Chapter 12:
Chapter 12: Because I Know How to Make Money
"Professor Viktor, I……I can't do this."
Heni shook her head frantically, keeping her gaze low, not daring to look at Viktor even once.
"Listen to , Heni."
"These past few days, I've had you sit in and observe my lectures precisely so you could learn how to properly conduct a class."
Viktor placed his hand on Heni's shoulder, and he could clearly feel her petite fra give a light tremble.
Heni raised her head, her eyes filled with an indescribable worry.
"Professor, I'm afraid I won't do it well……and it'll affect your reputation."
"Reputation?"
Did he even have a reputation to speak of?
Saying so might co across as self-deprecating, but he truly didn't care much about reputation.
Viktor gently patted Heni on the back, easing her trembling body into a asure of calm.
The reassurance took effect, and he spoke again.
"Go."
He knew that no matter how much he said to Heni, this naturally timid little lamb would never agree on her own.
And so Viktor chose to give a command rather than make a request.
Heni knew she couldn't refuse the professor.
If she did, the professor would be……displeased.
Heni took a deep breath, steeled herself, and pushed open the classroom door.
The noise inside quickly died down, but when the students saw Heni step up to the podium, puzzled looks arose all the sa.
Where was the professor?
Why was his Teaching Assistant standing at the front?
Feeling the students' gazes drifting over her, Heni was under imnse pressure.
"Um……"
"The professor has sothing to attend to today, so……I'll be taking the class in his place….."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, until the last couple of words were barely a whisper—so faint she could hardly hear herself.
The mont she finished speaking, it was as if a bomb had been dropped into a still pool of water.
With a splash beneath the surface, the fish began to clamor.
"No way……"
"She's just a Teaching Assistant. How can she substitute for the professor?"
"Setting aside whether the professor even approved this—does she have what it takes?"
"We want Professor Viktor to teach us! If our grades slip, can you take responsibility for that?!"
One after another, the students below the podium cut into her, and Heni found herself less and less able to hold her head up. She kept her gaze down, looking every bit like a punching bag.
Her eyes darted about in a panic, wishing she could find a crack in the floor to disappear into.
Mmm… mmmph……Professor Viktor, I can't do this, I really can't……
Professor, please co back soon……
"S-sorry……"
"Quiet!"
The sudden voice made Heni flinch. She quietly raised her head.
At so point, Erika, who had been sitting near the front, had stood up.
Magical ripples radiated around her, and an intricate Magic Formation floated before her.
Heni recognized that formation.
It was a Silencing Spell.
Every living thing within the range of effect, save for the caster, could no longer make a sound.
"Teaching Assistant Heni, please continue."
Mmm…mmmph, Erika, thank you!
She was endlessly grateful to Erika in her heart, and yet, a twinge of guilt rose alongside it.
On the day the professor first arrived, she had been speaking ill of Erika just monts before.
And yet here Erika was, pulling her out of an impossible situation.
Next ti there's an exam, I'll tell you the scope in advance!
Heni had already decided how she would repay Erika.
"Not bad."
Viktor was leaning just outside the door. Everything happening inside the classroom was perfectly clear to him.
Erika stepping in to help was both unexpected and deeply satisfying to Viktor; Heni's fear, on the other hand, was entirely within his expectations.
He had originally intended to use the pressure from the students to push Heni into rapid growth—but looking at it now, that approach would likely backfire.
Still, having Heni teach the class was sothing he'd been left with little choice about.
He would be leaving the city with Gwen tomorrow, for anywhere between a week and half a month.
Regardless, if he wanted to keep his position as professor, this group of students' coursework could not be neglected.
And so Viktor had thought of Heni.
His lectures were written by Heni to begin with—her capability was beyond question.
The only concern was her timidity.
He needed Heni to overco that on her own, to understand that she was fully capable of teaching these students well.
With Erika's help, silence settled over the classroom.
Heni took a deep breath to compose herself, and at last summoned the courage to begin lecturing.
She spoke from the content she had written out in the Lecture Script—material she had long since committed to mory.
Before long, Heni found her rhythm, growing more and more at ease as she taught.
Viktor, who had been quietly watching from outside, gave a small nod. When it ca to teaching, Heni was undeniably talented.
The students, who had started out skeptical, shifted to confusion, and then finally to astonishnt.
They realized that Heni's pacing was flawless, and that it gave them a certain feeling.
It was as though Professor Viktor himself were standing there, teaching them directly.
