A month passed swiftly.

I had learned new intermediate spells, and my dark magic had significantly improved.

Both Luna and Rie made impressive progress in their own ways.

Luna can now effectively use Levian's spellbook, while Rie has not only improved her explosive magic but also learned other intermediate spells.

Even though we've changed a lot, the academy itself hasn't changed much.

However, it wasn't entirely the same.

The most noticeable change was...

Professor Robert's laboratory.

"Gracie, take care of these."

"Yes, Professor!"

The difference was that Robert now had an assistant.

To be precise, she wasnt just Roberts assistant but served all the professors in the magic department.

The youngest professor, Gracie Lifegold.

Shes talented and very efficient, almost like a top-tier "slave" in the academy.

Teaching assistants, due to their limited capabilities, couldnt always be trusted with certain tasks.

And if they were overburdened, they might break under pressure.

When an assistant reached their breaking point, they would typically quit and run.

So it was important to moderate the workload.

However, professors didn't have that luxury.

No matter how overwhelming the workload, they couldn't just abandon their duties.

Being a professor often implied being older and experienced, so losing their position would leave a stain on their reputation.

It would be a significant setback.

As a result, especially for Robert, Gracie became a go-to for various tasks.

"Ugh..."

"Would you like me to help?"

I offered to Gracie, who was receiving a pile of documents from Robert.

She looked at me cautiously and asked,

"Are you Professor Robert's assistant?"

"No, I'm just a student learning under Professor Robert."

"A student?"

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Would you like to be my assistant? I promise Ill treat you really well! Truly!"

"Haha Im sorry, Im quite busy at the moment."

"I see."

Gracie looked disappointed.

I felt sorry for her.

If shes the youngest professor now, how long would she remain in that position?

From what I gathered, Professors Cromwell and McGuire had tricked her to join.

One could argue that she made a poor choice, but I heard that the professors essentially made it impossible for her to refuse.

They announced public recruitment for a professorship but didnt consider applications aside from Gracie's.

McGuire constantly spoke of the benefits of being a professor, almost brainwashing her.

Who could resist under such circumstances?

I felt sorry for her.

Helping her out, I carried her documents to her lab.

"Thanks! I'll treat you to something delicious later!"

"It's alright. I should be going."

"Wait!"

Gracie stopped me,

"By the way, what's your name?"

I calmly replied to her question.

It's Rudy Astria.

As I stated my name, Gracies expression stiffened, and her hands began to tremble.

I'm so, so, so, so sorry!!!!!!

It took me several reassurances that I was just a student for Gracie to finally calm down from her upset state.

She seems really overwhelmed...

On my way out from Gracie's lab, I ran into Luna and Professor Mcguire.

Ah, Professor Mcguire, it's been a while.

Oh! Is that you, Rudy?

As I greeted him warmly, Professor Mcguire responded with a bright smile.

There was genuine happiness radiating from his grin, a side of him I hadn't seen before.

Yes! Anyway, Luna, you can start coming to the lab from tomorrow!

Understood, Professor! I'll see you tomorrow!

Huh?

I watched the retreating back of Professor Mcguire as he returned to his lab, somewhat puzzled.

Luna then tilted her head, posing a question.

Rudy, are you headed to study?

Well, yes, but... whats this about coming to the lab?

Something felt off.

Ah~ Professor Mcguire asked if I was interested in working as a teaching assistant.

Oh.

I sighed upon hearing that.

Wait... you agreed to it?

Yes! The other teaching assistants are very kind, and Ill get paid too! Plus, I can study at the same time, so it seemed like a great opportunity.

Luna was so nave.

She didn't realize that such great conditions always come with a catch.

The academy wasnt a charity...

Well, in some ways it was, but the professors certainly weren't philanthropists.

Did you... sign a contract or something?

Yes! I just did.

...

Now I understood why Professor Mcguire looked so elated.

I felt a bit of pity for Professor Gracie, but I hadnt expected someone to take advantage of someone close to me the same way.

For a moment, I considered confronting Professor Mcguire.

But I quickly dismissed the idea.

Luna should learn through experience.

