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CHAPTER 15
…[Omitted]…
The ranks of a wizard are divided based on proficiency: Major, General, Expert, and Master, culminating in the honorary title of Legend for those acknowledged as Archmages.
Luspell O’El is a Master-level wizard.
He possesses a genius-level talent for fire magic, and by the age of fifteen, he was already considered to be at a Legend-level when it came to offensive magic.
After focusing intensely on researching and testing destructive spells, he entered a long hiatus following the retreat of the Demon King.
It was a complete disappearance—with no trace of new research, no experimental logs, nothing at all.
Then, five years later, he resumed his activities by participating in the construction of the Grand Plaza.
From that point on, he concentrated on practical magic, especially in the field of construction, and commercialized about half of his inventions.
Master Luspell holds a total of 117 patents. The income generated from those alone would be enough to feed three generations for a thousand years. One of his most well-known inventions is the sprinkler.
—Excerpt from “I Became the Saint Who Saved the World.”
“Oh-ho, so the Duke knows him as well. Yes, Master Luspell is in charge of the basic magic class.”
“…!”
Wait, Luspell is teaching children? Mad Dog Luspell?
“I heard his personality was… not exactly suited for the teaching profession. This is unexpected.”
“Haha, even though Professor Luspell is a genius, he really doesn’t have a knack for teaching.”
“Did Master Luspell volunteer to teach?”
“That would’ve been nice, but no… I practically dragged him here because I couldn’t leave him alone.”
“…?”
Before I could ask any further, Oswald gently opened the classroom door and whispered,
“Well then, shall we go in?”
I entered the lecture hall.
My meeting with Leonhart had been a total disaster, but Luspell should be better, right?
My heart pounded with anticipation.
“…?”
The classroom was filled with children—yet Luspell was nowhere to be seen.
Oswald asked the students with a serious face,
“Chase, where did Professor Luspell go?”
“He hasn’t come yet.”
“What? Again?”
Oswald raised his voice, then glanced at me and forced a laugh.
“Ah, perhaps he’s still in his lab? Time really does fly when you’re deep in research! Hahaha!”
“Huh?”
“A-hem! I’ll go check the lab. Don’t make a fuss while I’m gone.”
Gramps, your acting could use some work.
Why go to such lengths to cover up a wizard being late? It’s not exactly shocking.
Is he in the middle of an experiment?
Luspell’s focus during experiments was terrifying.
Wizards are generally like that, but Luspell took it to the extreme.
Once he began experimenting, he completely forgot about reality.
He didn’t eat or sleep. He wouldn’t even know he was hungry. He could be oblivious even if someone was dying next to him.
But no one thought it was a serious problem.
Even when he came out of experiments looking like a skeleton, no one asked if he was okay.
Wizards are human too.
That’s why I used to drag Luspell out of the lab.
So he wouldn’t starve to death. So he’d bathe at least once a day. So he’d get the bare minimum amount of sleep.
“Pel, let’s go grab a beer with the kids.”
“Can’t you see I’m in the middle of an experiment?! And stop calling me that!”
“Lus, wanna go get a beer?”
“Just don’t call me at all! Please just stop talking to me!”
“Oh come on, you love talking to me.”
“…Are you insane?”
“You haven’t eaten a single meal today, right? Want me to bring you a lunchbox?”
“Feed yourself!”
“Can’t you speak a little nicer? You’re too good-looking to waste that face.”
“Tch! What nonsense.”
“Can I come watch the experiment later?”
“No! You’re just gonna tell me to sleep again, aren’t you?!”
“Pel, were you that embarrassed to let me see you sleep? Don’t worry, you don’t snore and you sleep very peacefully.”
“…We’re settling this today. Wait right there.”
“Okay! I’ll be at the bar first. Take your time and wash up.”
“YOU BETTER STOP RIGHT THERE! HEY!!!”
I stubbornly dragged Luspell out of the lab, and each time, though he foamed at the mouth, he still came.
