Henny held the textbook in her arms and patiently explained to Professor Devon, "This is something allowed by Professor Victor."
"Since Professor Victor is away, he asked me to substitute for his class."
But her words only earned her a mocking snort.
"You're just a teaching assistant. You haven't even stepped into the threshold of a First-Rank Mage. What qualifications do you have to lecture a class?"
"And you're teaching the academy's best class, do you even realize how difficult that is?"
"If the students' grades drop, can you take responsibility for that?"
Most of the top students at the Royal Academy of Magic came from noble families. Especially in this most gifted class, there were hardly any commoners.
To Devon, having someone like Henny, who wasn't even considered a proper commoner, teach this class was as ridiculous as a beggar telling an emperor how delicious bread was.
Professor Devon twisted his fat body as he spoke. Just walking a few steps and saying a few words made him feel tired.
He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the greasy sweat off his forehead, then stuffed it back.
Seeing him like this, Henny couldn't help but back away a little.
But Devon continued speaking harshly, "The first class should have the best teachers. You're teaching them magic? A refugee who isn't even considered a commoner, what right do you have to teach anyone?"
"I think you should just do what you did before, get out of the academy as fast as you can! Don't let me see you again!"
Devon's voice grew louder and more emotional, his spit flying everywhere.
Luckily, Henny stood far enough away that none landed on her.
She couldn't hold back anymore and retorted, "This is Professor Victor's class. Since he's not in the academy right now, as his assistant, it's my duty to prepare his lessons for him. Do you have a problem with that?"
The moment Devon heard Victor's name repeated several times, his expression darkened. He glared coldly at her and said, "You know quite a bit, don't you?"
"But don't you ever mention that bastard Victor in front of me again."
Henny's face turned red, her heart pounding, and sparks seemed to flicker in her eyes.
"Professor Devon! You're insulting Mr. Victor!"
"Professor Victor is one of the academy's youngest Third-Rank Mages! A man of vast knowledge, how can you speak of him like that?"
"Why can I speak of him like that?"
Devon suddenly raised his voice, sneering, "You'd better find out what he's been doing these past few days before talking to me!"
As he spoke, he threw out a magic stone.
The magic stone floated in midair, slowly rotating as it began to glow. A scene appeared before their eyes.
In the image, a volcano was rumbling, on the verge of erupting. Countless mages stood on the mountainside, preparing to cast a war spell. The volcano shook violently, like a raging beast about to explode.
A blinding flash suddenly filled the entire image.
Then the magic stone dimmed and dropped to the ground, rolling to Devon's feet.
He moved aside, picked it up again, and said mockingly, "Did you see that?"
Henny looked confused. She had heard about many mages leaving the capital recently, but as someone so low in rank, she'd never had access to information about a volcanic eruption.
She naturally didn't understand what was happening in the capital lately.
Devon explained coldly, "That volcano didn't erupt naturally."
"It was caused intentionally!"
Henny trembled slightly when she heard that.
"Do you want to know who did it?"
Henny saw the cold look in Devon's eyes. She had a guess but quickly denied it in her heart.
Devon caught her hesitation and said with mockery, "That's right, it was your precious Professor Victor!"
"He angered the heavens and caused the volcano to erupt. And for his actions, he paid the price. He died in that volcano!"
Hearing that, Henny shook her head quickly, rushing to deny it, "Impossible! Professor would never do something like that!"
"He's so powerful, how could he die in a volcano?"
Devon snorted dismissively and continued, "Typical of a refugee. He nearly caused an unstoppable disaster."
"And you? Your first thought is to worry whether he's dead or not?"
"Trash is trash. It belongs in the garbage heap, not in the academy contaminating the air!"
Henny's eyes went blank. She stood frozen, muttering the same words over and over, "Impossible."
Devon shook his head, completely unmoved by her shock.
"This is a fact recognized by all mages."
"Soon, the Emperor will officially announce Victor's crimes."
Henny suddenly realized something, Devon was one of the few Second-Rank Mages who hadn't left the capital recently.
Which meant he hadn't actually seen it himself.
Her voice trembled as she asked, "So… you didn't actually see Professor Victor die, did you?"
"What difference does that make? His crimes are unforgivable! Even if he's alive, he's too disgraced to remain in the capital!"
Thinking about Victor's downfall made Devon excited. Sweat poured from him, soaking through his thin clothes.
"Heh, I'll apply to the dean. Starting tomorrow, Victor's class will be handed over to me."
"As for you, pack your things and get out of the academy."
Devon strutted away like a proud rooster, his chin raised high.
Henny was left alone, holding her books, standing silently in the corridor corner.
Her mind was a mess, and she could only move toward the classroom on instinct.
As soon as she stepped into Class One, the not-so-noisy classroom fell silent.
The students recognized their familiar teaching assistant, and no one reacted much.
Over the past few days, during Professor Victor's absence, Henny's teaching had already earned the students' general respect.
But today, something was off about her.
Her usual warmth and calm were gone, replaced by absent-mindedness and a heavy sadness.
