Magic Academy's Bastard Instructor - Chapter 110

Chapter 110: Loose Ends [2]
On a certain day, while following her usual routine at the orphanage, teaching the younger orphans and helping the nuns, 17-year-old Selena, too old to be adopted, saw the High Priest unexpectedly visit the orphanage.

——High Priest Erwin, it’s an honor to have you visit our orphanage.

Sister Lilia, one of the nuns of the orphanage, greeted the High Priest with a deep bow. The Head Priest, who normally managed the orphanage, was out that day.

“….?”

Selena, curious, began to eavesdrop. She wondered if it had anything to do with the incident a few days ago.

She had dreamt of a murder in the village. A farmer girl named Ellen was the victim in her dream. Feeling a sense of unease, Selena convinced Ellen to stay home that day.

Perhaps, because of that, crime shifted.

Another village girl was murdered instead—on the route Ellen would have taken if she hadn’t stayed home.

A few days later, the killer, responsible for the deaths of four other girls, was caught.

Ellen had thanked Selena, saying she would have been the victim if not for Selena’s warning.

This wasn’t the first time. For years, Selena had vague dreams that helped her prevent dangers and crimes in the village.

Even though her dreams were unclear and often hard to interpret, rumors began to spread that Selena could see the future.

——Is that so? Yes, Selena is here. Let me call her.

Hearing Sister Lily’s words, Selena quickly ran back inside the orphanage, acting as if she hadn’t been there.

——Selena!

Sister Lily called, and Selena walked out, feigning innocence.

“Yes, Sister Lily?”

“The High Priest wants to adopt you, Selena.”

“….”

Selena froze. Indeed, the High Priest was interested in her.

The orphanage was home to her. The children, the nuns—they were her family. But the priests who owned the orphanage were a different story. Despicable, even.

A memory of a vague dream came to mind, one she had months ago. If it were true, and she was meant to become the Saintess, this could be her way out.

Life at the orphanage wasn’t easy.

The priests often asked for questionable favors from older girls like Selena—attending to visiting Head Priests, giving massages in skimpy outfits, and more.

It was humiliating and degrading. Selena feared the cycle would continue with the younger children if nothing changed.

“….”

Selena didn’t trust priests. But she trusted her abilities. She had a talent for magic, and with proper education, she believed she could become a powerful mage.

“You want to adopt me?” Selena asked, looking directly at High Priest Erwin.

But High Priests were different.

Unlike regular or even Head Priests, High Priests were appointed by divine blessing from the Goddess Lumine herself. They were powerful and respected.

Even so, Selena couldn’t shake her lingering distrust.

But this was an opportunity—either to escape and leave the children to fend for themselves or to seek a better path under the High Priest’s care.

Once they were alone in a room, Selena spoke.

“I don’t mind being adopted,” she began. “But I have a favor to ask.”

…..

A month passed, and the adoption paperwork was finally completed. Along with it, the favor Selena had requested had been fully carried out.

The Head Priest and the other priests managing the orphanage were detained after evidence and allegations against them piled up.

It was all thanks to the High Priest fulfilling Selena’s request. However, accusing such high-ranking priests wasn’t easy.

Selena had taken a risk, even going as far as threatening the High Priest herself.

It wasn’t exactly a threat—more of a demonstration of her abilities as the rumored Oracle.

“I have received a calling.”

Selena gazed up at the scenery.

“I am the appointed Saintess, chosen by Goddess Lumine herself.”

And several years later, the day of her inauguration to officially assume the role of Saintess finally arrived.

“….”

But a lingering thought resurfaced.

That dream from months ago—the burning children. The faces of the orphans she had grown up with.

‘Why did you kill us?’

“….”

——Lady Selena?”

“Ah?”

Selena snapped out of her thoughts, blinking as she looked up.

“….”

Standing before her was a man with hair as white as the moonlit mist, and eyes as bleak as a stormy sea.

It was him. The pinnacle of the Great Powers. The Sword Saint.

