Chapter 15

Shannon protested.

“I can’t accept this.”

“And what exactly is it that you can’t accept?”

“That I’m disqualified. This wasn’t a fair test. I was under far harsher conditions than the others. You were standing right in front of me the entire time, weren’t you?”

It was true.

But so what?

In here, I make the rules.

“Where the professor chooses to stand during class is entirely up to them. And wasn’t that seat one you chose yourself?”

So you should’ve endured it with grit and determination.

Shannon was taken aback.

“From the start, the entire format of the test is questionable. Do you really believe a mage’s talent can be evaluated with such a crude method that requires neither technique nor skill?”

Instead of answering, I lifted my chin and looked down at Shannon with an arrogant expression.

As if telling her to keep going.

Emotion began creeping into Shannon’s tone.

“And what about the end? You distracted me on purpose. You suddenly slammed your hand down… It was cowardly! Is that how an adult should behave? I can’t recognize someone like that as a proper teacher.”

“A pathetic excuse. If your concentration faltered from something so small, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

Shannon bit her lip.

She was prideful by nature.

Even without me pointing it out, she knew full well that protesting her disqualification like this was akin to spitting in her own face.

I waited, letting Shannon stew in that realization for a moment, then spoke.

“Still, I must admit, I didn’t expect this.”

“……?”

“You wanted to take my class that badly?”

“What did you say?”

“If that’s not the case, then why are you so desperate over being disqualified? The only consequence of failing the test is that you won’t be allowed in my class. So what exactly are you angry about? If you truly have no interest in me, then there’s no reason to want to learn from me either.”

You’re arguing right now because you want to be in my class, and yet you’re spouting accusations against me?

That was the twisted interpretation I gave her.

Of course, it was deception.

Shannon furrowed her brows for a moment, trying to process the contradiction I’d pointed out, then shook her head.

“That’s not it…”

“I see. You believe you’re special. That you’re superior to everyone else and that it’s impossible for someone like you to fail a test. And if you do fail, then the test must be flawed. Classic case of childish cognitive dissonance.”

Shannon’s face flushed red.

It was a baseless accusation. But it probably hit closer to the truth than she’d like to admit.

She’d grown up being called a genius. There was no way she didn’t harbor a subconscious sense of superiority over others.

No matter how much someone like her tried to stay humble, feelings like that were almost inevitable for the truly gifted.

The slight drop in Shannon’s voice confirmed it.

“You’re wrong. I just…”

“Silence.”

I didn’t give her a chance to explain and kept pressing forward.

“So all that nonsense about having studied magic in Karaf, about being the student of such-and-such school…. was it all just delusion fueled by that fantasy of yours?”

There are two things widely known never to do to a mage from Karaf.

One: Tickle them while they’re chanting a spell.

And two: Question their roots.

The first might end with a half-bitten tongue from a disrupted incantation.

But the second could lead to far more serious consequences.

Because to a mage from Karaf, the honor of their teacher and their school was as precious as life itself.

Therefore, what I was about to say to Shannon was nothing short of a deliberate provocation. One that would trample all over the line of mutual respect she had drawn.

“Even your teacher would be ashamed of you. Or no—like teacher, like student? I can already picture what kind of fool must’ve taught someone like you.”

“Stop it.”

Suddenly, Shannon’s eyes changed.

Her voice no longer carried the anger or shame that had consumed her just moments ago, but something else entirely.

“What you just said insulted the honor of my school and my teacher. If you’re truly a mage, you should know better than to say such things.”

“What’s wrong with speaking the truth? If I’m wrong, prove it. Not that someone of your skill could possibly manage it.”

Shannon, in contrast, was calm.

Perhaps because it was no longer personal. She was no longer acting as just herself. She was now speaking as a member of her school, of Karaf’s mages, moved by the pride and duty they all shared.

It was the difference between acting as an individual and acting as part of a collective identity.

“Take back what you said. Right now. Or else…”

I knew exactly what she meant, but I asked anyway.

“Or else what?”

“I’ll challenge you to a duel.”

“Very well.”

The young prodigy’s declaration of war against a 7th-class mage was bold and without hesitation. And I too made my decision without a moment’s hesitation.

“……”

Only, Shannon furrowed her brows in surprise.

She clearly hadn’t expected me to accept the duel so readily as if I’d been waiting for it.

“However, make sure you follow the proper procedures and format.”

“…What?”