Henny quietly walked to the podium and set her thick stack of books down.
Her eyes swept across the class, pausing on the frontmost seat.
That was Erica's seat. It was empty.
Like Professor Victor, Erica hadn't been to school since the mages left the capital.
The two of them had vanished as if by prior agreement, leaving Henny with no one left to talk to.
She desperately wanted to know the truth, whether Victor was truly dead.
But with Erica gone, she had no source of information.
So Henny forced a stiff smile and began teaching.
No matter what, the students' lessons couldn't be delayed.
"Alright, today we'll be discussing 'The Structure of Imperial Traditional Magic Patterns'..."
Soon, Henny settled into the rhythm, and the students below listened attentively.
Everything seemed fine.
Halfway through class, as Henny was reading from a text, she suddenly froze.
The words on the page were being covered by black writing that crawled across the paper like something alive.
Startled, she dropped the book onto the podium.
The black letters stretched out tendrils, spreading rapidly, as though they would wrap around her at any second.
The scattered words twisted violently, as if madly craving something.
The letters didn't change, [Do you want power?]
Henny couldn't take it anymore. She slammed the desk and shouted angrily, "I don't need it!"
The classroom went dead silent. Every student stared at her, stunned, not knowing what had triggered her sudden outburst.
After venting, Henny came back to her senses, bowed her head deeply, and apologized to the students.
Then, distractedly, she finished the lecture as best she could.
When the dismissal bell rang, she didn't even announce the end of class. She grabbed her books and rushed out the door.
Walking down the path, Henny kept her head low and said nothing.
She could feel eyes on her from all directions. The strange looks made her uneasy.
She suddenly lifted her head and looked around, but everyone was just going about their day. Some hurried past, others read while walking, others laughed in pairs. No one was looking at her.
Maybe it was Devon's words earlier that had shaken her too deeply.
Henny tried hard not to think about Victor, but deep down, she still hoped he was alive.
He was the only one in the academy who cared about her.
"Stop."
A cold, arrogant voice sounded from behind her.
Henny's body trembled. She turned around.
It was Professor Devon.
He looked smug, waving a document before tossing it at her.
Henny picked it up, read it, and froze in disbelief.
The words were clear, "Due to Professor Victor's prolonged absence, all future lessons for Class One will be transferred to Professor Devon."
Her body shook slightly, and her face turned pale. She looked up at him, unable to believe it.
Devon grinned, satisfied.
"As a professor, I have the right to dismiss an assistant who isn't even a mage."
"Starting tomorrow, you don't need to come to the academy again."
Suddenly, the books in Henny's hands burst into bright flames. Like a venomous snake, the fire devoured them rapidly.
No matter how she tried to beat it out, the burning pain in her hands made it impossible to stop.
Panicked, on the verge of tears, she cried out, "No! No!"
But magic flames were not so easily extinguished.
In the end, powerless to resist, Henny fell to her knees in despair. Her clothes were covered in dust, and the book filled with her knowledge burned to ashes.
It was her life's work, her knowledge, her dream, all consumed in the fire.
A crowd had gathered by now, but no one offered comfort.
No one cared about a mere teaching assistant, especially one covered in soot and humiliation.
Professor Devon had publicly humiliated her and left, satisfied.
He had never once seen Henny as a person.
This was the hostility others felt toward Victor.
After Henny became his assistant, their hatred for Victor shifted onto her, even though she was innocent.
To them, Henny was nothing more than an easy target, a punching bag.
Bullying her carried no guilt.
At that moment, the ground seemed cursed once again. Those same black letters appeared, rising up, dark, violent, and twisted.
More frenzied, more distorted than before, they tore through the air like a dark omen.
[Do you want power?]
And this time, Henny's answer was, "I want power. If I can… I want to have power…"
She hated her weakness, her helplessness.
She blamed herself for holding Professor Victor back.
She didn't want to live like this anymore.
After she spoke, the black letters froze, then faded like the wind.
Henny waited.
She hoped that some power would suddenly descend upon her.
She hoped she would no longer be so easily bullied.
She hoped she could better help Professor Victor, the one who cared about her.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds...
———
"Ha! She really believed it!"
"I knew it! Just like Professor Devon said, someone as useless as her would fall for it the moment she thought there was a shortcut to getting stronger!"
"Always dreaming of getting power without effort, people like her never put in real work!"
Mocking laughter rang out nearby. Several students jumped out from behind the bushes, clutching their stomachs in laughter before her.
The sound of ridicule stabbed into Henny's chest like knives.
A flood of humiliation and grief surged up her throat, and she couldn't speak a single word.
Lowering her head, she buried her face in her robes.
'Don't cry...'
The staring bystanders, the mocking laughter, it all cut at her like blades.
She couldn't feel physical pain, but her heart was bleeding.
'Don't cry, Henny. Don't cry!'
But the tears she'd been holding back finally burst free.
They fell like pearls, one after another, onto the ashes below, soaking her robe.
Her sharp, hoarse sobs echoed along the street,
As if trying to drown out the cold laughter and cruel indifference.
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