Instructor(?)

"Ahh, fuck my head."

Waking up without knowing what had happened and how long time had passed, Tom was greeted with a serious headache, attempting to open his eyes also turned out to be a mistake as his eyes had turned insanely sensitive and whatever light had hit his open eye was like looking straight into the sun. As if that wasn't enough suffering Tom also found himself mostly unable to move, as his body was aching like crazy.

It was apparent to Tom that whatever he had managed to do while training his magic control, something had gone really, really wrong.

(... [Status].)

Still, he figured he might as well confirm it for himself, after a short delay, Tom's status flowed into his head.

Tom Laplace

Race: Human

Age: 19

Vitality: 150/150

Strength: 14/55

Dexterity: 09/122

Agility: 02/50

Intelligence: 100/137 (UP)

Luck: 18

Mana: 14.004/25.523 (UP)

Skills:

[Cooking 4/10] [Housework 4/10] [Memorization 2/10] [Pain resistance 3/10] (UP) [Etiquette 1/10] [Mana control 1/10] (NEW)

Magic affinity:

(So my intelligence and mana have gone up and I gained [mana control]?... Along with my pain resistance too. It seems the impossible really happened.)

Somehow, someway, Tom had managed to cast magic, something he had believed up until this moment was impossible. But regardless of that amazing revelation, Tom wasn't really happy about his current situation, most of all because nothing currently made sense to him. Having attempted to learn the skill [Strengthening] but somehow learning [Mana control] instead when he had been repeatedly told that such a thing was impossible for him only made him more concerned than anything else.

His current situation didn't make sense, what's worse the current bullying he had been enduring so far would most likely only get worse as news of his accident doing class had properly made it all around the school by this point.

"Shit…"

"Are you going to continue to wallow in yourself in pity like that all day? I would like to know now so I can just leave it to you and get on with my day."

Being interrupted in his own self-loathing, Tom suddenly realized he wasn't alone, and as the voice which spoke out to him undoubtedly belonged to a person older than himself he realized it had to be a teacher or instructor, most likely the one who had cared for him while he had been unconscious. Although Tom still didn't understand high society etiquette, his mother had long since drilled it into him that he should properly thank people who had helped him out. Forcing his aching body to first sit up straight, Tom swung his legs out over the side of what turned out to be an infirmary bed and offered a slight bow towards the voice which had spoken out to him before.

"Thank you for caring for me after my accident, I'm sorry you had to hear that, please don't mind it. My name is Tom Laplace"

"Sure kiddo… Or Lapace kiddo? But you should really thank the doctor for taking care of you instead of me, I'm just here because I've found something interesting to wast- I mean spend my time on while I'm here at the academy."

Realizing that he was not talking to the nurse or academy doctor, Tom forced his still aching eyes open, after a brief period of blindness and pain he adjusted, first confirming that he was indeed inside the academy infirmary before taking a look at the person who had apparently been waiting for him to wake up. Wearing a large, stained black cloak over the standard brown instructors uniform, but the supposed instructor only looked like one if Tom squinted sufficiently. Messy black hair which reached a long way down her back, a stained and worn uniform which only barely qualified as one under the vaguest circumstances, green eyes with horribly dark circles under them and the fact that they were smoking, something which was highly forbidden on campus was just some of the first things Tom noticed which would immediately disqualify the person in front of him as a 'proper' instructor which was more than common at this first-class mage academy.

"What, do you see something you like, Laplace kiddo? I'm sorry, but I only date men that are older than me~"

Smiling like a fox after she took in a large puff of smoke from her cigarette, the instructor(?) seemed even more suspicious to Tom as the minutes passed.

(If anything, she seems more like an adventurer than a posh and proper instructor…)

Tom's initial assessment aside, he quickly found himself compelled to correct the instructor as she kept using his 'family' name, a name which he only got after his sorry excuse for a father found it in him to pay the minimum amount of attention to him and sent him to this school for some unknown reason.

