CHAPTER 59

BLOODY REASONS

  Hans had risen from his slumber before the sun had even peeked over the horizon. He perched on the edge of his seat, his fingers tracing soothing circles on his knees as he grumbled to himself, "Don't fret, I'll protect you. But just this once, let me put you to use."

  His mind was working overtime, trying to conjure up a plan to avoid the impending wrath of Martha. Just as he was about to give up, his inner child piped up with a brilliant idea that made him smirk. As he mulled over the plan, he became increasingly confident that it would work.

  Without hesitation, he made his way to Martha's office, knocking on her door just a few minutes before her lecture. His heart pounded in his chest as he waited for her to answer, hoping that this ploy would be enough to keep him out of trouble.

  And he was right about Martha's response. With only a few minutes to spare before her lecture, she didn't scold him much, and he breathed a sigh of relief. However, as she led him back to the classroom, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had missed something important.

  The room was filled with students chatting and gossiping, and he could feel their eyes on him as he made his way to his usual spot. It was as if he was a spectacle, a rare sight to behold. As he sat down, he strained his ears to listen to the whispers around him, and as he expected, his embarrassing story about bleeding through his bottoms had become the talk of the class.

Suddenly, Martha's voice cut through the chatter, and Hans looked up to see her gazing at him with an intriguing expression.

"Can you sit comfortably, Mr Hans?" she asked.

Hans shifted in his seat, feeling uneasy under her scrutiny. He stole a glance at Delimira, who was sitting right beside him, before turning back to Martha.

"Yeah...yes, professor," he replied awkwardly.

Martha arched an eyebrow. "Should I bring you the doughnut pillow?" she offered.

Hans shook his head, a flush creeping up his neck. "No, I'm fine, professor," he murmured, wishing he could just disappear.

  He gritted his teeth as he listened to the snickers and chuckles around him. It had been two long days of enduring the same jokes and teasing from others. He was growing weary of the constant taunting, but just as he was about to lose hope but unexpectedly, Martha stepped in to save him.

She rapped her knuckles on the table, effectively silencing the class, and cleared her throat. "Since Mr Hans had to miss our lectures due to unavoidable BLOODY REASONS," she emphasized, "we're going to have a pop quiz session to quick him up to speed".

She paused, looking at the troubled faces of the class and smirked saying,

There won't be any bonus credits awarded, but for every wrong answer, your points will be deducted

  After Martha's announcement, buzzing filled the hall. Hans could feel the collective animosity of his classmates directed at him. They all glared at him as if he were a common enemy, a nuisance that needed to be eradicated. It was clear that Martha had achieved what she had aimed for - to turn Hans into a target of their scorn and ridicule. There was nothing more troublesome than the hate of one's peers, especially when it came from losing their hard-earned credits because of someone else.

  As Martha scanned the room, looking for the first person to call on for the quiz, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. She couldn't believe that she was taking revenge in such a childish manner, stooping to the level of her students. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to gather her thoughts and emotions.

Martha's eyes scanned the class, looking for the next victim to face her pop question. Finally, her finger pointed at a random student. "It's a first, so let's start with the easy one. When was Concordia discovered?" she asked.

The student grinned, feeling confident, she replied,

In the imperial year 220, and in 236 the Concordia as an institution was established.

Martha nodded approvingly, but her expression quickly changed.

You are right, but you just ate up my second question, so the next person will face a higher difficulty.

The people who were glaring at Hans before turned their hostile gaze toward the girl sitting back in her seat, lowering her head in embarrassment. Martha's voice grew stern as she warned,

Just answer what I ask. Being overwise is not smart at all. Now, the second one is...tell me about the descent of Osiris, focus on when and why.

The boy hesitated, but finally answered,

In the year 576, when a demonic creature made its way to Genas. A goddess descended from the skies with her several children. She killed the creature but in the battle her eldest son Imhotep got separated from her, and it is said she is still searching for her lost son in Genas.

  Hans had never attended a World History class that Matha taught. And this was Hans’s first time learning about Osiris, a god whom her grandmother disliked a lot. He grew up learning about the goddess of life Yudwin but had little knowledge of Osiris and her children.

Curious, he leaned over to Chris and whispered,

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Hey, why are we learning about foreign gods?

Chris didn't seem to care and just shrugged, but Delimira chimed in quietly,

Osiris's influence may have died down after Parv closed its borders, but Concordia still follows its teachings. This place doesn't follow any religion but teaches everything useful.

Hans got his answer, he felt acting rude towards her is not right, especially since she had been so generous with her money. Martha interrupted his thoughts by asking the next question,

So where is Imhotep rumoured to be?

