Chapter 29: Old friends and new rivals (1)

The Opal Hall of the academy, around lunchtime.

Students who had registered for the course slowly trickled into the lecture hall.

Today was the so-called first day of the new semester.
It was the time when students who had gathered according to the course registration results came to attend their first class.

Of course, in most cases, on the first day, no special classes are held out of consideration for the students.
Not only do they have to consider variables such as course changes, but it is also a week when they are busy adapting to dormitory life in many ways.

‘But the Black Magic Defense class will be different!’

Clench! Silvia de Garcia clenched both fists and sat down in a demure posture.

Professor Anastasia was the successor to the terrifying Professor Bishop.
Wasn’t it the standard of ‘C-sprinkling’ to start the curriculum from the first day, and even to include passing remarks made during the lecture in the exam?

‘If she’s the successor approved by Professor Bishop, her tendencies must be similar, right?’

Silvia was a prodigy who had been famous as a child prodigy since she was young.
She was more confident than anyone in concentrating on her studies.
Therefore, she intended to make up for her score by showing an enthusiastic attitude towards the class.

An image was already being drawn in her head.

Silvia de Garcia, the top student who diligently raises her hand and participates in class.
Professor Anastasia, who is deeply moved by this and finally becomes close to her personally.

That’s how she would become the number one student in the professor’s heart, and eventually…

“Ehehe.”

“Oh, you’re so happy to be sitting with a senior? The smile doesn’t leave your face, our Silvia.”

‘Ah, right.’

This idiot was also here.
Thinking that, Silvia quietly glared at the male student who had taken the seat next to her.

A second-year senior who also stayed in the Obsidian dormitory.

He was an annoying guy who had been pestering her since the freshman welcome party.
Today too, he was following her closely and constantly hitting on her.

“I’m also happy to be in the same class as you, Silvia. Shall we go to Lapland Town later? As a senior, I should open my wallet for a freshman.”

“Oh, it’s okay. I couldn’t possibly.”

“Hey, what are you sorry for? That’s how we get close. So don’t refuse and let’s go. I’ll show you around the area.”

What do you mean, show me around the area?

‘My mother is the chairman, I know this place better than you.’

Silvia shot back in her mind, maintaining a calm and polite demeanor.

In the first place, this ‘senior’ was a womanizer with a bad reputation among female students.
His intention in approaching her, the chairman’s daughter, was all too obvious.

Did he think she was a naive and innocent freshman who could be easily manipulated?

‘Ah, so annoying.’

Maintaining a smiling face with effort, Silvia waited for the professor to enter.
Meanwhile, the other students gathered around were also murmuring among themselves.

“Hey, I heard the professor for the black magic course changed from this year. Professor Bishop isn’t teaching anymore.”

“Phew, I’m saved! Wasn’t Professor Bishop so strict? I seriously cried after reading my report evaluation last semester.”

“Why are you letting your guard down already? We don’t even know the professor’s personality yet. For all we know, she could be more vicious than Professor Bishop.”

A male student friend reprimanded the relieved female student.
He shrugged his shoulders and spoke in a lamenting tone, looking at the empty blackboard.

“Leaving everything aside, she’s the successor chosen by that Kamala Bishop herself. Honestly, it’s a toss-up, or maybe even worse. This semester might not be a few months of ‘C-sprinkling’, but ‘D-sprinkling’.”

“Ack, crazy! Then are we going to have a full lecture from the first day today?”

“Kuaak, no! Great one in heaven! Merciful only begotten son!”

Men and women who were already screaming, making assumptions.
Glancing at them, Silvia secretly scoffed.

‘As expected, no one here can surpass me in learning attitude!’

With that arrogance, Silvia looked at the clock with a happy feeling.

The students, who were exhausted from listening to a tough lecture from the first day.
Imagining herself shining brightly among them.

Screech-!

It was then.

The classroom door opened, and suddenly, a teaching assistant strode in.
He was a senior student who was temporarily assisting Anastasia, who had no teaching assistant of her own.

