This was why you should never scorn or look down on people condescendingly. You might never know – they might just be keeping a low profile for whatever reason. Just because you had never heard of them before or never met or saw them before didn't mean you could just mock them…and all because you happened to be born in a rich or renowned family.

Not that I cared, nor was I in the mood to preach. I was more concerned with finding out how to register for ice magic cla.s.ses. Since I had the chance, I might as well try and register for that super popular and elusive cla.s.s. Even though ice magic was nowhere as in demand as fire magic, the cla.s.ses for it in Jing Tian Academy were always were always fully booked. Back then I never thought I would have to worry about ice magic and stuff because I was so focused on summoning magic, and I had wood magic to back it up, but as it turned out, wood magic was not a good fit for my summoning magic. It didn't synergize very well with the Greek portion of my Constellation magic, and my affinity for it was limited. Ice was proving to be a better fit, especially when I learned more about it and found how it synergized better with my Constellation magic.

Nirvana's brother, Miroku, was kind enough to lead me to the office, much to his distraught sister's dismay. Nirvana and her entourage were so embarra.s.sed that they fled somewhere after the debacle, and Miroku was kind enough to remain behind to clean up his sister's mess for her. Truth be told, he was arrogant like his sister, but he only treated me deferentially because he had firsthand witnessed my strength and therefore respected me for it.

I was glad that he was helpful, and looked forward to enrolling in ice magic cla.s.ses here. Throughout Flandor City, there were thirteen schools specialized in training mages in a manner similar to Jing Tian Academy as well as the other inst.i.tutions that had partic.i.p.ated in the high school tournament a few weeks ago. Saint Teresa was the most well known in this particular city, aand was located in a prime position – the southern section of the Cardinal District. It was famous for raising many renowned and powerful mages, such as the scions and Paladins of the Franklin family. In fact, most of the Sword Saints and Saintesses had been raised and educated within the esteemed halls of Saint Teresa Academy. The school therefore held a status unlike no other within the same city.

"We're here!"

"Hmm…"

After Miroku's announcement, I glanced around at the exquisitely decorated corridor before moving my gaze toward the office. Bowing politely and thanking the guy, I then proceeded to knock on the door. There was a gentle, "come in" from within, and I obliged, pus.h.i.+ng the door open and stepping into the office.

"Ah, you're finally here." looking up, an elderly lady in her sixties beamed brightly, her eyes gleaming behind her eyegla.s.ses wheb she caught sight of me. "Richard Huang, was it? The exchange student from Jing Tian Academy. We've been expecting you."

"Ma'am," I greeted deferentially, with a slight bow of my head. The elderly lady chuckled and waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't need to be so formal. I'm Teresa Taylor, the headmistress of Saint Teresa Academy. And yes, my bearing the same name as my school is a total coincidence."

Her humor was disarming, and I couldn't help but smile at her quiet joke.

"You probably don't need much guidance around, but if you need any a.s.sistance, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure that every student or teacher here will be more than happy to help."

"Yes, ma'am."

"As I said, you don't need to be so formal." Teresa Taylor continued waving her hand airily. "I've heard quite a bit from Duke Franklin, who recommended you for this exchange program. He holds you in high regard, and is quite certain that you'll be the right person to serve as the private tutor for his daughter – and having seen your impressive display during the tournament, I am inclined to agree."

She then chuckled, holding a hand up to conceal her mouth as she did so. A very n.o.ble-like manner.

"I must say, I was astonished when you all-killed our entire team."

"Sorry about that."

"Why are you apologizing?" Teresa Taylor was taken aback, and then she burst out laughing. "You did what you needed to win. Yes, our defeat was a little embarra.s.sing, but we were more awestruck by your achievement than offended. And honestly, I believe there was a silver lining. My students have grown complacent, so c.o.c.ksure of their own abilities and strength. You did me a favor by knocking their overly inflated pride down a peg. I am confident that none of my students will ever dare underestimate an opponent ever again."

"Thank you." I suppressed the desire to shrug. I knew that the headmistress of Saint Teresa Academy wasn't intending to flatter me. She was being genuine in her praise, and acknowledged the weaknesses and flaws of her own students, which amazed me. Not to mention, it was also refres.h.i.+ng. If this was an urban cultivation story, or even a xianxia cultivation story, the headmistress or headmaster would be looking for every way to find fault for me, scheme to get me into trouble or make my life difficult as revenge for "humiliating" her or his school in the previous tournament. While I wasn't naïve enough to claim that no such juvenile headmasters or headmistresses existed, the sheer number of times they kept appearing in iteration after iteration of webnovels, and the huge number of writers resorting to this overused cliché was absurd.

Thank G.o.d the creator wasn't going to throw that cliché in, or I would break through the fourth wall and wring his neck.

"If I'm not mistaken, not only will you be attending cla.s.ses here, as an exchange student, you will also be welcome to partic.i.p.ate in missions offered by the academy."

