"So, you think you can master magic? And are you sure you can become powerful sorcerers? Oh well, keep dreaming."

  As soon as Master Ven'A'Sash appeared in the classroom, she immediately took the bull by the horns, not waiting for the students to start checking the new teacher for weaknesses.

  "And don’t be late. Those who shows up here after me will be punished. No, not with community service in the form of cleaning the school grounds. Discipline violators will be dealt with exclusively by magical means. Such as this!"

  She waved her wand, and the yusme boy who entered the classroom last was thrown out the door with a powerful telekinetic blow. He was afraid to go back inside, thus missing the class.

  "That's not pedagogical!" Iwiel was indignant, and several students supported her.

  "Not pedagogical?" the Master laughed ominously. "Perhaps. But very intelligibly. Praise relaxes and punishment mobilizes, forcing you to move forward. Having tasted a good whip, you are unlikely to want to try it again. You're lucky that corporal punishments is not practiced in the Jelshakh School. Although in other schools they are, and what kind! They range from kneeling on broken bricks to hanging on hooks, overnight staying in an ice cold cell, spending a long time in complete darkness or, on the contrary, in a company of very bright lights, surrounded on all sides. Being left without food for three or four days is also, believe me, very conducive to correction."

  "Yeah, I feel like we'll get into trouble with a teacher like that," Ri-Bo complained to his friends.

  "Quite an ordinary teacher for the drow," Mez'A'Shib responded indifferently. "In our schools, if someone starts chatting in class or spinning from side to side, they immediately get hit on the head with a pointer. And if the teacher is in a bad mood, then a whip on the buttocks "

  "I wonder if it's possible to refuse to study Twilight magic? I'll somehow manage without it, or I'll study it from textbooks."

  "A good idea, but I doubt they'll allow it. Then why would we need teachers if everyone is self-educating?"

  Master Ven'A'Sash seemed to overhear their conversation.

  "And the earlier education begins, the better the results. Therefore from today you must memorize a few simple rules. Address the teacher exclusively with the title 'Master'. If you want to ask a question, raise your hand and wait patiently until the teacher allows you to do so. Sit quietly during lessons and listen attentively to what is being discussed. Anything else will be regarded as disrespect for the teacher and punished accordingly. As well as unpreparedness for the lesson: laziness is the mother of all vices! And don't delude themselves with the hope of scoring a thousand points in other subjects, ignoring Twilight Magic. From today, the Attendance Book will be kept, and truants will face inevitable and very severe punishment. Who keeps such a Book, you ask? That's what the praepostor is for. And now we are going to appoint one. Are there any volunteers?"

  "May I try?" Shin'Ye'Het immediately replied.

  "Are you sure you handle it? Well, here's the Book. Write down who is present in the classroom. You will do that every class. I'll check your notes periodically."

  "With pleasure, Master!'' With her tongue hanging out, Shin'Ye'Het got down to business.

  "That doesn't seem right to me," Naar-Tam expressed his opinion. "If you're interested, you will come to the lesson in any case. And if not, such measures can only cause disgust for the subject being studied."

  "Drow teachers think differently," Mez'A'Shib shrugged.

  "Being an overseer for your own comrades is terrible! Many probably hate your praepostors."

  "Of course. But no one shows their true attitude towards them openly. On the contrary, other drowes try to be friends with them."

  "Why??"

  "Very simple: if you tell a praepostor that he is a bastard and a scoundrel, he'll just stop putting your name to the list. And then go prove that you attended the classes. The teacher is more likely to believe the praepostor than you. More precisely, he will believe the entries in the Attendance Book."

  "Our teachers check those present themselves and note who skips class," Tim said.

  "And our ones they simply remember everyone by face. Those who truant will be asked more strictly," Naar-Tam added. "We can only sympathize with you, drowes."

  "Such is our world," Mez'A'Shib sighed.

  A huge soap bubble filled with water suddenly appeared above their heads. A second later it exploded, splashing the company of friends from head to toe.

  "And one more thing: it is strictly forbidden to be distracted by extraneous things during classes! Magic will be used without warning on those who are sleeping or chatting with their neighbors!"

  "Damn that witch to hell!" Ri-Bo said in anger. Just in case, in a whisper, and not addressing anyone in particular.

  Meanwhile, the 'witch', having glanced at the instantly silent audience and having made sure that the proper educational effect had been produced, finally moved on to the topic of the lesson.

