HSTAV 56

Chapter 56

“That’s it for today.”

At Professor Beron Clarens’ words, I let out a deep sigh of relief, finally able to relax the nerves I’d been holding taut.

‘Phew, thank goodness.’

Not only had I failed to understand a single word of the alien language that had filled the lecture, but the pressure of watching both Professor Beron and Chelsea’s expressions the whole time had been suffocating.

Of course, it wasn’t as if I had to care about them.

‘Still, I have some decency. It feels like they lost points because of me or something.’

That thought made me feel uncomfortable every time I glanced at Chelsea.

Anyway, the lecture was finally over. Time to get out of here…

“Carmon Veid.”

At that moment, I froze in place at the sound of Professor Beron’s voice calling me from behind.

“Y-Yes? Me?”

“Let’s have a word.”

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

Completely caught off guard by his sudden request, I couldn’t exactly refuse.

‘What the hell does he want to talk about now?’

Clueless and uneasy, I followed him toward his office like livestock being led to the slaughterhouse.

Creak, thud!

“Have a seat.”

Professor Beron Clarens’ private office was spotless—there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere.

Exactly what you’d expect from someone with his personality.

I carefully sat down on one side of the sofa and opened my mouth cautiously.

“What did you want to talk about, sir?”

“Would you like something to drink first?”

“Ah, I’m fine, thank you.”

“Is that so? Then wait a moment.”

Clack.

With practiced motions, he took out a teacup and began placing dried tea leaves into it.

“……”

As he watched the tea slowly steep, Professor Beron finally spoke.

“How was today’s class?”

“Pardon? Oh—it was great. Really great.”

I nodded immediately as I replied, forcing a bright smile onto my face.

‘Damn it, what kind of question is that? What am I supposed to say?’

Inside, I was seething.

“I see. And what exactly did you like about it?”

Ha… seriously?

Does this guy ever run out of questions?

“The lecture felt very refreshing—different from before. You summarized the key points so clearly that I could understand why people call you one of the academy’s top professors.”

I carefully chose my words to sound flattering enough to please him.

Professor Beron sipped his tea and gave a small nod.

“I see.”

‘Did it work?’

Flattery, after all, isn’t easy. Say the wrong thing, and you can offend the other person instead.

In that sense, the famous flatterers throughout history were honestly impressive—
No, wait, focus. This isn’t the time for that.

“……”

I stayed quiet, watching his face nervously.

“The reason I called you here is simple,” he said at last.

“…?”

“I need a student to help with my lectures. You could think of it as a teaching assistant position.”

“…Excuse me?”

“As you’ve seen, my classes are a bit… different from the others. But I think you’d handle the role quite well, so…”

Clack.

Setting his teacup down, Professor Beron looked at me and continued.

“I’ll be counting on you, my new assistant.”

What?

A… a teaching assistant?

“……”

Leaving Professor Beron’s office, I wandered aimlessly through the corridor, too stunned to even think straight.

‘What just happened?’

He’d suddenly asked me to take on the assistant position.

Of course, I immediately tried to decline.

But—

‘I’m not asking, Carmon Veid.’

The way he said it—cold and absolute—left me no room to argue.

And just like that, I’d become the new assistant for Intermediate Magic Theory.

“Ha, seriously…”

Why does everything always go like this?

A teaching assistant for magic theory? That means I’ll eventually have to use magic at some point, right?

But I can’t even use magic right now.

If something goes wrong because of that…

“I’m screwed.”

Rumors had already spread throughout the academy that I couldn’t use magic.

I’d barely managed to dispel those lies through the academic seminar, but now this?

“Shit.”

Another mountain after another—endless nonsense just waiting to crush me.

“Phew…”

Still, there wasn’t anything I could do about it right now.

‘I’ll just have to study as much theory as I can until I get my orb.’

The situation had basically forced me into an intense study schedule I never wanted, and my stress level was through the roof.

Growl—

“…Alright. First things first, food.”

After practically inhaling my lunch, I stepped out of the dining hall and rubbed my round stomach.

“Ahh, I’m stuffed.”

Feeling satisfied, I started walking again, mulling over the whole “assistant” issue.

But then I stopped myself.

‘Forget it. It’s not like I can do anything right now. I’ll just focus on theory.’

Honestly, being a teaching assistant wouldn’t be that bad—if I could actually use magic.