I brightened up at that. Taking missions would alleviate the otherwise monotonous routine of daily school life, and give me an excuse to escape my teaching duties. As much as I wanted to help Melina, there would be instances where I wanted some time to myself, an opportunity to cut loose and hunt monsters or something.

This revelation was a G.o.dsend.

"Yes, Headmistress. I will be more than happy to partic.i.p.ate in missions as well."

"Good. I knew I could count on you." Teresa Taylor nodded in approval, and then returned her attention to the desk. "You are a highly rated student, after all, with a wealth of practical combat experience out on the field. Director Violet told me that I shouldn't waste your abilities by keeping you cooped up in school all the time."

Looked like Director Vincent Violet had exchanged a few words with Headmistress Teresa Taylor prior to my arrival. I wasn't privy to the contents of their full conversation, but I could guess that they made some sort of deal. Adults and their political games…

"All right, Miss Madeline May will help you with your registration. If you have any questions about administrative matters, be sure to ask her."

"Yes, Headmistress Taylor." I saluted, and then realized that this wasn't the appropriate place. I had been spending too much time hanging out with people from a military organization. Perhaps I should just join the mercenaries after I graduate from college.

Taylor chuckled at my antics, and then gestured for me to leave. A younger woman – an office lady in her thirties and dressed in a prim and proper office attire (smartly ironed blouse and business skirt) – showed up, coming through another door and indicating that I follow her. Without any other recourse, I obeyed.

"Are there any cla.s.ses in particular that you wish to register for?" Madeline May asked politely as she returned to sit at her desk, conjuring up a holographic screen. I caught a glimpse of my student profile and personal information.

"Yeah, actually…are there any open slots in the ice magic cla.s.ses?"

"Hmm…I can check for you. The elemental cla.s.ses tend to be very popular…especially the fire and ice cla.s.ses." Madeline May frowned as she ran through several checks. Then she beamed in triumph as she swiped through a window. "You're in luck. There just happens to be exactly one vacancy in Teacher Einsberg's cla.s.s at this very moment. Seems like one of the students opted to drop out of the cla.s.s partway through the semester."

Oh, right. I suddenly recalled that this was in the middle of a semester, after all. So much time had pa.s.sed since the start of the semester that I had already finished my coursework and earned whatever necessary credits required to pa.s.s my cla.s.ses back in Jing Tian Academy. However, in terms of the cla.s.ses here at Saint Teresa Academy, I had arrived at quite the odd time. I was way behind everyone else in terms of starting out, and I wondered if I could catch up on ice magic.

"Don't worry." As if she read my mind, Madeline May offered her a.s.surance. "Einsberg is a very helpful and nice teacher. He will help you catch up in no time at all, and he will understand if you fall behind. As long as you put in the required amount of effort, he will give you whatever leeway you need."

"That sounds encouraging." I exhaled in relief, but somehow I still felt a sense of unease. It was only natural – even when someone told me that everything would be all right, there would always be there small, skeptical voice nagging at the corner of my mind, reminding me not to lower my guard and to be wary of excessive optimism, or a sense of anxiety that was sure that everything wasn't going to be so simple. "I will do my best."

"All right, I got you registered for that cla.s.s. Is there any other cla.s.ses you wish to enroll in?"

After a few swipes and typing with her fingers, Madeline May glanced up and smiled at me. I pondered for a moment, and then shook my head.

"Not right now, no."

"Okay, then." Madeline May leaned back on her chair and stared at me. "That should be all. If there's still anything you need, don't hesitate to let me know!"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am."

Madeline May raised an eyebrow, as if wondering why the military speak. I could only shrug helplessly, and then she sighed and projected a map into my smartphone.

"Follow the directions and it should lead you to your cla.s.sroom." She consulted the on-screen clock that was at the bottom right of the holographic window. "Your lesson should begin in thirty minutes, so you have plenty of time to look for it. I'll send Teacher Einsberg an email, but just to be on the safe side, talk to him before cla.s.s begins."

"I will," I promised. And then I left the office.

The cla.s.sroom was easy to find. Relying on the holographic paths that were beamed straight from my smartphone to my gla.s.ses, I followd the projected light trajectory that was displayed on my lenses and reached my destination in no time at all. A short while later, a balding man with reedy hair and gla.s.ses arrived, his fingers combing through whatever few strands of gray hair he had left on his head. He glanced up and stared at me in surprise.

"Oh?" When he realized he didn't recognize me, he suddenly remembered something and glanced at his smartphone. Smiling, he stretched out his hand. Unsure of what to do, I took it and shook his hand. "You must be the exchange student from Jing Tian Academy."

"Yes, sir."

"Good, very good." The balding old man beamed as he shook my hand heartily. "I'm Edward Einsberg, and I teach ice magic. It'll be a pleasure to have you in my cla.s.s."

"Thank you, sir."

"Well, let's not stand around outside the cla.s.sroom." Einsberg smiled as he directed me toward the cla.s.sroom. "Let's introduce you to everyone. I hope you don't mind meeting me after cla.s.s. We'll see what we can do about you missing a big part of the semester beforehand…"