episode_0187

Unannounced notice of class cancellation. But the students did not panic. Although the reason for class cancellation was special, it is not special for a class to be canceled suddenly.

Students who were accustomed to the absence of classes left the classroom with skillful movements.

-Wow, aren’t you crazy? Professor Reynold was attacked and no one else?

-I don’t know, I’m scared… I guess the liver came out of the stomach… Professor, you’re not an ordinary noble, but a noble among noble families. If you get caught, it will be difficult to die quietly.

-By the way, what are we doing until lunch?

-I know. It’s hot outside, but are there any empty classrooms?

Is it because there is a gap of two hours until lunch time? Or is he worried about the professor who is in a coma? The students rushing out of the classroom continued to whisper.

In the back row, Lucia suddenly felt a figure approaching.

“Do you believe that?”

“Huh?”

I looked back. It was Gracie, a friend I was taking class with.

“Do you believe it? What do you mean?”

“You said the professor was attacked by a gunman. Don’t you think something is fishy?”

“…Award?”

“That’s a weird thing. No matter who looks at it, the culprit has been determined!”

“…?”

What does he say again? Lucia tilted her head and stared at Gracie. On the other hand, instead of looking at Lucia, Gracie checked to see if there were other people around.

Only after the group that had left the classroom dispersed and went their own way did Gracie drag Lucia, whose face was full of doubts, to a dark place.

After confirming that no one was listening, Gracie opened her mouth with eyes full of confidence.

“It’s the teaching assistant.”

“What?”

“The teaching assistant is the culprit!”

“…Do you really want to make a big deal out of it?”

Slap – Lucia lightly slapped Gracie on the forehead.

Gracie Versailles. Like Professor Reynold, she was born into a prestigious family in the empire, but rather than taking care of her dignity and acting politely, she was a girl who liked to delve into certain events and gossip with her friends like a girl of her age.

It’s okay up to that point. After all, anyone can come up with interesting ideas that might be fun, and the joy of sharing those ideas with others is something Lucia knows well. A normal Lucia would have been able to go along with Gracie’s whispers.

However, slandering others without any evidence is another story. Moreover, Gracie’s family is a prestigious samurai family called Versailles. Aren’t the words she speaks out to have an impact dozens of times greater than the words that commoners throw around for fun?

“Gracie, don’t you feel sorry for your teaching assistant?”

Lucia decided to say something to this immature ‘young’ friend.

“As for the teaching assistant. He’s someone who can’t even get his meals on time and spends his days in the lab.”

“Uh… really?”

“Yes! But it’s not just about meals. People are so focused on research every day that they don’t have any energy, right? The face I just saw was so blurry that I couldn’t tell if it was a corpse, and it looked so pitiful.”

“Well, I see.”

“How could you slander a poor person like my assistant without any basis?”

“Hmm… I know what you’re talking about.”

“Really? Then from next time…”

“But, I said that with clear evidence.”

Gracie spoke in a comforting tone as if to calm the excited Lucia down.

“Of course, the teaching assistant is not human, right?”

“…Gracie?”

Lucia took a step away from Gracie. The teaching assistant is not human? What does that mean? Lucia couldn’t understand what Gracie was talking about.

I just measure the distance between me and my friend with a bewildered face. Maybe I can’t call you a friend anymore.

“Suddenly… What do you mean?”

However, Lucia did not give up her desire to check whether she was making some unnecessary misunderstanding.

Sometimes Lucia was caught up in memories of the past, and it was often difficult to follow the conversations and mood of people around her. Others might think it was a mess, but Lucia was a reincarnation who skipped 500 years.

‘…Perhaps it is natural for the profession of teaching assistants in today’s era to not be treated as human beings.’

500 years is a huge amount of time. There are times when not only the language but also the culture changes 180 degrees just by crossing the border. Since there was a period between Gracie and Lucia where it would not be strange if the dynasty changed several times, Lucia tried to understand it with the sense of a ‘modern’ person as much as possible.

“Did I hear that correctly? The teaching assistant is not human.”

“Uh… I thought you definitely knew.”

“Don’t hesitate and talk quickly. What if the assistant is not human? Are you even a demon?”

“Not demons.”

Gracie grinned at Lucia.

“Instructor, you’re an elf.”

“El…f?”

“Yes, elf.”

“Ha, but. Teacher, you don’t look like that at all. It’s not even pointy ears…”

No, what does being an elf have to do with the fact that the culprit who harmed the professor was the teaching assistant? Gracie, are you really a racist?

It doesn’t say that. This is because Versail, which is none other than Gracie’s family, is a mixed-blood family that has adopted a majority of elf blood.

Her great-grandmother, Sir Margaret, has 3/7 elf blood, so to assume that the assistant instructor is the culprit of this incident simply because he is an elf is a disgrace to one’s face. Lucia listened to her friend with a little more patience.

“Whether your ears are pointy or not, if you cut out the auricle and continue to receive recovery surgery, it will be no different from a normal human ear.”

