Volume 1
Prologue: Why I, a Jobless Freeloader, Became a Part-Time Magic Instructor
It was a scene from an ordinary early morning.
“Y’know, I’ve been thinking,” the man—Glenn—said, his expression as serene as a saint who’d attained enlightenment after years of ascetic training. “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced: working is for losers.”
Propping his cheek lazily on one hand, he cast a gentle gaze across the table toward the refined woman seated opposite him.
“Thanks to you, I’m still kicking. Honestly, I’m so glad you’re around.”
The woman, receiving Glenn’s gaze, elegantly uncrossed and recrossed her legs. Tilting her teacup with poise, she replied, “Hmph. Is that so? Then drop dead, you leech.”
Her delicate features bloomed with a charming smile as she casually spat venom.
“Hahaha! Man, Celica, you’re harsh!” Glenn laughed it off breezily, then thrust his empty soup bowl right under her nose. “Oh, seconds, please!”
“You’re refreshingly shameless,” Celica remarked, her smile lingering as if she were gazing at some distant, unattainable ideal.
“Normally, a freeloader who doesn’t lift a finger would show a bit more humility.”
“Eh, today’s food was a tad too salty, don’tcha think? I prefer something lighter.”
“And to top it off, you’ve got critiques. I’m impressed.”
Celica’s smile held for a moment longer—then—
“《Well・just・explode》”
She abruptly intoned a peculiar three-phrase incantation in runic.
In that instant, a deafening blast roared through the room, and a crimson shockwave filled Glenn’s vision. The spell Celica had invoked unleashed a magical explosion that sent him flying without mercy. The luxurious dining hall, adorned with expensive furnishings, was reduced to a pitiful half-ruined state in a single moment.
“Y-You idiot! Are you trying to kill me?!” Glenn, now charred black and coughing violently on the floor, bellowed in protest.
“Kill you? No, no. Disposing of trash is called cleaning, Glenn,” Celica replied, her tone as gentle as a mother patiently correcting a child’s mistake.
“Don’t say awful things like you’re some saintly mom! At least treat me like a human being!”
Celica let out a weary sigh, her shoulders slumping at Glenn’s unrelenting mouthiness.
In stark contrast to Glenn, who exuded the aura of a societal loser, Celica was the epitome of transcendent beauty. She appeared to be in her early twenties. Her luxurious golden hair blazed like wheat fields at twilight, and her crimson eyes evoked fresh blood. Her features were so breathtakingly perfect up close that they could send a shiver down one’s spine, exuding a faint, bewitching allure that felt almost demonic. Her slender limbs and curvaceous figure were flawlessly proportioned, like a model sculpted for an artist’s canvas. She wore a long, black dress-robe that radiated modesty, yet the open neckline and belted waist accentuated her figure with an almost excessive sensuality.
Her striking, glamorous appearance was matched by an overwhelming presence that allowed her to carry such an outfit with ease. Celica was a woman who seemed detached from the mundane world. Yet, the dignity she exuded was that of a proud, noble aristocrat. She was the mistress of this grand, mountain-like mansion, while Glenn was nothing more than a freeloader. The chasm between their social standings was painfully obvious to anyone with eyes.
“By the way, Glenn…” Celica fixed him with her crimson gaze, looking down at him directly. “Isn’t it about time you started looking for a job?”
Glenn, who’d been struggling to his feet, froze for a moment.
“It’s been a year since you quit your last job and started mooching off me. Every single day, you eat, sleep, eat, sleep, and do nothing but laze around. It’s a waste of your life, don’t you think?”
Her words were laced with a sigh, but Glenn puffed out his chest with unshakable confidence.
“No worries! I love the me I am now. Compared to the old me, slowly dying as a cog in society’s machine, the current me is way more radiant!”
“How do you even compare them to conclude that being a jobless mooch is more radiant? Just die already, I’m begging you.”
Celica could only gape in exasperation as Glenn flashed a dazzling smile and even gave her a thumbs-up.
