Chapter 93 : Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Even as Eddie sat down next to Marcel and opened his textbook, the classroom couldn't escape the silence.

But soon, whispers began to be heard from a place far away from the two.

Mumble-mumble-mumble-

The whispers soon became a buzzing noise that filled the classroom.

“Looks like he’s all better now. His injuries looked really bad back then, but he seems fine now?”

“The dean must have taken great care of him. The support for that guy from the commoners is no joke right now.”

“Will he really betray the Kirhausens? Sitting next to Marcel seems to mean he’ll continue as the tail, doesn't it?”

“He’s just sitting there for now because of public perception. How could he ignore Marcel right away?”

“But it is a bit funny. A tail more famous than the young master. The Kirhausen family's reputation must be in tatters.”

The whispering words, along with the gazes, stuck to the backs of their heads.

For Eddie, these were reactions he had already expected and was used to.

So he paid them no mind and focused on preparing for class.

And Marcel was no different in acting unfazed.

Marcel’s reaction to Eddie sitting next to him was just a short stare of about five seconds.

A brief flash of surprise crossed his face, but it wasn't enough for the other students to notice.

Even when Eddie naturally opened his textbook and prepared for class.

Even when countless gazes and words swarmed like a hive of bees.

Marcel just kept his eyes fixed on the textbook he was reading with a blank expression.

‘As expected. It seems he’s been preparing himself mentally.’

At Marcel’s composure, Eddie smiled faintly with satisfaction.

Whatever else, this was one of Marcel's qualities that Eddie highly valued.

If Marcel had shown any sign of being flustered or bothered by Eddie’s actions here, it would only fuel the rumors.

Acting as if nothing was wrong, as usual, was the best course of action for himself and his family.

Of course, Marcel’s mind must be in turmoil.

One could tell by the fact that he hadn't turned a single page of his textbook since Eddie appeared.

‘Still, for now, he has the dignity befitting his station. Unlike someone else.’

That ‘someone else’ was, of course, Alexein, who had been staring daggers at the side of Eddie’s head from the beginning.

Alexein kept looking back and forth between Eddie and Marcel with an expression of interest.

Then, he soon twisted one corner of his mouth into a smirk.

He, too, was surprised by Eddie’s sudden appearance.

But what was important to him now was not Eddie’s appearance, but Marcel’s pathetic state as a result of it.

He, too, heard the whispers of those looking at Eddie and Marcel.

As expected, public opinion was forming in a way that subtly ridiculed the Kirhausens by comparing the two.

This was why Alexein, while being wary of Eddie, had secretly been waiting for his return.

Of course, he knew.

The one to be warier of now was not Marcel, but Eddie.

Eddie had now become the hope of the commoner magicians.

There were already movements of people gathering around him.

And this was the thing to be most wary of as a member of the magical elite.

But for Alexein, that wariness was not immediately palpable.

More than that, the feeling of triumph he felt for the first time in a long while was stronger.

How could he suppress his laughter when Marcel Kirhausen, who had always ignored him, was now being made a fool of?

Alexein snorted once more and turned his head away from the two Kirhausens.

And next to Alexein, Hendricks was sweating profusely.

‘Don’t look. Don’t look. Absolutely do not look.’

Hendricks was desperately trying to hold back his gaze, which kept wanting to turn towards Eddie.

Before sitting next to Marcel, Eddie had cast a glance at Hendricks.

The moment their eyes met, Hendricks' whole body froze, and he quickly turned his head away.

Fortunately, in the brief moment he saw Eddie's eyes, there was no particular threat.

But Hendricks was already afraid of Eddie.

The fact that he knew his identity but kept it a secret at the scene until the end.

The fact that he sent a note long before his return, revealing that he had already recovered.

The fact that he turned out to be the owner of such immense mana.

All of it was terrifying because he couldn't discern his intentions.

There was only one thing Hendricks wished for right now.

For Eddie not to show any interest in him.

‘Now that he’s a celebrity, he probably won’t have time to care about a small-fry druid like me, right?’

Thinking so, Hendricks turned his head ever so slightly and stole a glance at Eddie.

Fortunately, Eddie was looking at his textbook, not at him.

And although he hadn't been able to see properly before because he had turned his head away in a hurry, he seemed to be in good physical condition.

‘Thank goodness… he was treated well.’

Though Eddie was terrifying, he was genuinely relieved that he had recovered safely.

‘Hmm.’

Meanwhile, Eddie was grasping public opinion by mulling over each of the reactions towards him.

Most of the reactions were as expected.

But there was just one unexpected reaction.

It was the reaction of the commoner students.

The first people whose eyes met his when he entered were the commoner students sitting at the back of the classroom.

The moment they saw Eddie, their eyes widened.

Their gazes were soon filled with reverence and goodwill.

‘It must be because I’ve become the hope of the commoner magicians.’

Up to this point, it wasn't surprising, but the reaction that followed was unexpected.

Even now, quite some time after Eddie had taken his seat,

not a single whisper about Eddie had come from among the commoner students.

They were desperately holding back their reactions towards Eddie.

‘Was I mistaken?’

Eddie shifted his body slightly as if to adjust his posture.

As he did, he glanced towards the back, and just as he thought.

Ten pairs of sparkling eyes were directed at him.

And in the middle of them, a pair of resolute red eyes was looking at him.

Eddie finally realized what was going on.

‘You kept the commoner students’ reactions in check beforehand, Joy.’

Turning his head back to the front, Eddie gave a heartfelt smile.

He was proud of Joy for grasping such a deep and subtle detail and taking action first.

