Chapter 11
A new student at the Imperial Academy.
Karen Raven did not like Professor Ryan.
It wasn't because he was a commoner that she discriminated against him.
On the contrary, it was because that professor was a discriminator himself.
-Cotton-picking n***** bastard. How dare you apply to our Academy without knowing your place?
Words overheard through the door after her interview ended. Upon hearing that, she had seriously considered withdrawing her Academy application.
Her closest friend was Asian.
She felt not just weariness but outright disgust towards those who called perfectly normal people "yellow monkeys" while pulling at their eyes.
Skin color, social status - anyone who judges people based on such things is irredeemable human trash.
Naturally, that professor must also be completely beyond redemption. So she resolved to avoid associating with him at all costs.
'That was certainly my intention, but...'
Professor Ryan's actions during the entrance ceremony.
They now left Karen deeply confused.
That person who was supposedly an extreme discriminator had thrown himself in harm's way without any hesitation to save a trembling black girl from the beast.
Such contradictory behavior made it hard to believe it was the same person.
Could there have been some misunderstanding? But then why did he make that cotton-picking comment? Was Professor Ryan a good person or a bad person?
A question with no clear answer. After agonizing over it while mussing her bright blonde hair, Karen finally made a decision.
'I'll have to find out for myself.'
If it really was a misunderstanding, then Karen would be the one who judged someone based on preconceptions.
She would need to sincerely apologize.
'And a perfect opportunity has just presented itself.'
Course registration had already ended. Normally she would only be able to take mandatory classes with her assigned professors and the electives she had chosen.
But the Primordial Dragon was being whimsical again.
Completely ignoring the academic schedule to approve Professor Ryan's late request to open a new lecture.
'The competition is fierce but it's worth trying for.'
For some reason, Ryan had specified that Class A students couldn't take the course, which meant she wouldn't have to compete with royalty for a spot.
With the power and connections she had built up as a noble family's daughter, her chances were quite good.
...A fierce battle ensued.
In some ways it was an even more desperate fight than the entrance ceremony attack, but she emerged victorious.
The genius professor whose stock was rising. She had won the right to learn from this emerging talent.
'Now I can finally find out the truth.'
The days flew by like arrows.
Before she knew it, the first day of class was right around the corner.
Students who had narrowly failed to register looked on enviously as Karen attended Professor Ryan's lecture with a pounding heart, and now...
She was suddenly mountain climbing.
*****
This mountain must be cursed.
After several hours of climbing, Karen reached that conclusion.
It had to be, since even seemingly normal people turned into liars as soon as they set foot on the mountain.
"Why are all you young students so low on energy? Buck up! The summit's just a bit further!"
A stranger they met on the way up.
Though the middle-aged man flashed a warm, friendly smile as he said this, not a single student here believed him.
"How much further, you ask? We're over halfway there, don't worry."
"This is the last uphill stretch. It's all flat from here."
"Really not much left. Trust me and just hang in there 30 more minutes."
They had already been badly deceived by other liars.
Karen wanted to grab the collar of that man at the entrance who said even beginners could easily climb this mountain. What part of this was supposed to be easy?
Her legs were trembling. Her clothes were completely soaked with sweat, making every step feel gross and sticky.
As a noble lady, she had been taught to always conduct herself with dignity. But now she was panting with her tongue lolling out like a dog, all dignity forgotten.
'We wouldn't have to suffer like this if we could just use magic.'
Professor Ryan was watching them intently from behind. For reasons he wouldn't explain, he absolutely forbade the use of magic during the climb.
Since Ryan was a mage, naturally all the students taking this course were magic majors as well.
They had no muscles. Being the owners of soft, delicate bodies, groans of agony erupted from all around.
"H-how much further do we have to go...?"
For these students, even walking on a well-maintained path was challenging enough. But that cruel professor wouldn't even allow them that much.
Who knew where they were even heading. They had to veer off the path and do actual rock climbing on this hellish course.
Since the Imperial Academy had many pampered children who had never lifted a finger in their lives, scattered students could be seen shedding tears of frustration.
'Why do I have to be doing this...'
To be honest, Karen was one of them, but thanks to her face being drenched in sweat, she chose to believe her crying wasn't very noticeable.
Climbing steep hills and scaling rock faces.
After one ordeal came another.
Everyone desperately wanted to give up, but none of them had gotten this opportunity easily.
Sunk cost.
After the intense behind-the-scenes battles and mind games to secure these spots, how could they give up so easily?
Everyone struggled desperately to at least avoid dropping out. They forced their trembling legs to keep moving forward step by step.
Time that felt like an eternity.
But nothing in this world lasts forever.
"W-we made iiiit!!!!!"
The student at the front screamed.
The nearly dead students' expressions transformed instantly as they rushed forward like dogs chasing after feed.
What stood there was an old temple.
Since they couldn't have arrived here by chance, this must have been Professor Ryan's predetermined destination.
Everyone focused their attention on Ryan with this conclusion.
But for some reason, Ryan's reaction seemed strange.
"What are you all waiting for?"
He tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
"We climbed all the way up here, so... isn't it time for the lecture to start? When exactly does the actual class begin?"
A natural question from one student, but the response was a non-sequitur that might as well have been grasping at clouds.
"...How absurd. Did you not even read the course title?"
"Self-Directed Magical Reflection and Understanding. The goal of this class is to train yourself without relying on others' help. There would be no point if I explained everything."
Vague words.
But the students gathered here were all capable, so it didn't take long to grasp the true meaning behind that statement.
In other words... they were being told to self-study.
After climbing all the way up here, they were just being told to do whatever research they wanted on their own.
"T-then why did we have to climb up here?"
The inevitable complaint burst forth. The professor brazenly declared without changing his expression:
"Why, you ask? The reason is simple. If you're going to self-study anyway, might as well do it somewhere with clean air."
They say youth is the time to seek out hardship.
Pain is what helps young people grow, so stop whining and be grateful to me instead.
Ryan left those words behind and gracefully departed.
Everyone's faces were painted with bewilderment. The professor hadn't been gone long before vulgar curses started flying everywhere.
Given Karen's personality, she would normally have scolded them not to use such harsh language no matter how much they disliked someone. But this time the situation was quite different.
She quietly clenched her fist and trembled with rage.
'What kind of bastard does something like this!'
Tears of indignation blurred her vision.
This was the first time in her life she had been so blatantly insulted.
She couldn't contain her rising fury.
She vowed to use all of House Raven's power to get that subpar professor fired. When even that wasn't enough to calm her anger, she took it out on an innocent tree.
Her specialty, ice magic.
She unleashed it wildly at the tree.
But... something was strange.
The abnormal size of the ice spears she created. House-sized spears flew at the speed of light. They pierced through the massive tree which finally couldn't withstand it and fell.
A thunderous crash shook heaven and earth.
Karen stared at the scene in a daze.
There was only one conclusion this situation could point to.
...This was no abandoned temple.
Great Spirit Vein.
It was a place where all the magical power flowing through the earth converged.