"Professor Victor, I... I can't do it."

Hernie shook her head hurriedly, keeping her head down, not daring to look Victor in the eye.

"Listen to me, Hernie."

"These past few days, I've been letting you sit in on my lectures so that you can learn how to properly teach a class."

Victor placed his hand on Hernie's shoulder, and he clearly felt her small frame tremble slightly.

Hernie looked up, her eyes filled with an indescribable worry.

"Professor, I'm afraid I won't do well... it will affect your reputation."

"Reputation?"

Did he have a reputation?

Although this sounded like self-deprecation, he really didn't care much about his reputation.

Victor gently patted Hernie's back, causing her trembling body to calm down slightly.

The soothing effect worked, and he spoke again.

"Go on."

He knew that no matter how much he said to Hernie, this naturally timid little lamb would not agree.

So Victor chose a commanding tone rather than a negotiating one.

Hernie knew she couldn't refuse the professor.

The professor would be displeased...

Hernie took a deep breath, mustered up her courage, and pushed open the classroom door.

The originally noisy room quickly grew quiet, but when the students saw Hernie step up to the lectern, they couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Where was the professor?

Why was his assistant standing at the lectern?

Feeling the students' gaze on her, Hernie was under immense pressure.

"Uh..."

"The professor has some matters to attend to today, so... I'll be substituting for the professor's lecture..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, until the last two words were like the buzz of a mosquito, barely audible even to herself.

As the words fell, it was as if a bomb had been dropped into the calm waters.

Accompanied by the explosion in the water, the fish began to chirp and chatter.

"That's impossible..."

"She's just an assistant, how can she substitute for the professor?"

"Leaving aside whether the professor allowed it, does she have the professor's abilities?"

"We want Professor Victor to teach us! If our grades suffer, can you take responsibility for that!"

Hernie was made to feel like a punching bag by the many students' comments, and she kept her head down, looking like a beaten puppy.

Her gaze wandered frantically, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Professor Victor, I can't do it, I really can't...

Professor, please come back quickly...

"I'm s-sorry..."

"Quiet!"

The sudden voice startled Hernie, and she cautiously looked up.

Erica, who was sitting in the front, had stood up.

She was surrounded by the ripples of magic, and a complex magical array floated in front of her.

Hernie had seen that array before.

It was a silencing spell.

Except for the user, all living beings within the controlled range could no longer make a sound with their mouths.

"Assistant Hernie, please continue."

Wah, Erica, thank you!

She was deeply grateful for Erica's help, but at the same time, a twinge of guilt arose in her heart.

On the day the professor first came, she had even said bad things about Erica.

Unexpectedly, this time, it was the other person who came to her rescue.

Next time there's an exam, I'll be sure to tell you the scope in advance!

Hernie had already thought about how she could repay Erica.

"Not bad."

Victor was leaning by the door, fully aware of everything happening inside the room.

Erica's timely assistance surprised and pleased Victor, and Hernie's fear was understandable.

He had originally intended to let the pressure from the students push Hernie to grow quickly, but now it seemed the effect would be the opposite.

But letting Hernie teach the class was also an unavoidable measure.

He had to go out of the city with Gwen tomorrow, for a period of half a month, or at least one week.

No matter what, he wanted to keep his professor's position, and he couldn't abandon this batch of students' courses.

So Victor thought of Hernie.

His lecture notes were originally written by Hernie, so there was absolutely no problem with her abilities.

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The only thing that needed to be worried about was her timidity.

He needed Hernie to overcome this on her own, to make her realize that she has the ability to teach these students well.

With Erica's help, the classroom environment had calmed down.

Hernie took a deep breath to compose herself, and finally mustered the courage to start the lecture.

She was lecturing on the content written in the prepared speech, which she had already memorized thoroughly.

Soon, Hernie fell into her own rhythm, becoming increasingly at ease during the lecture.

The eavesdropping Victor nodded, for in terms of lecturing, Hernie was undoubtedly talented.

