Chapter 20: Taming of the shrew (2)

“Do you really think it’s okay to entrust Group A to Professor Anastasia, Bardon?”

In the sun-drenched academy dean’s office, two professors sat across from each other at a round table, enjoying a quiet tea time.

One was Bardon Wolfred van Roakan, the dean of the academy, and the other was Kamala Santrella Bishop, the former professor who had decided to retire.

It was a peaceful tea party between two friends who had entered the academy as classmates, worked in the same place, and grown old together.

“Why? Is there a problem, Kamala? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the procedure.”

Slurp. Kamala Bishop frowned slightly at the dean’s question as he savored his black tea.

“Is it fun to ask what you already know? That sly way of talking has been annoying since we were students.”

“Heh heh, isn’t your fiery temper the same now as when you were young? There are many things that don’t change easily.”

“Hmph, whatever. It’s my fault for bringing it up.”

Ignoring her friend’s pleasantries, Kamala recalled the names of the two new students assigned to Group A.

The next Hero, Alber Cornelian Tarrasque.
And the daughter of the academy chairman, Silvia de Garcia.

Two talents who were highly anticipated not only within Group A but also within the golden generation.
Moreover, they were both known for their strong pride and competitiveness.
Weren’t there even warnings issued because their admission coincided?

And not only were those two talents facing each other in the same group…

‘To think a new professor would have to supervise that fight.’

Kamala took a sip of her steaming black tea and thought of the woman who had become her successor.

She was undoubtedly a talented magician.
She had passed the filter test she had prepared in 20 minutes and had shattered the combat golem from the Irminsul workshop in a single blow.

But the problem was that this case was a bit different.

“You know too, don’t you, Bardon? The Hero is one thing, but that child, Silvia…”

Kamala, rubbing her throbbing forehead, quietly added.

“She’s a rising star who has awakened her unique spell at such a young age.”

A unique spell.
A special field of expertise that only powerful individuals who have reached a certain rank can awaken.
Countless magicians have strived for this, but only a few have actually achieved it.

Wasn’t the late Nathaniel so highly anticipated because he had awakened his unique spell of photon manipulation at a relatively early age?

Moreover, Silvia de Garcia was a first-year student, still young and unripe.
Even if it was Anastasia, she was worried if she could control such a genius.

“Of course, I know. That’s why Chairman Forte boasts so much, isn’t it? That his daughter has already received a constellation.”

The name of a constellation, given only to unparalleled geniuses.
A title given by the masters of the Magic Tower to praise the talent that will dominate an era.

It was an honorable tag given to reflect the magician’s personality and magical characteristics.

For example, the late Nathaniel’s was Sagittarius, or Sagittarius…

“And Silvia de Garcia’s is Reticulum.”

Clink. The dean’s eyes gleamed as he put down his teacup.

“Isn’t that a name given because of her magic that specializes in binding and suppression? It’s an incredible genius that her peers can never follow.”

“And you’re still doing this, Bardon? It would have been different if the assignments were changed, but Group A should have had at least a few more professors from the beginning.”

Randomly assigning groups is the basic rule of the test.
It’s a policy for fair competition, but sometimes, that randomness causes accidents.
Sometimes, excessively strong students face each other and turn the test site into a mess.

Still, since they are students, it’s usually resolved by the supervisors…

“No matter how outstanding Professor Anastasia is, I’m not reassured. Apart from her skills, isn’t she a rookie taking her first steps as an educator? If she gets caught up in the students’ antics and loses control, things will get out of hand.”

Kamala’s concern was justified.
Becoming a powerful magician and becoming a competent teacher are two different things.
New professors who haven’t dealt with young students often make all sorts of mistakes due to their lack of experience.

And isn’t Silvia de Garcia a notorious troublemaker who is famous for cleverly playing with teachers?

“Don’t be so anxious, Kamala.”

But for some reason, Dean Roakan, who should have been sharing the same concern, was excessively relaxed.

“The Saintess is also on standby in Group A, isn’t she? They’ll be able to deal with it before any accidents happen. Besides…”

Dean Roakan looked at his friend with a friendly smile under his aquiline nose.
It was the same natural, inscrutable smile that Kamala had always found annoying.

He looked at the displeased Kamala Bishop and said calmly.

