BXBX NOVEL Chapter 16 – The Professor You Chose (6)
Chapter 16 – The Professor You Chose (6)
Nightley had to stop as she was leaving the classroom. People were standing still, blocking the exit.
Rising on her tiptoes, she saw a crowd of students gathered ahead, murmuring. What’s going on?
“The Head Combat Professor is here!”
Several students, excited, shoved past Nightley to move forward. The Head Combat Professor? Could it be Professor Dian?
Not long ago, Professor Dian had appeared suddenly without much notice.
His first appearance before the students was during the comprehensive combat class for the graduating class. There, Dian made a dramatic debut by inviting the magic-response professor to bombard the students with attack spells.
Since Professor Dian’s arrival, the combat classes had completely transformed. Previously, most classes were conducted in the classroom, watching demonstrations by assistants. But now, everything was different.
All combat classes, unless there was a special reason, were held at the outdoor training ground. Students were fully armed, training in environments similar to real battlefields. It was quite dangerous.
The graduating class, who hadn’t had proper outdoor classes for years, suffered numerous injuries. From minor sprains and bruises to more serious injuries that bled profusely.
Some students raised complaints, but Professor Dian remained unmoved, repeatedly saying, “A drop of sweat in training is worth a bucket of blood in battle.”
However, it wasn’t that Professor Dian was recklessly pushing them without any thought.
A significant issue recently arose when a Holy Priestess from the church was brought in. Professor Dian managed to get a Divine Oracle Priestess from the church, causing quite a stir at the academy.
What is a Divine Oracle Priestess? They are the legendary figures chosen by the gods to become priests. Able to use holy power before they can even walk, they can perform miracles, representing the gods in the mortal world when their power reaches its peak.
Shortly after his arrival, Professor Dian brought in such a remarkable priest. This was the same academy that had previously turned away a priest, saying they weren’t needed.
The young priestess, named Maya, lived up to her title of Divine Oracle Priestess with her immense holy power. Despite the numerous minor injuries students sustained, none of them were left untreated or scarred, allowing everyone to attend classes the next day.
Around this time, a suspicious rumor began circulating at the academy about Professor Dian’s true identity.
Various baseless speculations emerged. Some said he was the sole survivor of the Valderant family, others claimed he was an exile from the Kingdom of Sadirian, or a former instructor from Lianthal, and so on.
The most outlandish rumor was that he was the hidden prince of the current Emperor. And as absurd as it was, it was the most widely believed.
There was such a rumor in the Empire. That there was one more son besides the current Princes and Princesses, whose disposition was so terrible he was imprisoned somewhere in the Imperial Palace.
A slight variation of the rumor said he was an illegitimate child, born between the Emperor and a commoner, not even a concubine, and exiled to a distant country because they couldn’t bring themselves to kill him due to his royal blood.
The Imperial Palace had never issued an official statement, deeming the matter unworthy of discussion, so it remained a ghost story among the people.
Perhaps because of this, whenever an exceptional individual appeared, people would speculate if he might be the secret prince of the Royal Family.
The most recent example was the continental hero Linus. As he began to gain public attention, people speculated he might be the secret prince.
However, those who saw Linus in person realized how absurd the rumor was.
With his striking blonde hair and blue eyes, sculpted physique, righteous and upright character, and humility, Linus was not someone who needed to be hidden as a disgrace by the Royal Family. If anything, he would be paraded as a successor.
The current situation at the academy was similar, with the focus on Professor Dian. His seemingly eccentric actions were actually revolutionizing the combat classes.
They had already returned a priest once, yet managed to get the proud church to send another, and a Divine Oracle Priestess at that.
He had even beaten the untouchable Nightley Toulouse with a wooden sword and greeted the Duke, who came fuming with anger, with a friendly handshake.
There were also rumors that Headmaster Kirrin had pleaded with Professor Dian for help in the headmaster’s office.
And most importantly, Professor Dian was quite handsome.
Though he didn’t have the silver hair symbolic of the Royal Family, his tousled brown hair and bright, cheerful eyes, along with his constant relaxed smile and the insane sword skills that had defeated Nightley with just a few strikes of a wooden sword, made him a significant figure of interest at the academy.
It’s understandable why the students would gather around suddenly at Professor Dian’s appearance.
It was a rare opportunity to see the renowned Head Combat Professor up close. Which student wouldn’t seize it?
“Head Professor! Hello!”
“Yes, yes. Hello. But your skirt is too short. Fix it, or you’ll get demerits.”
“Head Professor! You’re so handsome!”
“Uh-huh, I know.”
“Head Professor! Are you the secret prince?”
“If I were, would I be working here like this?”
As Professor Dian responded to each student, he noticed Nightley and raised his hand.
“Nightley Toulouse. Come here for a moment.”
All eyes turned to Nightley. Despite the pressure of the stares, Nightley sent an arrogant look without flinching.
“What do you need?”
“It’s not something to discuss here. Follow me.”
As Professor Dian turned and walked through the crowd, the students expressed their disappointment.
“Head Professor! Teach us swordsmanship next time!”
“Anyone ready to get beaten can come.”
“Can we visit your office?!”
“No, I’ve hidden snacks there.”
The students laughed and chattered, and Dian, smiling warmly, waved at them. Though he had only been at the academy for about a month, he had already proven his capabilities and his handsomeness, making him extremely popular.