By the end, every one of them had been drawn fully into Heni's class.
The classroom was left with only Heni's lecture, and the soft scratch of pens and pencils moving across pages.
As Heni spoke, she suddenly ca to a halt.
Because this section required the instructor to demonstrate a spell.
2nd-Tier Magic:【Shattered Stars】
Since Professor Viktor was a formidable 3rd-Tier Mage, she had written all the lesson content from his perspective when preparing her materials.
She hadn't expected it to end up tripping her up.
She herself was only a Magic Apprentice.
Even knowing the theory behind this spell, she didn't have the magic to actually cast it.
Though flustered, she quickly steadied herself.
"Erika, could you demonstrate this spell for everyone?"
She knew she was gambling—betting on whether Erika would help her one more ti.
Fortunately, she had bet correctly.
Erika calmly walked up to the podium and took the Spellbook from Heni's hands. Inside, the magical principles of【Shattered Stars】were recorded in clear detail.
The level of thoroughness was such that she barely had to think at all. With only a brief visualization of the Magic Formation's pathways, the spell ca together with ease.
She raised one hand, attempting the spell for the very first ti.
"【Shattered Stars】!"
A profound ripple spread outward like rings on water.
In the air, brilliant morning stars appeared one after another.
Like brushstrokes in a painting, they traced out the lines of the Magic Formation.
And then, just as the shape was nearly complete, they vanished abruptly into thin air.
While many of the students were still puzzled—
Tap tap tap!
From no discernible source, in no discernible direction—
Countless tiny, razor-sharp shards seed to materialize in an instant, embedding themselves throughout every wooden training dummy in the classroom.
The students looked at those dummy figures, riddled with countless points of impact from the fragnted stars, and without exception, their hearts skipped a beat.
What a devious attack spell!
But having witnessed Erika's demonstration, their understanding ca much faster.
"Ahhh, so that's how it works!"
They began chattering among themselves, not even noticing that Erika's Silencing Spell had long since worn off.
Heni exhaled with relief. She and Erika t each other's eyes and shared a smile.
The lesson wrapped up in a focused yet easy atmosphere, and as the bell rang to signal the end of class, not a single student showed any sign of dissatisfaction.
This class had been just as rewarding as ever.
And more than a few of them had co away with genuine admiration for Heni.
As expected of Professor Viktor's Teaching Assistant—most lecturers couldn't even teach this well!
"Professor Viktor's Teaching Assistant turns out to be just as outstanding!"
"Right, right!"
Heni walked over to Erika. She wanted to properly thank this girl who had been willing to step up during the class.
"Thank you, Erika."
"If it weren't for you, I definitely would have made a fool of myself today."
Erika smiled back at her privately and waved it off.
"It was nothing."
Heni leaned in close to Erika's ear and said quietly, "I honestly don't know why the professor insisted on having teach his class. It's his job, after all."
Erika heard this and felt a flicker of puzzlent herself.
But puzzlent alone wasn't going to solve anything.
Erika had already been planning to visit Viktor's office to ask about today's questions, and seeing the situation, the two of them decided to go together and get so clarity.
anwhile, in the office, Viktor was sitting at his desk, coffee in hand, flipping through a Spellbook at his leisure.
The mont he'd seen Heni settle into her stride, he had quietly slipped back to slack off.
The idle calm of a dusk evening, threaded through with the soft rustle of turning pages.
Thoroughly pleasant.
But peaceful monts never lasted long.
At the Magic Tower's prompt, he approved the Teleportation Formation access request from Heni and Erika.
The lingering glow of the Teleportation Magic gradually faded.
The next instant, the 2 young won appeared before him.
"Professor……"
Heni's voice was still as timid as ever, as though he might, at any unguarded mont, simply swallow her whole.
The sound of pages turning never stopped. Viktor didn't look up, and spoke with the casual air of idle small talk.
"Today's class was well done."
"How did it feel?"
Heni pressed a hand to her chest, letting out several relieved breaths.
"Thanks to Erika, it went smoothly."
"If there's a next ti, I definitely won't be as scared."
Erika, who had been feeding Weija, glanced back and t Heni's eyes.
Only then did Heni rember what she had actually co for—she hadn't co to collect Viktor's praise.
"Professor, why did you ask to take the class on your behalf?"
Clap.
Viktor closed his book. The elegant bound volu was set on the desk, and he looked at Heni, responding with his usual calm.
"I have sowhere to be. I'll be gone for a while."
Hearing this, Heni didn't think much of it.
