Chapter 3

I murmured an acknowledgment, and my tense assistants let out a collective sigh of relief that made me think someone had pulled the plugs out of a whole bunch of air pockets.

Had I been spacing out that long?

Only Moli was still dutifully clinging to my waist and arms. From behind me came her overly squeezed, muffled voice: "Teacher, don't listen to his fucking bullshit. The Speaker wouldn't be tripped up so easily by someone like that!"

This time I really did fall silent for a moment before nodding. "Yes, I'm not worried."

Her voice seemed to relax a little, and I could move my arm slightly. I also realized my forearm had gone numb.

I thought that before rumors started flying everywhere, rather than let this bunch of assistants turn me into the protagonist of a third-rate gossip story and get distracted at work, I might as well tell them outright: "Besides, it has nothing to do with me anymore. We broke up."

After saying that, I remembered something. "I'm sorry," I told them apologetically. "I made you all throw your phones out, and I'm afraid they've already burned up in the fire. I didn't expect that, and I'm terribly sor-"

Then I shut my mouth. I realized the air had frozen again, which made me think I'd accidentally recited a forbidden spell.

The expressions on my assistants' faces were quite something. Considering I didn't know any forbidden spells that could stop time, I figured they all had a talent for... becoming reaction memes. Moli had insisted on teaching me to use a social media account and sent me a bunch of pictures called "reaction memes," but I thought those pictures were nowhere near as iconic as their faces right now.

Amid the dead silence, Moli carefully shifted from hugging me from behind to hugging me from the front so she could look at my face as she spoke. Thus, Moli's screams continued to ring in my ears: "Teacher, what did you say? You broke up? Broke up as in what I think it means? God of Light above, how can you be thinking about some fucking phones at a time like this?"

"You're a mage's assistant. You'd better not go calling on the God of Light at every opportunity, or I'll think you're a priest," I said.

But Moli wasn't fighting alone. I saw the same sentiment in my assistants' eyes.

Although they didn't seem in the mood to think about their phones, I still felt guilty. Quite a few of the kids had the latest models, and according to Moli, they were worth a month's salary.

Uh... was the news really that shocking? These people, who raised hell if they were away from their phones for half a minute, didn't even want to mourn their precious phones?

I stared speechlessly at the kids who had turned to stone in front of me, and couldn't help calling Keweite by name, because his eyes were open particularly wide to keep the tears from falling.

"Keweite." I was sighing several times more often today. "Duoji didn't take that attitude because he found out Reynold and I broke up. He's disliked me for a long time. And we just broke up; Reynold didn't dump me, so you don't need to cry for me."

Then... the tears Keweite had been holding back for so long fell.

"...His name is Doug, Teacher," Moli said desperately, her eyes vacant.

Keweite wiped his tears and clutched his head. "Your Excellency, you used the

Mind-Reading

Technique again! We agreed you wouldn't read your assistants' minds whenever you felt like it!"

"...Since ancient times, human mages have never had a single spell that can read minds without damaging the soul. If I'd read your mind, you'd already be an idiot. That's a forbidden technique in Black Magic, and I've said it countless times." I was a little impatient. This kid was good in every way, except his face couldn't hide a thing. Anyone who spoke to him instantly mastered the "Mind-Reading Technique," and his understanding of some basic magical knowledge was as shallow as a preschooler's.

After calming myself down, I wanted to continue talking about the phones, but everyone said it was a perfect excuse to upgrade to newer models. They were very dismissive about it, with all their attention on my love life, leaving me temporarily at a loss for words.

I looked around. The fire was out, and my laboratory finally looked more like a mage's laboratory. After my magic power had gone out of control, some materialized crystals had been left floating above the hole in the roof. I was a little worried they might drift into someone else's laboratory and affect them, so I cast an Air Shield over the hole. Moli immediately looked up in terror, her arms stiffening around mine, and howled:

"Aaaah! Teacher, why can you still cast spells?!"

So you really thought that would stop me from casting spells? You weren't just acting in a panic? I frowned, and the Air Shield pushed Moli away. The little devil screamed and fell backward, so I had to throw out another one to catch her and set her upright.

"Even if your former teachers misled you in your basic classes, haven't I taught you? Strictly speaking, a mage can cast spells in three ways: gestures, incantations, and silence. Some special spells also require casting materials. But many high-level mages have their own distinctive casting styles, so every spell has completely different effects when used by different mages."

My assistants' faces turned deathly pale.

"So, Moli, merely restraining a mage's hands won't stop him from casting spells, although you are very strong," I chided.

Moli's mouth hung open. Her smoky eye makeup might have melted in the magic fire, leaving two black streaks running from the corners of her eyes to her mouth. She looked exactly like a death banshee weeping bitterly.

Still wearing a look of despair, she said, "Teacher, are you serious? Tell me the truth. Did you transmigrate here from the legendary era?"

"Moli," I replied just as desperately, "tell me the truth. Did you skip the homework I assigned yesterday again and stay up all night reading transmigration novels?"

Moli closed her mouth, turned, and grabbed Keweite's hand. "I agree with you now. I'm going to protest Teacher always using the Mind-Reading Technique on his students!"

...Moli!!!

Chapter 3

But after all their chaotic interruptions and everyone talking at once, I felt the strange sensation in my chest, like a blockage of magic power, had faded considerably. So I smiled and told them, "All right, all right. Since things have turned out this way, everyone can go home!"

They chattered as they said goodbye to me, but Moli dawdled and, for some reason, kept staring at my face as though the ultimate mystery of the universe were written on it. Only after I threatened to cast a blinding spell on her so she could never read webnovels again did she make a face and scamper off.

I didn't stay much longer myself. As I'd said, I only had the right to use this laboratory; the property still belonged to the institute. Soon, the institute's staff and guards sealed off the scene, and the various research team leaders herded the curious scholars back to their laboratories to continue working. After that, cleaning up the accident site was really none of my business.

Although I wanted to go in and examine the remains of the magic array-perhaps I could find the cause of the explosion—and I also had plenty of documents protected by defensive spells in there that presumably wouldn't be too badly damaged, I couldn't get in. My right to use the lab had been temporarily revoked. They actually wanted to conduct a so-called accident assessment first instead of allowing the mage in charge to look for mistakes in the experiment. I really couldn't understand it.

Fortunately, I'd copied down some key information and left it at home.

-At my own home, the apartment I likewise only had a temporary right to use.

Of course, Reynold and I didn't... uh, live together, even though his house was hundreds of times bigger.

My relationship with him was very stable and rigorous. Yes, I had to use the word "rigorous." We went on dates every Friday, and I stayed at his place over the weekend. We ate at restaurants, browsed magic goods shops, and came back to make love at night. These things were strictly scheduled on my timetable. He often joked that arranging a date with me at short notice was more troublesome than setting up a meeting with the prime minister.

But as a mage, I had already done my best to squeeze out every bit of time I could from reading, conducting experiments, practicing spells, gathering magical materials, and so on to go on dates with Reynold. Besides, even now I still didn't quite know why Reynold liked dating so much, because whenever we went out, I was always the one talking endlessly about my academic research. Reynold generally just smiled and watched me without interrupting much, because he knew I didn't understand the first thing about his politics. Though, to be honest, I wasn't entirely sure he understood the spells I talked about either.