The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 59

"Easy... take it slow. There you go." Elijah supported me back up. It’d been exactly one week since I had gotten injured and also since the last time I’d walked. Even with mana circulating throughout my body, strengthening my limbs, I still felt rather sluggish.

"Kyu..." Sylvie looked at me with as close of a concerned face she could have for a fox-like mana beast. She was walking beside me instead of curling up on top of my head, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to hold her up.

Elijah came over to my hospital room as soon as his first period was over. I would be starting off my day as a professor for the Practical Mana Manipulation class and I wasn’t so eager in my current state. With my legs giving out every couple of steps and my back and sides burning, I barely had the strength to get to the class, let alone teach it. _{ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm}

After slowly getting used to walking, I stopped leaning on Elijah for support and used Dawn’s Ballad as my walking stick. I couldn’t help but chuckle because of the ill-humored irony. I remember how I had thought that this sword was nothing more than a walking stick when in fact, it was a priceless sword. I shook my head at the fact that my assumption back then had actually been a foreshadowing of my current situation.

Elijah wrapped the handle and sheath in a white bandage both for comfort and for safety from suspicious eyes. Here I was, a twelve-year-old, already using a cane to support myself from falling.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself? Maybe I should at least help you out in between classes today?" Elijah’s face wrinkled in concern as he stuck close by me, ready to catch me if I stumbled.

"I’ll be okay." I didn’t have the confidence to say that I wouldn’t fall, but I didn’t want to keep Elijah constantly by my side.

As we arrived in front of the classroom, Elijah’s brows were still furrowed underneath his glasses, and I knew he was hesitant to let me go by myself.

"Arthur. Let me help you."

I turned my head around to see Princess Kathyln run toward me, away from her group of friends. Without giving me a chance to respond, she placed her arm around my waist as she dipped underneath my free hand so I wouldn’t just be using on my walking st—sword, as support.

"Uhh... okay. Thank you." I shrugged at Elijah, who stood with jaws agape. He held up two fingers as he mouthed the word ’princesses’ but I just shook my head and turned back to make my way inside my room.

"I heard our new professor is finally coming today!"

"Oh really? I liked Professor Glory, though."

"Anyone should be better than Professor Geist, right?"

"You never know, we might get an even more dangerous weirdo this time."

"Hey, isn’t that the disciplinary committee officer that beat Geist?"

"Why is he limping?"

The various discussions the students were having all changed to murmurs about me as soon as I walked in.

"I’ll be fine now, Princess Kathyln. Thank you." I eased my arm off of her shoulders.

"You need help up the stairs..." Her expressionless face didn’t match the concern in her voice. I just shook my head and motioned for her to go first.

Sylvie followed close behind as I walked to the middle of the room, taking small hops towards the moveable podium that was placed in the center of the small stadium.

"Whew..." I let out a deep breath in relief as I put all of my weight on the podium that stood a bit too tall for my height.

Looking up, I spotted Feyrith in one of the desks with a curious expression on his face. As soon as Kathyln reached her desk, I spotted her looking back, trying to find me. She also gave me a confused look when she realized that I’d never gone up the stairs behind her and instead, moved to the middle of the room.

By this time, the conversations amongst the classmates centered around me diminished as more and more of the young mages began wondering what I was doing leaning against the professor’s podium.

"I’m not sure how many of you know my name, but I believe that most of you at least know who I am. My name is Arthur Leywin, a disciplinary committee member, the only son of two wonderful mages, a doting brother, and your new professor. Let’s get along."

I counted down in my head, predicting when the class would erupt. Almost exactly in sync, the entitled students that filled the classroom stood up in disbelief and some in anger as they shouted to stop kidding around and get back to my seat.

"You expect us to believe that a brat like you is our new professor?" one of the second-years exclaimed.

"Stop messing around and get back up here! Who do you think you are?" one short first-year barked.

I let out a pained breath as I relished the thought of being able to teach this class while lying down.

This would be a lot easier if Professor Glory or Director Goodsky let the class know that I would be teaching beforehand. She should have at least given me an official document to prove that I was the new professor, but knowing her, I couldn’t help but wonder if Director Goodsky did this on purpose.

It, at least, seemed like something she would do.

"Mmm... would you guys believe me if I said that Director Goodsky appointed me to be the professor for this class for the remainder of the semester?"

"Get real!"

"Stop joking!"

"Shut up!"

Another round of protests resounded within the room as the students grew rowdier.

Looking to my fellow committee members, I could see Feyrith’s sharp face, filled with a mixture of incredulity and doubt, while Kathlyn wore a perplexed expression.

"Don’t get so cocky just because you beat the old professor! Do you think you could’ve won if Princess Kathyln and Feyrith didn’t tire him out?" a different second-year jumped down and landed on the stage with a loud thud.

The student had a pretty big build, and judging from the poor circulation of mana in his body, he was probably at the level of being able to augment only some of his body.

He took long strides towards me, preparing to carry me off the stage. Feyrith stood up, ready to jump on the stage as well to stop the big guy but I just shook my head at him.

Misunderstanding my gesture as a taunt, he roared, "You shaking your head at me now? Who do you think you are?"

Half of the students were a bit nervous, not wanting to get caught up in another drama during class, while the other half was cheering Mr. Brute on.

Shifting my gaze back down at the boy approaching me, I uttered a single word.