Chapter 25: Freshman party (3)

“O-Obsidian?”

Murmur, murmur. Whisper, whisper.
As the entire student body began to stir, the staff member in charge stammered a question.
He seemed quite flustered by the completely unexpected answer.

Of course, the students weren’t the only ones who were surprised.

The housemasters, who had been occupying the front row with me.
They too, with expressions of utter astonishment, gaped.

“W-w-w-what in the world…?”

“O-Obsidian? Obsidian? That, that, that can’t be…?”

“Oh?”

No, let me correct that.

Only Georgios and Dolores, who had been counting their chickens before they hatched, were aghast, while Jabir’s eyes were gleaming with interest.

Unlike the other two, he was taking the situation of losing the next Hero quite rationally.
However, it was hard to say that the reactions of those two housemasters were particularly irrational.

“Ahem, ahem! Are you sure about your decision? Is student Alber really going to live in the Obsidian dormitory?”

“Hehe, of course! I am of the Gold Dragon’s bloodline! I have no regrets about the words I have spoken!”

Alber replied confidently to the staff member’s question.
It didn’t seem like she had pointed to Obsidian by a slip of the tongue.

And at her firm answer, the students who had been watching the situation also began to whisper among themselves.

“Obsidian? Really? Didn’t they stop hunting for new students after the housemaster changed?”

“I know, right. While Jade, Topaz, and Carnelian were running around with their butts on fire, Obsidian just stood by and watched. Even the professors and students all knew.”

“Was there some kind of secret deal beforehand? Like they had already agreed before admission.”

What do you mean, agreed? I’m about to faint from frustration myself!
I blinked, wiping the wine that was dripping down my chin.

Obsidian? Did that kid, the next Hero, just say she was coming to Obsidian?

‘But why?’

“My goodness. Congratulations, Professor Anastasia.”

Professor Bishop, who didn’t know my true feelings, only added salt to the wound with her surprised tone.
She patted my shoulder lightly with an impressed expression.

“You said you weren’t interested in recruiting new students, but it seems you’ve been working hard in secret. Isn’t a talent like the next Hero something you can proudly write on your resume? What kind of exquisite trick did you use?”

…What exquisite trick?
If there really was one, I wouldn’t feel so wronged.

I looked at the Saintess’s seat in disbelief, but she was just smiling as if it was a good thing.
The gentle demeanor of the ‘Bribe Saintess’, who had been sulking because I hadn’t given her a bribe, was nowhere to be seen.

Facing that, I suddenly felt like I was suffocating.

The Hero is coming to Obsidian.
In other words…

‘That woman will be following me around from now on?’

A skilled person who is well-versed in the principles of magic, and a person of power who can restart the witch hunt of the church with a single word?

“Um, alright. Then I’ll ask the next person.”

While the faculty, including myself, were still reeling from the shock, the staff member moved on to Silvia, who was ranked second.

“What about student Silvia? Which of the four dormitories will you choose?”

“Hehe, me? Isn’t that obvious?”

Silvia, with a bright smile befitting Garcia’s Sunflower.
Her cute and refreshing charm made the male students, regardless of their year, tremble like hungry wolves.

Georgios and Dolores, who had come to their senses, also began to boast again.

“T-that’s right! Of course! Miss Silvia will surely come to our Topaz, won’t she!”

“D-don’t be ridiculous, Professor Georgios! That’s a sign that she’s coming to our Carnelian! A wise student like Miss Silvia would surely…”

“I, you know.”

While they were chattering without giving the Jade housemaster a chance to chime in, Silvia revealed her pretty teeth with a smile.
Then, with her characteristic sparkling eyes, she playfully announced.

“I’ll go to Obsidian, where Professor Anastasia is!”

“Kuh-huh?!”

“Again… again Obsidian?!”

“…Hmm.”

The housemasters of Topaz and Carnelian, who seemed to have half-lost their minds.
On the other hand, the housemaster of Jade was still calm.

