The Old Scholar

The next day, Leilani awoke a little bit more groggy than usual, her tears had dried on her face and so did some drool. Letting out a sigh, Leilani got out of bed and shut off her airconditioning before taking a long cold shower and dressing up into her usual outfit of a white long-sleeved polo with a black vest and a larger black overcoat paired with sleek and elegant black slacks and some black dress shoes. 

"sigh....I think a walk in town will fix my mood" She mumbled to herself as she adjusted herself in the mirror, slightly moving her glasses a bit closer to the bridge of her nose

Snapping her fingers, she teleported from her personal bedroom and wound up on the outskirts of University Town. She found herself on a hill near the town and looked at the vast town before her, with town forming a sort of U shape, with one on the right and one on the left, all of them near the massive mountain plateau that housed Imperia Academy which sat on the top, like a fortress amongst the mountains. She also glanced over to her side and saw the massive town known as "Teleport Town" where there were teleportation hubs that connected with other continents, allowing for the travel of students between continents. And although air travel by dragons and other winged creatures and sea travel by boat were still very commonplace, Leilani had these teleportation hubs constructed as a means of convenience for the students, with her also making sure that these hubs were for students and their luggage only with other forms of goods and cargo being relegated to the other modes of transport. After all, the nations of the world who enrolled their students here had to pay for these commodities like the teleportation hubs and school uniforms as the high-quality education Imperia Academy offered was free to all no matter where they came from, whether they were poor or rich, homeless or in a mansion, all were welcome within the walls of the academy that had an education curriculum for grade schoolers up to higher education. 

Stepping off the hill, she walked along the main cobblestone road that led up to University Town. Passing by many caravans that trudged along to and from her destination. She waved back at the merchants and caravaners who waved at her as she passed them by, most of them enchanted by the sight of a beautiful woman walking elegantly in the cool breeze along this well-traveled road. She looked up at the clear blue sky with a few clouds with a smile as she found herself at peace, the thoughts of last night disappearing into the depths of her mind to be dug up sometime in the future. As she passed the entrance to Teleport Town, she saw many students and some of her staff, such as professors for the college, and college students waiting in line for them to be teleported back home as it was about to be the vacation month, with many of them waving to her as she passed them by, wishing her a wonderful day. 

As Leilani reached the streets of University Town there were still people running around as it was still a fully functioning and recognized town of the Kingdom of Partoba. Students dressed in the uniforms of the high school and the grade school were going around trying to finish up their last days of schooling as their vacation beckoned. As she stopped by a dessert shop and ordered some brownie ala mode, a recipe she passed as her own from three millennia ago that thankfully caught on, she heard the shouts and cries in a nearby alley 

"Give it back! My Grandma made that for me!" A little girl dressed in the grade-schooler uniform of Imperia Academy which was a small purple dress cried out as she tried to jump and grab a bag that was being dangled high above her by a pair of teenage kids dressed in the high school uniform of Imperia which was a white long sleeve polo with slacks, with the insignia of the academy on their back an left breast. 

"Aww, poor commoner trash can't jump high enough?" The boy holding the bag taunted with a smug face, his slicked-back brown hair and his spotless face adding to his already punchable look 

"Hah! This is why you commoners are so bad at everything, can't even jump well" The other student added with a snigger, he was shorter than the other kid but he was fat and tubby, making it seem that his uniform would burst at any moment. 

The two kids continued to laugh as the young girl was still trying to reach her bag, but she missed the landing and fell down on her face, causing the two kids to laugh even harder and for the little girl to begin to cry hard, her wails echoing throughout the alley. 

"What is going on here?" Suddenly, an angelic voice cut through the laughter and crying, with the three people present stopping and turning to where the sound came from 

All of them were stunned by the sight of a tall woman with flowing black hair, a beautiful face and black eyes dressed in a sharp-looking long-sleeved white polo with a black vest and an even larger black overcoat hanging onto her shoulders, 

"Uhhh, we were just playing around with Marie here!" The boy holding the bag said as he threw the bag at the little girl and forced her up 

"Yuh...Yeah! We were just playing with her" The fat kid added as he stood behind the little girl 

"Uhuh...little Marie, what were these boys doing to you?" Leilani asked as she knelt before her, meeting her eyes

"They...they were bullying me"

{!}

"No we weren't you lying brat!" The kid who was holding the bag angrily shouted as he tried to punch the little girl, 

{!} 

Suddenly, the two boys were pinned to the wall, held in place by a pair of crimson arms that covered their mouths and restricted their limbs from moving. Leilani then flicked her wrist and Marie's dirty uniform became clean in an instant much to her amazement, she then picked up Marie and carried her in one arm, walking towards the two boys who were still struggling to free themselves from the magical arms that she had summoned. 

