“And now, let us welcome our newest teachers; Instructor Monroe Heather-Brant of Eltin Grove; Educator Martin Porres of the Eastern Isles, and finally Teacher Zenith of Alcudia.”

The polite clapping did not soothe Zenith’s nerve. In fact, judging by the not-so-pointed glares she was getting, she would have a hard time saying this was a joyous occasion. The mere fact that they had neglected part of her title was telling enough.

‘Not even a day has passed and I feel like i’m being hazed. What type of school is this?’

Hiding her worries behind a smile, Zenith evaluated the other teachers around her. There were noticeably fewer teachers than she had expected. In fact, for such a prestigious school, there were only a hundred teachers around her. A four-year school with a hundred teachers. Teaching almost five thousand students.

“Now, as you all know, the school year will be entering midterms soon. We will be evaluating your students’ progress for your next resource distribution. All students need to show…”

Seeing the look of greed around her, Zenith almost cursed aloud. They were Teachers, not some low-class mercenaries! And all they were fighting for were Elder monster cores!

“Miss Zenith, are you not going to try for it? Distributions only come every few months, after all.”

Zenith turned and sighed. It was the rude referee from before.

“It’s Magic Teacher Hall, Instructor Bert. And since I have no students, I think I will hold off this time.”

Bert chuckled ruefully. “Then I’m Combat Instructor Trenor. Sorry for being so rude before, Magic Teacher Hall, but it’s best to be strong-headed to outside teachers. Their heads are stuck so far up their ass, they need to be brought back down to earth. Privilege and whatnot, you know.”

Zenith blinked. “No, I understand. Mister Trenor, I apologize for my rudeness before too. You can call me Miss Hall instead of my title.”

“What about my apology? I should get one too, right?”

Zenith and Bert paused and sighed in unison.

“Why do you need an apology, Odessa?” Zenith asked.

“Wha! He was so rude earlier, Zenith! Why, I have never been so mistreated this badly before now! And even...”

Odessa continued to list reasons, but all of her complaints was from her own point of view, Zenith realized early on. In fact, beside being a little rude, none of her other arguments were realistic.

“... and he didn’t even know my name when I arrived here!” Odessa stated with a huff.

“Odessa. How often did you get your name out when you were lounging about in the capital?” Zenith said slowly.

Odessa stilled.

“And how often did you deal with people? Don’t answer that. Look, there is a certain amount of leeway you need to give people. This is one of those times.”

“Wait a moment, Miss Hall. I should apologize to you as well, Nurse Goodwin. I am sorry for my rude behavior,” Bert said quickly.

Odessa nodded graciously but shook suddenly. Zenith smiled.

“Nurse Goodwin!? You mean Grand Healer Goodwin...right?” Odessa shrieked.

Bert and Zenith shared a look before looking away. Zenith coughed delicately. “Odessa, at a school you are addressed by your position. So you would be called Nurse Goodwin, Not Grand Healer.”

“Ahem. Quiet down, please. Now, for our new teachers, we will discuss how you will be allotted your students.”

Zenith hushed Odessa quickly as she focused on the speaker. “As of today, we now have around one thousand students and almost eight thousand provisional students. Upon the start of the next school cycle, the students will decide on what classes they want to take based upon their own interests. I would suggest that you coordinate your classes with the other teachers so that students can quickly go from class to class. In order to weed out most candidates, please make sure you set entry requirements; whether that be based upon level, complexity, or knowledge.”

All standard procedures, Zenith knew. But to her surprise, that was all the speaker had to say about the matter.

“That’s it? How are we supposed to coordinate?” Zenith asked Bert.

He shrugged. “You go talk with the other teachers, of course. And then shove your plans onto the master schedule so that students can decide what works for their schedule.”

“But there’s nine thousand students. Shouldn’t classes be regimented?” Zenith asked.

