Chapter : 12
8. You Have to Button the First Button Properly (1)
“Nice to meet you. My name is Lucien Philonia. I’ll be in charge of you this year, and I teach Barrier Studies among the magic subjects.”
After a brief self-introduction, Lucien scanned the classroom, which was filled with an almost extravagant setup.
A variety of emotions were transmitted from the students—curiosity, scrutiny, admiration, friendliness, indifference, caution, suspicion…
“Suspicion?”
Her gaze fell on the black-haired boy sitting next to a golden-haired girl.
Princess Estelle Daria Ludvier and the Viscount Klein Munster.
Klein’s calm brass-colored eyes contrasted sharply with Princess Estelle’s lively crimson eyes.
‘Ah, the Munster family incident that killed the tutor trend, right.’
Lucien, understanding, continued the introduction.
“All of you will have common subjects in the morning and your elective courses in the afternoon. Advanced division graduation requirements are very strict—”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. A girl sitting by the window suddenly started crying.
“What… what’s going on?!”
The sunlight streaming into the classroom cast a halo around the girl, making her light brown hair with dark undertones shimmer faintly gold.
This was Beatrice, a candidate for sainthood.
Other students began whispering as they looked toward her.
“What’s wrong? Why’s she crying all of a sudden?”
“Is it because of the homeroom teacher?”
“What’s their relationship? Isn’t the saint supposed to be a commoner?”
Lucien broke into a cold sweat.
‘I want to know that too.’
She disliked all children, but she especially hated crying ones.
Adults could be left alone when they cried, but you can’t do that with children!
Straining her voice, Lucien said,
“Beatrice, if it’s too hard, you can go rest in the infirmary for a while.”
Failure. The girl’s green eyes shimmered and became even wetter.
“I-I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
“No, don’t apologize—”
“It’s okay. Please let me stay here…”
‘I’m not okay with that.’
Amid the solemn atmosphere, unexpectedly, Klein Munster moved.
“Here, wipe it.”
He handed a handkerchief to Beatrice, who was crying like a child.
“Th-thank you…”
Everyone was surprised by the actions of the boy rumored to be cold, and Beatrice herself looked embarrassed.
Klein, unbothered, even moved to sit closer, almost pointing at Beatrice’s face buried in the handkerchief.
From Lucien’s perspective:
‘What did I do to deserve this?’
Klein’s gaze pierced her like she was a criminal.
‘I really can’t deal with this.’
“Then, Beatrice, calm down slowly, and now I’ll explain this year’s curriculum—”
Again, she couldn’t continue.
Crash! Bang!
With a tremendous noise, the rear door fell off with a clatter.
“…!”
Instinctively, the students ducked and assumed defensive positions, only to realize the classroom itself was unharmed.
The chaos was only in the hallway where the door had been.
“Is anyone hurt?”
A calm voice addressed them. Lucien had already checked outside the door.
Seeing no further danger, she turned her attention back inside.
Amid the chattering students, one sat completely unbothered as if they had anticipated this.
Cordelia Arche.
The notorious “villainous girl” of the Arche family had an empty space around her, all seats cleared.
When Lucien made eye contact, Cordelia quickly looked away, embarrassed.
“So… what happened? Who broke the classroom door—”
As if answering someone’s absurd question, a figure suddenly jumped out from the debris in the hallway.
A silver-haired boy, shaking off the dust, lifted his head. Lucien wiped her face dry.
“Noel, what are you doing?”
Noel Efron—the last member of this chaotic class, and the so-called heir of the Mage Tower.
His vivid blue-purple eyes alternated between Lucien and the spot where the door had been, sparkling suspiciously.
“Well, the homeroom teacher this year seems pretty okay.”
“….”
In the cold silence, only Beatrice’s occasional sniffle could be heard.
‘What a mess.’
Lucien surveyed the surroundings.
Q: On the first day of classes, if an accident in the classroom injures the children of high-ranking nobles, including a princess, describe what happens to the teacher in charge. (1 point)
It’s worth 1 point because it’s such an easy question. The answer is sad to describe, so let’s skip it.
Lucien, who almost became the “1-point” answer, took a deep breath secretly.
‘Good thing I prepared the protective measures in advance.’
The previous evening, she had voluntarily stayed late to install them meticulously.
‘Well, I guess the intention was just to tear the door off, not fling it inside the classroom.’
Despite the noisy accident, the damage to people was cleverly avoided.
“Noel, I asked what you were doing.”
Noel took Lucien’s hand and stood, grinning.
“I just opened the door.”
Sighs echoed around the classroom, but the boy didn’t care and dusted himself off.
The dust had come from the door he had destroyed.
Lucien recalled the advice from last year’s homeroom teacher, who had lost their voice from yelling so much:
‘Just don’t touch him. You don’t know where he’ll strike. Dealing with him will only raise your blood pressure.’
Indeed, his first impression had been overwhelming.
Lucien counted how many reports she’d have to write, looking at the fallen door and the chaotic hallway.
“No one seems hurt, so come in. Please be careful with such dangerous actions.”
“Judging by the layers of barriers and protection magic in the classroom, if that doesn’t stop me, it means I lack ability.”
The student, confessing openly that he had calculated everything and acted intentionally, got a calm nod from Lucien.
“Yes, clearly, you lack the ability, Noel.”
“….”
Noel raised an eyebrow. The new homeroom teacher’s calm attitude and fragile appearance hid an unusual temperament.
“Are you allowed to say that?”
“Yes, to a student who destroys classroom doors.”
Invisible sparks flew between Lucien and Noel.
“Now, let’s sit down first. We were—”
At that moment, mana swirled again around Noel’s hands.
‘Let’s see if this works too.’
However, the magic that might have swept the classroom like a storm failed to manifest.
“…What did you do?”
“Noel Efron, you are not permitted to use magic on anyone in my classroom.”
As she spoke, Lucien realized why the headmaster had placed Noel in her class.
Sadly, she was indeed the right person to protect other students from this magical prodigy and Mage Tower delinquent.
Noel realized it too.
‘She specializes in barrier magic.’
The strange sensation Lucien felt upon entering the classroom—the sense that spaces were separated—confirmed the classroom was under barrier magic. Yet it was strong enough to nullify his own magic.
Who would cast such high-level magic in a tiny classroom? A waste of talent and mana.
Ridiculous.
‘What a funny person.’
Ignoring the teacher’s warning, he drew even more mana than before, intending to break through the magic in the classroom.
But the mana wouldn’t obey him again.
Instead, when it gathered and tried to explode in his hands, Lucien quickly clasped his hands.
“You can’t get hurt, Noel.”
At the same time, the swirling mana quietly settled, blocked somewhere.
‘Even this you block?’
Noel groaned. This year, he had a very annoying teacher.
And the worst part: she didn’t get angry at all.
Curiosity, however, outweighed his frustration.
“What did you just do?”
Lucien smiled gently.
“If you’re really a genius, Noel, you should be able to figure it out on your own. But first, you need to sit down, right?”
“Since you said to figure it out myself, don’t regret it later.”
Finally, the last student of the class grumbled and took his seat.
‘Regret? How does the Mage Tower teach kids?’
Lucien took a quiet, deep breath, flexing her hands that had grown cold from tension.
