Chapter 7: Brother, Our Family has no Money
Viktor's presence bore down on everyone in the room. The students held their breath, not one of them daring to make a move.
Only once things had settled did Viktor ask:
"Now tell —what happened."
A commoner student standing at the front spoke up:
"Erika ca here throwing her weight around as a noble, deliberately humiliating us. One of our students has disappeared because of her magic!"
The rest of the Commoner Faction students imdiately chid in. Erika hurriedly tried to defend herself, and the scene descended into chaos once more.
"Silence!"
The clamor in the room fell quiet again.
Viktor massaged the space between his brows. Sure enough, no matter what world you were in, argunts were always this insufferable.
"Is that what happened, Erika?"
Viktor fixed her with an impatient stare.
Erika gradually cald herself and continued her explanation: "I was not humiliating them. I was here practicing magic. That unlucky fool walked into a Teleportation Formation I had accidentally miscast—that's why he disappeared."
The surrounding students naturally didn't believe a word of it—but with a Professor present and saying nothing, they didn't dare voice their doubts aloud.
Weija murmured softly into Viktor's ear: "I had a look. The Teleportation Formation sent the person to another Dinsion."
"Doesn't matter. I'll step in."
Weija's single eye flickered. A faint wisp of black energy drifted slowly out from beneath its wing.
Viktor grasped its aning and activated the Mage's Hand. 6 Magic Formations appeared in the air at once.
"Multiple Casting again?"
Seeing this a 2nd ti, Erika felt nothing but astonishnt. She hadn't expected that Professor Viktor could pull off sothing as advanced as Multiple Casting with such effortless ease.
Weija quietly added so Runes to his Magic Formations from behind. 6 gossar-thin black Runes gradually wove themselves into the formation.
The entire Magic Formation radiated red light.
Blending with the glow of the setting sun, it illuminated the entire Arcane Hall.
The brilliance stabbed at everyone's eyes, forcing them shut.
When the light finally faded, a voice suddenly jolted everyone in the room back to their senses.
"This is… the Arcane Hall? I'm back?"
The student looked around in bewildernt, tears of relief and disbelief welling in his eyes.
"I'm back! I'm actually back!"
Those present slowly opened their eyes. At the sight of the long-lost face, the Commoner Faction students couldn't hold back—a wave of cheering erupted.
Erika was rooted to the spot. She hadn't anticipated that Viktor could reverse her misfired Magic Formation so effortlessly.
"So this is… a 3rd-Tier mage?"
Erika murmured.
Viktor, seeing the matter resolved, turned a cold eye to her and said:
"Erika. Apologize."
Upon hearing the demand, Erika's defiance flared up.
She was already seething with resentnt—how could she possibly take orders from Viktor?
On what grounds!?
She acknowledged that Viktor had covered for her mistake, but she hadn't done it on purpose. That unlucky fool had walked into her Magic Formation with his own 2 eyes—he had no one to bla but himself!
Besides, everything about her birth and upbringing had always told her the sa thing.
'What noble ever apologizes to a commoner?'
Viktor read her unmoved expression, his brow creasing slightly. He let a cold, cutting remark slip out.
"You make a mistake but refuse to apologize. Your academic skills leave sothing to be desired—and apparently so does your character."
"Is this the upbringing of the du Chloe family?"
Those words landed squarely in the hearts of the Commoner Faction students. What they resented most was having those insufferable nobles lord their status over them.
Seeing a Professor speak up on their behalf, every single one of them felt their eyes light up.
The remark truly ignited Erika's emotions—yet she knew she shouldn't let it show.
As Viktor had said, she was the one in the wrong.
She couldn't let her own failings bring sha upon her family.
Erika's chest rose and fell. She drew a slow, deep breath and steadied herself, then gave the unlucky student a full, proper bow.
"I apologize for my negligence."
Seeing the ordinarily proud noble lower her head, the students found they couldn't bring themselves to say anything mocking.
When it ca down to it, they were all the sa age.
The unlucky Jack, having recovered from the lingering fright, accepted the apology with a touch of awkwardness.
"I had my part in it too. If I'd been paying more attention where I was walking, none of this would have happened."
Viktor raised an eyebrow—now that was more satisfying.
A mont of peace. That was what a good school environnt was supposed to look like.
An apology alone wasn't enough, though. Since a mistake had been made, a proper example needed to be set.
He shot a sideways glance at Erika and left her with a single flat instruction.
"Co to my office."
Erika lowered her head in silence, but followed.
The 2 of them departed under the watching eyes of everyone present.
The mont they were gone, the students erupted.
"Oh my—he's so handso! Does anyone know who he is?"
"By the looks of it, he seems to be a teacher? Probably new!"
"That was Multiple Casting—and 6 at once! That's the most I've ever seen! How could soone like that be an ordinary teacher?"
"He's from Class 1—that's the new Professor Viktor. He gave us a lecture just this afternoon!"
"He's actually a Professor! No wonder he's that powerful, but he looks so young!"
"I wonder when Professor Viktor's next lecture is. I'm definitely signing up when it cos!"
***
Viktor, having already left, naturally couldn't hear the students chattering away. Erika followed behind Viktor, with his Teaching Assistant Heni walking beside them.
The group arrived at the Mage Tower, and after identity verification, all 3 were teleported to Viktor's office.
Viktor gently traced a Magic Formation with his hand, and Erika's Hairpin suddenly appeared in his palm.
Viktor handed it to her.
Erika was stunned. She had never expected him to return her belongings.
"Keep your own things safe. Don't do sothing like this again."
Erika pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and accepted the Hairpin.
Viktor settled naturally into his chair. The "unruly" Erika stood before him—looking very much like soone about to receive a scolding.
Viktor's fingers tapped the desk. Then, slowly, he spoke.
