremely difficult to draw compared to other elements."

And it's not easy to use.

It can explode while drawing the magic circle, causing friendly fire, or the mana can scatter, preventing it from activating.

The worst part is...

"A while ago, Maximilian Winter, who had been researching lightning magic for the longest time, died when his magic circle exploded..."

Sonia looked saddened, as if mourning the wizard.

The students also seemed to be mourning, except for me.

'Hehehe, what an idiot. Dying because of his own magic circle? Hahaha.'

[It seems to be a very difficult field.]

'Ah, I really want to laugh, hahaha.'

I bowed my head to suppress my laughter.

Covering my mouth, I barely managed to hold back the laughter and looked up.

"Phew... Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

While I was trying to hold back my laughter, Sonia was standing in front of my desk.

'...I'm doomed.'

[What should I do in this situation?]

Even Armonia didn't have a solution.

A famous wizard died, and I'm laughing?

And I'm a new student at a famous magic school?

This could lead to forced expulsion.

First, I need to apologize.

"Th, that... I..."

"Did you know Maximilian?"

"...?"

What an unexpected question...

However, there was no contempt or anger in Sonia's eyes.

She looked worried.

She thought I was crying, not laughing.

"If you knew him, I'm sorry if my words hurt you..."

"Oh..."

I saw it.

The ending... no, the solution!!

I covered my eyes with my hand and made a choked-up sound.

"I'm sorry... I respected him..."

"Oh..."

I couldn't see Sonia's face, but it seemed like I had successfully defused the situation.

'Armonia, how does Sonia look?'

[...She's crying.]

'Yay~~~ Great! Oh, oh!?'

While celebrating with Armonia, someone suddenly grabbed my head.

*Softly...*

"What can I do... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you..."

"Ugh!"

Sonia buried my face in her chest.

'Suffocating! But it feels so good!!'

[...]

I couldn't tell when she was covered, but her chest was definitely bigger than Viola's.

Is this an E-cup!?

Sonia didn't just press my face against her chest; she pushed it into the cleavage.

I forgot to breathe and just inhaled her scent through my skin.

*Huff, huff, huff.*

Damn, I want to grab it!!!

*Pulse, pulse (XX: Do it!)*

Am I crazy? How can I do this here!

In the middle of class, with all the students watching, there's a crazy person here.

*Shiver, shiver! (Viola's voice: Do it, Guardian!)*

Viola? Really? Okay!

If Viola says to do it, I have to.

*Flap, flap (XX: No, you idiot!)*

I almost fell for Satan's temptation.

I managed to escape before drowning in her cleavage.

Sonia pulled me out of her chest and wiped my face with her hands.

She was genuinely crying.

I felt like I was about to cry from the emotional impact of her chest...

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... How can I make it better..."

How can it be better? It's fine...

"It's, it's okay..."

Sonia finally calmed down and continued the class.

I spent the rest of the class receiving intense glares from the other male students.