Itll prepare her for the realities of life.

Its better for her to understand society through hardships, just like Professor Gracie.

By the way, Rudy, did you hear about the freshman assessment in a few days? It reminds me of the old times.

Luna spoke, reminiscent of the past.

I hadn't taken the entrance exam, so I didn't share her nostalgia.

Still, I responded,

I agreed to help with the exams.

Really? Why would you do that?

Assisting with the exams involved supporting the supervising professors.

It was primarily a way for students to earn a little extra money.

However, I had my own motives.

To assess the new students.

To identify potential talents for the next semester.

Should I help out too?

No, Luna, you already have the teaching assistant role... you should rest.

I looked at Luna sympathetically.

...?

Luna simply looked back, puzzled.

Ugh

Ian exhaled a weary sigh.

The incident involving Rudy Astria.

The aftermath of that event was almost over, but he was very tired from it all.

Fortunately, Rudy's kidnapping went by without much hassle.

However, it undoubtedly had a significant impact.

For one, the evaluation of Ian had taken a considerable hit, while Rudy's reputation in the capital had skyrocketed.

Where Rudy had once been seen negatively, the tide of public opinion had turned in his favor.

The rumor that he was a failure was now falsely attributed to Ian, and Rudy was now seen as the poor younger brother who had been oppressed under such a brother.

From Ian's perspective, this was deeply unfair.

It was a well-known fact that Rudy had been the black sheep of the family.

Ian had done nothing wrong.

Yet to have these rumors attributed to him was nothing but unjust.

Moreover, the stories that were initially confined to the academy had now spread to the capital.

The charming nobleman who got along well with both aristocrats and commoners alike.

Rumors of how he was close to Rie, the Royal Princess, despite his family being part of the nobility.

The brave student who risked his life to protect others.

Such tales spread like wildfire.

Though Ian was too preoccupied with his own reputation to understand why these rumors were circulating, the cause of their spread was Astina.

Astina had started to take proper successor lessons and began to harness the power of the Persia family.

With her influence and due to recent events, once the stories spread, all of the nobility quickly came to know of them.

From Ians perspective, these rumors were poison.

He even started to think that his almost assured position as the heir could be in jeopardy.

In the world of politics, a secured position was often anything but.

Currently, Ian held power and influence over Rudy.

The Astria family held the backing of the noble faction.

The foundation of that noble faction was rooted in the Astria family.

The families under them also had their vulnerabilities tied to the Astrias.

Given that Ian was currently acting as the Heads representative, he already held the power to influence them at will.

Still, Ian didn't dismiss the thought of 'what if'.

There's no harm in being prepared for any eventuality.

However

The Rudy kidnapping incident had just passed.

If he stirred up another issue now, and it led to complications, it might be too much for Ian to handle.

Ill have to start with minor things.

The kind of actions that wouldnt raise eyebrows.

That level of discretion was important.

The minor details

Ian sank deep into thought.

Areas that might seem petty.

He needed to exploit those areas.

Areas where even if Rudy tried, he wouldn't easily expose to the public...

A few days later, a letter arrived for me.

It was from Ian.

I had half-expected an apology from him, thinking perhaps he felt remorseful.

In a way, my assumption was half right, but also half wrong.

"Seriously, this guy..."

While there was an apology in the letter, that wasn't the main content.

"He's cutting off financial support?"

I was dumbfounded.

The reasons he listed were petty, ones anyone could nitpick.

Apparently, he wanted me to stand on my own feet.

However, there was no clear way for me to object.

If I were to oppose my own brother telling me,

'You should become independent. I'll reduce your allowance,'

Wouldn't I just appear like a spoiled child?

"What a tricky move."

I thought Ian would either apologize sincerely or stay silent. But this was unexpected.

Now, I had to figure out how to earn money to pay for tuition and living expenses on my own.

Tuition wasn't as much of a concern since I had a scholarship for being second in the rankings.

But the real issue was...

"How will I handle Luna's sponsorship?"

Moreover, other financial matters all became burdensome.

"Ian, you petty bastard...!

Cursing Ian wouldn't change the situation, but I couldn't help it.

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