"Look! The guard is escorting a weirdo!"

"He looks like he has come for a picnic! Fufu, he is in for a beating!"

"Look how brazen this guy is. Smoking right as he is being escorted to the Dean! Is he a rich young master?"

"Uwa...I like his hair. But his sunglasses cover his whole face!"

Just as Professor Cinderella/Doe was being escorted over to the dean, he had already become a spectacle for the slack jawed students. They wondered if the academy now had another young master bully.

Being chock full of influential descendants, it wasn't unusual for there to be influential camps that attracted students. These camps would often bully weaker students. The arrival of a new young master would certainly tick off the existing camps, since a new player meant a redefining of camp boundaries and a new rival.

Inside a regal villa named Lockhart Villa.

"Boss, I'm hearing that the guard escorted a new student. He looks like a potential rival to our Lockhart Villa."

"Hmph. Do you think I, your father, will give a shit about every ant that crawls into the academy trying to act like a tiger? Who do you think I am? Send some guys to show him his place!"

"Sure boss."

After the hullabaloo in the dean's office, John Doe(?) walked out with his hands in the pocket of his shorts. His slippers making a slapping sound against the floor as he aimlessly trudged ahead.

"Professor Doe!"

"Hmm? Oh Professor Camelia, do you need me for something?" Hearing the beautiful art teacher call out to him, Doe straightened his back and replied with the surprising air of an aristocratic noble. The sudden change startled Camelia, who giggled before replying.

"Professor...where were you planning on heading to? I doubt you have any idea about where our offices and class areas are! The dean assigned me with the information and the map. Come along!"

Professor Doe suddenly shocked at his own stupidity, knocked his head playfully while exclaiming. "Oh! Stupid me, haha. Thank you for your reminder professor. Can I address you as Camelia? You can address me as Zeta when we talk informally."

"...Zeta? Isn't your name John Doe? Or is that as real as Cinderella? Pfft.."

"He he... Zeta is a good name right.."

"I prefer John Doe. Nice to meet you. You can call me Camelia from now on."

"Awesome. Please lead the way Camelia!"

Giggling, Camelia led the entourage of fine arts professors towards their offices.

Observing how Camelia didn't seem to have any problem directing, Doe probed. "Camelia, have you been to this Academy before? A student?"

"Ohh, professor sure is perceptive! I was indeed a student at the Helmholtz Academy. However, I had to quit midway due to personal reasons, but the academy has always been in my heart. Now that I got the opportunity to return as an arts instructor, I couldn't possibly give it up!"

"Ohh, you are a woman with secrets! He he." Zeta nodded knowingly as he slapped his slippers along the way, much to the chagrin of the professor Phillip. Just as he was about to explode again, their path was blocked by five powerful looking students who looked on intimidatingly.

Just as Phillip was going to direct his pent up anger towards the students he noticed that they wore a badge of a locked heart and immediately shut up. The Lockhart family was the family of finance ministers from his Kingdom, offending them was equivalent to signing his own death sentence.

The students looked towards the eccentric music teacher and sneered arrogantly. "Looks like you are the new young master? You look like a dunce, I can't believe boss sent us to take care of a retard like you."

The music teacher rolled his eyes and stared ahead blankly for a few seconds before starting. "Huh? What? You talking to me?"

"Is there any other young master here? Stop hiding behind old geezers if you have any guts!"

Hearing this the lid over Phillip's head finally exploded as he smashed down the students with his intense energy.

"You dare insult your new teachers! I don't care if you termites are Lord Lockhart's minions, I have been sent here on behalf of his majesty himself and will not tolerate your actions!"

The five students were instantly flattened as they crumpled in front of the energy that was pushing them down with the weight of a mountain. When they heard that these were new teachers and further heard Phillip's credentials their faces ashened. The overwhelming energy receded as quickly as it arrived.

"Hiding behind teachers! Lockhart Villa will not forget this! You better prepare yourself for hell!" The five stood up, patting themselves off dust, before warning the music teacher of dire consequences and rapidly retreating from the scene.

"What the fuck? Why are they calling me young master? Who the fuck is Lockhart Villa?"

When Camelia heard Zeta's irritated comment, she laughed heartily. Even the old granny smiled.

"It looks like the students have mistaken Professor as a student competition. Lockhart Villa, is one of the influential student camps at the academy and probably took you to be a new competition of influence and sent some people to threaten you."

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Ooh, interesting. Does Lockhart Villa have a comfortable place to sleep? I don't like the name, but that can be changed. Hmm, looks like I'll have to pay them a visit tomorrow!"

Phillip was surprised by this young man's ignorance.

"Brat! We are teachers here. We shouldn't fall for the provocation of some students! Besides the Lockhart family is immensely powerful and influential. Don't get their ire. Your status as a tutor can only get you so far. A mortal like you cannot challenge a villa. I saved you this time, but don't expect me to interfere again!"

"Muscle bro, you sound so gruff and I can barely understand what you say. But despite your angry behavior you've got a nice heart. Say, let's be friends huh?"

"Who sounds gruff? Brat, don't test me! My name is Phillip, not 'muscle bro'."

****

After Zeta took a look at his bare bones office and his living quarters, he went to the class area. It was a relatively small area, a courtyard 50 by 50 meters surrounded by a small garden. The class area was fairly isolated from the more densely populated regions of the academy, since a music instruction required a quiet place. As per his initial instructions to the Bavarian King, Wilhelm, he was given an empty courtyard without any equipment. The requirement had puzzled the dean, who was eager to see what the music instructor was going to do.

The sun was already setting as Zeta sat down in the garden's lawn letting the scene settle into his mind. He exaggerated a sigh before speaking loudly to no one in particular.

