After Lithuana invited Exafanos to choose which class he wanted to teach, the man didn't answer right away. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment. In his mind, Exafanos considered many things. He knew he wasn't a magic user like most people in this world. He had no mana, couldn't feel the flow of energy within his body like other mages. But throughout his long life, he had read hundreds of thousands, even millions of books on magic from various eras and worlds. Every theory of magic—from the most basic to the most complex and forbidden—was stored neatly in his limitless memory.
"I choose the theory class," Exafanos said firmly, looking straight into Lithuana's eyes.
A small smile appeared on the beautiful woman's lips. "Theory class, huh? Interesting. But the only theory class available right now is one that's… not easy," she said while glancing at the documents on her desk.
She then explained, "The D-rank Mage class—the one infamous across the academy for its unruly students. Many teachers have tried, but none lasted more than two weeks. They're stubborn, disrespectful, love to challenge authority—even once made a teacher flee from the academy."
But Exafanos remained calm, showing no signs of surprise or objection. He simply nodded and said briefly, "I'll teach them."
Lithuana chuckled softly, her voice gentle but laced with amazement. "Alright, you're really confident. I like that."
She then took several books from the shelf behind her. They looked old, thick-bound, and radiated a strong magical aura. "These are the basic and advanced materials you'll need to teach. This is the core curriculum for the theory of magic class."
Exafanos accepted the books, and with just a single glance, he had already absorbed all their contents. He read them without turning a single page—merely touching the covers with his fingers and channeling a bit of his 'Vanish' will, as if the books had merged with his mind.
Bella, who had been watching from the side, remained silent. In her heart, she was constantly in awe of Exafanos. He truly wasn't an ordinary man—in fact, he might not even be an ordinary being.
Afterward, Exafanos asked, "When do I start teaching?"
Lithuana smiled and replied, "Tomorrow morning. Monday is the scheduled day for Class D. You can use today to explore the academy and get to know it better."
Since Lithuana seemed to be getting busy with documents and other administrative matters, she turned to Bella. "Bella, accompany Exafanos around. Show him all the important places in the academy."
Bella nodded and led Exafanos out of the headmaster's office.
However, once they had left, two mysterious figures emerged from a hidden room behind Lithuana. An old man with a white beard and an old woman with golden-silver hair stepped out in silence.
"What do you think?" Lithuana asked without looking at them.
The old man, Livirn, answered in a puzzled tone, "We can't judge him. When we tried to look deeper into him… all our senses disappeared. As if our eyes, hearing, even our souls… were erased for a moment."
The old woman, Alya, continued, "This is the first time we've met someone like him. Even when we looked upon the Goddess Lyoid or the Dragon King, we never felt anything this strange."
Both were Lithuana's grandparents, guardians of the Dracosta Academy. Even they, known as living legends, couldn't read Exafanos' existence.
Meanwhile, outside, Bella and Exafanos were walking through the vast and magnificent academy corridors. The walls were adorned with ancient paintings, relics, and magical emblems from various eras. They passed by a massive library, an alchemy lab, a duel hall, and a spiritual garden where students meditated.
Bella explained each one in detail. Exafanos didn't say much. He only nodded slightly each time Bella finished speaking.
Suddenly, a loud cheer echoed from the main duel hall. They approached.
A large crowd of students had gathered, watching an intense fight between two students: a swordsman radiating strong cultivator aura and a young mage in a dark blue robe. They fought fiercely, exchanging blows with impressive techniques.
Bella turned to Exafanos and asked softly, "Who do you think will win?"
Exafanos stared at the battlefield for a moment, then calmly answered, "The mage."
Soon after, Exafanos' prediction came true. The mage ended the duel with a massive fireball thrown directly at his opponent. The swordsman was thrown back and declared defeated.
Bella shook her head and smiled. "You were right again. I thought the swordsman would win, but I was wrong."
Match after match continued. This time, a cultivator faced off against a mage specializing in wind magic.
Their battle was intense, evenly matched at first. But in the end, the cultivator won with a crushing blow that shattered his opponent's magical defense.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Some students even secretly placed bets, comparing the results of their guesses.
Exafanos simply stood there, observing. He didn't clap, didn't cheer, didn't look surprised. To him, it was like watching a battle he had already seen thousands of times before.
He understood the battlefield better than anyone else there.
Bella, standing beside him, could only sigh. She knew—tomorrow would mark the beginning of something interesting, not only for the students of Class D, but for the entire Dracosta Academy.
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To be continued...