“Excuse me, professor! You haven’t told us where our Specialized Courses will be held! It starts shortly!”
A smile formed on my face, feeling a little proud of Edward’s confidence since it seemed like no one had any intention of saying anything if our Lecturer didn’t speak of the matter.
Upon hearing Edward’s question, Neron paused in his exit and made a rather awkward stance—like he was stuck in his motion for the door.
He stood upright and gave his usually laid-back smile. His eyes showed every hint of seriousness though, looking at everyone who sat before him—with the exception of Edward who remained ok his feet.
“Ah, I guess I forgot to tell you… there is no other hall for learning Main Courses apart from this one… there’s also no provisional lecture for your respective Specialized Courses…”
Nearly everyone let out “WHAT?!” out of their mouths, but quickly cautioned themselves since they were in the presence of an esteemed professor—if the young man before us could really be called that.
“W-what do you mean, sir? I don’t quite understand…” Edward’s voice trailed.
His initial confidence had somehow vanished as he stuttered while speaking. A bead of sweat dripped from his face and I could sense the unease he was experiencing from my distance.
“Yeah, I don’t blame you guys. You were never told, uh?” Neron muttered in a sigh.
“Lower-Class students have Electives in provisional halls and are taught by assistant lecturers. However, for Main Courses, only this Lecture Hall has been provided. Also, due to the shortage of staff, I will be the only one taking the main Courses for all departments.”
The more he explained, the less I understood. Everyone was equally dumbfounded, except the man who dropped this bombshell on us. What he was basically reporting to us was that our hopes of quality management and an orderly academic session were merely a fantasy.
‘He’ll be the one teaching all the Main Courses—General and Specialized. This Lecture Hall will be used for all of them. There is no other staff around and the ones who even teach us Electives are mere Assistant Lecturers…’
There was only one word that popped into my head after analyzing the silly excuses our Lecturer gave.
“Bullshit!”
My words pierced the uneasy silence that had permeated the room and everyone stared at me instantly. Shock was written all over their faces as if I had just defied common sense by speaking out of turn, especially uttering a crass word to such a degree.
I didn’t care, though.
Rising to my feet, while resting my gaze—no, glare— on Neron Kaelid, I opened my lips to register the burning inquisition in my mind to him and everyone in the room.
“Why are we being taught this way?!”
Anger was evident in my tone, and I was sure I had just acted disrespectful, but I didn’t care. In the first place, it was this Academy that disrespected me, rather, us first.
Neron’s gaze was still cold as usual, but he did turn in my direction.
“This Academy is renowned as the best of the best, yet you’re telling me they are short on staff and halls meant for Lectures? What kind of excuse is that? Besides, I have been noticing your methods of teaching and the topics you border on… they are too basic!”
I was in an uncontrollable stride, and while many students gritted their teeth and gave me astounded expressions of fear and disbelief, I kept my mouth moving.
“Frankly speaking, this is all underwhelming. If this is what Ainzlark, the greatest Academy in the Kingdom is like… I wonder if it truly is the best!”
My sneer seemed to have lit a spark in our Lecturer’s eyes, just as I wanted. He seemed a little dissatisfied, no, angry at my words and I expected it. I didn’t intend to apologize, though. If this man had any sense, he wouldn’t expect me to either.
‘After going so far and training so hard to reach this stage… why would this Academy resort to such careless and whimsical teaching standards?’
As someone who once attended this Academy and even taught within it, it was a disgrace to meet it in such a state. I already knew what the problem was, but I wanted Neron Kaelid to give me his answer!
“Why are you being taught this way, uh? I wonder…”
Neron’s voice trailed coldly as the spark in his eyes died back. This made me even more furious
He must have already known the point I was driving at. This arrangement must have also been hard on him since he was the one who would teach all departments—something so exhausting…
Why then? Why was he being so calm and nonchalant? Despite his knowledge concerning the reason we were reduced to such a state based on our Lower-Class status. Neron showed absolutely no emotion and kept his cool.
‘This guy is…’ I gritted my teeth ad glared at him.
He returned my expression with a cool and collected face. However, the moment our eyes met, I realized that my annoyance was misplaced.
‘Ah, I see…’
This man wasn’t being too nonchalant. I was the one being too fired-up. Despite my criticisms of Edward, I nearly acted in the same way. There was nothing I could do in this matter, and the same probably applied to him.
That was why he remained composed and decided not to pointlessly fight a losing battle, at least until an opportunity arrived. For someone like me who thought of everything rationally, I had messed up on this one.
My enraged face softened up and I loosened the tension that permeated my body.
“Huu… I understand.”
Returning to my seat as abruptly as I stood from it, my usual demeanor resumed and I smiled softly.
I was being a brat—an immature little kid—just now. If I was angry at the system, if I was dissatisfied with our treatment, if I wanted something better, yelling at our Lecturer wasn’t going to solve it.
‘I’m done whining…’