Heaven's Greatest Professor

Chapter 42  Exotic Animal

"Professor Walt's trail ends here," June mumbled, standing before the gate of a village. The majestic Starfire Crane stood next to her, tired from all the flying it did while carrying her. She had traveled over a thousand miles in a span of a day. June was bound to give Sylvie some rewards for her hard work. But for now, she couldn't relax yet.

"Sylvie, fly around to see if there's anything amiss in the surroundings," June said. "I'll be in the village."

Sylvie clunked, rubbing her head against June.

"I'll be fine," June reassured the bird. "I'll have something for you to eat by the time you're back."

With that, she entered the village, though her eyes darted to where Sylvie flew off to. The sunset was on the horizon, and it would be dark in no time. June planned on finishing her first task by then. She hoped the instructor had been accommodating to the villagers' problem.

Two minutes into her walk, June finally found the first sign of a human, a young girl probably no older than fifteen, simply dressed and taking care of leather left in the sun.

"Umm, hello," June called, startling the girl, who spun on her heels to meet her gaze.

"An elf," the girl said, stunned, looking at June's sharp, long ears.

"Yes," June said softly. "Can you—"

"I'm sorry," the girl shouted. She tossed off the leather she was carrying and sprinted back deep into the village.

June tilted her head. Did they hate elves that much? But she didn't find hate in the girl's expression; it was more like apprehension and fear.

Should I wait here or go after her? June considered. It didn't take her long to get bored standing, so she crept into the path the girl ran off to. Midway on her path, she finally saw more people, and she found the girl who seemed to bring in a tall, stalwart man with white hair.

"You're right, Onia," the man said, taking a bite of the roasted meat stick in his hand. "There really is an elf."

June frowned at his comment and his behaviour. He glided towards her without any greeting, still eating his food, and began studying her as if she were some exotic animal. While June was not surprised to see such looks, the man's behavior certainly was weirder than what she used to encounter. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Ohh, where are my manners?" The man broke out of his stupor. "Please excuse my rudeness. It's my first time meeting an elf. Do you want a kebab?"

It took a moment for her to register that he was talking about the roasted meat he was eating. "No, thank you," she said, even though she felt quite hungry after the long journey.

"So Miss Elf," the guy asked. "Do you happen to have a name?" June set her jaw in disapproval. "I do," she said, sighing. "I'm Professor Jane from the Third Arcane Academy."

"Another professor?" the man raised an eyebrow, getting a little serious. "Don't tell me you came for that guy?"

"Another professor?" June inquired. "You mean Professor Walt?"

The man tilted his head in deep thought. "Don't know anyone by that name, but if you're looking for Professor Noble-Pain-In-The-Ass, then we might have one in store."

"What?" Something about what he said didn't feel right to her. She was just about to ask him to clarify when a few people ran in to surround her.

"You're a professor from the Academy, right?" said a guy. "Please come with us."

June found a couple of teens in the attire of their academy. She didn't waste time and followed after them.

June and Professor Walt weren't friends, even though they worked at the same academy. There were over two hundred professors, after all, and it wasn't possible for her to know them all personally. However, she did recognize his face, though the face she saw now was pale, losing a lot of blood. A bandage was tied completely on his upper body, a broken arm hanging over his chest. Next to him were a few fellows in Domination cuffs, sitting idly, eating.

"What happened to him?" June asked.

"Face-slapping," a voice said from behind. June turned to find the tall, stalwart man with white hair appearing behind her, now with two stick-kebabs in his hand. He was munching them delightfully, still studying her as if he took her for an exotic animal.

"I'm sorry?" June raised an eyebrow.

"You know how it is," the guy said, as if it was common sense. "You gain some power at an early age and begin throwing your weight around everywhere you go. Does that sound familiar?"

June nodded just to engage him. She hadn't been like that, of course, but there were plenty of examples of such behaviours. The Elven ways were not so barbaric.

"That's a problem most young men have," he continued. "But it becomes a disaster if you're struck by that mindset even when you become a man, and a man of influential position, no less."

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing important. Professor Noble-Pain-In-The-Ass was just at the right place to do the wrong thing and ended up like that."

"You made him like that?" June's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Bingo," the infuriating man said, as if he was playing a quiz with her. "Now please, for the love of God, don't say you have to avenge him or uphold the law. I really hate beating girls. Funny coincidence how I just found that out."

"You're saying you look down on girls?"

"Girl, you have a listening disability or something?" the tall guy came forward, his head towering over her. June was tall, over six feet with her Elven lineage, but still, the guy was a head taller than her. "When did I say that?" "You didn't say it, but you clearly look down on girls." June glared up at him, flaring a little of her aura.

"No, I didn't say that." The man met her glare in full stride. "It is you who interpreted that. Well, fine by me. If it all takes me to beat you to change your impression of me, I'd gladly do it."