Even though the genius he had been eyeing had flown away right in front of him.

If I could borrow it, it was a supreme composure that I wanted to borrow.

‘No, why are you coming too?!’

I couldn’t shout it out loud, so I just kept tearing at the tablecloth.

You want to come to Obsidian because I’m here? For what reason?
Weren’t you the one who was scolded and even got a flick on the forehead during the test?

If it were me, I would keep my distance out of shame and anger. Isn’t that a common-sense reaction?

“My goodness, even the daughter of Chairman Forte? You’re really an amazing person. She’s a student who’s known to be difficult even among the professors.”

Once again, Professor Bishop, who didn’t know my true feelings, poured a dagger disguised as a compliment.
She fiddled with her monocle in disbelief, and even added a possibility that I didn’t want to imagine.

“Could it be that the princess is also coming to Obsidian? It seems possible for a person with the charm to monopolize the first and second ranks.”

Nonsense.
This was 100% pure nonsense.

It would be different if it were Alber or Silvia, but the princess was someone I had no connection with.
There was no reason for her to choose me, ignoring the other housemasters who were sending her love calls.

At least, if I thought rationally, I had to believe that.

“Now, finally! For the 3rd place, where would student Krimhild like to go?”

“Hehe, me?”

But when the staff member turned to the princess to conclude the event.

“I also wish to enter the Obsidian dormitory.”

That fleeting hope was shattered.

“Ah…”

Damn it…

‘I’m so impressed, new professor.’

Such a clean and elaborate, artistic groundwork.
In terms of directing sense, she was a world-class strategist who deserved 100, no, 200 points.

Thinking that, Princess Krimhild smiled faintly.

Honestly, even when she came up to the stage, she had no confidence.
Wasn’t Obsidian the one that hadn’t revealed any trump cards until the very end?

That was why Krimhild had felt the urge to just go to Carnelian.

‘But to think this was all a strategy?’

She muttered, glancing at the two girls who were also on the stage.
Now she understood why the Obsidian housemaster hadn’t contacted her.
There was no need to contact her in the first place.

The mysterious scene of the first and second-ranked students consecutively choosing Obsidian.
By showing this off, she could also win over the heart of the third-ranked Krimhild.

‘Since the next Hero and the genius who received a constellation are there, it’s a given that I can only be in third place.’

As long as the test was in a duel format, it was obvious that those two would take the top spots.
It was so obvious that no one paid much attention to the predetermined fact.

The new professor of black magic defense had quickly caught the blind spot hidden in this fact.
And she had immediately made a once-in-a-lifetime decision.

Instead of grating on the princess’s nerves with meaningless rhetoric and obvious advances.
She would rather present an undeniable achievement and capture her at once.

‘As expected, my initial thought was right.’

Descending from the stage, Krimhild gripped the hilt of the renowned sword, Gramr.
The ambitious woman’s fiery eyes were fixed on the silver-haired warlock professor among the housemasters.

‘I have to get that woman!’

A once-in-a-generation talent, too precious to be left as an academy professor.
She was a supreme treasure essential for the iron-blooded path of hegemony that Princess Krimhild dreamed of.

A young magician, Anastasia, with proven practical skills and a sharp mind.

If she could have her, what was Nathaniel of Sagittarius? The tide of the struggle would immediately turn in her favor.

‘It doesn’t matter if she’s Nathaniel’s connection or not.’

She had her confidants investigate Nathaniel’s movements before his death, but she couldn’t find any clues about Anastasia.

How did she get to know him, and how did she get the recommendation?
Everything was unclear, but now, it was all meaningless.

‘I will uncover everything about you, Professor Anastasia.’

The hidden ambition and desire deep within her heart. And the craving that any human would have.
She would uncover everything as if stripping her naked and make it a leash that only she could hold.

Just you wait, new ‘professor’.
I will definitely turn you into Krimhild’s loyal servant.
A court magician who obeys only me.

