'From the very first day, they're already working me to the bone…'
I sighed inwardly as I walked down the corridor toward the Magic Department building.
[Still, the duties of an assistant instructor aren't teaching. It might be monotonous, but it shouldn't be too complicated.]
'Well, that's a relief…'
The teaching methods at this consulate are somewhat similar to the standard high school curriculum.
The main instructor is, after all, the one responsible for the entire class.
Depending on the students' subjects, instructors are assigned accordingly to teach.
However, assistant instructors don't teach at all.
Assistant instructors are there to manage the students during training or exams, ensuring nothing goes wrong.
'In short, we're just errand runners…'
[There's a nicer term for it: assistant instructor.]
'Same difference~'
[Though not as formal as the main instructor, you're in a position to evaluate students during exams, so they won't dare to show any defiance toward you.]
'…Is that why they clapped so enthusiastically earlier?'
When I was introduced earlier, the students clapped quite vigorously….
Was that because of practical considerations, kids?
Honestly, I'm not that interested in you all anyway…
The problem is Cho Seo-hyun.
'Cho Seo-hyun's got a temper, so this won't be easy.'
My thoughts drifted back to Cho Seo-hyun.
And then I remembered the colorful message she had written earlier.
[Hehehe. My birthday is next month! I'm gonna eat something delicious with Kang-hyun (>_<)]
I felt a chill run down my spine.
'What the hell… Can a younger brother really be that close with his sister? Is this kid also a siscon?'
[It's not clear yet. Unlike Viola, it's more likely to be familial affection.]
'That's still weird.'
The image of my sister popped into my head, and my legs started to feel weak.
'If my sister showed me something like that, it'd probably be to kill me.'
[….]
If my sister wrote something like that and showed it to me?
I might just drop dead on the spot from a heart attack.
No, I'd probably gouge my eyes out first before that happened.
I'd use every ounce of oxygen in my brain to gouge my eyes out before I died.
Still, aside from that, Cho Seo-hyun is undeniably pretty.
Up close, she looks like a short high schooler, but from a distance, she doesn't seem small at all.
Her proportions are just that good.
She probably wears tight t-shirts and jeans to emphasize her petite figure.
'Well, if I stick around for an hour or two each day, I'll find an opening. Plus, there's the pheromones…'
[Suho, the Magic Department Class 7 is right ahead.]
'Ah, so this is it. Sigh…'
[…? Is something wrong?]
Armonia asked with a concerned tone.
'Not really, but it feels a bit suffocating…'
Although Stura gave off the vibe of a military academy, it wasn't suffocating.
Probably because I was given a lot of freedom…
Even if I returned to the dorm late at night, it wasn't a problem, and as long as I didn't cause trouble with the professors, I was allowed a lot of freedom.
But here, it feels like my freedom is being restricted right from the start.
[In Stura, there's no concept of enemies, but here, there's an organization called the Monsters, so it's unavoidable.]
'Hmm… Well, aside from Cho Seo-hyun, I'm not really interested… Unless the protagonist's fiancée is as pretty as Cho Seo-hyun… I just want to finish this quickly and move to another region.'
With that thought, I carefully opened the door to Magic Department Class 7 and stepped inside.
The scene inside the classroom was unfamiliar.
There was only one person.
A girl with long hair, around 160 cm tall, stood with her arms crossed, eyes closed.
She was wearing a modest two-piece outfit, a gray casual suit that emphasized elegance over sexiness.
Long sleeves and a skirt that reached her knees.
And a ridiculously pretty face…
"…."
She seemed to be concentrating on something, so I couldn't bring myself to interrupt.
After standing there with her eyes closed for several dozen seconds, a massive gust of wind mixed with flames erupted in the classroom.
Even in such a dangerous situation, the girl remained calm, eyes closed.
I could feel the flow of mana, and it was clear that the girl at the center had activated it.
The flames raged for a while before calming down.
The girl in the center of the classroom opened her eyes and looked at me with jade-colored eyes.
The moment I saw her, one thought crossed my mind….
'Holy shit, I could live here forever…'
[….]
A goddess had descended.
...
...
...
"I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"
"No, I was just mesmerized by how cool it was."
"Oh! Thank you."
The woman sitting in front of me smiled softly and responded.
I carefully observed the status window of the woman sitting in front of me.
=====
[Name: Sung Suah]
[-Traits-]
[Magic], [Gentleness], [Caution], [Kindness], [Strong Sociability]….
=====
Sung Suah.
Our real target.
And the target that had captured my heart…
'Ah, no! I already have Viola, Lena, Luna, and Sonya! Not to mention Beatrice is also on the list…'
[…That's already more than enough.]
'Ah, really? Then let's add one more.'
[….]
'CEO! Add Sung Suah to the list!'
Having only experienced medieval settings so far, Sung Suah's outfit stood out to me.
A casual gray suit, with a gray coat and skirt, and a white blouse underneath.
A style completely opposite to Cho Seo-hyun.
Everything from her outfit to her personality was different.
As I stared at her intently, Sung Suah tilted her head and asked, "Is there something on my face?"
"Ah, no… I was just thinking about the magic you cast earlier."
"Ah! I was just warming up before meeting the students…"
Sung Suah never lost her smile, no matter what she said.
Kindness and gentleness were her default traits.
Sung Suah stood up, extended her hand toward me, and slightly bowed.
"I should introduce myself properly. I'm Sung Suah, the instructor in charge of Magic Department Class 7 starting today. Pleased to meet you."
"Ah, likewise. I'm Seong Suho."