  "So, Twilight magic. Ideal sorcery for those who do not like to advertise their deeds. And those who prefer night to day. Therefore it hardly comes to taste to light elves and other creatures of light, but since it is included in the school curriculum, it is necessary to know its basics. Twilight magic includes three main sections. For those who do not plan to study it in the future, it is quite enough to study the magic of Shadows, the art of being invisible and moving silently. Those who like the secrets of truly dark magic will be able to study Necromancy or Destruction, Brown and Black magic respectively. But now is not the time to discuss them, you will not have enough strength to reanimate even a mouse corpse."

  "Well, why not? For example, I can even bring a rat back to life!" Kakh'I'Geg boasted. And then she squealed in fear when her grimoire burst into a bright flame. Fortunately, it turned out to be illusory, but almost indistinguishable from the real one - a well-executed illusion, as Master Iskitt would say.

  - And keep in mind, today is a warning. Next time, only ashes will remain from your grimoire. I repeat once again personally for you and all those who do not understand the first time: if you want to say something, raise your hand and wait until the teacher deigns to pay attention to you. And do not forget to add the title 'Master'."

  "Absolutely, my Master, that's what we'll do!" Kakh'I'Geg said, smiling obsequiously.

  "And now about your reanimation skill. It's an innate gift, isn't it? Unlike all other magic, using the gift does not consume mana, the only limitation is that you have to wait a certain amount of time to use it again. If you didn't know this, then we can only regret the extremely low level of your mental abilities. The reanimation spell, by the way, absorbs a huge amount of mana, it's not like drawing hearts in the air! As a result, those with the gift will always have an advantage over others. And I have no doubt: you will acquire your own zombie servant before anyone else!"

  Someone's hand went up. It turned out to be Ivliar.

  "Excuse me, Master, but what's the point of taking zombies into service? They smell disgusting and decompose, and besides, they're stupid!"

  That's for sure, they're not very intelligent, Tim thought to himself sarcastically.

  "Only dabblers in the art of necromancy can say so. With the help of special spells, or alchemical preparations, whichever you prefer, you can stop the rotting process, and then there won't be any smell. They're not particularly smart, that's true. But no one will doubt their loyalty to their master. And if you need a bodyguard rather than a servant, pack him in armor - zombies don't feel pain, and it will be very difficult to deal with such an opponent."

  Right after that, Zur'U'Fes dared to ask his question.

  "Master, how will such armored monsters differ from Black Knights then?"

  "And how, in your opinion, does a rank-and-file soldier-recruit differ from a gray-haired veteran? There is a fundamental difference here: no matter what you hang your zombie with, armor, jewelry or spells, he will remain a zombie. And he will only be able to follow orders, nothing more, since he has no “I” of his own. Black Knights are a completely different matter, they cannot be obtained using reanimation; you will need to conduct a special ritual. And they retain not only all the knowledge and skills they had in life, but also their mind. However, the differences between lower and higher undead are not related to the topic of today's lesson. For starters, it would be a good idea for you to learn how to do this!"

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  She waved her wand, and the audience plunged into darkness. Tim, who had experienced the effect of Mez'A'Shib's magical gift, did not lose his head, but simply waited for the moment when the magic would end. However, judging by the frightened exclamations, it was a complete surprise for some.

  "Did you like it? Excellent. But it is recommended to use it only when you have been discovered and you have to save your own skin. And if you need to sneak in somewhere unnoticed, it is better to use Invisibility. However, you should not relax when using it: your shadow will become visible in bright light, and in addition, the invisible person is reflected in the mirror. The Improved Invisibility spell allows you to eliminate all these drawbacks. But... thunder strike me if any of you can use even the usual one! By the way, it is not necessary to become invisible to get into places where you are not allowed, but really want to. Sometimes a simple Eyes Away is enough, which consumes much less mana. The wizard remains visible, but those around him immediately lose the desire to stare in his direction - they will turn away, looking at anything but him. This spell is a special case of the magic of Defensive Spheres, designed to protect the one inside from ill-wishers and enemies. There are more effective means: Spheres of Horror, Weakness, Blindness and the like - no one will be able to come close to you intending to do harm to you! And if you do not want anyone to follow you, put a magic barrier behind you. Depending on the design, it will either simply not let anyone through, or will present your pursuer with some unpleasant surprise. There are a lot of appropriate formulas described in textbooks, there is plenty to choose from. You can even not put up a full-fledged barrier, limiting yourself to a magic mine. And then a surprise awaits the one who accidentally steps on it. What kind of surprise? It will depend on your fantasy."

