This wizard only wishes to be a teacher

"You mean to say that your Dean Lucien will not be able to participate in the latter half of the academic exchange?" Wizard Saud furrowed his brow within the room, his expression somewhat displeased.

After all, it was Lucien who had initiated their invitation to this academic exchange, and now, just as the research had reached its midpoint, the "inviter" had directly left.

In Wizard Saud’s eyes, such behavior was a clear display of disrespect towards their Winter Fort exchange team. It left him feeling slighted. Although his voice remained calm, it was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, causing beads of sweat to appear on Carly’s forehead.

"I apologize, but Mentor Lucien..." Carly took a small step back, softly explaining the situation. She also tried hard to suppress the blood within her body that was beginning to boil under external pressure, controlling the magic essence power and slowly retracting the fine silver feathers that had appeared on her arms.

"However, rest assured, we will arrange for a formal Wizard of equal standing to continue on with the matter..." Carly explained in a soft voice.

"May I ask if your mentor has some urgent matter to attend to?" Iceberg Woolf looked at Carly and then at the clearly still irate Saud and asked in an even tone, helping to ease the slightly tense atmosphere at the moment.

"That... He’s dealing with a small wizard organization." After a slight pause, Carly divulged this bit of information, but she did not go into specifics, instead offering a vague response.

"Dealing with a small wizard organization?" Saud was momentarily taken aback, and after exchanging a glance with another seasoned formal Wizard, both read a sense of seriousness and earnestness in each other’s eyes.

They knew that Winter Fort had recently been taking similar actions, and now it seemed that not only Winter Fort but also Greybone Academy was involved in similar affairs. This clearly indicated that behind the scenes, powerful Wizards were at play, perhaps a higher-level magical dispute, something beyond Lucien’s or their own ability to influence or interfere with.

At that moment, the slight dissatisfaction in Saud’s heart had faded, but his tone still conveyed a reluctance to concede.

"We’ll let it go this time, but let me be clear, in our subsequent exchange battles, the Wizard Apprentices of Winter Fort will not hold back. Hmph..." Saud huffed lightly, but his words paused momentarily when he looked at Carly, who was now smiling, because he suddenly remembered that this person, who had the right to communicate with him on equal terms, was also, strictly speaking, a Wizard Apprentice.

Although Carly was still at the apprentice level, her strength could no longer be measured by that level. Having such a ’bug-level’ Wizard Apprentice representing Greybone Academy, it was as if the lack of sportsmanship was written all over their faces.

"Our main goal for this visit is exchange, and I feel that I am on the verge of advancing to the next level, thus not suitable for the kind of battle that mainly focuses on exchange and showcasing." Carly guessed the reason why Saud had stopped talking halfway and explained a bit, which somewhat reassured Saud.

"However, my junior will participate. By the way, strictly speaking, he is still just a second-level Wizard Apprentice, participating in an exchange event of this level should be considered normal, right?" A mischievous glint flashed in Carly’s eyes, but she maintained a nonchalant demeanor on the surface.

"Junior?" This word made Saud slightly uneasy. In his view, any other student trained by Lucien, who had cultivated a freak like Carly, might also be exceptional in some aspect. Allowing such a monster to join the exchange battles might cast an unnecessary shadow over his own apprentices.

But when he heard Carly out and learned that her junior was only a second-level Wizard Apprentice, Saud laughed.

"I am very much looking forward to his performance." Saud nodded lightly, while Iceberg Woolf appeared contemplative. After all, in his memory, Carly’s junior was that Edison, a low-profile Wizard Apprentice with a great talent of body refinement.

But that one... His strength exhibited in the Blood Duel Mystic Realm was not just that of a second-level wizard apprentice, was it?

Woolf felt there was something strange about this. But as he watched Carly depart, leaving Saud with a face full of apparent advantage, he opened his mouth as if to speak but was uncertain what to say.

"That... I’ve seen her junior before inside the Blood Duel Mystic Realm." After a brief silence, Woolf spoke up lightly, catching the attention of Saud nearby.

"That was a very strong Physical Refining Wizard Apprentice... um, the one you briefly encountered and tested before." Woolf conveyed his thoughts carefully, not realizing the remarkable expression that had appeared on Saud’s face.