Assistants usually got automatic A’s and didn’t have to take midterms or finals.

‘And I think they can also give bonus or penalty points to students, right?’

Not a bad amount of authority, actually.

Given all that, maybe it wasn’t such a bad deal.

Feeling a bit more optimistic, I remembered my promise to meet Bren and Elliot, and started heading toward the Lupinus Café.

It was about a fifteen to twenty-minute walk from the commoners’ cafeteria—
just long enough for a good post-lunch stroll.

Step, step.

“Good food, nice weather… if only I didn’t have all these worries.”

Just as I was enjoying the peaceful sunlight, someone suddenly threw a verbal jab at me.

“Judging by that smug face, you must be living quite comfortably, huh?”

I turned my head toward the sharp, cutting voice and saw Diana Frain glaring daggers at me.

“Oh, Diana?”

I greeted her casually, raising a hand like it was nothing special.

“‘Diana’? Is that how you address a senior now? Unbelievable—ugh, forget it.”

Grumbling under her breath, she gave a small nod to the attendants standing nearby.

“Huh?”

In an instant, a wall of people formed around us, blocking off the path and isolating the space where Diana and I stood.

What the—? Was she seriously planning to jump me in the middle of campus?

While I was still processing what was happening, her cold voice reached my ears.

“You stole my necklace, didn’t you?”

“…What?”

At her sudden accusation, Elliot’s face flashed through my mind.

‘Don’t tell me that idiot couldn’t hold it in already?’

“Necklace? What necklace?”

I feigned confusion, shrugging as naturally as possible.

Diana took a step closer, her tone turning icier.

“Hand it over while I’m still asking nicely, Carmon Veid.”

Her voice was filled with certainty, and I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of panic.

‘Wait—does she actually know?’

But how?

Elliot wouldn’t have told her. He had no reason to.

Then could it be… a magic seal? Some kind of anti-theft spell that tracks the thief?

If that were the case…

‘I’m screwed.’

But no—
‘No, she doesn’t know yet.’

This was Diana Frain. And that necklace—her deceased mother’s only keepsake—
there’s no way she’d let the thief live if she truly knew who took it.

‘The only option here is to play dumb.’

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about, Diana…”

I trailed off and glanced toward the human wall surrounding us.

“But, I’m kind of busy right now. Mind if we talk later?”

“……”

She said nothing, just stared at me coldly.

“Diana?”

“No matter how I think about it, you’re the only one who could’ve done it, Carmon Veid.”

“Me, huh?”

“That necklace doesn’t come off unless it’s forcibly removed—and…”

Her voice grew quieter and colder as she continued.

“It disappeared right after I lost consciousness in Vigo. So, the timing, place, and situation all point to one person…”

That was all I needed to hear.

‘She’s guessing. No proof.’

So this was just deduction—a probability game.

In that case, there was no reason for me to play along.

“So, in other words, you don’t have any actual evidence.”

“What?”

“I mean, that’s what it sounds like. No solid proof, no witnesses—just a hunch, right?”

“No. I know it was you, Carmon Veid. No one else could have—”

“Yeah, yeah. Look, I get that you’re upset, but if you’re that sure, just go ahead and report it. Don’t waste my time chasing the wrong guy.”

I shot back sarcastically, walking up to the line of attendants.

“Hey, could you move? I’ve got an appointment, and I really need to go.”

“……”

Diana glared at me like she wanted to kill me then and there, but after a deep breath, she nodded.

“…Fine. Let him go.”

Snap!

With a flick of her fingers, the wall of attendants parted, creating a narrow passage.

‘Good. Time to leave.’

“Well then, excuse me—”

“Carmon Veid.”

Her voice stopped me just as I was about to step out.

“This time, you might get away with it—there are too many eyes watching. But next time… I promise you, there won’t be a next time.”

Her voice rose slightly, emotion leaking through the icy tone.

I smirked and gave a light nod.

“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”

And with that, I slipped out through the gap.

Outside, a crowd of students had gathered, watching with curiosity and concern.

Well, of course—they’d just seen a wall of people pop up in the middle of the academy. Who wouldn’t stare?

‘Still… didn’t Elliot say her family cut off her support? Then how the hell does she still have so many attendants?’

There were at least a dozen of them.

It was clear that Diana Frain’s influence and power were still very much alive.

Shaking my head, I turned away and continued down the path.