Catalin
image [https://i74.servimg.com/u/f74/12/09/03/58/catali10.png]
Illustration by Nachtimmel
Sometimes, the call is too strong to ignore. Despite having been born into a working-class family of Carastra, Catalin Robi knew from a young age she wanted to study magic.
In Brealia, many children of wealthy families attend the University of Magic Arts from the age of 15, and most of them drop out after one year, knowing the bases of magic and going on to study in other fields. This wasn't an option for Catalin, whose family couldn't afford the tuition. As a result, she worked in a factory and put money aside, finally entering the prestigious school at the age of 21. At 22, she's finishing her freshman year, and she intends to be one of the 20 or so students who graduate every year.
Full name Catalin Robi Age 22 Race Zimeon (rat-people) Occupation Student at the University of Magic Arts Hair Cherry red Eyes Terracotta
The Accidental Betrothal
The accidental proposal isn't a very common trope in isekai, but it does happen in some stories. The main character unknowingly performs an act that's interpreted as an engagement by a beautiful young woman, and they end up thrown together in the same adventure. See Accidental Proposal on TV Tropes.
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I wanted to include this trope in The Great Hero is a Schoolteacher, so this is what happens, with Al even kneeling down to give Catalin's pendant back, in front of several witnesses. No one in their right mind would ever hand such a pendant back to a Zimeon, because that tradition is well-known even out of their culture.
Catalin knows from the beginning it was all a misunderstanding, and she could easily pull out of it by refusing the proposal, but she decides to accept it instead. At this point, she doesn't expect a romance. She only hopes that being engaged to the Great Hero Al will ease the bullying she gets from her fellow freshmen. Al is afraid of being ridiculed if she admits her mistake, so the two stay engaged.
People frown at them, not because they're both women, not because of the age gap, but because one of them is a Zimeon and the other one is a human, showing the common stance in Brealia regarding romantic relations.
Skills and ambitions
In the first drafts of the story, the relationship between Catalin and Al was much smoother, closer to common isekai tropes (harem tropes in particular). Both accepted the situation as normal and were fine with the feelings they were developing. But I got negative feedback regarding the character dynamic, so I basically said "To hell with the tropes" and rewrote the romance part in a more chaotic way, among other things, before posting the story in RR. At the end of Book 1, Al and Catalin aren't a real couple yet.
Catalin doesn't follow Al because she's her fiancée. She does so because she has a unique opportunity to explore a famous sorcerer's house. She's willing to make the engagement work, but only insofar as she still gets to study magic. And as magic goes, she's a good student. She only knows simple spells, but she masters them well.
As a Zimeon, she's also part of a community with a specific culture, who sticks together in the face of prejudice. She never forgets where she comes from, and she'll always stand for the working class.
She's also a brave and cheerful young woman, who befriends cadet Chess over the course of their adventure. She'll stand up to Al when needed, and she knows she can break the engagement whenever she wants.
Catalin will be a little less prominent in Book 2, but she'll remain essential to the story.