“I have deep trust in Professor Anastasia’s abilities. Even if she’s a rookie, she’ll be able to handle it well.”

“…”

Kamala didn’t say anything more at Roakan’s confident declaration.

She and Roakan had been friends for decades.
She knew very well how great his eye for distinguishing between jade and stone was.
Wasn’t that why the board of directors unanimously reappointed him as dean?

If Bardon Roakan said it himself, it wouldn’t be a baseless assertion.

‘…But I’m still worried.’

Kamala sighed softly, taking a sip of her remaining black tea.
To think she had carelessly entrusted a heavy responsibility to a young person who still had much to learn and needed help.

Since both the group assignment and the supervisor assignment were not her discretion, she couldn’t do anything about it, but she couldn’t help but feel a heavy sense of responsibility.

‘I hope it ends without any injuries.’

Silvia de Garcia, the only daughter of Chairman Forte de Garcia.
The potential of that child, which she had observed herself, was that terrifying.

“Wahahat! Take this! Take this-!!”

The cry of the half-dragon Alber, filled with fighting spirit.

Every time she swung her halberd, a tremendous gust of wind pushed back the onlookers.
Thanks to that, the students and teaching assistants had to keep their distance, repeatedly falling on their buttocks.

“C-crazy! What is that! How can she be so strong!”

“Is this what it means to be of dragon blood? It’s hard to even keep my eyes open!”

“Kyaak, mommy!”

“E-everyone, calm down! Move back further! You’ll get seriously injured if you get caught up in it!”

The outcry of the terrified Group A members. The power shown by the next Hero was that enormous.

“Hahahat, don’t you have any stronger magic! This much won’t even faze me!”

Alber Cornelian Tarrasque, rampaging as she deflected Silvia’s counter-magic.
As a magician, she tried to calmly maintain her distance, but it was not enough to stop Alber’s reckless charge.

She was truly a hungry beast, worthy of the name ‘descendant of a dragon’.

‘That’s the power of the next Hero…’

Interesting. She wasn’t just a kid with a big mouth, was she?

I calmly observed their duel, sucking on the candy that was turning into sugar water.

The test site was becoming a mess due to the two girls’ battle.
I had the teaching assistants evacuate the students as far back as possible, but if I didn’t stop them at a reasonable point, they would destroy the entire area.

Only two people remained calm amidst this tremendous clash.

Me, the tournament supervisor…

“How is it? Isn’t it amazing, Professor?”

And Saintess Antiopea, who was on standby next to me as an observer.

“Alber is a Hero candidate personally appointed by the Pope. Even this level of skill is just the tip of the iceberg. In terms of talent, she surpasses any Hero in history.”

‘I can see that at a glance.’

Power and combat sense that would be suitable for a real martial arts tournament, not just a friendly school test.

Honestly, I was wondering why they sent her to the academy instead of a martial arts training ground.
She’s a skilled person who would be better off clashing with experienced knights than young students.

“But her personality is so unruly that even His Holiness is at a loss. If I’m not by her side, she’ll cause all sorts of trouble.”

Antiopea smiled brightly, looking at me who was standing silently.
Then, she asked in a subtle, probing voice.

“I’m curious as to how you, Professor Anastasia, plan to guide and educate such an Alber.”

Guide and educate?
Ah, as the professor of black magic defense?

Come to think of it, it was a compulsory subject for graduation.

Since Alber was receiving the full expectations of the academy, I was also in a position to think about how to handle her.

“…I don’t plan to do it like the other professors.”

“Huh? The other professors?”

“The method of enticing them by dangling food in front of their faces.”

Offering all sorts of gifts, catering to their every whim, and begging them to listen to you?
There is no worse choice than that when it comes to disciplining a child.

It was a truth I had learned while taking care of my beloved younger sister in place of my damn parents.

“Although enticing with material things may have an immediate effect, it will ruin the student’s future in the long run. Not correcting their mistakes and only saying nice things is a pathetic act that abandons the duty of an educator.”

“…”

“Of course, I won’t tell you specifically what I will do here. The semester hasn’t even started yet. However, when the time comes for me to educate student Alber…”

Flick!

I flicked the finished lollipop stick into the trash can like a cigarette butt and concluded.

“I’ll show you directly with my actions then.”