What kind of joke was this? Edison, with such a level of strength, was just a second-level Wizard Apprentice?!!

But it didn’t take long for Saud to remember the scene where he had clashed with Edison. Back then, Edison had primarily resisted his attacks with physical strength, and Saud hadn’t felt any magic essence fluctuation from within his body that would suggest the attack methods of a Physical Refining Wizard...

Could it be that he really was just a second-level Wizard Apprentice?

Saud was getting restless at this point, wanting to burst out and find Carly for a clear explanation. Yet, he managed to suppress this impulse and instead stood up, walking around the room in an irritated manner.

He had some confidence in Edison’s strength, and what’s more, Woolf seemed to have a very high opinion of Edison’s abilities. Although he didn’t know the extent of Edison’s full potential, it was clear that his power was not weak in the least—he could certainly suppress the majority of third-level Wizard Apprentices.

If the group of Wizard Apprentices he had brought with him were to be annihilated by a second-level Wizard Apprentice in the realm of physical refining Wizards, it would be a nightmare for both Winter Fort’s reputation and the Wizard Apprentices participating in the exchange battle!

"Ugh... How despicable!" Saud clenched his thinning hair on top of his head in agony, feeling that the tactic of those elemental Wizards was truly filthy.

...

"Carly, are you saying... they plan to postpone the academic exchange activities and also want to observe us cleaning up the Greybone Alliance?" Lucien listened carefully to Carly’s report, his expression turning somewhat peculiar.

"It’s not observation; they’re willing to join forces to participate," Carly responded, also looking a bit bewildered. Although she was the "liaison coordinator" for this exchange event, she was just as puzzled by the odd request from the Winter Fort’s delegation.

After all, this kind of joint attack didn’t offer much benefit to the Wizards from Winter Fort. It was essentially like doing unpaid work for Greybone Academy, even potentially resulting in losses among the Wizard Apprentices they brought.

It seemed like a decidedly thankless task.

"What about the originally scheduled activities?"

"Um... They’re willing to postpone everything else except for the exchange battles. Oh, the exact words from Wizard Saud were that they want to use this joint combat experience as a platform for friendly sparring and exchange between both sides. Because warriors from the north only welcome their friends with vodka ’Wardka’ and winter bear meat, not with fists."

Carly twitched the corners of her mouth slightly while relaying Wizard Saud’s words.

Despite Wizard Saud’s wording being very appropriate and generous, Carly couldn’t help but feel that only two words were really conveyed throughout his speech—"from the heart."

"Okay, then let’s arrange it that way," Lucien nodded slightly, the outcome was better than he had anticipated, so naturally, he had no reason to refuse.

"I understand, Instructor Lucien," Carly nodded, ready to leave, but then Lucien called out to her.

"Wait, about that new blood issue you mentioned last time, I now have some ideas."

Carly paused, seemingly grasping Lucien’s thoughts. She clenched her hands slightly, feeling a mix of nervousness and indescribable anticipation.

But after calling Carly back, Lucien closed his eyes, rhythmically tapping his fingers on the table, as if he were deep in thought or wrestling with a difficult decision.

Tap tap tap...

At this point, Carly slowed her breathing, waiting anxiously for Instructor Lucien’s final decision.

After some time, Lucien finally opened his eyes.

"Randomly select 10% of the Wizard Apprentices from the first and second years, they must participate in this siege activity, others may choose to sign up voluntarily. Concerning the points reward, it can be distributed to them before the battle. Each person... two hundred points as the base, with the possibility of additional rewards for special contributions after the battle."

Carly nodded gently, but Lucien wasn’t done speaking. "Oh, and they don’t need to be given the main offensive tasks, just assign them some cleanup work after the battle. This mission is primarily about letting them experience firsthand the sensation of bloodshed in the Wizard World—we can’t let these Apprentices really go to waste."

After a pause, Lucien added, "The last point, you know it, don’t mention it to the new blood. Actually, it might be better to describe this battle as more dangerous."

Carly blinked her eyes, but seeing Lucien’s stern face, she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "I understand, Instructor Lucien. I will certainly make the task seem very dangerous, just as you wish."