Chapter 9

EP.9 Looking for a New Job (2)

Roselle van Trias.

As an elder of the Ashen Tower and an outstanding professor, Roselle reflects on events from long ago. It must have been ten, no, fifteen years ago.

-Once again, the Demon King's army.

-Endless disasters.

-Refugees flooding into the Lutetia region...

An era when refugees overflowed due to disasters. In that chaotic time, Roselle encountered a child, a young boy who looked to be about ten years old.

Roselle recognized the boy's potential at first glance.

He was a prodigy.

If he pursued the path of magic, he would become a great mage remembered in history; if he took up the pen and pursued the path of scholarship, he would have become an excellent scholar. Such was the talent he possessed.

Roselle recognized this talent at first glance, but what truly surprised him was not that.

Even at just ten years old, the boy's talent was well-honed.

A talent as sharp as a well-honed blade left Roselle breathless.

This was not an unopened bud that one could see often. It was already in full bloom, waiting for someone to notice it.

As if entranced, Roselle asked the boy:

Do you have a teacher?

Has anyone taught you magic?

If so, who?

- I've never learned.

In response to the question, the boy answered with a question.

-Will you teach me?

Laughing at the boy's boldness, Roselle took him on as a disciple. Roselle has never once regretted that decision in the fifteen years since.

The boy was that talented.

And he was also wise.

However, now.

Roselle's unwavering resolve was beginning to waver slightly.

"Did I understand correctly?"

"Yes..."

Feeling a bit dizzy, Roselle rubbed his forehead. What on earth was this about?

'Even if the world is in chaos...'

Roselle looked at the girl kneeling before him.

'How can this be a believable story?'

Her ash-gray hair, which reached down to her waist, now spread out on the floor as she knelt. Her pale blue eyes darted around restlessly.

'Ash-gray hair and blue eyes.'

These were the only two things he could find in common between the girl and his disciple.

"I can't believe it..."

"Me neither."

"Just be quiet for a moment."

Looking at the girl who had fallen silent, Roselle sighed deeply.

"Hmm..."

Indeed, the ash-gray mana the girl had demonstrated a moment ago was Raniel's. It matched exactly with the mana he had seen for over ten years while teaching the boy.

'Well, that's true, but...'

Roselle narrowed his eyes.

'You've changed a lot.'

He wasn't talking about her appearance as a girl.

Mana.

The mana reflected in Roselle's eyes was the same color, but the way it was used was vastly different.

This fact made him both happy and, on the other hand, a bit bitter.

'You couldn't have survived without changing.'

Narrowing his eyes, Roselle muttered.

"I had heard rumors, but... it's strange."

"Huh?"

"The rumors had spread even to the capital. A certain mage on the battlefield had overturned the foundations of combat magic."

"Really? Who was it?"

I would have met them if they were on the battlefield.

Looking at the girl who muttered this, Roselle smiled bitterly.

'You're still as clueless as ever.'

"It's nothing."

"Huh?"

Roselle lightly waved his staff.

-Smack!

"Ouch!"

"Really, you're such a troublemaker."

A faint smile appeared on Roselle's lips. Raniel might not know, but Roselle was well aware of how his disciple was evaluated in the world.

-Redefining the concept of spell stock, which was once considered trivial.

-Establishing a system of combat magic based on physical techniques and spell stock.

-Providing exemplary cases for the efficient use of spells on the battlefield.

He had read all the articles about his disciple. Recalling those articles, Roselle smiled bitterly.

'Raniel, do you know what the world calls you?'

The progenitor of Battle-Mages.

A beacon for mages.

The most outstanding mage, and so on.

The list of such titles was endless.

"Anyway."

"Ouch!"

"This disciple of mine, really."

"Ouch! Master, wait! Ouch!"

Smack, smack, smack.

The staff, swung rhythmically, repeatedly hit the girl's head.

'Really...'

Roselle recalled the past five years.

When Raniel joined the hero party to kill the Demon King, he was worried. But it was a joy to see his disciple achieve great things independently.

He was proud.

When the news of beheading one of the Four Kings and slaying the evil black dragon Belial swept through the entire kingdom, his shoulders automatically straightened.

But this troublesome disciple wouldn't know.

That he was always worried.

How much he had worried over the past five years, how he had been anxious with every piece of news.

"Anyway, you're just causing me trouble."

Thud.

The staff, swung weakly, hit Raniel's forehead. Raniel cautiously lifted her head.

"..."

Roselle's face looked a bit tired. Looking at it, Raniel bowed her head again.

"Sorry."

"Troublemaker."

Roselle reached out and tousled Raniel's hair.

"Get up. There's a lot to do."

