Chapter 149

Observing the lively students engaged in playful interaction with Davi, who was gracefully leaping through the air, Lennok wore a faint smile.

The ambiance had relaxed to a degree that might raise questions, yet it remained within acceptable bounds.

At the very least, this would greatly contribute to enhancing the reputation of Evan Vylun, the assistant professor.

Although he found himself in a somewhat uncomfortable situation, it was not beyond tolerance.

While pondering these thoughts and infusing Davi’s form with the much-needed mana, Priscilla approached him.Thê source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

“Do you want to touch it together?”

In reality, the sensation of touching a spirit may not be as tangible as one might imagine, but it is not entirely devoid of tactile perception either.

However, Davi isn’t truly a spirit from a spiritual dimension. It’s more of a cerebral spirit, born from the fusion of AI modules and incantations, resulting in a physicality less substantial compared to other spirits.

For a moment, Priscilla wore a hesitant expression, but she swiftly regained her composure and shook her head.

“It’s fine. Just looking is enough.”

“...”

“Seeing a spirit up close for the first time, it moves like this when you breathe life into a mass of mana.”

“Is it a different feeling than seeing it in books?”

In response to Lennok’s inquiry, Priscilla promptly concurred.

Just as it is rare to find a wizard among ordinary people, it is exceptionally unusual to encounter a spirit wizard among wizards.

Even Aris, who serves as a university professor affiliated with Sinclair Tower, had seldom encountered a spirit wizard, let alone most others.

The reason Aris chose to introduce Davi to the students in this manner likely stemmed from her assessment that the positive impact would be significant.

Indeed, Lennok was effortlessly blending in with Aris’ students through Davi.

The distance that would typically take considerable time to bridge seemed to melt away, even visible to Lennok’s eyes.

Simply having a common topic made conversation flow easily.

Priscilla and the other students were also conversing with Lennok much more comfortably than before.

Perhaps the sudden curiosity about him, who had joined Aris’ research team without prior connections, also played a role.

It was not surprising.

“If you had revealed earlier that you could handle such a cute spirit, unnecessary rumors could have been reduced.”

“It was difficult to disclose easily.”

Lennok deftly navigated the conversation.

“Given that spirit wizards are so rare, even the professor had a hard time deciding whether revealing this to the students would be helpful.”

“Well, if you invest most of your mana in spirit magic, I can understand why your own mana seems so faint.”

“I thought it was right to act rationally, even if it meant accepting such rumors.”

Indeed, as soon as it became known that Evan was a spirit wizard, many of the subtle glances directed at him significantly diminished.

The reasons for Aris suddenly recruiting an external researcher and the various circumstances surrounding not clearly revealing his talents were all clarified through the presence of the spirit.

Although unintentional, everything fell into place for Lennok and Aris, but it would be unwise not to actively utilize this.

Priscilla’s attitude, now that she understood what had transpired, offered a glimpse into how the other students might view the assistant professor named Evan.

“Evan.”

In the blink of an eye, the break time elapsed, and Aris, who had re-entered the lecture hall, summoned Lennok outside.

Handing the pen she had been holding to Lennok, who stepped outside with Davi in his arms, she spoke.

“I need to attend an urgent meeting with the professors.”

“Eh?”

“For some urgent matter, please look after the students for the remaining time and send them off when it’s time.”

After stating this briefly, she returned to the lecture hall, explained the situation to the students, and then swiftly departed, wearing her pristine white blazer.

“........”

Lennok watched her retreating figure as she hurried away, releasing a brief sigh.

“Come to think of it, there was something I wanted to ask.”

A multicolored gemstone obtained from the battle with the expedition team.

It was one of the components that composed the ‘Compassion of Archangel’, but thus far, no significant progress had been made.

The circumstances were not conducive to taking preemptive action when information was scarce and data collection with Sebastian was time-consuming.

He had visited the university primarily to consult resources in the university library, but unexpectedly, his to-do list had expanded.

“We want to see mana used by elementals!”

The topic sparked immediate enthusiasm among the students.

Since the students had limited opportunities to directly witness elementals, they seemed quite eager.

It wasn’t a particularly demanding task.

Considering that Davi already manifested as an electric fox, Lennok only had to demonstrate some electrical magic while mimicking Davi’s actions.

Objectively speaking, none of the wizards present would have the sensitivity to discern Lennok’s techniques.

Given the topic at hand, it made sense to showcase what needed to be shown.

With this in mind, Lennok was about to summon Davi and channel his mana when suddenly,

Thump.

Someone stepped forward and stood in front of the podium.

This individual had a practical, short haircut, a physique brimming with abundant mana, and a mature appearance that hardly resembled that of a typical student, despite the university emblem loosely attached to their clothing.

His name, it seemed, was Roden Bailey.

“What is it?”

“If you’re going to show elemental magic, wouldn’t it be better to have an opponent?””

Roden remarked, a smirk replacing his earlier curt demeanor.

“I want to experience elemental magic firsthand.

“.........”

Lennok shifted his gaze slightly, skeptical of the overt intention behind Roden’s words.

He nonchalantly crossed his arms and gestured toward the outdoors.

His forearms appeared unexpectedly robust as they protruded from the raised edge of his shirt. His physique seemed more akin to that of a warrior who had honed himself through physical training rather than that of a typical wizard.

“There’s a training ground right in front of the lecture building; it seems like the perfect place for the assistant professor to demonstrate commanding an elemental.”

While the words retained a veneer of politeness, Lennok wasn’t naive enough to overlook their underlying intent. Roden was clearly provoking an unnecessary confrontation, using elemental magic as bait.

‘Why?’

Instead of responding with anger or derision, Lennok attempted to decipher the motive behind Roden’s actions.

It didn’t quite add up for him to pick a fight at this juncture; there was little to gain from it.

If this had been during the period when he had just assumed the role of an assistant professor and unwittingly harbored resentment, it might have been a different story. However, he had since fostered positive relationships with the undergraduates and built a favorable impression, largely thanks to Davi’s charm. Thus, it was challenging to elicit a negative response from those around him.

To be precise, this was a purely emotional judgment, and, from a rational perspective, there was little to be gained for Roden.

“Bailey, the lecture isn’t over yet.”

Sensing an unusual tension, Priscilla tersely interjected as she descended from the podium.

“You think you can roam around just because Professor Richellen is not here?”

“Priscilla...”

Uncertain about the unfolding situation, Roden stammered, avoiding Priscilla’s gaze and muttering.

“Ah, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“What did you say?”

“I, I just wanted to build a rapport with the assistant professor. The assistant professor will make the decision... you just watch from the side.”

“You call that a statement...?”

Priscilla approached Roden with a disbelieving expression, but Roden turned his head away, adopting an entirely different demeanor from before.

A subtle reaction, markedly distinct from his interaction with Lennok.

While Priscilla appeared increasingly incensed by his stiffness, Lennok perceived something entirely different.

The awkward demeanor, the failure to establish proper eye contact, the rigid tone of speech.

And even his ears, inexplicably flushed a bright crimson.

It was at that moment that Lennok grasped the answer, wearing a wistful smile.

‘Is this it...?’

He had forgotten, having operated in the shadows for so long.

What was the point of rationality and logic in a university filled with young adolescents?

It was an age when one inevitably succumbed to irrationality when confronted with a crush.

Even Lennok himself felt his limbs curling inward as he witnessed such a tender scene after such a long time.

Of course, Priscilla, who faced Roden, displayed no such demeanor at all.