Misunderstanding

When Chen Cheng returned to the dormitory, he looked at the broken wooden bedboard Fini had left in the corner.

Chen Cheng moved the rotten bedboard out of the corner, drew the Iron Sword from his waist, and measured it with his hand. After roughly determining the size he needed, he began chopping.

Though the Iron Sword was pitted and ugly-looking, it had been sharpened before Chen Cheng left the cave where he had lived.

With a few swift strokes of the Iron Sword, wood chips flew everywhere, and the board was soon cut down to the size he needed.

After blowing away the remaining wood chips, Chen Cheng placed the board on the wooden table beside him. Then, using the brush he had borrowed from Isabel, he began writing the symbols of a Vision Chart onto it.

When Chen Cheng first thought of making a pair of glasses for Melinda, he had remembered this bedboard in his dormitory. It was perfect for making a Vision Chart, allowing him to determine Melinda's actual eyesight.

The idea of making her glasses had come after he learned that Melinda was nearsighted—and that it was the kind even magic could not cure.

Perhaps magic in this world had advanced too far in certain areas, leaving relatively simple assistive tools underdeveloped. Nearsighted glasses were one such example.

Although Chen Cheng did not know what a real Vision Chart looked like, he still spent an entire noon break drawing one based on his memories and his current eyesight.

Looking at the rather unstandardized Vision Chart in his hands, Chen Cheng still smiled happily. Aside from the musket Scorpio had taken away, this was the second item from his previous life that he had made himself.

Looking at those familiar things, Chen Cheng felt as though they were constantly reminding him where he had come from.

It was precisely those reminders that kept his memories from becoming lost while this body was still so young.

After putting the board away, Chen Cheng heard a knock at the door. Fini's voice came from outside. "You lazy pig, still not up? Class is about to start."

Chen Cheng hurriedly cleaned up the wood chips in front of him and opened the door, only to find Fini standing there with her lips pursed.

"I really don't know which of us is the master. I have to bring you food, and I have to wake you up when it's time to get out of bed too. Honestly."

As she spoke, Fini gave a somewhat aggrieved snort.

Chen Cheng felt rather embarrassed upon hearing that. He looked at the other students around him and the servants beside them. Those servants carefully carried out their duties around their masters, even carrying their still-sleepy young masters to class.

Though he was supposedly a servant, Chen Cheng truly had not fulfilled any of the obligations a servant should have toward Fini.

It sounded a little degrading, but when he put himself in her shoes, he really did feel rather ashamed.

Seeing Chen Cheng's embarrassed expression, Fini's childish temper came quickly and went quickly. She called for him to head to class.

"It's good that you know you were wrong. Hurry up, then. I don't want to be late."

Just as they were leaving, Chen Cheng suddenly asked, "Whose class do we have this afternoon?"

"Oh, that. I forgot to tell you. This afternoon is magic history, and the teacher is still Teacher Melinda."

The instant Chen Cheng heard that, he returned to the dormitory, found a tattered curtain, tied up the Vision Chart, and slung it over his back.

That way, he could test Melinda's eyesight directly after class. It would save him from going to her office and giving certain people something to gossip about.

The certain person Chen Cheng had in mind was naturally Isabel, who had never liked the sight of him.

The misunderstanding that morning had truly hurt Chen Cheng. Although his mental age was over thirty, most of his more than twenty years in his previous life had been spent studying or researching. When it came to external emotions such as affection, his mentality was actually not much different from that of a teenager.

Because of his mental age and Melinda's earlier intimacy toward him, his youthful heart had indeed been stirred somewhat. But Isabel and Melinda's words afterward had delivered a hard slap of reality.

The heart that had just begun to flutter was abruptly brought to a halt.

When Fini saw Chen Cheng carrying such a board, she wanted to ask about it. But since class was about to start, she merely shot him a glare and told him to behave himself, not make trouble again and anger Teacher Melinda, before urging him toward the classroom.

The two entered the classroom. When the others saw Chen Cheng return whole and unharmed, their eyes widened in astonishment. In their eyes, anyone summoned by Isabel never came to a good end. That teacher seemed gentle in class, but she dealt out severe punishment to those who disobeyed.

They had heard about a senior class Isabel had once taught. A student who had run wild in class by relying on the fact that his father was a viscount had ultimately fallen into Isabel's hands. Isabel had directly crippled his future path in magic.

Then they noticed the broken wooden board on Chen Cheng's back. They had no idea what this unusual slave was up to, but once Teacher Melinda came in, she would surely give him a thorough scolding.

Better yet, Teacher Melinda should become disappointed in him and throw him out.

