Chapter 47: Routine and Revelation

They soared through the open skies, twin suns casting long shadows as the towering silhouette of Astralis Arcanum emerged in the distance. It dominated the horizon like a bastion of arcane might its crystal-infused towers gleaming, runes on its gates pulsing with a rhythm only mages could feel.

Without a word, they descended, bypassing the grand entrances entirely. Lucen led Zane directly through a high window his personal office window, to be precise. They had departed from this very room three hours ago. And now, they were back.

Of those three hours, Lucen had spent more than two unconscious on the frozen battlefield.

The room was exactly as they’d left it quiet, orderly, and infused with a faint hum of enchantments. Lucen moved to his desk with a heavy breath and motioned toward a chair across from him.

“Sit,” he said. “Let’s discuss your job now.”

Zane sat without much thought, eyes roaming the room. Lucen reached into a drawer and pulled out a crisp, golden-edged parchment, clearly official. With a sweep of his hand glowing faintly in silver, the name already written on it vanished. In its place, elegantly flowing script appeared: Zane Creed.

He slid the paper across the table. “You’ll need to sign here.”

Zane glanced over the parchment, eyes pausing briefly at the glowing ink before casually picking up a pen. With a few smooth strokes, he signed his name in the signature column.

Lucen leaned back in his chair. “From now on, you are officially a professor of Astralis Arcanum.”

He paused for a moment, letting the weight of that title hang.

“You’ll be treated with the utmost respect. A class of fifty students will be assigned to you. Their growth, studies, and training ,all of it will fall under your care.”

Zane’s expression shifted subtly, brows raising with mild curiosity. “Hmm…”

Lucen continued, “As for your living arrangements, all professors are provided with a private luxury apartment. It’s equipped with everything-training facilities, meditation chambers, personal libraries, even a teleportation array for fast travel.”

Zane tilted his head. “Fancy.”

Lucen smirked. “Welcome aboard, Professor Creed.”

Zane leaned back slightly in the chair, arms loosely crossed, eyes locked on Lucen. “Alright. So when does the semester start?”

Lucen’s smile stiffened, his expression shifting into an oddly sheepish one. “Well… technically, the academy is on break right now. Most students have gone home. Only the research-driven ones or those with no homes to return to are still around.”

Zane gave a slow nod. “I see. And the semester?”

Lucen cleared his throat. “That’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about. Since you’re a new faculty member, I can only assign you to first-year students.”

Zane smirked, brushing invisible dust off his coat. “No problem.”

Lucen raised a hand, his nervous smile returning. “Ah, but they are first-years. So, you know… they tend to be a little rebellious. Cocky, even. Because of their households and upbringing, especially the noble ones…”

He paused, then added quickly, “So… please don’t kill them.”

Zane burst into laughter, his deep voice echoing through the room. “AHAHAHAHA! No, no, don’t worry. I won’t kill them. I can handle kids like that easily. In fact…” His grin turned slightly darker, eyes twinkling with mischief. “I’ll teach them well. I’ll show them the real world what it actually looks like.”

Lucen muttered under his breath, “Good luck, kids…”

He cleared his throat again. “Anyway. There will be two categories of students in your class. First, the invited ones ,children of famous clans or families, already possessing talent and reputation. Second, those who prove themselves through the entrance exam. The academy is open to all races and backgrounds. Nobles, commoners ,everyone is eligible.”

Zane tapped the desk lightly. “And when is this entrance exam?”

“In three days,” Lucen said. “And it’s a big event. The exam is broadcast live using high-level projection arrays. A special open field just outside the academy is prepared for the audience anyone can come and watch. Families, nobles, even merchants or wanderers passing by.”

“Live broadcast, huh…” Zane muttered, interest flickering in his tone. “And in front of a whole crowd. Even better.”

Lucen smiled and stood. “Before all that, though let me arrange a guide for you. You should explore the campus and get familiar with it.”

Zane stood as well, stretching slightly. “Sure. Lead the way.”

Lucen clapped his hands. “Seris!”

The door opened smoothly, and a woman stepped in poised and crisp in both appearance and demeanor.

Seris Velmira.

Her deep, dark green tresses fell in a precise wave-cut bob, almost black under the chamber’s light, but glinting emerald where magic flared. Her eyes matched intelligent, sharp, with jade flecks that shimmered faintly when she focused. Matte black, thick-framed glasses sat perfectly on her face, their edges subtly marbled with green, catching stray light from enchanted scrolls or runes. Silver pins held her hair neatly in place, and she wore formal, high-collared robes adorned with the Astralis Arcanum insignia.

Zane’s eyes passed over her calmly.

Beep… Beep…

Name: Seris Velmira

Battle Power: 3,400

Full Battle Power: 6,250

Zane smiled faintly. “Hmm… She’s strong. As expected of the Vice Chairman’s assistant. But my battle power system only shows normal power levels, not real-time… Yeah, I need to upgrade it. I already prepared the schematics back on the battlefield.”

Lucen gestured. “Zane, meet Seris my assistant.”

Then turning to her, he added, “Seris, this is Mr. Zane Creed. He’s our newest faculty member. I’d like you to show him around the academy, help him get registered into the faculty residence, and guide him to his room.”