The students also went from initial skepticism, to confusion, and finally to surprise.

They realized that Hernie's lecture rhythm was perfect, giving them a sense of familiarity.

It was as if Professor Victor was personally teaching the class.

In the end, they were all immersed in Hernie's class.

In the classroom, only Hernie's speech and the sound of pens writing on books remained.

Hernie paused in her lecture, because this part required the teacher to demonstrate a spell.

A second-tier spell, [Shatter Stars].

Since Professor Victor was a powerful third-tier mage, when preparing the course content, she had written it from Professor Victor's perspective.

Unexpectedly, this had set a trap for herself.

She was only a magic apprentice.

Even though she knew the theory of this spell, she didn't have the magical power to cast it.

Although flustered, she quickly calmed down.

"Erica, could you demonstrate this spell for everyone?"

She knew she was gambling, gambling that Erica would help her again.

Fortunately, her gamble paid off.

Erica calmly walked up to the podium, took the magic book from Hernie's hands, on which the principles of the "Shatter Star" spell were clearly recorded. The level of detail was even such that she did not need to think much, just conceptualize the magic array, and she could easily release it.

She raised one hand and tried using this spell for the first time.

"Shatter Star!"

A mysterious ripple rose up.

In the air, one brilliant morning star after another appeared.

Like a painting, they formed the pattern of the magic array.

But just as they were about to take shape, they suddenly disappeared in midair.

Just as many students were puzzled,

Thud! Thud! Thud!

From somewhere, from some direction, countless tiny spikes seemed to have instantly materialized, all piercing the wooden training dummy in the classroom.

Seeing the training dummy pierced full of holes by the countless shattered stars, the students' hearts skipped a beat in unison.

What a cunning attack spell!

But with Erica's demonstration, they learned it quite quickly.

"So that's how it is!"

They started discussing excitedly, not even realizing that Erica's silence spell had long since worn off.

Hernie also let out a sigh of relief, making eye contact with Erica and exchanging a smile.

The class ended quickly in a focused and relaxed atmosphere, and not a single student expressed dissatisfaction when the bell rang.

This lesson was still highly rewarding for them.

At the same time, they also gained great respect for Hernie.

"Professor Victor's assistant is actually so excellent!"

"Yes, yes!"

Hernie walked up to Erica, wanting to properly thank this girl who was willing to step forward in the classroom.

"Thank you, Erica. If it weren't for you, I would have been utterly embarrassed in this class."

Erica smiled at her privately and waved her hand, continuing, "It's nothing."

Hernie softly whispered in Erica's ear, "I really don't know why the professor insisted on having me teach the class when it's his own work."

Hearing this, Erica also had some doubts. But just having doubts wouldn't solve the problem. Erica had already planned to go to Victor's office to inquire about today's issue, so the two decided to go ask for clarification together.

Meanwhile, Victor sat at his desk in the office, sipping coffee and flipping through a magic book. As soon as he saw that Hernie had adapted, he had quietly come back to slack off. The leisurely afternoon, interspersed with the sound of page-turning, was quite comfortable.

But peaceful times are always short-lived.

At the reminder of the Mage Tower, he agreed to Hernie and Erica's teleportation permit.

The residual glow of the teleportation magic gradually dissipated.

The next moment, the two young and beautiful girls appeared before him.

"Professor..."

Hernie's voice was still as timid, as if he might accidentally eat her up.

The sound of page-flipping did not stop, and Victor did not look up, casually starting a conversation.

"The class today, you did well."

"How did it feel?"

Hernie patted her chest and quickly let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks to Erica, it went very smoothly. If there's a next time, I'm sure I won't be so afraid anymore."

Erica, who was feeding Vega, turned around and gave Hernie a look in return.

Hernie then remembered her purpose, and it wasn't to seek Victor's praise.

"Professor, why did you have me teach this class for you?"

Clap.

Victor closed the book, placing the exquisite hardcover on the desk, and looked at Hernie, calmly responding.

