First Move, Checkmate: How Will You Respond?

Victor’s imposing manner suppressed everyone present. The students held their breath, not daring to move rashly.

Seeing things had stabilized, Victor finally asked, “Now tell me, what happened?”

A commoner student standing at the front spoke up, “Erica took advantage of her noble status to come here and deliberately humiliate us. One student has gone missing under her magic!”

The other commoner students immediately chimed in agreement. Erica hurriedly tried to defend herself, and the scene again descended into chaos.

“Silence!”

The noisy space quieted again.

Victor rubbed his brow, indeed no matter what world, arguments were always so annoying.

“Is that what happened? Erica?”

Victor impatiently questioned her.

Erica gradually calmed down and continued explaining, “I didn’t humiliate them on purpose. I was practicing magic here, and that unlucky idiot wandered into my teleportation spell by mistake, which is why he disappeared.”

The surrounding students naturally didn’t believe her words, but with the professor present they didn’t dare voice doubts aloud.

Veega whispered in Victor’s ear, “I saw it, the teleportation circle sent the person to another dimension.”

“No matter, I’ll take care of it.”

Veega’s single eye flashed, and a wisp of black air drifted out from under his wings.

Victor understood his meaning. Activating the Sorcerer’s Hand, he immediately summoned six magical circles in midair.

“Sixfold casting again?”

Seeing this scene again, Erica was amazed. She hadn’t expected Professor Victor to wield such high-level multifaceted casting with ease.

Behind him, Veega quietly added some runes to his magic circles. Six strands of black runes like silken threads gradually joined the array.

The entire magic circle radiated red light.

Blending with the sunset rays, it lit up the entire Arcane Hall.

The onlookers were dazzled by the bright glow.

Until the light faded away, a sudden exclamation startled everyone present.

“This is… the Arcane Hall? I’m back!”

The unlucky student looked around in astonishment, excitement welling up in his eyes.

“I’m back! I really came back!”

The onlookers gradually opened their eyes. Seeing the long-lost face, the commoner students couldn’t help cheering loudly at their classmate’s return.

Erica was also stunned in place. She hadn’t expected Victor to so easily reverse her botched spell.

“This is… a third-tier sorcerer?”

Erica murmured.

Seeing the matter resolved, Victor coldly said to her:

“Erica, apologize.”

Hearing this demand, Erica was unwilling to comply.

She already harbored resentment in her heart, how could she possibly listen to Victor?

Why should she!?

She admitted Victor had salvaged her mistake, but she hadn’t intended it. That unlucky idiot had wandered into her spell on his own!

Moreover, her innate status and upbringing both told her,

‘When has a noble ever apologized to a commoner?’

Seeing her lack of reaction, Victor’s brow furrowed slightly. He couldn’t help mocking sarcastically,

“Wrongdoing yet unwilling to apologize, mediocre learning, and questionable character. Is this the Duquois family’s upbringing?”

This statement struck right at the commoner students’ heart. What they disliked most was those arrogant nobles using their pedigree to oppress them.

Seeing the professor stand up for them, their eyes lit up brightly.

But these words also ignited Erica’s emotions. Still, she understood she shouldn’t lose her temper. Just as Victor said, she was in the wrong.

She shouldn’t bring shame to her family because of her own mistakes.

Erica’s substantial chest heaved as she took a deep breath to calm herself down. She bowed deeply to the unlucky student.

“I apologize for my negligence.”

Seeing the previously arrogant noble young miss lower her head, the students couldn’t mock her either. After all, they were all peers.

The unlucky student Jack also recovered from his lingering fear and awkwardly accepted the apology.

“I’m also at fault. If I had paid more attention while walking, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Victor nodded in slight satisfaction.

Peace was the ideal campus environment.

But an apology alone wasn’t enough. Having made a mistake, one should lead by example.

He glanced at Erica and left her with a parting remark.

“Come to my office.”

Erica silently lowered her head but still followed him.

Under the students’ gazes, the two slowly left.

Immediately after, excited chatter exploded among the students.

“My god, he’s so handsome! Do you guys know who he is?”

“Looks like a teacher? He must be new!”

“Heavens, that’s sixfold casting! The most I’ve ever seen! How can he be an ordinary teacher?”

“He’s Professor Victor, the new teacher who just had his first class with us this afternoon!”

“He’s actually a professor! No wonder he’s so powerful, but isn’t he too young?”

“I must sign up to attend Professor Victor’s lectures whenever they start!”

……

Victor naturally didn’t hear the students’ lively gossip as he left. Erica followed behind him, with his teaching assistant Hennie at his side.

The three arrived at the Sorcerer’s Tower and teleported to Victor’s office after identity confirmation.

Victor lightly drew a spell circle, and Erica’s hairpin instantly appeared in his hand.

He passed it to her.

Erica froze, not having expected him to return her belonging.

“Keep your own things safe. Don’t do this kind of thing again in the future.”

Erica pursed her lips and lowered her head to take the hairpin.

Victor naturally sat down in his chair, while the ‘unruly’ Erica stood before him, looking for all the world like she was about to be lectured.