"Hmm, do these boys bother you often Marie?" Leilani asked her as they looked at the boy who was the head of the pair 

"Mhmm, they bully me like they used to bully my brother" Marie answered with tears as she clung to Leilani

"Where is your brother now?" Leilani asked with a concerned look 

"He...Granny said he is gone now...went up to see Mama and Papa. She said that it was because he was sick but I know it was because he made him jump off the big rock after saying mean things!" Marie answered 

{!} 

At this answer, Leilani's gaze darkened and her anger flared as she stared at the boy in front of her, with a thought from her mind, the arm covering his mouth disappeared and as he was about to shout, Leilani fired off a left hook that rocked the kid's head to the side. Before fully removing the arm that pinned him to the wall, making him drop to the ground. 

"You old hag! Take this!" The young kid shouted as he threw his fist and shot out a fireball, with Leilani simply stepping out of the way and letting the fireball strike the tub of lard that was the other kid, burning his clothes and making him cry 

"Shut up kid" Leilani replied as she simply kicked the high schooler to the ground with a single kick, making him moan in pain 

Wth the snap of her finger, the fat kid fell to the ground, clutching his stomach that got hit by the fireball, the thinner high schooler ran over to his friend and helped him up, turning back to Leilani with an angered glare. 

"My father will hear about this and you will be sorry for laying a hand on me you bitch!" He shouted 

"Ooo, language, let's fix that" Leilani replied as she snapped her finger and his mouth disappeared, much to everyone's horror 

And after that final display, the boy and his friend left the alley and were out of sight. Leilani turned to little Marie who was shaken up from the fighting and soothed her by patting her head, stroking it softly, and rubbing her cheek on her hair. This helped calm down Marie who was still whimpering but felt safe in Leilani's arms. 

"Do you want to get some dessert?" She asked the young girl 

"Mhmm" Marie replied with a small nod

"Excellent" 

A few minutes later, Leilani and Marie were sitting out of the ala mode shop, with Leilani feeding the little girl her brownie ala mode, a treat that Marie enjoyed as she let out satisfied noises as each spoonful of brownie and vanilla ice cream entered her mouth. Leilani had a small smile on her face as she remembered having a moment like this with each of her past children as they traveled with her, the memories adding to her enjoyment of the moment. As she noticed that Marie was now in a more relaxed state, she set down her fork and wiped the young girl's mouth. 

"So little Marie, where do you live?" She asked as she placed her arms on the table and leaned forward

"Uhh...the orphanage with Granny" Marie replied with a smile 

{!}

"Ohh...and how is Granny?" 

"Uhh...she does not move as much as before but she still plays with me and the others, we love her so much" Marie answered again with a smile 

"I see....well, I hope that Granny gets better" 

"Yeah, I hope so too! That way she can walk me back to school like before!" The little girl added with an excited and hopeful expression 

'Hmm, will have to check the orphanage later' Leilani made a mental note to herself 

"Over there! There they are uncle!" 

{!}

Suddenly, a familiar voice belonging to a tubby piece of lard rang out from the street. Leilan turned her head and saw the same tubby piece of meat walking in front of a column of armored soldiers, most likely knights from the local knight chapter in the nearby towns in the neighboring territories. They marched behind a man in a luxurious red suit who had a familiar and mouthless high schooler clinging to his side, Leilani let loose a small smirk as she patted Marie on the head 

"Stay here for a moment deary" She said in a reassuring tone as she stood up and walked over to the group approaching them. with Mari turning around in her seat to watch with a nervous set of eyes. 

As Leilani walked over to the group, the fat tub of lard resembling a person shouted 

"That's her uncle! That's the witch who cursed Jimmy!" He shouted as he pointed at her 

"Are you sure Thomas, this person is the one who cursed my son?" The man in the red suit asked, glancing down at his son who was also nodding 

"Hmm...I see....Hey there professor" The man in the red suite stated with a regretful expression, his words confusing the two boys.