“Gods, you’re unbelievable…” she muttered. “Don’t you feel even a shred of guilt for making me, your old friend, take care of you like this?”
“Pfft, don’t be so formal! You and I have a tight bond, right?”
“《Thus shall it return to the cycle of providence・the five elements to the five・form and reason…》”
Apparently, she’d had enough. Celica’s eyes narrowed as she began chanting a menacing incantation.
“W-Wait! That’s the chant for [Extinction Ray]! Hold on! Anything but that! It’ll blast me to bits! Nooo—!” Glenn scrambled backward at breakneck speed, pressing himself against the scorched wall and shrieking in a voice that cracked with panic.
Celica, faced with Glenn’s utterly pathetic display, seemed to decide that using magic on him wasn’t worth the effort. She dispelled the half-formed spell with a dismissive wave.
“Fine. Using magic to deal with the likes of you would be an insult to magic itself. It’s like brandishing a legendary sword at a cockroach.”
“That’s harsh! At least apologize to the cockroach!”
“That’s your issue?!” Celica snapped, exhausted. “You’re self-aware, at least. That makes it worse!”
She slumped forward, her head drooping as if drained of energy.
“Look, enough of this. It’s time you moved forward. You can’t keep wasting your life like this forever. Deep down, you know that, don’t you?”
This time, even Glenn couldn’t brush her off with a joke. He could tell Celica was genuinely worried about him.
“Even if you say that… what am I supposed to do? Work? At this point, what could I even do?”
Glenn pouted like a sulky child, turning his face away.
“I figured you’d say that. So, I’ve taken the liberty of finding you a job.”
“A job?” Glenn echoed, skeptical.
“Yes. As it happens, there’s an opening for a lecturer at the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy.”
“The Magic Academy?” His brow furrowed in suspicion.
“It was a sudden personnel change, so they can’t find a replacement lecturer for a while. I was thinking you could fill in as a part-time instructor for the time being.”
“Hold up. Why me? That academy’s crawling with idle professors, isn’t it? Just make one of them play substitute!”
“Don’t be like that. The faculty is swamped preparing for the upcoming Imperial Magic Conference in the capital. Unfortunately, no one has time to babysit students right now.”
“Oh, right. It’s that time of year, huh?”
“Here’s the deal: it’s a one-month gig, with pay equivalent to a full-time lecturer’s salary—I’ll make sure of it. If you perform well, we might even consider promoting you to a permanent position. Not a bad offer, right?”
It was an undeniably generous deal, but Glenn’s expression darkened with unease.
“Hmph…”
His usual playful demeanor vanished. With a self-deprecating scoff, he trudged toward the window.
“…No way.”
He muttered the words, staring out through the glass.
The morning sky was shrouded in mist, an endless expanse of blue. Beyond the window stretched the familiar, old-fashioned townscape of Fejite, with its sharply angled rooftops. And far above, hovering in the distant sky, was the majestic, translucent form of an ancient castle.
Its name was Melgalius’ Sky Castle—the symbol of Fejite. A phantom fortress, unreachable and untouchable, its origins and purpose lost to time, yet eternally present in the heavens.
“No way? Why not, Glenn?” Celica pressed.
“You know why. I’m not qualified to teach anyone…”
His voice was low, and his back, silhouetted against the window, seemed tinged with loneliness.
“Well, yeah, you’re not qualified. You don’t even have a teaching license.”
“Ugh, don’t ruin my cool moment by throwing reality in my face!”
Glenn whirled around, lips pursed in protest at Celica’s razor-sharp jab.
“Don’t worry about the license nonsense. My position and authority at the academy can smooth that over. And if you prove yourself, getting a license issued through some backchannels won’t be hard.”
“Hey! That’s straight-up abuse of power!”
“Your skills as a magic instructor are more than adequate. You used to dabble in magic yourself, didn’t you? So, what do you say? Want to give it a shot?”