"Listen, Erika. Whatever grievances existed between us before—right now, this is the Royal Magic Academy, not a place for you to cause scenes as you please. I am the teacher; you are the student. Straighten out your attitude."
"Magic is dangerous. If you cannot yet control it perfectly, do not cast it freely in public spaces. This ti it was only a Teleportation Formation. What if you were practicing so high-damage area-of-effect magic?"
Erika said nothing—but the faint trembling of her body made it clear. She was frightened.
If she truly lost control, it would be a catastrophe.
And Viktor's lecture was still continuing.
"One thing you said in the classroom was correct, Erika. It is indeed a teacher's duty to answer a student's questions."
"But only on the condition that the student cos seeking genuine guidance—not to deliberately make trouble."
With that, Viktor began demonstrating before her the principles behind Teleportation Magic and its more advanced upgraded formations.
"Pay attention. I'm only teaching this once."
Runes and Magic Formations danced back and forth at Viktor's fingertips. Erika snapped to attention, pulling herself together, fixing her eyes intently on what was unfolding before her…
He showed her, in front of Erika herself, how to teleport an object to another Dinsion and retrieve it.
Once the demonstration was over, he left Erika with an assignnt:
"Practice this, write a report, and send it to my Teaching Assistant tomorrow morning. She'll pass it on to ."
Erika said nothing. She simply gave a nod and left the office.
Heni, watching from the corner the entire ti, waited until Erika had gone before remarking: "Professor, you're genuinely a good person—nothing like the rumors say. As for this Erika, I don't like her."
She had heard all about what had happened in the classroom today, so naturally she knew about Erika's deliberate provocation.
Fortunately, Viktor had handled it without breaking a sweat—and turned it back on Erika into the bargain.
Viktor didn't look at her, and said flatly: "If you were a minor and so man nearly 30 years old confessed to you and flirted with you, I'd wager your resentnt would be about equal to hers."
Heni gave a startled jump and asked in surprise: "That incident… was it true?"
Viktor let out a quiet laugh, rose from his seat, patted her on the head, and left her with a parting remark:
"Tomorrow, bring Erika's notes and the lecture script together."
With that, he turned, teleported, and left the office.
***
Erika stepped down from the Carriage. A man was standing at the entrance to the courtyard.
He shared the sa golden hair and eyes as Erika, the sa bloodline running through his veins.
This was her father, the man she took imnse pride in—Duke Livi.
The years had left no lines upon his face.
"My dear, why are you ho so late?"
Duke Livi greeted her with a smile—but he caught sight of Erika's sullen expression, and his smile gradually faded.
"Erika? What happened? Did soone bully you at school?"
"Tell Father. Father will make them pay for it!"
Erika cut him off: "That's enough, Father. No one bullied ."
"I simply ran into Viktor. He's taken a position as Professor and started at the Academy today."
Upon hearing this, Livi straightened up sharply, his expression turning severe: "That scoundrel!"
"I'll have the Royal Magic Academy dismiss him tomorrow!"
Though, in truth, it was nothing more than empty words to comfort his daughter.
Livi understood—Viktor's talent was extraordinary, and he was a 3rd-Tier mage.
Especially now that he had beco a Professor at the Royal Magic Academy, he was, for all intents and purposes, fully under the protection of the royal family.
Unless the King himself gave the order, no one would dare make a move against him openly.
But Erika didn't know this. She hurried to stop him:
"Don't!"
She recounted what had happened today. The Duke's expression eased sowhat as he listened.
Erika continued: "I genuinely cannot match him."
She hadn't told her father about the conflict with the commoner students—only about the confrontation in the lecture hall.
Livi listened, then gave an understanding nod and offered words of encouragent: "If that is the case, then study magic diligently under him."
"For Viktor to have beco a 3rd-Tier mage at 20, he naturally has qualities worth learning from."
"But you are my daughter. No one understands your talent better than your father."
"Learn from his strengths—and then surpass him. I believe you can do it."
Hearing the Duke's words, Erika gave an obedient nod and, followed by her attendants, quietly made her way back to her room.
Watching his daughter leave, he let out a sigh.
No matter how much Erika was made to endure at Viktor's hands, he could not intervene.
At the end of the day, he was a Duke.
Everything he did should be in service of the nation.
Sitting in this position, Livi could not afford to act like a petulant child.
The Empire would not allow it. Nor would the dignity of a Duke.
"I'm sorry, Erika."
***
By the ti Viktor arrived ho, it was deep into the night. He had just stepped into the courtyard and stretched out his body when a servant ca walking toward him.
"My Lord, your younger sister wishes to see you in the Study."
The servant delivered the ssage and hurried off.
Viktor's brow furrowed.
This late at night—nothing good could be coming…
He pushed open the Study door. Leah was seated in a chair, having waited for so ti.
"What is it?"
Viktor asked his younger sister. What answered him was the fury blazing in Leah's eyes.
"See for yourself!"
Leah slapped an expense bill down onto the desk in front of Viktor.
The desk shuddered under the force of the blow.
"This angry?"
Viktor gave Leah a casual glance and picked up the bill.
It recorded Viktor's spending in ticulous detail—a large sum spent purchasing materials, and another large sum whose destination was entirely unknown, having vanished in a strangely inexplicable manner.
Viktor, of course, knew exactly where the money had gone.
Purchasing materials, learning magic…
The first could still be explained away, but the second was a privilege exclusive to players—sothing Leah would naturally have no way of tracing.
But still—was the household truly that short on money?
"The Territory's inco has already been strained lately, and you go and splurge like this? Are you trying to drain every last drop of blood from the Territory?"
Leah shot to her feet, a finger jabbing at Viktor's chest as she laid into him furiously.
"Give an explanation!"
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