Chapter 30: Old friends and new rivals (2)

A few minutes before Anastasia, the Obsidian housemaster, arrived.
The golden generation, seated among the onlookers, watched the escalating fight without flinching.

‘So this is the skill of the 1st and 3rd ranked?’

Isaiah Sadugai, the 5th-ranked student, muttered, his unique gray eyes flashing as he followed the movements of the halberd and the sword.

‘The gap between us isn’t as big as I thought.’

It was similar to the testimony of the 10th-ranked student, who had been in the same group as the Hero.
There was a clear gap in skill, but it wasn’t impossible to catch up with steady effort.

“Ugh, what is that! Every time she swings her axe, a gust of wind blows! And her sword leaves afterimages every time she stabs!”

“Hieek, I’m giving up on climbing the ranks early! How can I compete with those monsters!”

…So noisy.

Isaiah sighed, frowning.
Although their rankings were separated by minor differences, they too were high-ranking, outstanding students. He had long predicted that a mess would ensue.

What was more ridiculous were the classmates who were panicking at such a small commotion.
And the pathetic caliber of the assistant professor who had organized the duel.

‘He’s going to teach us with that level of skill?’

Even if he was an ‘assistant’ professor, he must have gone through the same curriculum as a full professor.
And wasn’t Beruz a senior with a lot of experience?

It was obvious what would happen when the current full professors retired and a new generation took over.

‘I should have just stayed with my grandfather.’

He scoffed and caressed the brooch shaped like his clan’s symbol, a golden menorah.
He was the descendant of the high priest of the Midrash, a powerful nation in the wilderness.
He had come to Klomes to broaden his horizons, but the reality was quite disappointing.

Except for the interesting alchemy of Housemaster Javir, it didn’t seem like a place of learning for him.

“Hehehe, my, you seem to be deep in thought, Mr. Isaiah?”

Just then, Merlin Mc’Cool, the 4th-ranked student standing next to him, spoke.
He smiled with his eyes half-closed as always and was playful.

“How is it? Your impression of those two? The Hero is one thing, but the princess is also quite amazing, isn’t she? Even this Merlin Mc’Cool couldn’t defeat her and had to surrender.”

‘What do you want me to do about it? You creepy bastard.’

That sinister classmate always felt unsettling.
His characteristic smile, pretending to be a good and easy-going person. He couldn’t fathom the true intentions hidden beneath it.

“Oh my, are you wary of me again, Mr. Isaiah?”

When he didn’t answer, Merlin chuckled and scratched the back of his head.
Then, he sneered in his usual smooth voice.

“This is sad. I was just trying to make friends. If you keep this up, I’ll get hurt too.”

‘…Is he warning me?’

A thought as he heard the sentence with a subtle emphasis on ‘hurt’.
It sounded like a notice to not be rude if he didn’t want to die, as his sullen reaction was getting on his nerves.

‘He’s a dangerous one. I need to be careful.’

Either way, Merlin was a student one rank higher than him.
If they fought one-on-one, Isaiah would have a hard time getting out unscathed.

“Hmm, then how about Miss Marie?”

Fortunately, Merlin’s attention soon shifted to the student standing on the other side.

The girl in the Topaz uniform, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning.
To the white-haired female student with her hair in pigtails, tied with cute hairpins.

“By the way, aren’t you related to the princess of Vǫlsunga? How nice to meet your cousin at the academy, it must be a great pleasure.”

“I don’t know, that cousin. There are many people in the family, and I’m not that close to the prince who is in the same Topaz dormitory.”

Marie von Ludenberg, the 6th-ranked student, replied in a lazy tone.
A beautiful freshman like a pure white pearl, with a cute appearance and a small physique.

Her attitude of being annoyed with everything, and her lack of energy even after sleeping and sleeping, were somewhat of a flaw.

Yawning languidly again, Marie smacked her lips.

“It’s a great spectacle, but it’s obvious who will win, isn’t it? I just want to go back to my dorm and take a nap.”

“…Even after sleeping all morning?”

“None of your business, Isaiah.”

To think she would still complain after skipping her morning classes to sleep and even skipping her meals.

At this point, it was a sleepiness that made one wonder if there was something wrong with her brain.

“Well, I understand how you feel, but… isn’t the situation a bit chaotic? If you leave, the frightened students might follow and create a mess.”