“Hmm… Alright, I’m a little nervous, but maybe I’ll just go ahead and say no~♪”
Glenn pressed an index finger to his lips and tilted his head in a cutesy, exaggerated pose that might’ve been charming if a girl had done it.
“That reaction is beyond creepy. And you’re refusing? I genuinely want you to drop dead now.”
Celica’s temple twitched with visible irritation, her patience wearing thin.
“By the way, you don’t have a choice in the matter,” she added, her smile tight and strained.
“Oh? And if I say no?”
“Would you prefer to be struck by lightning? Or maybe roasted over a fire? Oh, how about being frozen solid? That’s an option too.”
“Hmph. Resorting to violence when words fail? Is that really a solution?”
“That’s infuriatingly reasonable, but I don’t want to hear it from you!”
A terrifying surge of magical energy began to gather in Celica’s palm.
“Fool. You still don’t understand the true depths of my terror…”
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Yet Glenn didn’t flinch for a moment. With a fearless smirk, he turned to face Celica.
“You should know by now. If I get serious, a mage like you? I could handle you with my eyes closed—”
“—Tch.”
Glenn’s words sent a faint ripple of tension across Celica’s expression.
“Your cheap threats only made me get serious! Here’s what I’ve got for you—!”
No sooner had he spoken than Glenn kicked off the floor, soaring nearly to the ceiling. With a graceful midair backflip, he landed—on both knees, both hands, and forehead—right at Celica’s feet.
“Please keep supporting me!!”
It was a flawless flying dogeza.
“…I’ll admit, I’m trembling in awe,” Celica said dryly.
“Please, Celica-san! I absolutely don’t wanna work! I’m begging you, just keep taking care of meeee! I’ll lick your shoes, anything!!” Glenn wailed, his groveling reaching new heights of desperation.
“Don’t you have any shred of human pride left?”
“Pride?! Can pride put food on the table?! Huh?! Tell me that, you jerk!!”
“Reverse rage, really? Now I genuinely want to kill you.”
“…Heh, I’ll grant you the privilege of supporting me,” Glenn declared, peering up from his prostrate position with a smug grin.
“Die!” Celica snapped, mercilessly planting her foot on his face. Even Celica, known for her iron nerves, was practically in tears from frustration.
“Enough! Get a job already! If you won’t work, get out! And if you don’t get out, I swear I’ll disintegrate you! I’m done looking at your pathetic, groveling face!!”
“What are you, a demon?! I’m not asking for world peace or some grand nonsense! All I want is a simple, peaceful, ordinary shut-in life! Is it a crime to have such a modest dream?! Besides, you’ve got more than enough money to support me for life, so what’s the big deal?!”
Glenn doubled down on his shameless deadbeat routine, utterly unrepentant.
“And you know how much I hate magic! Just hearing the word makes my skin crawl!”
“…Glenn,” Celica said softly, her tone shifting.
“No way! Never! I’m done with magic for good! Hmph! I’d rather beg on the streets than take a job as a magic instructor—”
“《Thus shall it return to the cycle of providence・the five elements to the five・the bonds of form and reason shall diverge》”
Celica rapidly wove an incantation. In an instant, a wave of light surged past Glenn, accompanied by a thunderous sound as if something had been sucked into the void.
Glenn’s eyes darted to where the wave had passed. There, in the wall right beside him, was a perfectly smooth, circular hole—a gaping void carved out by no physical means. It was annihilation, plain and simple, a supernatural feat born of magic’s power.
“Tch… My aim was off,” Celica muttered, fixing Glenn with a steely glare and an outstretched palm.
“The next one won’t miss… 《Thus shall it return to the cycle of providence・the five elements to the five・the bonds of form and reason…》”
“M-Mamaaaaaaaa—!!” Glenn shrieked, his voice cracking in abject terror.
And so, Glenn’s new job was decided—half by force. The position he landed after a year of idleness was none other than part-time instructor at the prestigious Alzano Imperial Magic Academy. A one-month, temporary gig, it was a job that left an unsettling air of uncertainty about his future.
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