episode_0053
by fnovelpia“Wow… It’s really hot.”
Professor Esther, who had lunch with me, muttered while wiping the sweat running down the back of her neck.
“Checking the air conditioner on a hot day like this… . This is ridiculous.”
“Have you heard the cause of the breakdown?”
“Hmm… I heard the cooling pump blew. Could that be the reason?”
“When will the inspection be finished?”
“Maybe… When class is over? I heard it ends then.”
It was sad news for Deacon Sophia. Deacon Sophia, who was sweating so much that she looked like she was going to turn into a dried fish, was sent back to the professor’s office.
“I’m worried I might get heatstroke.”
“Ah… Are you talking about Deacon Sophia?”
I nodded quietly. The professor’s office must still be like a steamer, and I don’t know if Deacon Sophia can withstand the heat.
“What the… If it’s too hot, wouldn’t you rather go out and find a cool place?”
“… I wish that were the case.”
Professor Esther laughed. I turned my head towards her.
“Why are you like that?”
“Professor Lucio is very affectionate.”
There is a lot of affection.
It was the first time I heard that. It was also a word I had no tolerance for.
Not knowing how to react, I stopped walking and momentarily lost my senses. Professor Esther smiled seductively and tapped my arm.
“Professor Lucio seems to have a strong tendency to secretly take care of people.”
“… Is that so?”
“Yes. Should I say it’s the consideration that comes naturally from your body? You’re blunt, but you do your best for others.”
After pondering her words for a moment, I started walking again.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m the kind of person who is very affectionate.
“Grade-by-grade sparring, it might be canceled.”
Professor Esther’s remarks in the midst of all this were quite surprising. It was the first time I heard that the annual event of the Chaldea Imperial Academy, the annual grade-level training, was being canceled.
“Cancellation? Wasn’t this an annual event that was held every summer?”
“Yes. I heard that too… . The weather is so unbelievably hot. It’s not usually this hot around this time of year.”
As she said that, Professor Esther kept fanning herself with her hand. Her underwear seemed to be peeking out through her sweaty shirt, so I naturally turned my gaze away from her.
“Well, that makes sense.”
“Right? It would be a big deal if the students collapsed from the heat during the training. In the first place, it would be difficult to properly demonstrate one’s true abilities in this kind of weather. The magic circuit would also overheat… .”
“So, is this meeting related to the cancellation of the training?”
“Maybe not? I don’t know the detailed meeting agenda either.”
I don’t know what the agenda for the suddenly scheduled meeting was, but I think her opinion is probably the most likely.
“Professor Lucio. Have you ever been to Conference Room 3?”
“Today is my first time.”
“Hmm… . I heard it’s the most recently built conference hall, but I’m not sure how big it is. I heard it can accommodate all the professors of Chaldea Imperial Academy… .”
As we walked and chatted about this and that, we soon arrived at a place with a sign that said Conference Hall 3.
“Shall I come in?”
“Yes.”
Suppressing our nervousness, we opened the door.
* * * * *
“Whoa… .”
A refreshing and cool breeze blew from somewhere and cooled the sweat. Professor Esther looked ecstatic as she saw the magic circles carved all over the spacious conference room.
“It’s a cooling spell. I guess the professor of Life Magic used some force.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Well… . I guess you can’t do this in a large space like the Academy training hall.”
I nodded at her words and glanced around the conference room.
The conference room looked like it was three times the size of the lecture room where I was teaching. Now, the vague image of the National Assembly building was overlapping.
The next thing I saw were the professors of the academy chatting with each other. It was a new feeling to see so many professors here, who were usually buried in the students and not noticeable.
As Chaldea Imperial Academy was so large in scale, it had many professors with outstanding skills.
With all the professors and teaching assistants gathered in one place, it was no wonder that the large conference room was bustling.
“Thank goodness I’m not late. Where should I sit?”
“I think you can go wherever you feel comfortable.”
I was led by Professor Esther’s hand and took a seat in the middle row of the conference room. There were people in the conference room that I knew and people that I didn’t know.
Several professors who made eye contact with me greeted me briefly. Most of them were professors from the theology department.
“Hmm… . I guess other people didn’t receive the meeting agenda properly.”
As Professor Esther whispered next to me, some of the professors had discontent on their faces. They had been called out without even receiving a proper presentation of the meeting agenda, so professors who were busy or had personal issues were bound to be dissatisfied.
“Ah… Professor Lucio. You better be careful with him. He’s really scary.”
Professor Esther whispered, pointing at someone. I looked in the direction she was pointing.
