Chapter 435 – Departing.

“Watch your steps while ascending the main ramp.”

“Yes Professor Ulfine.”

The airship was almost fully loaded and Roland along with Ulfine had already gotten on it. Lucienne along with the other students and her friends seemed a bit nervous but also excited. Even now a lot of them were looking in his direction, quieting down whenever they got up the ramp onto the ship, which his new acquaintance noticed.

“It seems that the young ones are interested in you, Wayland. I bet they would love to hear of your adventures in the kingdom.”

“They are just boring stories of dungeon expeditions, not very interesting.”

“Maybe not to you, but to them who have not been able to spread their wings, it is fascinating.”

“Is that so…”

Roland pondered her words as they waited. These youngsters here came from sheltered families and probably rarely left their homes without supervision. It was probably true that this was one of the few times that they were able to see the world and travel, something that he wasn’t fond of but was forced to go through. His journey was quite interesting from other’s perspectives as he was a ten-year-old who set out on an adventure and became rich and powerful to an extent by his own volition.

Almost all of the kids here were around the age of fifteen and it reminded him of his school days. They were similar to kids at the ending stages of middle school and the beginning of high school. He somewhat recalled thinking that he was almost an adult at that age, regretfully it was nothing but wishful thinking. Even after he reached his twenties, becoming an adult still felt far away.

“Hey, isn’t that the Full Mithril Professor?”

“Yeah, if he is here… then we probably don’t have anything to worry about!”

“I hope we see him kill some monsters, I heard that he is an active adventurer to. Do you think he ever fought a dragon?”

“A dragon? Those things are tough so probably not but maybe a Wyvern or a Drake?”

Roland forced himself to look away from the gossiping children. Whenever he glanced in their direction, they would flinch and quiet down. However, it seemed that at least among this group he had garnered a good reputation. Even though they were apprehensive about him they didn’t seem that unhappy about his presence here. This was most likely due to the origins of these people, who didn’t come from higher houses of nobility.

This advancement class was designed to help youngsters who were behind in their leveling. Wealthy merchants and nobility could pursue such endeavors on their own time and in a safer fashion. The group here consisted mostly of commoners, kids of rich merchants, and lesser nobility which also included knights or adventurers who had enough money to pay the steep tuition. Everyone who was above them in status usually saw these classes as beneath them and not something they should partake in.

Even while he wasn’t facing anyone and looking into the distance, he could still observe everything happening on this ship. The small spiders he had taken on this trip would act as his monitoring system. He could see and hear every one of the students. He aimed to see if anyone harbored animosity toward his sister and was up to no good. Luckily, without any higher nobles or even ones in middle positions, everything seemed fine.

Eventually, the airship’s engines hummed to life to signal that they were ready to depart. The missing leader was a bit late but he finally arrived when it was time to take off. He was an Elementalist at tier 3 and would be the leader for this trip. To Roland’s knowledge, this man was on good terms with Delauder, who was turning out to be the main antagonist to his residence here. If someone attempted to pull something then it would be him, but Roland could also not discount Ulfine, whom he also didn’t know too well. Even though she was acting friendly it could just be an act to lower his defenses.

The man had a stern expression on his face and was wearing a somewhat colorful robe. It was kind of eye-catching as it contained four colors, each one representing a base magical element. He was not alone as three people were behind him who looked like teachers and were probably ones from his department. He was a Professor, so the others could be his assistants. A person didn’t need to be a department head to get such a role, but the next promotion was to become a department head like Thorne or Arion.

“There he is, casually late as always. I see he still has those bad habits…”

Ulfine commented while a sigh escaped from her mouth. The Liger that was lazing on the side snorted as if the two were annoyed by the man’s appearance. He did look like he had a stick up his behind but Roland didn’t want to make an assessment from just his looks. This person had a graceful way of walking and a very upright strut. He reminded Roland of a peacock when doing all of this in that eye-catching robe.

“Lady Ulfine, It’s a pleasure to have you with us on this voyage.”

After taking his time walking up the ramp, the first thing he did was waltz over to the woman that he just met. She didn’t seem like she liked his presence too much. When he attempted to kiss her hand, she just didn’t hold it out which created a somewhat awkward exchange. Some of the students started chuckling but before they could comment, he produced quite the glare.

“Yes, I’m also very pleased now, let’s just get on with it, Professor Ernas.”

The seemingly annoyed Ulfine responded and started walking away. Ernas didn’t seem too shaken by her demeanor but instead, he even seemed quite content. His face was rather handsome and more on the feminine side. His hair was long, covered his left eye, and multicolored to seemingly match the elements on his robe.

“Of course, Lady Ulfine. With your expertise and guidance, I’m sure the classes will pass by smoothly and on time.”

Roland observed the interaction with a raised eyebrow. It was certain that these two had some sort of history with each other or that perhaps the man named Ernas just fancied her. One thing was clear though, he didn’t seem to like Roland too much as he wasn’t offered much of a greeting besides a nod and some words.

“You must be the new Assistant Professor. You might be new but please try to keep up.”

“…”

It was quite a rude introduction but he kept himself from replying. It was better to just be silent than garner more animosity from this person. The man exuded a certain air of arrogance that he didn’t want to be too close by. After this introduction, he decided to take a tour through this airship and visit the engine room. Previously he was unable to do this when on the larger airship but this time, he was part of the Runic Department and had the correct clearance.

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“Greetings, young mages. We embark on this journey not just to enhance your combat skills but also to broaden your understanding of the world beyond the Institute! Professor Ulfine and I will guide you so remember to always follow our instructions…

The ship’s interior was spacious and one of the rooms even had a classroom arrangement with seats for the students and a chalkboard. There Ernas took the chance to address the students on what they would be doing on this journey. His name was left out as in a way, his job was to play the role of enforcer and bodyguard, not to teach them anything. Thus, he took this opportunity to broaden his horizons and examine every enchantment on this vessel, focusing mostly on the engine room.

After a little walk, he arrived in the engine room, which didn’t produce much more than just humming. Once inside, he got to see the heart of this airship which was a floating stone inside of a large column. This column was glowing and covered in various runes and was busy at work. This wasn’t quite the same as an engine from a modern plane as it was more akin to a computer.