Chapter 45: Backfire
"What do you mean be straightforward?" Nolan exclaimed, widening his eyes as if he’d just been accused of murder. His tone was a delicate blend of offense and righteousness, the kind that only a truly shameless man could pull off without flinching.
"Granfire, you wound me! Truly, you wound me."
He placed a hand theatrically on his chest, his voice rising with every word.
"I’m not provoking anyone here. Not at all. Me? No, never. I’m simply expressing genuine concern for the future of these young minds. These students... they are the torchbearers of tomorrow, the seeds of Arcane Civilization, and yet here they are, about to face their final assessment. I can’t just sit here and pretend everything’s fine when I sense doubt in the air. It’s... troubling, to say the least."
Nolan began pacing in a tight circle, as though the very emotions running through him demanded movement. His eyes gleamed like an actor’s on a grand stage, voice now carrying across the viewing deck.
"I am merely advocating what any true teacher should do. And that is to believe. To believe, Granfire! Wholeheartedly, without hesitation, without pause! Not in ourselves, but in them—those young souls down there who look up to us with such... such blind trust."
He waved his arms like a preacher possessed, and the onlookers—students, teachers, spectators, even a few mana knights—turned to watch him.
"I, for one, refuse to become the kind of instructor who simply shows up, throws a few incantations on the board, and leaves the rest to fate. No, no, no! I came here to nurture. To ignite. To inspire. Even when the odds seem slim, even when others mock or sneer... I stand by my students."
Granfire narrowed his eyes, hands clenched into fists behind his back. He could see it now. It was so clear!
The worst part?
He had done this exact performance just the day before when he’d walked into Nolan’s classroom.