[Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm so excited to announce "Old Knight In Another World" will be recommended on Webnovel's New Releases! Not a week after getting recommended on Potential Starlet! I'd also like to shout out to BluePikachu23 for being the first and only person to have left a review! If you want to see more of these chapters, leave a review! It doesn't matter if it's criticism or words of praise. The more reviews there are, the more readers it'll attract! Anyways, thank you for sparing a moment of your time to read my novel. Enjoy!]
A well-dressed old man carrying a greatsword walked through the luxurious halls of Babylonia Academy.
The students this man passed by on his walk all began to buzz with gossip.
"Hey, look!"
"Isn't that the Familiar that girl from the cursed Sharon household summoned?"
"He looks like an old man, albeit a well-dressed one."
"Honestly, from the size of the crack that opened up in the sky, I thought that a servant of the Goddess descended or something. What a disappointment."
"Looks like a failure is always going to be a failure, eh?"
"You got that right."
Little do these students know that this old man is a legendary Hero who defeated the Demon King of another world.
And he will soon become a teacher they would all fear and respect.
Charles POV:
I found myself back on the Headmaster's floor. Never did I think I would go back here after one hour.
Knocking on the door, I waited a few moments before the Headmaster answered.
"Enter."
After opening the ancient double doors that were out of place with the rest of the waiting room's decor, I found myself back in the Headmaster's bedroom/office.
Just like the first time I met her, the Headmaster lazed on her enormous round bed, surrounded by books and candlelight, with her pipe in hand and her face obscured by the smoke.
Strangely, I don't smell any tobacco despite the amount of smoke emitted from that pipe of hers.
I'll worry about that later.
For now, I'm here to talk business.
The Headmaster gently closed the black grimoire she was reading and greeted me with friendliness.
"Greetings, Sir Knight! I didn't expect to see you so soon! Is there anything I can help you with?"
"As a matter of fact, Headmaster, yes."
The Headmaster giggled for some reason before responding.
"You don't have to be so stiff with me! Just call me Medea! All of my close friends call me that!"
?
She wasn't this friendly the first time I met her. If I had to describe the first impression, it would be a mysterious well-endowed woman of great strength who enjoys toying with and teasing others.
I feel she wants something for me or is trying to manipulate me.
As if reading my thoughts, the Headmaster denied my accusations.
"Don't worry! I don't have any ulterior motives! As arrogant as it sounds, I believe I'm a good judge of character! Except for that one time my fiance dumped me for that f*cker named Klaus."
...
I feel sad for her now.
"Wipe that look off your face! I already got my revenge on those two."
Can she really read my thoughts!?
"I can't read your thoughts if that's what you were thinking. I'm just good at reading people's expressions, habits and actions. An expert psychologist, if you will. You know what a psychologist is, right? I'm just making sure since you are from a different world and might have a different word or term for it."
"Yes, I know what a psychologist is, those eccentric scholars and mages that study the brain. From what I see, this world isn't too different from mine. It even shares the same language and writing system."
Taking a whiff from her pipe, the Headmaster replied.
"Interesting. I wish to visit your world someday and compare the two cultures."
"From what I know, there are several possibilities to travel between worlds. Getting tossed into a world by a god is one of them."
"Heehee! You're amusing; as much as I'd like to chat with you for a while longer, I believe there's something you want from me, correct?"
This woman was uncannily shrewd. If I'm not on my guard, I might get used as a puppet without me knowing before it's too late.
"So, what was it you wanted to request of me?"
I began saying what I wanted, and after I finished. The Headmaster was rolling on her bed laughing.
"HAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA! Oh! By Vera's name! That is too good!"
"Is my request impossible?"
"Under normal circumstances, yes. In the eyes of many, you are but a good-looking old man who popped out of nowhere in the service of that descendant of Sharon's."
"Your motives, education and background are unknown. You have no common sense or knowledge of this world. To top it off, you are the Familiar of one of the most hated noble households on Lunara. In short, yes."
"But you said "normally" didn't you?"
"Mhmm! You catch on quickly!"
