Chapter 204: The El-Melloi Classroom

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

The voice was getting closer, from above and descending, accompanied by increasingly obvious tremors. If you listened closely, you could even discern the voice spiraling downwards.

It seems someone had tumbled down the stairs, all the way from the third floor to the first.

Just as Shinji came to this conclusion, a person came tumbling out of the stairwell.

To Shinji's surprise, this young man, not much older than Shinji himself, sprang up from the ground the moment he hit the floor, seemingly unaffected by the fall from the upper level.

The young man, having regained his footing, wasted no time in brushing off the dust on his clothes, and looked up to shout, "You barbarian, you bumped into me again."

"Sorry, it's because you're too short, I didn't see you," the apology came with a distinct lack of sincerity.

The other young man was also a teenager, but in contrast to the first one's slender build, he was considerably taller. Standing side by side, the difference between them was as stark as that between a professional basketball player and an ordinary person.

"Do you want to fight?" the shorter youth glared, raising his fist.

"I don't want to be accused of bullying the weak," the taller one taunted, crossing his arms.

"Who's the weak one is yet to be seen," the shorter one threw a punch.

Though the punch seemed to miss, the moment it was thrown, the air in front of it suddenly solidified, as if an invisible lead ball had been thrust forth, hurtling towards the taller youth's face.

The tall young man remained motionless, and a sound of indistinct meaning escaped his lips. The air projectile, as if encountering a sturdy wall, was deflected and bounced back.

Coincidentally, this solidified air bullet, upon colliding with the magically reinforced ceiling of the school building, was redirected and its trajectory now aimed straight at Shinji's forehead.

Shinji sighed helplessly and raised his empty left hand, shattering the air bullet. For someone like him now, even a real lead bullet could be crushed with a single palm strike, let alone this magically conjured air projectile.

It was only then that the two young men, the taller and the shorter, noticed Shinji's presence in the entrance hall and quickly ceased their confrontation.

"I'm so sorry, really sorry about that."

"Apologies, I didn't notice, are you alright?"

"It's fine," Shinji smiled, not taking it to heart.

Magi are people too, and everyone has had their moments of youthful impetuousness. Even in his previous life, Shinji had been in a few scuffles back when he was in school, though nothing as dramatic as this.

"Well, that's good, that's good." The shorter young man noticed Shinji's luggage and his eyes lit up, "Are you here to enroll? Then we'll be classmates!"

"No." Shinji shook his head, "I'm here to see your professor, Waver Velvet. Where is he?"

"The professor is in the office, up the stairs on the third floor, in the room at the back," the taller young man replied. "And although I don't know which department you're from, please feel free to drop by our classroom and sit in on a few of our lessons. I'm sure you won't be disappointed in Professor Waver's teaching."

"That's right, that's right, Professor Waver is the best," the shorter young man echoed.

"Okay, I'll come by if I have the chance," Shinji nodded, picking up his luggage and making his way up the stairs.

The two fifteen or sixteen-year-old young men behind him were still loudly calling out.

"It's a deal then."

"You have to come!"

"Heh, Waver is beloved by the students, even though they're a bunch of problem students. But the atmosphere here is certainly better than outside."

Shinji's body relaxed, passed by the students trickling out of the classrooms, and made his way down the marble-floored hallway, knocking on the door at the end.

"Come in," Waver's voice sounded a bit different from his usual casual tone, carrying more of a teacher's authority.

Shinji pushed the door open.

Waver's office was divided into an outer and inner room, with a shoe rack by the entrance.

England was different from Japan, without the habit of changing shoes when entering the school building. Waver must have made this arrangement as a personal preference, and Shinji imagined the wardrobe likely held a change of clothes as well.

Seeing no one in the outer room, Shinji then placed his hand on the quite elegant door to the inner sanctum.

Upon opening it, a neatly organized room came into view.

The most noticeable feature of the room was the densely packed bookshelves. The books were meticulously organized by category and size, and the shelves were strategically angled to prevent direct sunlight from the windows. A quick scan revealed several hundred volumes on the sliding bookcases.

On the desk sat a distinctive silver fountain pen and a double-bladed cigar cutter, suggesting the room's occupant had taken up the habit of smoking cigars. Overall, the office had an atmosphere befitting an academic institution - save for the latest Nintendo Game Boy Light gaming console tucked in the corner.

Now, Waver sat in an antique chair at the back of the room, his hands resting on the armrests as he gazed pensively at a stack of documents.

Compared to when the Fourth Holy Grail War had ended, Waver had undergone significant changes. His stature had grown from under 170 cm to over 180 cm, his round face had become more angular, and his once-short hair now reached past his shoulders, though traces of his youthful features still lingered around his eyes.

As Shinji closed the door, he greeted Waver.

"Hey, long time no see."

Waver looked up at the sound, abruptly standing up from his chair, visibly surprised.

"Shinji Matou?"

"It's me."

"How did you - where's the professor?"

Shinji didn't immediately answer, first activating a few rune seals, then speaking.

"Lord Kenneth is still in Japan. He asked me to come over in advance to prepare for his return a few days from now. You know many don't want to see him here."

"I see."

Waver nodded in understanding. Even just taking over the El-Melloi classroom for a time had drawn the ire of many, let alone being the head of a faction. Shinji had not announced his visit ahead of time, likely to avoid drawing unwanted attention.

"What are you planning to do? Is there anything I can assist with?"

"First, I need to gather intelligence. I've already made arrangements for that. As for you... Just provide me a place to stay for the next few days, so that you don't get kidnapped or worse."

The news of Kayneth's impending return had caused quite a stir. As the source of this information, Waver would undoubtedly face immense pressure, and Shinji was here to prevent this pressure from turning into tangible threats.

Kayneth had warned Shinji more than once that the factional struggles within the Clock Tower were as treacherous as the conflicts between nations, and due to the hidden and unique nature of magecraft, the level of cruelty was even higher - it was all too easy for someone to simply disappear without a trace.

That's why Shinji was here.

As one of the most important investments for the Matou family in the next 20 years, anyone who dared to harm Waver would have to answer to Shinji.

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