"Please just call me Tom, I'm nothing more than a bastard. What should I call you Miss instructor?"

"Miss? My my, for a mere bastard you sure are polite kiddo. Just call me Lizzy, I'm technically an instructor here at the academy."

Tom didn't feel like Lizzy was lying when she said she was an instructor at the academy, something which made her messy exterior even more of a mystery.

"So your mother was a mage or even an adventurer?"

"... Why do you know that?"

As Lizzy suddenly turned serious and uncomfortably sharp, Tom put up his defences while unconsciously drawing away from the instructor.

"You have a high amount of mana kiddo, seeing you are a bastard as you say it only makes sense that your mother was a mage, I'm also guessing she's no longer around as you've been picked up by the Laplace family."

While Tom's initial impression of Lizzy was initially low, he now realized that she was far smarter than she looked, if anything she now exuded the aura of a veteran adventurer. In that case, why would an instructor of her calibre want with someone like him? While Tom figured she didn't have any bad intentions in mind, Tom figured there was no other way to find out than just go out and ask her.

"So, is there any way I can help you, Miss Lizzy?"

Straightening up his own posture, Tom made Lizzy chuckle as she leaned back in her chair, taking another large huff of her cigarette as she crossed her legs before answering Tom.

"As far as I see this, you're the one that needs my help kiddo. The very first time you used magic, you used up a considerable amount of your total mana, then fainted. I happen to have a sort of special qualification and I think I could help you out with your magic."

"That's all well and good, but I can't use magic as I have no magic affinity."

While Tom might have appreciated Lizzy's offer to help him out with magic, he had no interest in learning it, Tom just wanted to get through this semester and return home to his ordinary life. Besides, there's no way an instructor would just come to Tom's aid, even if that's what they were hired to do in theory, reality is an entirely different matter. Seeing how smart Lizzy was, Tom figured that there had to be some reason for her supposed helpfulness.

"Is that so? And why do you believe having no magic affinity makes you unable to use magic?"

Not even surprised at Lizzy's ridiculous words at this point, Tom just quietly scoffed at her words before explaining.

Being made fun of by everyone around him for lacking a magic affinity was one thing, but having to explain that to something was even more anger-inducing than Tom had ever realized.

"Because it's impossible! If you really were an instructor like you said you would know that."

"... I see, so you're declining my offer kiddo?"

"Yeah I am, I'm fine the way I am."

Although Tom didn't know what exactly this instructor wanted with him, Tom was very surprised to see Lizzy's reaction as he turned down her offer.

"Then I guess there's nothing for me to do here, don't stay up too late kiddo."

Getting up from her chair as she flicked away the remainder of her cigarette, Lizzy just turned and left the infirmary leaving a somewhat confused Tom behind as he realized that it was already late at night.

"... I better get back to my dorm room and prepare for tomorrow's class."

With Tom still somewhat numb, it took Tom a while to get back to his dorm room, in addition to that he had to wash his uniform and prepare for the next day of classes. Somewhere along that process Tom fell asleep, not only falling asleep on the floor and waking up with a really sore back but worse yet he had also overslept and missed his chance to make it to class without avoiding his more problematic classmates.

"I believe I already told you maggot! This isn't a place for you, trash should just stay trash!"

Barely recovered from his accident the day before, Tom failed to offer up any resistance when he was first dragged aside then kicked to the ground by the group of student who usually bullied him, what's worse it seemed that they had it inform him even more than normal due to how openly miss Elizabeth Warren had been chasing his attention.

(I wonder how long I have to endure this…)

While Tom's [Pain resistance] skill meant that it didn't really hurt getting beat up like this, he still had his pride. Getting constantly beat up and bullied like this made him resent his current situation even more than he already did. Without consciously realizing it, Tom had started loathing his current circumstances, he hated his sorry excuse for a father which had forced him to attend this academy, he hated his fellow students who continued to bully him out of spite and some sort of vague superiority complex, but most of all he hated himself for failing to live up to the promise he had made to his mother before she passed away.

