Chapter 120: Fox, You Enchantress

The Beiana Battle God Academy ultimately delivered a surprise. Just as most of the preparations for the anniversary celebration were underway, they came to crash the event—a tradition of theirs, arriving a week before the actual day. After all, showing up on the day of the celebration itself would have been too much.

As a matter of courtesy, the faculty and students came out to greet them, though no one of principal rank appeared since the visitors had sent only two teaching directors. Ruby stood under the scorching sun for several minutes, yet the two grand golden doors before him remained firmly closed.

Just as Ruby thought the principal was giving them the cold shoulder, the sky above suddenly darkened. He looked up sharply to see an oval-shaped airship hovering over the academy. After gaining permission, the teaching directors activated the academy’s defensive magical array, allowing the airship to descend to the ground.

This peculiar airship resembled those from Earth but didn’t rely on lighter-than-air gases for lift. Instead, an unknown mechanism was at work: four propellers were mounted along the rectangular vessel’s sides, with a much larger one at the rear, probably serving as the main propulsion.

“The air here is as refreshing as ever,” came a rough voice.

As the airship landed and its hatch opened, the first to emerge was a bald, rugged man whose skin shone brilliantly under the sun. Standing eight feet tall with well-defined muscles, his large nostrils inhaled deeply, drawing in the magically charged air so forcefully that Ruby felt the surrounding atmosphere flowing toward him.

“That’s him again. This man is Hal, a teaching director from the Battle God Academy. The one behind him is his brother, Hart,” Bai Yu explained carefully, knowing Ruby was unfamiliar with their guests. More people had disembarked, and the two bald brothers’ radiant heads could rival the sun itself.

“Teacher Bai Yu, good to see you again. You’re still as… um…” Hal’s eyes lit up as he strode toward Bai Yu but faltered, unsure how to compliment a woman’s charm.

“Majestic,” Hart, the brother, interjected knowingly, and both brothers’ gazes never left a particular part of Bai Yu.

“Yes, exactly that,” Hal nodded enthusiastically, continuing to observe the bespectacled woman, wondering why the Blackstone Empire’s women weren’t so well-endowed. Was it a matter of climate or something else?

Ruby noticed that although the brothers’ behavior was somewhat brazen, their admiration was genuine and sincere. Such blatant staring suited their muscular personalities, and Bai Yu subtly stepped behind Ruby, ignoring them.

“Thank you all for coming from afar. Why not rest first before proceeding?” Swort, the principal’s great-grandson, couldn’t help but speak up upon witnessing the bald men’s open flirtation with his beloved Bai Yu. As the academy head, his voice carried weight here.

“No trouble at all. Just one breath of this air and we’re fully recharged. Come, shake hands with us, brothers first,” Hal laughed heartily, patting his own bald head before extending his large palm toward the Rhine Academy staff. His brother mirrored him.

The faculty’s expressions immediately changed. The first challenge had begun. No matter how brilliant their magical knowledge, they were physically fragile magicians. Silence fell over the teachers; none wished to become victims of these burly men.

“What’s wrong? Does Rhine Magic Academy not have a single teacher who knows how to shake hands?” Hal feigned disappointment. Though the teachers were inwardly annoyed, memories of a young teacher who had impulsively shaken Hal’s hand last year—and then spent a week bedridden in the Healing Magic Department—quickly tempered their reactions.

“I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Ruby, a new teacher,” Ruby introduced himself politely.

“New teachers always have good manners, hmm,” Hal said approvingly, gripping Ruby’s hand and secretly applying force to see how long he could endure before begging for mercy. Swort gritted his teeth and shook hands with Hart, while the other teachers sighed in relief and silently made the sign of the cross for their young colleagues.

“Ah, it’s you again,” Hart said, noticing Swort’s clear disinterest. Facing last year’s humiliating defeat, he applied only moderate pressure. Swort quietly cast a blessing spell to boost his physical defense, barely managing to hold his own.

Hal didn’t think much of the strange man with twigs in his hair, but immediately sensed something different when they made contact. Ruby’s hands were calloused—a rare sight among teachers at the Holy Empire’s Rhine Magic Academy. It was as if the heavens were falling.

Ruby felt the increasing pressure in his hand but was no pushover. After all, he was a man who had hollowed out half a mountain with his bare hands. Plus, the solitary thirty-plus years of his life gave him a stamina that could match these bald giants.

Though Ruby held his own with ease, Bai Yu could not stand by. She discreetly cast a high-level blessing combined with localized petrification on Ruby. None of the others sensed the magical flow. Hal suddenly found Ruby’s hand as hard as steel. He exerted greater force, his face flushed red, yet could not budge it an inch.

“Teacher Hal is truly passionate,” Swort remarked as Hal strained to win this contest, only for Ruby to release his grip first. He saw no benefit in showing such fervor in broad daylight. If only Tenasha were here—she would surely enjoy such activity.

“Brother, let’s go visit the principal first,” Hart said, reading the loss on his brother’s face and stopping Hal from challenging Ruby again.

“You’re strong. I look forward to our next encounter,” Hal nodded to Ruby before leading his students toward the teaching building. Ten elite combat mages formed the group, with only one female among them.

What struck Ruby most at first sight was her height and hair color. Perhaps just over five feet tall, she appeared petite. Her crimson hair was tied in a ponytail that fluttered behind her. She wore a revealing leather armor that tightly hugged her torso from chest to navel, modestly shaping a small curve despite her size.

Her lower half was equally exposed—short leather shorts barely covering her upper thighs, leaving most of her legs bare. Perhaps to spare the academy’s male students from temptation, she draped an unbuttoned red-and-white long-sleeved shirt over her shoulders, concealing most of her skin. Around her snow-white neck was a choker inlaid with purple-tinted lenses.

The girl walked at the rear of the group. As she passed Ruby, she glanced briefly at the man who had bested Hal. Ruby, in turn, noticed her rare heterochromia—one eye golden yellow, the other pale blue. Their eyes met for barely a second; she showed no interest in him, and Ruby’s attention shifted to the airship behind her. They passed each other silently.

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P.S. Magic Overlord: There’s a strong fox spirit vibe here!