A Death Row Convict Teaches at a School of Magic
Chapter 52: Ominous Call

A/N: Act II is underway!

A pair of eyes that seemed to engulf me in their solemnity were fixed on me.

“Please include me in your seminar, Teacher Kanaki.”

“…Ehー”

At dusk, when the heat and humidity of the daytime still lingered, Fina unexpectedly arrived at my seminar room and told me so, to which I gave a terse response.

“…I suppose this is shocking to you. You would have assumed I would be at a level that is adequate to join the royal court, which is rife with power struggles when it comes to the accounting of benefits to oneself, right?”

“Apart from your evaluation of me, Fina, which I can only interpret as a snide remark, your proposition is also truly flattering, you know? After all, the First Princess’ personal follower has designated me by name as her mentor.”

Fina, with a query mark on her head, eyed me in a genuinely incredulous manner.

Her black hair was so dark that it could be mistaken for the darkness of night, a rarity in this country. Sometimes when interacting with this girl, I was suddenly reminded of my hometown, Japan.

“Then why didn’t you accept my proposal with a simple ‘yes’? I don’t mean to come out as conceited, but having me in your seminar would be a huge honor among teachers, and you would have discretion in many ways.”

I almost choked up at the prospect of how she managed to learn about such unrefined relationships between humans, but then the thought that Fina had been in the royal court all this time before her arrival at this school clicked in my head. It was no surprise that Fina recognized that the conflict in the staff office resembled a back-and-forth struggle since she had first-hand experience with the power clashes that I had previously only read about in historical novels.

“Well, what you said is true. For my part, that makes me feel honored, but I wish you would take into account how much you can learn from me.”

While it saddened me to say it myself, Kanaki Taiga as a magician possessed nothing more than the level of ability that would be described as mediocre.

If I were to speak, I would mention that I was a specialist in medical magic, but even that knowledge would be on par with that of a seasoned nurse in a hospital. There would undoubtedly be other nurses there who were more adept at using medical magic than I was, even if I went to Lilith Central Hospital, where Karen was admitted the other day. On top of that, the few areas of medical magic I had knowledge of did not merit the hassle of being taught in a seminar because they were covered in a class. In the first place, because of the earlier episode, Fina was elevated to second-class magician while I remained a third-class magician.

And the major premise was that Fina already established a master-apprentice relationship with a monster of a semi-first-class magician named Karen.

“…Well, none of this really has to be said. I am aware of your thoughts, Teacher. The person you are undoubtedly most concerned about, Lady Karen, has already given me her consent. She said she will do a visit next time.”

“No way…”

What expression Karen must have been wearing when she said it was beyond my grasp.

In general, there should be nothing for me to teach these girls. If there was… right, like the thing I did during the workout with Fina and company in the early mornings back then…

“Could it be?”

“Yes. Instead of teaching me magic, I would prefer you to concentrate more on teaching me martial arts.”

“Ehー…”

“Your response remains the same, doesn’t it…”

The same voice as in the beginning escaped from my lips.

Of course, I would like to build a close relationship with Fina and even Karen.

For better or worse, though, habits tended to manifest themselves when it came to martial arts. Fina, who fought me as “Eraser,” had particularly keen instincts about my footwork and the trajectory of my kicks, and even if my true identity was not uncovered, she might still harbor suspicions. Fina’s offer, nevertheless, was too alluring to refuse given my future life as a teacher…

Ugh, what should I do?

“―That proposal, hold on a minute!”

“Ah, Arti!?”

It was Arti, who had been uncharacteristically silent and listening to the conversation until then, who broke through the gap of silence and made the first move. The vivacious girl with the peach-colored ponytail swinging next to Arti, Eto was making a face like, “Not again.”

“Fina, I am sorry, but I can’t yield Teacher to you!”

“No, I merely want to be added to the seminar…”

“I won’t be deceived! You are trying to deprive us of Teacher Kanaki by saying that!”

“Eh! Is that true!?”

“No, it’s not! Please don’t believe her either, Senior Eto!”

Oh, this was the pattern of my existence being forgotten.

The other day, the girls encountered each other for the first time, and the sole contact they had was over ramen noodles, yet since that time, their communication has been remarkably in sync, so perhaps they were on the same wavelength.

“Besides, Teacher Kanaki is already overburdened with caring for us and is incapable of taking on any additional pupils. Please don’t add to his daily workload of my makeup lessons, homework, consultations, and the like.”

“That’s my line! How could you say that with such cockiness? You should say something too, Senior Eto!”

“The only remaining teacher who can take care of Arti is Teacher Kanaki…”

“No, if Arti hadn’t attended my seminar or become my apprentice, I would have abandoned her too.”

“How cruel! How can you say that, Teacher!”

“I wouldn’t want to be called that by a troublemaker who drives people to the brink of death from exhaustion.”

Having said that much, my colleague, Mert, suddenly emerged from the entrance of the seminar room. A teacher in charge of Arti’s class, she was a woman with slender eyes and a soft-spoken demeanor.

“Oh my, this place is buzzing today, isn’t it?”

“What brings you here at this hour, Teacher Mert? Do you have some business with Arti…?”

“Hahaha, I came to check on Arti, but that’s just a side task. You are the one who is needed, Teacher Kanaki.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Right. Whatever it is, the vice principal asked me to call you immediately.”

“The vice principal…?”

Rarely did the vice principal call me in. The only recent event, if there was one, was when I was asked to be a homeroom teacher, but that was about it―

“…This leaves me with an unpleasant feeling, so can I pretend I didn’t hear it?”

“Hahaha, in that case, I’ll report it to the vice principal as I please, so don’t sweat it. Oh, your seminar students are all very attractive when I take a good look at them.”

“…I respectfully accept the vice principal’s summon…”

This teacher, Mert, was mild-mannered by nature, but when provoked, she was reportedly second only to Instructor Rivalz in terms of terror among the faculty. Roughly speaking, the eyes behind her narrow ones were not at all times smizing.

After I gave a message of refusal to the three of them, who were still quarreling with each other, I walked to the staff room where the vice principal was waiting for me―although I was not sure whether they had heard me or not―

…It goes without saying that what the vice principal had to discuss with me after that was exactly the nuisance that I had foreseen.