"Are you even listening to me maggot!? The great me is teaching you some valuable information at the moment so pay attention!"

Perhaps catching on to the fact that Tom was barely paying attention, the bully figured he would teach Tom a lesson by breaking a few of his ribs, kneading mana into his body, before he took a few steps back to ensure his aim, it would be problematic if he accidentally killed this piece of trash.

"Oi! What the fuck are you brats doing? That one is mine, find another person to take out your frustrations on."

Turning to the voice which was interfering with his fun, the bully realized that it was a mere instructor who was chastising him, what's worse, this instructor had messy hair and wore a long dirty robe. Clearly, this was just a mere commoner, not something he needed to pay attention to.

"Stay out of this if you value your job woman, and at least attempt to tidy up your appearance, you are filthy."

(Is that Lizzy?)

As the beating suddenly stopped, Tom examined his surroundings, seeing an instructor having come to his aid he attempted to get up from the ground, but with a powerful kick to his back, Tom was persuaded otherwise.

While the other students ignored Lizzy and put their attention back on the outlet for their current gripes and frustrations, Tom kept his eyes on Lizzy.

"Filthy? Did that brat just call me filthy?..."

Apparently, Lizzy was not the kind of woman to really pay that much attention to her own looks, but that didn't mean she wasn't insulted when someone called her ugly, even more so if the person who insulted her was some rich little brat who couldn't wipe his own ass without at least 14 servants and two slaves at his side. Reaching into her large, stained cloak Lizzy didn't pull out her cigarettes and lighter, but a large purple gem which was fastened with a small metal chain that wrapped around the gem, ending in an armband which Lilly fastened around her wrist, starting to spin the gem around before she addressed the brats again.

"Okay, as the headmaster suggested I do, I'm going to ask nicely one more time. This is my new punching bag brats. Go find a new toy to alleviate your pathetic insecurities, or just get laid, if that's even possible without breaking the law."

Graciously taking Lizzy's advice to heart, the group of students who had been beating on Tom gave up on him for the moment, instead, they turned to Lizzy as some of the braver ones took out their staffs, each of them festooned with a [catalyst] like the gem Lizzy was swinging around by only moving her arm ever so slightly.

"I did warn you bitch, if you give up now we'll let you go with only minor injuries!"

While the students weren't exactly professional magic soldiers, facing 20 some opponents at the same time in a relatively narrow back alley would make it hard to defend or avoid opponents spells, or so it would seem to an amateur like Tom. Showing a fearless, wolf-like smile, Lizzy caught the [catalyst] she had been swinging around in the palm of her hand before it was immediately surrounded by ice which suddenly enveloped Lizzy's hand and forearm, forming a gigantic claw.

"I did warn them twice, didn't I? I hope the headmaster isn't too mad about this, I am working hard after all."

Quietly offering her excuses to an imaginary headmaster, Lizzy transformed her second hand into another claw made out of ice which she used to block a blade of wind that clearly aimed for her neck in a surprisingly relaxing manner. As the blade of wind impacted her claw made of ice, the claw barely chipped before immediately regenerating as Lizzy clenched her 'hand' and used it to force the first student to regurgitate his breakfast before she grabbed his head and tossed him to the side.

"I'm even holding back too, instead of complaining that old fart should be thanking me for teaching his bratty students some really important lessons."

Still continuing to grumble to herself, Lizzy casually sidestepped a spear made out of compressed rock before dispatching the next student who stood in her way with a surprising amount of ease. As their numbers rapidly dropped, the remaining students realized they couldn't afford to hold back.

"Let's get this bitch! John!"

"I know!"

Turning to the best mage in their group with an appropriate magic aptitude to fight this instructor, the other students were reassured by his calm and confident demeanour.

"I'll handle this bitch, stand back everyone."