“Huh? What? Where’s the professor?”

“Why is that teaching assistant brother suddenly coming in?”

While the students were murmuring at the unexpected appearance.

“Ahem, ahem.”

The teaching assistant cleared his throat and picked up a white chalk.
Then, in very large letters, he wrote ‘Canceled’ on the blackboard.

“Today’s class will be neatly canceled since it’s the first day.”

The teaching assistant calmly conveyed, putting down the chalk.

“Students, please come out in order and take the printed syllabus. You will be replacing the lecture by reading and familiarizing yourselves with it.”

As he finished speaking and put a heavy pile of paper on the podium,

“Woooow-!!”

A loud cheer erupted from among the students.

“We hit the jackpot! It’s a sweet lecture!!”

“The C-sprinkling era is over-!!”

Of course, this was nothing more than a groundless assumption.
But despite that, the students couldn’t help but be happy with their assumptions.

The first lecture is a measure to evaluate the professor’s personality.
It’s natural for a strict person to conduct it strictly, and for a lenient person to conduct it leniently.

But no matter how lenient, it’s normal procedure to at least take attendance.
But to declare a class cancellation, not even a simple syllabus explanation?

For students who had been tormented by Professor Bishop all semester, it was a move so unconventional that they couldn’t help but jump to conclusions.

“Long live Professor Anastasia! Long live the best sweet lecture ever!”

“I love you, Anastasia! Peerless beauty Anastasia! Please sprinkle A’s on our grades too!”

“Wow, this is great! Thanks to this, we can play in the afternoon!”

The senior, with a playful smile, encouraged Silvia.

“Where shall we go first, Silvia? Should we eat something delicious first, or should we go see something fun first? It’s the Pre-Summer Festival season soon, so Lapland Town is also booming…”

“Hehehe, senior?”

At that moment, Silvia clenched her fists and shot back.

“Shut up and get lost.”

“Huh? W-what did you say?”

His bewilderment was short-lived, as he was terrified by the dark aura of anger rising from her.

Garcia’s Sunflower, still smiling brightly.
But her unique magic power was burning brightly enough for anyone to see.

On that day, when the rest of the students were cheering in unison.
Silvia had evolved from a shining comet to an exploding meteorite.

“Kehehe, take this! Take this!”

Boom! Boom!

The sound of explosions echoed as school facilities were blown away.
And fragments of sculptures flew in all directions.
The duel hall in the Peridot Hall, prepared for a friendly match, was being completely destroyed.

The next Hero, wielding the halberd Gáe Bolg.
And the next Sword Saint, wielding the famous sword Gramr, were in a bloody battle.

“Don’t you have any more certain moves! It’s so boring I’m about to yawn!”

“…”

“Hahaha, unlike the gravity kid, you’re not very talkative! That’s why I like you even more! As expected, warriors speak with their weapons!”

Alber, who couldn’t hold back her laughter at the worthy opponent who had dispelled her boredom.

Against her, Krimhild continued the confrontation, drawing a calm sword path.
The (hegemonic sword) that everyone praised as the sword art of the next Sword Saint.
It was a swift and decisive attack that focused purely on offense.

‘What a foolish movement.’

Krimhild frowned, constantly looking for Alber’s openings.

Simple, undignified, and utterly chaotic.
If she were an ordinary knight, she would have already lost her life to Krimhild’s fierce attack.

‘But she’s strong…!’

Despite that, Alber’s martial arts were overwhelming.
A crude martial art that relied only on instinct, senses, and physical strength.
A tremendous wildness that compensated for her weaknesses with her strengths, or rather, completely sublimated them.

She could understand why this tomboy was chosen as the next Hero.

“Hmph.”

‘A worthy opponent after a long time?’

Although she was reluctantly going along with it, I’m also getting a little excited.
Krimhild thought to herself with a low sneer.

A different kind of match from the one held under strictly controlled conditions on the day of the placement test.
This time, since there was no judge, it was a fight with even fewer restrictions.