Aston Nietzsche.

“Forgive me, Sword Saint,” Selena said, quickly gathering herself. “Just…. thinking.”

“Another one of those dreams?”

“….Yes.”

Selena, now twenty years old, had come a long way since being adopted by High Priest Erwin.

With proper education, exposure to influential figures, and the official blessing of the church, Sienna was now ready to unveil herself to the world.

And with that, she was now under the personal protection of Aston himself.

After a brief silence, Aston spoke again.

“Are there still no prophecies about what’s to come, Lady Selena?”

Selena met his gaze, then slowly shook her head. “Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anything related to the missing Araxys.”

“I see.”

Selena’s dreams remained unclear. So far, she could only glimpse fragments of things happening around her. But when it came to the distant future, she couldn’t see anything.

Nothing at all.

He then shifted the conversation. “Are you ready, Lady Selena?”

He paused for a moment before correcting himself.

“No—Saintess.”

Selena straightened her posture and smiled.

“Yes. I’m ready.”

But there was something she hadn’t told him.

Something that haunted her thoughts, something she couldn’t explain, and something that absolutely terrified her. Much more than the death of the children she considered her family.

“….”

Her own death—at the hands of a man who embodied the very essence of the Archives of Haven.

* * *

Ever since I’ve officially assumed the role of Vanitas Astrea, I’ve always asked myself these questions.

Am I just cleaning up his mess?

Or am I just trying to survive, doing whatever I can to fix the grudges he left behind?

It’s hard to tell sometimes. Every move I mad felt like I was walking a thin line. One mistake, and his past could swallow me whole.

But no matter what, there’s one truth I couldn’t escape.

His sins were now mine to carry. And those who despised him…. they saw me as one and the same.

Therefore, the very notion of justification itself left me frustrated. I was never an unreasonable man to begin with.

I’ve always tried to act with some degree of fairness. Both as Chae Eun-woo, and Vanitas Astrea.

Take Desmond Wyndale, for example.

I dealt him a harsh punishment not out of spite, but because of his arrogance.

He had no connection to Vanitas’s past, nor any justifiable reason to be involved. Yet he injected himself into the matter, dragging in Cassandra and possibly other students who had nothing to do with it.

Then there’s Silas.

Desmond’s actions were despicable—he harassed Charlotte and shifted his harassment to Cassandra.

But Silas….

“He crossed the line.”

He genuinely tried to kill my sister. I could do the same to him. I could ruin him—his entire family, whenever I wanted. I had the necessary skills and connections to do so.

“….”

Yet here I am, still contemplating justification.

“Justification….”

Is it even real?

Or is it something we cling to for comfort, to convince ourselves that there’s reason in this world’s chaos?

From the outside looking in, Silas’s actions are inexcusable. Charlotte had no hand in Vanitas’s past mistakes.

She didn’t deserve to be dragged into this, yet she almost paid the ultimate price.

But then again, Silas wasn’t acting out of mindless cruelty.

He was a victim too—of grief, anger, and a history he couldn’t change.

Wasn’t that the same for all of us?

At what point do we stop being victims of circumstance and start becoming monsters ourselves? Is there ever a point where justification matters, or is survival the only truth?

“Haaa….”

I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. This constant balancing act between empathy and judgment was exhausting.

“What am I supposed to do now, Professor?” Silas asked. We sat side-by-side on a cold bench outside Arkhald Asylum.

“….”

I didn’t know how to respond. Just yesterday, this kid was out for my blood, and I was ready to end him for trying to kill my sister in front of everyone.

Now, here we were, caught in a strange, uncomfortable truce.

It was awkward, to say the least.

“Depends,” I finally said. “Are you asking me as a professor? Or a person you loathe?”

“Both, I guess.”

I crossed my arms, exhaling slowly. “Then here’s my answer. If you’re asking me as a professor, keep your head down, attend your lectures, and don’t do anything reckless. If you’re asking me as someone you hate…. don’t expect sympathy.”