  For about a minute someone's hand remained in a raised position. But the teacher pretended to notice it only now.

  "You may ask."

  "Great Master (Master Ven'A'Sash winced, but did not punish for such primitive flattery), please tell me, for the use of which magic one can earn a lot of points at once?"

  "Which one? Well, for example, soar above the classroom. Or, having broken the bars, jump out into the yard, remaining safe and sound. Too difficult? Well, then create a rain of fire or a rock fall! Not on the topic of the lesson? And how about managing to leave this classroom so that no one notices? Also beyond your capabilities? Then no way. Although if you find something to surprise me with, I'll think about it. In general, it would be more correct to formulate the question differently: which Twilight magic spell is easiest for a novice sorcerer to master."

  "Yes, yes, that's exactly what I wanted to ask!" Nhel'Yu'Min happily confirmed.

  Her impulse seemed so sincere that it was not punished. Master Ven'A'Sash only nodded her head graciously.

  "Your teachers seem to love flattery," Tim whispered, turning to Mez'A'Shib.

  "And yours don't?" the drow answered just as quietly.

  Tim wanted to object, but changed his mind. Indeed, on Earth you can meet teachers who are ready to forgive 'pranks' and give higher marks to students who knew how to flatter at the right time. And, on the contrary, they bully those who dared to have their own opinion and were not afraid to express it.

  "Then start with Blurriness. This spell makes the outline of your figure blurry and less noticeable. Here is the formula: zamshat duzgabr ooffk. Well, if suddenly someone has a desire to get acquainted with the subject in more depth, you can look into the manuscript called 'Magic of the Night'. You might find a lot more interesting things there."

  The last phrase was said with a fair amount of irony - like, where has it ever been seen that students read books, especially if no one is forcing them.

  Tim, although he was not going to become an expert in Twilight magic, carefully wrote down both the formula and the title of the book. Not for the sake of praise, but rather to avoid giving a reason for punishment. Which may turn out to be not so much unpleasant as shameful.

  The teacher, meanwhile, remembered about the Attendance Book.

  "Did you fill it out?" she inquired, and Shin'Ye'Het, smiling radiantly, handed her the Book.

  "Hmmm... Dem'O'Sut... Kunfor... Ruum-Fib... Alkitmi... And what's this?? Two gorgons, four werewolves, three orcs..."

  "Actually, there are four of us," Urgrot snorted, but Master Ven'A'Sash ignored his remark, completely concentrating on Shin'Ye'Het.

  "Don't they have names? And how should I address them? Hey, you? Or something else?"

  "Why do they need names? They are inferior races!" the drow girl's smile grew even wider. However, the teacher did not appreciate her humor, hitting her on the head with her wand.

  "You are an idiot!"

  "How dare you treat me like that! I am the First Daughter of the Fifth House!"

  "And I don't care about that," the Master grinned. "Here, at school, you are the same student as that orc over there. And if you do not learn this simple truth, many troubles await you ahead. The biggest of which is that one of your younger sisters will become the Mother of the House instead of you."

  "I will kill them all!" Shin'Ye'Het exclaimed in rage. And then she bit her tongue - in the world of the Drowes such statements cannot be made until you are able to carry out your plans.

  "I have no doubt," the teacher commented ironically on her impulse. "But not before you finish school. And now, as I see, you are not able to cope with even the simplest task. I will have to entrust it to someone else."

  "No! Please, don't do this! I will definitely improve!"

  "Okay, I'll try to believe you. By the next lesson, I hope you will know the names of all your classmates. And just in case, also write down who came from where and what gift they have."

  "And what about those who do not have a gift?"

  "Are there really such people here?"

  "Yes, over there, for example!" and she pointed her finger at Tim.

  All heads turned in his direction at once. Most looked at him with bewilderment or simply curiosity, but some looked with disgust or even contempt. Tim felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured down his collar.

  "Is that even possible?" one of the elves doubted, and then he also received a blow to the head with the wand.

  "Now be quiet, this is not a circus! The lesson is not over yet! And you," Master Ven'A'Sash's attention switched to Tim, "tell us who you are and from what world you came here."

  "I am a human, from the planet Earth."

  "A human, you say? That's new. I've never heard of such a people. It seems, there was some kind of prophecy about it... well, it doesn't matter. What the hell brought you here? Can you cast at least the simplest sorcery?"

