How to Steal the Protagonist's Women

"Ha, ha, ha, Dean…."

Professor Jo was trembling with a pale face as he looked at the dean.

At first glance, the dean looked younger, but the aura he exuded made it clear he was far from being in his thirties.

With white hair and the same black attire as the other professors, his appearance was ordinary, but the overwhelming pressure he emitted was suffocating.

The dean chuckled and approached Professor Jo.

"I apologize for interrupting the class. It seemed quite noisy, so I came in to see what was happening."

"Ah, ah, ah, no! I-I'm truly sorry!"

Suddenly, Professor Jo fell to his knees and began to cry.

It was unclear whether the tears were from the pain in his backside or from sheer fear.

"Hohoho, please stand up. These things happen."

"I-I'm sorry! I-I'm so, so sorry!"

Even as he stood up, he kept repeating his apologies.

'I didn't know a person could become so servile.'

[If it's the dean, he could easily dismiss someone like Professor Jo, so it's no surprise he's acting like this.]

The other students were also on edge, frozen like statues.

The dean smiled, glanced around the classroom, and then addressed the students.

"I apologize for interrupting such an important exam."

"Ah, no! Ha, ha, everyone must be delighted to see the dean here!"

"Hohoho. Who would be happy to see an old man like me?"

"Th-that's not true! Ev-everyone, applause!"

Is he crazy? Why is he suddenly asking for applause?

But the other students, seemingly thinking differently from me, began to clap enthusiastically.

And I was one of them….

The dean smiled and looked at Professor Jo.

"Since we're here, may I observe the exam?"

"O-Of course!"

Professor Jo, clutching his backside, groaned as he gently offered his chair to the dean and bent his back.

"H-Here, please sit! Dean!"

"Hohoho. Given the current situation, shouldn't you be the one sitting, Professor Jo?"

"I-I'm fine!"

"Well, then, I'll take the seat despite the impropriety. As I age, standing becomes quite taxing."

If you only saw this scene without context, you'd think it was a bully tormenting a lackey….

Given that the dean looked younger, the contrast was striking.

The dean sat upright and asked Professor Jo,

"By the way, what happened earlier that made you so angry?"

"Th-that…."

Professor Jo explained the situation, omitting his own shameless behaviour and claiming that Louis had used magic on him, which was why he was about to punish him.

Louis immediately refuted.

"I didn't do that!"

"Don't lie! If not you, then who?"

As the flames of conflict threatened to rise again, the dean intervened.

"Now, now. Calm down. Professor Jo, did you personally witness this student using magic?"

"Th-that…."

Professor Jo hesitated and couldn't answer.

The dean, still seated, looked at the students and asked,

"Did anyone here witness this student using magic?"

"…"

No one answered.

"It seems Professor Jo may have misunderstood. Logically, if a student had used magic in front of everyone, someone would have noticed."

"Th-that…."

He was absolutely right.

Logically speaking….

'Wow, this is an incredibly useful ability. With this, I could assassinate someone and no one would know.'

[But if the tail is too long, it gets caught. You should be careful.]

'Okay~'

I casually replied while looking at the dean.

But it seemed like the dean's gaze was directed at me.

It wasn't my imagination; he was really staring at me intently.

'…Why is he looking at me so unsettlingly?'

[Someone of his calibre might have unique abilities we're unaware of. Be careful not to get caught.]

After a few seconds of intense staring, he turned to Professor Jo and said.

"But I do sense a flow of mana… It's lightning-attribute magic."

Hearing the dean's words, I started to feel a bit nervous.

But Professor Jo continued to push the blame onto the wrong person.

"Th-that's right! It must be him!"

"No, I…."

As Louis tried to defend himself again, the dean cut him off and spoke quietly.

"I'll say this just in case."

When the dean spoke, everyone fell silent.

The dean's expression was quite different from before.

He was smiling, but there was no trace of mercy in that smile.

"If there's a student in this school who dares to point a blade at a professor, I will personally deal with them. Understood?"

"…"

No one could answer.

It wasn't that they didn't want to; the overwhelming pressure made it impossible to speak.

The problem was that Professor Jo was also under the same pressure.

Trembling, Professor Jo looked like he could barely stand.

'Wow… No wonder he's a grand mage.'

[You should be as cautious around him as you are with others. He may be an ally, but he's not our comrade, so keep that in mind.]

'Got it… I'll definitely keep that in mind.'

The dean returned to his usual smile and asked the students,

"Then, by any chance, is there a student here studying lightning-attribute magic?"

"Th-that… Ha, Dean…."

"Yes?"

"The lightning-attribute course was discontinued this year…."

"Ah, I see…. I must be getting forgetful in my old age. Hmm?"

The dean and Professor Jo looked at me.

All the students who were watching them also turned to look at me.

I was the only one quietly raising my hand.

The dean looked at me with a puzzled expression and asked.

"Are you really studying lightning-attribute magic?"

"Yes, as a sub-attribute…."

"But wasn't the course discontinued?"

