Chapter 59

"Hello, my name is Evan Baryon. I’ll be working with you in my lab from today."

Late afternoon. The warm sunlight streamed in through the window.

In the lecture hall filled with people, a clear and bright female voice echoed.

Renock, receiving countless gazes, silently scratched his face.

To be honest, the looks from the students sitting in the lecture hall... weren't exactly friendly.

Aris continued speaking calmly, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere in the lecture hall.

“Evan has achieved considerable success in the field of magical theory and possesses excellent qualities theoretically. He will primarily assist with research in my lab, but I may occasionally call him to help with lectures, so I wanted to introduce him to you all in advance.”

“Nice to meet you all.”

With a faint smile, he greeted them, and a few students in the front row responded with small greetings.

However, most of the other students either frowned at him openly or seemed completely uninterested.

Renock had anticipated such a situation from the moment he decided to join her lab, so his expression remained calm.

When Aris signaled to Renock with her eyes, he slightly bowed his head and immediately left the lecture hall.

“Then let’s start today’s class. As I explained in the last lecture, the core of the magical linkage that forms water-based magic is...”

Behind the door, Aris’s voice faintly echoed as Renock raised his hand to massage his face.

The disguise magic was still working smoothly.

Although he inadvertently showed his true face to Aris, there was no need to do the same for the other students at the university.

What if a student he ran into on the street recognized his original face? It would be a terrifying thought.

So, Renock added a plausible excuse about having a disguise artifact and asked for Aris’s understanding, changing his face to that of Evan Baryon.

He didn’t expect much. It would be enough if he could maintain a certain distance between his identity here and Renock’s position.

Slowly lifting his head, he took in the wide corridor.

Lavaton University.

The magic university he had only heard about. It was the first day he set foot in the educational institution designed to train mages.

As they said, the government had invested a lot of money and managed it continuously, and indeed, the facilities were impeccable.

The clean marble, the luxurious chandeliers, the thick carpet that cushioned his steps, and the warm corridor even as winter approached—all were top-notch facilities.

This place was so luxurious that it could rival the office of Panora, the head of the planning team at Dyke Corporation.

‘I should head back to the lab first.’

Aris’s lab was in a different building, a two-story structure that she used entirely on her own.

He had briefly checked it out when he first arrived, and it was filled with equipment and books he had never seen before, enough to keep him occupied on his own.

Actually, he even thought it would be better if Aris’s lecture ended a bit later, but just as he was about to take a step—

Bang!

Someone walking down the corridor behind him shot a sharp magical force at his back.

It was too sharp to be a coincidence, a bit too light to be an attack, and quite heavy to be a mere provocation.

It was a blatant aggregation of magic, clearly intended to suppress him.

It was so sloppy that Renock could easily grab the hair and reverse its direction.

‘What should I do...’

In the short time it took for the magical force to reach him, more than seven ways to handle it came to mind.

It wouldn’t be difficult to suppress the person who had just thrown this trick, but doing so would ruin his chance to blend in at the university.

At least in front of Aris, he needed to act like a researcher who was only proficient in theory.

Renock’s mind quickly spun, and he found the optimal solution to give the other person a taste of their own medicine.

‘This should do it.’

Pretending to turn his head slightly, he subtly twisted the magic to change the direction of the aggregation.

A manipulation so subtle that no one could notice.

The aggregation, easily escaping the caster’s control, shot straight up to the ceiling.

Clang!

It completely shattered the exquisite chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

The loud noise echoing through the corridor instantly turned the lecture hall into a chaotic scene.

As the door burst open and Aris strode out, Renock turned his head and put on a surprised expression.

“Evan. What’s going on here?”

Aris, noticing the shattered chandelier, frowned slightly with her blue eyes, while a lazy voice came from behind her.

“He seemed to have made a mistake while manipulating magic.”

The person walking over, making the sound of his shoes, was a tall young man with a striking appearance, his hair swept to one side.

Despite his sharp jawline and thick eyebrows, his smile was incredibly gentle, making his overall appearance seem kind.

He smiled kindly at Aris and slightly bowed his head.

“Professor. It’s been a while.”

However, Aris didn’t respond to his greeting and immediately asked.

“Archiwood. What do you mean by a mistake in magic manipulation? I want to hear why the chandelier shattered right next to my researcher.”

Now it seemed that Aris’s sharp reaction wasn’t just because her class was interrupted.

Even as Aris spoke coldly, the man called Archiwood maintained his composure and said.

“It seems he was assembling magic in the corridor and made a mistake, causing a backlash. The magic shot out of his hand and headed straight up.”

“.........”

Renock looked at Archiwood, who was calmly lying, with a bewildered expression, but Archiwood even gave him a slight smile.

Although they were meeting for the first time, Renock could guess his character and background.

Despite his plan not working out, Archiwood had thought of the most efficient way to embarrass Renock in front of the many students watching from the lecture hall and Aris.

Renock, already marked as a reckless researcher who shattered a chandelier and couldn’t control his magic, would be seen even less favorably by the already unfriendly students.

‘It’s a bit amusing, though.’

