"Good morning and welcome, future students of this institution! I am Beatrice Hildegard, your principal..." she proclaimed.
The Solace Institute of Magic. They are regarded as having produced many high-achieving mages throughout the continent. However, I've heard that their graduation rates are rather low. But, I suppose that is what you would expect from those astonishing results...
Apparently, their assessment of instructors is also very strict. It's no less of a miracle that I was accepted just like that... Perhaps Medea already sensed my presence and put in a word with the principal?
Then there's also the principal, Beatrice Hildegard. Rumors have been going around that she has reached rank nine.
Over the years, ranks were created to categorize a mage's strength. Rank one is the lowest in terms of strength while rank nine is the strongest any mortal can achieve. I believe Medea should be around rank nine. Anything higher than rank nine is reserved for higher spirits, beasts, and gods.
"I will now introduce our head of the research department, Instructor Medea!" said Beatrice.
𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘱! 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘱! 𝘊𝘭𝘢𝘱!
Medea. It seems she has grown a lot while I was away. Her body probably stopped growing once she hit her prime.
"Thank you, principal Beatrice... First, I would like to thank you all for attending. I know how hard each of you has worked to pass the entrance exam. However, this is only the beginning!" said Medea.
She's very good. Feeding their egos just enough to boost their confidence, while letting them know there is still much left to learn.
"We have taken the liberty of checking every student's test scores and realized a very crucial flaw... and that is the lack of support magic!" proclaimed Medea.
Support magic can make a significant impact in war. I can't recall any time when support magic wasn't useful. The lives that can be saved increase significantly with healing, buffing, and shielding magic.
"*whisper* But isn't power everything in a fight?" said a female student.
"*Whisper* She does have a point though. If anything, it could be useful..." said another student.
𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳! 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳! 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳!
"...As a result, the principal and I have decided to implement additional courses to the curriculum!" said Medea.
[After the Ceremony]
"*Yawn* Well, glad that's over with!" said Barton.
"Says the one who slept through half of it!!" said Issac.
"Haha. Well, it was nice seeing you two again. Now, if you'll excuse me!" I said.
"Ah, Mr. Lucius!" said Issac.
"Yes?" I replied.
"The principal would like to meet with you," said Issac.
Meet with me? Now, this is surprising. I didn't expect her to be so...straightforward.
"...Alright. Please, show me the way," I said.
"Yes!" replied Issac.
Location: Principal's office [Inside]
"Principal Beatrice, I have brought him," said Issac.
"Thank you, Instructor Issac. You may leave..." said Beatrice.
"*smiles* Hello, Lucius. It's good to see you again," said a voice.
Medea...? What is she doing here?
"Medea has spoken very highly of you. In fact, she even vouched for your position in this institution," said Beatrice.
So this was her doing. ...I knew that something was off the moment I received a notice this morning.
"Although I do not know why she recommended you, I can sense that you have the potential to accomplish something of importance during your stay here..." said Beatrice.
Surprisingly, this is going better than I expected. For a moment, I thought that she had already figured me out. Did Medea not tell her about me?
"...We will provide you with a place to stay in the dorms and a warm meal every couple of hours after classes. All that's left...*slip*," said Beatrice handing me a piece of paper.
"A contract?" I asked.
"Everything including your pay is written in this contract. If there is anything that seems unfair, please feel free to speak up," said Beatrice.
At this point, there is no reason for me to refuse. Even if I override the contract, there is a slight chance that she will notice.
𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦!
Wonderful! Medea, please show him the way to his classroom!" said Beatrice.
Location: Random Hallway
"Hey, is that Instructor Medea?" said a female student.
"But who's that with her?" said a male student.
"That's one of the new Instructors. Principal Beatrice said he will be teaching light elemental magic and healing magic..." said another student.
"...*Sigh* These brats. Already making assumptions before getting to know someone," said Medea.
"Haha. They seem to have a very active imagination," I replied.
"That they do. If only they could apply that much brain power to their studies. Anyway, what brings you here? I can only imagine what could have happened for you to break the seal..." said Medea.
"There is something...but mainly I just wanted to see how you were doing," I said.
"*Smiles* Thank you, Lucius. You don't know how much it means to me to see you here again. As you can see, I haven't done much aging during all this time," said Medea.
I tried avoiding the subject, but I have a general idea of what could have caused this to happen.
"Back then, the king had ordered us to collect the remaining pieces of the god's body. But, when we go there, the magical energy around the entire area made it almost impossible to get to the body. Most mages couldn't make it halfway before either passing out or dying on the spot..." she explained.
That amount of magical energy would need a lot of time to spread that fast. Probably a failsafe...? A way to ensure the body wouldn't be messed with after their death.
"...After careful planning, I made the decision to attempt and remove the body from that location. And as a result..." said Medea.
"Your body absorbed a large quantity of the magical energy. Resulting in your body having a side effect because of the large intake. ...Am I right?" I said.
"*Sigh* Yeah. I have reached what humanity longed for centuries -- eternal life. I have lived through every significant event that has happened over the past five thousand years. And yet..." said Medea.
She's been through a lot. ...Even I know how having a long lifespan can affect your mental state. Knowing that your life would continue while the world kept changing... It makes me feel like I was lucky-- relieved even, to have spent my life in such an empty place.
"Oh, we're here already? Anyway, we can save the rest of this discussion for later. I'll be contacting you via a magic transceiver in your room. ...And I know I shouldn't be telling YOU this...but try to make an attempt to know your students. I'm sure even you could understand the importance of education," said Medea.
I'm sorry, Medea. But I won't be doing this for any other reason than for myself.