Comforting, yet controversial.

A day had passed since the massive incident and somehow it got leaked outside the academy. The world heard about the amazing powers that Aurelia had, making people believe that she was a true saint. This matter affected Monica's status as the future saint, making her look like a fake one.

"The damage you have caused has harmed everyone, more than you can imagine..." Videl quoted the words that Lenin said to Rasmus. "You have made the worst mistake so far," he looked at Rasmus who was reading the newspaper.

"Yes, so far," Rasmus put down the newspaper.

Videl raised his eyebrows, shocked that Rasmus agreed to what he said, "You admitted that this is the worst mistake?"

"Yes, and I would make more of them in the future. It's not about the mistakes I made, but rather how to deal with the aftermaths," Rasmus stood up and put on his suit. "I'm not perfect and sometimes, just sometimes... mistakes can lead to opportunity," he added as he walked toward the door.

Videl stared at Rasmus for a moment, thinking if they both could turn this world upside down. He had lost his power and he couldn't read Rasmus's thoughts anymore which made him walk on the edge every time. He then got up and followed Rasmus since he was his butler and he had to act like one.

"This arrogant prick again, huh? What an eyesore..."

"A kid is still a kid, useless with a loud mouth..."

"He should have died with his family. Letting a Blackheart live is a mistake..."

The hatred and malice were loud and clear that anyone in Rasmus's spot would fall for them. Fortunately, Rasmus ignored them since it didn't affect him at all, not even a change of expression.

The students looked at him and antagonized him as if he was the source of the problem. Everyone heard and saw what they wanted to hear and see, not wanting to seek the whole truth.

Rasmus went into his class way earlier than before because it was the only place where he could get peace of mind. He didn't expect to see Aurelia in the classroom, alone. She was startled when she saw Rasmus coming into the classroom.

"How long have you been here?" Rasmus furrowed.

"Before the sun rose," Aurelia answered and looked at Rasmus with a troubled expression.

Rasmus hummed as he walked toward his desk. He then heard the table moving and saw Aurelia standing up with her eyes locked on him.

"Instructor, can we have a talk?" Aurelia asked as she looked at Rasmus with a frown. She played with her fingers nervously behind her back.

"Grab your chair if you want to get close," Rasmus said as he sat down and cleaned his desk.

Aurelia used wind magic to make the chair float and followed her. She dropped the chair in front of Rasmus's desk and then sat on it, still with her troubled expression.

"There's something that I have to confess, instructor. My reason to be here isn't just to study, but to increase my influence on the families of the students and the people that live on the island," Aurelia said as she played with her thumbs on her thighs. "With what's happening right now, I feel guilty..." She added as she looked down, ashamed of what she did.

Rasmus already knew that because he saw both Aurelia and Monica try to increase their influence on the students and even the staff. Monica who was a foreigner, carried a massive burden that she had to beat Aurelia's influence who was already out of her league.

"Guilty toward Monica?" Rasmus asked and took out his notebook.

"Yes, mostly... but it's not that simple..." Aurelia nodded and stared at Rasmus, who couldn't believe that he understood her.

"You want a fair fight, but because of this incident, you feel that you gained a lot of advantage, making it feel unfair toward Monica. Is that what you're thinking?" Rasmus asked and wrote something in his notebook.

"Yes..." Aurelia slowly nodded, amazed by how insightful Rasmus was.

"Are you feeling guilty because you're blessed by an immense amount of divine power than Monica?" Rasmus asked as he began to write a formula in his notebook.

"No," Aurelia shook her head.

"Then why is it that you're feeling guilty because you got an opportunity to increase your influence? Or would you rather waste that opportunity?" Rasmus looked at Aurelia who was staring at his notebook. "Life is unfair, the world treats people differently. Those who think fairness exists in all kinds of situations, they're living inside an illusion they made, people that can't accept reality," he added as he closed the notebook.

Aurelia took a moment to digest the words that Rasmus had said to her. She felt a little bit better, but that didn't erase the guilt inside her heart.

"Do you think she's that kind of a person?" Rasmus raised his eyebrows.

"No, Monica is a strong woman, stronger than me in everything else," Aurelia shook her head.

"She has the right to be upset, but she has no right to blame you or anyone else for what's happening. As you said, she's indeed stronger than you and she has a mature and strong mentality. She's a northern after all," Rasmus put his notebook in his pocket as he looked out the window.

Aurelia felt relieved after Rasmus assured her and somehow showed her that it wasn't her fault. She never thought that she could talk with an open heart toward someone that she barely knew.

"From the first assignment that I gave you and the others, I could see everyone's personality and character. I know that I'm right, including you who have an absurd amount of compassion and kindness," Rasmus pointed out.

"Right," Aurelia smiled and chuckled.

"You can go back to your seat. The class is about to start," Rasmus looked at the time on his watch.

Aurelia hummed and went back to her desk, feeling relieved after she had poured all her problems to Rasmus.

The bell rang and everyone entered the classroom. When Monica entered the class, her expression was colder than usual. She walked straight to her chair and didn't make any eye contact with everyone.

Everyone knew why she was acting cold since they were smart enough to understand her situation.

Rasmus could see the crack between the students, especially between Monica and Aurelia. It also affected Maximilian indirectly because he represented the North just like Monica. With that being said, the gap became wider again.

"(This might be for the best)" Rasmus thought and let the tension be.

A week had passed and the class became awkward because Monica and Maximilian had distanced themselves from the others. Rasmus didn't try to get involved or to fix it, he pretended that he didn't notice it.

Monica noticed how close Aurelia had been to Rasmus ever since that incident. She began to think that Rasmus was trying to gain influence by helping Aurelia, but then she erased that thought after knowing that Rasmus wasn't that kind of a person.

"That's it for today, class dismissed," Rasmus said as he walked out of class.

Monica hurriedly left the class and it made everyone look at her, wondering why she left hurriedly. She saw Rasmus walking in the hallway with a notebook in his left hand and writing something in it.

"Instructor..." Monica walked beside Rasmus.

"Yes?" Rasmus kept his focus on his notebook.

"About the campaign. Have you thought about it?" Monica asked.

Rasmus glanced at Monica, knowing that she was talking around the bush.

"Do you think you can work as a team? I don't think so," Rasmus responded. "Even if we are going for a campaign, I'm unsure if the Chancellor will approve it," he added.

Monica stopped following Rasmus and she could feel the cold shoulder that he gave her. She questioned why he did that, but the answer that he gave her was enough to make her understand.

"You're the smartest student in my class. The last thing you want to do is distance yourself from everyone. It will only make things harder for you," Rasmus said as he looked at Monica from over his right shoulder. "Do not let others' perceptions define you. Even negative recognition is still recognition. Seize that opportunity to your heart's content and maybe turn it around," he smiled and then waved as he kept walking away.

Monica stood there, amazed by Rasmus's words and way of thinking. She had never seen anyone who had a pragmatic mind, a realistic view of the world, and yet was opportunistic at the same time. She wondered how he thought and why every word he said sounded so comforting and yet so controversial.