The man in front of him calmly stated his name and surname. Professor Devon stared blankly at the doorway, swallowing hard.
"Vi... Viktor? Why did you come back?"
He knew that the royal family had declared Viktor innocent, which meant Viktor wasn't dead.
Although he felt a bit guilty, he reminded himself that he had obtained this class through proper procedures, and that thought gave him a bit of confidence.
"What's wrong, Viktor?"
"Don't you know the dean has already given notice? This class has been reassigned to me."
He deliberately mentioned the dean's authority and looked at Viktor proudly.
Professor Devon believed that no matter how arrogant Viktor was, he wouldn't dare to make trouble with the dean, after all, this was the Academy, not his personal territory.
So, he added deliberately, "Viktor, remember your identity. You're just a third-tier mage."
Viktor's face was expressionless.
Due to the royal family's deliberate concealment, the incident of Viktor stopping the volcanic eruption hadn't been widely spread.
Disasters like that, once made public, could easily cause panic among the populace.
So the matter was only circulated among a small circle of nobles and royals.
The official explanation was simply that Viktor was acquitted and had nothing to do with the volcano.
Under such guided public opinion, except for the mages who had been present at the scene, very few people knew that Viktor was already a fourth-tier mage.
And Professor Devon Reiser in front of him was naturally one of those left in the dark.
"As for you snatching my class, " Viktor said coldly, "I'll reapply to the dean afterward."
The students below immediately brightened up; in their hearts, they all had the same thought, 'Finally, we don't have to listen to that pig's lectures anymore!'
'His lectures are seriously boring! And he even gets things wrong, what's wrong with his brain?'
'Let Devon teach? Don't make me laugh! I could do better myself!'
In the minds of these brilliant students, the difference between Devon and Viktor was like the difference between trash and perfection.
Professor Devon's face darkened. He spat in frustration.
He had only managed to grab this class thanks to Viktor's 'disappearance'.
Now that Viktor was back, naturally, the class would return to the higher-ranked mage.
Devon had no way to stop him now.
Viktor raised two fingers in front of him.
"Then, the first thing."
"When I left, I entrusted my assistant to take over my teaching duties."
"Where is she now?"
At that, Devon's eyes showed a smug look.
"Oh? You mean that filthy assistant of yours?"
"That disgusting bug who doesn't even count as a refugee, she's fit to teach and nurture students? Hahaha! Don't make me laugh!"
"As a professor, I have every right to issue orders to your assistant while you're away from the Academy."
"What's the problem? I fired her. Got an issue with that..."
BOOM!
The coat Viktor was wearing suddenly blazed with fiery red light that swept through the entire classroom.
A powerful heat burst out, and the temperature in the room shot up sharply in an instant.
Even those in the corridor could feel the scorching heat.
A massive lava hand appeared, grabbing Devon by the neck and lifting him into the air, like a pig being hung up for roasting.
All the students in the classroom froze on the spot, not knowing how to react.
The water in their cups hissed and began to boil.
It was their first time seeing Viktor actually use magic.
And this time, his opponent was another mage who also held the title of professor.
But what did they just witness?
Professor Viktor, with just one move, rendered Professor Devon completely immobile.
This was simply....
"So cool!"
One student suddenly shouted in excitement, then immediately realized the situation was wrong and quickly shut up, lowering his head.
But instead of reacting angrily, Viktor remained calm, while all the other students gave the boy approving nods.
Professor Devon struggled violently, trying to pry open the lava hand with his fat fingers, but it was futile.
He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating.
Panic and terror instantly flooded his mind.
Like a pig about to be slaughtered, he thrashed madly, beating at the molten hand despite the flesh of his palms turning red from burns.
Just as he was about to faint, Viktor released him.
Devon fell to the ground, gasping for air, sweat streaming down his greasy face. He looked up at Viktor in fear and shouted angrily, "Viktor! You, you dare to deliberately harm someone inside the Academy!"
"You really dare kill me?"
A flash of crimson light flickered in Viktor's eyes, and the lava hand thickened to twice its size.
"Why? Do you think I wouldn't dare?"
The massive hand drew closer to Devon, the heat so intense that even the air he inhaled felt like it was about to rip his lungs apart.
Sweat, whether from fear or heat, rolled down his forehead.
The lava hand grabbed his collar and lifted him up again, bringing him face to face with Viktor.
Viktor's voice was cold and low.
"Right now, I won't kill you."
"I just hope that the truth I see will be enough to spare your life."
A foul smell spread through the air as Viktor looked down at Devon's now-wrinkled crotch.
Whoosh!
A burst of flame ignited below. Devon screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
That thing of his, was burned to a crisp.
In unbearable agony, Devon finally fainted.
Every student in the room shuddered, especially the male ones.
Behind Viktor, the molten hand still held Devon like a dead pig.
Before leaving the classroom, Viktor turned back and said coldly, "This class, self-study."
"Yes, Professor Viktor!"
The students answered in unison.
Viktor walked through the Academy, the molten hand still gripping Professor Devon behind him.
He wandered aimlessly, as if publicly parading Devon's punishment.
Everywhere he went, people stopped to stare.
After all, seeing someone walking through campus with such a sight, no matter the time, was impossible to ignore.
Plenty of students were free at this hour. One by one, they looked at the scene and then quickly bowed their heads, afraid Viktor might catch them watching.
"Damn! What the hell is that giant hand behind Professor Viktor? It's so damn cool."
They had almost forgotten that the fat man being carried, Professor Devon, was the same one who had cruelly humiliated a lowly assistant here just yesterday.
Of course, they wouldn't remember that.
No one cared about a mere assistant.
Even after what happened yesterday, it was just something for them to gossip about over dinner.
Something to laugh about when bored, talking about how pitiful that assistant was, how badly she'd been humiliated.
And perhaps sighing coldly that if it had been them, they might not even want to live in this country anymore.
Viktor walked for nearly half an hour, covering almost half the Academy.
Then, a voice came through the air.
"Professor Viktor, you've crossed the line."
The magical ripples in the air made Viktor immediately understand, it was the dean's Natural Sparrow.
Through the Natural Sparrow spell, the dean had initiated direct communication with him.
Viktor didn't respond verbally. Instead, he analyzed the magic ripples and formed a magical link in midair, connecting to the Natural Sparrow himself.
"This is the punishment he deserves."
"I respect you, Dean. So, please, don't interfere."
The air waves stayed silent for a long time.
Because just from that one subtle magical maneuver, the dean instantly realized,
Viktor had detected the Natural Sparrow.
"A... nineteen-year-old... Saint Mage?"
"Lord Viktor, you truly never cease to amaze me."
The ripples of the Natural Sparrow slowly faded.
"I understand what you want to know. The Natural Sparrow has already shown us everything."
"Then, please, let me ask once more. Do not be angry. Do not unleash your wrath upon the innocent students."
"When you're ready, come to my office. Let's talk."
The ripples in the air finally went still.
Vega glanced at Viktor.
"So, you already knew that old man would reach out to you."
"You did all this on purpose, to force him to tell you where that girl went."
Viktor didn't respond. He just kept walking toward the dean's office, still dragging Devon along.
"If you see something that makes you furious," Vega said, "what will you do?"
Viktor glanced back at the unconscious Devon, a flicker of killing intent rising in his calm, lake-like eyes.
"Good. I like your answer."
"Let's go. I'm curious too, what exactly did this fat pig do?"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/XenosX
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