Chapter 17

Winter Winslet, Monastrell, and Sophia.

Fans of Candela of Judgment collectively called this trio “The Good, the Bad, and the Weird”.

The “Bad” was naturally Winter Winslet, the “Weird” was Monastrell, the one who once tried to gouge out my eye. And the “Good” was none other than Sophia.

The reason the three were grouped together was simple: they were the strongest individuals in the academy.

At the Royal Academy, there were only two people who showed no fear of Winter Winslet. They were Monastrell and Sophia.

It was because they both possessed the power to stand against me.

So it wasn’t just anger when she came to confront me.

However, the duel that began in a conveniently found clearing ended in a surprisingly one-sided fashion.

The result? A victory by decision for me.

Boom.

With a sound that shook the earth, the earth spirit Sophia had summoned fell to its knees.

The heavy infantry sculpted from dirt was three times the size of a human and a fearless warrior who knew no pain. But it couldn’t withstand the storm of ice spears I’d rained down.

Was it about 230 spears I landed just now?

The spirit’s thick armor wasn’t easily pierced, but one shot to the knee joint was critical.

As crystals of ice began forming inside its knee, the expanding pressure split the dirt apart.

Having lost one leg, the guardian spirit used its remaining arms to shield its summoner, Sophia.

That was all it could do.

And with that last spirit defeated, Sophia did not summon another.

“It seems the match is decided.”

As I dispersed the magic I had gathered to its peak and surveyed the surroundings, what came into view was a scene of utter devastation within a 30-meter radius.

Coincidentally, that 30 meters marked the exact boundary where onlookers had gathered.

Originally, it had been a flower garden painted in white and yellow with planted Setoka and freesia. But now it was so thoroughly ruined that its former beauty was unrecognizable.

The clash of spirit magic and elemental magic had left the area riddled with scorched marks, lightning strikes, unstable air currents, and fire…but above all else, frozen stillness dominated the scene.

This was the result of Winter Winslet’s unfiltered display of his S-rank elemental talent in Ice Magic.

It had turned the battleground into a magical disaster zone that wouldn’t melt naturally for at least three days.

Crack, crunch.

The collapsing noise of the spirit being reverse-summoned.

From within the crumbling mass of earth, Professor Sophia stepped out.

I asked,

“Will you acknowledge defeat?”

“I haven’t even used half of my power yet.”

Childish.

So I asked again,

“Then shall we continue?”

“…No.”

Just as I thought.

From the moment this saintess showed no willingness to risk obliterating academy grounds or injuring bystanders, it was clear the fight would stall out.

She hadn’t even triggered a death flag against me. She never intended to go all-out.

Professor Sophia affirmed my thoughts with a deep sigh.

“Going any further would only trouble the academy and might endanger the onlookers… It’s best to end things here.”

“I’ll have the theology department billed for the garden’s restoration.”

“You’re as consistent as ever.”

“It’s not that you held back out of concern for the money… right?”

“I simply judged that this was enough to convey my intentions. If you ever stray onto the wrong path, I will stand before you again with greater strength. So please, I ask once more: won’t you reconsider that duel with the student?”

“My answer hasn’t changed.”

Which meant no.

I had no intention of backing down since I had a clear plan. That was to thoroughly discipline Shannon with skill and then bring her over to my side.

But the saintess misunderstood my intentions, closed her eyes tightly, and turned to her god.

“Why did God grant someone like you such immense power…? Great strength must always be used with righteous intent. For the sake of the world and for your own sake.”

“If you’re here to preach, you’ve come to the wrong place, Saintess.”

“I just don’t want you to commit an irreversible sin against that child, Shannon. With your skill, you should be able to discipline a disobedient student without leaving her wounded, shouldn’t you? So when the time comes to choose, I beg you. Please show her mercy.”

I understood what she was worried about.

But since I planned to make Shannon an ally anyway, I had no intention of hurting her severely.

“I’ll try.”

“‘Try’…?”

Professor Sophia echoed my words.

It wasn’t out of dissatisfaction or disbelief.

Rather, she seemed somewhat moved. Perhaps she never imagined she’d hear such words from Winter Winslet.

“Alright. I’ll trust you. Many have testified to your evil doings, but I still believe there’s a shard of goodness left within you. And even if not, I’ll pray that someday… it will come to be.”

The scary thing about prayers is that sometimes, they hit the mark.

Monastrell, Sakis Lubas…

Why is it that people with such frightening intuition keep gathering around Winter Winslet?

***

For some reason, a lot of people came looking for me today.

After parting ways with Sophia, I was promptly summoned by the dean of the Magic Department under the pretext of a meeting.

The dean dares to summon me?

The former dean once offended Professor Winslet and got dismissed for it. Seems the new one doesn’t yet understand what kind of place the Academy really is.

Still, I had been meaning to see his face at least once myself, so I graciously made the trip to the Dean’s Office on the third floor of the Magic Department.

Bang.

As soon as I arrived, I flung open the door and walked in. A large man was seated in a chair.

“Oh… I expected at least a knock.”

Ignoring him, I walked straight in and took the head seat for myself.

I even asked him his name.

“Your name?”

“Jonathan Kingfisher… apparently.”

The dean was a middle-aged man with a greedy look about him.

His sagging jowls reminded me of a deep-sea fish.

He kept glancing sideways at me, seemingly unsure of what kind of stance he ought to take.

Even with me being this helpful, he’s still confused?

Winter Winslet was the true power behind the Magic Department.