Victor tapped his fingers on the desk, then slowly said,

“Listen, Erica. No matter what grudges we had before, right now this is the Royal Academy of Magic, not a place for you to run wild. I’m the teacher, you’re the student. Know your place.”

“Magic is dangerous. If you still can’t control it perfectly, don’t randomly cast spells in public areas. This time it was just an ordinary teleportation spell. What if you were practicing some high damage, wide-effect magic?”

Erica didn’t speak, but her slight trembling revealed her fear.

If she really lost control, it would be a disaster.

And Victor’s lecture continued.

“What you said in class was right, Erica. As the teacher I do have the duty to answer students’ questions.”

“But the premise is you come to sincerely learn, not deliberately make things difficult.”

Having said this, Victor began explaining teleportation principles and more advanced circle arrangements right in front of her.

“Watch closely, I’ll only teach this once.”

Runes and spell circles flickered under Victor’s fingertips. Erica reacted, concentrating intently on the scene…

He demonstrated how to teleport an object to another dimension and retrieve it in front of Erica.

After the demonstration, he assigned Erica homework:

“Practice this, write a report, and bring it to my assistant tomorrow morning for her to pass to me.”

Erica didn’t speak, just nodded and left the office.

Watching the entire time from the corner, Hennie didn’t forget to add after Erica’s departure, “Professor, you’re really too kind, not at all like the rumors. It’s this Erica I don’t like.”

She had also heard about today’s provocation in class, naturally knowing Erica deliberately made trouble.

Fortunately Victor handled it calmly, even turning the tables on her.

Victor didn’t look at her, just calmly said, “If you were underage and confessed to by a man pushing thirty, I expect your resentment would match hers.”

Hennie was shocked, exclaiming in surprise, “That incident… was real?”

Victor just smiled slightly, stood up and patted her head, leaving her with parting words:

“Bring Erica’s notes and speech draft together tomorrow.”

Having said this, he teleported away from the office.

…

Erica got out of the carriage, and the man was standing at the courtyard gate.

He had the same golden hair and eyes as Erica, sharing her bloodline.

He was her proud father, Duke Rivierre.

Time had left no mark on his face.

“Dear, why are you back so late?”

Duke Rivierre welcomed her with a smile, but seeing Erica’s downcast expression, his own smile gradually faded away.

“Erica? What happened? Did someone bully you at the academy?”

“Tell Father, I’ll make them pay!”

Erica quickly stopped him, “Enough, Father. No one bullied me.”

“I just saw Victor again. He’s become a professor and started working at the academy today.”

Hearing this, Rivierre stiffened, viciously snarling, “That bastard! I’ll have the Royal Academy fire him tomorrow!”

Although that was just angry bluster to cheer his daughter up.

Rivierre understood Victor was exceptionally talented, already a third-tier sorcerer at twenty.

Especially now as a Royal Academy professor, he had thoroughly cast his lot with the royal family.

Unless the king himself spoke, no one would dare oppose him openly.

But Erica didn’t know this. She hurriedly advised, “Don’t!”

She recounted what happened today. The duke’s expression relaxed slightly after listening.

Erica continued, “I’m no match for him.”

She didn’t tell her father about the conflict with the commoners, only the dispute during class today.

After listening, Rivierre nodded understandingly and comforted her, “In that case, study magic well under him.”

“Victor was able to become a third-tier sorcerer at twenty, naturally he has exceptional talent.”

“But you’re my daughter. I understand your gift better than anyone.”

“Learn from his strengths, then defeat him. I believe you can certainly do it.”

Hearing the duke’s words, Erica obediently nodded. Under the servants’ escort she quietly returned to her own room.

Watching his daughter leave, Rivierre sighed.

No matter how much Erica suffered under Victor, he couldn’t intervene.

After all, he was a duke.

All his actions should serve the country.

Sitting in this position, Rivierre couldn’t act like a child.

The empire didn’t allow it, and his station as duke even less so.

“I’m sorry, Erica.”

…

By the time Victor returned home, it was late night. Arriving back at the manor, Victor had just stretched when a servant approached him.

“Milord, your sister called for you to go to the study.”

The servant hurried off after speaking.

Victor frowned.

So late, this didn’t bode well…

Pushing open the study door, Lia was already waiting seated in the chair.

“What’s the matter?”

Victor asked his sister, but was met with Lia’s furious gaze.

“See for yourself!”

Lia slammed an expenditure ledger onto the desk in front of Victor.

The slap made the table shake.

“So angry?”

Victor glanced lightly at Lia and picked up the ledger.

It detailed Victor’s spending records, a large sum buying materials, and another large amount mysteriously vanished without a trace.

Of course Victor knew where that money went.

Purchasing materials, learning magic…

The former was understandable, but the latter was a privilege only players could enjoy. Naturally Lia couldn’t find it.

But was the family really so short on money?

“Our territory’s income already hasn’t been smooth lately, yet you still spend so extravagantly? Are you trying to completely bleed the territory dry?”

Lia stood up, jabbing her finger into Victor’s chest as she bitterly reproached him.

“Explain yourself!”