In the Armed Nation ForgeLands.

Pointing towards a dwarf she asked in haste,

is it true?

The dwarf got startled by the sudden event but answered,

It has to be, we worship him.

Martha nodded and followed up with another question,

Why is it called an Armed Nation?

"Because Imhotep, as the bearer of technology, gifted them with the knowledge of advanced engineering, and instead of relying on mana, those people started using their technology as a primary means of living. That's why their technology far surpasses anything else," the student explained.

Martha was impressed with the response and continued with more questions,

When and how did Humans, Dwarves, and Elves unite for the first time?

"In the year 234, to fight against the beast king who threatened world peace. It happened after he succeeded in destroying the sacred tree of Clandor and killing the Elven Gods, stripping them of their long lifespan," another student answered confidently.

Martha nodded, impressed once again, and posed another question,

Who is Lavoisier?

"Lavoisier is the second child of Osiris who went searching for his elder brother and came to the FloatLands. He is called the bearer of alchemy, and that's why the alchemy of Concordia is unbeatable," another student replied.

  Martha's questioning continued but her inquiries lacked the same spark and intrigue as her initial ones. Honestly, he regretted not attending Martha’s class before. She taught pretty interesting things but his view of history as not a boring subject reverted when she kept talking about previous kings and policies.

  Instead, Hans found himself captivated by tales of Osiris, the god whose existence was supported by numerous accounts of eyewitnesses in Genas. The allure of this mysterious deity was too strong to resist, and like all fascinating things, it was also in Parv. Thinking this he sighed and focussed on Martha, not wanting to further incite her fiery temper.

  As the lecture came to a close, the disapproving glares of his classmates did nothing to dissuade Hans from his aloof behaviour. Ignoring their disdain, he remained true to his obnoxious nature, much to the dismay of Martha. She had hoped that Hans would make amends and become more involved with his classmates, but instead, his actions only served to isolate him further.

  There was another lecture just after Martha’s and it was none other than the Mana theory. He had always found it to be a pointless subject, given that he possessed a unique approach to handling mana that differed from his peers. Despite his initial desire to skip the class, he was forced to sit up straight as Professor Aredhel made her entrance, her eyes immediately falling on him.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr Hans, gracing us with his presence today," she remarked, a sly grin spreading across her face.

Hans couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Seems like the professors are having a field day today," he muttered under his breath.

Not hearing him clearly, She asked him again, so he replied to her coquettishly,

Yes, I was feeling magnanimous today, Ma'am.

  Aredhel smiled but sent shivers down Hans's spine, and his apprehension proved to be well-founded when she proposed a spar to start the class. Though Hans had been itching for a rematch against Delimira, Aredhel had other plans, summoning a human boy with a rare mana property of light. In elven culture, such mana property was a symbol of royal blood, but in humans, it was just a rare occurrence.

  As the students made their way to the training grounds, Hans couldn't help but wonder about the human boy named Lux. Chris and Delimira were equally clueless about him, except for the fact that he was a weak mage who had chosen to pursue the path of a single-property mage, despite the low chances of surpassing others in the field.

  Upon arriving at the training ground, Chris directed Hans's attention towards two men who were engaged in a conversation. They were Walter and Rudolf, and their chat was interrupted as they spotted Aredhel leading the first years towards the training grounds.

  Hans couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt as he thought about Lux. Winning the match was not his only concern now. He had to show his full strength in front of Rudolf, his grandpa. As he locked eyes with Rudolf, he could sense the weight of his expectations. Meanwhile, Lux became visibly pale at the sight of the two senior professors watching him. He was already anxious about facing Hans, who had gained a fearsome reputation for showing the harsh reality of the world on the very first day.

The spar was on the verge of starting, but Aredhel interrupted and whispered something to Lux. Hans was curious about what she said because he knew Aredhel wouldn't say anything irrelevant at this point.

Aredhel declared,

This is the first duel of our class, respect your sparring partner, and do not overdo anything. It's for learning and overcoming your shortcomings. Do you both agree?

The boys nodded in agreement, but Rudolf chimed in with a tempting offer,

Let's make this more interesting. I will fulfil a reasonable request of the winner, how about it?

Most of the students there regretted not being the one sparring now. Hans was a scary opponent but with the reward that high, facing him was worth the possible beating and the first traitor betraying Hans was none other than his friend.

Chris raised his hand,

Professor Aredhel, Can I swap with Lux.

Aredhel smiled and said,

NO

Hans glared at his friend in enmity and the sparring finally began as both the student faced each other, Lux calmer and more confident than before.

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