Chapter 36

### Chapter 36: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-20)

"Ha, ha, ha, Dean…."

The assistant professor stood trembling, his face pale, as he looked at the dean. Although the dean appeared younger in terms of looks, the aura he exuded was far from that of a man in his thirties. With his white hair and the same black attire as the other professors, he looked ordinary in appearance, but the overwhelming pressure he emitted was suffocating.

The dean chuckled and approached the assistant professor.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your class. I heard some commotion and came to check it out."

"N, n, no! I'm really sorry!"

The assistant professor suddenly knelt down and began to cry. It was impossible to tell if the tears were from pain or fear.

"Hehe, please stand up. It's understandable."

"S, sorry! S, so, so sorry!"

Even as he stood up, he kept repeating his apologies.

'People can be so submissive.'

[Given that the dean can easily dismiss an assistant professor, it's no wonder he ended up like this.]

The other students were so tense that they stood as stiff as statues. The dean smiled and looked around the classroom before addressing the students.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your important exam."

"N, no! H, having the dean here is a great honor!"

"Hehe. Who would be happy to see an old man like me?"

"N, no way! Everyone, let's clap!"

Is he crazy, suddenly telling us to clap out of nowhere? But the other students, unlike me, started clapping enthusiastically. And I was one of them...

The dean smiled at the assistant professor.

"Since I'm here, may I observe the exam?"

"O, of course!"

The assistant professor, trembling, bent over and gently placed the chair he had been sitting on for the dean, bowing deeply.

"H, here, please sit! Dean!"

"Hehe. Looking at your state, I think you should be the one to sit."

"N, no, I'm fine!"

"Well, I'll sit then, despite my shame. I'm getting old, and standing is tiring."

If you didn't know the context, you might think this was a scene of a delinquent bullying a weakling... The dean looked younger, which added to the dissonance. The dean sat up straight and asked the assistant professor.

"By the way, what happened that made you so angry just now?"

"W, well..."

The assistant professor explained the situation, omitting his own despicable actions and claiming that Lewis had used magic on him and was about to be punished.

Lewis immediately objected.

"That's not true!"

"Don't lie! Who else could it be!"

As the argument was about to escalate, the dean intervened.

"Come, come, calm down. Assistant Professor, did you actually see this student use magic?"

"W, well..."

The assistant professor hesitated and couldn't answer. The dean, still seated, looked at the students and asked.

"Did any of you see this student use magic?"

"..."

No one answered.

"Perhaps the assistant professor misunderstood. It's unlikely that everyone would miss seeing a student use magic if they were all watching."

"W, well..."

It was a valid point.

'Wow, this is a great ability. With this, I could assassinate someone and no one would know, right?'

[But remember, a long tail is easily caught. You should be careful.]

'Okay~'

I answered calmly while looking at the dean. It seemed like his gaze was fixed on me. It wasn't a hallucination; he was really staring at me intently.

'...Why is he looking at me so nervously?'

[He might have unique abilities that we don't know about. Be cautious, as you might be exposed.]

A few seconds of intense gaze later, he turned to the assistant professor and said.

"But I can sense the flow of mana... It seems to be a mental magic."

Hearing this, I started to feel a bit nervous. However, the assistant professor was still trying to pin the blame on the wrong person.

"Y, yes! It was definitely him!"

"No, I..."

Just as Lewis was about to defend himself, the dean interrupted and spoke quietly.

"Let me make something clear."

As the dean spoke, everyone fell silent. His expression was different from before. He was smiling, but there was no mercy in that smile.

"If any student in this school dares to threaten a professor, I will be the first to deal with them. Do you understand?"

"..."

No one could answer. It wasn't that they didn't want to; the pressure was so intense that it felt like it was crushing them. The assistant professor, too, was under the same pressure, trembling and struggling to stand.

'Wow, he's not just a high-level wizard...'

[You should be as cautious with him as with other characters. He's an ally, but not one of us. Keep that in mind.]

'I got it... I'll be careful.'

The dean returned to his usual smile and asked the students.

"Is there anyone here who studies mental magic?"

"T, the dean..."

"Yes?"

"Mental magic classes started this year..."

"Oh, right... I must be getting senile. Isn't that so?"

The dean and the assistant professor looked at me. All the other students, noticing this, also turned to look at me. I was the only one who had raised my hand.

The dean, with a puzzled look, asked me.

"Are you really studying mental magic?"

"Yes, as a minor subject..."

