The atmosphere inside the academy’s conference room couldn’t be called tense, but an invisible pressure hung in the air.
The Oselenka midterm examination summary meeting was underway.
Principal Rofalia sat upright at the head of the table, her vivid red hair still as a flame frozen in place. Her tone was steady and her words meticulous, yet the intention behind each phrase was unmistakably direct.
At this moment, the veteran Elemental Faction teacher, Clyde, was bearing the brunt of this invisible pressure.
Rofalia didn’t slam the table or glare at him with stern accusations, but her seemingly objective analysis and comparisons were like soft knives, each word quietly stabbing at Clyde’s heart.
The meeting had already reviewed the results of the Summoning Faction and Potions Faction exams, with Rofalia offering both praise and suggestions for improvement.
Now, the focus fell upon the Elemental Faction.
“Mr. Clyde,” Rofalia’s calm gaze swept across him.
“You were in charge of your class’s written exam papers. I’ve gone through them carefully. Objectively speaking, the range of topics was decent, but…”
She paused briefly, her fingertip tapping lightly on the sample exam sheet before her.
“More than eighty percent of the questions could be found—with high similarity or even identical wording—in the academy’s question banks from the past five years.”
As her words fell, the gazes of the other teachers in the room inevitably turned toward Clyde. Clyde’s expression began to look a little grim.
Rofalia continued, her voice still composed, but with an invisible weight to it:
“I imagine this is also one reason why the average written test score for your class was so high. However, Oselenka’s teaching philosophy is to cultivate truly understanding and adaptable magicians, not just ‘answer machines’ adept at memorization and test-taking.”
After all, Oselenka’s educational mission is to produce outstanding magicians.
Every course has its significant meaning, fundamentally different from the so-called ‘water courses’ of modern universities designed just to stretch class hours or maintain staff positions.
Thus, Oselenka’s exam system has always held high standards for originality of questions, their ability to distinguish between student abilities, and their assessment of the essence of knowledge.
Although Rofalia never directly said, “Clyde is lazy or irresponsible,” every phrase hinted at her disapproval of his test’s simplicity and lack of innovation, and its failure to effectively assess the students’ real level.
Next, Rofalia shifted the topic to Sefina:
“By contrast, Ms. Sefina’s written test this time introduced multiple choice, rune completion, material analysis, and other new question types. Although the overall difficulty was higher, it tested the students’ comprehensive mastery of knowledge and their ability to apply it flexibly.”
“It’s evident that Ms. Sefina put considerable thought into her exam design. Judging from the results, her class’s average written score was slightly below that of Mr. Clyde’s, but still within a reasonable range, and the score distribution better reflected the true levels of the students.”
Sefina sat calmly in her seat, listening to Rofalia’s comments, with not the slightest trace of pride on her face— as if she were simply hearing an ordinary work report about herself.
Beside her, Clyde’s face had gone from unpleasant to ashen. His hands, resting on his knees, clenched unconsciously.
Damn it! Clyde cursed inwardly.
A mere newly-arrived commoner teacher could actually receive such public praise from the principal, while he himself was so unfavorably compared in front of so many colleagues and made a fool of!
Sefina… Sooner or later, I’ll make you taste the shame of losing face before everyone!
Jealousy and humiliation tangled within Clyde’s heart, and he silently made up his mind.
***
When the meeting ended, Sefina left the conference room with the crowd, stretching lazily, feeling as if she’d just completed an exhausting task. She headed straight back to her office.
The moment she pushed open the door, she saw her three teaching assistants hunched over the desk, diligently grading papers and student assignments.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, outlining their quiet and focused profiles. Sefina’s heart stirred slightly, a rare sense of contentment welling up.
Having teaching assistants really does make things much easier.
She couldn’t help but recall those days of burning the midnight oil alone, grading assignments and processing documents—what a hardship that was. Compared to now, it felt like heaven.
“All right,” Sefina called out, her voice softer than usual. “You can all take a break.”
She spoke as she walked to the refrigerator in the corner, intending to take out the juice she’d prepared specially to quench their thirst.
However, when she opened the fridge and looked at the spot where the juice was kept, she was stunned to find—
It was completely empty.
Sefina was momentarily taken aback. She glanced instinctively at her assistants’ desks, where three empty drink bottles were sitting on top.
Mia, noticing the teacher’s gaze, scratched her head with an embarrassed smile.
Sefina understood immediately what had happened. But she didn’t mind—she’d long ago told them they could help themselves to anything in the fridge.
The drinks were gone, but there was something else.
So, Sefina bent down and opened the next shelf—the freezer compartment. She took out four simply packaged ice creams, handed one each to the three of them, and kept one for herself.
“Here, give this a try.”
Kefi accepted the chilly treat curiously, turning it over in her hands.
“Sefina, what is this?”
Clearly, people in this magic world had never encountered ice cream—a summer dessert from modern society.
While unwrapping her own, Sefina explained offhandedly, “It’s ice cream—a chilled dessert made from milk, eggs, sugar, and juice. It’s quite refreshing in the heat.”
Mia gazed at the novel food in her hand. The glutton inside her immediately stirred.
Without a second thought, she stared at the alluring, snowy-white ice cream and took a big bite!
“Mm—! So cold!”
The next second, Mia regretted it. The solid, un-melted ice cream felt like a chunk of ice in her mouth. The chill and sting instantly attacked her teeth and mouth, making her scrunch up her entire face.
She let out a muffled cry, almost spitting the ice cream out.
Clutching her mouth, she stomped her feet in place, and it was a dozen seconds before she recovered—her eyes nearly watering from the cold.
“Sefina, this… this isn’t tasty…” she said, pitifully, feeling her tongue and teeth go numb.
Sefina looked at Mia’s awkward yet adorable expression, sighed helplessly, and walked over to give her a gentle tap on the head, her voice tinged with exasperated amusement:
“I told you it’s frozen. You need to eat it slowly, in small bites, silly.”
“Oh—” Mia pouted, learning her lesson. This time, she nibbled off a small bite with care.
The cool, silky mixture of cream began to melt slowly in her mouth. The rich milky flavor and just-right sweetness spread out, instantly chasing away the lingering heat of the late summer afternoon.
“Wow! It’s delicious!” Mia’s eyes lit up at once, her face overflowing with unrestrained delight and satisfaction—like a kitten that’s finally tasted something sweet.
Kefi also tried a small bite. The cool, sweet taste made her squint in pleasure, the curve of her lips revealing her fondness for this new dessert.
“It really is delicious, Sefina.”
And as for Ellaria, the princess, she still maintained her basic composure before the others. She took tiny, graceful bites of the ice cream.
Yet, when the unprecedented cold sensation and delicate sweetness blossomed on her taste buds, a flash of unconcealable amazement darted across her emerald-green eyes.
“By the way, tomorrow’s the weekend. Do you all have any plans?” Sefina asked casually.