Chapter 41

### Chapter 41: How to Steal a Wizard's Woman (1-25)

In the upper floors of the Strah Magic School, there exists an aerial conference room.

Despite its grand name, the interior was surprisingly simple.

The walls were peeling and flaking, and apart from a long rectangular table in the center and chairs to sit on, there were no other furnishings.

On either side of the main seat, only 10 people were seated, though the table could accommodate 20 on each side.

The aerial conference room was accessible only to full professors, and one could only enter if summoned by the dean.

In such a place, 10 full professors were waiting for the dean.

The oldest-looking white-haired old woman, seated next to the main seat, spoke up.

"Well, this is our first meeting since the opening ceremony."

"I didn't expect to be called on a weekend either."

The ages of the full professors varied widely.

From an 80-year-old to a middle-aged person in their 40s, they were diverse.

It seemed they were seated in order of age.

At the end of the table sat Wolfgang Dabreck, who had taught the magic array class in Sung Ho's class.

He was the professor who had given Sung Ho both a penalty and a merit point.

He was the youngest-looking person in the room.

The white-haired old woman sitting next to the main seat leaned in and teased Wolfgang.

"Oh, Professor Wolfgang~ Did you come looking for your mom?"

"No! Professor! I'm not a kid anymore, stop it…."

"Ah, you're still young enough to look for your mom, aren't you?"

At that, the surrounding professors began to chuckle.

The atmosphere was more like that of a community center than a full professor's meeting.

'Hmm… This is why I don't like coming to meetings.'

The teasers were grinning, but the teased were suffering.

In particular, the old woman who playfully teased Wolfgang was one of the most fearsome professors when she was a student.

She was a notorious professor who would deduct points for any lack of manners.

However, her attitude towards other professors was worlds apart from her attitude towards students.

In this aerial conference room, she would wait for the dean and amuse herself by teasing the other professors.

"Or did you come looking for your grandma?"

"No! Professor!"

"Ha ha ha."

Her laughter, holding her belly, didn't match her student days at all.

The dignified and terrifying professors she had seen as a student were sitting next to her.

But they were so different.

Before the meeting, they all turned into playful children.

Thud.

Someone entered the noisy aerial conference room.

With neatly combed white hair, a tall stature, and an appearance that looked to be in his early to mid-30s, he was the youngest-looking person in the room.

But the young man walked in slowly and smiled at the old professors seated at the main seat.

"I'm sorry for calling you on such a valuable weekend."

"If the dean calls, we can't refuse. We'd be fired if we didn't come. Heh heh."

"Heh heh heh."

The playful old woman was at least 80 years old.

No one knew the dean's exact age, but it was estimated to be over 300 years.

It didn't seem like something the dean would do.

However, the professors here started to laugh at the comment.

Only Wolfgang smiled awkwardly and observed the situation.

'…Every time I come, the atmosphere is hard to get used to.'

The Strah Magic School had a strict atmosphere.

There was an unbridgeable gap between students and professors.

But among the professors, a family-like atmosphere existed despite the hierarchy.

If a professor made a mistake, they would be forgiven, but if a student did, they would be severely punished.

That was the Strah Magic School.

And the person who created this atmosphere was…

"Let's get to the main topic."

The great wizard who dominated an era, Dean Ludwig Lipenstein.

His absolute principle.

Protect your allies by any means necessary, and show no mercy to your enemies.

If both are allies, he would side with the one he had known longer and was closer to.

He was the only one who had personally experienced war and created this peaceful era, but he never abandoned this principle.

Even the dean, who smiled warmly, would show no mercy to anyone who harmed his family.

"I've gathered you here today to recommend someone to fill the vacancy of an associate professor."

"…"

Everyone suddenly fell silent.

The meaning of his words was not that one of the associate professors was being promoted.

It meant that one of the associate professors would be leaving.

In the Strah Magic School…

It was unimaginable for the dean to dismiss someone.

The professors were shocked that he was preparing to dismiss someone.

However, they didn't ask for the reason and started to discuss the candidates.

A few part-time professors were nominated.

The dean listened to one name and murmured.

"Sonia Friedrich…"

"I personally think she is the most suitable candidate."

"She is quite young, though."

"Yes, but I highly value not only her personal skills but also her qualities as an educator."

The dean closed his eyes for a moment, pondered, and then decided.

"Alright. I will inform the part-time professors who have been nominated at the end of this weekend. Next…"

***

After finishing my meal, I was invited to Sonia's house.

And not only me, but Luna and Louis were also invited.

Louis seemed to want to go somewhere else after the meal, but he accepted the invitation due to Luna's insistence.

Luna insisted on visiting Sonia's house.

When we left the restaurant, two carriages were waiting.