A vague pecking order only makes things tiresome for both parties. Better to make the hierarchy crystal clear from the start.

“Sit down. How long are you planning to just stand there?”

“Hrm. You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”

Trying to maintain his dignity, the dean waddled around the room once before finally taking the seat across from me.

Creaaak.

The couch groaned under his heavy weight.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. The eldest son of the Winslet County, a baron in your own right, and a 7th-class mage. Impressive. Truly impressive. To think I’d meet someone like you in a shabby little place like this academy. It almost feels like destiny.”

I was wondering why he was trying to set the mood like that. Then the next thing he said was beyond ridiculous.

“So, here’s what I’m getting at. Have you ever considered becoming one of my people?”

“……”

I was at a loss for words for a moment.

What the hell is this guy on about?

***

A block away from the Magic Department building was a café run by the department’s botanical garden.

It was set up inside one of the greenhouses, which was open to guests, and was popular for its combination of floral scents and natural sunlight.

However, it was for faculty only; students weren’t allowed. And at that very moment, while Winter Winslet was visiting the dean’s office…

Charles, Breda, and Corrigan—the three professors of the Magic Department—were enjoying their afternoon tea there.

No matter how busy things got, they always made sure to meet at least once a week. It was a long-standing tradition among close colleagues.

“Sorry I’m late.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Professor Charles, I went ahead and ordered your usual sandwich.”

“Thanks. What were you two talking about?”

“The new dean.”

“Ugh.”

Professor Charles grimaced the moment he heard the answer.

He asked,

“Did you two happen to meet with the dean as well?”

“Yes, I met with him just yesterday.”

“Whoa. Professor Breda too? I thought he was only picking on the junior faculty.”

Among the three, Professor Breda had the longest career. This was her eleventh year teaching at the academy.

She clicked her tongue.

“Judging by how the dean’s been acting, it looks like he plans to summon every single professor in the Magic Department.”

“Ugh, I really hate that kind of thing. What’s his deal, anyway?”

Their conversation paused briefly when the tea set they’d ordered arrived.

The three-tiered stand filled with sandwiches, scones, tarts, and cakes, was gradually emptied from the bottom up.

Soon enough, the topic returned to the new dean.

“About the dean….didn’t he work for the Royal Magic Department before coming to the academy? I heard it’s a really high-up place.”

“If it was the Life Support Division, it’s not exactly the most prestigious division.”

“Really? Then why does he act so high and mighty? I humored him once, and he just kept going on and on about himself.”

“Was it just bragging?”

“As if. The moment I finally said something, he asked what was wrong with my mindset. Then he said that’s exactly why I ended up teaching kids at the academy.”

“What? Is he insane?”

Corrigan, who had been quietly listening until now, let out a heavy sigh.

“When I went in, he told me to sit and wait and kept me waiting for thirty minutes. He was just trimming a bonsai right in front of me the whole time.”

“Completely off-putting…”

“What’s his problem, seriously?”

“He’s probably just trying to intimidate us.”

“And what does he gain from intimidating us?”

“Exactly.”

“With a personality like that, no wonder he’s lost all his hair.”

A short burst of laughter followed.

The three professors continued to relieve their stress by exchanging creative jokes about the potbellied, balding dean.

“Oh, by the way, did you two get one of these too?”

“One of what?”

“That weird gift from the dean. Let me see… this thing.”

Professor Breda pulled a small object out of her handbag.

It was a brooch studded with gemstones.

The other two nodded in recognition.

“Oh wow, I got the exact same one. Did he pick these up on a trip or something?”

“Phew. For a moment, I wondered if he had some weird crush on me, giving me jewelry and all. But I guess it’s just a souvenir. That’s… a relief, I suppose?”

“You don’t think the stones are fake, do you?”

“Honestly, who cares? It’s not like anyone would want to wear it anyway. A spider design? Just looking at it gives me the creeps.”

“Such terrible taste.”

“My thoughts exactly. I accepted it just to avoid giving him another reason to complain, but I can only imagine how much he’ll brag about it later…”

The three professors let out a simultaneous sigh.

“That’s just how work life is. It’s not like we have any power. All we can do is endure.”

“I really hope he doesn’t start trying to form factions or stir up conflict.”

“Seriously.”

“No way I’m getting caught in that mess.”

They nodded in firm agreement.

Then Professor Charles, as if something had just occurred to him, spoke up.

“Actually, you know…”

“Yes?”

“If the dean really plans to meet with every single professor….do you think he’ll call in Professor Winslet too? I mean, technically he’s part of the Magic Department.”

The other two professors let out incredulous chuckles.

“Oh, come on. Maybe if it were someone easy to push around like us, but the dean going after him?”

“The previous dean ended up getting the axe just for getting on his bad side…”

“The new guy might just be unfamiliar with how things work around here.”

“Still, people have instincts. Don’t you get that gut feeling when you make eye contact with Professor Winslet? Like, ‘Yeah… this is someone you don’t mess with’.”

“Exactly, exactly. Ugh, just thinking about it gives me chills.”

While Professor Charles rubbed his arms as if trying to shake off a shiver, Professor Corrigan muttered in a serious tone,

“But honestly…”

“Honestly?”

“I kind of hope it happens. Aren’t you curious? What would happen if the dean and Professor Winslet actually met face to face?”

A moment later, as if they’d all pictured the same ending, laughter burst out across the table.

“Poor dean.”

“He’d have it coming!”

“Unbelievable. Never thought I’d see the day I’d be rooting for Professor Winslet.”