Prologue~ About How I, a NEET, Became a Part-Time Magic Instructor ~ On a certain scene one early morning:
“I’m not sure how to put this, but . . . I have already thought about it carefully and I think that it would be the end of me if I were to actually get a job.” The man said with the calm expression of a saint that had attained enlightenment after decades of ascetic training. This man’s name was Glen. Glen’s gaze fell upon a young woman that was sitting in front of him while languidly resting one of her cheeks on one of her hands. “It’s all thanks to you that I’m alive. It’s really wonderful that you are here.”
As soon as she noticed Glen’s gaze, the woman hurriedly crossed her legs and recomposed herself in an lady-like manner before continuing to sip her tea. “Fuu, is that so? Then perhaps you should just die you worthless brat,” the slender faced woman insulted him from behind her sweet smile.
“Ahahaha! Celica is hars.h.!.+. . .Ah, another one please.” Glen just laughed it off, ignoring her insult as he thrust his now empty soup bowl right in front of the woman — right in front of Celica’s face.
“You really are quite brazen.” Celica still smiled as she looked off into the distance,. “usually, a freeloader who doesn’t work is more humble.”
“Ah-, Isn’t today’s meal a little bit salty? I prefer mine to be more bland.”
“I’m sorry that I’m so useless with the das.h.i.+” Celica grinned briefly– “《Well ・ Anyway ・ Explode》”
Celica suddenly cast a strange magical spell using three runic words. The spell caused an earsplitting explosion that roared for a moment and covered his field of vision with crimson. Glen was mercilessly blown away by the magic blast Celica’s chanting had created. A good part of the expensive furnis.h.i.+ngs within the luxurious dining room were instantly destroyed in the aftermath.
“You . . You idiot! Are you trying to kill me!?” Glen was on the floor covered in black char and having a coughing fit.
“Kill you? That’s not what I’m doing at all. Wouldn’t you say that this is just cleaning up some trash? Glen?”
“Don’t say something so harsh, I’m not a child’s mess to be thrown away! Can’t you at least treat me like a human being!?”
Celica’s shoulders slouched as she sighed at Glen’s comeback. In contrast to Glen, who was a social loser, Celica was an incredibly beautiful woman with a cold and distant appearance. She looked like she was barely twenty years old and her blonde hair was the color of an ear of wheat at dusk. Her eyes were also hue of red that could be best described by comparing it to fresh blood. If one were to look at her features up close, then they would be instantly stunned by her beautiful femme fatale like charm. Her slender arms and legs were so perfectly proportioned that even among a throng of French models they would stand out.
Her outfit was quite flashy and bewitching too. She was wearing a long black dress robe. While having an air of formality, she also had a revealing neckline and her belts emphasized her body line even more. It was truly charming. –Celica, in some respects, was a young woman with an other-worldly aura. The style that her appearance brought about was that of a proud, high-cla.s.s n.o.ble. And on the subject of the two people who were living together, the one who was the master of the huge aristocratic mansion, that was as large as a mountain, was Celica. Glen was simply a freeloader. The difference in their social status was obvious in every single respect.
“By the way Glen. . . Can you stop being so irresponsible and look for work?” Celica said it as her deep crimson eyes stared directly down at Glen.
Glen paused momentarily as he was unsteadily trying to stand up.
“After quitting your previous job you have been freeloading in my house for over a year. Everyday, all you do is eat and sleep, eat and sleep, not doing anything except lazing about absent-mindedly. Isn’t that a waste of your life?”
Glen suddenly puffed up his chest and responded with full confidence towards Celica’s sigh of mixed feelings. “It’s all right. I am content with where I am right now. I am much happier now than I was in my former days where every day I was slowly dying as a cog in the wheels of society!”
“How can you compare a useless hikikomori who pointlessly receives a meal to a person who has a fulfilling way life? For goodness sake, just die already,” Celica couldn’t help but be taken back by Glen who just held out a thumbs up while smiling. “You’re really an a.s.shole. . . Don’t you think that you should at least be apologetic to me for taking care of you on behalf of an old acquaintance?”
