A week had quickly passed since Naoki arrived at the Clock Tower.
Aside from the initial meeting with Merlin and the dinner with Kayneth, Naoki hadn't encountered much else. During the week, except for the first two days when he familiarized himself with the Clock Tower and the academic city under Waver's guidance, he spent the remaining five days in the dormitory.
It wasn't that he didn't want to go out, but the problem was... his English wasn't good.
He could still manage simple communication, but once the other party spoke fluently, Naoki would completely hear a foreign language, and what the other person said would turn into [jiligualamisiximisihuabulaji] in his ears. If Waver was there, he could help translate, but once Waver wasn't around, he would be completely lost.
When he communicated with Kayneth earlier, Kayneth was very conscious of speaking Japanese to him, but others couldn't do that.
Therefore, during these five days, Naoki stayed in the dormitory and received special English training from Merlin—specifically, he underwent 24-hour-a-day English training, including when he dreamed at night.
Thanks to this, Naoki had now almost reached a level where he could handle daily English communication.
Thus, today was the day when the new semester officially began at the Clock Tower.
Carrying their school bags for Fuyuki City, Naoki and Waver walked through the corridors of the Clock Tower.
Seeing Naoki with dark circles under his eyes and looking sleep-deprived, Waver couldn't help but ask, "Are you okay? Naoki, are you alright?"
"Ah... It's fine. I can still manage. Compared to the exams before graduating from high school, this is still easy and simple... Hoam~"
After yawning, Naoki continued to ask, "By the way, which class is mine? I remember you said you were going to the general basic class? Where is it?"
"All basic courses are taught in the large classroom, which has existed since its establishment as a classroom open to all Magi. As long as you join the association as a student and pay the tuition fees, all students can participate" Waver carefully explained to Naoki. "By the way, the teacher for your first class is me."
"Huh?"
Naoki was stunned for a moment, but he quickly understood.
Waver had now become a formal lecturer who had passed the Level 3 lecturer qualification exam at the Clock Tower. For a Level 3 lecturer to be promoted to Level 2, their own level of Magecraft wasn't the main requirement, but rather their level and qualifications as a lecturer.
All basic courses taught fundamental things. For a new lecturer like Waver, this was indeed a good place to gain qualifications.
Only—
"I don't mean to pour cold water on you, but Waver, I think there will be quite a few people... who will oppose you."
Naoki said with a frown.
Currently at the Clock Tower, Waver was considered the number one celebrity. He hadn't passed all the basic courses even after several years of enrollment. There were only three generations of Magi, and the first generation was merely a reserve Magus. As a Magus, he was the lowest class.
Yet, it was such a Waver who stole Kayneth's holy relic a year ago, went to Japan to participate in the Holy Grail War, and survived. After returning, he passed the Level 3 lecturer qualification in a short time and was immediately appointed by Kayneth as an assistant to take over various tasks.
Such a drastic change naturally made people wonder if something had happened between the teacher and student during the Holy Grail War that made Kayneth care so much about him. Many even speculated that Kayneth planned to train Waver as his successor, and even his Level 3 lecturer qualification might have been obtained through Kayneth's connections.
The Clock Tower was a place where strength and authority were paramount. It wasn't hard to imagine what those arrogant and selfish nobles would do to someone like Waver, who had neither strength nor authority.
Regarding Naoki's concerns, Waver could only sigh helplessly: "Of course I know, but I don't have a good solution for this situation. All I can do is fulfill my duties as a lecturer. The professor also said that he wouldn't give me much help and would let me make a name for myself."
[Because you are my student, Kayneth, don't think about asking for help from others in everything. Overcoming every difficulty independently is the basic quality of every Magus]—Remembering Kayneth's expression and tone when he said this, Waver wanted to punch him twice.
Kayneth had this idea because of his extraordinary talent and excellent personal abilities. He could handle almost all problems well. But Waver couldn't do that. His abilities didn't allow him to reach the same level as Kayneth.