"I thought it was interesting when I saw your profile, but our names are similar. Pleased to meet you."
Her small, soft hand gently enveloped mine, conveying a sense of trust.
Even though she was holding the hand of a stranger, a man no less, there was no sense of discomfort.
'Haah… Why does every woman's hand feel so refreshing to touch…'
[….]
I wanted to linger, but I knew I'd be out if I did, so I let go at an appropriate moment.
Sung Suah sat back down and, with a bright smile, began explaining about the Magic Department.
"Do you know much about the Magic Department, Instructor Suho?"
"Hmm… It's a place to learn magic, right…?"
"Hehe… Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh."
"Haha, it's fine."
Even if you're laughing at me, just keep smiling…
She continued her explanation.
"There are exactly six students in Magic Department Class 7."
"…Huh? Just six?"
Looking around the classroom, the number of desks was noticeably small.
Only six desks were arranged.
The structure was also quite different from the Combat Department.
While the Combat Department's desk arrangement was similar to my high school, the Magic Department's desks were placed haphazardly.
It's not like it's a special class… Even special classes wouldn't be arranged like this.
"The number of first-year students in the Magic Department was similar to the Combat Department. However, the number of Magic Department students decreases as the years go by."
"Ah… Why is that?"
"Talent and injuries."
Apparently, while students have the talent to enter the consulate, many drop out as they face reality.
Unable to grow, they become frustrated watching their peers achieve more and decide to quit.
And an even bigger problem is injuries….
"Right now, there's one student in our Class 7 who's in poor condition."
"Are they injured?"
"…It's worse than just being injured."
For the first time, Sung Suah made a troubled expression as she continued.
"She used to be the top of the Magic Department, but at the end of her first year, she suddenly lost control of her magic and was severely injured. And… she caused a lot of damage."
Her name is Seo Ji-eun.
For some reason, after achieving great success by the end of her first year, she suddenly lost control of her magic.
'That's why you should use magic circles~ You savages…'
[….]
I said that through the communication line, but inwardly, I couldn't help but admire Sung Suah.
The students who remain here are incredibly talented, which is why they're still around.
The magic Sung Suah had cast earlier was perfectly controlled, something even I could feel.
But her magic…
'One use of Disassembly and it'd be completely nullified, right?'
[The Disassembly skill you've learned would be overwhelmingly effective here.]
Even with my measly magic power of 8, I could vaguely sense the flow…
If I raised my magic power a bit more, I'd be able to see the flow perfectly.
I checked Sung Suah's magic traits.
-[Magic Power Lv.38], [Anti-Magic Lv.18], [Fire Attribute Lv.28]…-
Even by Stura's standards, these were impressive abilities.
None of her attributes were below 25.
All her attributes were growing uniformly, with her magic power standing out at 38.
'I'll raise my magic power later and test out Disassembly.'
[You currently have 77,350 Enel, including what you received this time.]
In this world, you receive 30,000 Enel per week.
If I raise my magic power just a bit, I could probably neutralize all the mages here.
The fact that I received my mission in Stura first is paying off immensely.
Sung Suah looked somewhat embarrassed as she asked me, "Do you know exactly what a Magic Department instructor does?"
"Ah… Teaching and preventing accidents, right?"
"Hmm… One is correct, but the other is hard to say."
She explained that the Magic Department doesn't have a systematic curriculum.
Mostly, if you can control magic proficiently in the Magic Department's training grounds, you're pretty much guaranteed to graduate.
And most students don't graduate…
Unlike the Combat Department, accidents happen constantly in the Magic Department.
Accidents happen, students get injured or die, and the instructors' job is to find the gems among the survivors.
"Sigh… People who don't know about the consulate would be shocked to hear this."
"…I didn't know about this either. I'm not from the consulate."
"That's natural. Most Magic Department students don't leave by choice; they leave because their bodies and minds are broken."
And the students who remain until the end receive a magic license upon graduation and can officially practice magic.
'I thought magic was something you could just learn and use easily, but it's completely different from the fantasy I knew.'
[If such a powerful force could be wielded so easily, that would be the real absurdity.]
And I'm the one running toward the end of that absurdity…
"Our job is to minimize the number of students getting injured and to guide as many students as possible to graduation."
"Understood."
"I'm really sorry if our crude methods disappoint you."
"No, I understand that this is the best we can do."
Sung Suah explained that the top guild, The Tower, is currently researching a more systematic approach, but there's been no progress.
'Stura is the best…'
[Stura's magic circles are the result of thousands of years of trial and error. It's a case that shows just how difficult the study of magic is.]
Just because science advances doesn't mean magic will advance with it, and just because magic advances doesn't mean science will follow.
Stura's scientific development is slow, so it's a bit of a waste.
"Oh my, look at the time…."
While explaining the duties of an instructor to me, Sung Suah raised her left arm to check her watch.
I don't know much about women's watches, but it looked expensive.
'As expected of a hero, she's got a nice watch.'
[Sung Suah is a high-ranking hero and lives a financially comfortable life.]
'Well, the person who'll become her husband is probably loaded anyway.'
Given that her counterpart is the protagonist of this world, there's no way he'd be poor.
On the ring finger of her left hand, which she raised to check the time, was a ring with several small diamonds embedded in it.
'I want to put that ring in her mouth, do an ahegao double peace sign, and take a photo…'
[….]
I'm really good at coming up with trashy ideas like this.
Unaware of my dark thoughts, Sung Suah stood up with a bright smile.
"The first Magic Department class is after lunch. Let's eat together, and I'll tell you more about the students."
Lucky day!
***
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