"Why hello there Baron Rudentsforth, or should I call you Little Kyle Ruthie?" Leilani answered back with a grin that made Kyle cringe with embarrassment from his school life nickname 

"Kyle would suffice professor. I am told by little Thomas and Jimmy here that you were the one that removed his mouth, is that true?" Kyle asked with a hint of hope that it was not the case

"Yes I did. They were bullying that young little girl over there" Leilani answered as she pointed over to the young girl hiding on her chair 

"Shit....how bad was it?" Kyle asked, with his son and his friend horrified that he immediately accepted her words

"Uncle she is lying! The bitch is lying about us bullying that girl!" The fat tub of lard quickly shouted, causing Kyle to smack him across the face that sent him to the floor while gripping the shoulder of his own son who was clinging to him tightly, causing Jimmy to wince in pain

"Can you show me professor?" Kyle asked as he leaned his head forward 

"Sure" Leilani replied casually as she placed her right index finger on his forehead, making a light emit from it 

Kyle's vision then filled with the memories of Leilani seeing the two boys bullying the young girl and the words they were speaking, with his fists and grip on his son's shoulder tightening with each passing moment, with him almost blowing his top when he realized that his son and his friend are the reason a young boy committed suicide. 

"Thank you Professor, I will make sure my son and his friend are punished for their actions...but can you show me their memories as well just so that I know they are not lying?" Kyle asked as the visions ended 

"Sure, here they are" Leilani nodded as she snapped her fingers and Kyle's memories were filled with the horrendous bullying acts done by both of the high schoolers, with each memory making Kyle progressively angrier 

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention Professor, know that there will be severe punishments awaiting these two" Kyle said through gritted teeth, his anger boiling and his eyes turning down to his son

"I am glad to hear that Kyle, I shall see you around, oh and do you want me to restore his mouth?" Leilani answered with a smirk, glancing at the two high school boys who were terrified now

"No need, and likewise, good day Professor" 

With a bow, Kyle turned and left, with Thomas and Jimmy being dragged by the knights accompanying him, with the two boys trying to break free and begging for mercy, the sight bringing much joy to Leilani. 

With a satisfied smile, Leilani turned back to Marie who was looking at her in awe, with Leilani winking at the young girl that caused Marie to even giggle louder with a lot of glee. 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

An hour later, Leilani carried little Marie back to the orphanage located on the left side of the town. She passed by shops that were selling a variety of wares and other commodities, feeling that she needed to at least give something to the orphanage granny, she took several large ready-to-eat meals being solved by some of the stores and placed them within her item box, with her magical display brightening up the expression of little Marie. Soon she found herself in front of the orphanage, it was still in tip-top shape as Leilani was in personal charge of University and Teleportation Town, using the remaining funds she had from the payments of the nations and spent on ensuring that the towns were in tip-top and amazing shape, more so than any city or town in the kingdom. 

"Granny! Everyone! I'm home and I brought a friend! And we have gifts!" Marie called out to the people in the building 

At her words, Leilani saw an elderly woman with a walking stick, she was as short as the little girls following behind her and Leilani immediately recognized her face. The face of one of her former students who attended her academy so long ago. 

"Ah! Marie! You're back safe and sound, and who is this....Professor?" 

"Zenitska...my old pupil...so this is where you have been" Leilani remarked as she set Marie down and knelt before her former student 

"You still remember me?" Zenitska asked 

"Of course. I remember every single face that graduates...to think you would be here to take care of the orphans....how have you been?" 

"Heh. I have seen better days Professor, my rackety body prevents me from doing as much as I could before" Zenistka gave a small toothless smile, a smile that slightly hurt Leilani's heart. 

"Well, that is a shame, considering your were one of the best weapon users I have ever seen" Leilani stated as she patted the old lady on the shoulder 

"Heh. I thank you for your kind words Professor, but let's skip past our past for now, Marie said something about gifts?" 

"Right, here. Take all of this" Leilani quickly answered as she summoned forth several large crates filled to the brim with clothing, food, and other commodities such as toys, books and other items Leilani thought a child would love. 

"Wa...I...Professor" The old caretaker said with an unbelieving smile 

"It is the least I can do for you my student. I will personally make sure that this orphanage is even better than before" Leilani said with a reassuring smile 

"Thank you...thank you" Zenistka said as she broke down into tears with Leilani comforting her. 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

That night, Leilani found herself with a much more renewed vigor after spending a lot of time playing with the children and her former student, even using some of her own magical energy to extend her lifespan. As she sat in her office, she pulled out some paper and began writing feverously

Dear King Veryat II 

Hey there kiddo, it's me. I need some more money for some projects I have planned for University Town. I spent some time in the orphanage and noticed that the welfare system in place needs some reformations and modernization. I know for a fact that your birthday is coming up so expect me to attend, I have yet to miss one from your family. And as always, I love you all. 