They did not want word getting out that noble children such as themselves were studying alongside a slave. It would disgrace them.

The noble students all had their own thoughts, but none of them wanted Chen Cheng to have an easy time.

Soon, the bell rang. Melinda entered the classroom with her usual gentle smile, but her gaze was immediately drawn to Chen Cheng sitting in the back with a wooden board strapped to his back.

She seemed to want to say something, but after thinking it over, she remained silent and continued with the lesson.

The students who had been waiting to watch a show were all disappointed when they saw that Melinda said nothing.

Among them, Coles was the most disappointed. He wished he could slaughter Chen Cheng himself and wash away the humiliation of being insulted by such a lowly slave.

Especially after those people in the cafeteria had mocked him by quacking like ducks at noon. Whenever he recalled that scene, his killing intent toward Chen Cheng grew even stronger.

This magic history lesson greatly broadened Chen Cheng's horizons. If he wanted to gain a truly systematic and comprehensive understanding of magic's development in this world, this course was an excellent choice.

After Melinda finished recounting the life of Peron, the first Legendary Mage recorded on the continent, the lesson came to an end. The children's formal classes for the day were over as well.

For the rest of the day, they could go to the library to read magic books that interested them, or head to the magic laboratory to practice the basic apprentice magic they had learned that morning.

At that moment, Chen Cheng stood up and called out to Melinda.

"Teacher Melinda, please wait a moment."

Melinda also had something she wanted to say to Chen Cheng.

She nodded at him, signaling that he could come over. The two of them stood at the front of the classroom.

Chen Cheng untied the wooden board from his back and set it down. Then he said with a happy smile, "Teacher Melinda, this is part of the surprise I prepared for you..."

Before he could finish, however, Melinda's pretty face flushed red as she angrily rebuked him. "Brown, is this the time to be thinking about such things? I don't need any surprise. I gave you this opportunity because you are diligent and eager to learn, understand?"

Well, now Chen Cheng knew that Melinda had truly misunderstood him. She really thought he was trying to pull a small horse to haul a big cart and pursue her.

Though Chen Cheng's mind was already that of an adult, being misunderstood like this still hurt him somewhat.

He showed Melinda the front of the Vision Chart and said, "This is a Vision Chart I made. With it, we can determine the extent of your eyesight problem. Then I can use transparent crystals to grind matching lenses and restore your vision. Consider it a student's gratitude for your guidance."

Chen Cheng's words were now exceedingly polite and formal. He no longer mentioned anything about surprises.

Fini, who had been watching from the side, finally understood why Chen Cheng had asked her that morning whether Magic Crystals could be taken away. So he wanted to repay Melinda.

The little girl was still too young to understand the meaning behind Melinda's earlier words. She was simply happy to have a servant who knew how to repay kindness.

The other classmates who remained to watch, however, were wondering what these lenses Chen Cheng mentioned were. Could they really cure Teacher Melinda's eyes, which even magic could not heal?

After saying those words, Melinda had already felt regret. Then, upon hearing Chen Cheng's formal and somewhat distant tone, her heart ached even more.

Chen Cheng said nothing else. He carried the Vision Chart a sufficient distance away, stood it upright, and asked, "Teacher, are you ready?"

Only then did Melinda come back to her senses. She knew this was not a good time to say anything else, so she could only nod.

Chen Cheng then had Melinda cover her left eye and use only her right eye to point out the direction of the E symbols he indicated.

After testing her left eye, he tested her right. After repeating the process a few times to confirm the results, Chen Cheng roughly calculated the degree of nearsightedness in both of Melinda's eyes.

There might be some deviation in the result, but after the glasses were made and worn, they could still be adjusted.

Once Melinda had finished the test, Fini's playful side was roused. She stood where Melinda had just been, covered one eye, and asked Chen Cheng to test her as well. Chen Cheng naturally had no objection.

The onlookers had not gotten to see Melinda scold Chen Cheng, but the amusing Vision Chart had piqued their interest. One after another, they asked to be tested.

After all, it was their first time seeing something that could assess a person's physical condition without using magic.

But Chen Cheng did not have time to play with them all. He handed the Vision Chart over to them, roughly taught the servants beside them how to use it, and then followed Fini to the library.

After Chen Cheng left, however, a small boy sat atop a large fellow's neck, watching Chen Cheng depart with a sinister grin. Melinda, who was still standing on the platform with a trace of sorrow on her face, remained in his sight as well.

Coles then had his large fellow carry him into the crowd. Though he wanted to kill Chen Cheng, that lowly slave, he was also very interested in the Vision Chart Chen Cheng had made.