Then, Merlin smirked and glanced at Assistant Professor Beruz.
He was a ridiculous man who had volunteered to be the referee and was just repeating his blunders.

“Above all, there are no clear instructions from the assistant professor. It’s his job to control the situation, so let’s just wait for now.”

“Hmph, what instructions? He’s obviously lost his touch and is just flustered.”

Marie sneered, caressing the handle of the sword at her waist.
One sword on the right, one on the left. It was a pair of swords designed to be wielded with both hands.

“I came here because my great-aunt nagged me so much, but… honestly, the academy is not that great. It’s not particularly fun, and it’s boring to be praised as the golden generation.”

She revealed her true feelings, her cherry-colored eyes flashing.

“In the end, it just means that the rest of the students are subpar and weak, doesn’t it? Even though this school was built to defeat a witch.”

“Ahaha, my, that’s a very harsh expression. But it’s not wrong, is it?”

Crunch! Merlin replied, biting into a red apple he had taken out of his pocket.
And this was a statement that was in line with Isaiah’s own thoughts.

Nine freshmen who were in the spotlight as the golden generation.
And one dark horse who had suddenly emerged.
Except for those exact ten, everyone else was just a mediocre nobody.

They might be too great, but he felt there was no reason to be interested in Klomes.

It was at that very moment.

Boom-!

“Kuh?!”

“Hmm?”

That firm conviction was shattered into pieces.

“Who on earth authorized this duel?”

A voice like an eternal glacier came from the other side.
Isaiah’s eyes widened at the eerie sensation that followed.

‘Killing intent!’

An terrifying aura that couldn’t be felt from ordinary humans, and was difficult to emit even at the level of a magical beast.
A dull ordinary person might not feel it, but the golden generation with their sensitive senses was different.

Not only did the smirking Merlin and the sleepy Marie freeze, but…

“W-what? What’s going on?”

“This energy?”

Even the Hero and the Princess, who had been fighting without looking around, flinched and stopped.

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

Thump, thump. A silver-haired woman approached with a menacing gait as everyone was bewildered.
She was the new housemaster of Obsidian, whom he had only glimpsed at the freshman celebration banquet.

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

‘What an incredible killing intent…!’

Isaiah swallowed dryly and clenched his fists.

He was from the wilderness, where terrifying giant scorpions and sand worms roamed.
Even Isaiah had never felt such a tense killing intent in his life.

A cold yet hot, restrained yet surging, and overwhelming energy that made his skin crawl.
It was something that would only come from a predator at the top of the food chain.

“Alber Cornelian Tarrasque, and Krimhild von Hohenlaufen.”

Then, the Obsidian housemaster called the two students in a low voice.
Then, she looked at the onlookers and gave a stern order.

“All students except these two are dismissed. Return to your respective classrooms. Today is the first day of the new semester, not a holiday.”

All dismissed. At the concise order, the students quickly complied, although they were unsure.
After all, the situation that had been on the verge of exploding had finally calmed down.

And even Assistant Professor Beruz, who had been snapping at the Saintess.

“…”

This time, he was so overwhelmed by her presence that he couldn’t even utter a word.

“You three over there.”

He was startled by the call of the Obsidian housemaster as he was standing there, lost in thought.

The three golden generation members who were just staring at her while the other students were leaving.
The professor urged them with a cold gaze.

“What are you standing there for? I told you to disperse. Do you want to get a demerit for bad attitude?”

“…I’m sorry, Professor. We’ll be on our way.”

At the very direct threat, Isaiah decided to retreat for now.
He had a gut feeling that he could actually die if he got on her bad side.

And because of that gut feeling, a very bad curiosity also reared its head.

‘What is she going to do now?’

An unknown black mage who was radiating an extraordinary killing intent.
He was dying to know how she would put an end to this situation.

‘Don’t tell me… she’s going to kill them all?’

Logically, that was impossible, but judging by the aura she was emitting, she didn’t seem like a person who would follow common sense.
It seemed Merlin Mc’Cool and Marie von Ludenberg agreed with him.

Nod.
Finally, the three of them, who had agreed for the first time, exchanged signals with a nod and quietly turned around.

Then, they pretended to leave and secretly hid in a corner.

‘As long as we don’t make any noise.’

Isaiah, Merlin, and Marie were all outstanding talents who had trained for years.
They knew how to hide their presence for stealth.