"I need to go out for a bit, it will take some time for me to return."

Hearing this, Hernie didn't feel anything particular.

But Erica, who was feeding Vega, jerked her hand, and the bird food fell onto the desk.

'Hey, little girl, if you're going to feed me, at least do it properly!'

Vega protested indignantly, but Erica absolutely couldn't hear it.

She ignored Vega's chirping and perked up her ears to listen carefully.

"So I wanted to test you, to see if you have the ability to be a teacher in our class."

Hernie froze in place.

"Professor, you... were testing me?"

Victor hummed in affirmation, rewarding her with a faint smile, the arc of his lips barely visible.

"You did well, I believe you will become an excellent lecturer."

"Professor, wah...waaah!"

Seemingly receiving an unexpected recognition, Hernie finally couldn't hold back her emotions and burst into tears.

But Erica was still dazed.

Huh? What? Victor is leaving? How long will he be gone?

Somehow, hearing that Victor was going away, Erica felt a bit disappointed.

After class on this golden afternoon, she could learn so much from Victor.

But if Victor left, it seems she wouldn't have a reason to come here anymore.

Although Victor was only leaving for a few days, her mood was still a bit low.

But another voice arose in her mind.

'Great, that scoundrel is leaving! Out of sight, out of mind!'

"It's good that he's leaving, then I won't have to see him, out of sight, out of mind!"

She quickly adjusted her emotions and shrugged.

Even without Victor's education, she was still the genius mage.

"Right."

Victor turned his head and glanced at Erica.

"What problem have you brought today?"

"Hurry up and finish, so I can go home after teaching you."

"......"

He even remembered that he would come to ask questions.

It was as if a 'click', and the psychological barrier that Erica had painstakingly built up cracked.

She lowered her head and took out the questions she had prepared long ago and approached Victor.

But for some reason,

She seemed a bit distracted.

.......

In the evening, Leah walked into Victor's study.

"The shop has been renovated."

These days, Leah had been dealing with the store affairs in the capital.

So she hadn't been back to the estate recently, and had been staying here instead.

But she had a room here anyway.

Victor closed the book and wanted to discuss the pricing issue with Leah.

Leah told him, "One thousand Gios."

This price for the consumables in the capital is not cheap, but quite reasonable.

This potion is absolutely worth this price.

If they can sell fifty bottles a day, they can directly earn fifty thousand Gios.

The cost is just a rare fruit, which at most costs ten Gios.

This is a hugely profitable business.

Victor nodded, this price is also within his expectations.

Not too expensive, but also not too cheap to match its extraordinary effects.

"Oh yes, remember to limit, only two bottles per person per day."

"Why?"

Leah was a bit puzzled, the magic potion is already expensive to sell, and there might be a problem with people not buying it at the beginning, yet it still needs to be limited?

Isn't he afraid of the goods piling up and not being sold?

Victor explained,

"In the early stage, I'd rather earn a little less money, but I need to spread the effect of this potion."

"Later on, the more people know about it, the more I can earn."

Listening to his explanation, Leah's eyes shone with admiration, and she exclaimed in amazement.

"Now I feel that you are more like a merchant than me."

It was as if she was recognizing Victor for the first time in these dozen years.

She yawned, as if thinking of something, and casually asked,

"Oh yes, are you really going to that, what...volcano with Gwen?"

"Mm." Victor nodded.

"Okay."

Leah murmured, waving her hand.

"Don't die out there, or else I'll have to spend money to retrieve your body."

"I'm going to sleep."

With that, she patted her own cheek and left Victor's study.

Seeing Leah leave, Vega raised her head, and the light of humanity returned to her eyes.

"Your sister, is she actually concerned about you?"

"I thought your relationship was not good."

"It's indeed not good, but it has improved in recent days." Victor tapped the table, and a blue potion appeared in his palm as he played with it.

"Why, how did you do it?" Vega was puzzled.

Victor placed the blue potion on the table and explained in a sentence.

"Because I can make money."