Chapter11 - The Past

Although Lou Brandell was hired as a temporary teacher…

He knew nothing about the school or what he was supposed to do as a teacher, so he received various lectures from the Chairman, Count Adelaide Dumer.

Luckily, it was the middle of March and the spring break had just started…

It was fortunate that the school was closed until the end of March.

“Lou, may I? First of all, let me give you an overview of the school, how it is organized and what we do…”

Adelaide explained solemnly.

The school has grades one through three, with three classes each, and the number of students enrolled per class was around thirty.

The organization was headed by Adelaide, the Chairman, Fran, the acting principal, the Arlv deputy head teacher, an experienced head teacher, and seven senior teachers.

There was also a new teacher who would be taking up her post in April this year; three administrative staff members; a student dormitory dean; and sixteen others; plus Lou, the temporary teachery.

Incidentally, one of the senior teachers was a veteran teacher who would be retiring next March, but he was the only male, and the rest were all women.

The teachers were in charge of their classes, and each taught a specialized subject.

The fundamental courses of magical studies were divided Ⅰ to Ⅲ. The lower the number, the more basic the content.

Speaking of specialized departments, there were a wide range of subjects such as magic attack, magic defense, magic tool research, advanced summoning techniques, alchemy, and divination.

The staff, including teachers, arrived at work at 7:45 am.

After a 30-minute staff meeting at 8:00 a.m. classes begin at 9:00 every morning.

Also, students were supposed to be at school by 8:30 am.

There were three classes of 45 minutes each, three in the morning and two in the afternoon, with the class ending at 2:45 pm.

By 3:30 p.m., most students who didn’t belong to any club activities would leave the school.

The staff would leave work at 4:30 p.m., unless they were in charge of athletic or cultural clubs or have any remaining duties.

“I think we’re done here. I’ll also give you a copy of the school’s staff handbook, which contains everything I’ve just explained.”

Adelaide handed Lou a booklet with a green cover.

Lou took the booklet and carefully put it in his storage bracelet.

“Next, let me tell you about the department you’ll be teaching.”

The textbooks for the Fundamental Magical Courses I to the specialized courses that Adelaide had just explained were laid out on the table.

“All the magic in the textbooks we use at the school is based on magic formulas, can you understand them?”

Earlier, it was Lou who briefly reproduced Fran’s spying magic.

His answer was almost predictable to Adelaide.

Sure enough.

“Yeah, I think if I look at the magic formula and activate it once, I can almost do the rest without chanting.”

Adelaide smiled at Lou’s ready answer.

Just as she thought, her fears were unfounded.

“Heh-heh, you seem to be okay with magic in general. Then the question is how to teach, expressly, how to teach the class. But this varies from teacher to teacher.”

According to Adelaide, teachers taught classes in a variety of ways.

There was no set method: some teach diligently, some teach rigorously, and some use witty banter.

“Don’t think too much about it. You’ve made Fran so relaxed and motivated, so I think you’d be fine just being yourself.”

Adelaide smiled at him.

“Uhm, Fran?”

Lou asked Adelaide with a puzzled look.

His question made Adelaide’s eyes grow a little distant.

“That girl had a fiancé. Twelve years ago, when Fran was 10, I decided to marry her off…”

It was said that the nobles of the Valentine Kingdom could marry early if they have a good match.

As the daughter of a Countess, Fran was no exception.

“They were eight years apart…He was the second son of Count Saru.”

Adelaide’s story continued.

An 18 year old man and a 10 year old girl… something like hadn’t really clicked with Lou.

“After they got engaged, he often came to the house to visit. He took good care of Fran when she was just a child, and she loved him very much. But you know…that fateful day arrived.”

That fateful day?　

What the heck is that?

Lou waited for Adelaide to tell him.

“Ten years ago, when she was 12 years old, the Great Destruction suddenly struck. If you’ve been in the Village of Arlv, you might have heard it called by a different name.”

The Great Destruction?

The Great Destruction …, as he recalled, was called “The Wrath of God” in the Village of Arlv.

In concrete terms, it was a catastrophe that would strike suddenly and without reason.

It could be a violent storm that could knock down solid buildings, an invasion by an overpowering dragon, or a massive outbreak of destructive demons.

“On that day, a horde of Wyverns, a ferocious bipedal winged dragon, attacked the Royal City of St. Helena.”

Back then, Fran’s fiancé was a young knight in his second year with the Royal Knights.

He went out of his way to visit Fran’s house to reassure her before going into battle, and promised to protect her.

At the end of the fierce battle, thanks to the efforts of the Royal Army of Valentine including the Royal Knights, the bipedal dragon Wyverns were somehow defeated and the “promise” was fulfilled.

However…Fran’s fiancé never came back to her…

He died in battle when his body was torn to pieces by a bipedal wyvern.

Since that day…

The bright and cheerful Fran changed.

She kept her emotions bottled up inside and just devoted herself to her studies of magic.

Consequently, she went from the Valentine Magical Girl’s Academy to the University of Magic, and like her mother, graduated in two years instead of four, then returned to her alma mater as a teacher.

She could have continued her research at the university, but…

She wanted to return to her alma mater, the Magical Girls’ Academy, and her desire to do so was respected.

Her reason for this move was still unknown to this day, as Fran has never revealed it.

Adelaide sighed heavily for some reason.

“As my daughter, she is at the school as an acting principal and a teacher…but her reputation isn’t good. She’s inept at teaching, and her vibe in her class is so dark.”

“…”

Lou found it unbelievable.

That bright Fran…was so gloomy?

Adelaide smiled at Lou, who fell silent without replying.

“Although I’ve been called a magic geek, I’m still a human parent…I’m worried about my daughter, Fran. But then. you came along.”

“I…”

“Yeah! I don’t have the gift of Foresight Magic. But…I’ve got pretty good instincts and a strong pull.”

“…”

“Listen, Lou! You must be the person we, mother and daughter, and the academy have been waiting for, I’m sure of it!”

Lou had been listening seriously the whole time…

But the moment Adelaide said they’d been waiting for him…he bowed deeply.