It's been a week since I started working as a Senior Professor in the Royal Academy.

About three months since the Deep Winter Massacre, as everyone calls it. There, I barely survived the enemy's assault and became the lone survivor. After recovering in Duke Ravenwood's Estate, I was removed of all suspicions and was made free to go.

Not too long after, I made a few trips and visited some of my closest colleagues and the few friends I have left.

To my surprise, I got a letter of invitation from Count Blake Winchester, and after visiting his abode and having a brief meeting with him, he finally expressed his intentions.

"Javier… what do you think about taking on a teaching position in the Royal Academy?"

The Count actually made me an offer!

It wasn't the first time he had suggested such a thing, but two special reasons made this one different from the previous offers.

For one, I had become a lot more controversial after my involvement in the Deep Winter Massacre, with Duke Ravenwood's family suffering a heavy loss because of me, and I also defied the Royal Decree involving my Household's previous territory. I was actually awaiting some retaliation from both sides, but to date, none have come to seek trouble with me.

As for the second reason… his offer this time involved a much higher position than before.

"Senior Professor… at the Royal Academy?!" I was quite stunned when I heard him utter those words to me. To think he would actually go that far to recruit me.

Normally, even a First Rate Scholar would only be qualified for a Junior Professor role in the Royal Academy. Only after securing enough achievements in the field and having several years of experience can a First Rate Scholar hope to become a Senior Professor.

Even then, it's not guaranteed.

The only way to be assured of a Senior Professor Role is by getting a University Degree and becoming an Erudite Scholar—which, clearly, I didn't.

Seeing the rare opportunity presenting itself, especially considering my precarious situation, I decided to take him up on the offer for the first time and began the process to be integrated into the Academy's educational system—not as a student this time, but as a staff member.

Naturally, there was some resistance, but after excelling in all my exams, screening, and passing my training with flying colors, I was eventually admitted as a full-time Academy Staff.

As you would expect, so much has changed since.

It's currently spring, and right now, as I walk in the direction of my class, I can feel the fresh breeze greet my olive skin with gentle coolness.

The warm sun casts its brilliant glow on me, causing my dark purple and black outfit to glisten with pristine splendor. My outfit as a professor is by no means flashy, at least compared to the others, but I believe I have quite a unique aesthetic.

It could be because of the eyepatch that covers my left eye, or how well the dark theme of my attire blends well with my overall demeanor.

Regardless, I tightly clutch my briefcase and walk on the pavement with calm grace…

… Until I arrive in the Lecture Theater.

My Department is none other than Sciences & Natural Philosophy—my favorite during my time as a student here. I wouldn't have minded being in the Department of History & Academia either, considering who the Dean is and how it comes close second to my current Department.

I can understand why I was put here, though, besides personal preference.

The Department of Sciences & Natural Philosophy is actually the least popular Department in the Royal Academy. It was that way during my time as a student here, and nothing about it has changed even now.

It is simply very technical, and its utility for the students is quite limited.

Most Knight students have no use for the Courses in the Department, and the same applies to the Clergy. The Noble students ought to be the most interested, but there are simply other courses that hold their interest more.

Since the Academy has a minimum of three Departments, most students end up choosing the most convenient options, eventually settling for three or four Departments in the end.

Only a few choose five Departments, and there is almost never a student who goes for anything beyond that. In my set, I was the only one who chose to take on six Departments, and I suffered dearly for it. My Academic life was a literal hell because of that choice, but I have no regrets.

Hardships strengthen character, and it's only because of such an experience that I became such an outstanding Scholar.

Back to the topic… regarding the Department of Sciences & Natural Philosophy.

Because of its low popularity, there's also very little politics and prejudice within it. In fact, the fact that there are no 'Special Courses' restricted to only Nobles shows its more progressive state.

Of course, as long as this is still the Royal Academy, no Department can be entirely devoid of prejudice. The Department of Sciences & Natural Philosophy is no exception to this. However, compared to the others, the problems here are less pronounced.

And because of that, my journey as a Senior Professor here has been fairly smooth.

If it were any other Department, especially those difficult ones like the Department of Administration & Statecraft, I would have already encountered problems by now.

Another major reason I believe I have been placed here is simply due to the declining quality of staff in this Department. Due to its lack of popularity, most staff avoid the Department of Sciences & Natural Philosophy like the plague. As a result, other than me, there are actually only two other Senior Professors in this Department.

If Professor Alaric hadn't gone crazy, that number would be higher.

I can only make conjectures, but maybe Professor Alaric's actions all those years ago during the Royal Academy Incident also contributed to the declining state of the Department.

Regardless, one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity.

The problems facing the Department of Sciences & Natural Philosophy are what made it so easy for me to get in. They will also ensure that I thrive well in this environment.

With the standards already low, not too much will be expected of me. Even the bare minimum will be considered sufficient, or even noteworthy, by my peers and the higher-ups. Since this isn't a popular department, I won't have many students to worry about, which means my workload will be lessened compared to those in other Departments.

Of course, my salary won't be as high as theirs, but considering my lower qualifications and lesser workload, I believe it is a more than fair trade-off.

As a Senior Professor, I am in charge of an entire Elective as one of my perks, and I teach in at least two Core Courses. My two Core Courses are Basic Alchemy and Fundamentals of Natural Law, and as for the Elective under my control… it is Mystical Phenomena and Scientific Discourse.