- Yours Truly, Great Mother Leilani

Writing to the current King of Partoba, King Veryat II of house Mingdungas, a young but very capable man. She knew that he would respond to her soon, after all, his family was the one she chose to rule the kingdom since Leilani chose not to out of her fears. As she finished writing the letter, she used a teleportation spell that sent it directly to him, knowing that his response would take a few days by horse, she chose to retire for the night. But as she was about to sleep, she felt something was off. Using her heightened senses, she detected that the teleportation array in Teleportation Town was active despite it was now after hours. 

"Who the fuck is here?" She muttered as she snapped her fingers and disappeared into the darkness

Rematerializing atop a building overlooking the teleportation array and using magic to hide her presence, she noticed a group of cloaked and hooded figures clumped up together with only their eyes visible, exiting from a teleportation pad that was linked to the continent of Serubellum. She used scanning magic she had developed herself to see who her opponents were, their names all appeared as well as their personal information. 

{!}

What caught her attention was that they were all listed as mercenaries and that they were here for a specific job. That specific job was to kidnap her, and that alone made her very angry. She also used subtle memory-scanning magic to see who had sent her and her annoyance skyrocketed as she found out they were contracted by a young and eager to prove himself prince fighting for the throne and title of Kaiser. He hoped that by kidnapping her, an internationally renowned person from the top university and forcing her into his service would help him down the line. Which was frankly stupid. 

"Hmm, Prince Adelbert...I will remember you" She muttered as she resolved to go to work and kill the mercenaries present. 

Putting on her black overcoat and hopping down from the roof of the building she was on, Leilani blended perfectly into the shadows. She materialized "Augusta" her personal sword crafted by Fortuna in her hands. She shadowed the mercenaries as they began to move, with the mercenaries skillfully evading the numerous guards and knights Leilani had placed inside the town. And as they finally arrived at the main road, she sprung from the shadows. 

{!} 

Moving swiftly, Leilani appeared from the shadows, materializing like a phantom. She swung her sword horizontally first, cleaving the first mercenary she saw in half. She then used a barrier type of magic to cut off their ability to speak which surprised them which she could tell from the expressions in their eyes. She then quickly moved to the next mercenary as she dodged the incoming slashes from their double blades, stepping closer to cut off the danger of the blades and running Augusta through the merc's throat. 

{!}

Her senses fired off as she felt one of the mercenaries try to attack her from behind, with Leilani quickly using the body of the merc she had just killed to shield her from several throwing knives. And as she looked behind her, she saw seven of the mercs ready with vials of green liquid in their hand. Her scanning magic alerted her to the fact those vials were all acid, wasting no time, Leilani detonated the glass vials in the merc's hands, causing the acid to splash onto them and making them shake and jolt in pain, there would be screams or the sound of the glass vials exploding but Leilani still kept the barrier up. Seeing her chance, Leilani pulled out Augusta from the dead mercs throat and in one fluid motion, decapitated all of the mercs writhing in pain with a single stroke. 

{!}

As the bodies of the mercs dropped to the ground, Leilani saw that there were only three mercs left

"You were all sent here to die. Shame really, you would think that the man who tasked you with this job would have given you better information about your target" Leilani gloated as she looked at them, seeing the subtle shifts in their eyes, she knew already the words in their hearts but she did not wish to prolong this anymore 

"Well. Goodbye now" Leilani said as she snapped her fingers,

{!}

Suddenly, the three mercs exploded into massive bloody chunks in all directions. They would have splattered onto Leilani if it were not the barrier she had surrounding her the entire fight. With the barrier deflecting the blood and guts, causing it to slide off and splatter all over the ground near her

"sigh...What a day" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Meanwhile, inside the library of the academy, Victoria, who had started reading early, found herself in a myriad of conflicting information. The books that Leilani had given her had conflicting claims and facts that were in the standard books taught in the college. She was furiously writing down notes in several notebooks she had bought from the academy book store. 

"Fascinating....which is fact and which is false?" She asked herself as she scanned the books repeatedly 

"I need to ask Ma'am what all of this is tomorrow...I should fill up a meeting form" 

A/N: And here we are at the end of Chap 11! I hope you enjoyed reading this one cause I had fun making it. Anyways if you have thoughts or comments or even a question or two, leave them below! I enjoy reading and replying to comments hehe. And as always Stay Safe and ENjoy Your Day!