If the previous fight was a clash between magic and brute force, trickery and recklessness.
Now, it was a friction between pure strength and strength, skill and skill.

“Woah! It’s all breaking!”

“A-are we okay to stay here? Shouldn’t we be avoiding this?”

“I don’t know! The assistant professor isn’t saying anything!”

The shouts of the students who felt uneasy at the unrestrained fight.
They were spectators who had gathered in groups after hearing that the 1st and 3rd ranked students were facing each other.

However, contrary to their expectations, they didn’t know what to do in the situation that was getting out of control.

The clash of the halberd and the rapier was gradually escalating.
The radius of its aftermath was also growing little by little.

“Uh, uh…”

Crucially, the person who had caused this mess was just standing there blankly.

“Assistant Professor Beruz! What are you doing! The students who have gathered will get hurt at this rate!”

The Saintess’s urging, who had been watching the frustrating scene.
She was pointing out that he wasn’t intervening in the bloody battle that was getting out of hand.

It was Antiopea’s divine power, not the assistant professor’s magic, that had blocked the fragments that were about to fly towards the students.

However, the ‘Beruz’ in question, instead of intervening in the situation, got angry and shouted back.

“I, I said I’ll take care of it! Saintess, just focus on your duties as an observer! The referee for this duel is me!”

“Ha…!”

Antiopea, who had been shaking her head, turned around.
Then, she spoke to the staff member who had been watching the duel with her.

“Have you contacted Professor Anastasia? Did she say she’s coming here?”

“Ah, yes! She said she’s coming right away!”

“W-why are you calling Professor Anastasia? This is a private match unrelated to dormitory affairs…!”

“Then control the situation quickly, Assistant Professor! What are you doing after gathering the students for a duel! Evacuate them quickly before anyone gets injured!”

“Kuh! What do you mean, evacuate! No one’s been injured yet, and there’s nothing seriously wrong! Stop with the unnecessary meddling!”

Assistant Professor Beruz stubbornly refused the Saintess’s instructions, making excuses until the end.
But in reality, he was struggling because he couldn’t come up with a suitable solution.

‘I didn’t know those two were that strong!’

The beginning of the current situation goes back to the end of the academy’s lunch break.

The next Hero, who had persistently demanded a showdown with the princess in front of the students.
Beruz had quickly jumped into that gap, which was the cause of the trouble.

A happening that would have ended lightly without the intervention of a faculty member.
The fact that he had turned it into an official duel was the cause of the current situation.

‘Damn it, I seriously thought it was no big deal!’

Just because that young b*tch, Anastasia, had defeated the 1st and 2nd ranked students in an instant!

Beruz, seething with anger inwardly, desperately wracked his brain.

In fact, it was difficult to blame his misjudgment as being completely thoughtless.

Only the full professors, led by the dean, knew the true nature of the newly appointed warlock.
The teaching assistants, staff members, and assistant professors had only heard information through rumors.

Even then, since much of it was fragmentary and exaggerated, it was rare for anyone to believe Anastasia’s true skills as they were.

‘Was that woman really that strong?!’

Chew. Beruz burned with anxiety, biting his thumbnail.
Honestly, he and the other assistant professors did not welcome Anastasia’s presence.

How difficult was it to be promoted from an academy assistant professor to a full professor?
And to have a nobody, who had come from who knows where, snatch the newly opened position?

‘Some people wait for 5, 10 years, just sucking their thumbs!’

That’s why he had deliberately volunteered to be the referee for the two students.
To show off his ability by easily controlling the outstanding students, and to build his reputation by spreading an exaggerated reputation like Anastasia.

It was a far-fetched idea, but he believed that if that young magician could do it, he could too.

Wasn’t he already anxious after being an assistant professor for a long time?
And it was the new semester of the ‘golden generation’, praised as a rising star generation. He had tried to create an opportunity for himself by taking advantage of this.

But as you can see, the situation had gone completely wrong, and his mind was also getting twisted.

‘Damn it! I can’t even stop that crazy fight with my own power!’

