[41] There Are No Good Teams in the World [1]

"...Why did it have to be you in front of me?"

"That's what I want to ask. Why is someone like you in my sight?"

I felt a headache coming on.

I had just run into a student I absolutely did not want to meet.

Isabelle Sirius, one of the main heroines of the novel.

'Baek Seung-woo's former fiancée.'

In the original story, when Baek Seung-woo appeared as a mere extra, she became entangled with the protagonist due to conflicts that arose between them.

She's not just a heroine who needs protection; with her exceptional magical abilities, she provides significant assistance to the protagonist.

Among her many strengths, her family's influence is particularly noteworthy.

'The Sirius family, as indicated by her surname. If my memory serves me right, they are also part of the Nine Heavens Clan, like us.'

The Sirius family, a major clan that holds a significant position within the Nine Heavens Clan.

Derived from the name of the star Sirius, they have their roots in the celestial wolf and are a powerful family that has established its nest in England, wielding considerable influence over the country.

Isabelle holds the position of the eldest daughter within the Sirius family.

'Considering their status, they weren't really in a position to be engaged.'

Just like Baek Seung-woo during his time as the young master, Isabelle also had the qualifications to be a legitimate successor as the eldest daughter.

Although she has a younger brother who is two years younger than her.

If she were to be chosen as the successor, the engagement would undoubtedly become a significant obstacle.

It's not like they were planning to bring in a daughter-in-law or a son-in-law from another family.

Both spouses being the heads of the Nine Heavens Clan?

If that were to happen, the delicate balance of power maintained by the nine families could easily be disrupted.

Perhaps that's why, a few years ago, the engagement was called off under the pretext of verbal abuse and physical violence.

"By the way, it's been a while. You look well."

"Ha, are you mocking me now? Did you think I'd be languishing like a girl with a fever ever since I broke off the engagement with you? That's a huge misconception."

"I didn't say that much."

I don't know the details of the story between Baek Seung-woo and Isabelle.

All I know about her is that she's a capable mage and my former fiancée.

That's why I want to keep the conversation as pleasant as possible, but it's harder than I thought.

Her responses are all sharp and cutting.

"...By the way, why are you here?"

"I'm a student, so of course I'm here to check out the faculty. Did you think I came here to see you?"

"No, that's fine."

She's really hard to talk to.

Someone who knows the past Baek Seung-woo that I don't.

In fact, isn't she one of Baek Seung-woo's victims?

That's why, just as I feel awkward around her, I thought she would feel the same way about me.

But every time the conversation lulls, she initiates it again.

"So, what criteria are you using to select the students? You're not planning to take in the leftovers like a scavenger, are you?"

"Well, according to the composition of the attack team..."

"Do you have the capacity to teach them all at the same time?"

"I'll do my best until I can."

"Ha, your shamelessness is still the same."

The conversation doesn't stop.

I'm starting to wonder.

Is she interested in me?

No, that can't be.

No matter how I think about it, she wouldn't have such feelings for an ex-fiancé she broke up with due to bad blood.

I hope she goes her own way, and I answer her questions sincerely.

"So, how many spots are left?"

"I've picked four. Now, all that's left is a student who can handle the role of leader and a mage who can provide firepower support from the rear."

"Aren't the conditions too strict?"

As she said, only the most demanding positions are left.

The leader, who will be in charge of the team's command, and the mage, who will handle the team's firepower and destructive power. None of these roles are unimportant.

Especially the leader is a headache.

No matter how good the hardware is, if the software is mediocre, the hardware won't function properly.

I can teach tactics and command, but there are things I can't teach.

Especially charisma and courage.

"What are you thinking about now?"

"...I'm worried about finding someone to take on the role of leader. Even if they're physically capable, if they're lacking in brains, the team will suffer."

"Well, the leader's ability is important in a team or group setting."

I'd like to take command myself, but.

I'm not a student, I'm a teaching assistant.

In fact, I'm a teacher who has to teach them.

My role is limited to giving advice. If I interfere beyond that, it's no longer teaching.

"...Then, should I do it?"

"What?"

I looked at Isabelle in surprise.

She, however, turned her head away as if she didn't want to meet my eyes.

What, was she really interested in me?

For a moment, various scenarios flashed through my mind.

A tragic lover's relationship where they were forced to break off the engagement due to pressure from both families.

Or maybe they had resolved their feelings for each other, but now that they've met face to face, they're feeling awkward.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this because you asked me to."

"...Alright, thank you."

"Don't say disgusting things. I just don't like having someone unreliable above me."

Ah, so that's not it.

Well, even though this is a fictional world, I'm not the center of it.

I'm just one of the many extra villains with oddly good specs.

I steadied my mind again.

Alright, let's think carefully.

Generally speaking, there's no fiancée who would willingly go under their ex-fiancé.

Especially if the engagement was broken off due to verbal abuse and violence.

Then why did Isabelle want to be under me?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized I lacked information.

