Clock Tower, the academic city of the Mineralogy Department, in the office of Lord Kayneth El-Melloi Archibald.
Naoki and Kayneth sat on sofas on either side of the coffee table, facing each other.
"It's been four months, Naoki." Kayneth spoke first. "Though it hasn't been too long, it seems you've changed quite a bit since the Holy Grail War."
"Ah, you mean these blonde tufts of hair? I suddenly felt like acting like a mischievous kid."
Naoki touched the golden bangs on his forehead. Due to the fusion of Arthur's spiritual foundation, he was gradually becoming more like Arthur, particularly in his physical traits. In a few years, his hair would turn the exact golden color of Arthur's, like sunlight.
Naoki was a man with a gentle appearance. With his strands of blonde hair, he was often approached by girls at school. Unfortunately, he was completely unmoved by the ordinary faces of passersby.
"Alright, Teacher Kayneth. Thank you so much for inviting me to study at the Clock Tower and helping me pay for the first semester's tuition."
"Hmph, my dignity and self-respect wouldn't allow me to keep owing you. Besides, you're a first-generation Magus with extraordinary talent, possessing Mystic Eyes of Gemstone rank, comparable to the magic of the Age of Gods. It would be a waste to leave such talent in a small country in the Far East."
In truth, Kayneth's idea was to mentor Naoki, binding him with a teacher-student relationship and the grace of recognition, to bring him into the El-Melloi faction in the future. A great female Magus is a mother who raises even greater children. The same applies to male Magus. If Naoki could marry into the Archibald family, it would undoubtedly benefit the family's development.
Paying Naoki's tuition upfront also meant putting him in his debt.
"I've already taken care of most of the new student admission procedures. You'll need to handle the rest yourself. Let Waver take you there later. It's still the holiday season. The official start date is next week. Make sure to prepare everything before then."
"Mm."
"Also, regarding the courses... In theory, every student must first study the foundational knowledge of all basic courses for five years before moving on to other courses after completing the required credits. However, I won't let a genius like you waste five years in vain."
If it were more than five years, Kayneth instinctively felt that Naoki might grow to a point beyond his control, like Aozaki Touko, who previously left the Creation Department. As a student, she eventually surpassed all her teachers and achieved the rank of Grand Magus.
Although Kayneth didn't think Naoki had that capability, he still hoped to safely harness this talent.
"Two years. I want you to graduate from the basic courses and then move to the—"
"Spiritual Evocation Department, right?" Naoki interrupted Kayneth. "Oh, thank you so much, Teacher Kayneth. I'm only your student in name, but you've gone through so much trouble for me and even planned my future. Thank you very much."
Seeing Naoki's bright smile, Kayneth knew that this person had figured everything out and was clearly opposing him.
However, it didn't matter for the Spiritual Evocation Department. After all, he was the son-in-law of the Lord of the Spiritual Evocation Department. Even if Naoki went to the Spiritual Evocation Department, he would still be under his control. The only difference was the strength of that control. Moreover, his Mystic Eyes could only be better utilized and developed within the Spiritual Evocation Department.
"Hmph, I'm glad you understand." Kayneth snorted coldly. "I'll greet the Spiritual Evocation Department. You should also go and connect with the people in the Spiritual Evocation Department more often. With your Mystic Eyes, if you develop well, you'll surely become one of the candidates for the next Lord."
"I understand. Thank you for your advice and preparations. Thank you for your help."
"Forget the flattery. Just go and finish what you need to do. I'll have Waver pick you up tonight. After all, I invited you to the Clock Tower. I've prepared dinner for you tonight."
"Oh, that's embarrassing—I'll definitely go! Then, I'll take my leave now, teacher."
Standing and bowing to Kayneth, Naoki walked out of the office.
In the corridor outside, Waver leaned against the wall and watched Naoki exit and close the door. "You're quite bold. Bold enough to interrupt the teacher."
"I did this a year ago in Fuyuki City. What's so bold about it?"
Naoki shrugged.
"You're the first person brave enough to interrupt Teacher Kayneth's speech. I'm very grateful for your courage." Waver sighed wearily. "Follow me. I'll take you to complete the final admission procedures and then escort you to your residence."
"Does Teacher Kayneth force everything besides research on you?"
"Yes. Ahhh, my stomach..."
Dealing with all the daily affairs of a Lord besides research, and also managing academic studies—does this count as an awareness of the essence of overtime work more than ten years in advance?
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The final admission procedures weren't too complicated. It was just a matter of registering various aspects of Naoki's information, including magic circuits, magic attributes, etc. After all, the Clock Tower was the headquarters of nearly all existing Magus. To run effective management, this level of registration was still necessary.
However, some incidents occurred at the end of the procedures. Seeing that Naoki was a first-generation Magus, some Magus from noble families often came to provoke and humiliate him. This was a very common occurrence at the Clock Tower. Initially, Naoki wasn't prepared to argue with these capitalist and feudal individuals.
He came here only to study Magecraft, and he didn't plan to stay here even if he graduated from the Clock Tower in the future. He had no intention of becoming close friends or building good relationships with the people here.
"You might run into trouble."
Seeing the noble Magus who were outright ignored by Naoki, Waver spoke in a slightly lower voice.
"There are many factions in the Clock Tower. I know what you're thinking, but doing this... Forget it. I guess you won't listen to anything I say."
"You know my character very well." Naoki smiled. "Where are we going now? All the formalities are done, right? Do you want me to pick up textbooks or something?"
"There's no such thing as textbooks. If you want books, just go to the library. After all, a Magus's learning is more about self-study than being taught by others. The Clock Tower won't teach you much."
"I see... What's the next plan?"
"I'll take you to my place."