"So, the story is that later on, I'll witness your true abilities and realize my own arrogance, have a change of heart, and we'll become friends?"
"Where on earth did you hear that story?"
"It's not that I heard it somewhere, it's just how these things usually go."
What do you mean, how these things usually go?
I looked at Elodie, who was grinning, and said,
"That's not going to happen, Ms. Elodie."
"Our relationship will remain bad forever. Until we leave this school."
Elodie's jaw dropped in shock at my words. Her expression fell as if she had swallowed despair into her open mouth.
"That's so sad. To be on bad terms forever."
"...Well, that's the setting."
It's not good to be hurt by lines from the script.
But Elodie didn't seem to understand.
"So you're saying we'll keep acting ? With me snapping at you and being mean?"
"You were doing a good job in the faculty room, weren't you?"
"My heart felt like it was going to burst every time I did it."
That's an exaggeration.
I know she's just putting on an act, so I try to reassure her, but it seems like Elodie is the one who's not okay with it.
"It felt like my soul was being tainted."
"Think of it as a white lie. It will make your soul feel cleansed."
Besides, it wasn't like she said anything particularly bad. It's true to some extent.
The three-element combination is indeed more remarkable than the three-dimensional map. That's how it would be evaluated on this continent as well.
"It's better for you to receive higher praise than me. Slothful Frondier will always be slothful..."
Elodie suddenly interrupted me and fixed her gaze on me with a serious expression.
"Don't do that. Don't call yourself by that nickname. Don't pretend to be that."
"But that's the setting..."
Elodie leaned closer to me.
"That's not who you are."
What is this, a continuation of our faculty room fight?
But Elodie's eyes were blazing with a refusal to accept any rebuttal, so I could only nod my head.
"O-Okay, I understand."
Elodie returned to her grinning self.
With a strange feeling washing over me, I continued speaking.
"Anyway, since I'm teaching theory, I think the attention on the first day will die down to some extent."
I glanced at the teaching materials I had brought again.
For reference, the place where Elodie and I were currently at was the dormitory provided for the teachers.
Atlas was a renowned educational institution, so people came from all over the country, and the same went for the teachers. This dormitory was prepared for teachers who came from afar.
Of course, Elodie and I were staying in separate rooms, and she was currently visiting me for a brief discussion.
Or maybe she was just here to hang out.
As I looked over the teaching materials again, I trailed off.
My plan seemed to waver a little every time I looked at these materials.
"Don't you like the teaching materials?"
Elodie asked, as if reading my mind.
"Ever since I heard that there weren't any strong individuals on par with the Zodiacs on this continent, I had a hunch, but it seems like magical theory isn't as developed as it is on the Falind continent."
The Falind continent had experienced the Monster War in the past. And even before that, although not as certain, Ragnarok probably took place.
It was because of such colossal and desperate battles that humanity grew stronger and both combat and magic advanced.
On the other hand, Agoris, which was relatively peaceful despite the presence of devils, hadn't seen the same level of development in combat. The same went for magic.
I was teaching magical theory at Atlas. It was a bit strange that I, someone who had trained as a warrior as a student, was teaching magic, but it was actually magic that I could teach most effectively with my abilities.
My weaving incorporated all the theories I had learned so far, and compared to combat techniques that required overwhelmingly more physical conditions, training, and experience, magic was more suitable for theoretical instruction.
That's why I could tell at a glance what level these teaching materials were at.
If I wanted to avoid attention, I could just teach as instructed. That way, the students would quickly lose interest in me.
But every time I tried to convince myself of that, for some reason...
"...I feel like I'll be scolded."
"By everyone who taught me. Especially Ms. Jane."
Jane, a teacher at Constel, was the one who had taught me to the very end. From the slothful Frondier to the present me.
When everyone else was fed up with my laziness and ignored me, Ms. Jane treated me the same as any other student. Whether it was out of habit or a sense of pro duty, I didn't know.
When I first arrived in this world, the first voice I heard was Ms. Jane's.
Having her as my homeroom teacher was one of the many strokes of luck in my life.
I learned from such a person, and now, unintentionally, I had become a teacher myself.
"...Maybe just a little, I'll try my best."
In the end, I found myself contemplating a choice that wasn't rational at all.
But surprisingly, Elodie nodded in approval.
"Yeah, yeah, do that."
"You were listening to me, right?"
"So what if I stand out? Are you worried that you'll be rejected for being too exceptional a teacher?"
"No way, that's not going to happen."
She was right. Maybe I was overestimating the risks of attracting attention.
"Then I'll be going. See you at Atlas."
"Yeah. And don't forget to treat me the same way you did in the faculty room when you see me there."
"I'd rather not run into you."
Elodie said, waving her hand dismissively.
As I watched her walk away, a thought suddenly occurred to me, and I called out to her.
Come to think of it, Elodie didn't have to go through all this trouble.
Of course, it was her choice to follow me, but that didn't mean her current hardship was justified.
Elodie, the most promising mage on the Falind continent. She could have lived her life receiving the best treatment in the Empire just by continuing on her current path. No, Elodie was extraordinary enough to decide for herself whether or not she wanted to live that way.
That's why I was worried.
Being extraordinary meant that she was too good for me.
I wondered if she regretted going through unnecessary hardship. She had her family, friends, and her own life back there.
She stopped walking but didn't turn around.
With her back to me, her expression hidden, she spoke, revealing only her slightly delicate chin.
"Because you're not okay, I'm not okay either."
Confused by her words, I asked her what she meant.
Brushing it off like that, Elodie turned to face me again and flashed a bright smile.