But Erika, who had been in the middle of feeding Weija, gave a small start—and birdseed scattered across the desk.
"Co on, little girl, if you're going to feed , feed properly!"
Weija protested indignantly, though of course Erika couldn't hear a word of it.
She ignored Weija's chirping and pricked up her ears to listen carefully.
"So I needed to test whether you're capable of taking over as the class instructor."
Heni stood frozen on the spot.
"Professor, you……were testing ?"
Viktor gave a quiet "mhm," and offered her a faint smile in return.
One where the upward curve of his lips was barely perceptible.
"You did well. I believe you have everything it takes to beco an outstanding lecturer."
"Professor, Mmm…mmmph!"
It seed the recognition had exceeded her every expectation—Heni finally couldn't hold back the tide of emotion, and burst into tears.
But Erika was still in a daze.
Wait? What?
Viktor was leaving? How long until he'd be back?
For so reason she couldn't quite na, hearing that Viktor was going away left Erika with a hollow feeling.
After class, this dusk hour—she could learn so much from Viktor in these monts.
But if Viktor were gone……
It seed she wouldn't have any reason to co here anymore.
Though Viktor wasn't truly leaving forever, just away for a few days, her mood sank all the sa.
Still, another voice stirred in her mind.
Hmm, finally, that insufferable man is leaving!
Good riddance. Out of sight, out of mind!
She quickly composed herself and gave a small shrug.
Even without Viktor's guidance, she was still the genius Mage she had always been.
"Right."
Viktor turned his head and glanced at Erika.
"What questions did you bring today?"
"Go ahead and get through them quickly. Once I've answered them, I can get off work."
"……"
He even rembered that she'd be coming to ask questions.
It was as though—click—the ntal wall Erika had just managed to piece back together cracked clean down the middle.
She lowered her head, pulled out the questions she'd prepared in advance, and walked toward Viktor.
But for so reason she couldn't pin down—
Her mind had drifted, just a little.
***
That evening, Leah walked into Viktor's Study.
"The shop has finished its Renovations."
These past few days, Leah had been in the Royal Capital handling matters related to the store.
She hadn't returned to the territory in so ti and had simply been staying here instead.
Though to be fair, she had her own room here to begin with.
Viktor set down his book, intending to discuss the matter of pricing with Leah.
Leah told him, "1,000 Geo."
For a Consumable sold in the Royal Capital, that price was not cheap—but it was perfectly reasonable.
This potion was absolutely worth that price.
If 50 bottles could be sold in a single day, the daily take would co straight to 50,000 Geo.
The cost was nothing more than a single tree fruit—uncommon, yes, but worth 10 Geo at most.
Now that was a profit that put everything in.
Viktor gave a nod. The price was well within what he'd anticipated.
Any higher and it wouldn't be worth it; any lower and it wouldn't befit the effect, which was downright absurd.
"By the way—make sure to limit it. 2 bottles per person per day, maximum."
"Why?"
Leah was a little puzzled. The potion was already priced steeply, and whether anyone would even buy it in the first place was still up in the air—and now he wanted to cap quantities on top of that?
Wasn't he afraid the stock would just sit in their hands, unsold?
Viktor explained.
"In the early phase, I'd rather earn a little less. What matters is getting word of this potion's effects to spread."
"Later on, the more people who know about it, the more we stand to earn."
Leah listened to his reasoning, a glimr of wonder dancing in her eyes as she clicked her tongue in admiration.
"I'm starting to think you're more of a rchant than I am."
It was as though she were eting Viktor for the very first ti in all these years.
She stifled a yawn, and as if sothing had co to mind, asked offhandedly.
"Oh right—are you really going with Gwen to that……what was it, so volcano?"
"Yes." Viktor gave a nod.
"Fine."
Leah muttered under her breath, waved her hand dismissively.
"Just don't go and die out there. Spare the trouble and expense of collecting your corpse."
"I'm going to sleep."
With that, she patted her own cheek, turned, and walked out of Viktor's Study.
Watching Leah leave, Weija raised his head, and the humanlike gleam in his eyes returned.
"That sister of yours—is she worried about you?"
"I thought your relationship was rocky."
"It is, but things have improved sowhat in recent days." Viktor tapped the desk, and a bottle of blue potion appeared in his palm, which he turned over idly.
"Why—how did you manage that?" Weija asked, puzzled.
Viktor set the blue potion on the desk and offered a single explanation.
"Because I know how to make money."
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