"..."

"Let's go buy new furniture first. Since you got rid of everything, we'll have to buy everything from scratch. There's a lot to do."

"Okay, Master."

During the five years Raniel was away, the room had never been filled. Opening the door, Roselle said:

"Move quickly, you troublesome disciple."

2.

A member of the hero party.

The news of the ash-gray mage Raniel's retirement shook the entire kingdom. The impact of Raniel's retirement was as significant as his reputation.

The Knight Commander Heinzel expressed his regret over Raniel's retirement and petitioned for appropriate honors and rewards for his achievements.

The king readily accepted Heinzel's petition. Three stars were added to the crest that had already been awarded to Raniel, proving his status as the "Royal Mage."

One star signified a knight who had achieved great feats on the battlefield.

Two stars signified a mage who had dedicated himself to the nation.

Three stars signified a mage who had dedicated himself to humanity.

Raniel was the first mage to be recognized with three stars. Given his absence, the crest was delivered to his master, Roselle.

Of course, the impact didn't end there.

-The Master of the Red Tower, Haman, offered to transfer the position of Master to Raniel...

-The Blue, Green, White, and Black Towers showed respect to the "Ash-Gray Mage" Raniel and promised a seat among the elders.

-The knights' mages recommended Raniel for a position as an officer.

As soon as the news of his retirement spread, numerous places rushed to recruit Raniel, their eyes blazing.

And the same was true for the Magic Academy Aphria.

The most prestigious academy in the kingdom.

A place that many young mages dream of.

An academy that, despite being established only four years ago, has gained a high reputation due to the achievements of its first graduates.

"..."

Aaron, the headmaster of such an academy, looked at the stack of letters in front of him with a cold, hard gaze.

A tower of paper that seemed ready to collapse at the slightest touch. Thinking that all of these were petitions from students and professors, Aaron felt a sense of dizziness.

-Appoint the Ash-Gray Mage Raniel as a professor at the academy.

-There is no one more suitable for the Battle-Mage class...

-We should recruit this talent even if it costs a fortune.

-We should at least have a chance to attend his class...

The letters were filled with passion. Even graduates were sending letters.

'Of course, I understand...'

Aaron also knew. He was well aware of what the Ash-Gray Mage Raniel meant to the current mages. The academy even had a class modeled after this mage. What more could be said?

'I want to recruit him too.'

There was no one else like him. However, the problem was that it was almost impossible.

Ten days had passed since the news of his retirement was announced, yet there was no word about Raniel. The mage remained silent despite the numerous offers from various towers.

Perhaps he had gone to the elves' great forest for a vacation.

Or maybe he had been summoned by the noble ancient dragon mage.

Such rumors were circulating, but there was no solid information.

'Even the tower masters couldn't locate Raniel.'

No matter how prestigious the Aphria Academy was, Aaron was just a headmaster. How could he do what even the tower masters couldn't?

"Hmm..."

Aaron sighed deeply. He needed to hire more professors anyway. This year, an incredible number of talents had expressed their intention to enroll.

'I didn't expect them to be so good...'

When the first graduates were produced, Aaron never imagined that the students being too talented would become a problem.

The news of their achievements in various places kept coming in. As a result, the academy's reputation had become disproportionately high compared to its size.

'How am I supposed to handle such talents?'

Aaron sighed as he scanned the list of new students for the new semester on his desk.

-The only son of the Northern Duke, a Battle-Mage named Rak with innate combat sense.

-The next Master of the Ashen Tower, a Summoner named Resty who commands numerous familiars.

-A Battle-Mage and Shaman named Belnoa, who single-handedly destroyed the criminal organization "Twilight" in the slums.

All of them were talents who would dominate their era. Each one of them was at a level that the current faculty could hardly handle...

-Princess Ayla, the Fourth Princess.

-A child loved by the stars, Stella.

At the name of the last noble, Aaron slapped his forehead.

"I'm going to go insane, really."

The current faculty could never handle them. Where could he find a talented professor to drop from the sky?

"Hmmmm..."

Aaron sighed.

3.

"Raniel."

"Yes, Master."

"Have you thought about visiting the academy?"

"Me? At my age?"

There's at least a seven or eight-year age gap with them.

"No, not as a student, but as a professor."

"Hmm..."

I nodded.

"It doesn't sound bad, does it?"

Author's Note:

This chapter is more of an introduction.

Naming things is so difficult...

I almost got dizzy trying to come up with names for the academy, the characters who will appear, and even the names of the master and the headmaster...

* Raniel's age is between 25 and 27.

He met Roselle at around ten years old, studied magic for ten years, and then joined the hero party and went on adventures for about five years.