It seemed even the dean wasn't aware of everything happening at the school.

It appeared that the decision to cancel the course for just one student was made at the professor level.

I explained that I had been given a lab and had been self-studying since today.

"I see…. If Professor Maximilian were here, you would have received a better education. What a shame."

"Yes…."

He wore a regretful expression, but something felt off.

I couldn't help but wonder if that expression was genuine.

The dean smiled again and asked.

"By any chance, did you secretly use a magic circle?"

Now, I was the prime suspect.

If I got caught, it would truly be the end.

"I…."

"Dean, he didn't do anything like that."

"Hmm?"

It wasn't me who answered.

It was Luna.

"I've been watching him the whole time, and I didn't see any attempt to use magic."

"Hmm…."

The dean alternated his gaze between me and Luna, smiling meaningfully.

Then he looked at the other students and asked,

"Then, by any chance, did any other student witness anything?"

"…"

No one answered.

After a long silence, the dean turned to Professor Jo and said,

"Professor Jo, I'm afraid it might have been a natural phenomenon of condensed mana scattering."

"Ha, if the dean says so, then that must be the case…"

Thanks to Luna's testimony, I was easily cleared of suspicion.

Though I had no idea what the dean was thinking….

After a few more exchanges, the dean and Professor Jo allowed the exam to continue.

However, unlike before, Professor Jo was trembling more than the students taking the exam.

"Th-then, Shu-ta Lunatbelt."

"It's Luna Stadtfeld…."

"Ah, right! Please demonstrate the magic circle."

In this situation, Luna was probably at the biggest disadvantage.

Already needing to focus on the exam, she had to endure all sorts of incidents and now had to take the test in front of the dean…

But Luna calmly completed the magic circle.

In fact, it was even better than before.

'She must have practised a lot.'

[She's a hard worker, so she wouldn't slack off.]

'She probably stayed up late practising and overslept, which is why she was late today.'

I silently praised Luna's magic circle and continued to watch.

Fortunately, thanks to the dean, we didn't have to endure Professor Jo's nonsense, and the class atmosphere remained decent.

Now, it was my turn.

"…Next, Seong Suho."

"Yes."

I walked up more deliberately than usual, keeping an eye on the dean.

Professor Jo was looking at me with the same displeased expression as before, but I couldn't tell what the dean was thinking.

He just smiled and watched me.

I stepped onto the platform and waited for Professor Jo's signal.

Professor Jo, who had been glaring at me, gave the signal.

"…Begin."

I began to draw the magic circle smoothly.

Thick golden lines formed a circle, and thin yellow lines filled the inside with runic characters.

Without a single mistake, I aligned the characters neatly.

My hands moved faster than my brain could process.

In a short time, I completed a radiant golden magic circle.

The total time was about 15 seconds.

Since it was an exam, I was more focused than usual, which allowed me to draw it quickly.

The magic circle emitted a stable current, dazzling everyone.

-"Damn, he's really good at drawing magic circles."

-"Louis was better, but lightning-attribute magic circles are really impressive."

-"Should I try lightning-attribute magic too?"

-"Idiot, focus on your own stuff. You can't even draw properly…"

-"Should I show you what my front kick feels like?"

Compared to the initial treatment, I was now receiving a lot of respect.

The students who had previously looked down on me for being a commoner had adapted to the school environment and rarely mentioned such things.

Except for one…

"…."

That jerk.@@novelbin@@

He glared at me, then turned around.

I unconsciously followed his gaze, and he was looking at Luna.

Luna was staring blankly at my magic circle.

The dean, sitting beside her, clapped and praised me.

"Hohoho. Truly beautiful. I was worried when I heard you were studying lightning-attribute magic, but you could easily follow in Professor Maximilian's footsteps. Your skill seems even more impressive than when he attended this school."

"Thank you."

I internally recalled the memory of the professor who had died from his own magic.

'The lightning-attribute professor who died must have been over 60….'

[Ludwig Liebenstein was around 500 years old.]

'Damn, not half a century, but half a millennium.'

I was inwardly shocked and checked Professor Jo's reaction.

He was grading next to the dean, and it didn't seem like he was slacking off, perhaps out of fear.

"Professor Jo, what do you think? Having such a student under your guidance."

"Th-that… Hahaha… I-I think the future of our school is bright…."

"Hohoho, no need to be so modest. You're also an alumnus of this school. Compared to back then, the competition now is nothing. Hohoho."

"Hahaha… Th-thank you."

Professor Jo was bending over backwards to avoid upsetting the dean.

Watching him, I marvelled at the human body's resilience.

…With that belly, bending like that should have broken his spine. It's amazing his spine is still intact.

I finished my greetings and returned to my seat.

Luna was glancing at me from the corner of her eye.

Today, even when I looked back, she didn't avert her gaze.

She stared at me intently, then silently mouthed something.

If I wasn't mistaken, she said.

"Thank you."

I pretended not to notice and shrugged with a smile.

Luna smiled back at me.

After confirming her smile, I turned my attention to the other students' exams.

***

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