Chapter 214: Good boy
Chapter 214: Good boy
When they arrived at the massive, amphitheater-style classroom where the seminar would be held, they found Cassian sitting all alone in the very back, in the highest corner row.
They both jogged up the stairs. Without any hesitation, Celine took the seat to Cassian’s right, and Lunox took the one to his left. Being flanked on both sides by these stubborn types only earned a faint sigh from Cassian.
Shortly after the class had completely filled up, the door opened and the professor walked in.
It was a woman with dark green, wavy hair reaching down to her waist, wearing a dark, stylish but rather shabby-looking academy robe. The faint dark circles under her eyes and the weary expression on her face clearly displayed her lack of sleep and reluctance toward her job.
Cassian recognized the woman the moment he saw her. This was the woman sleeping with her head on the desk in the small room he had visited days ago to fill out his Academy registration form.
A faint, mischievous glint appeared in Cassian’s eyes. Before leaving the room that day, he had drawn a funny mustache and beard on the woman’s face. In his own way, it had been a small, vengeful punishment for her condescending, indifferent attitude towards him.
*I wonder...* Cassian thought to himself. *What was her facial expression like when she woke up and noticed that beard and mustache in the mirror? It must have definitely been a sight to behold.*
The professor dropped the heavy leather bag in her hand onto the podium with a loud thud. She pulled out a few thick spellbooks and a piece of chalk. Waiting for the whispers in the class to die down, she slumped her shoulders.
"Silence," she said, her voice so tired and unwilling that it sounded as if every word sapped a piece of her life.
"My name is Pharsa Vance. I am your professor for Magic Theory and Mana Manipulation," she said, writing her name on the board in large letters.
Tossing the chalk onto the desk, she turned to the class and crossed her arms over her chest. "Let’s make the introductions quick. Things I like: Sleep, strong coffee, and silence. As for things I don’t like..." Rolling her eyes, she scanned the room. "People who ask too many unnecessary questions, people who make noise in class, people who don’t listen to my lecture and doze off in the back..."
Pharsa paused briefly, that weary expression on her face giving way to a hint of disgust. "...Men who aren’t handsome and men who aren’t rich."
There was a momentary silence in the class. Those last two had absolutely nothing to do with a magic theory class. But a few seconds later, chuckles and laughter rose from some of the students. They found the professor’s discriminatory and honest attitude funny.
Ignoring the laughter, Pharsa raised her head toward the upper rows of the class to continue speaking. "The way my class operates is quite sim—"
Her sentence was cut short.
Pharsa’s green eyes had locked onto that white-haired, red-eyed youth sitting in the very back row: Cassian. The woman’s body suddenly stiffened. Her eyes widened as if they would pop out of their sockets, the sleepy expression on her face completely gone.
In response to her frozen state, Cassian simply tilted his head slightly to the side.
Noticing the professor’s strange reaction, Celine leaned toward Cassian and whispered, "Is the professor staring at us, or is it just me?"
Realizing that the students in the class were looking at her weirdly, Pharsa quickly pulled herself together by clearing her throat. "Ahem! Yes... Where were we," she said, averting her gaze and beginning the lecture, explaining the theories from the book. However, throughout the class, her eyes kept involuntarily flicking back to that back row, to Cassian.
---
After the long and boring theoretical lecture, the ending bell brought relief to the entire academy. As students quickly packed their belongings and started leaving the classroom, Cassian swung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the door, accompanied by the endless, competitive glares between Lunox and Celine.
But just as he was about to step out the door, the familiar, tired voice from the podium stopped him.
"Student Cassian. Come here."
Though the last few students in the class turned to them curiously, Pharsa’s stern glare sent them hurrying out. Cassian stopped in his tracks and slowly approached the professor’s desk.
Pharsa shrugged and pointed a finger at her massive bag, which was stuffed with thick spellbooks, sitting on the desk.
"Carry this for me," she commanded.
Cassian stared blankly at the bag and then at the professor.
"Why?"
Crossing her arms over her chest, Pharsa smirked slightly, though that weariness in her eyes was still there. "First, you will be helping a beautiful, tired, and elegant woman like myself. Second... You can consider this as paying off your punishment."
"Punishment?"
Pharsa took a step toward him, narrowing her eyes. "That day... The day I fell asleep in the registration room. This is your punishment for seeing my face in that state and not warning me."
Although Cassian didn’t show any outward reaction, inwardly he experienced a great deal of surprise. Pharsa didn’t know that he was the one who personally drew the doodles. She thought he was merely an indifferent witness who had shrugged it off. *So she thinks someone else did it,* he thought to himself. He had absolutely no intention of correcting this funny misunderstanding.
Cassian reached out and effortlessly lifted the bag with one hand, as if it were filled with feathers.
"Alright," was all he said.
Together, they left the classroom and began walking down the long stone corridors toward the teachers’ lounge. Along the way, Pharsa couldn’t help but scrutinize Cassian.
"Honestly," Pharsa began, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "I never expected you to actually be able to join the academy or pass the entrance exam in one piece. Looking like a punk street rat that day, I figured you’d be eliminated in the first ten minutes."
Cassian shrugged. "Even though I might not look it, I am the strongest person alive in the world, I even killed a god once."
Not taking his words seriously, Pharsa giggled.
"So what rank did you finish the exam in, Mr. God-slayer?"
"Thirty-seven."
Pharsa’s steps slowed for a moment, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Being 37th out of over two thousand talented youths... was far, far above her expectations. "Hmm..." she murmured, carrying a hidden appreciation in her voice. "Not bad. I guess you aren’t just a lucky punk with a pretty face. You’re worthy of carrying my bag."
Along the way, Pharsa talked mostly to herself about academy rules, the quirks of other professors, and Cassian’s indifferent attitude from that day. Cassian just listened, brushing her off with short, clear answers.
Finally, they arrived in front of the Teachers’ Lounge, where laughter and the smell of coffee drifted from inside.
Pharsa stopped and took her bag back from Cassian. As she slung it over her shoulder, she reached her other hand into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a small candy wrapped in shiny, silver cellophane.
Offering the candy to Cassian, she spoke with a slightly mocking but genuine smile:
"I was actually going to give this to a sweet and cute female student of mine. But... Since you were a ’good boy’ who carried my bag all the way here without complaining, you’ve earned this reward."
Cassian looked at the small candy offered to him. Then at Pharsa’s face.
Suddenly, the dull expression on Cassian’s face was replaced by a look of sheer seriousness. He slowly reached out with his right hand and took the candy into his palm. Then, placing one hand over his chest, he bowed extremely deeply and respectfully before the professor, as if receiving a sacred, priceless artifact that would save the world from an emperor.
"I offer you my eternal gratitude for your generosity and this priceless boon, O Great Professor," Cassian said, his voice as grave and profound as a theater actor’s.
Pharsa was dumbfounded by this exaggerated, serious, and utterly ridiculous performance Cassian put on for a piece of candy. Then, unable to hold back, she burst into a loud, genuine laugh that echoed down the corridor.
"Ahahaha! You really are a total weirdo, kid!" she said, waving him off. With a huge smile on her face, she opened the door to the Teachers’ Lounge and walked inside.
The moment the door closed, Cassian straightened up. The serious theatrical mask on his face vanished instantly, reverting back to his soulless, emotionless expression. He carelessly tossed the candy into his pocket, turned around, and began walking down the corridor.
As he walked away, he heard a huge, roaring wave of laughter from all the professors in the room behind the closed door.
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