This should be enough for her to get the hint and move on, right?

I said it in a cool way, but in fact, I didn’t have a plan either.
I’ve never been a teacher in my life.

However, I didn’t want to have a long conversation on this topic, so I tried to defuse the situation with the most plausible words.

She was, strictly speaking, the Hero’s guardian.
If she complained that she didn’t like my policy, it would only be a headache for me.

“Hmm, is that so?”

At my response, the Saintess turned her head with a strange reaction.
She seemed to be lost in thought again, her face deep in contemplation.

Seeing that, I suddenly felt a sense of unease.

‘…Is she still sulking because I didn’t give her a bribe?’

Others are trying so hard to get on Alber’s good side, but you didn’t give anything and just talk big, is that it?

‘What a materialistic Bribe Saintess.’

It was then.
“Hahaha, how long are you going to keep running away!”

Thud! Alber shouted, hitting the ground with the tip of her halberd.

The two girls’ showdown had been going on for about 15 minutes.
Compared to the other matches that ended in a single blow, it was fierce, but the tide was still tilted to one side.

While Alber was joyfully wreaking havoc, Silvia was busy dodging and defending.

Aiming at the light purple-haired classmate, Alber shouted confidently.

“Human! You’re excellent compared to the rest, but you still can’t even reach my feet! If this is all you can do, why don’t you just surrender!”

“Hehe, surrender? Isn’t it too early to talk about that, Hero?”

Silvia retorted with a bright smile.

“I also have a trump card, you know.”

…Something’s strange.
A thought as I silently watched their fight.

Perhaps feeling a similar sense of unease, Antiopea also tilted her head and threw in a word.

“That student, Silvia, her movements have been very strange from the beginning. It’s as if she has no intention of fighting Alber with all her might.”

As the Saintess said, Silvia was constantly avoiding a head-on confrontation and only responding with weak spells.
It was too sloppy for a rising star who had caused spatial distortion just by releasing her mana.

If she continued to act like that, she wouldn’t be able to settle the match within the time limit.

“…Wait a minute.”

At that moment, the Saintess’s eyes widened as if she had realized something.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that student Silvia had obtained a unique spell at such a young age?”

That’s right. I also heard that from Professor Bishop while preparing for the Group A supervision.
She said her magical talent was so outstanding that she even received the alias of a constellation from the Magic Tower.

The name of that constellation was probably…

“…Reticulum?”

“Hahaha, a trump card?”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Alber threatened, creating a whirlwind with her halberd.

“If you have something like that, bring it out, human! Or I’ll finish you off with this one blow!!”

“Of course, Hero.”

At those words, Silvia muttered a small chant and declared.

“I’m all ready too.”

Ready? As I was intently watching the two with a meaningful remark,

Swish!

“Ugh?!”

Suddenly, something shot up from under Alber’s feet.
Then, it wrapped around her entire body like vines and restrained her movements.

The thing made of bluish knots strung together was…

‘A net?’

“Heaven and Earth Net.”

Silvia chuckled, reciting the name of her technique.

“How is it? It’s a pretty elaborate trap, do you like it?”

“Ugh! What kind of petty trick is this, human!”

Flail, flail. Alber shouted, struggling like a fish caught by a fisherman.

“You can’t trap me with such a flimsy net! If I just use a little strength, I can easily… “

“I know that too. That’s why I have another countermeasure. I’ll show you now.”

Silvia replied, drawing her finger in the air.
Then, with a bright smile, befitting Garcia’s Sunflower, she declared.

“What my, Silvia de Garcia’s, unique spell is.”

After finishing her words, Silvia lightly swung her arm from top to bottom.

And the next moment.

“Kuh?!”

Suddenly, Alber fell to her knees and collapsed.

“What! What’s wrong with my body!”

“H-heavy! It’s like someone is pressing down on me from above…!”

She wasn’t the only one.
The students and teaching assistants who had gathered around the dueling stage also began to stumble and express confusion.

Soon, an unknown ‘pressure’ began to affect my and the Saintess’s bodies as well.
The true nature of that power was none other than…

“Gravity.”

Silvia de Garcia, watching the trembling Alber with amusement.
The only one free from the increased pressure spoke elegantly.

“My unique spell is gravity manipulation, Hero.”