“Pfft, how reserved you are. You think that you and I have that kind of relations.h.i.+p?”
“《Return to the circle of providence ・ Five elements to five elements ・ Anomaly and logic. . .》”. It appeared like she had finally snapped as she began to chant her dangerous spell with still and focused eyes.
“That’s!? That’s the spell [Extinction Ray] right!? Wa- Wait!? Please! Please stop it!? I’m going to be disintegrated!? Noooooooooo– huh?”
Glen backed away as fast as he could when he saw the [Extinction Ray] spell, his voice turning into a scream as he backed up into the already scorched wall.
At the last second before the spell launched and obliterated Glen, who was looking incredibly pathetic, Celica stopped the chant and cancelled the spell, opting not to punish him directly. “Oh well, whatever. The only reason I’m stopping is because it would be sacrilegious to magic if I punished you with a spell. It would be like stabbing a legendary sword into a c.o.c.kroach.”
“Aren’t you being cruel? That is. . . You’re being awfully rude to the c.o.c.kroaches.”
“You!?-Are you even self-aware? Your character is terrible!”
Celica’s head drooped and she suddenly found herself very tired.”Well, in any case. I think you should move on with your life soon and look for a job. Wouldn’t you just continue to waste time if you don’t? You already know this though, right?”
Glen couldn’t even make fun of her this time. Celica was seriously worrying about him. “That said. . . Even if I wanted to get a job right now. . . Heck, what could I even do?” Glen sulked like a child and looked the other way.
“I knew that you would probably say that. Therefore, this time around I will personally help you find employment.”
“Work?”
“Yes. Actually, right now we have a position open for exactly one teacher over at the Alzano Empire Magic Academy.”
“The magic academy?” Glen knitted his brows in confusion.
“Due to a personal affair, for the time being we haven’t been able to prepare a subst.i.tute teacher. And so. . . I think you should work as a part-time lecturer.”
“Wait a minute, me? Why me? Aren’t there plenty of professors with free time and nothing better to do at that academy? And you want me to act as a temporary lecturer for them? Are you sure?”
“Don’t say it like that. We, the faculty, are all preparing to partic.i.p.ate in the Imperial Comprehensive Magic Conference at the imperial capital soon. So unfortunately at this time we don’t exactly have the freedom to look after the students.”
“Is it that time already?”
“Anyway, the term will be one month and I made sure that the salary would be the same as an official lecturer. Depending on your performance, I will think about promoting you to an official teacher. What do you say? It’s not a bad deal, right?”
Glen knew that the conditions were exceptional even without thinking about it, but it still gave Glen a troubled and clouded expression. “Hmph. . .” the joking and playful manner that Glen had been carrying himself in before seemed to vanish as he walked towards the window, laughing through his nose in self-mockery.” . . . It’s impossible,” Glen muttered while looking through the window. The early morning sky was clear and blue, and just outside the window was the usual antiquated streets lined up with sharp roofed buildings — and floating far above, was a gigantic, majestic, semi-transparent castle.
The name of the old castle that boasted such an impressive appearance was [Megalius Sky Castle]. It was impossible to one approach or touch it, which was the reason that the castle was empty. It wasn’t even clear when the great illusion of a castle first appeared or how long it had been there for.
“Impossible? Why is it impossible Glen?”
“I thought you knew? I don’t have the qualifications to teach someone. . .” Glen’s back was sooty and bare in a way that showed his loneliness.
“That is, of course you don’t have the qualification to be a teacher. I mean, you don’t even have a teaching license.”
“Will you stop it? Although a person can bitterly struggle and suffer great pains for something, reality will always be there to correct them.” Glen’s lips pouted in an expression of dissatisfaction as he protested Celica’s meddling.
“Well, don’t worry about the qualifications and what not. I’ll make it happen using my position and authority within the academy. Not to mention, if you can give us good results, it wouldn’t be that difficult to issue you a new license as the proof of your skills.”
“Wait, hey!? Isn’t that an abuse of your power!?”
“Your ability as a magic instructor should not be a problem. You used to dabble in magic a long time ago. So, how about it? Why not give it a try?”
