Chapter Six: The Alexes
There were twelve students at Class 11-B, yet for some reasons, four of them decided to answer 'Alex' with different variations.
"Alez Zander."
"Aleksandra South."
"Alexandria Feloncia."
"A'lessander of Miano, One Who Conquered Death."
Zenith blinked on seeing the last name. That's a whole sentence there but his name had been recorded like that in every attendance.
He recognized the name belonged to a noble family of Gaden, but it didn't mean it should be such an inconvenience. The noble households always liked blowing their own trumpet.
Flipping through their books, Zenith also noticed another similarity amongst the Alexes – they were theoretically dumb, and hopefully only theoretically.
Zenith had met many Mages that didn't understand the fundamentals of manipulating essence or drawing projections except when it's shown to them. They'd copy it, modify it to their taste and best other Mages who could understand everything. At the end of the day, a Mage should be able to show action.
He flipped to the last page of Alexandria Feloncia's notebook and a letter was attached. On the envelope read. 'If you are Sir Bennett, do not read this letter and return it to me immediately! But if you're Sir Zenith, please read!'
Zenith noticed his name had a heart encircled on it. Love letters on his first day? Shouldn't the young mages here be more honorable than others who threw marriage contracts in front of his agency? And this was the cheapest love letter he'd ever received.
For five months, he received a love letter every week from a billionaire's daughter, and she buried it in a large suit case filled with cash. When his agency finally told him, he had to send a rejection audio so she'd stop. Of course, the cash weren't returned.
It was said the billionaire's daughter had been content with the audio of his voice saying her name, and accepted it as compensation for everything.
A three seconds audio saying, 'No, Raeliana, thank you.' was worth all she spent for five months? That had surprised Zenith.
"I don't think I need an audio to reject this one." Zenith tore the letter open. Even if he would reject, it entertained him to see the deserving compliments and praises they always lavished.
However, the letter went a bit different than that and had invited him to tea that evening, and had dropped an address, in exchange for her to be the first he'd consider when looking for an apprentice.
The matter of picking an apprentice had been on since he became a legal adult, but that sounded like being a father to a younger panicking teen trying to be as great as him, which was incomprehensibly difficult.
Or having an odd teacher-student relationship with an older mage trying to perfect under his tutelage. Both sounded boring and he didn't have that much passion and concentration to pour on only one person.
He squeezed the letter and tossed it in the bin. Out of sight, out of mind, and never to be seen again.
He checked for any check that might've accompanied the love letter but there were none. "Hmph. Poor love letters." He finished marking the notes the students had done and nodded at his work.
Red ink was used on places were they wrote wrong and he gave the right answers. Green ink was used to add additional information. Black ink were used to give his opinions on their work. He blessed them with an autograph after everything.
Done with everything, and feeling satisfied at the end of the day, he left for the teacher's office with the books. He needed to know the rest of the timetable because marking the notes at the end of the day sounded like the job of an assistant teacher.
He abruptly opened the door and two teachers froze, they had been making out. Zenith stared at them, in a bit of disappointment. He ignored it and pointed at the books in his hands, "I hear the class works have to be sent to the students before the end of the day."
The female teacher stepped away from the male teacher, and dragged her hair back. "Y-Yes. Just keep it there. I'd help you send—"
"No, tell me how. Is there a mechanism that delivers it? Birds?" Zenith looked around the teacher's office for something that could help.
The female teacher chuckled softly, earning weird glances from the male teacher. The two were in their underwear, speaking normally to the Mage like it wasn't weird, but the male teacher preferred playing oblivious than addressing the embarrassing situation.
"I saw the Translocation spell you used earlier." The female teacher said. "Well, it's something like that. The books return to the students and their finished assignments for the day come to us. The assignment will be returned to them by tomorrow."
Zenith nodded, looking at the books. The students seemed to concentrate on theoretical aspects more than practicals. That also meant he'd have to stay back to mark the assignments.
He smiled at the female teacher. "Thank you. I believe it's done in their class, right?" When he had been in their class, he noticed the Translocation Circle hidden in their desks but he didn't make much meaning to it.
The circle would lead to the student's individual apartments and there's probably another circle drawn there to connect to the ones at school.
Zenith proudly walked to the class, with the books. With this, he'd be completing a day as a teacher. He raised a book from the pile… and it hit him.
He looked at the book. "I don't know who they are, only their names." He looked at the desks and they didn't have names on them.
His shoulders slumped in defeat and he glared at the surroundings. He might need that teacher's help, even if he'd hate to disturb her in such serious moments.
He took the book of Nephis Deferitis, he remembered she sat besides the blonde girl. He went to her table and placed her book on it. "Translocation." The circle glowed and the book evaporated, another replaced it.
That gave him a sense of achievement, even if it's one book. He didn't know the name of the blonde girl so he left with the other books.
He stood at the door of the teacher's office, debating if he should bother the two lovers, but he sealed his resolve to let them be.
Sir Bennett had gone early and the only one he could meet was the Principal, even if he'd rather avoid her unhinged self. On leaving the building to go to the principal's block, he sighted a student returning to the school in a hurry.
"Good, she can handle this instead." Without thinking, he appeared in front of her, having used his natural speed to run there.
It was Layla, and her heart jumped to her mouth that she nearly chewed on it. She took many steps back and fell to the ground, while ogling at the Mage.
"H-He has finally come to take my life! I'm done for! Done for!" she screamed in her head, but her face only showed a troubled expression.