Chapter 18: Professor Ferzen (2)

༺ Professor Ferzen (2) ༻.

Even before the ‘Entrance Ceremony’ began, the parking lot near the main building of the Academy was packed full of carriages.

If there weren’t reserved parking lots for professors, I might have to park god knows where and walk all the way here.

And since this was the entrance ceremony, most students were accompanied by their parents or guardians, and if those nobles caught sight of me, they might want to curry my favor, so to save myself from a headache, I quickly walked to the auditorium located inside the main building.

The segregation between nobles and commoners is maintained even in this ceremony.

While this may feel rather elitist, it is also something that will put the commoners at ease, as they won’t have to deal with the presence of aristocrats.

“Ah! Professor Ferzen, you’re finally here.”

I don’t know you.

He must be one of those nobles listed on the dossiers Jeremiah gave to me, but if I can’t remember him, then he must be a nobody.

“Yes, now let us sit down.”

While in the academy, we are to refer to each other as professors, no matter the rank one has.

Therefore, I’m also expected to greet these ‘professors’ with the same level of respect.

Below, there are all those aristocratic children who are attending the entrance ceremony.

Unsurprisingly, there are conditions for noble children to attend the academy, and they boil down to 3 things.

All students must be between 15 and 20 years of age and won’t be succeeding in their house title. They must be single and must be unemployed.

Therefore, because of this large range of age acceptance, the distribution of who will be considered ‘first graders’ involves different aspects of the norm.

“Ah…. Everyone, please be quiet for the opening speech from Your Highness the First Imperial Princess.”

Those words were infused with mana, so their sound traveled far, resounding through the entire auditorium.

Stomp, Stomp.

Shortly after that announcement, Her Highness Elizabeth climbed the podium.

‘For the sake of my mental health, let’s just not look at her.’

Judging from that hairpin incident, it became clear to me that her sense of aesthetics was something quite dangerous to me.

“It’s a pleasure seeing so many children here eager to embark on the path of learning….”

Just like any other speech uttered by a principal, the Princess’s speech was also rather monotonous.

Still, the boredom quickly ended when she started to talk about the Academy’s inner workings.

“Then, let us have a brief introduction on those who, along with me, will be taking the lead in this academy.”

Taking a few steps back, The Princess gave us a signal.

And one by one, the professors went to give their own brief introductions.

Since there weren’t that many professors in the first place, it didn’t take long for it to be my turn.

“My name is Ferzen Von Schweig Louerg, and I will be the one in charge of lectures regarding Black Magic. When speaking to me, you should simply call me Professor Ferzen. That is all.”

Choosing not to waste both my and anyone’s time, I was direct with my introduction.

Of all the hundreds of students here, only 14 were taking classes in Black Magic.

If the number of people born with magical powers wasn’t rare, they’d be roaming from one battlefield to another, and the war would have lasted a lot longer.

With this, the entrance ceremony, which lasted a torturous 40 minutes, finally came to an end.

Twenty minutes before 9 o’clock, I entered the professor’s office I was assigned to, took my attendance list, and went to my classroom in the Education Center A

“…… ”

When I entered the room, all of my students were already sitting quietly even though there were 15 minutes until the beginning of my lecture.

‘No, not all of them….’

There was only one empty seat.

And I know whom that seat belongs to.

‘Lizzy Poliana Claudia.’

Even if she did change when growing up, her reddish hair color would still remain the same.

However, among those children, there is no one with red hair.

Nod.

Locking my eyes with Laura, she smiled shyly and bowed.

Still…. Looking at her again, she is really a pitiful creature.

The kind that makes you want to protect her.

But what I liked the most about her is that she seemed to have listened to my words, as her hair was free, and not even a spec of that damned single tail was in sight.

‘It seems that they still didn’t notice the terror of the all-in-one-desks yet….’

After all, there is no way you would be able to notice the terror of those cursed creations if you only sit still.

‘Looks like it is time to begin.’

When the clock announced exactly 9 am, I fixed my eyes on my attendance list and began calling the students’ names one by one.

“Lizzy Poliana Claudia.”

“…… ”

There was no answer.

“Failing to answer will count as one absence. And keep it in mind that attendance is worth 5% of your total grades in my lectures.”