"Indeed, there is one way for your request to be granted."
"The first one is for you to have a backer. That's how most of them get in, but House Sharon is in social ruins, so that's impossible."
"The second way for your request to be granted is by introducing a new field of magic."
"Introducing a new field of magic?"
"That's right, as a magic academy, Babylonia highly values those who have made advancements in the field of magic."
"What you introduce is up to you. You could present a technique that allows mages to cast a spell with half the casting time, a new magic that allows for fast travel and etc."
"I personally advise that if you want your request to be approved not just by me but also by the other members of the Academy, you should show us something not just never before seen but could also pave the way for a new branch of magic."
"You just want to learn about magic from my world, do you not?"
"Yup!"
"At least you are honest."
"Anyways, thank you for your time-"
"Medea, call me Medea if you want your request approved."
How heavy-handed.
"Thank you for your time Miss Medea. I'll be sure to bring you results."
"I look forward to it! If you have any questions, you can come looking for me again."
On that note.
"Before I leave, Miss Medea, can I ask you a question?"
"Why, of course! As long as it's answerable and not some foolish question like how to obtain immortality, godhood or omnipotence."
That was oddly specific, but I'll ask about that another time.
"Is Miss Lilith truly unable to use magic?"
"Hmm? Yes?"
"Does she have mana?"
"Mhmm, despite her bloodline suppressing her magic-wielding capabilities, she still has mana. A good amount of it."
"I see. Thank you for the information. I know precisely what to do."
I thanked Medea for considering my request and information about Lilith before I left her office.
"Watch out, Bazar. I'll be knocking you off your throne soon."
[Author's Note: Bazar is Solaris' wealthiest merchant, he was introduced in the prologue.]
Back on Solaris:
"ACHOO!"
A dark elf wearing rich merchant robes sneezed.
An employee of his turned around and checked on him.
"You alright, boss?"
The dark elf cleaned his nose with a tissue before responding.
"Yeah, probably someone talking about me."
"Well, you're the world's richest man. Everyone talks about you on a daily basis."
"Hahahaha! You're right about that! Anyways if you have time to talk, get back to work!"
"Yes, boss!"
In The Headmaster's Room:
After Charles left, the Headmaster turned her attention elsewhere.
"So, what did you think of him?"
A sultry voice, not too dissimilar from the Headmaster's but younger, replied back.
"Honestly, he seems like a crazy old lunatic. Why did you entertain his request?"
The Headmaster smiled beneath the smoke clouds she always wrapped her head in.
"Sweetie, you're too young to understand. Once you come of age, I'll tell you."
"So you really want to have a fling with him like Instructor Emily said?"
"Hahahaha! Silly child! Although I'm interested in him, that's not why I gave him such a task."
"So you admit you're interested in him."
The Headmaster ignored the mystery person's statement and continued speaking.
"How should I put this? I'm not the best with analogies."
"If you stumble across an ancient and unknown relic, will you toss it to the side because you deem it old and useless?"
"No, because even if it can't be used, they contain knowledge about the past that we don't of."
"That's right, not only is the relic we stumbled across a treasure trove of knowledge from another world, but it also contains the immense power of the gods."
"Immense power of the gods? How strong is he?"
"Hmm, definitely stronger than me."
"What!?"
For the Headmaster to admit someone was stronger than her was ground-breaking news!
It should be known that the Headmaster was an Eighth-Circle mage, one of the strongest beings in existence, and all Eigth-Circle mages known were roughly equal to one another if their skills were measured in combat.
This meant that this mysterious old man, Charles Integra, could be within the realms of the long-lost Ninth-Circle and potentially the legendary Tenth-Circle that's the first step toward godhood.
"Why didn't you just agree to his request? He is much too valuable to lose."
"Do you know anything about the secret politics happening in the school?"
"Only what you tell me."
"There you have it."
"Still, wouldn't it have been better to accept his request and build a positive relationship with him?"
