Chapter 21: A Strange Morning and the Professor’s Quirks

The Morning Revelation and the Mysterious Professor

The next morning, Sion and Patrick were walking together as usual.

However, Patrick’s expression was unusually tense.

“…Tell me everything you said was a joke. You didn’t actually try to form a Circle on your own, did you? That’s impossible, right?”

“Huh? No, it’s true. I sat alone in the training room and—”

“Are you insane?!”

Patrick’s sudden outburst made Sion cover his ears.

Shouting that loudly right next to him left his eardrums ringing.

“What’s with you? Why are you yelling all of a sudden?”

“Do you even understand how dangerous forming a Circle is?! You could have died! No, let me be clear—you would have died if that senior hadn’t helped you.”

“…It’s that dangerous? Well, I guess it was…”

Sion instinctively rubbed the back of his neck, a chill running down his spine.

The thought that he had narrowly escaped death still didn’t feel real.

He had assumed creating a Circle alone would be straightforward.

“I mean, I just followed the steps you explained.”

“That’s just the basic principle! I never told you to recklessly try it alone!”

“…Oh. Did you?”

“Yes, I did! Ugh, you really have no common sense about magic.”

Patrick shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Sion felt a pang of guilt. He knew better than anyone how clueless he was about magic.

And given how often Patrick had to correct him, he decided not to argue any further.

Even as he watched Patrick, Sion reflected silently.

‘Still, now I know how to do it. I nearly succeeded, too.’

He recalled the events of the previous day.

He had meditated, gathered all the mana within him to its limits, and compressed it into a ring around his heart.

If Michelle hadn’t intervened, he might have completed the Circle on his own.

– Of course, he also would have died from the absurd heat in the process.

Despite brushing so close to death, Sion felt hopeful.

If he followed Michelle’s advice and sought a professor’s help,

he was confident he could safely achieve 2-Circle.

“You’re honestly a mystery,” Patrick said, breaking the silence. “You don’t know much about Circles or elemental magic, but you’re strangely good at using magic. I mean, you’ve never practiced the simplest barrier spell, yet you suddenly cast it without incantation?”

“…That can happen.”

“Happen, my ass. Wait, are you—”

Patrick fixed Sion with a serious stare.

What was this? Had Patrick figured out he was a reincarnated person from another world?

Sion gulped nervously.

“—a magical prodigy?!”

“…What?”

Sion blinked in confusion.

“I mean, think about it. You not only learn spells quickly, but you’re also doing advanced stuff like silent magic. And then there’s your swordsmanship. Are you trying to hog all the talent for yourself?”

“Ah, haha…”

Patrick’s theory wasn’t unreasonable.

Sion knew nothing about magic, yet he could perform it with surprising ease.

To an outsider, it probably did seem like a natural talent.

‘Maybe I should tone it down a bit.’

Sion briefly considered that but decided against it.

As long as he didn’t end up a graduate student, there was no harm in showcasing his abilities.

Especially since doing so deterred nuisances like Clive who looked down on him for being a commoner.

“…Anyway, how much farther? We’ve been walking for a while.”

“We’re almost there. Look, there’s the cabin.”

Sion pointed ahead to a secluded cabin nestled at the end of a forest path.

The area was a gentle woodland trail, with the cabin marking the trail’s end.

Today’s “classroom” was that cabin.

‘Can’t this be improved somehow?’

The eccentric professor teaching there was Lunia Yggdrasil,

an elf—a staple in fantasy worlds.

But more notable than her race was her teaching style.

‘It’s been a week since I last saw her.’

During last week’s orientation,

Sion had realized, almost accidentally, that Lunia had no clue how to handle students.

He had tried to ignore it, but she had latched onto him, refusing to let go.

In the end, they had even eaten dinner together while he explained what students liked in a professor.

“Hah, finally here… Wait, what’s this?”

“…No way.”

Sion couldn’t believe his eyes.

In front of the cabin stood rows of evenly spaced stone pillars.

“Chairs?”

Yes, chairs.

The pillars were perfectly aligned, with a height and width ideal for sitting.

Some students were already seated on them.

‘She’s improving!’

Sion felt a strange sense of pride.

This meant Professor Lunia had listened to his advice and applied it to her class.

He recalled their past conversation.

