The weekend was over, and the first class of the week was about to begin.
The students in the classroom, suffering from the Monday blues, were wandering around like zombies, lanting their fate.
The Monday blues were a universal affliction, the root of all evils in every world.
And I, too, had fallen victim to it...
But the real problem wasn't the Monday blues.
I glanced to the side.
Luna hadn't arrived in the classroom yet.
'Sigh... What should I do about Luna...?'
[What's done is done. The best course of action seems to be asking Sonya Fiedrich to cover for you.]
'That's not exactly easy either...'
Last night, while I was waiting on the terrace, Luna overheard muttering into the communication device.
It was the kind of line that was bound to cause misunderstandings.
...Well, it wasn't a misunderstanding, but the truth.
My big mouth is always the problem.
After that, Luna ran back to the dorm, and I couldn't et her.
And the shattered glass behind was the one that had held our drinks.
She had brought two glasses, so it seed she had intended to drink with .
'I'll have to ask Sonya for help.'
[Since the first class today is Sonya Fiedrich's, you can talk to her right after...]
As I was communicating, soone entered the classroom and walked up to the podium.
It was the teaching assistant.
"Ah, due to so circumstances with the professors, the schedule has been changed. Today's first class will be Special Magic Studies, followed by Magic Circle Application."
The announcent of the sudden schedule change ca just before class.
The students began murmuring.
'...Ugh, nothing's going right!'
[You'll probably have to talk to her during club activities.]
After the teaching assistant left and so ti passed, the professor teaching Special Magic Studies entered.
At that mont, Luna hurriedly slipped in through the back door and sat next to .
She must have been waiting outside and tid her entrance with the professor's arrival.
'...Let's think about it during class. There must be a way.'
[From the looks of it, she probably won't respond even if you talk to her.]
As Armonia said, Luna was sitting with her head down, completely unable to focus on the class.
She was listlessly staring at her book, but her eyes seed unfocused.
Fortunately, from a distance, it looked like she was concentrating on the book, so the professor didn't seem to notice.
The elderly professor on the podium smiled and said.
"So of you might be confused by the sudden schedule change, but that's life. Waiting for a beautiful professor only to have an old man show up is just part of life."
The students laughed along with the professor's joke.
"Today's class will be about golems, which are based on the mana drain we discussed last ti."
Golems existed in this world too.
They were created by connecting magic circles made by multiple people to a single mana stone, like circuits, and were used as war machines in the past.
"A golem isn't considered good just because it's strong and durable. No matter how strong or tough it is, if it can be dismantled with a single spell, it's essentially a defective product."
As expected of an elderly professor, his eloquence was impressive, and his teaching thod was clear.
Learning one thing led seamlessly into the next, making it efficient to grasp new concepts.
The professor explained various types of golems.
The golems he described were ones I was already familiar with.
So were made of fire, so of ice, and others purely of rock.
And at the end of his explanation, he ntioned a type of golem called the "mana golem."
"Mana golems... The na sounds grand, but they're not that special. Created to target certain mages, they were a byproduct of mana drain research."
The mana golem, made purely of sand, usually hid its core within a pile of sand and posed no threat to ordinary people.
"But the mont it detects a mage nearby... It imdiately begins absorbing mana and transforms into the golem form you're all familiar with."
Moreover, once transford, the golem creates an outer shell using the absorbed mana, encasing itself in a mana barrier.
"Now, does anyone know who these mana golems were designed to target?"
All the students fell silent.
Even Louis, who was born with a knack for being the centre of attention, stayed quiet.
'I'm hearing about this mana golem for the first ti today.'
[It was a weapon used during the Continental War, targeting individuals with low mana—essentially, mages at the level of Stura School students.]
'Oh, but I'll stay quiet.'
I didn't feel like raising my hand.
"Haha. I'm sure most of you are hearing about mana golems for the first ti today. It's not even in the textbooks you're using."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Since no one knew, there was no reason to feel embarrassed about not knowing.
But the professor, who seed to enjoy the students' relieved sighs, gave a mischievous smile.
"Still, since we've started, let's finish by sacrificing one student, shall we?"
Everyone laughed awkwardly, trying to avoid the professor's gaze.
The professor slowly scanned the room, and his eyes landed on soone. He smiled.
Towards my side—no, right next to —he spoke.
"You there, the student who's been diligently reading. Have you found the answer?"
"..."
Luna just stared blankly at her book, unable to answer.
No, she wasn't even listening to the professor.
I nudged her lightly.
"!"
Startled, she looked at .
I gestured for her to look at the podium.
Flustered, she glanced around and then stared blankly at the elderly professor on the podium.
"You've been reading so diligently. Have you figured out who the mana golems were designed to target?"
"Uh, um..."
It seed she hadn't been listening to the class at all.
'This won't do.'
[?]
I quickly wrote down the answer I'd heard from Armonia on a piece of paper and slid it over to Luna.
"!"
Thanks to my aim, the paper flew over unnoticed and landed perfectly on Luna's desk.
Flustered, Luna read the paper and recited the answer.
"Uh... They were designed to target students like us... who are still inexperienced with mana."
"Oh ho!"
The professor looked surprised and stared at Luna.
His usually calm expression broke into a wide smile.
"That's truly impressive. To deduce sothing not even in the curriculum on your own—well done."
