Thief Mage

10

A half-moon hung high in the sky above a small grove, casting a brilliant moonlight. Suddenly, a portal to space and time appeared above the grove. Like a bowel movement, a mass of something fell from it. With a loud thud, I fell heavily to the ground, a sight unseen by international standards.

The fall left me completely dazed, likely due to the severe damage to my mental strength. My head was in a state of confusion and drowsiness. With sheer willpower, I managed to regain some consciousness. I struggled a bit, then felt a sharp pain in my sprained waist. I was about to groan when, in the pitch darkness, I heard footsteps approaching and someone shouted urgently, "Quick! Catch him there!"

Ah! I never imagined that I would be captured. Depression gripped my heart, and I had completely lost hope. Having lost all hope of survival, I had no desire to persevere. My mental strength was drained, and my head sank. I immediately passed out...

I don't know how long I slept, but through my hazy eyes, I vaguely sensed the light of the outside world. I heard a commotion in my ears. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt incredibly heavy. Finally, I struggled open them, and my vision blurred for a moment before clearing. I saw several young men around my age squatting beside me. They hung their heads with distressed expressions. Puzzled, I gathered my thoughts and straightened up to survey my surroundings. The dim light from three candles burning on the rectangular black wooden table in the middle of the room was enough to see everything clearly. I was in a small room, now in a dark corner.

Where was this place? Why were these people here? Had I not been arrested? My mind was filled with questions and doubts. I heard a "Ya ... The young man timidly replied, "Master, we only made a minor offense. Can you please forgive us this time? We won't do it again!"

"What do you mean gambling in school is a minor offense? Do you know what the principal's three biggest pet peeves are? Cat Green Pepper and students who gamble, do you want me to take you there to verify it for myself?"

Upon hearing this, the young man burst into tears, "No! Master, please, please don't let the principal know about this! I'm only twenty, I'm still young! I have two elderly parents to take care of! I'll accept any punishment you want, just please, please don't..."

"Yes! Yes! Master! We're willing to accept any punishment, truly! We'll accept anything!" The young men around me also pleaded with pale faces.

I understand, I understand. I stumbled into a school and happened to be caught in a gambling crackdown. It was a bit unlucky, but at least I wasn't arrested. I couldn't help but feel relieved at the thought.

The director's face cracked slightly, apparently pleased with the intimidating effect the principal had created.

"You!" the director pointed at the young man and asked, "Which class are you from?"

The young man no longer dared to hide anything and answered honestly, "I'm Kate, from Class 645 of the Magic Department."

He lowered his head after he finished speaking, though it didn't seem out of remorse, as their shamelessness was exponentially thicker. But it seemed like a common practice for students to lower their heads after being reprimanded. Perhaps this gesture seemed to demonstrate remorse, earning the favor of the middle-aged and older teachers.

"Sixth-grade veteran 645!" the director scribbled something in his notebook, continuing without looking up. "Next." It seemed the 6 in 645 represented the rest of the grade.

This chapter is incomplete. Please turn to the next page to continue reading... The Thief Mage, latest chapter, Chapter 10, website: The 6 should be used to indicate the class.

Then, the young men next to me, with grimace on their faces, began to confess honestly:

"I'm Bilka from Magic Class 516"

"I'm from Magic Class 47"

"I'm from a Magic class"

"I'm from Magic Class 87"

"I'm Jack from Magic Class 15!"

The director's face was filled with surprise. He lowered his glasses, looked at the students, and said, "You guys, from the sixth grade to the first grade, are gambling. You're getting more and more daring. I think you're going to have to be disciplined."

The young men all lowered their heads in silence. Then, as if he noticed me being carried back, he asked, "You're from the first or second grade, right? You must have never seen much trouble. Seeing the school's gambling crackdown scared you to death."

"Me?" I said, puzzled, pointing at my nose. Suddenly, I realized there was nowhere else to go. Hiding here seemed like a good idea. So, I'll stay here for now! Thinking of this, I grinned and replied, "Ah! I'm going to register for the Magic Department tomorrow. Haha, I should be a first-year starting tomorrow!"

The director, nearly fainting, trembled as he leaned on the table to recover, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I never imagined gambling would become so rampant these days. Even students who haven't even started school have already joined in. I don't know what to do next. Of course, since you're not a student here, I can't punish you now, but there will be opportunities in the future."

I couldn't help but scratch my head and chuckle.

The director then sternly assigned a punishment to the group of students: "Starting tomorrow, you guys will clean the toilets for me for a month. Do you have any objections?"

This seemed to be the most common form of punishment for students.

The young people looked displeased, but no one dared to say anything. The director continued with satisfaction: "Anyone who refuses to accept punishment will be reported to the principal immediately. It's up to you to decide." Okay, off you go! I hope I can catch you again next time. Dismiss you!"

With that, he closed the record book and turned to leave.

After the director left, the students began to curse behind his back. Of course, this was a very normal behavior among students, but this cursing was limited to insignificant complaints. No one dared to disobey the director's punishment.