Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 170: 170-You’re A Fantastic Mage

Read chapter 170 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

After his training, Merlin decided to pay Professor Jung a visit on account of Professor Dmitri’s disappearance. Since she was on his speed dial, it was very easy to set the meeting up. However, when she appeared in her night robes, her glasses seated in front of tired eyes, and her hair packed into a bun, he wondered if he was inconsiderate. It was late. He could have left it for the next day. “Good evening, Professor Jung,” Merlin greeted, rising from the bench he was seated on, deciding to end things quickly so she could return to whatever she was busy with or her sleep. Whichever it was. “Merlin. How are you?” she asked, her tone a lot lower than he expected. “The air’s quite chilly, don’t you think?” Since he hadn’t caught her while she was in her office, Merlin had organized the meeting to hold outdoors. It was not like he could waltz into the staff building and to her room. That would have been all shades of inappropriate. “I guess,” Merlin noted, not exactly certain. His current level in Resilience made it so that harsh weather barely bothered him when it acted directly on his skin. Like the cold for example. He then gestured at the bench. “Please, have a seat.” She chuckled. “You’re being weirdly nice.” Merlin smiled. “I pride myself on the fact that I’m always nice.” She scoffed as she sat down on the bench, crossed her legs, and breathed out a deep sigh while staring at the garden of flowers just before her. He sat down beside her. “Ah. A cup of coffee would be lovely right about now,” Professor Jung said. “Even though it would be medically inappropriate for me to take any more caffeine in my current state. Why did you leave the infirmary ahead of schedule? Are you certain you’re fully healed?” “Yes,” said Merlin. “Yes, I am.” Then his mind flew back to the words that had actually been a bother for him. In her current state? He frowned. His first thought was that perhaps it had to do with Prestige Academy hosting the inter-academy tournament. It obviously wouldn’t be easy for the staff. They had to cover a wide ground as they allowed relatives to come into the academy to meet their enrolled family, and, of course, make sure that the spirit of rivalry did not go over the top. He had heard of some students almost fighting once, and that was before the first stage of the tournament. Emotions would be more tense now, and from what Merlin had gleaned from that Marcus boy when he had paid them a visit, he assumed Crown Academy students would be a bit pompous. Nevertheless, that was definitely not Professor Jung’s problem. Merlin’s intuition told him that. Something else was the problem, and he hoped to God that it was not what he was thinking. “Is something the problem?” he asked. Professor Jung regarded him with a smile. “What is it you wanted to talk about?” A question over his own question? A common deflection tactic. But Merlin decided not to push. If she didn’t want to tell him, then so be it. And if it turned out to be what he was afraid of, he would confirm that soon enough. “It’s about Professor Dmitri,” Merlin started. “I have not come across him in the academy in the past few days. It’s almost like he's missing.” Professor Jung was silent for a few seconds, which Merlin took as a negative sign, but then she asked, “Is there something you need his help with?” Merlin shook his head. “Not exactly. I was just worried.” He paused, assuming that was enough, but then he resumed, “I’m not the only one, by the way. Others have noticed too. I think they’re just too preoccupied with the tournament to be feet deep into it.” Professor Jung chuckled. “You’re talking like something happened to him.” Merlin didn’t reply. “He went to pay Nikolai a visit. He’s fine.” Pay Nikolai a visit? The pieces of memories Merlin had received from Nikolai flashed through his head, and from what he understood of their relationship, Professor Dmitri wasn’t the kind of man who would pay Nikolai a visit and stay there for up to four days. Heck,