novelraw Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Thirty minutes before the afternoon class began, the students of Class 0 all stirred at once.
Attention students. The afternoon class will be canceled and replaced with a meeting of encouragement with the Vice Headmaster. Please gather in the cafeteria by 2 p.m.
class="txtR" Written by: Reji
It was a notice from Reji, sent through Mob.
The Vice Headmaster, the second-highest authority in this school, had suddenly appeared on the floor of Class 0.
Knock, knock.
Right after the announcement spread, I heard a knock on my dorm room door.
I already knew who it was, so I didn’t bother asking and just told them to come in.
“Artel! Did you see the Mob?”
“Wow, it’s the Vice Headmaster!”
Kiena and Hei asked excitedly.
Well… was this really something to be excited about?
“In the five years we’ve been on this floor, the Vice Headmaster has never once come here, right? What’s going on? Maybe he’s giving a special gift to Class 0?”
As expected, life at Ed Branch had been anything but ordinary since my reincarnation.
The fact that the Vice Headmaster, who hadn’t shown himself even once in the past five years, suddenly appeared before Class 0 was reason enough for me to be on guard.
“But, come to think of it, do we even know the Vice Headmaster’s name?”
Kiena suddenly asked.
She was the smartest and most studious among us, the kind who usually knew even trivial details.
The fact that she didn’t know meant that there was no information about the Vice Headmaster anywhere.
‘Right, even the admission guidebook I saw at the main academy didn’t list the names of the branch Vice Headmasters.’
Either way, the Vice Headmaster was the person closest to Headmaster Etar.
Could this perhaps be an opportunity?
If I met him, might I be able to sense something?
As a mage closest to Etar, even exchanging a few words or meeting his gaze might give me some clue as to what kind of mage Etar had become.
“Anyway, let’s go on time.”
I led the two students toward the cafeteria.
Thirty students gathered in the cafeteria.
Every one of them wore the same expression.
At the thought of the mighty Vice Headmaster soon entering this very place, all of them looked just as excited as Kiena and Hei.
And five minutes before two o’clock, the Vice Headmaster finally appeared.
On either side of him stood Reji, with his red hair, and a tall, gray-haired middle-aged man with deep wrinkles.
Judging by his gray eyes as well, he was likely a high-circle wind-element mage.
“Who’s that? I’ve never seen her before. Is she a teacher?”
Even Kiena didn’t recognize her face.
Which meant, like the Vice Headmaster, she had never once appeared before the students.
And then—the Vice Headmaster himself.
He stood at the center, wearing a black robe, with black hair and black eyes.
A dark-element mage…
A Vice Headmaster would certainly be at least an 8th Circle Mage.
The students of Class 0 all had the same black hair and eyes, but that was only because they hadn’t yet discovered their elemental affinity.
The position of Vice Headmaster wasn’t something anyone could achieve; only mages who had achieved perfect harmony with their element could reach that level.
And black—belonged only to the element of Darkness.
At the sight of him, memories of the face of Tyrant, the man who had killed me three hundred years ago, flashed across my mind.
“Is everyone here?”
He finally spoke.
A voice low and compressed, sending chills down my spine.
“Yes, Vice Headmaster. Class 0 currently consists of thirty students.”
The one who answered was the gray-haired middle-aged woman.
Seeing how nervously Reji glanced at her, I could tell what position she held.
A Professor.
Teachers were usually 6th Circle dropouts who each taught a single subject.
But professors didn’t teach subjects—they oversaw and managed entire floors.
In other words, even Reji, as a teacher, was under her command.
“Professor, this is your first time standing before the students as well, isn’t it?”
As I thought.
“Yes, it is.”
“Then, I suppose it’s only right that you introduce yourself first.”
Though the Vice Headmaster appeared much younger, the professor didn’t seem to mind his tone.
The gray-haired woman took a step forward, slightly bowing her head as she introduced herself.
“Hello, students. I’m Professor Mel, responsible for overseeing and managing Class 0. Normally, you’d only see me when you pass your promotion exams and receive your insignia—but today is a special occasion.”
The students mouthed silent exclamations of “Wow!”
To meet the person who appeared only to those who passed the promotion exam—how lucky they must have felt.
After finishing her greeting, Mel stepped back.
And finally, the Vice Headmaster spoke.
“Hello, students. I am Draco Former, the Vice Headmaster of Ed Branch.”
What…?
The moment I heard his name, my eyes sharpened.
Draco Former…?
A member of the Draco Family? Could he possibly be a descendant of Tyrant—the one who killed me?
His appearance bore no resemblance to Tyrant’s, but the fact that he belonged to the Draco Family was reason enough to be wary.
Wait—does that mean the Draco Family holds the Vice Headmaster’s position in this school…?
If so, that meant even Etar himself had changed since three hundred years ago.
Otherwise, why would Etar, who knew that Tyrant had killed me, appoint someone from the Draco Family as Vice Headmaster?
This was confusing.
Etar was the only disciple who had witnessed the truth of my death.
He might still be under surveillance by Tyrant’s influence, but Etar had already become the Headmaster of a branch academy himself.
That had to be his own choice.
Even if he had been threatened, he could’ve refused to take the position and vanished instead.