A slight chuckle arose around her. “It’s based upon the student’s interest. We would be leading them astray if we walked them step by step toward their next Class advancement,” a teacher beside her exclaimed. "They must grow into their own Class."

Another teacher nodded. “All the graduates would have the same Class in the end if we did it like that. The whole point is innovation. Let the students decide how to grow. We just supply them the tools they need.”

Zenith paused and nodded slowly. Her mind went back to when Tyler had chosen his path. She had been accused then when she had nudged him to choose to become a Vanguard instead of a Warrior. That would indeed be a problem if the classes were separated as such. But at some point, she also knew that letting students decide their Class advancement would be a problem, especially if they chose poorly.

But today wasn’t the day to voice that concern.

Looking around the room, Zenith saw that the teachers were beginning to break apart into smaller groups. Nudging Odessa, Zenith pulled her along toward a smaller group of mages. She caught the tail end of their conversation, an older woman with greying hair, and waited to interrupt.

“- so we’ll work together with them on students. I want at least a group of thirty to be in our classes at all time.” Seeing the nods, she opened her mouth to continue her.

“Excuse me. How are we supposed to coordinate class times?” Zenith interrupted.

The other teachers looked at her skeptically. “And which faction are you in?”

Zenith frowned. “Faction? Why would teachers be in factions?”

“Oh. You must be one of the new teachers.” The grey haired woman looked her up and down. “The dark horse, I should assume.”

Zenith nodded.

“Hmm. You pick a faction that aligns with your interest and class type. From there, you can decide amongst each other on when to hold your class. If you have enough pull, you can schedule your class at a more popular time to get more students.”

That sounded like a lot of work, especially for only thirty students. “And if you don’t have a faction?”

“Honey, everyone here is part of a faction. That’s the only way to make sure you get a slice of the resources.”

“... thank you for your time,” Zenith said. Bowing her head slightly she turned to look for other teachers to ask.

“Always willing to help. If you have an interest in Nature magic, ‘Asbore Grove Druids’ are always accepting new members!”

Politely declining their invitation. Zenith walked away with Odessa.

“Are you part of a faction, Odessa?” Zenith whispered.

“Nope. I’m not even a real Teacher, Zenith. Besides, do you really think it’s that easy to find someone with an affinity to healing? I may look around, but chances are I’ll be pretty bored here. Which isn’t a bad thing,” Odessa stated after a moment. “What about you? Have you decided what faction you’re going to join?”

Zenith shook her head after a brief look. Looking around the room, it was easy to see the mages were separating into distinct branches of magic, and some were even subdivided further still. She could spot two more groups, each composed of Earth and Nature Mages that were arguing between each other about the best soil to grow things in. This was a new experience for her; one she did not like at all.

Separating from Odessa, Zenith introduced herself as she walked around the room. After declining invitations to join other factions, Zenith frowned as none of the groups really meshed with what she wanted to teach.

Magic. Pure and simple. In giving students options, these teachers had somehow neglected to have a single class focused on improving a person’s overall magic. Instead, it was a dizzying combination of magic branches that a student could pick and choose what they wanted to learn. She knew that had she had the choice, she would have loved a school like this. But looking back, she also knew that it would have stifled her growth as well.

For instance, it was nice to have one class dedicated solely to wind magic, but knowing how other elements affect wind would be needed as well. That was the whole point of a comprehensive lesson plan. She hated having to memorize fire and earth spells and hardly ever used them, but they had come in handy throughout her adventuring days. And learning how to transform your mana to another element was key to surviving rough conditions in the field.

Leaning against a wall, Zenith sighed as she rubbed her eyes. She might have overdone it during the entrance exam, but she was not one to go easy on a test. Just then, Odessa strolled over to Zenith. “Psst. Zenith, I asked around, and they are giving classrooms based upon total class size. I think that is why those nature mages wanted at least thirty students. That’s the minimum required to have a permanent classroom.”

“Just thirty? There’s close to nine thousand students here. How competitive are seats for classes?”

