Max''s face was flushed red as he quickly explained

    "Annabel and I are just friends!"

    Mercury smile widened slightly before he clapped Max on the shoulder and asked

    "You haven''t thought of her in that light?"

    "N-No!"

    Mercury nodded before he switched topics

    "What about the academy? How are your studies going?"

    Max appreciated Mercury''s tact and began speaking about the academy, after a bit Mercury asked

    "Why don''t we go there now? You could show me around"

    Max nodded

    "Sure"

    After quickly getting a carriage the two of them left for the academy where they soon arrived, Mercury looked around with amazement and after a bit, he nodded

    "This sure does feel like a noble academy"

    Max nodded and agreed with Mercury

    "í had the same feeling when I first arrived here"

    As the two of them walked around they gathered some attention on them, but it wasn''t that bad, it was about as much as Max usually got when he walked around, Mercury looked over at a group of girls that were sneaking glances at Max and showed a smile before he waved at them and called out

    "Max is currently single, though he won''t be for long!"

    The girls squealed before Max quickly dragged Mercury away in embarrassment, after they turned a corner Max turned to Mercury and asked

    "Could you not dad?"

    Mercury showed a proud smile as he stated

    "It''s a parent''s right to tease their child, besides your almost as handsome as me, have some pride"

    "What do you mean almost!?"

    "Hahaha! I am afraid that''s your fate, Max, to be almost as handsome as your dad!"

    Mercury''s voice wasn''t quiet and drew some friendly laughter from the surrounding students, Max wasn''t embarrassed this time, he simply sighed before he changed the topic

    "The only thing I don''t quite get is the magic part"

    Mercury nodded before he opened his hand and an icicle appeared, then he asked

    "What''s so hard about it?"

    Max''s eyes widened as he muttered

    "Chantless magic…"

    Then he sighed deeply once more before he asked

    "Can you stop casually showing off a lost technique like that? it''s bad for my heart"

    At that moment a teacher that had been stunned by Mercury''s chantless magic seemed to wake from his daze before he quickie approached Mercury and Max before he bowed deeply and spoke

    "Please teach here at the academy!"

    Max''s eyes widened before he exclaimed

    "What!?

    Mercury however was much more chill and simply nodded before he spoke

    "Sure"

    The teacher straightened his back before he also exclaimed in shock

    "Wait, you actually agreed!?"

    Mercury nodded

    "Yeah, I have the time anyway… Besides anything that can do to spend more time with my son"

    Max smiled, so did the teacher, then after chatting for a bit more the teacher  promised that he would go to the dean and arrange for a teaching position for Mercury after a short test

    "Do you have time to take the test now?"

    "No, I''ll do that tomorrow as I''ve booked the entire day"

    "Sure, then I''ll see you tomorrow Mercury, you too Max"

    Mercury and Max nodded before they said their goodbyes to the teacher, then Max continued showing Mercury around the academy, when they arrived outside again a group of clearly not friendly students called out to Max

    "Max!"

    A young man that was ahead taller than Max stomped over before he reached out and grabbed Max''s collar before he yelled

    "You deviant! What did you do to Isabell!?"

    Mercury narrowed his eyes slightly but didn''t interfere at once, Max narrowed his eyes slightly before he asked sarcastically

    "What? Did she cheat on you again?"

    "You made her break off the engagement! Saying she would marry you instead!"

    Max laughed before he grabbed the hand that held his collar and squeezed slightly, soon the young man''s face turned blue as he yelled out in pain and hurriedly let go, Max twisted his hand slightly before a pop sounded out and the young man cried out even louder as Max spoke

    "Don''t come to me every time your girlfriend dumps you, I''ve grown tired of it"

    Then Max let go of his hand, the young man quickly got on his feet, his face flushed with anger as he yelled

    "I''ll kill you freak!"

