"Ah, I'm sorry but you're not exactly what I'm looking for." Azel said, leaning back against his chair as the fifth instructor finished his presentation.

The dwarf mage had been respectable… competent, well-spoken, and certainly not weak but he simply didn't feel right.

Azel trusted instinct more than anything, especially when it came to Lillia.

The dwarf nodded politely, bowing low before exiting the room.

The Emperor exhaled dramatically. "Why are you being so indecisive? Do you not want an instructor?"

"They simply don't have enough variety for me." Azel replied calmly. He did not feel guilty… Lillia deserved the best he could find.

Especially after he had neglected her for so long. "She learns spells within two tries. Sometimes she picks them up before one finishes explaining. She needs someone who knows more than two or three categories of magic."

The Emperor hummed thoughtfully.

It was clear he was becoming more intrigued with every passing moment. "Well, we have one last candidate. After that, if nothing pleases you, I can request tutors from Everbright City."

He cleared his throat and called, "Next!"

Alvinus rose sluggishly from his seat, as though the weight of the world clung to his shoulders.

He walked to the front, stopping before Azel and the Emperor. Neither of them immediately recognized him not just because of the disguise he wore occasionally, but because he looked ruined.

'Damn… what is this elf still doing here?' Azel thought. 'And why does he look so dead?'

The once-proud elven professor now looked like someone decades older. His long hair was messy, his skin was pale, and his eyes shadowed by exhaustion.

He resembled a scholar who had been living on the street, not a mage who once taught in a prestigious academy.

"Introduce yourself." The Emperor instructed.

Alvinus straightened, swallowing once. "My name is Al… Alvinus Seatra. I am a 5th-circle mage from the Land of Elves, and I will be presenting for the position of Instructor."

He clasped his hands together and mana burst outward from his body. Several glowing spheres floated in orbit around him gently.

Azel blinked. 'What the… he looks like he's falling apart, but his mana is still this refined?'

"I will demonstrate the range of my magic," Alvinus said as he took a deep breath. "I possess four elemental affinities, and I will present each in sequence to show why I am suited to teaching a prodigious child."

He lifted one hand slightly, and the sphere nearest to him pulsed green.

The floor rumbled softly. Then…

Vines sprouted from the ground, weaving upward in smooth arcs. Leaves unfurled in spirals, blooming into flowers before Azel's eyes.

They glowed beautifully, carrying a natural aura.

"This is the expression of my Life element." Alvinus said. "With it, I command nature. I can teach botanical magic, regeneration magic, and several support spells unique to elven tradition."

The flowers slowly dissolved into particles of mana.

He stepped to the side and flicked his wrist.

A silver sphere flared.

A gust of wind roared through the chamber, it was powerful enough to push both Azel and the Emperor's hair backward.

Their robes fluttered heavily.

"This is my Wind element," Alvinus continued. "It allows shaping, cutting, reinforcement, and advanced movement spells. Techniques I believe a young mage can benefit greatly from."

Azel raised a brow. The man was presenting like someone desperately trying to hold onto dignity. And yet… he was impressive.

Alvinus didn't pause. He extended his palm and breathed out.

The red sphere pulsed.

Flame erupted across his hand… they were bright, hot, and vibrant. The temperature in the room immediately climbed, enough for sweat to prick Azel's neck.

Then the flame shifted… deepening from red to orange, then yellow, then white to a searing blue.

The heat became intense, almost suffocating, but perfectly constrained. The flames danced upward around his arm without burning him.

"I have specialized heavily in fire magic." Alvinus said. "I can teach destructive, supportive, and mixed-type fire spells. My mastery allows me to alter temperature, shape, and elemental density."

He finally dispelled the flames, breathing a bit harder.

Internally, he was screaming.

'Please… please let this be enough… I need money, I need food, I need a real bed again… I can't work at another construction site… please…'

He raised his final hand.

"And lastly… my rarest element."

A silver-lavender glow spread across his entire body. Light shimmered over his skin. Tiny motes danced around him like fragments of a night sky.

Azel leaned forward slightly. Now this was very interesting… Blue flames were also interesting but this was far more.

"This is my Star element." Alvinus said. "It allows me to harness the power of celestial mana… raw and immensely destructive. It is rare amongst my clan, and extremely difficult to control."

He raised his hand, and starlight gathered on his palm like a miniature galaxy swirling in place.

"I cannot unleash it fully without destroying the chamber, but I can demonstrate a controlled fusion—"

"That's enough." Azel said, raising a hand.

Alvinus froze.

Part of him immediately shattered.

'Will I… get the job? Did I mess up? Was I supposed to do more? Should I have shown the combination spell anyway? No… no, no, I can't go back to lifting bricks—'

The Emperor smirked. "You seem to like this one. He was your professor in the Academy, was he not? I heard he once sent you out of class."

Alvinus stiffened violently.

Azel shrugged. "I don't hold grudges like that. But yes, he was my professor."

He turned to Alvinus.

"You're hired."

Alvinus blinked.

He didn't breathe.

For a moment he seemed to glitch like someone whose soul couldn't believe reality.

"I expect to see you in Lepreun Town," Azel continued. "There are no mages there, so keep your lessons discreet."

Azel stood and left the chamber.

The Emperor sighed in relief and prepared to stand up as well.

But Alvinus…

Alvinus ran.

He sprinted out of the chamber like a starving animal chasing salvation.

The moment Azel turned in the hallway, the elf dropped to his knees and grabbed Azel's foot then kissed his shoe.

"I am very honored to be working under you, sir…" Alvinus said, bowing so low his forehead touched the floor.

Azel's eye twitched.

'What the hell happened to him?'

Never… never in any timeline, universe, or reincarnation would Azel have believed that Alvinus Seatra The Third, the arrogant elf professor, would be kissing his feet like this.

And now… here they were.

"Do you want lunch, Tutor?"

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