"Didn't the class get canceled?"

It seemed the dean wasn't aware of all the school's affairs, especially a class with only one student. I explained that I had received a lab and was studying independently from today.

"Too bad. If Professor Maximilian were still here, you would have received better education. It's a shame."

"Yes..."

He seemed to be expressing regret, but it felt a bit off. I wondered if his expression was genuine.

The dean smiled again and asked.

"Did you secretly use a magic circle?"

I was now the prime suspect. If I was caught, it would be the end.

"I..."

"Dean, he didn't do it."

"Hmm?"

It wasn't me who answered. It was Luna.

"I've been watching, and I didn't see him use any magic."

"Hmm..."

The dean alternated his gaze between me and Luna, a meaningful smile on his face. He then turned to the other students and asked.

"Did any of you see him use magic by chance?"

"..."

No one answered. After a long silence, the dean turned to the assistant professor.

"Assistant Professor, it might have been a natural occurrence of condensed mana. What do you think?"

"If the dean says so, it must be true..."

Thanks to Luna's testimony, I was easily cleared of suspicion. I wasn't sure what the dean thought, but...

After a few more words with the assistant professor, the exam resumed. However, the assistant professor was more nervous than the students.

"Then, Shuta Lunatbelt."

"Luna Stadtfeld..."

"R, right! Cast a magic circle."

Luna was probably the most disadvantaged in this situation. She had to take the exam after experiencing all sorts of incidents, and now in front of the dean...

But Luna calmly completed the magic circle. In fact, it was even better than before.

'She must have practiced a lot.'

[She's a hard worker, so she wouldn't have slacked off.]

'She must have stayed up late practicing and overslept today.'

I silently praised Luna's magic circle and continued to watch her. Thanks to the dean, we didn't have to deal with the assistant professor's nonsense, and the class atmosphere was good. It was my turn next.

"...Next, Sunguard."

"Yes."

I walked to the podium, more carefully than usual, and observed the dean's reaction. The assistant professor was looking at me with the same disapproving gaze as before, but I couldn't read the dean's thoughts. He just smiled and watched me.

I climbed the podium and waited for the assistant professor's signal. He gave it, still glaring at me.

"...Start."

I began drawing the magic circle smoothly. Thick golden lines formed a circle, and thin yellow lines filled it with rune characters. I aligned the characters perfectly, without a single mistake. My hands were moving faster than my brain could process, and I completed the golden, sun-like magic circle in about 15 seconds. The exam environment helped me focus and draw it quickly.

The magic circle, emitting a stable current with a brilliant light, amazed all the students.

(Wow, he's really good at drawing magic circles.)

(Lewis is better, but the mental magic circle is impressive.)

(I should try mental magic too.)

(Stupid, focus on your own.)

(Should I show you a kick?)

The treatment I received was a stark contrast to the initial reception. Even the students who had called me a commoner were now almost silent about it. Except for one...

"..."

The bully, who had been glaring at me, turned around. I followed his gaze and saw that he was looking at Luna. Luna was staring at my magic circle with a blank expression.

The dean, sitting next to me, clapped and praised me.

"Hehe, truly beautiful. I was worried about you studying mental magic, but you could succeed Professor Maximilian. Your skills are even better than when he was a student here."

"Thank you."

I thought about the professor who had died from his own magic.

'The deceased mental magic professor must have been over 60...'

[Ludwig Riepenstein is about 500 years old.]

'No, not half a century, but half a millennium.'

I was shocked and checked the assistant professor's reaction. He was grading the exam next to the dean, but he didn't seem to be slacking off, probably to avoid drawing the dean's attention.

"Assistant Professor, what do you think? To have a student like this under your guidance."

"W, well... I'm glad our school has a bright future..."

"Hehe, no need to be so modest. You're a graduate of this school, aren't you? The competition now is nothing compared to back then. Hehe."

"Haha... T, thank you."

The assistant professor was bending over and trying to please the dean, not wanting to upset him. I watched him and marveled at the human body.

...If he bends his back like that with that belly, his spine should pop out, but it's amazing that it's still intact.

I finished my closing remarks and returned to my seat. Luna was looking at me out of the corner of her eye. Today, she didn't look away when I met her gaze.

She stared at me for a moment and silently mouthed something. If I wasn't mistaken, she said:

(Thank you.)

I pretended not to notice and shrugged, smiling. Luna smiled back at my smile. After confirming her smile, I turned my attention to the next student's exam.