  "Yes," Tim answered, licking his dry lips. And with his sweaty palm he gripped his wand more tightly.

  "Xeroblinz exlelloto!"

  A whole bunch of sparks flew off the tip of the wand, fanning out in the air. And although he wasn't aiming at anyone in particular, some of the sparks hit his classmates. Significant part of them Shin’Ye’Het got and her magnificent head of hair was slightly spoiled.

  "Watch where you're pointing your wand, you clumsy idiot!" she shrieked, hurriedly fixing her hair.

  "Believe me, he didn't do it on purpose," the teacher grinned again, clearly amused by what had happened. "I would advise you to be careful what you say from now on: there are some very touchy people among sorcerers. The presence or absence of the gift does not play any role here. Is everything clear about your current duties? (the praepostor nodded her head in agreement). And about other things... Well, why should I repeat twice? If someone doesn't understand the first time, there is no point in teaching them. And now... you won't be of any use today, so you may be free! The lesson is over!"

  How good is that he guessed to take the nearest to the door seat! As soon as the last words were spoken, Tim grabbed his things and headed towards the exit as fast as he could. And then he ran to his room, where he flopped down on his bed and lay for a long time with his head buried in the pillow. He wanted to cry, but it just didn’t work, although the resentment and anger at himself were boiling inside, and his consciousness kept returning him to the moment of public disgrace. Several times there was a quiet knock at the door, but he did not open it, not wanting to see anyone. And only when mental pain had calmed down a little he found the strength to let the visitors into the room.

  They turned out to be Naar-Tam and Tiis-Mir.

  "We are...," Naar-Tam began, trying to find the right words. "Well, it was our fault."

  "It was more my fault," Tiis-Mir interrupted him. "I told Gook-Luk about you, and she blabbed to her friends, including Kakh'I'Geg. And she, for sure, gave the information to Shin'Ye'Het."

  "Now it doesn't matter, what's done can't be undone," Tim shrugged in a doleful tone.

  "We understand that," Naar-Tam joined the conversation again. "And that's why we came to ask your forgiveness. Will you forgive us?"

  It was said so sincerely that Tim cast doubts aside.

  "Of course. But be careful in the future: not everyone here has good intentions."

  "Now we understand it ourselves. On our planet, Olmari, if someone started behaving like the drowes (except Mez’A’Shib, of course), no one would want to deal with them! Or they would even be driven into exile."

  "It's a pity that we are not on Olmari," Tim sighed.

  "And would you like to visit there?" Tiis-Mir immediately became enthusiastic about the idea. "So what's the problem? When we graduate, come visit us, you will be our guest!"

  "First I'll have to visit home. And then - why not? I'm afraid it'll be too hot for me there, though."

  "It’s nothing, you'll like it in the borderlands! If even the Yusmes can live there, then you can too!"

  "Well then, it's a deal! I'd be happy to see your world!"

  And that's where it all ended: the peirots, pleased with successful outcome, said goodbye and went about their business.

  And then Ri-Bo dropped by to visit.

  "It was really cool when you set fire to that loathsome 'princess'! I couldn't do that."

  He wants to cheer me up, Tim guessed. And very delicately, without mentioning the unpleasant and focusing on the positive. Tim even felt ashamed of his own doubts after the conversation with the anzimars. By the way, it's high time to tell about it.

  "What could they possibly need from you?" he asked at the end.

  "I don’t understand myself," Ri-Bo became alarmed. "Yes, in our lands there are cases when the anzimars take what they like. Instead they give us all sorts of trinkets – you would think we are savages! And if you start to complain - you won’t get anything at all. But I don’t have anything that might be of interest to them!"

  "So they just want to 'have fun' with you."

  "Probably," the tilfing sighed. "Such cases also take place, especially if there are a lot of them and you are alone. Okay, I’ll try to be more careful. Thank you for the warning! By the way, I had time to talk with the dwarves. They have a couple of flasks that we need."

  "And what do they want in return?"

  "Nothing. They said that the storehouse exists just for students’ service. Although judging by their sly faces I am sure: sooner or later they'll present a bill to us."

  "If anything, we can say that we decided to walk in the forest a little further than usual. And how can you do without water on a hot day?"

  "That’s exactly what I said. Whether they believed it or not, it doesn't matter, the main thing is that the flasks will be!"

  "So, all that's left is to wait until the potion that neutralizes the trap is ready."