Princess Krimhild von Hohenlaufen, who had to have what she wanted since she was a child.

Her persistent obsession was stirring.

“Cheers!”

“Let’s all work hard this year!”

Clink! The clear sound of full glasses clinking.

After the freshman celebration, it was a simple after-party for the professors only.
This time, it also served as a farewell party for Professor Bishop, who was leaving her beloved teaching position.

“Hahaha! Congratulations, Professor Bishop! You’ve chosen a very clever successor! The future of Obsidian will continue to be bright, indeed!”

A well-wishing remark from a tipsy fellow professor.
At this, Kamala Bishop responded with a smile and glanced at the other housemasters.

Georgios and Dolores, who were upset at having lost the first, second, and third ranks.
And Jabir, who was still sipping his drink with an inscrutable expression.

Although they had saved face by sweeping up the lower-ranked golden generation, it didn’t seem to be a consolation for losing the very core of the core.

“Hmm, come to think of it.”

What is the other main character of today’s after-party doing?
She would be the one who deserved the most congratulations.

Thinking that, Kamala moved to a corner of the party hall to find Anastasia.

And she found her.

“Ah, Professor Anastasia…?”

The young warlock, who had been pouring down strong liquor and was completely drunk.

“Dream… this is a dream… it’s all a dream…”

Anastasia, who was so drunk that she was hiccuping.
She was muttering, her head on the table, caressing a bottle of liquor.
It was presumed that she was so overjoyed at her great harvest that she couldn’t contain her happiness.

“Tsk, tsk, you should drink in moderation. What will you do if your body breaks down?”

She was chuckling and sipping her cocktail.

Just then, a teaching assistant who had suddenly approached spoke to her.

“Excuse me, Professor Bishop? I’m sorry, but could you take a look at this?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Well, it’s supposed to be delivered to Professor Anastasia, but… her condition is a bit…”

“I understand. Give it to me.”

Kamala Bishop, who had readily agreed, took the document from the teaching assistant’s hand and read it.
Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she smiled faintly and muttered.

“Unexpected. There was another golden generation who chose to go to Obsidian?”

“To be precise, she’s more of a dark horse than a golden generation. No one expected her to get such a high rank at the time of admission.”

“Hmm, really?”

Trailing off her words, Kamala carefully scanned the student’s information on the document.

Compared to her decent entrance exam scores, her final rank was a whopping 7th in the entire school.
Just by looking at this, there was no doubt that she was a student with excellent potential.

However, the most interesting information was, of course, the record of the student’s class.

“A Gunslinger? That rare race at the academy?”

The Ankraz, a minority group that lives on the southern outskirts of the Vǫlsunga Empire.
They are a people who have improved their own magic engineering for generations in the face of external oppression and mistreatment.

The weapons they use are firearms that operate on a special mana called ‘Gongryeok’.
Although it has as many disadvantages as it has advantages, it is an important item that symbolizes freedom and struggle for the Ankraz.

For a student of the Ankraz tribe to set foot in the academy was very interesting information.

“But this student wouldn’t have any particular connection with Professor Anastasia, would she? Did she say why she chose Obsidian?”

“Yes, well. I did ask her the reason when I got her signature.”

The teaching assistant shrugged and nonchalantly reported.

“She said she’s ‘friends’ with the princess who entered this year. She’s following her after seeing the results of the celebration today.”

“Pfft, is that so?”

Letting out a chuckle at the unexpected answer, Kamala glanced at the passed-out Anastasia.

“I’ll keep it in mind for now. When she sobers up, please come and notify Professor Anastasia again.”

Kamala Bishop, who had no idea why her successor had been drinking so heavily, concluded in that manner and sent the teaching assistant away.

“Ugh, damn it…”

And the new professor, Anastasia, completely unaware of the series of events, was twisting her drunk body and whining again in a slurred tone.

“The damn prince I wanted went to Topaz… and I’m stuck with all the troublemakers? This isn’t the setup I wanted…”