“Ring, ring—”
The bell signaling the start of class rang right on time.
The classroom, which had been buzzing with chatter just a second ago, quickly quieted down. The freshmen sat up straight, eagerly looking toward the podium.
One second, ten seconds, half a minute...
The podium remained completely empty.
“Where's the teacher?”
“No way they're late for the very first class, right?”
“Shh—actually, I have some inside info from my second aunt's uncle's son's sister's nephew.” Someone lowered their voice, acting all mysterious and teasing the crowd.
After drawing curious glances and thoroughly teasing everyone's curiosity, he finally spoke with a satisfied grin.
“I heard the professor for Elemental Theory... is a dwarf.”
“A dwarf?”
“How rare. I've never seen one before...”
“Who has? I heard that dwarf tribes are only located in the neighboring Woodsong Forest Alliance now.”
Then someone else spoke up mysteriously, “Then it's no wonder. I guess the professor is probably still on his way here. After all, for every step we take, he has to take three or four.”
“Pfft—”
Muffled laughter instantly erupted across the classroom.
Seeing that no teacher was showing up, everyone's courage began to grow.
For these young people who had just entered the academy and hadn't yet bonded with their classmates, this was undoubtedly a perfect icebreaker.
After all, as citizens of the Bauhinia Empire, you might have never seen a real dwarf in person, but you could certainly rattle off ten dwarf jokes without skipping a beat.
An Azure Garden student cleared his throat and spoke with mock seriousness, “I guess I have to show you guys how it's done. Sit tight. Speaking of which, a long time ago, armor on the battlefield only consisted of breastplates and gauntlets. It wasn't until dwarves joined the war—that greaves were finally invented.”
“Hahaha—”
“There's more, there's more!”
Seeing the atmosphere heating up, another student, unwilling to be outdone, chimed in, “A hundred years ago, the High King of the dwarves planned to establish a fierce cavalry unit, but in the end, he had to give up in disappointment... Because everything they could ride was too tall. At least something needs to be taller than their waist!”
The classroom soon became lively with chatter.
Someone laughed and warned, “You guys are making fun of dwarves like this. Aren't you afraid the professor will hear you? What if he writes your name in his little Book of Grudges?”
The Azure Garden student who had told the first joke immediately flushed, the veins on his forehead bulging as he craned his neck to argue, “Dwarf jokes can't be considered making fun... Dwarf jokes! It's traditional Bauhinian culture, how can it be considered discrimination?”
Then came some hard-to-understand talk, like “racial equality doesn't mean immunity to humor,” “true friendship begins with mutual offense,” and “even a dwarf would buy me a drink if they heard this.”
This drew another round of laughter, filling the classroom with a joyful atmosphere.
Lynn's lips twitched. He swept a pitiful gaze over the gossiping crowd, focusing on a few 'pioneers' with theatrical personalities who were gesticulating so wildly they looked ready to put on a dwarf stage play right then and there.
‘These guys... It's one thing to be so relaxed that they can't even sense that faint trace of magical aura, but their eyesight is completely lacking too...’
From the very moment he stepped into the classroom, he had faintly sensed an obscure and heavy magic power coiled near the podium.
And... a small section of a gray ponytail bobbing up and down behind the podium, barely concealing a growing rage.
The professor had arrived long ago. Unfortunately—
He wasn't taller than the podium.
‘Let's see what the smart ones who saw through all this are doing—’
In the front row by the window, the white-haired dumpling was frowning in confusion, staring at the podium as if wanting to speak but hesitating. Flanked by the surrounding Regal Department freshmen chatting away, her round eyes were filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated cluelessness.
Oh, skip her first. She doesn't count as one of the smart ones.
In the very front row, Veronica, with her chin resting on her hands, was shaking slightly as she tried to suppress her laughter, while not far away, the corner of Anna's mouth was also slightly curved.
These two bad women were completely bloodthirsty spectators, practically itching to watch the upcoming show!
Meanwhile, the pink-haired dumpling sitting in the middle of the classroom was slumped over her desk, using her textbook to block half her face while secretly reading a suspicious book disguised under the cover of Basic Elemental Theory.
Unfortunately, judging by the corner of an illustration that peeked out occasionally—
The elemental mages in this book not only had excessively good figures, but they also seemed to love kissing handsome young villains before casting spells.
‘...I'm confiscating that later.’
Lynn ruthlessly sentenced it to death in his heart.
Aside from them, the three Red Garden honor students—Otto, Caroline, and Samuel—remained expressionless, completely indifferent to the commotion as they minded their own business.
Only Ruby, like a timid little animal, shrank her head back. She opened her mouth several times to warn the classmates around her, but unfortunately, her voice was too soft and was completely drowned out by the lively discussion.
Lynn shook his head. He silently looked at the students who were still loudly discussing "dwarf humor," a hint of pity unconsciously showing in his gilded eyes.
‘Laugh. Laugh as much as you can while you still can.’
‘After all... the petty nature of dwarves is an essential part of dwarf jokes that one must experience.’
“Let me tell you guys another one!”
The boy who had spoken first felt absolutely no sense of danger. He even stood up excitedly, “Why do dwarves never have to worry about others copying their exam answers? Because—”
Thud!!!
A rough, wide palm slammed violently onto the podium.
In an instant, the entire classroom became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Under everyone's gradually terror-stricken gazes, a white-bearded dwarf elder slowly stepped out from behind the podium.
His bronze face was lined with deep wrinkles, and three thick, braided beard-plaits hung down to his waist.
His eyes, hidden beneath thick eyebrows, were currently like two pieces of red-hot iron fresh from the forge, glaring intensely at the few who had been joking the loudest.
“Go on.”
The old dwarf tilted his head up expressionlessly, “Why did you stop? Is it because this old man is too short to see your answers?”
Rate on N.U.