“Yeah. Thought as much…” Silas muttered. He leaned back on the bench and stared up at the sky. “You probably hate me as much as I hate you.”

Both of us had committed sins against each other. Sins that couldn’t simply be erased.

Though truthfully, it wasn’t even me he hated. It was Vanitas Astrea.

Still, there was one thing I knew for certain.

I could never forgive this kid.

I hope Charlotte doesn’t either.

“Then let me ask you,” I said, keeping my eyes on the scene in front of me.

There was a nurse gently guiding one of the mental patients out for a stroll. Then, I continued.

“Where does your disdain for me stem from?”

“Are you seriously asking that?” Silas frowned, his tone incredulous, like I had just asked if grass was green. “Obviously, because of what you did to—”

“Because I took Arwen from you?” I interrupted.

Figuratively, and literally.

“….”

As I thought. There were several reasons for his hatred, but the biggest factor was, unfortunately, my very existence.

The fact that Arwen Ainsley had loved Vanitas Astrea.

Though it was unfair to place the entire blame on Vanitas, the situation wouldn’t have spiraled out of control if not for the immense pressure from her adoptive family.

That pressure could be seen as the cause of her downfall—a kind of unintentional murder.

“From what I’ve seen in the play, you didn’t treat her any better than your parents,” I said, watching Silas closely.

Silas’s jaw tightened. “I didn’t write that into the script for a reason. The play wasn’t about me.”

“Then have you read any of her statements about you in her diary?”

“….”

“That’s what I thought.”

In other words, Silas Ainsley had no significant impact on Arwen’s life.

Not the way he thought he did. This situation was painfully similar to Desmond’s—a man who projected his rage onto others for things he was never truly involved in.

The difference here was that Arwen was Silas’s family.

“She didn’t even see you, did she?” I continued. “You were invisible to her because all she saw was survival. You think that’s on me, Silas?”

He flinched. “….Shut up.”

“I get it. You loved her. You wanted to be the one to save her. But you didn’t. And now, here you are.”

I was starting to get addicted to provoking people like this. Seriously, what’s wrong with this game? Everyone losing their minds over love.

Were humans always this simple?

Or had I just grown up in an environment where I couldn’t enjoy such simplicity?

Either way, it didn’t matter.

“If you truly want to avenge Arwen, then focus. Take your lectures seriously. Do your tests properly. You’ve been deliberately scoring halfway on every test, which tells me you’re pretty smart academically. Use that. Become a scholar, a mage—whatever. Take over your household. Prove to your parents the mistake they made.”

“I….”

“And me,” I continued, “use your anger toward me as fuel. Ace my tests. I don’t care how you do it. Just don’t involve my sister again.”

I glared at him as the sun dipped behind the clouds, a gloomy shadow casting over us.

“I don’t think I need to explain what will happen if anyone messes with my sister again.”

Silas swallowed hard, visibly shaken.

Honestly, my heart ached for Charlotte. Ever since entering university, she hadn’t been able to catch a break because of Vanitas.

‘I should treat her to something nice.’

…..

Returning to the University Tower, I noticed the festival was still in full swing, though the atmosphere had shifted.

“Ah.”

It must’ve been the secret exam.

To be honest, I had no clue what it involved. Headmaster Elsa had proposed it, calling it ‘secret’ because the exam guidelines wouldn’t be revealed until the moment it began.

The only hint given to the students was to stay alert for it on the final day.

As I wandered around, something caught my attention.

——I’m telling you, commoner. It’s somewhere around here!

——Look. I’ve done my calculations. Your derivatives are off by 0.4.

It was Ezra and Astrid, bickering as usual.

“Is the exam partner-based again?”

For some reason, whenever there was a test, those two always seemed stuck together like glue.

In the game, the player would typically be paired with either Ezra or Astrid. But with no player in the equation this time, it was almost as if fate itself had pushed them together.

——Ah, professor!

Ezra noticed me and waved enthusiastically. I approached them.

