Chapter 16: Why accept such a position?

Rumi stared at him puzzled by his words. "I–"

"I apologize for asking abruptly," Tenji said as he took a step back.

Looking at the Artiquem, he gave a smile. "Could you please flip one of its pages?"

Asahi got to his feet in a rush, "professor Tenji isn't that a little too much? We don't even know what that spellbook could do!"

Nodding his head, he turned towards Asahi and smiled, "you are right."

Rumi masked her nervousness with a chuckle.

Regular spellbooks had never glowed except it contained hidden secrets that were in the possession of archmagus who had lived for over a century.

"Are you by chance an archmagus who hides among us lowly trainers?" Rumi cut in timidly, feeling intimidated by such status for a young professor.

'Archmagus like grandfather? This must be a joke?' Tenji thought and let out a laugh.

Rumi frowned and her lips upturned at his response. "You're not?"

Tenji shook his head in denial, "you underrated me, but it's fine as I take no pleasure in status like the rest."

'He takes no pleasure in status like the rest?' Asahi tilted his head in confusion.

"How could we possibly trust a mysterious person like you?" Asahi challenged as he glared daggers at Tenji.

"I mean no harm," Tenji revealed as he circled Rumi.

"What I seek to achieve can not be done alone. The sooner I begin to groom every single one of you, the more effective the outcome would be." He completed and made a stop with his hands behind him and eyes locked on Rumi.

Rumi held his gaze, "what do you mean by that?"

"As you learn and adapt under my tutelage, more responsibility comes with this mysterious professor." Tenji pointed to himself with a smile.

He had wished to dish out the truth so readily, but without their trust, it would be impossible to believe nor work with him.

Deactivating the emerald stream of particles that surrounded her, he offered his hand to Rumi, "all I need to know is if there is a part of you willing to trust me."

'Trust you...' The words echoed in her head as she gave it some thought.

Reaching out for Rumi's hand before she could get to Tenji, Asahi pulled it down and stood in between. "We might trust you, maybe if you begin by explaining why you decided to stay in Erīto even though you turn down every female that has ever tried approaching you. Don't you find it repulsive to continue like this?"

Rumi's lips quivered as she was reminded that she was part of the numerous people rejected. Her head hung low in self-despair and guilt.

Asahi needed Rumi to understand the sort of man she had shown interest in. He guessed that he had ulterior motives for joining the academy.

'Are you trying to trap me with your words?' Tenji shoved his hands into his pocket and leaned on the wall with a smirk on his face.

Asahi had suddenly caught his interest and he was ready to satisfy a bit of his curiosity if it meant he clears his name off the stigma the rest had of him.

"I did find it repulsive at first..."

Rumi's eyes blurred with tears once more as she heard him explain. She had expected him to be aloof as he had always been to questions and was stunned he had even attempted to answer Asahi.

"... But I have learned to endure the attention and focus on what's important." He replied blatantly with a stoic expression.

'Damn you Asahi, why the heck would you ask such a question?!' Rumi clenched her teeth in suppressed rage.

Asahi looked pleased with the answer and turned to Rumi to make known his point after Tenji's reply.

Jumping back in shock, he could see her seething off with dark energy directly aimed at him. "What's going on with your face?!"

Seeing her eyes darkened with suppressed rage, he began to regret bringing up such a sensitive topic.

"Nevertheless, I have met some who have made my stay a lot bearable and my survival game a lot easier." Tenji let out a light chuckle as the thought of a significant figure crossed his mind.

Rumi's mood doused instantly and was replaced with curiosity. "Professor Tenji, why do you think headmistress Maiyu accepted you into our academy?"

Tenji's smile wavered as he had also given it a thought on why Erīto academy had been different from the other academies.

"Females tend to have a great affinity in leveling up faster in your grade score up until a certain age then the males pick up their pace. Much like puberty..."

Asahi coughed out at the mention of the latter.

"Would you stop interrupting, stupid!" Rumi smacked him on the head in irritation.

Asahi rubbed the back of his head and muttered incoherent curses at her for what she had done.

Rumi smacked his head once more as soon as she caught up with the face he made at her, "you should count yourself lucky you aren't in the northern region in the blink of an eye."

Tenji paused and watched the bicker for a brief while. "Would you two cut this out?"

They carried on still as though he wasn't present.

"Ahem!" He cleared his throat several times until he was certain he had their attention.

"Professor Tenji, you might continue please." Rumi batted her lashes.

"Erīto academy is no exception when it aims to pick out the best sorceress who had made a breakthrough at a young age, but the most important criteria of all are the willingness to teach, not all would want such a troublesome, tasking, and low-key profession such as the one we do."

Rumi nodded her head at her partial understanding of the subject. "So what you are trying to say is our academy board of sorcery took it upon themselves to hire professors, especially those who had made a breakthrough earlier, who were also willing to do the job and the female professors fell into that category?"

"That is correct." Tenji nodded in agreement.

"Then why did you accept such a position here?" Rumi questioned, placing her index finger on the corner of her lips as she thought hard about the answer.

*****

A/N

I would really appreciate your comments and support of this novel with your power stones. Your active comments would motivate me to write more chapters.

¶ What do you think is the reason he had stayed in the academy?

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