In fact, he had been worried that the commoner students’ reactions might be excessive.

Thanks to Joy's efforts, the atmosphere of ostracizing commoners had only just begun to fade slightly.

If the commoners showed an overly positive reaction towards him here, the upper class' animosity towards the commoner students would only worsen again.

But Joy, without being taught, had predicted that part and acted first.

Eddie felt a surge of pride and his spirits lifted slightly.

‘Joy now has a decent eye for situations.’

Just as he was smiling with pride.

Slam-

The classroom door opened, and the elder professor in charge of the first class entered.

He was heading to the podium when he saw Eddie and flinched in surprise.

“A… ahem!”

But he soon cleared his throat and ascended the podium.

Seeing this, Eddie felt a little sorry for the other students.

They would have to endure a suffocatingly uncomfortable atmosphere for the next three classes.

.

.

.

The reactions of the three elder professors upon seeing Eddie were truly astonishing.

Astonishingly, they were exactly as he had predicted.

The first professor began by asking Eddie about his health and whether he had fully recovered.

Then he added a pointed remark, “For someone who was bedridden for so long, you look quite energetic now.”

The second professor who came in deliberately called Eddie’s name last during roll call.

Then he looked at Eddie and said, “I was momentarily confused because a student who has been absent continuously is suddenly present.”

Eddie knew well that this was an expression of dissatisfaction towards Leodimir, who had protected and then sent Eddie out.

How pathetic.

The third professor was even more of a spectacle than the other two.

During the theory lecture, he deliberately chose a difficult concept and asked Eddie if he knew it.

But Eddie did not back down and gave an excellent answer based on the knowledge from his past life.

There was no reason to be polite anymore, and this level of provocation could now be openly challenged without consequence.

“Ahem… a correct answer. It seems the teachings you received after entering a fine family have paid off.”

To the elder professor who, despite being flustered, continued the battle of wills until the end, Eddie smiled slyly.

‘He’s probably doing that thinking he’s getting on Marcel’s good side.’

But the elder professor had no idea.

The more he acted for the sake of the Kirhausens, the more Marcel’s displeasure grew.

.

.

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“Haaaah- I’m dead. So tired.”

“How am I supposed to listen to class when all my energy is being drained?”

“I don’t even have the strength to eat lunch……”

Most of the first-year students were exhausted after the morning classes.

The atmosphere in the classroom had been like walking on thin ice throughout the three periods due to the battle of wills between the elder professors and Eddie.

Having been caught in the crossfire for a full four and a half hours, the first-year students were wiped out and spent their lunch break listlessly.

Most of them complained about the ‘elder professors who started a battle of wills with a single student’.

Of course, there were not a few glares directed at Eddie, as if to say, ‘What trouble we’re in because of him.’

Eddie understood it all, so he simply endured it.

During lunch, Eddie once again received tremendous attention.

The gazes that usually focused on Marcel walking ahead.

Now their numbers had doubled, and they were focused solely on Eddie, not Marcel.

Even while eating under so many gazes, Marcel’s expression did not falter.

But Eddie noticed that he left more food than usual.

The afternoon classes that followed lunch break.

The two practical classes taught by commoner professors were much better than the previous theory classes.

At least the spectacle of a professor engaging in a battle of wills with a single student did not occur.

Unlike the three elder professors, the two commoner professors treated Eddie as usual.

Fred corrected Eddie’s Launching posture and, pointing out his overly fast calculations, advised, ‘Still, try to calculate a little more carefully.’

Seeing Fred, the other students burst into hollow laughter.

Everyone knew that Eddie’s level already surpassed that of most elder professors.

How absurd and ridiculous must Eddie find the correction from a professor whose skills were below his own?

But Eddie.

“Understood, professor. Thank you for your guidance.”

He politely accepted Fred’s correction and even expressed his gratitude.

At that sight, the mouths of the students who had been snickering and mocking Fred immediately snapped shut.

If Fred treated Eddie ‘as usual’, Powell went a step further and treated him even more strictly.

“Your attendance score has been greatly reduced due to numerous absences. You’ll have to prepare diligently for the midterms to make up for it.”

Powell warned in a rather stern voice.

That was all he said to Eddie during the class.

Everyone knew that the midterm score meant nothing to Eddie, but Powell didn't care.

No matter how great and famous Eddie was, he was still an academy student, and it was his duty as a professor to remind him of his student responsibilities.

And Eddie, in his heart, was very pleased with Powell’s upright attitude.

* * *

After the afternoon classes ended, in the first-year lounge.

The students, who had spent a particularly draining day, were sprawled out here and there in the lounge.

As if they didn't even have the energy to talk about Eddie, the students were just limply resting.

They were tired, but also quite annoyed.

And half of that annoyance was directed at Eddie, but the other half was also directed at the elder professors who ‘unnecessarily provoked Eddie’.

But since they knew the elder professors had done it to get on Marcel’s good side, they couldn’t show it.

Everyone just watched Marcel, who had just entered the lounge.

“Hah……”

Letting out a small sigh, Marcel quickly passed through the lounge and went up to the dormitory.

Then, Eddie followed behind Marcel and left the lounge.

As soon as the two left, the sound of murmuring could be heard from below the stairs.

The students finally began to talk freely about Eddie and Marcel.

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.

.

Even after going up to the room, Marcel did not speak to Eddie.

Eddie, too, silently organized his belongings.

Then, he asked Marcel.

“Young Master, may I go out for a while tonight and come back?”

It was the first time he had spoken to Marcel since returning to the academy.

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