But if he followed the Saintess’s request, his reputation would be completely ruined.

An assistant professor who volunteered to be a referee, and even gathered spectators, but couldn’t control the situation and had to evacuate them?
Wouldn’t his dream of becoming a full professor be gone forever?

That’s why he was just being stubborn, unable to do anything.

‘This damn idiot!’

Antiopea, who was watching this, also bit her lip, muttering a curse unbecoming of a Saintess.
She had strongly advised against the duel in the first place, expecting something like this.

And yet, he had recklessly instigated the fight, and now he was showing such an irresponsible attitude?
Just because he was afraid of losing face, when all he had to do was ask for help?

‘Klomes has gone downhill. People who are rotten from the start are being selected as the next generation of professors.’

She had heard rumors that the academy was gradually declining.
The dwindling financial resources, and the declining quality of the talent.
Weren’t Dean Roakan and Chairman Forte, along with a few others, dragging it along by the scruff of its neck?

That’s why there was so much fuss about the golden generation’s admission and all that this year.

‘…As expected, the authority of an observer is too restrictive.’

From the academy’s perspective, Antiopea was a complete outsider.
Moreover, she was a figure sent by the Holy Kingdom, which was at odds with the Magic Tower.

Therefore, it was only natural that she was not given much authority.
Isn’t it so bad that she can’t even unilaterally sanction such an absurd situation?

‘But this year is really going to be eventful.’

Muttering to herself, her gaze shifted to the students.
Soon, Antiopea’s gaze was directed at a few particularly prominent individuals.

Unlike the ordinary students who were trembling with fear and just wringing their hands.
To the top 10 ranked students who were watching the fight between the 1st and 3rd ranked students with interest, their arms crossed.

‘Merlin Mc’Cool of Carnelian, Isaiah Sadugai of Jade, and Marie von Ludenberg of Topaz, was it?’

Merlin, the final 4th place, smiling with his eyes half-closed.
Isaiah, the final 5th place, the grandson of a great rabbi, wearing a sand-colored turban befitting his desert origin.
And Marie, the final 6th place, from the Ludenberg family, who was said to be a relative of the Vǫlsunga imperial family.

Unfortunately, they didn’t make it to the top 3, but they were still a formidable golden generation with the skills to be in the top 10.
And they were the ones to watch, who had willingly skipped their lectures to come and see the 1st and 3rd place students fight.

They were the buds who would become rivals to Obsidian, including Alber, in the future, and they were also unprecedented talents who would cause no less of a stir.

‘With such children gathered in one place, my hands and feet are tied!’

Thanks to the idiots who prioritize their pride over a clergyman and disregard the actual benefits!
If only there was an eccentric professor who would allow her to intervene decisively…

‘…There isn’t a single heretic who would bow down to a dog of the Holy Kingdom.’

Muttering irritably, Antiopea turned her gaze back to Alber and Krimhild.

‘This won’t do!’

Grip! She made her decision, gripping the handle of the holy sword on her back.

If this situation escalates any further, there could be serious injuries.
It might be a bit controversial, but it seemed right to act on her own, even if it meant facing a disadvantage.

“Everyone! Stop right now…!”

As she made her resolve and stepped forward.

“Who on earth.”
Boom!

“Authorized this duel?”

The surrounding atmosphere suddenly became heavy.
And the air particles began to tremble violently, resonating with mana.

At the atmosphere that had flipped like day and night, even the Hero and the Princess, who had been engrossed in their fight, stopped their movements.

“W-what? What’s going on?”

“…This energy?”

They were natural-born warriors who had further trained their developed senses.
There was no way they couldn’t sense the flow that had become so clear that even an ordinary person could feel it.

“Please, I beg you, don’t beat around the bush and answer me straight.”

Thump, thump. As everyone was bewildered, a woman slowly approached from the other side.

The Obsidian housemaster, wearing a crow feather cloak and a candy in her mouth like a cigarette.
With a face as cold as ice, she warned, articulating each word with force.

“For your information. I am about to explode, Assistant Professor Beruz.”