Headmaster Nelson-sensei

While I was panicking at Nelson’s sudden appearance, Bella opened her mouth with a displeased expression.

,The Headmaster-sensei defended you. Saying it’s all just circumstantial evidence… But, the secret about the magic you used hasn’t been solved yet. Like you said, without the certification of Nelson-sensei, the ‘Sage’, you can’t leave this place.

As expected, Bella didn’t give up easily. As I was sighing, Nelson-sensei turned away from me and spoke to Bella.

,I’m sorry, but the certification will be done in private.

,That’s impossible.

Bella answered immediately to Nelson-sensei’s words.

,Are you doubting the Sage’s certification?

Everyone in the red room felt a strong pressure from the magic power in his voice. The surrounding space distorted as if heat haze was rising from the overwhelming force emanating from Nelson-sensei’s body.

The knights behind Bella instinctively reached for their swords, making the atmosphere even heavier.

Bella raised her hand to stop them, and only then did the knights take their hands off their swords.

,How could I doubt it? I’m asking you a favor, Nelson ‘Sage’-nim.

Leaving behind words implying that he should fulfill his duty as a Sage, not as a headmaster, Bella led the people out of the room.

The overwhelming force from just a moment ago had disappeared, and Nelson-sensei, with a warm smile like a grandfather looking at his cute grandson, took out his staff from his chest and waved it.

All the sticky blood on my clothes disappeared, turning them as clean as new without leaving a trace. He waved his staff once more, and the hair covering my forehead went back.

,Fortunately, there’s nothing seriously wrong with your body. And with my magic, you’ve become even cleaner, making your handsome face shine.

I smiled at Nelson-sensei’s joke. As I loosened my tie, which was so tight it was making my neck feel stuffy, Nelson-sensei continued with a voice full of apology.

,I’m sorry, I didn’t expect something like this to happen while I was away for a moment… I was contacted by Professor Leora and came over from the eastern border, so I was very late… Are you okay?

,I’m fine. But I didn’t expect you to come here.

,Of course, I couldn’t just stand by when our student was dragged into the interrogation room. If necessary, I could even destroy the cathedral.

Seeing Nelson-sensei winking one eye, I thought that this person could definitely do that.

As befitting the title of Great Magician, he possessed great power. In this world, Nelson-sensei was the person I could trust the most, like Roel, and also the most ambiguous person.

He treated all the students at the school like his own children, and he was Ellie’s teacher, who would become a future Great Magician. He was the person who would save Roel and Ellie from the Order’s trap and lose his life.

Trusting in such Nelson-sensei, I took out Patouga’s grimoire from my dimensional storage.

,This is a grimoire I accidentally found near Destin Village. The magic I used is the basic magic from the beginning.

At my words, Nelson-sensei asked with an interesting expression.

,Oh, can I see the magic?

After checking my condition at Nelson-sensei’s words, I nodded.

I created a dimension entrance in front of me, and an exit in front of Nelson-sensei, then threw Patouga’s grimoire into the entrance.

Nelson-sensei, who received Patouga’s grimoire that came out of the dimension exit, put the book under his arm and clapped his hands, marveling like a child.

,Amazing. Very amazing!

Seeing Nelson-sensei happy as if he were watching his grandson’s antics, I scratched the back of my head, feeling awkward. Nelson-sensei, who started reading Patouga’s grimoire under his arm, only checked the basic magic I mentioned and then returned the grimoire to me.

,Aren’t you going to check the rest?

I asked, puzzled, and Nelson-sensei shook his head slightly.

,Is there really a need to do that? We just need to prove that your magic isn’t black magic, right?

,But… you know how amazing this grimoire is.

Reason is the most important thing for a magician, but conversely, the driving force of a magician was curiosity. Therefore, reason, which can suppress and control curiosity, may be the most important thing for a magician.

At my words, Nelson-sensei smiled and put his hand on my shoulder.

,Yes, so it can be of great help to you.

At Nelson-sensei’s smile, which had no greed in it, strangely, an emotion welled up from somewhere in my heart.

Nelson-sensei took his hand off my shoulder and waved his staff. A petition written by Ellie, which was rolling on the floor, floated into the air, and the letters written on the paper changed as Nelson-sensei spoke.

,Abraham Norbert Sergio Nelson, a certified Great Magician of the Empire with the title of ‘Sage’, certifies that Ross did not use black magic.

With those words, something bright from the staff pierced through the paper like a seal.

,The certification is over. Shall we go back to the academy together now?

I nodded at Nelson-sensei’s words. I didn’t remember, but I didn’t want to stay in this red room even a little longer.

