LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 53
“Wow… it’s really hot.”
Professor Esther, who had lunch with me, muttered as she wiped the sweat trickling down her neck.
“Checking the air conditioning on such a hot day… this is just unreasonable.”
“Have you heard what caused the malfunction?”
“Hmm… I heard the cooling pump burst. That might be the reason, right?”
“When will the inspection be finished?”
“Perhaps… around the time classes end? That’s what I was told.”
This was unfortunate news for Sub-priest Sofia. With sweat pouring down, she was on the verge of becoming a dried fish and had just been sent back to the professor’s office.
“I’m worried she might suffer from heatstroke.”
“Ah… you mean Sub-priest Sofia, right?”
I quietly nodded. The professor’s office must still be sweltering; I wasn’t sure if Sub-priest Sofia could endure that heat.
“Well… if it gets too hot, wouldn’t she find a cooler place to go?”
“I hope so.”
Professor Esther laughed lightly. I turned to her.
“Why do you say that?”
“Professor Lucio has a lot of affection for people.”
A lot of affection.
It was the first time I had heard such a phrase. It was something that had no bearing on me.
Not knowing how to react, I halted my steps for a moment. Professor Esther gave my arm a light tap with a playful smile.
“I think Professor Lucio tends to take good care of people, even if subtly.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s like a consideration that comes naturally from him. He may seem blunt, but he does his best for others.”
As I pondered her words for a moment, I resumed walking.
I wasn’t sure. Was I someone who had a lot of affection?
“The grade-by-grade duel might be canceled.”
In the midst of our conversation, Professor Esther’s comment surprised me. The cancellation of the grade-by-grade duel, an annual event at Caldera Imperial Academy, was news to me.
“Canceled? Isn’t that an annual event held every summer?”
“Yes. At least, that’s what I’ve heard… but the weather is ridiculously hot. It’s usually not this hot around this time.”
Saying that, Professor Esther fanned herself continuously. I found it hard to keep my gaze on her as her damp shirt hinted at her undergarments.
“Well, I guess that’s understandable.”
“Right? It would be a disaster if students fainted from the heat during the duel. Besides, with this weather, they won’t be able to show their true abilities. The magic circuits will also overheat…”
“So, is today’s meeting related to the cancellation of the duel?”
“That’s probably the case, right? I don’t know the specific agenda either.”
While I too was unaware of the sudden meeting’s agenda, I guessed her opinion would likely hold significant weight.
“Professor Lucio, have you ever been to the Third Meeting Room?”
“Today is my first time.”
“Hmm… I’ve heard it’s the most recently constructed meeting room, but I don’t know how big it is. I heard it can accommodate all the faculty members of Caldera Imperial Academy…”
As we chatted and walked, we soon arrived at the place marked by a sign that read ‘Third Meeting Room.’
“Shall we go in?”
“Yes.”
Suppressing my nervousness, we opened the door.
* * * * *
“Ah…”
A refreshing, cool breeze that came from somewhere dried the sweat on my body. Professor Esther’s expression lit up as she looked at the magic circles etched throughout the spacious meeting room.
“It’s cooling magic. It seems the professor from the Department of Practical Magic lent a hand.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Well… you can’t do something like this in a large space like the academy’s duel room, though.”
Nodding in agreement with her words, I scanned the interior of the meeting room.
The meeting room appeared to be about three times the size of the lecture room where I conducted my classes. It vaguely reminded me of the old National Assembly hall.
What caught my attention next was the professors of the academy chatting with each other. Seeing the professors, usually buried in students and not noticeable, gathered in such large numbers here was a new sensation.
With the enormous scale of Caldera Imperial Academy, it was to be expected that many highly skilled professors were present.
And now, with the teaching assistants also gathered in one place, it made sense that such a large meeting room was buzzing.
“Fortunately, it seems we’re not late. Where should we sit?”
“I think you can just sit wherever you feel comfortable.”
Led by Professor Esther, I took a seat in the middle row of the meeting room. There were familiar faces among the professors, as well as some I didn’t recognize.
A few professors who met my gaze offered light greetings. Most of them were from the Department of Theology.
“Hmm… it seems others haven’t properly received the meeting agenda either.”
As Professor Esther whispered beside me, several professors bore expressions of dissatisfaction. It was understandable that professors with busy affairs or personal circumstances would feel disgruntled, being called without a clear agenda.
“Ah… Professor Lucio. It might be best to be a little cautious around that person. They’re quite scary.”
Professor Esther pointed subtly at someone and whispered. I turned my gaze in the direction she indicated.