“Yeah, really?”

“Oh, by the way, this is a useless story. I wasn’t born with pointy ears, but my uncle was born with pointy ears and had his ears cut off when he was a baby. In my family, we practice circumcision to avoid being discriminated against by exclusive views. So I can tell the difference.”

Lucia thought about the appearance of the teaching assistant she had seen in the classroom a moment ago. The assistant didn’t say anything or change his expression, so he just looked like a quiet man, but there were so many things in the world that I didn’t know.

“What’s important here is my grandmother’s story!”

Gracie snorted and spoke with a confident expression.

“Grandma said that ever since you were a student at the academy, there has been a teaching assistant who ruthlessly replaces professors she does not like.”

“…Isn’t the professor replacing the teaching assistant?”

“Yes! Isn’t that even more exciting? A teaching assistant who replaces the instructor like a spare part!”

“…”

“This story is true that my third aunt also told me. There were rumors like this back then, but only today I can be sure. The culprit who harmed Professor Reynold was the teaching assistant. No, I’m a teaching assistant!”

“Uh… Still, there is no evidence.”

Lucia scratched the back of her head as she looked at the confident Gracie. I listened to it while I was sleeping, but in the end it was just a mental illness without any physical evidence.

“Why is there no evidence? Isn’t it strange? Regardless of your academic achievements, the professor is an 8-star wizard.”

“…right.”

“You must be carrying a self-defense barrier or other protective equipment. It’s strange that he was attacked by a gunman and ended up in critical condition. Besides, the professor is from the Dras family. Why would a person who could succeed by secretly attacking a person of such civility and military skill feel so regretful that he would do such a strange thing?”

“Is that so…?”

“And, the professor is still alive. If I were a monster, I would kill the professor. So that there are no setbacks.”

“Hmm…”

“So the conclusion is that a teaching assistant who wants to change the professor he doesn’t like has crossed the line of breaking the head of a professor who is at ease. And he goes out to find a new professor who can help him with his research. Just wait and see. Because soon it will be as I said.”

“You know…”

After much thought, Lucia spoke.

“Gracie?”

“Huh?”

“If you’re that confident, wouldn’t it be better to report it? What is there to do? If what you say is true, the next advisor will be the victim.”

“Lucia, aren’t you looking at me too lightly? I’m Gracie Versaille.”

Gracie, with a cold expression, pretended to put her upturned thumb on the floor.

‘Yes, I’m Kylie.’

Lucia nodded towards her strangely enthusiastic friend.

“You should report it right away. Fortunately, there is still over an hour left until lunch.”

With those last words, Gracie quickly ran towards the front door.

*

“…Did something like that happen?”

“What, is he not good enough as a friend?”

That night,

While having dinner with Lucia after leaving school, Siron heard an absurd story.

“No, I’m not that bad of a friend. It just feels like the child is thirsty for stimulation…”

“No matter what, I don’t think I would get involved with that girl named Gracie. I’m not some kind of megalomaniac. Ugh, that’s a group of people that would be tiring to be with.”

Siron didn’t know about such ridiculous ghost stories. In the first place, such a nefarious elf infiltrated the academy and remained fine for hundreds of years? What on earth are the police officers of this country doing? This is a world where everything goes wrong even if the charges are verbally acknowledged.

“And, I know that you are strong, so I won’t worry, but even if someone asks you to do something, I refuse.”

“It’s nagging again.”

“It’s not a nagging, but the reason you came home late the day before yesterday was because of that guy called the professor who was attacked. I wasn’t going to say anything because I thought I was being too nosy, but now I feel like I have to say it.”

“…Who did you hear that from again?”

“Who is it, Siriel?”

Siron took a large bite of the pig’s hind leg and turned the pages of the magic book.

“I have a lot of things I want to say, but it’s better to graduate from school quickly. You are best suited for swords, not magic.”

“…You don’t have to say it multiple times. Because I know too.”

Lucia responded and stood up. In the past, Siron often took care of Lucia, but there were quite a few times when she felt like he was interfering with her when she saw him for the first time in a year.

‘He knows what kind of father he is.’

However, Lucia understood to some extent the feelings of Siron, who interfered in everything. Siron was an older brother who knew how to go out of his way to protect his younger sibling. That was the case 10 years ago, and it doesn’t seem to have changed now.

Also, since Lucia did not dislike such theories, her body followed his words even though she made a subtle comment with her mouth. Unless the world turns upside down, Lucia will probably never go to graduate school.

“Ah. Come to think of it.”

“Huh?”

As Lucia stood up and straightened her place, Siron took his eyes off the magic book and stared at Lucia.

“For some reason, I thought it would be better to tell you in advance.”

“What is it?”

“What…”

Siron closed the magic book and pursed his lips. Seeing the pause as if she had something important to say, Lucia tilted her head, forgetting to wipe the sauce off her mouth.

“I am going to propose an engagement to Siriel next month.”

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