Following Nelson-sensei out of the room and up the stairs, Bella and the interrogator, who had been waiting, blocked our way.

,Is the certification over?

,Here it is.

Bella, who received the paper Nelson-sensei handed over, bit her lip as if she couldn’t accept it, and glared at me.

After a long time, Bella sighed and gestured. The knights who were blocking the way opened the path.

Nelson-sensei confidently walked between the knights, then stopped his steps towards the interrogator, who was lowering his head as if hiding behind the knight, and said in a low voice.

,I hope you won’t take our student to the interrogation room again without my permission.

At those words, the interrogator, as if feeling rebellious, came out from behind the knight he was hiding behind and glared at Nelson-sensei, saying.

,Interrogation is the unique authority of the Church! No matter how much of a Sage you are, you cannot command the Church!

Nelson-sensei’s lips twitched at the interrogator’s words.

,Hey, Benedict… Since when did you start talking back to me?

As if the person had changed in an instant, magic power surged around Nelson-sensei, who had turned sharp. Benedict grabbed his neck and made a strange sound, keok-keok-.

,The only reason I’m not killing you right now is because of the pitiful Saintess’s request. It’s not even a big deal for me to just keep you alive.

Benedict knelt down and waved his hands in the air with a bright red face. Bella stepped forward.

,Please forgive him, Headmaster-sensei. Benedict was just following my orders.

At those words, the magic power emanating from Nelson-sensei disappeared in an instant, and Benedict hurriedly took a deep breath into his lungs.

,Matters that happen at the academy must be resolved at the academy. I hope you don’t forget that principle again. Princess.

Bella lowered her head like a sinner at Nelson-sensei’s cold voice.

Following Nelson-sensei, who was leaving the cathedral with confident steps, I felt a sense of satisfaction at Bella’s distorted face.

***

The place we arrived at following Nelson-sensei was the Headmaster-sensei’s office at the academy.

,Is this your first time in the Headmaster’s office?

,Yes, it’s very fascinating.

A broom floating in the air, and a giant hourglass filled with small hourglasses instead of sand. A small tree growing in a fish tank-like place, constantly struck by lightning, and a snow globe with contents constantly moving as if it were a small world.

Even the winged little fairies that were looking at me from between the bookshelves in the Headmaster’s office and chattering among themselves were enough to make me feel dizzy.

As I sat on the chair opposite the desk where Nelson-sensei was sitting, Nelson-sensei made a joke as if to ease my tension.

,When I was a student, I was afraid to go to the Headmaster’s office. Most of the time, it was to get a big scolding.

,Did Headmaster-sensei get scolded a lot too?

I asked, marveling because it was a story I hadn’t set up. Nelson-sensei smiled and nodded.

,Of course, I was a troublemaker and even faced the risk of expulsion.

Nelson-sensei, with a playful smile as if recalling that time, asked.

,Do you perhaps like chocolate?

,Of course.

I happened to need something sweet. Nelson-sensei, who got up from his seat, brought a tray full of chocolates and a glass filled with cool milk from somewhere.

,Since I was young, I’ve liked dipping chocolate cookies in milk.

Smiling at Nelson-sensei’s actions, who was whispering as if it were a secret, I picked up a chocolate cookie.

As I was eating the cool milk and chocolate cookie, Nelson-sensei, who was eating chocolate across from me, asked.

,Do you perhaps like old stories?

Nelson-sensei, leaving the chocolate aside, asked with a gentle smile as if he had something to tell me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I answered, ,I like stories,, and Nelson-sensei took out his staff from his chest and waved it, darkening the room.

Waving the staff once more, something like smoke appeared on the desk and soon took on a human form.

Marveling at the sight as if I were watching a hologram, I looked at it. Nelson-sensei began to tell the story.

,When I was very young. I had a brother.

In accordance with Nelson-sensei’s words, a person who looked like a young Nelson-sensei and a person who looked like his brother appeared on the desk.

,Unlike me, my brother was called a genius since he was young. The words that he would become a good magician were so commonplace for my brother.

In accordance with those words, Nelson-sensei’s brother waved his staff and skillfully used cool magic.

,I was always envious of such a brother. I had never received such praise even once.

Unlike his brother, Nelson-sensei, who failed at magic and had firecracker hair, was reminded of the sight of him becoming the laughingstock of those around him.

,I was always compared to my brother. My brother, who was serious and considerate, didn’t rely on talent and even made painstaking efforts, but I was just a troublemaker who made things difficult for those around me.

Unlike Nelson-sensei, who had no one around him, Roel and my 모습 overlapped for a moment in the sight of countless people showering flowers around his brother.

