Mia felt like she couldn't breathe.
A hole. If only there was a hole in the ground she could crawl into right now…
No, better yet—if she could just use an earth spell to bury herself alive, that'd be perfect!
Gods, someone please tell her this is just a nightmare.
She, Mia, on her very first day of school, had run her mouth off in front of the new teacher. Not only had she joined in on the "let's prank the newbie" talk, she'd even said it herself—
She said…
"I heard the new teacher's a lesbian! She especially likes teasing pretty girls!"
That line was now looping endlessly in her mind. The more she replayed it, the more she wanted to disappear.
She dared to lift her eyelids just a little, sneaking a peek at the "loli teacher" up at the podium.
But at that exact moment, Sephina's crimson eyes swept right toward her corner. Mia froze. Was she looking at her?!
How was she going to deal with her? The same way she'd handled Kael—by physically purging him from existence? Or maybe she'd use something even crueler…
Like exposing what Mia had said in front of the whole class, letting her die of pure social humiliation?
Or maybe… failing her at the end of the semester, forcing her to retake Elemental Magic for the rest of her life?
Murphy's Law couldn't have hit harder—
the more you fear something, the faster it happens.
Just as Mia was praying to turn into dust and vanish into the air, that small yet terrifyingly oppressive figure had already stopped in front of her desk without her noticing.
"Pa—"
A soft but crisp sound echoed through the room as Sephina's pale, delicate hand landed on her desk. The slap wasn't loud, but it boomed in Mia's ears like thunder, making the poor girl almost jump out of her chair.
Slowly, Mia looked up. Her gaze met those deep, wine-red eyes.
But this time, there was no cold authority in them like before. Instead…
There was a sweet, sugar-coated smile that felt more terrifying than any glare.
"Pre-class question." Sephina's voice was light, almost girlish, but to Mia, it sounded no different from a demon whispering in her ear.
"This student," she said sweetly, "please answer—according to Introduction to Elements, how many stages are there in the classification of elemental types?"
Mia's mind went completely blank.
She had read that book! But— but the last elemental teacher had quit before they even got to that chapter!!
Her legs trembling like overcooked noodles, Mia stood up, stammering for several seconds before finally squeaking out a mosquito-sized, "I… I don't know…"
She was doomed. Completely doomed. Either she'd be punished, or straight-up thrown out.
But to her shock, the explosion she expected never came.
Sephina just tilted her head slightly, that unnervingly sweet smile never fading, and said softly, "It's fine. Sit down."
Huh? That's it?
Mia almost couldn't believe her ears. The sheer relief hit her like a wave—she was alive! She actually survived!
Maybe this teacher wasn't so scary after all? Maybe she just looked strict but was actually nice inside?
Or… maybe she hadn't heard what Mia said earlier?!
Mia practically melted into her seat, trembling with gratitude, feeling like she'd just been pulled back from the gates of hell.
But before she could finish that relieved sigh—
Sephina's lips curled higher, forming a wickedly cute smile, and in a sweet but loud enough voice for everyone to hear, she added:
"Copy Introduction to Elements ten times. I'll check it in three days."
Her crimson eyes glinted meaningfully as she glanced down at Mia, as if seeing straight through her pitiful hope.
Mia almost burst into tears on the spot.
Ten… ten times?! The book had three hundred pages! That was three thousand pages total! She'd be writing until her hand fell off!
She'd rather be thrown out! At least that would've been a clean death!
There was no doubt about it—Sephina was doing this on purpose. Petty revenge, plain and simple.
Well, she did call her a pervert who liked teasing girls…
And who the hell started that stupid rumor anyway?!
Ignoring Mia's soul leaving her body, Sephina returned to the front of the classroom, her steps light and graceful.
"Let's start with an introduction. I'm Sephina, your new instructor for the Elemental Division. I'll be teaching you everything about elemental magic."
A boy in the front row, still half in shock from everything that had happened, blurted out before he could stop himself:
"Everything?"
Sephina immediately shot him a cold glare. The pressure from her gaze alone made the poor guy shrink into his chair.
"During class, you may only speak when I allow it," she said coolly.
"You're a first-time offender, so I'll let it go. But next time anyone disrupts the lesson, I'll deduct participation points. Of course—" her tone softened slightly, "good performance can earn you extra points as well."
She looked around the silent classroom. No one dared to make another sound.
"Now then," she continued, "as for that student's question—the answer is yes. I'll be teaching you everything about elemental attributes, arrays, and release."
The class fell dead quiet again. Not a whisper. But in their eyes—doubt was written all over.
Even Princess Elaria frowned slightly.
Being strong was one thing. Teaching was another.
Elemental theory was vast and complex. For first-years, learning the basics and a few low-tier spells was already a challenge.
All content? Impossible.
Having power didn't mean you could teach.
Sephina seemed to read their thoughts. Instead of getting annoyed, she smiled faintly.
"For the first lesson, I think normal topics might bore you, so let's make things more interesting, shall we?"
She paused deliberately, letting curiosity build. Every eye in the room was on her.
Then she dropped the bomb:
"How about letting a Tier-3 Mage cast a Tier-4 spell?"
"What?!"
It was like someone had thrown a boulder into a calm lake—chaos instantly erupted.
Students gasped, shouted, whispering in disbelief.
This time, Sephina didn't scold them. Their reaction was exactly what she expected.
"All right," she raised her hand to quiet them down. "You may ask questions now."
In an instant, a forest of raised hands shot up. Questions flew like arrows:
"Professor! Are you talking about using magic scrolls?"
"No," she answered flatly.
"Then—Professor, if someone can use a Tier-4 spell, doesn't that make them a Tier-4 Mage?" another asked eagerly.
Sephina smiled—mysterious, confident, almost teasing. "Who said they'd be casting alone?"
"Huh?!"
The classroom exploded again, even louder this time.
That was unheard of. Magic had always been cast individually—chanted, guided, and released by one person.
Team casting didn't exist. At best, mages could channel their mana into a main caster, but it still counted as a single spell.
No one had ever heard of multiple people jointly casting the same spell.
It shattered everything they thought they knew about magic.
"That's impossible, Professor."
The clear, steady voice cut through the uproar.
It came from the imperial princess herself—Elaria.
Her emerald-green eyes locked onto Sephina's, filled with disbelief and the pride of someone born both royal and gifted.
She didn't believe it. She refused to believe it.
Sephina met her gaze head-on. Instead of anger, a spark of intrigue flashed in those crimson eyes—
the look of someone who'd just found a worthy opponent.