“What to do. . . All right, I’m a little bit anxious this time, I wonder if I should accept it or not~♪” Glen acted like a cute girl, putting his finger on his lips while faking a puzzled look.
“Your reaction is extremely and annoyingly disgusting. Are you still going to refuse it? I honestly believe from the very bottom of my heart that you really should just crawl in a ditch and die.” Veins were popping out across Celica’s forehead, her patience had already reached its limit. “By the way, you know you don’t have a choice.” Celica declared with a forced smile.
“Really? Why would you say that, and in such an unpleasant tone?”
“Well, you do actually have a choice. Do you want to be shot by lightning, or should I fire you up and make a human barbeque? Oh! If those won’t work, I can also encase you in ice?”
“Hmph, if diplomacy fails you quickly resort to violence, huh? Is this how you plan to solve it? ”
“It’s just that sound arguments are so annoying, but I don’t want to hear them from you!” An amazing and tremendous magical power was gradually converging into Celica’s palm. “You fool. It seems as if you haven’t fully comprehended how truly terrifying I can be . . .”
But Glen didn’t even flinch in the slightest as he smiled and he turned around to face Celica.
“I believe you know it. If I ever felt inclined to, I could force a magician of your level to — ”
“– Tsk.” Glen ran off his words with a tinge of nervousness. “You only look like you’re calmly threatening me, as if you’re already inclined to do sooo–!” Glen kicked the floor as soon as he said that and jumped so high he grazed the ceiling. He then gently and skillfully did a reverse somersault –landing on both knees, both hands, and forehead flat on the ground before Celica’s feet. “Please raise meeeeee!” It was a magnificent flying Dogeza.
“. . .I certainly remembered how terrified you were. ”
“I beg of you Ms. Celica! I absolutely don’t want to work!? Please raise me, pleeeeeeaase!? By all means I’ll even lick your shoes.”
“Stop it already. . . Don’t you have any pride as a human being?”
“Fool! Can pride feed me!? Aah!? Hey, say you’ll take care me!?”
“How can you even talk back to me? Hmph, I really want to kill you.”
“. . .Hah, it seems like you have the obligation to feed me.”
“DIE!”
Celica mercilessly trampled Glen’s face as he raised it up from the Dogeza position. Celica already knew how bold the person was and she was no longer teary-eyed.
“Grrr, In any case, you should get a job! Get out of here if you don’t want to work! Seriously, if you don’t get out I’m going to disintegrate you! I- I’m already fed up with having to look at your miserable form!”
“Oh, are you some sort of devil!? I’m not asking for something outrageous like world peace! However, I just want to continue my usual and peaceful hikikomori life, only just that! Is it a crime to embrace such modest desire!? The main point is, isn’t it fine because you have so much money to support me until I die!?”
Glen continued to behave like a social reject that had no shame whatsoever.
“Besides, you want to know something!? This thing called magic, I dislike it so much that even its name sounds unpleasant to me!”
“. . .Glen.”
“Anyway, I already and absolutely! Until the end of the world! Will never again be involved in anything related to magic! That’s it! I would rather be a beggar on the street than a magic lecturer– ”
“《Return to the circle of providence ・ Five elements to five elements ・ Anomaly and logic diverge at the spinning edge》” The moment Celica began spinning the spell and chanting, a wave of light ran through Glen’s side and the sound of something being sucked up into s.p.a.ce grandly reverberated through the room.
When Glen looked towards the direction where the wave pa.s.sed through, a large smooth circular hole had appeared on the wall beside him. It was obviously not the result of simple physical destruction. It was like a supernatural phenomena that represented absolute annihilation–It was an act that only magic could do.
“Tsk. . . Was my aim off?”
Celica steadily adjusted her palm as she focused her attention towards Glen, who had stiffened up and was flapping his mouth.
“Next one won’t. . . 《Return to the circle of providence ・ Five elements to five elements ・ Anomaly and logic. . .》”
“Wait, wait waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii–!?”
Thus, the re-employment of Glen was decided by force. Glen would henceforth hold the job as the part-time lecturer for the prestigious Alzano Empire Magic Academy. But the work still made him uneasy and would only last a month at most.