“Being recruited into the Magic Academy by someone who has only been in this shop for five days—you are also a disgrace to the Magic Academy! I really do not know what they were thinking…”
Facing the wordless but powerful pressure radiating from the person in front of him, Ebert swallowed hard and wiped the sweat from his forehead while holding his ground.
The middle-aged man racked his brain to figure out the other party’s motives. After a long while, he turned his head to look at Keti again.
The silver-haired girl helplessly met his gaze, and then…
In just two seconds, for some inexplicable reason, Ebert was deeply drawn into those eyes that seemed to possess magical power.
He could not look away, and his whole body grew hot. He stared intently at the girl’s face until a displeased Lynn stepped forward to block his view.
Ebert snapped back to his senses in embarrassment, his mind suddenly clearing for some reason.
“Ahem, this… this fellow… I did not look closely before. I… I did not expect…”
The middle-aged man coughed twice, as if to hide his guilt. But as soon as he spoke, he could not help but reveal his true nature.
“Even… even if this girl has some looks, no talent is still no talent! How can you bring someone like this into the Magic Academy out of selfishness? If you want to fall in love, throw her into your manor!”
Heh…
Seeing how self-righteous this guy was, Lynn found it a bit amusing.
Even now, the man was still relying entirely on the talent listed on the registration form as his source of confidence, having no clue how terrifying the girl in front of him had become.
The Lord Regent even wondered if someone like him knew the little cat was now an A-rank talent powerhouse—and that her potion-making skills rivaled even those of the alchemy regent—would he kneel down and lick the silver-haired girl’s boots on the spot?
‘And… do you think I don’t want to lock the little cat in a small dark room and make her my beloved maid?’
‘But alas, let alone her current self, even back when she was D-rank, she was not willing to be just a caged bird.’
‘If Keti were willing, she would have long ago lived the lavish life of a regent’s wife. I would have revealed my identity long ago; would we even need to struggle for a spot in the Magic Tower like we are today?’
‘But since she is not willing, then I will just help her achieve her dreams with everything I have. As for the romance and lovey-dovey stuff… we can take it slow, but I have to make it happen fast!’
“I have the freedom to choose who my teaching assistant is. It is not your place to tell me what to do. Besides, Miss Keti’s strength is unfathomable; it is far beyond what can be proven on paper.”
After finishing his internal monologue, the Lord Regent turned serious and continued coldly, “But the fact that you tried to strike someone is what is actually worth reporting, is it not?”
“Of course, you can make excuses, but Richard certainly will not listen to them. I can guarantee that. Do you want to bet on it again?”
*Hiss —*
Ebert, vaguely sensing that the man had a powerful background, felt such immense pressure that his speech became incoherent.
He could only back down for now, even regretting why he had come to find Keti before the competition.
“This… I just misspoke, I just misspoke…”
“Heh, you admit you said it, then? Fine… I will not make things difficult for you. However, I have already heard about your bet with Miss Keti.”
“I think that wager is far too unfair. Even if you lose, you only lose a classroom, but if Miss Keti loses, she loses her job.”
Lynn sneered and then raised the stakes for the bet.
“In that case, I propose changing the terms. If you lose, you transfer your Magic Tower and your status as an Official Teacher to Miss Keti. How about that?”
“After all, if you lose your position and the benefits of the Genius Class, you would not be able to face the parents anyway, right? By then, unable to survive here, you would have to leave the Magic Academy regardless.”
Hearing this, Ebert was instantly terrified by Lynn’s insane proposal.
He gasped and shouted after a long pause, his composure breaking, “How is that possible?! You want me, an Official Teacher, to bet my career against this little girl, a temporary teaching assistant? You are dreaming!”
“Ahem… right, right? This definitely would not work, Lynn…”
Beside him, Keti hurriedly tugged at the sleeve of her enemy, who seemed to be going off the rails.
“Can an Official Teacher’s status even be exchanged? There is no such rule, is there? I feel like even if I win the bet, it would not mean anything…”
The silver-haired girl’s original intention was just to keep Lynn from being too impulsive, but to her surprise, her enemy shook his head and began to analyze the situation for her on the spot.
“No, little cat. Actually… your proposal to exchange classrooms and the treatments of the Genius Class and ordinary class is the one that is truly impossible to implement.”
“Many students in the Genius Class come from powerful and influential families; they would never allow an ordinary class student to take away the benefits their children are supposed to enjoy.”
“So, even if you did exchange with them, their class would quickly have its Genius Class treatment restored.”
“It would just be a matter of finding another classroom. Otherwise, the parents’ complaints would drown the school.”
“*Hiss —* Is… is that so?”
Keti finally realized what was happening. Good grief, it turned out this Ebert had been playing a zero-risk gamble from the start.
No matter what, the Genius Class would always be the Genius Class. Even if he lost to Keti, it would just result in another Genius Class; the school would not dare change the treatment of his students.
“But… the teaching status is different. In reality, the school has a fixed number of Official Teacher positions that are not tied to specific individuals.”
“In other words, as long as someone leaves and a spot opens up, and the Magic Tower deems it appropriate, a newcomer can naturally inherit that position.”
After saying that, Lynn looked at the other man with a cold sneer.
“What is wrong, Ebert? Are you afraid to bet? Are you afraid you will actually lose? Did you not think you were guaranteed to win?”
“Heh… Fine, since you think the wager is unfair, let us add another condition—if you lose, you leave the Magic Academy immediately. How about that?”
“Heh, you almost scared me, kid.”
After a long pause, Ebert recovered and snorted coldly, then nodded on the spot.
“It does not matter. No matter what the wager is, I will win. But I find this a bit boring. Fine, if I lose, I will hand over my status as a Teacher and my Magic Tower to Miss Keti.”
“However… if you lose, how about sending Miss Keti to my manor to serve as a maid?”
“How could—”
“Fine! It is a deal!”
Before Lynn could refuse, the silver-haired girl suddenly raised her hand in agreement!