“Who is that person?”
“That’s Professor Sylvester Armstrong. He’s in charge of the third-year Combat Department and is also the head professor of the third year.”
In the direction she pointed, a professor indeed looked very aggressive. With thick eyebrows, bulging eyes, and a bushy beard, he resembled a tiger.
Professor Armstrong was passionately articulating something to another professor standing opposite him, and his face was turning increasingly red, causing a great deal of concern—that he might burst from rage.
The person conversing with him was a mysteriously alluring female professor, who maintained a captivating smile throughout the discussion, even as Armstrong’s voice escalated.
“Who is that person?”
“Hmm… that’s Professor Scarlet Underwood. She belongs to the third-year Destruction Magic Department.”
According to her, both were veteran professors who had long been part of Caldera Imperial Academy and were considered top authorities in their respective fields.
“So I told you! Our Combat Department students can’t keep up with your curriculum!”
“Oh dear, then what should I do for you? I’ve already made plenty of concessions…”
“Concessions, my foot! It was you who suggested we spar first! And suddenly changing the class schedule—does that even make sense?!”
In any case, the atmosphere between the two was anything but ordinary. It seemed someone needed to step in. Yet other professors observed the scene unconcerned, as if such exchanges were routine.
“Shouldn’t we intervene…?”
“I… I guess so… I’m a bit taken aback myself.”
I hesitated to step in. The prospect of inserting myself into their quarrel felt like a recipe for disaster.
As we anxiously observed from the sidelines, it happened.
Creak—!
Someone opened the meeting room door. Everyone inside went silent.
This included Professor Armstrong and Professor Underwood as well. As the silence hung in the air, the person who entered confidently opened the door and spoke softly.
“Hmm… are we all gathered?”
The man who stood at the pinnacle of the vast Caldera Imperial Academy.
It was Chancellor Damian’s arrival.
* * * * *
“First, before we start this meeting… let me make one thing clear.”
Chancellor Damian’s tone was calm, but his gaze was anything but.
As if he had heard the commotion, his icy eyes were directed toward Professors Armstrong and Underwood.
“Professor Armstrong. And Professor Underwood. As faculty members of Caldera Imperial Academy, please be mindful of your words and actions.”
“…….”
“You’re not responding.”
“Um, my apologies. I will be more careful.”
“I’m sorry, Chancellor.”
The atmosphere in the meeting room turned icy. Professor Esther, sitting next to me, swallowed hard.
Chancellor Damian scanned the meeting room for a moment and then returned to his usual warm demeanor, speaking at ease.
“Then, let’s begin the emergency meeting.”
The tension dissipated immediately. I could keenly feel that Chancellor Damian held the academy firmly in his grip.
The secretary, who had been standing modestly beside Chancellor Damian, stepped forward. With a stiff expression, her cold tone filled the meeting room.
“The agenda for this emergency meeting concerns the grade-by-grade duel that is set to begin in a week.”
“Right. The grade-by-grade duel.”
Chancellor Damian smoothly continued from her words as she bowed her head and stepped back.
“I’ll get straight to the point. This year’s grade-by-grade duel will proceed as scheduled.”
This statement was a surprise to both Professor Esther and me. It seemed it wasn’t just us who were caught off-guard.
The meeting room was abuzz. A few professors appeared pleased, but those responsible for student safety and health, including hospital staff and theology professors, looked somber.
“Chancellor Damian, may I speak?”
A professor sitting in the front row stood up. Chancellor Damian’s gaze turned toward her.
“I grant you the floor.”
“Yes. I am Jane Cooper, the theology professor for second-year Class B. I would like to propose canceling the grade-by-grade duel or postponing it to fall.”
Though there were some professors who wore dissatisfied expressions, none opposed her words.
“Recently, temperatures have been abnormally high compared to previous years. Holding the duel in such weather is likely to result in a surge of heatstroke cases.”
“That’s right. Students won’t be able to showcase their true abilities, either.”
“Y-yes, Chancellor Damian.”
Highlighting the weather’s impact on the grade-by-grade duel, Professor Cooper found herself at a loss for words, seemingly aware of Chancellor Damian’s demeanor.
I couldn’t grasp Chancellor Damian’s intentions.
“However, the grade-by-grade duel is an annual event. Canceling it is difficult. In the fall, first-year students will also enter their exam period, making it likewise challenging to hold the duel then.”
“But…!”
“Instead, I’ll propose a solution.”
Before Chancellor Damian offered his alternative.
“This year’s grade-by-grade duel will take place at a different location, not the academy.”