Next to Lizzy Poliana Claudia’s name, I marked one absence.

Just when I put down the list, the door of the classroom slowly opened, and a girl with red hair immediately caught my attention….

“Sorry…. I’m late.”

Lizzy Poliana Claudia made her appearance.

Squeak.

Squeak.

The squeaky sounds of wheels echoed through the room.

Yes. Lizzy Poliana Claudia.

Was in a wheelchair.

‘…… ‘

Ferzen’s psychotic episode of trampling on her ankle produced such devastating and lasting results.

But why was such a thing was omitted from Jeremiah’s dossiers?

Maybe he thought I was already aware of such a thing and didn’t think it was worth commenting on.

I have no idea.

Had I known of this…. I would have designed a desk for her.

Squeak.

Squeak.

Lizzy Poliana Claudia, who slowly made her way to her designated seat, looked a little embarrassed, and she turned her gaze at me as she bit her lip.

Then slowly, with the support of her crutches, she staggered up from her wheelchair and wobbled as she struggled to sit in that cursed seat I designed…….

Thud!

And she fell to the floor like a rock.

“You there.”

“Yes!.”

“Help her….”

“At once…!”

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“I don’t need anyone’s help!”

A sharp and angelic voice.

Lizzy Poliana Claudia reaches for the all-in-one desk on her own and manages to support herself as she barely was able to sit down.

‘Sigh….. Fuck this.’

After having assimilated Ferzen’s ego, it became something very rare for me to think of such filthy and uncouth words, but this time, I couldn’t restrain myself.

An environment carefully designed to give me the best peace of mind.

And the unfortunate victim of my past evil deeds, who has no choice but to suffer in this environment.

Is this the fate of a Villain?

No matter what I do, someone will suffer from it….

I could feel a headache coming.

* * * * *

Laura De Charles Rosenberg.

The girl, with memories of her past life, pretended to listen to Professor Ferzen’s lecture, but actually, she was daydreaming.

Because I know I won’t learn anything new….

“Aside from your own talent as a mage, a Warlock’s corpse manipulation skills are greatly affected by your familiarity with said corpse, your understanding of it, and your connection with it.”

And he’s saying the textbook things….

Those 5 students who didn’t even know such basic things, or those who couldn’t afford private tutoring, seemed to be paying attention to his explanation.

“In my lectures, I will focus mainly on the topic of ‘Comprehension,’ but all of you will also learn from practical and real-life experiences.”

‘Real life experience?’

“Some…. No, all of you may wonder what this means, but believe me when I say that this will be extremely helpful for all of you.”

Professor Ferzen, who was dressed in a neat black suit with no accessories, folded his sleeves and grabbed a piece of chalk.

And then he wrote two words on the blackboard.

Territorial conflicts and war.

“In the past, the skills of a Warlock were divided into his own talents in black magic and also the quality of the corpse he controlled. This understanding is not entirely wrong, but it’s not the truth either.”

“…… ”

“A long time ago, when there were wars raging on, most infantrymen didn’t carry around swords or spears but blunt weapons. Does someone know why?”

“Yes professor! This was an action made to reduce the usability of a corpse and lower the chances of Warlock ministering said damaged corpse.”

Laura knew this custom, but she didn’t answer.

Because I would stutter in front of everyone….

“Indeed, that is correct. Warlocks are of great importance on the battlefield because they can constantly use the corpses of enemies and allies alike to continue their assault. But for this to be possible, they must keep track of how many corpses they can control simultaneously and their own magic reserves.”

Autonomous Control.

A technique that lets the corpse act on a predetermined set of actions and lets the corpse base his actions on external stimuli, reducing the mental burden on the Warlock.

But of course, ‘Understanding’ is the key to realizing Autonomous Control.

Because the corpse will act, move, and react based on his past.

“During those times, Elemental Wizards burned their allies’ corpses to ash, and Auror knights were instructed to prioritize killing enemy Warlocks the most.”

His solemn and proud voice came to a sudden halt.

And Professor Ferzen’s characteristic blood-red eyes skimmed through the classroom.

“Well, let’s forget the war setting for now…. Normally, how many corpses could you apply the autonomous control technique in a conflict?”