Compared to Headmaster Kirrin, whom everyone subtly avoided, Professor Dian almost seemed like the real headmaster.
Nightley pushed through the crowd of students and followed Professor Dian.
# # # # #
As they entered the professor’s office, they found Olysia dusting with a feather duster.
“Olysia, make two cups of something sweet and delicious. I have a student here for a consultation.”
“Yes, Sir Dian.”
As Olysia hurried off to prepare the tea, Nightley, who had followed him into the office, stared intently at her.
“You’re keeping a young girl as a servant, I see?”
“She’s not a servant, she’s a maid. Don’t you have many at your place too?”
“We do, but we don’t employ such young children. Did you acquire her through human trafficking?”
“No way!”
Before he could answer, Olysia interjected.
“Sir Dian is not involved in anything like human trafficking! He’s a wonderful person! Although he might seem a bit rough, to me, he’s a greater hero than Sir Linus!”
As Olysia poured out her words like a storm, Nightley blinked in surprise.
“Never speak of Sir Dian like that again!”
Nightley struggled to find her words.
“Her personality… is quite strong…”
“Alright, that’s enough. Olysia, bring the tea, and Nightley, have a seat.”
Still fuming, Olysia noisily prepared the tea, and Nightley, glancing at her repeatedly, sat down.
“Thank you. You can head back to the dorm now.”
As soon as Olysia set the teacups in front of us, I nudged her to leave.
“And for dinner tonight, let’s have that dish, the one with shrimp. Gambas with bread.”
“Understood, Sir Dian. Don’t stay too late.”
After Olysia left, Nightley, looking at the closed door, asked.
“Does the maid stay in the professor’s office?”
“No, we live in the faculty quarters over there. She just comes here occasionally to clean.”
“I see. But it seems she needs some proper training.”
At Nightley’s inquisitive look, I answered while sipping my tea.
“In noble families, we rigorously train our servants. It’s unthinkable for them to speak to a guest like that.”
“I’m not a noble, so it’s fine. I don’t have many guests to entertain. She just earns her keep by living with me.”
“Is that so. Then, how did you come to take her in?”
Wondering why she was so curious, but thinking it might be a good icebreaker, I shared Olysia’s story.
Olysia is a war orphan. While fleeing with other refugees, she was deceived by a captain who promised to take them to safety but instead sold them to slavers.
The slave ship carrying Olysia docked in Brunswell, where she managed to escape, only to be recaptured and beaten in the middle of the road until I saved her.
Perhaps because of this, Olysia is very loyal to me and cannot stand anyone speaking ill of me. So when Nightley insinuated that I was a human trafficker exploiting a minor, it pressed her buttons.
Of course, Nightley probably didn’t mean it that way.
“So, you’re saying that even though you don’t need a servant, you bought the girl out of pure sympathy.”
“I did need help. Household chores are really tedious.”
“But in that case, wouldn’t it have been better to hire a trained professional servant?”
“Well… maybe…? I thought I could just teach her.”
“Do you perhaps have a preference for young girls…?”
“If Olysia had heard that, she might have killed you on the spot.”
“Hmph.”
Nightley scoffed, lifting her teacup. We fell silent for a moment, sipping our tea.
Watching Nightley sip her tea, I recalled the academic records I had reviewed before calling her in.
Nightley Toulouse. Daughter of the Duke of Toulouse, she enrolled in the academy by her own will. Her grades are excellent across all subjects, and she is currently the class president of the graduating class.
Notably, there have been several requests for her to withdraw from the Duke, all of which Nightley refused.
At our academy, the rules state that unless the student decides or there is a significant reason for expulsion, external forces cannot withdraw a student.
But Duke Toulouse is a prominent noble in the Empire. Which school could withstand the pressure from such a significant figure?
However, unlike other private academies, our Special Mission Academy is managed by the Second Princess of the Empire, a post-war powerhouse. The situation is entirely different.
Although we can’t just brush him off as ‘just a Duke,’ we can invoke the rules to turn him away.
There was also a peculiar record that caught my eye. “Engages in personal combat practice at the outdoor training ground during breaks and personal time.”
Other professors said that Nightley, dissatisfied with Headmaster Kirrin’s theory-heavy combat classes, had been practicing separately on her own.
That’s why, during the unannounced combat session in the armed combat class, Nightley had knocked out all the other students.
“Alright, Nightley. I’ve heard your story. You asked the headmaster for me to take special charge of you, is that correct?”
“That’s correct.”
Nightley set down her teacup and spoke.
“I did say that. Of course, you will, right?”
Oh, look at this.
“Why do you think that?”
“I have the best grades at the academy right now. And I am the daughter of a Duke. Mentoring a student like me would benefit your career, wouldn’t it?”
In the academic record, it was also recorded that ‘As someone from a great nobel family, she is quite arrogant and self-righteous’, and that seems to be correct.
“Well, alright. It’s true that you have excellent grades and that you’re a Duke’s daughter. But one thing isn’t true.”
“What is that?”
“Taking special charge of the top student, who happens to be a Duke’s daughter, won’t enhance my career.”
“What…?”
“In fact, it might even lower the average.”
“What did you say…?”
Nightley’s eyes twitched slightly.
[Note: The author has changed the chapter titles from unique titles every chapter to repeating titles. The previous chapter titles will remain the same, but future chapters will follow the change.]