Selina counted the people and asked with some confusion:
“Hm? I remember there were supposed to be five newly hired teachers this time, right? We only have four here. Where’s the fifth? Didn’t they notify him about the dinner?”
The table fell silent for a moment.
John, the teacher who had previously mistaken someone, rubbed his nose and answered with a somewhat awkward tone:
“Oh, you mean Clyde… He’s the noble son of a Baron. He probably looks down on dining with us commoners, or with us fallen nobles who have no real power…”
In the afternoon, nearing dusk, the golden glow of the setting sun filtered through the tall stained glass windows of the library, casting long patches of light among the shelves filled with ancient books.
The air was thick with a unique blend of old paper, magical ink, and a faint scent of wood.
Today was Sefina’s turn to patrol the library.
For her, it was both a duty and a perfect opportunity.
She could stay here and delve into the Forbidden Tomes about Demon Tools, Ancient Curses, and magical circuits, searching for a way to break the disgraceful mark branded on her lower abdomen.
Her petite figure weaved through the towering bookshelves, almost swallowed by them.
Interestingly, unlike when other teachers patrolled, the usual “teacher effect” was almost nonexistent with Sefina.
It wasn’t because she was “approachable and beloved by the students.”
On the contrary, no one really saw her as a teacher at all!
Though most students at the Oselenka Magic Academy wore the standard Academy Uniform, there were always exceptions or days when casual wear was allowed.
So, to other students, this blue-haired “little girl” clutching thick ancient tomes that could crush someone, barely reaching 1.5 meters tall, dressed in a pretty skirt and white stockings, was obviously one of those “exceptional students.”
No one would think she was the patrolling teacher.
Sefina was long accustomed to this and couldn’t be bothered to explain or argue.
She climbed a tall ladder, took down some dusty heavy tomes, then found a quiet corner to immerse herself in research.
However, her luck seemed poor today.
After flipping through most of the day, the relevant records she found were vague or only mentioned low-grade Demon Contracts or magical circuits with completely different effects.
Information about those… those utterly despicable, lust-inducing Demon Tools was shockingly scarce.
Just as she irritably closed a useless tome, rubbing her tired eyes—
“I told you to get out of here, didn’t you hear me?!”
A sharp and arrogant female voice suddenly shattered the library’s silence, piercing and unpleasant.
“I said I have no reason to leave! The library is a public area!”
Another voice, stubborn and slightly trembling, immediately retorted.
This second voice… sounded somewhat familiar?
Sefina looked up and followed the sound.
In the empty space between two rows of bookshelves not far away, two girls were confronting each other.
The aggressive blonde girl was unfamiliar to her.
But the girl cornered by the bookshelf, face fearful yet trying to stand tall, was her student, Kefi.
“You’re talking back to me? Just a mere commoner, daring to talk back to me?”
The blonde girl, Emma, daughter of a certain Baron, raised her voice even higher, filled with disdain and contempt.
“Oselenka clearly states that within the Academy, rank and bloodline mean nothing, only knowledge and magical achievements count! Don’t you understand that?”
Kefi argued reasonably, but her voice lacked conviction.
“Heh, that’s just a pretty lie to pacify you commoners! You arrogant lowborn, I’ll teach you what true hierarchy means!”
A surge of magical energy.
A standoff.
Emma was clearly enraged. She suddenly raised her wand, and fiery magical power began to gather around her, the air rippling with dangerous fire magic.
Kefi’s face turned pale but she also raised her Light Staff without hesitation, ready to defend herself.
“Both of you, put down your wands!” Sefina’s voice cut through with cold, undeniable authority, stopping their imminent magical clash.
Both froze and turned to look at the source of the voice—
It was the blue-haired “little one” holding a thick book, only shoulder height to them.
Emma sized Sefina up and, seeing she wasn’t wearing the standard uniform, immediately classified her as a “commoner student” or “lower-year,” her arrogance growing and mingled with a hint of offended anger:
“Who are you, little brat? Dare to interfere with me? Get lost!”
“Lit-tle brat?!” Sefina repeated the words quietly, a clear vein popping on her smooth forehead like the shape of a井.
Teacher?!
She set down her ancient tome. Her garnet eyes rose, cold and sharp as a blade, piercing into Emma.
Emma was startled by the sudden cold gaze and the terrifying killing intent. She instinctively stepped back half a pace, too scared to speak.
W-what’s wrong with this little girl? Why is her gaze so terrifying…?
Kefi quietly whispered:
“Teacher Sefina!”
“Teacher?” Emma was stunned, looking in disbelief at Kefi, then at Sefina.
“Teacher? You mean she… she’s a teacher?!”
Her voice sharpened with shock. This “little brat” girl who looked even younger than her own sister was actually a teacher at Oselenka?
What a joke!
Sefina ignored Emma’s shock. She stepped forward, standing between the two girls, her voice cold and carrying the authority unique to a teacher:
“Within the library, loud noises are strictly forbidden, as is using magic to fight privately! If you violate the rules, both of you…”
“Wait, Teacher Sefina.”
A slightly deep unfamiliar male voice suddenly interrupted Sefina’s impending punishment.
Everyone turned toward the voice, seeing a tall young man in a beige suit leaning casually against a nearby bookshelf.
He crossed his arms, eyes carrying a condescending gaze as he looked at Sefina.
“Teacher Clyde…” Emma whispered softly. That was Emma’s elemental magic teacher, Clyde.
Clyde’s eyes swept over Sefina’s small figure, a hint of undisguised disdain flashing before he spoke leisurely:
“It’s just a minor spat between students, no need to make such a fuss over nothing. Don’t you agree, Teacher Sefina?”
“Who are you?!”
Sefina glared coldly at the arrogant young man with no patience.