“… … ”

“Forget simultaneously controlling multiple corpses at once, it would be considered a success if you managed to control more than 2 while expending most of your mana doing so. And because you’re manually controlling them, there’s a high probability that you would die from a stray arrow because of your lack of concentration on the battlefield.”

Professor Ferzen’s words were a powerful wake-up call for modern Warlocks, who only focus on studying how Elemental Wizards or Auror Knights perform their abilities in order to better control them.

“Realistically, the maximum amount of power an individual can use is about 90% while they are alive. Therefore, even as a corpse, the skills of both Elemental Wizards and Auror Knights can still be used above the natural threshold, but those abilities cannot be utilized by a Warlock of the same rank. So most modern Warlocks have a rather poor performance.”

“Professor Ferzen’s words…. are rather misleading.”

All the students’ eyes, including Laura’s, focused on Lizzy Poliana Claudia, who was seated in the back.

“Are you insinuating that I’m wrong?”

Professor Ferzen frowned.

Not because of being questioned, but because he was rudely interrupted while he was teaching.

“Yes. In the past, due to continuous wars, Warlocks naturally had a high understanding of those soldiers, so…..”

“Enlighten me then, Lizzy Poliana Claudia.”

“…… ”

“Speak.”

“I…”

“So if I understand your point… You’re planning on starting conflicts throughout our glorious Empire, causing the death of multiple citizens, just so you can gain that comprehension and experience?”

“It’s not like that….!”

“You don’t seem to realize the contradiction in your argument. It’s not wrong to say that this increase in ‘comprehension’ was the by-product of war, but this won’t help you on a battlefield. That is because, in the past, wars have been going on for a long time, and those who lived in that time were affected by those events, thus, changing their life experiences.”

He’s right.

At that time, when Warlocks ministered the corpses of soldiers, their rate of ‘comprehension’ was inevitably high.

“Even if you, for some reason, acquire such experience and ‘comprehension’, it will be useless unless the disaster known as war lasts for several years, changing the culture of many lives drastically.”

At the end of his argument, Professor Ferzen sighed.

“Truly, what a pathetic idea. I even had high hopes that your doubt was something interesting…. seeing that you interrupted rudely. Could this be your narcissistic streak speaking since it’s rumored that you possess the talent to become a Euclid-class?”

“No! It wasn’t….”

“If not for your growing pride. Then this objection of yours is even more pathetic…. made by sheer foolishness.”

“… … ”

“Also, class in the future, if you want to ask me something, raise your hand and wait for me to stop explaining my subject and call you. Where did you even learn manners, Lizzy Poliana Claudia? Sure, I know that matters like etiquette and education are not taught in this class, but even then, this should be common knowledge….”

Being the target of Professor Ferzen’s tongue lashing, Lizzy bit her lip as she lowered her head, her body trembling.

And Ferzen, who was watching her reaction, thought that this was the time to suppress the emotions that were growing in his chest.

It’s a pity that he had to restrain himself, but if he hadn’t, then he would probably have made Lizzy ‘stand up from her seat as he delivered some sermon on aristocratic manners.

On the other hand, Laura, who saw Ferzen’s cold and fierce side, was surprised because he always seemed to treat her with proper respect and even…. kindness.

‘By the way….’

Laura, who was feeling a little pain in her back, tried to pull the chair away a little in order to be more comfortable, but soon she noticed that she couldn’t.

As this was an all-in-one desk, she couldn’t pull the chair away from the table.

In order to lean with both of your arms on the desk, you have to thrust your hips to the edge of the chair.

‘What kind of abominations are these desk things?’

Who in their right mind could have convinced the Imperial Family that this was a good idea?

Since she hadn’t seen any other classrooms yet, Laura thought that all desks in the Academy were the same.

If… If other classrooms have a similar monstrosity of a desk…..

How can this frail body of mine even survive here?

All of a sudden, such fears flooded her mind.

Translator’s Note:

Fun fact – I only started translating this novel because I kept bothering the Tler of Main Heroines and a very social guy to pick some good shit (with to be honest I didn’t even cared about), so anyways I kept doing that, and one day when I was drunk, and the very social guy Snapped at me and dared me to translate this shit, and I did so I won!

Yay points to za Transtor Zyzz.

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