He had experienced such territorial behavior before, but this was the first time someone had so openly and yet so cunningly tried to make him look bad.

Aris, it seems.

If Renock were really an ordinary person with no magic or abilities, he would have been completely at the mercy of Archiwood’s tricks.

But Archiwood didn’t know that Renock had already anticipated this situation.

As evidence, Archiwood only now realized that Aris’s gaze towards him contained a faint hint of contempt.

His expression, which had been hidden behind a gentle smile, wavered slightly.

“...Professor?”

“I’ll ask you again. Did Evan make a mistake while using magic, causing this to happen?”

“Yes, but...”

Even as he answered, his face showed no hint of what had gone wrong.

It was even stranger that he didn’t realize why the situation had escalated to this point.

Aris had personally recruited him to her lab, and it was impossible for her not to know that he couldn’t use magic.

And because of that... Archiwood’s calm expression and lies seemed even more despicable.

Aris, now with a completely cold expression, slowly opened her lips as she looked up at Archiwood.

“Archiwood. If you ever try to lay a hand on my researcher like this again, I won’t let it go. Understand?”

“..........”

“I thought you might feel disappointed about not being able to join my lab, but to take out your frustration in such a petty way... I must have misjudged you.”

Fortunately, Archiwood, though his character was flawed, wasn’t stupid.

He realized his lie had been seen through and, in the midst of this, chose to prioritize practicality over pride.

“...I’m sorry.”

The students in the lecture hall murmured as Archiwood deeply bowed his head, but Renock knew this judgment was correct.

After all, the students’ opinions could be fatal to Renock, who had just joined the lab, but not to Archiwood.

What was important for Archiwood now was to somehow defuse this difficult situation.

However, Aris, seemingly reading his thoughts, didn’t easily accept his apology.

“If this happens again, I’ll send a letter to your family and the magic tower to get a clear response.”

She said this with a completely changed tone, almost glaring at Archiwood.

“If you understand, you can leave.”

He bowed his head again without a word and straightened his back.

In the process, he didn’t forget to give Renock a glance.

Renock, instead of avoiding the blatant look, simply smiled at him.

Just as Archiwood had done when he first saw Renock.

“.........”

The slight veins popping on Archiwood’s forehead, who had been maintaining his composure, were clearly visible.

However, he didn’t forget that Aris was watching him closely.

As Archiwood turned and disappeared down the corridor, Aris slammed the door to the lecture hall shut.

Bang!

As soon as she was free from the students’ gazes, Aris turned her head and spoke.

“Renock.”

Of course, she already knew his real name.

It would have been impossible to reveal his fake name and identity as Evan Baryon and ask for cooperation without telling her.

It was a tricky situation, but she, being an excellent mage, clearly distinguished between the two names and treated him accordingly.

“Yes, Professor.”

“This isn’t just a matter of bad luck. As you might have guessed, Archiwood intentionally harbored ill will and caused this. I didn’t expect him to brazenly shift the blame...”

“.........”

Aris continued with a troubled look.

“I’m sorry. Of course, just saying this won’t actually improve the situation. I’ll talk to the administration as soon as possible to find a solution.”

Fortunately, Aris didn’t seem to be the kind of person who believed she could fix or lecture someone with just a few words.

She clearly understood that a person like Archiwood wouldn’t change his behavior just because of this incident and that the likelihood of him not causing trouble for Renock was low.

Renock nodded calmly.

If she said she would find a solution, it wouldn’t be a lie. Besides, the events unfolding weren’t entirely incomprehensible.

Aris Richelieu was a talented and skilled mage who had reached the high-level 6th tier at a young age, had an excellent background in the Sinclair Magic Tower, and was a remarkable beauty.

For a Lavaton University student, the intangible benefits of being part of her lab would be considerable.

“Try to stay within my sight as much as possible on campus, and when you go outside, make sure to change your appearance.”

“Understood.”

With Renock’s response, Aris finally nodded, looking a bit more relaxed.

Her expression, as she swept her golden hair, seemed a bit more tired than before.

“I’ll try to find a decent artifact for protection soon. I don’t want a researcher I’ve just recruited to get hurt over something like this.”

Her words clearly showed her concern. He could trust her to that extent.

At least, Aris had never imposed one-sided losses or positions on Renock.

Renock declined Aris’s offer to return to the lab together and left the lecture building.

“........”

The numerous gazes following his back as he turned.

Even without seeing them, he knew what they were.

Curiosity, suspicion, jealousy, indifference...

It was the first time since coming to this world that he had received such cold looks.

If the news that Renock couldn’t use magic spread, it would only get worse.

But it didn’t matter. He hadn’t accepted her offer to experience the fresh atmosphere of the university.

However, there was no reason to tolerate the person who had first shown him his teeth.

In the cold wind blowing beyond the school building, Renock faintly smiled as he detected Archiwood’s gaze among the hundreds of students walking around the campus.

‘He probably thinks he can get away with it as long as Aris doesn’t notice.’

It was obvious, but it was fortunate.

If Renock had been the only one thinking this way, things would have been much more difficult.