    Then he raised his hand and just before he began chanting a spell Mercury laid his hand on the young man''s shoulder as he spoke

    "Hey there buddy, your shoulder seems to be dislocated, let me help you with that"

    A loud pop sound sounded out before the young man screamed in pain as Mercury had popped his shoulder back in the most painful way he knew, then Mercury laid his hand on the poor guy''s injured shoulder and spoke

    "Here, let me get some ice for that shoulder of yours"

    Then ice quickly formed around the shoulder of the poor, now a very frightened young man, then Mercury leaned close and spoke

    "Now run along child… and the next time you put hands on my son I''ll dislocate every single joint in your body all 360 joints. One. At. A. Time."

    Then Mercury let go of the young man that quickly ran away in fright Mercury looked over at Max and the two of them shared a smile before Max continued showing Mercury around the academy after they were done looking around the two of them returned to the castle and spent the rest of the day together…

    The next morning Mercury woke up and got dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts before he looked himself over in the mirror and nodded, then after he ate a meal he met up with Max and the two of them took a carriage to the academy where Mercury saw the male teacher from yesterday waiting for him and patted Max on the shoulder

    "See you later kid"

    "Yeah, see you dad"

    Then after Mercury watched Max disappear in the morning crowd he walked over to the male teacher that greeted him

    "Good morning Mercury"

    Mercury nodded and shook hands with the teacher before he spoke

    "I didn''t get your name yesterday"

    "Oh, I am Nils, I teach basic magic knowledge"

    "I see, nice to meet you, Nils"

    "Likewise Mercury now let''s get going, the dean is waiting on us"

    Mercury nodded

    "Sure, lead the way"

    Soon the two arrived at an empty training field where an elderly man with a long white beard waited for them, he exchanged greetings with Mercury

    "Hello, you must be Mercury, my name is Fredrick"

    Mercury nodded and spoke with some respect

    "Dean"

    The dean nodded before he gestured towards the empty field and spoke

    "Please show us what you can do"

    Mercury nodded before he cracked his neck, as he did 3 target dummies made of compressed dirt shot up from the ground, then Mercury silently formed a spear made of ice which floated above his hand which he then threw one of the targets the ice spear went right through the head of the first target dummy before suddenly icicles shot out from inside the poor target dummy turning into a very cold and very sad looking hedgehog, then Mercury stomped the ground and a spear made of compressed dirt shot up and priced through the 2nd target dummy, then he stretched out a finger and pointed on the final target dummy before a thunderclap sounded out as a bolt of lightning hit the target dummy, then Mercury nodded to himself and turned around and saw the Dean with his mouth wide open, it looked like his jaw had been dislocated as he gazed at Mercury, then suddenly his mouth snapped shut and he quickly grabbed Mercury''s hand and shook hit vigorously as he spoke

    "Very well done, excellent! I''ll handle the paperwork at once, can you start your first class today?"

    Mercury nodded, it was good that he dialed back his magic, or else the Dean would probably have had a heart attack, after chatting with the Dean for a bit it was decided that Mercury would start his first class in a few hours, with nothing to do Mercury strolled around the academy a few times before he spotted a pair of familiar faces

    "Hey there, fellow kids"

    Annabel and Magus turned their heads and saw Mercury, they both showed smiles and greeted him

    "Hey Mercury"

    "Hello Mercury"

    Mercury showed a smile and asked Annabel

    "How is my further daughter-in-law today?"

    Mercury imagined an ''Annabel has stopped working'' sign over her head as her face went blank

    ''Any second now…''

    Annabel''s face instantly flushed red before she showed a slightly silly smile while she tried to deny it

    "W-W-W-What are you talking about Mercury!? I couldn''t possibly be in l-l-l-love with Max!"

    Mercury''s smile widened slightly before he suddenly looked sad

    "A shame, you would make a good wife, Annabel"

    "Ehehehe, y-y-you really think so?"

    "For sure"

    Magnus sighed before he spoke

    "I would appreciate it if you stopped teasing my sister, Mercury"

    "Eh? He was just teasing!?"