,Then one day, my brother, who was stopping the invasion of magical beasts, died absurdly from a stray arrow shot by a dying goblin.

Nelson-sensei’s brother, who was careless about the arrow shot by the goblin, grabbed his heart and collapsed on the desk.

,My brother, who was like a wall that I couldn’t climb over, died, and as time passed, the troublemaker who regained his senses finally surpassed his brother.

Nelson-sensei, who was holding his dead brother’s staff, was reminded of the sight of him using magic and fighting against all kinds of magical beasts.

,It was a realm that was too high to even reach my eyes at the time, but it has become nothing to me now.

The 모습 of his brother waving his staff and using magic faded, and above it, the 모습 of Nelson-sensei emitting great magic power and using magic 떠올랐다.

,No one evaluated me as someone who would become a good magician, but I eventually became a Great Magician.

Unlike before when no one was by his side, there were countless people by the side of Nelson-sensei, who had become a Great Magician.

,Despite the opposition of the academy faculty. Do you know why I gave you special admission?

I was flustered by Nelson-sensei’s question and scratched my head. I had given Ross the setting of special admission, but I had never conceived of the details.

,Because I saw myself in you.

Looking at him with a dumb face at those incomprehensible words, Nelson-sensei picked up a chocolate and smiled.

,Like me, you were hidden behind a wall called ‘brother’, but you can become a good hero.

,But I don’t have any natural abilities. My magic power is also lacking, so even though I have Patouga’s grimoire, I can only use basic magic.

As I said self-reproachfully. Nelson-sensei smiled warmly.

,But unlike my childhood self, who was a troublemaker, you’ve already been a hero, haven’t you?

Making a puzzled expression at Nelson-sensei’s words. Nelson-sensei, who ate the chocolate, smacked his lips and waved his staff.

The illusion of Nelson-sensei, who was praised by countless people on the desk, disappeared, and the face of a Destin villager I had seen sometime 떠올랐다.

-If it weren’t for Ross, I don’t know what would have happened to our village!

The illusion changed, and a familiar face 떠올랐다. It was the innkeeper who was good at cooking.

-If I were the Headmaster-sensei, I would have given those students dozens of awards.

Saying playful words, the innkeeper added in a serious voice.

-Those kids are already heroes to us.

My face flushed at the praise of the villagers that 떠오르는 after that. I bit my lip for no reason at the feeling of something tickling somewhere in my heart.

,I stopped by Destin Village to defend you. Everyone praised you all together.

At the 모습 of the little girl holding her mother’s hand in the illusion, I was reminded of the acorn I had received as a gift that I had put in my dimensional storage.

,Do you know the meaning of Transcendence Academy?

I knew that. I was the one who set the name of the academy in the first place.

,Transcendence. Doesn’t that mean to overcome limitations?

,You know it. Yes, transcendence. I became a Great Magician by transcending my limitations due to my brother’s death.

As Nelson-sensei waved his staff, the illusion disappeared and the darkened room brightened again.

,I enrolled you because I thought this academy would be of great help to you, who had grown up blocked by the limitation of your brother since you were young.

The 모습 of Nelson-sensei looking at me with a warm smile suddenly turned blurry. Tears 떨어졌다 one by one onto the back of my hand that I had placed on my thigh due to an unknown emotion.

Is what I’m feeling now Ross’s emotion? Or is it purely an emotion I’m feeling?

As I wiped away the tears with my sleeve out of embarrassment. Nelson-sensei, who gave me time to collect my emotions for a moment, opened his mouth.

,It’s amazing that a first-year student endured the interrogator’s interrogation. I’ve been opposing such things happening in the Empire until now, but the imperial family and the church have a close relationship, so it’s not being resolved…

Nelson-sensei, who sighed, clapped his hands and continued in a bright voice as if nothing had happened.

,I highly value your mental strength in enduring the interrogation. I’ll give you a gift that will help you.

Nelson-sensei, who got up from his seat, headed to the place where the snow globes were displayed, and after touching this and that, he brought a snow globe that was full of dust and empty inside.

Laughter burst out at Nelson-sensei’s playful actions of dusting off the dust with the sleeve of his cloak.

,I used this when I was a troublemaker. It’s an object that I don’t need anymore.

As I received the snow globe that Nelson-sensei handed over. Nelson-sensei said.

,To overcome yourself, it’s best to talk to yourself.

I felt uneasy for some reason at Nelson-sensei’s strange smile. I was about to say something to Nelson-sensei, who was slyly raising his staff, but Nelson-sensei already had a mischievous smile that didn’t suit his age.

,Have a good time.

Light poured out from the end of the staff, and I lost consciousness along with the feeling of my whole body being sucked into somewhere.