Seris gave a polite nod, her voice smooth. “Hello, Mr. Zane. Nice to meet you.”

Zane responded with a relaxed smile. “Hi. Pleasure’s mine.”

Then Seris glanced at Lucen. “Before I take him on the tour, may I have a word with you, Vice Chairman?”

Zane nodded, already heading toward the door. “Sure. I’ll wait outside.”

As the door clicked shut behind him, Seris turned sharply.

Her expression shifted. “What do you mean by this, sir? New faculty? Him? Weren’t we planning to bring someone else in especially after that one candidate’s situation ?”

Lucen let out a tired sigh. “I know, Seris. Plans changed. But that man… Zane… he’s different. Stronger. I tested him myself.”

Her eyes widened behind her glasses. “You fought him?”

He nodded once, gravely.

She leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Just how strong is he?”

Lucen’s gaze hardened. “Very.”

Seris studied his face. Her voice dropped to a near whisper. “…As strong as you?”

Lucen didn’t blink. “Stronger.”

Her jaw slightly parted in shock. “…But he looks so young.”

Then she straightened up, adjusting her glasses quickly. “O-Okay. I shouldn’t keep him waiting. I’ll take my leave.”

She turned and exited the room. Outside, Zane leaned against the wall, eyes closed, a calm smile playing on his lips. He’d heard everything.

Seris closed the door behind her and composed herself.

Pushing her glasses up with a soft click, she said, “Let’s go, Mr. Zane.”

Zane opened one eye, still smiling. “Lead the way.”

Seris took Zane through various parts of the academy, showing him the many facilities available. As they walked, a few students who had earlier seen Zane being escorted by knights began whispering and murmuring among themselves, casting curious and suspicious glances his way.

Eventually, she led him to the faculty residence a grand, towering building with nine floors. There was no specific hierarchy in the rooms; each was equally luxurious, reserved for faculty members and special personnel.

Seris used Zane’s traveler card to register him, then guided him to his assigned apartment on the fourth floor-Room 4-2.

She handed him a sleek, rune-inscribed magic key card and said, “This is yours now. If you need anything, the faculty office is just a call away.” With that, she offered a polite nod and took her leave.

Zane stepped inside and paused.

The faculty residence was far more luxurious than the modest inn he had stayed at in Eldrin. The apartment was spacious, with high ceilings and polished stone floors that radiated faint enchantment. There was a full kitchen—even though meals were available in the mess hall—luxurious washrooms, three standard bedrooms, and one master bedroom. Every appliance and facility inside was enhanced by magic ,self-regulating temperatures, enchanted cleaning arrays, lighting that responded to presence, and more.

Zane immediately noticed subtle spatial distortions in the air.

“… Space fluctuation?” he muttered, narrowing his eyes. The entire apartment was subtly influenced by space magic, expanding its inner dimensions far beyond its external size.

His gaze finally fell on a door marked Training Room. Curious, he stepped inside only for a vast, high-tech gym to unfold before him. Rows of magical weights, animated dummies, enchanted treadmills, rune-inscribed punching posts, even a meditation chamber and sauna, all laid out in polished symmetry.

Zane whistled low under his breath, stepping forward with a small grin.

“As expected of the top academy…”

.

.

After freshening up, Zane changed into more comfortable clothes and sat down on the bed, stretching slightly before letting out a small chuckle.

“Wow… I really became a teacher, huh?” he muttered, the thought still amusing to him.

Suddenly remembering something, he snapped his fingers.

“Oh right.”

He reached into his dimensional ring and pulled out his sleek grey laptop.

“Time to finish more work on the battle power system.”

As the screen lit up with familiar codes and holographic diagrams, he leaned back and murmured to himself,

“I wonder what that clone’s up to now… Should I check?”

A short pause.

“Nah, he’s probably fine.”

With that, he dove back into his work.

Meanwhile,

Near Eldrin Town, in the middle of the barren wasteland scarred by the devastating battle done by Ron,Lia and then Zane

Inside a large command tent, Valeriana Azurecrest leaned back in her chair, her expression grim. For three whole days, she and her squad had searched for answers about the sudden appearance of this valley but nothing. No lingering mana, no elemental residue, not even a burn signature left behind. Everything had either been incinerated or reduced to nothing.

Suddenly, a knight burst through the tent flaps.

“Captain! Captain! Urgent report!”

Valeriana stood up, her gaze sharp.

“Calm down. Now speak—what happened?”

The knight took a breath before continuing, “It’s about another case—the missing son of Count Montague. We’ve received new information. A witness claims they saw him and his servant chasing someone out of town… And according to a few adventurers, that person might have been the one you marked-Zane Creed.”

Valeriana’s eyes narrowed.

“There’s more,” the knight added quickly. “We checked with the Adventurers’ Guild. Apparently, this Zane Creed took the entrance exam and passed without a single mistake. In the process, he seems to have offended Count Montague’s son. We also tracked down his current place of residence.”

The knight held out a piece of parchment.

“The Blind Owl Inn.”

Valeriana’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“…Let’s go.”

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