At its very core, there was only a single rule that decided everything within the academy.
The might maketh right.
All the other rules, social constructs, and systems were built around this principle, regardless of whether one's might referred to their academic inclination, nimbleness of the fingers necessary for crafts and arts, combat-ready constitution, or magic affinity.
When it came to the students, it was the first generation of the now graduated alumni that established the simple hierarchy of a mob, retainer, elite, and a star, purely for the sake of convenience and order within the community they created.
The mobs made up roughly eighty to ninety percent of the student body as a whole and, through a tacit understanding, were not to be messed with. They were those who came to the academy purely to learn their crafts or polish their skills, satisfied with whatever prospects they could achieve without involving themselves in the dormitory's politics.
It was only by becoming a retainer and thus stepping into the much harsher world of active competition where one, just like Ludwig, would gain access to better resources, better teachers, and, in general, better opportunities at the cost of aligning themselves with one of the actual elites.
Then there were the elite students, those who proved themselves to be exemplary in one or more fields, turning themselves into a force to be reckoned with.
Above them and at the very top of the student society were the star students, geniuses of the current crop, capable of pooling the elites under their leadership to create entire factions and vie for a greater share of what the academy could offer.
It was a system originally designed by the students to prepare themselves for what they were going to face outside of the academy walls. And so, while the simple students could just focus on becoming the future members of the middling society, it was the retainers and the above that engaged in the scheming, politics, and factional play to prepare themselves for the unfairness of the high-class world outside of the academy walls.
This system, although unofficial, became so ingrained into the spirit of the academy life that the principal, all the way back during the formation years of the institution as a whole, happily stole the whole concept, turning it into a seed of a system that regulated the ranks of teachers instead.
And so, they would be divided into low, middling, and high-ranking ones, depending on whether they were forced to, free to, or no longer able to participate in the academy missions for the sake of obtaining resources.
Low-ranking teachers like Theo, unable to maintain a stable class underneath them, had no other way to obtain resources but through missions and side-jobs. The middle-rank teachers like some of those who Theo shared the dormitory floor with could live and grow off the tuition of their students, while still maintaining enough free time to grow and earn in other ways.
It was only at the point of a high-rank teacher that they were no longer free enough to afford time for missions or side-jobs, too bogged down by their teaching responsibilities to spare any thought for something else.
This situation persisted all the way to the level of rising star-teachers and the actual star-teachers, who gathered enough prestige and renown to raise their tuition fees and thus maintain their teaching-based livelihood while limiting their classes to the point they still could afford to do something else.
That's how the whole academy system worked back during the first generation. Today, however, the unofficial hierarchy of the students became real in all the ways other than formal, while the ranking system for the teachers has long since lost its sharpness, with the clear divisions between each rank turning blurry and hard to define.
And it was exactly this lack of clear distinction between a rising star teacher — or how they came to be called today, quasi-star teacher — and an actual star teacher that became a source of great plight for many aspiring to reach the top of the existing hierarchy — Lukas' mentor being the prime example of it.
Julian's cottage was located on the outskirts of the academy's compound, far away from all the noise crafted by the crowds of students and teachers alike. A nearly half-an-hour-long walk to and from the academy's main accommodations didn't seem like that much of a price for the pristine peace and silence this place offered, though.
The reason why Julian decided to live in this place, however, had nothing to do with the peace or silence and everything to do with him falling just a little bit short of a star-teacher status. A situation he once hoped to change by changing from the teacher's dormitory to this impressive villa, all in a bid to make himself appear greater and more worthy than his achievements made him be.
For Lukas, Julian's direct disciple, this cottage was nothing but a pain in the ass.
A great place to live, for sure. But one hell of a pain to get to, especially when he was coming with such critical news!
"Master!" Lukas called out loud to announce his arrival right as he reached the fence enclosing both the cottage and a huge garden adjacent to its side. "It's me, Lukas!"
Stepping through the gate, Lukas ignored the familiar wave of itch that moved from the top of his head down to the bottom of his soles as the defensive formation of the place swept through his entire existence.
Yet, even with Lukas' call, the figure of his teacher that he could see hunched over a small pond at the center of the garden didn't even twitch.
'What's wrong with him?' Lukas asked himself as he slowly approached, stopping at a respectful distance and slightly bowing his head before arming himself with his patience, knowing better than to disturb his master when he contemplated something deeply enough not to even notice his arrival.
"Repulsive little roach…" Julius muttered before shaking his head and raising his eyes from the surface of the small pond, well over fifteen minutes after Lukas' arrival. A moment later, he breathed out and cleared his expression before turning his head to glance over at his student. "What?"
'He's angry.'
Three years into his time at the academy and over two years under Julius' tutelage, Lukas had grown quite used to the man's antics. And something like reading the man's supposedly poker face? By now, it became child's play for him, even if he would rather die than admit it if asked by Julius himself.