“Who is that person?”
“Professor Sylvester Armstrong. He is in charge of the third-year combat department and is also the senior professor for the third-year class.”
Where she pointed, there stood a professor who looked very aggressive, just as she had said. With his thick eyebrows, bulging eyes, and stiff beard, he looked like a tiger.
Professor Armstrong was giving a passionate speech to another professor standing across from him, and his face was getting redder and redder, which was very disturbing. I was worried that he might explode.
The person talking to him was a young female professor. She kept on smiling charmingly throughout the conversation, but Professor Armstrong was getting louder and louder.
“Who is that person?”
“Umm… . That’s Professor Scarlett Underwood. She’s from the third-year Destruction Magic Department.”
According to her, both of them are professors who have been with the Chaldea Imperial Academy for a long time. They are said to be the most powerful people in their respective fields.
“That’s what I told you! Our combat students can’t keep up with your curriculum!”
“Oh my, then what should I do? I have made enough concessions… .”
“What concession! You were the one who suggested we practice sparring first! You’re telling me to change the class schedule all of a sudden? Does that make any sense?!”
Anyway, the atmosphere between the two was unusual. It seemed like someone had to step forward and stop them. The other professors were acting as if this was a daily occurrence and were not doing anything to stop them.
“Those people… Shouldn’t we stop them?”
“That’s right… . I’m a little embarrassed too.”
I was a little reluctant to step forward. If I got between those two, I could only see myself being crushed into a hotteok or fried to a golden brown.
That was when we were watching the scene with anxious hearts.
Knock knock!
Someone opened the door to the conference room and entered. Everyone in the conference room fell silent.
It was the same for Professor Armstrong and Professor Underwood. While everyone was silent, a person who opened the door and entered the conference room confidently opened his mouth quietly.
“Hmm… Is everyone here?”
A man who rose to the top of the gigantic Chaldea Imperial Academy.
It was the appearance of President Damien.
* * * * *
“First of all, before we start the meeting… . Let me make one thing clear.”
General Damien’s tone was calm, but his eyes were not.
His cold eyes were fixed on Professor Armstrong and Professor Underwood, as if he had heard them raising their voices and causing a commotion.
“Professor Armstrong. And Professor Underwood. As professors of the Chaldea Imperial Academy, please be careful of your words and actions.”
“… … .”
“You’re not answering.”
“Sorry, I’ll be careful.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. President.”
The atmosphere in the conference room became as cold as ice. Professor Esther, sitting next to me, swallowed dryly.
President Damien glanced around the conference room for a moment, then returned to his usual warm expression and opened his mouth leisurely.
“Then, let’s start an emergency meeting.”
The atmosphere immediately relaxed. I could feel that President Damien had a firm grip on the Academy.
The secretary who had been standing quietly next to President Damien stepped forward. Her stiff expression and cold tone filled the conference room.
“The agenda for this emergency meeting is related to the grade-by-grade competition that will begin in a week.”
“Yes. Grade-wise sparring.”
President Damien followed her words naturally. His secretary bowed her head and took a step back.
“Let me start with the conclusion. This year’s grade-level competition will proceed as scheduled.”
It was a remark that broke Professor Esther’s and my expectations. And it seems it wasn’t just us.
The conference room was in an uproar. Some professors were cheerful, but the district hospital staff and theology professors, who were responsible for the safety and health of the students, were dismayed.
“Chief Damien, please allow me to speak.”
The professor sitting in the row in front of us stood up. President Damien’s gaze turned to him.
“Permission to speak.”
“Yes. I am Jane Cooper, the professor of theology for Class 2-B. I would like to suggest that we cancel or move the grade-level training to the fall.”
Although there were professors who looked displeased, no one contradicted her words.
“Recently, the temperature has been abnormally high compared to previous years. If we force Dalian in this weather, it is expected that there will be a large number of heatstroke patients.”
“That’s right. The students won’t be able to demonstrate their abilities either.”
“Yes, that’s right, President Damien.”
The weather was disruptive to the grade-level sparring. Professor Cooper, who had pointed this out, was speechless at the attitude of President Damien, who seemed to already know.
I couldn’t figure out what General Damien was thinking.
“However, the grade-level sparring is an annual event. It is difficult to cancel. In the fall, first-year students will also be in the exam period, and it will also be difficult to spar during that period.”
“But, but… .”
“Instead, let’s do this:”
Until President Damien came up with an ingenious idea.
“This year’s grade-level competitions will be held somewhere other than the Academy.”
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