Eventually, we became friends after fighting a lot. A classic story.
Now that there’s no one like me to interrupt him, I guess he’s gone back to his old ways.
Still, if he’s a professor, he should at least show up for class.
Oswald turned to me and scratched the back of his head.
“I’m terribly sorry, but I’ll go check Professor Luspell’s lab. Will you wait here, Your Grace?”
[Stage 3: (With a look that says, “How dare you inconvenience me?”) – “A professor, yet such a bother. I’ll go with you.”]
I sighed and followed the prompt.
“A professor, yet such a bother. I’ll go with you.”
I had planned to follow him anyway.
If Luspell was lost in his work, Oswald might not be able to get him out on his own.
I met Piace’s eyes.
“Piace, stay here with Luna. It’ll be good to introduce yourself to the other children—you’ll be seeing a lot of them.”
Looking uneasy, Piace gently tugged at my sleeve.
“Um, c-could I go with y-you, Your Grace?”
“Why? Are you afraid of the other kids?”
“N-no… it’s just, I-I’m not g-good at talking…”
[Stage 1: (Coldly) “You disgrace the Ivrante name.”]
I let my expression turn cold.
As the mood shifted, Piace froze up completely.
“What’s your name?”
“Huh?”
“I asked your name.”
“…P-Piace.”
“Is that all?”
“N-no, I’m P-Piace I-Ivrante.”
[Stage 1: (Sarcastically) “You act like that, even knowing?”]
“That’s right. You’re Piace Ivrante. Do you know what that means?”
“I-I’m sorry… I-I don’t really know…”
[Stage 2: (Strictly) “No one in this classroom can ignore an Ivrante.”]
“It means no one in this classroom dares to look down on you.”
I paused, lifting only my eyes.
“And I’m sure all the children here know that. If not, I can make sure they do.”
The kids who had been sneaking glances quickly turned their heads.
Whether it was from my piercing gaze or my eerie voice, hiccups started echoing around the room.
After glaring at the terrified kids, I turned my gaze back to Piace.
“Still want to come with me?”
“…N-no, I’ll stay here. P-please be safe.”
“Luna, stay with Piace.”
“Yes, Master.”
Oswald and I left the lecture hall and headed back up to the fifth floor.
Oswald knocked on Luspell’s lab door.
Knock knock.
“Professor Luspell, are you in there?”
No response, of course.
Knock knock knock knock knock.
“Did you forget you have class? Professor Luspell, I know you’re in there, so please say something!”
Still no sound from inside.
Oswald knocked harder and raised his voice.
Bang bang bang!
“Professor Luspell! Master Luspell! Luspell! Hey, you bastard— …Huh? Is he really not in there?”
Yelling like he was about to break down the door, Oswald soon tilted his head in confusion.
“I thought for sure he’d be here, but it looks like he’s out. Sigh… I truly have no face to show you, Your Grace.”
At that moment, Undine’s telepathy entered my mind.
[Lian, should I check if he’s inside?]
I glanced at Oswald and gave a small nod.
Still flustered, Oswald sighed deeply.
“To be honest with you… Every year around this time, Professor Luspell gets… a bit depressed. So he sometimes misses or is late to class.”
Luspell? Depressed? Those two words went together like oil and water.
Luspell, of all people?
If you turned the phrase “peerless under heaven” into a person, it would be him.
He was always confident. He didn’t avoid things that bothered him—he erased them.
His mood always came first, and he never cared about what others thought.
If he got mad, he exploded. If he was happy, he laughed loudly. No matter the time or place.
What on earth could have shaken someone like that…
Feigning indifference, I asked casually,
“Did something bad happen to Professor Luspell?”
“Around this time, Adela Helsington passed away, remember? I think it hit him pretty hard.”
“…What?”
“He was right there but couldn’t save her. He blamed himself endlessly. Said her death was his fault. He never really recovered, so I brought him to the academy. I couldn’t bear to leave him alone.”
…What? This is all because of me?
