High School of Demon Hunting

Chapter 2701 - 922: Compromise Between Legends

Professor Emma hails from a traditional academic background.Compared to many wizards from unconventional paths, wizards like her have equally prominent strengths and weaknesses—academic wizards have solid fundamental skills, from theory to practice. While not perfect in every aspect, they at least avoid major blunders and unlike rogue wizards, do not leave mental flaws as hidden dangers of demonization.

But as the saying goes, ’blessings and misfortunes come together.’

Overly superior innate conditions instead gradually become a shackle on the path of growth for academic wizards.

Because they emphasize fundamentals, academic wizards often have broad interests, comparing different magical theories during their studies to learn from each other’s strengths. However, they also verify the ancient saying, "the more you know, the more you realize your ignorance." Being overly cautious makes academic wizards gradually lack the spirit of ’courageous advancement’. In a positive light, it can be termed ’prudent and mature’, in a negative light, ’listless and timid’.

Too many predecessors have had their paths ended due to minor missteps, leaving a strong psychological shadow on young wizards, causing them to lose the courage to take risks. Yet on the path of magical research, often times, risk-taking, recklessness, and making mistakes are not entirely derogatory terms.

Following the broad paths paved by the academy’s predecessors steadily upward, although stable, causes them to lose many opportunities to ’test and learn from mistakes’. Modern magical theories, many came from ’errors’—because a group of predecessors unintentionally took the wrong path and did not follow the path of classical magic theories, they instead paved the way for the grand avenue of modern magic.

Of course, most wizards who took the wrong path did not get a chance to witness the splendor of high-level magic. Daring to try and make mistakes versus making mistakes out of ignorance are two different concepts.

In summary.

The biggest characteristic of academic wizards is ’high floor, low ceiling.’

Wizards who normally graduate from the academy are at the registered level, a cornerstone force of the Alliance. Those slightly more outstanding can earn a high-level registered qualification in about a decade after graduation, at which point most institutions and almost all labs within the Alliance open up to them. The exceptionally talented, after decades or even a hundred years of honing, achieve a transformation of true spirit to become great wizards, which is already the ceiling for most academic wizards.

To many wizards in the Wizard World, becoming a great wizard is a lifelong aspiration, yet for academic wizards, this ’ceiling’ is somewhat low.

However, their chosen path is so stable that they find it hard to locate a proper ’legendary seed’ within safety, or even if they find a suitable seed, it is hard for them to spread their legendary concept. After all, not every librarian or schoolteacher in this world can be termed as legendary.

And an uncelebrated legend can hardly be called a true legend.

Whether it’s the warrior battling monsters, the immortal residing for ages, or the evil dragon destroying a city, every legendary concept is built upon authentic legends and miracles, the necessary path for great wizards to leverage the concept to lift their vast true form out of the river of destiny.

In other words, if a legend can’t withstand the erosion of time, allowing people to remember its existence centuries later, then why should its true form withstand the wash of the river of time better than its name?

Back in the Jiuyou Academy Dean’s Office.

Realizing that Professor Emma was not merely about ’power and profit’, but had more fundamental demands, Old Yao immediately felt a headache. The former he could fuzzy and delay, but the latter required a clear answer.

The struggle of the great path, one must advance or retreat, is a doctrine engraved in the bones of many academic wizards.

He smoked his pipe one puff after another.

The bluish-white smoke rose in clusters, soon enveloping him completely, yet the smoke was well-behaved, not spreading past the midpoint of the desk, leaving half the room shrouded in smoke and the other half clear, distinctly divided.

A long time passed.

Until the tobacco in the pipe extinguished completely with no trace of golden color, Old Yao knocked out the ashes by inverting the pipe before raising his head to look at the witch across the table.

"You are very perceptive to see ’correctness’ from ’Order’, but it’s not complete." His pitch-black eyes glimmered clearly in a cloud of smoke, slowly questioning: "Just like the ’little scroll’ you mentioned, how do you know the stains are not correct? With Mr. Ruo Yu’s stature, how could the path he arranged for that child be wrong? You may question my motive, but cannot question Mr. Ruo Yu’s loyalty to the Dean... remember, he became a legend out of sheer rigidity at the time..."

A hint of confusion flashed across Emma’s eyes.

This was also the main reason she held off intervening in matters related to Zheng Qing after the Battle of the Black Prison. However, today, seeing those involved in dangerous experiments trying to drag this child down, she could no longer sit by, hence her confrontation today.

Professor Yao sharply sensed the hint of hesitation in the witch’s eyes and promptly added: "... I think you’ve always defined correctness too narrowly, which leads to being lost in countless correct choices, unsure of what to do. In fact, you should randomly choose a correct direction and unwaveringly go forward... Of course, I understand your concerns are also reasonable..."

Knock knock knock.

An urgent knocking interrupted Old Yao’s ramble.

Professor Emma did not look back but calmly reminded: "It should be your people reporting that dorm incident, I don’t mind hearing what he has to say."

Old Yao smiled wryly, waving a hand to disperse the smoke in front of him.

The door opened.

Deputy chief of the teaching assistant group, Zhang Yu, immediately noticed Professor Emma sitting in the office, his demeanor turned somewhat awkward, hesitantly looking toward the Dean of Jiuyou Academy.

"Professor, regarding the incident of unidentified personnel invading the dorm 403 for male students..." His report was straightforward without the slightest hesitation in his eyes.

Old Yao lifted his pipe, interrupting Zhang Yu’s voice.

"Have the teaching assistant group assign three people, protect Zheng Qing’s safety around the clock, just be careful not to get noticed." He gave Professor Emma a friendly glance while stating this.

The witch did not hesitate to add: "Three shifts, three from the teaching assistant group, three from the School Works Committee, I’ll send three more, if any pests get too close to the target, kill them on the spot without needing to report..."

"Of course, minor pranks like fellow students casting nightmare charms don’t count," Old Yao hastily patched up, fearing vague orders causing the guards also to kill students messing with Zheng Qing.