"Uh, um..."
"I'll give you 10 bonus points."
Everyone started clapping.
Given that Luna was naturally a top student, the others looked at her with admiration and applauded.
"..."
Luna, who had been glancing at , cautiously sat back down.
She kept sneaking glances at but didn't say a word.
The professor on the podium spoke again.
"The reason I brought up mana golems today is to remind you that your greatest enemy isn't an old mage like , but mana golems."
He explained that the mana of inexperienced students was disorganized and prone to dispersion.
That's why they were given bracelets early on to help with the magic circle application.
"If you ever encounter a mana golem, run away imdiately."
The statent might have seed dismissive, but everyone fell silent.
"It will devour your mana in an instant, activate itself, and you'll end up harming yourself with your own mana."
The professor, with a serious expression, added one more thing.
"Especially, I urge you all to avoid the training grounds in the forest east of Stura School. It's the only place in the world where mana golems still remain, used for third-year practical training."
He warned that accidentally entering the area could be life-threatening.
It was a matchup that was simply too unfavourable.
The professor, with a gentle expression, continued the class.
"Now, let's move on to how to handle a mana golem encounter in the future..."
Today's Special Magic Studies class began and ended with mana golems.
***
"I hope you all have a pleasant lunch. Class dismissed."
With the professor's calm voice, the class ended.
I imdiately tried to talk to Luna.
"Hey..."
Tap-tap!
Luna had already left her seat and was skillfully manoeuvring out of the classroom like she was in Initial D.
[T/N: Initial D is a manga/ani series.]
'...Damn it.'
[You'll need to resolve things with Luna slowly. But Suho, rember this.]
Armonia spoke with a sense of deep consideration.
[Even if the mission fails, as long as you're here, we can continue. But being led around like this is highly inefficient.]
'...Got it. I won't bother chasing girls unnecessarily anymore.'
[No. Regarding Sonya Fiedrich, I actually think it's one of the better outcos. But I'm just emphasizing the need to be cautious.]
It was definitely a masterstroke to address Sonya's frustrations and prevent her from turning to Louis.
I never thought that guy would stray just because Luna wasn't paying attention to him.
But that was just a stroke of luck, and our goal is to lead Louis down a path of ruin.
I decided to be more careful with the next mission.
'...Let's go grab so food.'
[Suho.]
'Huh?'
[Sonya Fiedrich is coming.]
As I was preparing to leave the classroom, I saw Sonya in the distance gesturing for to co over.
'...'
[As I've said many tis, you don't need to take my words too seriously. You're doing well enough.]
'Thanks, then.'
I chuckled and approached Sonya.
The students were heading to the cafeteria, and the classroom and hallway soon quieted down.
Only a few students were chatting here and there.
"What's up?"
"Ah, it's sothing important. Do you have ti?"
"Sure."
"What I wanted to say..."
Sonya's story was simple.
She wouldn't be able to teach for a while, and as a result, club activities would also be temporarily suspended.
"Huh? What's going on?"
"Well..."
Sonya hesitated, lost in thought, then looked around to make sure no one was nearby and spoke quietly.
"You can't tell anyone."
"...? Of course. I won't say a word."
"...There's an opening for an assistant professor position, and I'm one of the candidates."
"Oh... Congratulations."
"Thank you. But I haven't been selected yet. The problem isn't that, though."
"Huh?"
"You rember the assistant professor who taught Magic Circle Application before, right? The one you didn't get along with?"
She was referring to the assistant professor who had sexually harassed Luna.
"Yeah, I said he was like a pesky fly, and he went ballistic."
"Pfft... Ahem, I called you here to warn you about him."
"...?"
"The vacancy is for his position."
"Oh! ...Isn't that a good thing?"
I almost cheered out loud but checked my surroundings and spoke quietly again.
"Right. It's good, but the problem is that he's still an assistant professor."
Stura Magic School is known for its strong protection of professors' positions.
Even if they're dismissed, they're treated like family until they leave.
And the assistant professor's authority remains intact...
"If he happens to run into you, he might find any excuse to deduct points."
"Can he really do that?"
"Yes. That's why I'm warning you. By the way, where's Luna...?"
Sonya had assud Luna would be joining us for lunch.
"Well..."
I explained in detail what had happened yesterday.
Thud!
"Ouch!!"
She really hit hard.
"Why'd you do that!"
"I didn't notice she was behind ?"
"Sigh... I'll talk to her separately. Don't make any more mistakes, okay?"
"Uh..."
"...?"
Sonya looked at with an expression that said, "What did you do now?"
Curious, I asked her.
"Professor Sonya, why are you helping ?"
"..."
I'd been wondering for a while.
I could understand helping to so extent, but her active support was puzzling.
This wasn't just any matter—it involved sending away the man by her side.
"I like you, Suho."
"..."
"But our relationship can only end in despair. I... don't want you to face that future."
A married woman and her student could never find happiness together.
[She's a very wise woman.]
'Yeah... I'm really lucky.'
Sonya patted on the shoulder as she left her final words.
"I'll figure out how to explain things to Luna. So, for now, don't say anything unnecessary and just wait."
"Okay... Professor."
"Hm?"
"...I love you."
"Hehe... You should save those words for soone else."
Sonya left with a bittersweet smile.
***
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