“What are you two doing?” I asked.

“Taking the exam,” Ezra explained. “We have to calculate, locate, and clear a magic space assigned to us.”

“Magic space, huh?”

Magic space. Essentially, an influx of mana that caused distortions in the leylines of the world. Similar to fractal dimensions but much more stable and naturally occurring.

In simpler terms, a magic phenomenon.

“Professor,” Ezra said with a grin. “Can you give us a hint? The given problem is this—”

He pulled out a notebook, showing me a formula written in complex notation.

“Hm?”

It was a complex function involving derivatives, flux divergence, and mana resonance fields. The spectacles were in full-effect. I knew the answer immediately.

“We’re supposed to use this to determine the coordinates of the space and the right sequence of spells to stabilize it,” he added.

Astrid crossed her arms and gave him a deadpan stare. “You’re so shameless. Don’t bother the professor with this.”

She glanced at me for a moment. Her expression seemed to soften slightly before snapping back to glare at Ezra.

“….”

This girl….

I wasn’t oblivious. Having spent years in espionage, where reading people was essential, I could recognize subtle signs and behavioral nuances.

Astrid seemed to hold a special fondness for me, though I couldn’t pinpoint why.

I hadn’t done anything special to earn it. I treated all my students the same way.

So why did she seem… attached?

From what I remember, Astrid was fond of intellectuals. However, in this world’s standards, I wasn’t particularly that smart to begin with. In terms of magic, I was probably amongst the bottom. All of my complicated knowledge of magic stemmed from the Spectacles itself.

Then, was it because of my face? In this life, Vanitas Astrea’s face was objectively handsome.

It wasn’t far-fetched to think it drew attention. Back in my previous life, I didn’t look too bad either. But this face was definitely leagues above.

If I’d looked like this back then, certain missions might’ve gone smoother, maybe even easier.

Nevertheless, I’ve kept a fixed distance from her.

“Don’t overthink it,” I muttered to myself.

“What was that, Professor?” Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing. Just focus on the task. If you want to solve this problem, you’ll need to understand how mana flux interacts with dimensional layers. You won’t get anywhere without grasping that first.”

“See? He’s giving us more hints,” Ezra said, turning to Astrid.

“You’re hopeless…”

“Hopeless or not,” I cut in, “you two are wasting time. If you don’t figure it out soon, the spatial instability could shift, and then you’ll be recalculating everything from scratch.”

Leaving the two to their own devices, I continued walking around the campus.

——Taco! Enchiladas! Guacamoles! Come taste the authentic flavors of the Zyphran Dominion!

——Solve the formula, win a prize!

Some booths were still open, manned by second and third-year students. Unlike the first years, they didn’t have a special exam.

Eventually, I made my way to my office. As expected, Karina was there, completely focused on her studies.

For some reason, she had decided to use my office as her study space throughout the entire festival, only leaving when she had to go home.

The library had been closed for the duration of the festival, and I figured she was one of those people who struggled to concentrate at home.

It wasn’t uncommon. Many students preferred studying in a different environment to stay motivated. Studying at home often led to more distractions and procrastination than actual work.

Karina didn’t even notice me at first. I quietly closed the door behind me and watched her for a moment as she scribbled notes, completely absorbed in her textbooks.

When she noticed me, she glanced up.

“Professor? When did you get here?”

“Just now,” I said, walking to my desk. “Don’t mind me. I’m just here to get some work done.”

Her eyes lingered on me as I settled in. After a brief pause, she asked, “I heard about what happened last night. Is Charlotte okay?”

“She’s fine. No need to worry about it.”

Karina nodded and returned to her studies, though I could feel her glancing at me every so often.

Ignoring it, I pulled out a stack of ledgers from my desk drawer. They were records from my business ventures.

Balancing these ledgers wasn’t difficult, but it was tedious. I began sifting through them, verifying expenditures, adjusting profit margins, and cross-referencing accounts.

‘I should probably hire an accountant.’