– “Professor, modern students prefer written reports to pop quizzes…”
– “Reports? Who’s grading dozens of those? You? Pop quizzes are more effective!”
– “Still, reports help students improve their skills and creativity—”
– “Stop backseat teaching! Are you the professor here?!”

A Chaotic Class with Professor Lunia

Just imagining the conversation sent a shiver down Sion’s spine.

Even hinting at representing the students’ thoughts often made professors react explosively.

Deep down, most professors seemed to have an ingrained mindset: “How dare a student try to teach a professor?”

But Professor Lunia was different.

Sion had once advised her that “having students stand outside the cabin for 2–3 hours during lectures would only build resentment,” and she had listened.

As a result, she had thoughtfully set up seats for the students.

“Ah, ah, hello! This is Professor Lunia…”

Creak.

Professor Lunia stepped out of the cabin, and the students’ gazes changed instantly.

Even Sion could hear nearby whispers clearly.

“Wait, is that really her?”

“She looks completely different…”

“She’s actually kind of cute?”

“Hey, she’s the professor. You can’t say stuff like that…”

“Well, it’s true, though.”

“…Fair point.”

Previously, Professor Lunia had always appeared disheveled, her attire messy and her demeanor untidy.

But today, she was wearing neat and tidy clothes.

Her hunched posture and timid gestures remained, but even these small changes transformed her overall presence.

This might actually be a good class.

Sion smiled faintly from the back row as he watched Professor Lunia.

The start looked promising. She had provided seats, dressed neatly, and shown an effort to improve.

All of these were things Sion had suggested to her.

Now he was curious to see how much her lecture itself had changed.

“Today’s Spiritology… i-introductory lecture will cover… uh, let’s see… Last time, we talked about the definition and h-history of spirits! So today, we’ll discuss types… Oh, yes, types! Spirits are broadly, no, wait, not broadly… categorized into, um, several kinds… Yes, that’s right, categorized by several criteria! Hahaha… multiple criteria, you see! So, the criteria are—”

Sion lowered his head in defeat.

What good were neat appearances or student consideration when the lecture itself was a mess?

Her scattered explanations, timid voice, and constant stuttering were each significant obstacles to effective teaching.

But Professor Lunia had all three.

How did she even become a professor?

Surely professors had to deliver sample lectures before getting hired, didn’t they?

Sion wasn’t alone in this thought.

“What’s the point of looking nice when the class is like this?”

“Shh, she’ll hear you.”

“So, what’s for lunch?”

“Cafeteria again, I guess.”

“I’m so tired of that. Let’s try the shops this time.”

“Sounds good.”

Murmurs spread among the students, their focus waning rapidly.

It was no surprise.

Without proper teaching materials or clear explanations, the class felt no different from before, except for the new seats.

Sigh… What should I do about this?

Sion couldn’t help but feel bad for Professor Lunia.

She had the willingness to listen and adapt, even to a much younger student’s suggestions.

If only her teaching skills matched her mindset, she could have been a great professor.

He glanced around the class.

Some students whispered and giggled, thinking they wouldn’t be noticed.

Others were already discussing their lunch plans.

While Professor Lunia appeared clumsy, she wasn’t clueless.

As the lecturer, she was undoubtedly aware that her students weren’t paying attention.

Her trembling eyes darted around uncertainly until they landed on Sion.

“J-just a moment!”

She suddenly raised her voice—well, attempted to—and began walking toward the students.

The sudden change startled everyone, and those who had been whispering quickly averted their gazes.

Was she going to scold the students for talking during class?

But why is she looking at me?

Despite Sion’s confusion, Professor Lunia kept her eyes locked on him as she approached.

I wasn’t even talking… Why is she coming to me?

Regardless of Sion’s thoughts, she continued her beeline toward him.

Finally, she stopped in front of him, her movements stiff like a malfunctioning machine.

“B-before we… get started properly, I-I need to… go to the restroom. Sion, y-you’re coming with me…”

“……What??? What does that even—”

“P-please come along!”

Without waiting for an answer, Professor Lunia grabbed Sion’s sleeve and pulled him to his feet.

In a class frozen by the absurdity of her statement,

Professor Lunia dragged Sion off into the forest.

“What… what did I just hear?”

Patrick’s voice beside Sion perfectly echoed the thoughts of everyone present.