“Did you really think we’d just start throwing punches here and now? This academy isn’t some playground for unruly children. And it’s not Karaf, where you grew up. If you’ve come to the academy, you follow academy rules.”

For a duel to be officially sanctioned, certain steps and formalities are required.

A cumbersome process that was not simple in the least.

I provoked her on purpose to make sure she couldn’t back out.

“If you plan on making excuses and running away, now’s your last chance. Think carefully, Shannon Quinlivan.”

“Who said anything about running away? You think I can’t do it?”

Good.

That’s the spirit I wanted to see.

Shannon gritted her teeth.

“But you have to promise. If I win the duel, you’ll take back what you said today….and apologize to both me and my teacher.”

“I doubt that’ll happen… but fine. What will you do if you lose?”

“Do whatever you want. Make me lick your shoes if you like. Not that it’s ever going to come to that.”

“Then we’ll consider the next lecture replaced by the duel. I hope you don’t put on a pathetic display.”

“Just wait and see.”

With a glare, Shannon threw open the auditorium door and stormed out.

Bang!

I watched the door rebound off the wall and nodded slightly.

Just as planned.

As I mentioned before, the easiest way to earn authority is to crush challengers.

In a similar manner, the simplest way to earn Shannon’s respect was to shatter her pride completely through sheer skill.

That’s the kind of person Shannon was.

There were twists and turns, but in the end, I succeeded in getting her to accept the duel.

It was a rather rough approach for laying the groundwork to make her an ally, but… well, there’ll be plenty of chances later to make up for any lost points from the provocative things I said.

Now, it was time to wrap up the class.

I looked at the ones who had survived the skill test.

Inside the wrecked auditorium, the number of students still standing could be counted on one hand…literally.

Two upperclassmen and, surprisingly, two freshmen.

I wondered how those freshmen managed to endure the magical pressure that even a genius like Shannon had struggled with.

Turned out, their seats had been right behind Shannon.

Most likely, her mana field had acted as a shield, and they survived by sheer luck.

Honestly, considering Shannon’s level, whether there were four who passed or none at all made little difference to me, but I decided to let them stay.

“Those still standing have passed.”

A sigh of relief spread through the room.

“And that concludes today’s class.”

It hadn’t even been an hour since the lecture began, but the atmosphere was already far from suitable for teaching anything.

A short class worked just fine for me, too.

I was about to leave the auditorium without a second thought when someone suddenly raised their hand.

Second row from the front.

It was one of the freshmen who had survived by sheer luck.

A first-year student with neatly braided black hair, who gave off a diligent impression.

When I gave a slight nod to permit her to speak, the girl with round-rimmed glasses said,

“I’m Rita Ridge, Professor.”

“Speak.”

“I think Jacqueline passed out?”

Next to her stood Jacqueline Dogwood, one of the freshmen who seemed oddly familiar, with a vacant, lifeless look on her face.

“Take her to the healer waiting outside. If it’s serious, they’ll bring her to the infirmary.”

To pass out while still standing. It was impressive mental strength if nothing else… Still, she stayed on her feet until the end of the test, so I suppose that counts as a pass, too.

***

After storming out of the auditorium, Shannon wandered the campus for a while, trying to cool off.

But in the end, she couldn’t hold it in and kicked the ground in frustration.

“What the hell was that attitude?!”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

He had bullied her out of nowhere, provoked her, even insulted her.

And when she challenged him to a duel, he went as far as to treat her like a child.

“There’s a limit to how shameless someone can be!”

She had managed to endure the absurdity of the test and even the fact that she had failed it.

But slandering one’s school of magic and teacher? That was the gravest insult one could throw at a mage.

So Shannon’s challenge to a duel was only natural for a Karaf mage.

Any of her fellow fellow students would’ve acted just as she did in the same situation.

Yet when she issued the challenge, the professor accepted it without the slightest hesitation or calculation.

As if he’d been waiting for it.

…Don’t tell me he did it on purpose?

If that were true, then even the outrageous provocations from Professor Winslet would start to make sense.

If it was all a trap, and she had played right into his hands from the very beginning…

“……”

But Shannon quickly concluded that couldn’t be it.

There was no reason for it.

Every action has a motive.

No matter how infamous Professor Winslet’s reputation was, what possible reason could he have to act that way toward a first-year he had just met?

No, unless…

As she ran through every possibility in her mind, one particular thought flashed through her.

That the professor might know who she really was.

Could it be that he already knew her true identity?

No—

Could he… remember me?