I teach all students in my Department, from Year 1 to 5, but since the Sciences & Natural Philosophy is only taught on Thursdays, I actually spend most of my week not lecturing.

Instead, I do things like research, attend staff meetings, and help students who require additional help, among other things. It's only been a week since school resumed, so the workload hasn't gotten too heavy yet. Still, all things considered, I think this is something I can handle quite fine.

I can also juggle it with my main objectives.

"That's the end of today's class. Remember to submit your assignment to my office before the next lecture. I believe you should have selected a Course Representative by then, which means future assignments will only need to be submitted to him/her. Afterwards, they can deliver everyone's work to my office." After concluding my first lecture of the day, which involves the First Years, I let out a small sigh.

The day is just starting out, and I already feel a sense of weariness.

'There's still thirty minutes before the next lecture. Maybe I should grab a few bites first…' I excuse myself from the lecture hall before the other students and smile softly.

Then—

'Tracing…'

—The next moment, I'm right inside my office, seated on my chair right behind my desk.

In an instant, I changed locations.

This isn't caused by any Potion or Armament, but a power I possess—one of the three Fragmented Conceptions, to be exact.

Tracing… it allows me to teleport to my destination within a breath of time.

An absolutely ridiculous power for normal people to even conceive, yet I have it at my disposal.

Why?

Well… It's because I am a Leviathan.

However, this ability isn't as simple as it appears to be.

Tracing belongs to the Leaper Pathway, and it is a Fragmented Conception I am most familiar with among the three. That isn't because it's the easiest to use, but simply because it is the most convenient.

The others, Clairvoyance and Frontflow, take a lot more effort and cause more strain.

Now, why is Tracing complex?

Well… as a Leviathan, I can see these threads everywhere called Aego. They connect to everyone and everything, and that includes the ripples around the world, which I refer to as the Temporal Layers of Existence.

Right now, I only have access to four Layers—Second, Minute, Hour, and Day.

Anything beyond that is beyond my comprehension.

With the threads—differing in sizes, shapes, and colors—all connected to these Layers of Existence, I can use three of them.

They are Green, Purple, and Blue; the green ones look like springs, twisted and turning like endless spirals, the purple ones are all wobbly and distorted, having thin lines that extend in multiple directions, and the blue threads are lush and beautiful, appearing delicate, but free-flowing like water.

These three types of threads represent my Fragmented Conceptions.

But how do they work? Well…

Take Tracing, for example, while it looks like I am teleporting—traveling through space in an instant—I am actually simply using the threads to manipulate the Layers around me as well as the world.

When I shift my 'Minute' Layer to the 'Hour' Layer, I can relocate my position to the area I have been in within that Hour.

Every Lecture lasts for an Hour, which means even if I switch locations for an Hour, I would still be in the lecture hall, right? But… It's a good thing my access extends up to the 'Day' Layer. I can actually shift my existence using the 'Aego' and move through the Layers, occupying the same position in the same space that my 'Hour' was previously in within that 'Day.'

It sounds complicated at first, but one quickly gets used to it.

I initially thought it would be a concept like traveling through time, but it's more akin to space travel: returning to the place the person was in the past… while being in the present.

This is simply one of the three ways I can use Aego.

My Fragmented Conception!

"Haaa…!" I sigh, exhausted beyond description, as I quickly consume all the food that exists atop my desk. It's a good thing I requested these meals to be delivered to my office before I finished my lecture, else I would be in a terrible situation.

As I rapidly consume my food, feeling energy return to my body at a steady pace, my heart slowly grows more relieved.

'My control over Tracing is still limited. I can only barely travel a few hours' worth of space. Anything more, and it fails…' I sigh deeply, recollecting the unbearable pain that accompanied my first ambitious attempt.

I don't think I'll be trying something so reckless anytime soon.

Yes.

My powers have limits.

Even though it is a divine ability, allowing me to occupy a space I have once been in in the past, I can't repeatedly use it or extend my use of it, else I would be met with failure.

And… failure is quite painful.

But I have to persevere—experiment and push my limits every day, so I can experience growth.

At first, I could only travel a minute's worth of space.

Eventually, it grew to one hour. Now, I can manage a few hours. This is due to my endless hard labor and continuous training, despite the pain that comes with it.

I reckon that as long as I keep operating like this, I'll eventually be able to reach a day's worth of space travel. Considering how grand my plans are, this is only the bare minimum necessary for my success.

'I need to grow stronger and also learn more about these powers in order to find the secrets behind my regression, so I can save my friends and family. There's also the issue of finding the Vey'lithar Sanctuary, which I promised Brad…'

Aside from that, there's the matter of the Royal Family, which I've been putting off for some time now. They are certainly suspicious and deserve my investigation.

It's clear that the Royals, and perhaps even some High Noble Households, have some knowledge of Leviathans and could have collaborated with them. If I can get the information that they have, it should deepen my knowledge of this new world I have been thrust into.

Until then—

"I'll have to keep trying and working hard with what I have…" A wry smile forms on my face as I swallow the last of my second meal of the day.

One could think it is my first, considering how much I was starving.

But… this has to do with a big issue I have been facing for quite some time now.

It is my most urgent problem.

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