Seeing Waver frowning and sighing, Naoki patted his shoulder and said, "Alright, don't be too disappointed. I don't care what others think, but at least I will definitely stand up for you. If you encounter difficulties, I will do my best to help you, although I don't know how much I can do to assist you."
Although he had an almost invincible Mystic Eye, Naoki didn't intend to reveal it at the Clock Tower unless absolutely necessary. A person was innocent unless they possessed a treasure. He was just a beginner, and if he casually revealed a pair of Jewel-ranked Mystic Eyes, one day he might be ambushed and hunted by someone.
For a Magus, there were many ways to take something.
Therefore, Naoki wouldn't use his Mystic Eyes unless he was truly in danger of losing his life.
After hearing Naoki's words, Waver couldn't help but pat his shoulder in relief: "I feel relieved when you say that. It turns out that only a roommate can be relied upon in times like these. This gives me a bit of confidence in my first class."
As they spoke, the two of them arrived at the door of the classroom for all basic courses.
After taking a deep breath and adjusting his mindset, Waver reached out and pushed the classroom door open.
"——!"
Almost as soon as they pushed the classroom door open, they clearly felt many eyes on them. There might be over a hundred students in the large classroom, and more than half of them were looking in their direction.
At the back of the classroom, Naoki and Waver saw a burly middle-aged man sitting there. After feeling their gaze, he smiled at them.
"That is...?"
"Lord Trambelio..."
Swallowing his saliva, Waver was now filled with the desire to immediately flee from here.
McDonell Trambelio Elrod.
One of the twelve Lords of the Clock Tower and the head of the Trambelio family, one of the three great noble families. He was not only the pinnacle of the democratic faction but also a corner of the three major nobles. This was the unshakable authority of the Clock Tower, controlling all basic courses.
No one expected someone like him to suddenly appear in class without a word, even sitting in the very back row, as if he were there to inspect the class or act like a leader. Therefore, all the students in the class, including Waver, felt nervous and wary throughout the class, not even daring to breathe.
And in this situation, Naoki might be the only one behaving no differently than usual. On one hand, he had just arrived at the Clock Tower, and even just arrived in the world of Magecraft. Even if someone told him it was a Lord, he wouldn't feel much reality, after all, to him, it was just a stranger. On the other hand, Naoki could be said to be accustomed to this way of attending class.
Of course, not recently, but in his previous life. When he was still in junior high school, school leaders often ran to the classroom, moved a small stool, and sat at the back of the class, crossing their legs and writing and drawing in notebooks, and sometimes asking a few questions to the unlucky person sitting next to them. Due to his height, Naoki was often the unlucky one.
Recalling this, in Naoki's opinion, McDonell Trambelio Elrod's sudden visit was actually no different from the idle school leaders' visits. If you had to say something, he was much better than the school leaders—at least when you were distracted or asleep, Trambelio wouldn't wake you up or record you as a school rule violator.
But just because Naoki didn't care didn't mean Waver didn't care, so after class—
Slumping on a bench in the Clock Tower garden, leaning back and staring at the sky, Waver sat there like a burnt-out corpse. Moreover, he didn't know if it was Naoki's illusion, but he always felt that Waver was spitting out a white substance like rice cake from his mouth.
"Are you okay, Waver? It's just a class, is it that big of a deal?"
"Of course. We taught in front of a Lord."
After finally recovering, Waver heaved a heavy sigh and said, "In short, the Lords are the most knowledgeable people at the Clock Tower, and they have studied Magecraft the most deeply. Compared to them, I am just a half-baked person among half-baked people, a young man with little knowledge. If I want to teach a class in front of them, I will be a fool and embarrass myself."
"When I was in class, I really had to think about every sentence in my mind several times before I decided to say it, afraid that if I said something wrong, the Lord would point it out and mock me..."