"Dear Dean, don't need to spy on my so covertly. If you wish to ask something, you can go ahead. Come join me for a drink, I've got some good alcohol I brewed a couple of months ago."

The shadow behind the tree was suddenly paralysed. The dean was shocked. He had been extremely meticulous and careful following the music teacher, but it appeared that he was busted all along! In the entire Helmholtz alliance there would be few who could have detected him so easily! His face ashen, the dean awkwardly paced towards Professor Doe, silently preparing to escape in case he was attacked by this unfathomable opponent.

"Haha, aren't you being a little too afraid of me? I won't attack someone who just offered me a job, home and food!"

Hearing this, the dean was even more surprised. He was completely seen through. Resigned, he sat beside the new music teacher silently. Professor Doe made a sudden slight of hand and two wine glasses appeared along with a clear corked bottle containing a golden liquid.

"This is some special wine I brew in the spiral mountains using the unique atmospheric conditions as inspiration. Give it a taste!"

Spiral Mountains! Heavens! He brew this wine in one of the continents famous dead zones? Few can even dare to go there!

Thoroughly shocked, the Dean held the glass of golden liquid venerably, this was certainly an artifact level potion! This musician not only brewed an artifact level potion, he was downing it like evening wine? Slowly sipping it down, he could feel the entirety of his body filled with energy. The energy seeped into individual cells and filled them with vibrancy. With a sip, the dean felt like he became younger. He began drinking until he finished the glass.

He kept the glass down, and carefully proceeded to meditate. His body began to glow golden as light radiated out forming a cocoon that completely encapsulated his aura.

"Oh?" The musician remarked with a question, but there was little hint of surprise in it. He sat silently, sipping the wine, refilling his goblet when necessary. Fifteen minutes passed in silence before the cocoon faded away and the dean opened his eyes, a profound light emitting from them for an instant, before turning normal. The music teacher nodded.

"You broke through the bottleneck, congratulations. Let me refill the goblet for you."

The dean looked at the musician with gratitude. Drinking a simple glass of his wine had let him move past the bottleneck to the next stage of cultivation. The dean was now on par with the director in terms of cultivation. He took the refilled goblet and carefully sipped at the precious liquid.

"Go ahead, ask what you want to. However, I will only answer it if I deem it fit." The musician was nonchalant. His eyes were fixed on the setting sun, his lips firmly on the goblet's rim.

The dean nodded, before gently asking.

"Who are you really?"

"I cannot possibly reveal that. Although I've been playing around with names here, in this academy calling me John Doe or Professor Doe is fine."

"Are you on a mission? Or did you really come to teach?"

"Mission? Hmm, if I come across one I find interesting I might take it up. Obviously I came to teach! I want to teach music!"

"I hope you don't harm our little school..."

"Why would I harm the school? Isn't it my new home?"

"Will you remain here for long?"

"That...is difficult to say. But I'll be here as long as it holds my interest."

"With your ability, you couldn't possibly be an ordinary person. If you would teach our students the art of combat it would be a blessing!"

"My skills are not for free. Nor do I teach them easily. If I find an interesting student who I feel like guiding, I will do so. However, I am primarily here to teach music!"

"Why music?"

"If people think I just want to teach music as is traditionally taught, they will have to be prepared to be surprised. Come with me, I'll show you why I asked for an empty courtyard."

The two got up, walked towards the empty courtyard. With a sudden movement, Professor Doe's fingers now held a piece of rectangular metal with engravings that didn't look anything similar to what the dean had ever seen before. Doe carefully placed the rectangular object in the center of the courtyard and transferred energy into it from his hands. The energy made the engravings glow and a large rectangular array formed that covered the exact dimensions of the courtyard. Doe then returned to where the dean was standing, looking with extreme interest.

The array suddenly glowed brightly as the metallic plate expanded until it fit the courtyards dimensions and then began becoming thicker until it became the size of a cuboidal house. It's outer shape then began transforming into an elegant mansion with a wooden door. The door was engraved with the two words "Musical Palace".

Doe then turned to the dean. "It should be obvious that information about me shouldn't be known to anyone else. Also I'll be borrowing your help in announcing that only those who are able to open the door would be allowed to take up this elective. And those who can clear the first test in the room will each get a gold rank equipment appropriate for their abilities."

"Gold rank! Then it wouldn't be easy to clear the test I presume?"

"It would be a fundamental test that would differentiate between the students who have the innate talent required to learn what I will teach and what I don't."

"Even opening the door to this mansion is a test?"

"You can try it out yourself, although a portion of the test hasn't been implemented yet."

The dean nodded and carefully approached the door of the Music Palace. Sensing nothing amiss he carefully placed his hand on the door knob, but there wasn't any response. However, the moment he tried to rotate the knob, he felt like the blood flow in his hand was roiled and became erratic and he suddenly felt a bout of intense dizziness. Shocked he jerked his hand back. It took him a few minutes to realise the problem and the solution, but he was shocked at the ingenuity of the test! It wasn't a test of power at all! He was now curious to know what in the world this mysterious John Doe was going to teach his students.

"This..."

"So you understood after all. I am curious to see how many students can pass this door. The main test is of course much more challenging. Please encourage your students to take part, I'm depending on you to advertise about the potential reward. In my experience avarice can trump all disinterest."

"Certainly! Most certainly, I'll make sure all the teachers personally suggest their best students to participate if only as an opportunity to win a gold ranked equipment."

"Thank you Dean. I shall work on my test for a bit, I hope we are done for the day."

"Indeed, take your time Professor Doe."