"You're too narrow-minded, dear. If I, the Headmaster, were to easily give in to him, many of the teachers with a Noble background would protest at my "abuse of authority" and think I am weak. You know how nobles are, the moment they smell blood, they'll pounce on you and suck the marrow off your bones.
Even if I agree to his request, that doesn't necessarily mean he's grateful to me and would help if those self-entitled Nobles start making a fuss about things. In order to get him on our side, we must make him face an insurmountable problem before we lend him a hand. That way, he would feel immense gratitude and be more likely to help us in the future."
"Makes sense, but do you think he'll succeed? Pioneering a new path of magic is a lot harder than it looks. You have to write a flawless theory that no one can oppose, which may take several years to complete. Then you have to conduct several tests that may all result in failure due to an unknown variable you couldn't detect, and the amount of money required for the equipment and research costs are expensive, and budgets are a pain to obtain."
"There's one crucial thing you're forgetting, sweetie."
"What's that?"
"He's from another world."
Silence fell across the room as the mysterious figure realized they overlooked this critical fact.
"Oh, right. Different technological standards."
...
"Hopefully, he doesn't cause a technological revolution that would totally overthrow the balance of culture, knowledge and power of Lunara. Causing a total upheaval that could lead to conflict."
...
"On second thought, maybe it was a bad idea to introduce a new field of magic."
"I thought you had it all planned out?"
"How can you blame an old woman? You're so cruel, you know, ----!"
[Author's Note: I wasn't censoring swear words. It's a new character you will see in future chapters.]
"Whatever. I should be getting back to class soon."
"Be sure to spare some time for me during your breaks. I get lonely, you know?"
"First off, you've lived alone more than half your life. Secondly, if you want someone to chat with, go outside more. Lastly, you seemed to hit off well with Sir Knight, so why don't you hang out with him? You look roughly the same age."
"Anyways, I'll come back after school. Someone needs to take care of you."
Before the Headmaster could reply, the mysterious person left through the ancient double doors.
*Sigh*
"I don't know whether I should feel irked or moved."
"Children these days, they grow up so fast. If only you were here to see her growth, Morgan. Why did you leave?"
Instructor Emily's Class:
While Headmaster Medea was reminiscing about the past, a lesson was being held in Instructor Emily's room.
"After all the events and distractions this morning, we'll start our first class with a simple lesson/review."
"The Ranking of Mages."
Instructor Emily drew the letters one through eight on the chalkboard.
"Can anyone tell me what the Rankings are?"
The excitable and short Miss Shelly stood up and excitedly waved her hand.
*Sigh*
"Yes, Miss Shelly?"
"The Rankings are First-Circle, Second-Circle, Third-Circle, Fourth-Circle, Fifth-Circle, Sixth-Circle, Seventh Circle, Eigth Circle, Ninth Circle and Tenth-Circle!"
"Correct. Due to the lack of information regarding Ninth-Circle and Tenth-Circle mages, we'll only look at First-Circle to Eigth-Circle mages."
"Can anyone tell me how mages are ranked?"
This time, the ice queen Helen Belran raised her hand.
"Power, more specifically, Threat Level."
The students, except Lilith, all became confused by Helen's answer.
"Hmm, intriguing way to put it, Miss Helen. Could you please elaborate further? It seems some students don't understand what you're saying."
"It's about how much destruction they could cause."
Everyone in the classroom turned to look at who spoke.
After they saw who it was, their eyes burned with disgust and hostility.
"Tch! It's that Sharon girl."
"How impudent of her to answer the question clearly addressed to her majesty!"
"Looks like she got cocky after summoning a familiar!"
"It's just a stinking old man, and look how she's bragging about it!"
"Someone should put her back in-"
"Quiet."
With one word from the ice queen, the whole room fell silent.
"Miss Lilith, please continue your explanation."
"Understood, Instructor Emily. As I said, mages are ranked based on their Threat Level. If the most a mage could do is kill a few people with a spell, they'd be considered a First-Circle mage. If a mage can destroy a city, they'd be a Sixth-Circle or Seventh-Circle mage, depending on their method and the amount of time, mana and spells used to destroy the city."