Time passed quickly. When I checked my pocket watch, two hours had gone by.

I glanced over at Karina, whose face was now twisted in a frown as she stared at her notes.

“Aren’t you hungry?” I asked.

“No, I’m fine,” she replied without looking up.

Almost on cue, a loud rumble came from her stomach.

“….”

Karina froze, her face turning bright red.

“Food is essential for the brain,” I said, standing up. “Let’s get something to eat.”

“N-No, it’s fine, really, Professor! You go on ahead,” Karina stammered, avoiding my gaze.

I respected her dedication. If she didn’t want to take a break from studying, who was I to force her?

Instead, I turned to the shelf behind me, grabbed three documents, and handed them to her.

“What’s this?” she asked, eyeing the papers.

“Three of my unpublished theses. I’m supposed to submit them by next month. You’re the first to read them.”

“Ah?”

“They might give you some insight and help you pass the first phase of the licensure exam.”

Karina blinked, shifting her gaze between the documents and me. Then, her blue eyes, which resembled the clear-blue sky, met mine.

“Do I have to pay—”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Consider it a reward. I figured you might be tired of financial incentives by now. I’ve given you enough money that you probably don’t even care about it anymore.”

“N-No, that’s not true! I—”

“It was a joke.”

“Ah.”

Maybe my joke didn’t land.

“Next month,” I continued, “why don’t you assist me in my lectures? Not just taking notes. Actually present alongside me and share your ideas.”

“Ah—?”

It wasn’t common for professors to give assistants that kind of opportunity, especially someone who had only been in the role for a year.

But experience was vital, and with enough of it, Karina could probably pass the Ascension Licensure Exam without much trouble.

I knew her capabilities. While I didn’t know how her story would play out in the game after Vanitas’s exile, I knew this version of Karina.

“Professor, why are you so nice to me?”

“….”

I paused. Nice? I hadn’t considered myself particularly kind. I was simply being fair.

Competent people deserved proper incentives. I had seen companies collapse because they abused their employees. Of course, I had contributed to some of those downfalls myself.

She was probably asking because of the rumors surrounding the original Vanitas.

“Do you know why I dismissed all my previous assistants?” I asked.

“No. Why? I don’t understand. I don’t think I’m anything special, so it’s confusing.”

“Because they were incompetent,” I answered bluntly.

“….”

Her eyes widened slightly.

“They saw me as the youngest professor and thought I’d be an easy target to breeze through their mentorship program. I didn’t like that. It felt as though I was being looked down on. Years later, when I wasn’t the ‘new guy’ anymore….”

I trailed off, pretending to recall how things had shifted since then. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was talking about.

“….I see.”

Karina nodded as I returned to my desk. Suddenly, she stood up.

“Professor, you know what? Let’s eat.”

I smirked and chuckled. Karina gave me a bright smile as we made our way to the door. Just as I reached for the doorknob, I froze.

“….”

I had noticed this ever since I began working at the university tower.

———「Tutorial」———

◆ Objective: Prevent upcoming allegations and avoid losing your teaching profession at all costs.

————————————

I had already resolved some of the core issues but had only received half of the rewards. At first, I thought it was because there were loose ends outside of Charlotte’s situation—people who still held grudges against Vanitas Astrea.

It made sense. There had to be others with resentment toward him within the university tower.

But over the past few months, I had dealt with what I believed to be the major threats.

Charlotte, who had been closely tied to the original Vanitas’s downfall.

Desmond, who had posed a lesser but still significant threat.

And most recently, Silas Ainsley, whom I thought was the final loose end. I had assumed resolving things with him would finally clear the tutorial objective.

But it hadn’t.

The interface was still there.

———————

「Rewards:」

◆ Understanding: +120%

———————

“….”

….And the rewards had ballooned since I last checked.

“Professor, what’s wrong?” Karina asked.

Her face appeared through the transparent interface. It was quite endearing.

“It’s nothing.”

I shook my head, closed the system screen, and opened the door.

*

*

End of Volume 2