After that, the students seemed to have unlocked some hidden potential and began their creative endeavors.
Bizarre ideas emerged one after another.
Some went for the classic ‘three women make a drama’, while others introduced additional characters from the town, multiplying the complexity of relationships through sheer numbers. This method was dubbed the ‘Quantity Stacking Method’.
Others dug deeper into backgrounds, revealing that some characters weren’t even human. Some were ghosts, others shapeshifted monsters, and some were alchemical constructs. This approach was called the ‘Background Interaction Method’.
Then there were the truly outrageous ones, who completely dismantled and reconstructed the scenario, treating the original scene as nothing more than an insignificant moment before spinning an entirely nonsensical tale—the so-called ‘Random Nonsense Method’.
In any case, their boundaries had definitely been pushed.
The storytellers had fun, and the listeners enjoyed themselves just as much.
Only the two professors who dropped in to observe were left utterly bewildered from start to finish.
They sat through the entire class, yet it felt like they heard nothing at all.
Is this the mental state of young people these days?
Since when did everyone start playing around like this?
They were completely out of their element.
Aside from them, the learning atmosphere was excellent, and everyone was having a great time.
Thus, the class passed by pleasantly.
As the end of the class approached, Euphyllia announced the plan for the next session.
The next class would be held on the outdoor training field, where they would delve into the intricacies of mana.
The moment the dismissal bell rang, Euphyllia vanished without a trace, and the students who had rushed to approach her were left grasping at air.
She’d learned her lesson last time. There was no way she’d be surrounded again.
If the students cornered her, who knew how long they’d drag things out?
That’d be overtime, and overtime is absolutely unacceptable!
At noon, Ochre found Yulia and informed her that the application form had been submitted to the Department of History.
The professors there had taken the matter very seriously, immediately approving it and assigning a supervising professor to her.
That professor had a class scheduled for the first period in the afternoon, so she could go and listen to it.
Having delivered the message, Ochre left.
He had gone above and beyond for this student.
Yulia checked her schedule.
Her first afternoon class was Modern Magic.
She had attended an overview lecture the previous week and found it quite interesting, so she originally planned to go again.
Now, there was a conflict, which was a bit of a problem.
Wait… maybe it’s not that much of a problem.
Isn’t there someone who sleeps through classes all the time?
As a Classical Magic professor, it’s only reasonable to learn about the other faction, right?
After lunch and a short break, Yulia parted ways with her roommates and headed alone to a remote corner of the campus, where she found a conspicuously empty classroom.
Well, that was just how the Department of History was.
The entire department was like the subjects it studied, half-buried in the past.
Even as class was about to begin, there were only ten or so students in the small classroom, which could hold fifty students.
Surprisingly, Yulia didn’t attract much attention this time. Everyone was quietly minding their own business.
These history buffs didn’t seem too sensitive to campus gossip.
That’s good. Less trouble for me.
As the class bell rang, the professor entered, spotted Yulia, and happily exclaimed a greeting.
Only then did the others finally notice that the ‘Exceptional’ freshman who’d been the talk of the academy was actually attending their near-extinct history class!
Could it be that the Department of History is about to rise?
…Nah, even they didn’t believe that.
The history class proceeded uneventfully. The professor lectured quietly, and the students listened quietly.
But over in the Modern Magic class, there was no chance of quiet.
Because when the bell rang, the person who walked in wasn’t the usual professor—it was the most popular, most beloved elven professor, Euphyllia!
Yet she merely glanced around, took the seat closest to the door, and made no further movement.
Behind her, the actual professor entered, looking somewhat bewildered.
The professor, Edith, was a young and beautiful human professor who was quite new at St. Ferris Academy.
Professors usually arrived right on time for class. She had timed it perfectly, only to be outmaneuvered by an even more punctual expert, forcing her to trail behind by a step.
“Professor Euphyllia, what brings you here?”
Given that Euphyllia outranked her in reputation, position, and seniority, Edith asked politely.
“Auditing,” Euphyllia replied flatly.
“Auditing? But this is a Modern Magic class.”
“I’m a little interested. Thought I’d learn something. Is that allowed?”
“Of course, feel free.”
With that, Edith proceeded to the lectern and began the lesson as usual.
About 80% of the seats were filled, which was roughly seventy or eighty students.
Most classes were like this. Only a few renowned professors drew crowds of one or two hundred per session.
As for Euphyllia’s lectures, where over four hundred students packed the largest halls…
That was an exception.
But today, this otherwise ordinary class became anything but ordinary, all because of an extraordinary presence.
The students grew restless, and although Edith continued teaching, few were fully focused on the lecture.
Instead, they kept sneaking glances to the side.
At the beautiful elven professor.
Edith was a beauty in her own right, but with such a direct comparison, the difference became painfully obvious.
Gradually, Edith realized that almost no student was paying attention.
Well, Euphyllia was listening attentively, but she wasn’t a student.
Edith’s expression darkened further when she looked at Euphyllia.
The rivalry between the Classical and Modern Schools was intense, almost like a battle of ideologies. The competition within the Magic Academy was even fiercer than that between different departments.
She had every reason to suspect Euphyllia was here to stir trouble.
This is just bullying!
But in reality, Euphyllia really was just here to listen.
Alas, this is the curse of being too charming.
After a while, Edith finally snapped. She turned to Euphyllia and said, “Professor Euphyllia, you’ve been here for quite some time now. Do you have any comments?”
Her tone carried a sharp edge.
The subtext was clear: You’ve had your fun. Now leave. What’s a Classical Magic professor doing in a Modern Magic class anyway?
But Euphyllia, either oblivious or indifferent to the implied hostility, nodded and stood up.
“I do have a few questions, actually.”
This unexpected response left Edith reeling.
You’re seriously here to critique my teaching?!
“Professor Edith,”
She had introduced herself to Yulia last week1.
“I’ve listened to about half of your lecture today. You said that this is about foundational principles, and you explained them well—I could follow along. But will the rest of the course follow the same approach? Breaking down every spell into numerical components?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?” Edith replied politely, though her displeasure was evident.
Euphyllia ignored the tone and simply lowered her head in thought for a moment before speaking again.
“There’s no problem, that’s your own methodology. But I can’t help but feel that… the Modern School isn’t modern enough.”