"Eighth-Circle mages are in a league of their own. They are capable of fighting against an entire nation by themselves. One such mage is our principal, who destroyed a dozen Noble Houses overnight when they attempted to kill her. One of the Nobles who hatched the plot, Duke Hentai, was a Seventh-Circle mage with a notorious reputation for slaughter, torture, rape and other unspeakable atrocities. Yet before our principal, an Eighth-Circle mage, he was treated as nothing more than a paper doll and was ultimately brutally tortured and killed."
"An excellent explanation! Anyways, the introduction is all we'll do for now. Everyone may go on a break before we begin our next lesson, be sure to return to class in an hour."
[Violence Warning]
Outside of Class:
"Gagh!"
Lilith was shoved violently against the wall and punched in the abdomen by a student.
The student who punched her was none other than Albert Belran. Following Albert were several of his cronies who were itching to pick on someone, and the opportunity presented itself to them.
"F*cking b*tch! You think that just because you got a Named Familiar, you think you're better than the rest of us!"
"That's right!"
"Give her more, Prince Albert!"
Albert punched Lilith several times in the gut. The last punch made her cough up blood.
The Beland Prince then grabbed Lilith by her face and smashed the back of her head against the wall.
"Speak up! Where's that arrogant tone of yours!"
Lilith mouthed something that neither Albert nor his cronies could hear.
Leaning in, Albert attempted to make out what she said before he felt a hot, burning pain in his lower body and screamed.
"YAAAAAAAUUUGGGGHHHH!!!!"
The Prince fell down to his knees, clutching his "Royal Jewels."
With the Prince lying on the floor in pain. Lilith took this opportunity to escape.
Unfortunately, the Prince's punches dealt a number on her, and she was quickly caught and thrown to the ground by Albert's cronies.
Lilith tried to get up, but a foot stomped her down with a heavy force that forced her back down and made her cough up more blood.
"YOU *CENSOR*!!!"
"YOU'VE DONE IT NOW!"
"PHOENIX! HEAR MY CALL AND BURN ALL THAT STAND BEFORE ME TO ASHES!"
A Fireball of immense power and heat was gathered in the palm of Albert's hand. The orange inferno formed a three-foot by three-foot sphere.
Sensing what their leader was going to do, the cronies quickly scattered off to the side.
"LILITH! I'LL GIVE YOU ONE CHANCE! GROVEL ON THE GROUND BEFORE ME AND BEG FOR FORGIVENESS, OR DIE!!!"
Lilith used the last ounce of her strength to lift her head and say.
"Never."
"THEN DIE!"
Lilith POV:
Is this how it ends?
Am I going to be burnt to ashes and die a meaningless death?
After I've finally obtained a clue that may break my family free of our curse and acquired a contract with a powerful being.
Barely an hour after these events, I find myself dying at the hands of this b*stard.
Is there nothing I can do? Will my family forever have to live with the curse that plagues us?
What good was that contract if I don't get to use it!?
Wait!
The contract!
There is only one thing left I can do.
Before Albert shot his spell, I muster what strength I have and shout.
"Charles. Please,
HELP ME!"
The Fireball flew out of Albert's hands and flew directly toward me.
Guess this was the end.
What a fool I was to hope for someone to rescue a cursed child like me.
I closed my eyes in resignation and waited for the burning pain to come.
*SLICE!*
"I-i-it's that old man!"
"The guy that Sharon girl summoned!?"
"Did he just teleport and slice that Fireball in half!?"
"No way!"
"WHY THE F*CK ARE YOU HERE!"
Opening my eyes, I couldn't believe what I saw.
The walls next to me were scorched black with flames while everything around me was perfectly fine.
I then slowly sat up and behold the fairytale-like sight before my eyes.
A knight, in a black suit with a white cape holding an unusual black greatsword stood firmly between me and Albert's gang with his back facing toward me.
The knight turned around to face me and held out his hand.
"Are you alright, my lady?"
The first thing I said was.
"You're late."
I regretted saying that embarrassing and ungrateful line for the rest of my life.