Abbot Silvertongue P.O.V

I was getting a migraine the likes of which I hadn’t gotten since I graduated from this place. While my time here learning was actually a pleasant memory, the interrogations I suffered through once I got back home were unending and dull.

It had been more than one hundred years since the family had asked anything all too political of me so it wasn’t like I could refuse but the next six years were going to be some of the slowest and most boring ones of my life.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand my family's position, both Archduke Goldmancer’s only daughter and the son of Archduke Steelblade’s golden girl were going to be part of this class. Both were in a great position to end up with the archduke title a few hundred years down the line and as the politically connected house we couldn’t be left out. Sadly we didn’t have any family members of the appropriate age.

This is why I was here. Out of all the Silvertongue I wasn’t naturally gifted when it came to politics or communication skills, what I did have a talent for was magic. This made it so that I was the only one with the qualifications to take the position as homeroom teacher for the newest class entering the academy.

“Come in” I answered loudly to the two quick thuds that resounded from the door.

“Sir.” The guard saluted politely. “The headmaster has requested your presence in his office.”

“He does this now? Doesn’t he know how much I have to do with the latest addition to the class?” I huff in annoyance before looking back at the guard. “I’ll be right up , thanks.”

The guard relaxes after having gone stiff at my outburst. My aura might have something to do with that, I had just gotten to level one hundred and forty-five and it was getting harder and harder to suppress for a while now. My heightened displeasure at the situation I found myself in didn’t help.

A quick trip up the stairs helped me calm down a little. Entering the seventh floor my aura quickly picked up both of the others present here.Both were friendly but of the two the Headmaster’s felt far more dangerous, even if it held less stats. I smirk a little when I think back to all the pleasant chats I had with the old fossil that was headmaster back when I went through this place and pulse out a greeting with my aura as I approach the headmaster’s office and knock on the door.

“Enter.” the voice calls from the other side, he sounds oddly enough both giddy and disappointed.

As I step into the office my eyes fix on the boy seated in front of the headmaster. He looks young, very much so.

“Do we have another new recruit for this year’s class?” My question and tone show none of the displeasure I feel when thinking about it. Even without any talent for communication skills I still picked up a few that were rigorously trained growing up as the son of the nominated future head of house Silvertongue.

The boy didn’t look all that impressive. The quality of his clothes was on the low end, even a marquis’s son wouldn’t come to a meeting like this, dressed like that so that made him a baron’s son.

“I have to say that with already one late addition the class really doesn’t have room for another.” The prince might have been able to force his way into the class despite being only level twenty-two but here I could put my foot down.

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“Oh I…” The boy seems surprised at my words.

“Hmm, yes I guess you could see it that way but young Ajax here isn’t strictly speaking going to be joining your class.” The headmaster says. “You see, he is something of a special case.”

Great another special case, but the wording has me a bit curious. “What do you mean he isn’t exactly joining the class?”

“You see the academy isn’t a good fit for Ajax and his talents.” the headmaster explains. “This is why I called you here, I intend to offer Ajax a different opportunity which is where you come in.”

Isn’t a good fit for his talents? Did his family somehow invent a new spell that they are leveraging to get their child into the same class as the prince and two archduke direct family members? I know how he is when it comes to anything new related to magic.

“How is he not a good fit?” I ask as sympathetically as I can make it. I need all the information I can get if I am to be able to reject this.

“You see, Ajax here, despite being only fifteen years old, has already reached level thirty-one.” All of my thoughts ground to a halt, what did he just say? “Our first-year combat course would be insufficient for him, you see.”

A few seconds go by with only processing what he just said before I am able to respond. “Wouldn’t it be easier for him to just join the third years and do some extra tutoring to patch up the holes in his knowledge?”

“Under normal circumstances, or I suppose I should say less abnormal circumstances, that is what I would have done. You see Abbot, Ajax here is a commoner and as such I fear the gap that he has to cover is too large for him to make up with on the side tutoring.” I take this news a little better than I did his last revelation.

“Then what are you proposing, headmaster?” My shock is obvious even to me since even with my skills my question is blunter than any have been in the last three months I have been here.

“ Ajax is here because I want to offer him a position at the academy. I am also aware of your circumstances.” This is the first time in my time here that he makes any mention of how I got the position of homeroom teacher and the reason behind it so this is a big deal to him.

“I was unaware we had any suitable positions.” After all, if there was any the family would have gotten it already just to get more in touch with the class.

“There isn’t.” he confirms. “But what I wanted to offer him was a position as a teaching assistant, your teaching assistant to be specific.”

Now I could see where he was going. New teachers had to teach for at least five years before they were afforded the possibility of taking on an assistant. Assistants were usually talented commoners that were too old to join the academy so the teachers took them in to get them educated using academy resources.

“Since you aren’t in a position to get an assistant for yourself, I was thinking of having Ajax here be the teaching assistant for the first year class.” the headmaster explained. “ Unlike a normal assistant he would attend all classes with them instead of attending all of your classes, but since more than 70% of the first year classes are with you he’ll be basically your assistant.”

The offer was obviously news to the boy as he kept looking from me to the headmaster over and over. I also didn’t see any real issue with the idea, in fact having an assistant, even one that wasn’t exclusive to me, would mean I could have him help me out with quite a few of my tasks.

“This would also mean that you’ll have to wait six years before you can get an assistant of your own.” the headmaster adds, his communication skills and glare making his meaning obvious, house Silvertongue wouldn’t get another person shoved in here for the final year of this freshman class.

“I’d be very happy with this arrangement.” I nod, for once my skills not having to hide any disagreement. After all, if I got a spot for an assistant the family would fill it with somebody who would spend all his time making connections and not actually helping me with any of my work.

“It’d also mean that you have to take responsibility for Ajax’s perks as an assistant as well.” he adds.

That would make things a bit more troublesome but not by much. The perks an assistant got would usually be help with any difficulties he was having in their independent research, for Ajax this would just be the curriculum, and obtaining some appropriate delve slots for him to do while he studies at the academy. The second might actually get him off my back a little as the family would definitely be interested in having a talented, unaffiliated commoner that they can connect with.

“Some level thirty-one delves aren’t much of an imposition to me.” I assure them both.

“That wouldn’t be all that helpful.” the boy says, this time he has a determined look and a bit of frown as if my last statement was somehow offensive. “As I have told the Archduke last night, my combat ability is around level sixty rather than level thirty. My single delve in the first floor of the Highland’s provided me with barely a few hundred experience”

If the first two statements about him were surprising this one is absurd. Despite this my only rare communication skill, [Truthfulness Meter] was indicating that not only was he actually as strong as he claimed, but that he was actually underselling himself.

Ten seconds went by and all I had managed to do was pick my jaw off the floor, only for it to open and shut again as I soaked in the information. Right as I was about to finally form a sentence the door opened wide.

“Grampa, are you here?” The headmaster’s granddaughter as well as archduke Goldmancer’s daughter were in the doorway, the latter frowning at her friend most likely for the way she barged in, as she should I might add.