Not just about the relationship between Isabelle and Baek Seung-woo, but also about Isabelle herself.

'Could there be some hidden story between them?'

Eve never told me the detailed settings.

She mentioned some minor conflicts between them, but at the time, I didn't think much of it and had long forgotten.

...Ah, this is impossible.

The lack of information is just too much.

I have no choice. I'll have to carefully extract information from our conversation.

"And the same goes for you. I don't think you're a decent teacher."

"So, are you saying you won't accept my teaching?"

"No matter how much I dislike you, that's not a reason for me to reject the curriculum of the Seven Stars Academy."

It seems she has a diligent personality, unlike her attitude towards me.

That must mean Baek Seung-woo did something really bad to her.

Honestly, taking responsibility for mistakes I didn't even commit is more troublesome than I thought.

The piercing stares from people are one thing.

If I had actually done it, that would be one thing, but why should I bear the consequences of something I didn't do?

'This is going to make it hard to gather information.'

If she becomes a student under me, there will be plenty of opportunities to get information.

For now, I need to focus on my conversation with Isabelle.

"I'll accept your teaching. Of course, if the content is not terrible, I'll study on my own after class, so keep that in mind."

"Alright, I'll prepare something worthy of your acknowledgment."

I nodded in agreement with her words.

Even if she hadn't said that, I was planning to teach rigorously.

To get information from Isabelle, I need to maintain a relationship with her for as long as possible.

The knowledge I've gained from my experience and know-how will surely greatly aid her command abilities.

Then, even if she dislikes me, she won't be able to easily break away from me.

In the meantime, I'll have to gather all the information I can from her.

Starting with the minor incidents between Isabelle and Baek Seung-woo.

Her tendencies, information about the Sirius family.

And if possible, stories about Baek Seung-woo from her childhood would be ideal.

After all, information about Baek Seung-woo has become precious since I took over this body. Without having read the novel and only vaguely remembering Eve's mentions, I'm in desperate need of information.

That's why I'm trying my best to keep the conversation with her pleasant.

"...Ha, how can you not say a single word?"

"I'd like to think that's part of my charm."

"...."

Of course, sometimes my efforts backfire, and I end up ruining things.

Isabelle, deciding that she shouldn't exchange words with me any further, turned her head away.

She walked over to the group of children.

The tense atmosphere dissipated, and I felt like I could breathe again.

Taking a deep breath, I scanned the room.

'Who's left among the mages?'

There were no standout students left.

All the professors in charge of magic, especially the geniuses, were all under Nam Hwa-yeon.

Well, maybe I can just pick anyone for the mage position.

It's a bit disappointing, but I don't see any promising talents.

The only saving grace is that Isabelle, who's taken on the role of leader, has a talent for magic that definitely doesn't fall behind any first-year student.

In that case, since she'll be taking on part of the mage's role along with being the leader, her burden will increase, but the mage's burden will decrease.

I can probably handle that part by teaching her attributes.

Just as I was thinking that.

"...What's this?"

As I approached the group of students, I felt a chill.

It's not because of the cold stares from the students looking at me.

It's more like the feeling of opening a window in the middle of winter.

No, it's not just a feeling.

The closer I get, the colder my body feels.

This is strange.

Even though my blood vessels are clogged with yang energy, making my body temperature high, I still feel cold.

Haaa, when I exhaled, white smoke came out.

Abnormal temperature.

At the center of it was a girl.

'Could it be that girl...?'

There was no one around the girl.

The other students, feeling the cold, avoided her.

I thought she was the source of this chill.

After all, despite the freezing temperature, she stood there as if nothing was wrong.

In fact, she seemed accustomed to this cold.

Suddenly curious, I tried to reach out to her and speak.

'...It's cold.'

Just approaching her made my hand numb.

It's not static electricity.

It's similar to the sensation you feel before getting frostbite in the cold winter.

If I get any closer, I'll probably feel pain as if my skin is being burned.

I'm not sure if it's a trait or a constitution.

But it's definitely an interesting ability.

Feeling curious, I spoke.

"Can you introduce yourself?"

"Isis Walker. No family, no friends. My specialty is freezing anything. I guess my strength is freezing too. Anything else you want to know?"

"...Where are you from?"

Why is her tone so stiff?

She's not just cold in body, but in many ways.

Judging by the magical energy and aura she exudes, she seems to have potential and ability.

But I can see why other professors or teaching assistants didn't pick her first.

While talent is important in teaching students, what's more important is how far the student can absorb the teaching.

This is related to personality and mindset.

Even if the other person has the desire to learn, if there's a problem with basic communication, it's hard to teach them.

Well, in my case, I think it would be fun.

"Do you have a position in mind? I mean, a role."

"My role is clear. Freeze the enemy's movements and pour ice from a distance."

"Uh... So, you're a mage, right?"

"That's what I just said."

"...."

Should I really put her in the team?

I spent over 10 minutes pondering this on the spot.

***

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