Believing he was the hero of his own story, John kneaded the mana into his body and formed it into an extremely lethal spell he had learned from his father.

"O' flame."

Using an incantation to properly focus on his magic spell, John used the noble art which had been passed down for ages in his noble house, the spell which his great grandfather had used to win the war of-

"As if I would let you fire such a dangerous spell. This really is the problem with these royal brats…"

Having realized what was happening long before the student finished his spell, Lizzy made quick work of some of the students while simply jumping over some of the others, reaching John way before he avoiding the pathetic frail which could be confused for self-defence, grappling this noble mage around his neck with just two fingers of her massive ice claws before lifting him into the air.

"I did warn you about this brat, don't expect you can simply cry for help after this."

"W-wait!"

"No can do. You fucked with the wrong person, time to die."

With a ruthlessly cold voice laced with bloodlust, Lizzy branded her ice claws, ready to claw out the student's eyes for sport when the student passed out, wetting his pants at the same time.

"... This is the problem with all you brats, if you act like the real deal without anything to back it up you'll sooner or later run into someone stronger than you, in that case, pray they're as kind as I am."

Tossing the passed out student aside, Lizzy glanced at the students who were still standing before she growled at them like an imperial knight instructor.

"Now get the fuck to class before I change my mind! And remember to pick up your trash or I will come for you tonight and then skin you alive!"

""""Yes ma'am!""""

As the other students shattered like baby spiders carrying their unconscious comrades, Lizzy turned her attention back to Tom who had already gotten back on his feet and was attempting to leave as Lizzy's ice claws dissolved into ice crystals.

"Are you just going to keep getting picked on like this until they finally gain enough confidence to outright kill you?"

"Yeah that's the plan, I don't want to be a mage, nor do I want to become some diplomatic bargaining chip for the Laplace family so I'm just going to return to my hometown after this nightmare is over."

First scoffing at Tom's naive mindset, Lizzy took a moment to light a cigarette before explaining just a few of the ways he was wrong.

"You really think the mighty Laplace family will really just give up such a great bargaining chip like yourself? You not learning magic makes it easier for them to control you, when this semester is over there's no way you can return to your former life. I've seen this song and dance play out countless times kiddo, so trust me on this. When a family as powerful as the Laplace picks up one of its many bastards and bothers to put them through a mage academy as expensive as this one, there's a reason."

Although Tom was in no way stupid and to some extend realized his current situation wasn't just going to magically fix itself, he had made a subconscious effort in avoiding the reality of his situation, until now that is.

"... Then what do you suggest I do? And more importantly why are you even helping me?"

Being forced to realize just how fuck he was didn't really leave Tom feeling all that confident about his chances to break out of this hopeless situation he found himself in, but more importantly, he found Lizzy who was willing to help him out of the goodness of her heart increasingly more suspicious as the seconds passed.

Forming a fox-like smile in response to Tom's suspicion of her, Lizzy took another puff of her newly lit cigarette before responding.

"I have my own personal reason for helping you out, so don't worry your pretty little head about that kiddo. More importantly, I don't think you're in a situation where you can afford to refuse my offer, if you want to be anything other than a chess piece for the rest of your life you better accept my offer right now, I already offered to help you one time, there won't be a third time after this, no matter how much you beg for it."

Extending out a hand towards Tom, Lizzy smiled like she already knew he was going to accept her offer, but what other choice did he really have in these circumstances?

"... Fine."

Accepting Lizzy's offer, Tom became even more uncertain as his instructor's smile turned even more fox-like. Taking her cigarette and breathing a large puff of smoke in Tom's face, Lizzy strengthened her grip on his hand.

"Then from this second on and until I'm done with you, you're mine kiddo, I now own you. That means no other classes for the moment, I'll go run that by the headmaster so you just go back to your dorm and rest up for tomorrow when the real thing starts."

Although it would be a few years before he realized this, Tom had just taken the first step in forging his own destiny and fulfilling his promise.