"Is everything alright, master?"
Noticing his teacher's anger, Lukas opted to try to abate it a bit first before bringing up anything else.
Even if such critical news could potentially be the breaking point for the social stalemate his teacher found himself at.
Even if helping him break into the realm of star teachers would surely grant Lukas benefits he wouldn't even be able to imagine.
"Everything is fine," Julius barked after scanning Lukas' face for a moment. He then shook his head and heaved a long sigh. "Just a certain roach not only showing up to everyone's lessons but mine, but also robbing Miss Celeste of her dinner…"
For a moment, the flush of anger resurfaced on Julius' cheeks, reaching the level of righteous wrath before quickly vanishing as he took control over his expression again.
"Anyway, it's not something for you to worry about," he stated before shaking his head again and then even going as far as to put a small, encouraging smile on his lips. "What are you coming to me with, though?" he asked, his smile growing a little as it took on a confident, self-satisfied vibe. "We both know you wouldn't make this annoying trip just for some small talk."
Lukas put on a slightly ashamed, fleeting smile on his face, acting like a child caught red-handed on inconsequential mischief.
"I've come bearing weird news. There was a…" Lukas hesitated for a bit, struggling to even put what he saw back at the teacher's dormitory into words. "There was an incident at the top floor of the teacher's dorm. An incident involving a phantom thief…"
Finally, Julius' eyebrows moved, betraying a hint of surprise and curiosity.
"Tesh?" he asked, only to then speak again before Lukas could even confirm. "Isn't that good for you? I can still remember how keen you were to catch her."
For all his many faults, Julius was still a quasi-star teacher, one that continued to tether extremely close to reaching the status of a proper star-teacher. And he did so not only by knowing how to teach and groom his students but also by actively involving himself in whatever matters they were affected by. Obviously, all within the limits of a teacher's authority, knowing better than to overstep and invite other teachers to match the degree of his play.
"Yes, master, I'm quite sure it was her, but…" Lukas pursed his lips, once again faced with the struggle of putting the recent events into a short, concise report that would actually make sense. "Master, do you recall the so-called trash of the academy? That teacher famed for… well, his infamy?"
At this point, Julius' expression changed a little bit too fast, faster than Lukas would expect it to change.
It was as if the man he mentioned actually held some sort of important meaning in his master's heart.
"That damned roach?!" Julius asked, his voice growing louder as he rose up in agitation. "What did he do this time?!"
'This time?' For the first time, Lukas questioned whether it was actually a good idea to bring the news to his master or not.
He did so in a bid not to be a silent observer of a potential abuse while washing his hands of any and all responsibility for what he saw, responsibility he wasn't sure he could handle. Judging by his teacher's over-the-top reaction, though…
"I didn't really get a good look, master," Lukas quickly attempted to downplay his report, both to curb his teacher's expectations and to put as much distance to the whole issue as he could. "All I've seen was the phantom thief approach his room only to hesitate. Then, right as she appeared to opt to leave instead of raiding it, she stumbled through the doors."
At this point, Lukas shrugged his shoulder.
"A short moment later, she flew out of the room, crashed around the corridor a few times before ending up down on the floor for quite some time. Judging from what little I've heard…" at this point, Lukas put forth an additional effort to erase any mention of Ludwig's involvement in the case.
It was quickly becoming something that he himself couldn't handle, so it was up to him to keep his loyal retainer out of harm's way.
"She was in quite the pain after that crash. And she took quite the while to stand up before silently leaving."
By now, Julius' face turned perfectly still, clear of all the emotions that Lukas could read as his master focused all his attention on the issue.
"Thrown out?" two words escaped from Julius' mouth as he fell into the rabbit hole of trying to decipher the true idea of what actually happened.
"She hesitated? Pained groans? Took a while to get up?"
The more his master muttered, the more Lukas' worry grew.
At this point, however, the die was cast. He could no longer affect the decision his master would make, only silently observe the process of it forming in the man's head.
"Don't tell me…" for a moment, Julius' eyes opened up wide, his face filling with disgust, repulsion, and righteous wrath, one much less self-centered than the one Lukas spotted on his face before.
An expression that then quickly twisted into a vile, extremely satisfied smile.
"That roach…" Julius muttered, only to shake his head and then raise his eyes while straightening his back and locking his hands behind it. "Lukas, you did me a great service bringing those news. And from the looks of things, this report might be instrumental in cleansing the academy of a great filth that took root in it without any of us noticing."
"Master, all I…"
"Shush, child," Julius cut Lukas short, before he could try to downplay his own report again or add any details that would clarify what was quickly turning out to be quite the gross overestimation of the circumstances he presented.
"Reporting your findings was your job."
Julius turned on his heel while sending the long cloth of his robe to flutter behind his back as he turned, all in a bid to appear grand and magnanimous before his student's eyes.
"Now it's up to us, the adults, to deal with this black sheep."