And the passengers were…

Karl Friedrich, Sonia, and Louis in the larger carriage, and I and Luna in the smaller one.

Sonia had arranged this.

Sonia paired her husband and Louis, knowing they got along well.

I couldn't forget the expression of the guy who couldn't refuse her request.

'I'm fine, but I can't understand what she's thinking.'

[She might be trying to help.]

'…Really?'

Last night, in the club, Sonia said she would help me.

I thought she was just giving me lip service.

I thought, "We can date, but you're mine."

That's my mindset.

Actually, if I were my real self, I would want everything to be mine.

Luna looked at me intently and said,

"…You're amazing."

"Ah, thanks. You're pretty too."

"Thank you."

Clack, clack, clack.

The quiet carriage was filled only with the sound of hooves and wheels hitting the ground.

I broke the silence.

"Was today's event meeting Louis?"

"…Yes. He kept clinging to me, so I couldn't do anything. Really."

"Hmm…"

I looked at Luna with a playful, suspicious eye.

Seeing my expression, Luna started to ramble like a thief caught in the act.

"Really! I didn't want to come! But…."

Luna started to passionately explain to clear the misunderstanding.

Armonia's communication echoed in my mind as I watched her.

Luna's flustered appearance was really cute.

The woman who always seemed confident and cold was now revealing her true feelings to me.

During the meal, Sonia suddenly suggested that I stay at her house for the night.

I accepted without much thought.

Luna's expression when she saw me accept was as if she had lost everything.

'Well, Sonia must have a reason for suggesting it, so let's see what happens.'

[…Understood.]

Armonia seemed to have some complaints but remained silent.

When I received the dinner invitation, Sonia suggested I stay out overnight.

I had planned to just get a pass and leave.

Since I had a husband, I thought I would return quickly like last time.

I didn't expect her to suggest it so openly during the meal.

Sonia's husband also smiled and encouraged me after hearing her.

They were a mysterious couple.

As I listened to Luna's excuses, the carriage suddenly stopped at our destination.

I extended my palm to Luna and said,

"Then, can I make a reservation for next week?"

"…"

Luna stopped her excuses and looked at me with surprise.

She stared at my hand and then placed her hand on my palm, smiling.

"…You must keep that promise."

"Sure."

Luna and I got out of the carriage and headed to the Friedrich mansion.

***

We enjoyed tea at a white round table in the garden.

After accepting Sonia's invitation today, I realized I lacked conversational skills.

Karl Friedrich and Louis had a smooth conversation, and Luna and Sonia listened attentively.

Karl Friedrich had extensive knowledge, making it hard to believe he was a merchant.

Louis, as a noble, often attended social gatherings and led the conversation well.

In my mind, the guy had been promoted to a smooth talker.

Still, I was able to join the conversation thanks to Karl, who kept engaging me.

The topic then shifted to music.

"Oh! So you were the one invited then, Karl."

"Yes, I was invited to a celebration for the birthday of the princess of the Levin Kingdom, which was a great honor."

"I was too young to recognize you then. After that, I tried so hard to learn the violin."

"Oh, you can play the violin?"

"Ha ha, no. I tried hard but gave up because my skills were far from adequate."

"The effort is what matters."

"Ha ha, thank you."

Karl asked a servant to bring his violin from his room.

The servant returned with a deep green violin case.

Karl carefully opened the case and took out the violin.

The deep brown violin exuded a strong aura, as if it had withstood the test of time.

"Since we have guests today, I'll play despite my humble skills."

Karl stood up and began to play the violin, meeting our expectations.

The beautiful melody spread through the garden like waves.

Even I, who had only heard game music, felt a gentle breeze in my heart.

Louis, Luna, Sonia, and the servant serving them all accepted the melody with their entire bodies, without any movement.

It felt as if the violin's melody was seeping into their bodies, not just their ears.

As soon as the performance ended, the garden was filled with applause.

"You're really amazing."

"…Really amazing. I thought you were great when I heard you in the hall, but thank you for playing again."

Louis and Luna continued to praise him.

"Wow, you really play well."

I didn't know what to praise, so I followed their lead.

Karl handed the violin to Louis.

"Would you like to play a piece?"

"Oh? Karl… Is it okay with that violin?"

"Of course. Since we have such a distinguished guest, I can't just give any violin."

Louis carefully received the violin and took a stance.

"Ah… It's been a long time, so I'm not sure if I can do it well."

As soon as she started, she played the violin with tremendous energy.

If Karl's performance was like a gentle breeze, Louis's was like a rough wave.

'Shit! Talented people are all trying to kill me!'

[The world is inherently unfair.]

'Shit!'

Indeed, Karl's performance felt different.

If Karl's performance made me feel the music in my entire body, Louis's performance was