"Thank you for your hard work." Naoki smiled, "But, Waver, I think Lord Trambelio actually did you a favor."
"Huh?"
Waver was stunned for a moment.
"Helping me? I didn't ask for his help, did I?"
"On the surface, that's true, but his presence in class actually helped you. Think about it, currently at the Clock Tower, you are rumored to be a Level 3 lecturer who got rich through your connection with Professor Kayneth. I don't know how many people are jealous of you and unhappy with you. And today is your first class, it's impossible for those people not to make trouble."
"That's... true." Waver nodded. "Wait, but earlier in class... could Lord Trambelio have done this to—"
"I think half the reason was to help you keep the place tidy, and the other half was to see what you, a new lecturer, could do. After all, you are Kayneth's relative."
Is there anyone who dares to cause trouble in front of a Lord?
Of course, there are, and quite a few, but they clearly don't include the beginners who are still taking classes in the classroom. In front of a Lord, they will only bow their heads and behave well, and obediently listen to Waver's lecture.
And this is also Trambelio's purpose.
But—
"Why did he do this?" Waver frowned. "What's the point of him doing this?"
"Well... this is just my guess. I think it was arranged by Professor Kayneth."
Naoki looked up at the sky.
"Professor Kayneth must know what your reputation is like now. After all, he is one of the Lords. However, he couldn't come to help you explain directly, as that would only confirm that you are a relative, so he asked Trambelio, who is also a Lord, to help."
"As the ruler of all basic courses, it's natural for him to come to class for an inspection. Meanwhile, the teacher teaching the class is someone with connections and recently in the spotlight, so it's natural for him to come and see how much talent you actually have. Moreover, some students wouldn't dare to cause trouble in front of a Lord. This can be considered an effort to save your face covertly, so your first class can end peacefully."
"Well, this is just my speculation. I don't know much about Professor Kayneth, so I don't know what kind of person he is. Maybe Lord Trambelio just happened to come and see this time?"
Listening to Naoki's words, Waver couldn't help but frown slightly.
Could Trambelio's appearance be Kayneth's plan?
In theory, no. Waver had been Kayneth's student for several years and knew well what kind of person he was: sarcastic, cruel, arrogant, and haughty—although this is a subjective impression, in Waver's eyes, Kayneth was indeed that kind of person.
Would he, such a person, go to another Lord to ask for help just because of Waver's reputation?
Even if the sky and earth collapsed, it wouldn't be possible!
"Maybe... it's just a coincidence."
Waver sighed slightly.
"Never mind. Anyway, it's better that nothing happened in class. I really hope to continue the class peacefully from now on."
"Don't worry, I will definitely stand by your side if something happens. So how about it? Yeah, left and right protectors!"
"Thank you so much."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, in the Clock Tower corridor.
Trambelio walked slowly forward with his hands behind his back, and just as he passed an intersection, an unexpected person came from the side.
"Good afternoon, Lord El-Melloi."
Trambelio greeted Kayneth with a smile.
"Yes. Good afternoon, Lord Trambelio." Kayneth returned the greeting. "It's rare to see you here. Are you on patrol?"
"After all, I am the ruler of all basic courses, but I must say that the quality of the Clock Tower's interior is becoming increasingly uneven. His name is Waver Velvet, right?"
"My useless student? Come to think of it, today is his first class. Could he have caused trouble?"
Hearing this, Trambelio laughed heartily and said, "No, no, no, he is indeed a very talented and controversial Magus. Although he is still immature, I think in a few years, his existence will impact the existing Magus structure."
"He would be very happy if you praised him."
Kayneth smiled.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go first. I have a mineralogy class next."
"Alright, go ahead—but isn't it too early to let a genius like that show his talent now? A young bird that hasn't matured is likely to break its wings and die."
The sudden second part of the sentence made Kayneth pause for a moment, then he chuckled.
"If that's the case, he wouldn't be here anymore."