That was why I became even more certain that Etar had changed.
Etar. So, if you ever learn that I’m alive… would you try to kill me again?
And sending the Vice Headmaster here to Class 0—it must mean they believed something abnormal was happening among us.
Otherwise, they would never have sent the Vice Headmaster, who had never before shown himself, down to this lowest floor.
Just where had they noticed something was off?
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t find an answer.
For now, since it was the Vice Headmaster’s speech, I decided to listen—and judge for myself.
And so, Former’s address began.
“Unfortunately, Class 0 doesn’t have a dueling ground, a training field, or even an auditorium, so I’ve gathered you all here in the cafeteria. The classroom is fine too, but I prefer more spacious places. You students don’t mind, do you?”
Despite his appearance, his tone was gentle and kind, as if he were speaking with care toward young students.
At once, the students cheerfully shouted, “Yes~!”
“It’s already been fifty years since I became the Vice Headmaster of this academy, but this is my first time visiting Class 0. Hmm…”
Former scanned the students one by one.
Then, his gaze stopped on Russel.
“I see there’s already a student who’s discovered their element. What’s your name, student?”
At the Vice Headmaster’s question, Russel immediately stood up formally.
That stubborn boy acting so polite—it was almost strange to see.
“Uh… I—I’m Mihael Russel! I am of the bloodline of Lord Mihael Ruin!”
Even his voice trembled with tension.
Mihael Ruin had been the head of the family even three hundred years ago, and it seemed he was still alive and well.
“So you’re the one from the Mihael Family I heard was in Class 0.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Alright. You may sit.”
“Thank you!”
Russel looked as though he’d just been blessed by the gods, his face bright with joy after exchanging only a few words with the Vice Headmaster.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to see your faces and to express how much I look forward to seeing what kind of mages you’ll become in the future.”
No, that’s not it.
You came here with some other motive. Hurry up and get to the point.
I kept my eyes fixed on Former, filled with suspicion.
And then, the moment our eyes met—
“What’s your name, student?”
“…My name is Artel.”
Former smiled faintly at hearing my name.
Of course, it wasn’t a smile that felt pleasant to me.
“How many years have you been on this floor?”
His expression made it impossible to tell whether he truly didn’t know or was simply pretending not to.
There’s no way the Vice Headmaster wouldn’t know.
“…Five years.”
“Five years, I see. Alright.”
He seemed eager to wrap up the exchange, but this wasn’t my moment to interrupt.
This was Draco Former’s stage—
and everything at this time revolved around him.
He turned his gaze from me and began addressing the gathered students.
“You are all members of Class 0—blank slates who can do nothing yet as mages. But don’t be disheartened. Precisely because you are blank slates, you hold greater potential to become masterpieces. Ah, shall I tell you an old story for students like you?”
“Yes~!”
The students’ eyes sparkled with anticipation at what kind of story it might be, but the word ‘old’ felt unpleasant to my ears.
“They say that long ago, there was a mage who bore the nickname ‘Pure White.’ I never met him myself, but according to the Headmaster, he was an extraordinary mage.”
Damn it…
Pure White.
That was what Etar used to call me long ago.
He started it, and soon it became my full-fledged nickname—everyone called me that.
When I once asked Etar what the name meant, he answered:
“When one hears the song of a pure and clear voice, doesn’t it feel as though one’s mind and heart are cleansed?”
It meant something similar—he said that just by looking at me, he felt reassured and purified. It was an embarrassingly warm reason.
Hearing my old nickname so suddenly threw off my composure.
Still, I forced myself to maintain a calm face and focused on his words.
At least he hadn’t mentioned my name from my previous life, so the students didn’t seem to realize that Pure White referred to Archis Eimer.
“Vice Headmaster! That ‘Pure White’ mage… could it be…?”
Out of nowhere, Russel asked.
White was the color of light and the unique hue of the Flewd element.
Russel must have mistaken the story as one related to his family.
“Well, I don’t know either. I’ve only heard of the mage through rumors. But one thing’s certain—it wasn’t Lord Ruin, head of the Mihael Family.”
Former drew the line firmly.
“…I see.”
“Vice Headmaster, what exactly did the mage called ‘Pure White’ do to be considered so great?”
This time, Kiena asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
“…”
But when Former looked at Kiena, his brow twitched.
Then he shifted his gaze to Hei and reacted the same way before quickly composing himself and continuing his explanation.
“He wasn’t part of any noble family, yet the families feared him. Unfortunately, he never became an Archmage, but as a commoner mage, he reached the highest position possible.”
“Wow…”
At the idea of a commoner mage achieving greatness, Kiena’s eyes sparkled even more.
But I, sensing the hidden meaning in his words, hardened my expression.
Even though he was clearly talking about me, Former deliberately described me as someone who hadn’t reached the rank of Archmage.
That was his way of saying, “The Archis Eimer you know is not the same person.”
“And that’s not all. Despite reaching such heights, he never founded a family. Instead, he took in many disciples and shared his knowledge freely.”
Yes. And who would’ve thought I’d be killed by one of those disciples?
“If he was white, does that mean he was a light-element mage? There’s no other color it could be, right?”
“…”
At Kiena’s next question, Former’s expression froze.