“That’s…” Odessa frowned. Both of them knew that wasn’t too hard, not with those numbers.

“Thirty official students, Nurse Odessa. That means a minimum of three percent of actual students. That is much more difficult than you’d imagine,” Bert said from her side.

Zenith turned as Bert strolled up with a few other teachers. Had Markus or Tyler been present, they would have pointed them out as the combat instructors from their test.

Zenith eyed a man behind Bert and raised a brow in a silent question. Each of them had a weapon on their belt, but there was one person who stood out, even amongst the varied classes. A young man stood at attention, but though he had a rapier on his belt, she could feel the mana around him.

Zenith blinked in confusion. He was a Mage. One posing as a Knight? No, a Swordsman?

"Renvi Wefter; Mage-Combat Educator."

"Pleasure to meet you. That's an unusual style, you almost never see a Mage Knight." Zenith said softly. She could see Renvi eye's twitch for a second. As far as she knew, Mage Knight was a Class that you could not get on your own. At least, she hadn’t. "Or perhaps a Magic Swordsman? Crusader? Pal-"

"Mage-Combat Educator, Miss Zenith" Renvi said slowly. “Just because I use a sword doesn't mean I am not inclined to fight like a Mage.”

Zenith nodded slightly. That… was true. But why practice swordplay when you could learn a spell instead? She paused and then shrugged her shoulders mentally. If Paige could stave off boredom better, she wouldn’t have been roped into learning from her either.

"Your student did remarkable, Miss Zenith," Renvi continued. "From what I hear, she passed with flying colors against three highly specialized Mages. Was her spell based around [[Mana Sensitivity]] or [[Magic Moulding]]?"

Zenith smiled. "Neither, I'm afraid. Family secret; It's been passed down and made mana-efficient throughout the years. But with her aptitude, I thought it a waste to not teach her."

She could see Renvi considering that for a moment. "...mhmm. Good day to you, and good luck getting students."

Renvi smiled and left, though Zenith noted his icly look. She paused and went back through her conversation, but nothing really stood out as offending the man.

Blinking in confusion, Odessa lightly coughed to break the awkward atmosphere. "Educator Bert, can you explain why it's going to be difficult?"

Waving his colleagues away, Bert stiffly smiled. "Well, it's about to get harder for you now that Renvi is pissed."

"He's mad that I have a good student?" Zenith slowly asked.

"No, that you're grooming her to be an Imperial Servant," Bert said. He blinked as he looked at the confusion on Zenith’s face. “That is what you are doing, right?”

"Why does everyone think that? She can do what she wants with her life. It's not like I can force her to be one," Zenith said forcefully.

Odessa and Bert stared in confusion.

"Zenith… usually that is the only reason to have a student," Odessa said.

Zenith rolled her eyes. "Hah! Good one, Odessa. I know the rules about forcing a Class on someone. I almost got arrested by accident because of that back home."

"Home being…" Odessa prompted.

"Alcudia. I've been living in Alcudia for a while now. And Leit and Appealte. They take Class upgrades seriously, you know."

"That's the law only amongst the border countries, and even then, only Alcudia has strict laws forbidding it," Bert said. “And Alcudia is an outlier on many things.”

Zenith visibly paused. "...ah. I could see why Renvi got mad then."

Bert coughed. "Either way, Renvi does have a lot of influence among both warriors and mages. You can bet most teachers will be watching when you want to do classes, just to help Renvi out.

"Now, excuse me while I go bash some heads in; I need to fill my quota too! Gotta get me some new equipment this next round!"

Zenith waved goodbye and turned to the master schedule at the front of the room. Walking forward, she could already sense a few eyes on her. Bert was right; she was going to have competition. Of that, she was sure.

-----

"Might as well call it hazing at this point. Over half the mages in the room chose to have classes at the same time slot as me."

Zenith kicked an errant pebble as she looked for Markus and Lily. She still hadn't found the dorms, and was now a good ways away from the centralized buildings. She was thankful for the tracking spells, although she still thought the spell was a bit ridiculous to know.

Zenith paused as her spell indicated they were on the move.

'I'll go and surprise them,' Zenith thought as she walked toward them.

Waving her hand forward, she circulated her mana in front of her, just enough to get a good read on how many people were close to them. A few people here and there, but she expected it at a school. And even more surprising was hearing voices she didn't recognize.

"You're what!" Lily screeched.

"A Mage, silly. Why on earth would I be a Fencer?" The unknown voice answered.

"Geez, i don't know? Maybe because that's what your status says!" Lily said sarcastically.

"...I don't know where you heard that from, but I'm not a Fencer!"

"Well you're lying, then!"

" I don't need to lie about my Class! If anything, you did something to me"

"Maybe you're both right," Markus drawled. "I told you I thought it was possible to hide your Class. Maybe this is it."

Zenith couldn't stand still anymore. This was getting dangerously close to the truth. "Ahem, Lily? You there?"

"Mentor! Help! Miss Paige foisted this, this, unreliable person into my party!" Lily shouted.

She took a moment to look around as Lily ran up to hug her. Lily was really upset about something. She turned to Markus, her brows raised in question.

Markus shrugged lightly and quickly glanced at two people. One, the girl that Lily had been arguing with. Zenith heaved a long sigh as she recognized the girl. The Princess was awake. The second though… Zenith could swear she knew the girl from somewhere.

"Lily, care to introduce your new teammates?" Zenith asked.

"Not really, I-,” Lily pursed her lips but paused as she noticed Zenith’s eye on her. “Ugh, this is Nimi and Claire, our... new party members."

Both girls curtseyed as Zenith observed them.

“My name is Zenith Anne Brent. I’m Lily’s mentor, and Markus’s aunt. It’s a pleasure to meet you two.”

“Nice to meet you, Educator Zenith. My Name is Nimi,” the half elf said with perfect grace. Or what Zenith thought would be appropriate.

“Charmed.” Glancing pointengly at the sword, she realized why Lily was accusing her of lying. Though, it wasn't the first time she had seen a Mage wearing a sword today. “Tell me, do you know of a man called Renvi?”

“Renvi?” Markus paused as he kicked an errant pebble. “Hey Tyler, isn’t that the guy who was annoying us with questions?”

“You met Sir Renvi?!” Nimi half shouted. “He’s my idol!”

Zenith nodded slightly and looked over at Claire. Her face seemed familiar, but she still couldn't quite place it.”

“Clairence Shiffrin, of the House of Shiffrin.” The girl said with confidence.

“She’s from Pruite. I think that’s…east of Leit?” Lily said quietly.

“Northeast, Lily. We’ll review the countries again so you don’t forget regional specialties. Shiffrin? That House sounds familiar to me. It’s one of the lesser houses of the monarchy, right?”

Claire stiffened. “We are a major house. We just keep a lower profile.”

‘Low enough I almost forgot, and I was trained as a diplomat.’ Zenith thought to herself. But something struck her odd about Claire. Motioning her away, Zenith shot a glance at the others and shooed them away. “From what I recall, those of House Shiffrin tend to have darker hair than yours. I thought it was closer to black than not?”

“I… was adopted. My parents found me after a monster attack. They said my entire village was destroyed,” Claire whispered. “I don’t want the others to know.”

Zenith nodded. Around the border countries, that was probably the number one personal tragic backstory. She could understand why she wanted to hide that fact. “Monster attack? Do they have wild monsters in Pruite? The monarchy tends to dispatch guards quite often to keep the peace,” Zenith paused. Something came to mind as she spoke. “Where were you from?”

Claire shrugged. “Leit? Or maybe Alcudia? My parents never really told me.”

Zenith blinked. Monster attack? Everyone dead?

…Leit?