Even against such a monster, they were confident they wouldn’t be discovered.

“…”

With that conviction, the three golden generation members carefully observed the scene.

To see how the new professor, Anastasia, would handle the situation.

‘What a troublesome bunch.’

They’re secretly watching even though I told them to leave. Do they really think they won’t be caught?
How can the golden generation be so disobedient?

‘Except for Eve, there isn’t a single one I like.’

I chewed on the lollipop stick, suppressing my annoyance.
I wanted to go over and give them a good talking to, but my top priority was not to punish the three rebellious kids.

My real top priority was only one thing.
To interrogate the one who had approved the duel without the housemaster’s permission.

“Now, explain yourself, Assistant Professor Beruz.”

Alber, staring blankly at this place. Krimhild, who had stiffened slightly, perhaps sensing my anger. And Antiopea, who was letting out a sigh of relief.

Leaving the three women behind, I first reprimanded Beruz.

“Why are my dormitory’s students fighting in broad daylight? And without even getting my permission as their housemaster?”

I had sent Eve back quickly and even canceled my class as a precaution.
I had no intention of tolerating it unless he had a very good excuse.

“Uh, that… that is… so that is…

“It’s not a fight, Silkie Sausage!”

As the terrified Beruz was stammering.
Alber suddenly snorted and requested a correction of the expression.

“This humble one and the next Sword Saint were having a legitimate duel! The school rules state that duels held under the supervision of a faculty member are always permitted!”

“Alber! Be quiet!”

“Y-yes. That’s right, Professor Anastasia. According to the school rules, duels between students are a matter of freedom, unrelated to the housemaster’s supervision, aren’t they?”

“…”

“Besides, although I’m an assistant professor, I’m also one of the faculty members of the academy, Professor Anastasia. In other words, I also have the authority to independently referee a duel.”

Beruz seemed to have gained confidence from the unexpected support.
He looked at me straight and retorted with a much more confident attitude.

“This is a right guaranteed by the school rules that even a full professor cannot interfere with. Of course, a professor from the Northeast might not know that.”

“Hmph.”

I was about to furrow my brows but stopped.

Honestly, I wasn’t that angry at Alber.
As she said, the right to request a duel belongs to each student.
Therefore, it can be held as long as it is supervised by a faculty member.

Rather, she was commendable for following a somewhat sensible procedure instead of just fighting recklessly.

There were only two things that really annoyed me.
Saintess Antiopea, who had stood by and watched this happen.

“You’re very fond of the school rules, aren’t you, Assistant Professor Beruz.”

And Beruz, who was still shamelessly running his mouth.

“Then shall I also argue based on the school rules?”

“Pardon?”

Beruz asked back, dumbfounded.

“Klomes Academy School Rules, Article 23, Section 3. Ordinance on Exceptions in Duels between Students.”

I pressured him, citing the school regulations I had memorized while being trained by Professor Bishop.

“If it is feared that a duelist with a certain level of power will cause harm to the surroundings, no one can referee a duel without the permission of the housemaster in charge. This is clearly stated in the academy school rules.”

“Uh, uh?”

“Huh? Is that true, Pea? This is the first time I’m hearing this.”

“Ah, um… that’s right. It’s a bit vague, but I think there was something like that. I don’t remember it well because there are so many ordinances.”

That’s right. It was a rule that was almost buried in a corner among the mountain of school rules.

Since it was rarely applied, it was said to be a half-dead provision that was practically forgotten among the faculty.
No matter how strong a student was, it would be rare for a case to be uncontrollable at the faculty level.

“…Let’s say the issue of the trivial ordinance is fine for now.”

But that was the story until this year.

“But wasn’t there a notice about the golden generation during the new semester orientation, Assistant Professor Beruz?”

This year, when ten unprecedented new generations poured in, the situation is completely different.

“And yet, you rashly set up a match between the 1st and 3rd ranked? Are you out of your mind? And you even gathered the students to watch? What were you going to do if an accident happened?”

“Th-that… I…”

“If you have nothing to say, don’t open your mouth. I don’t want to hear excuses.”

In terms of pure combat power, even the lowest-ranked 10th place is ready for immediate practical deployment.
Even if a full professor was called, it was unknown what kind of accident would happen, let alone an assistant professor.

It was a good thing I arrived on time. If I had been a little late, there might have been injuries.

“If you don’t have the ability to control it, don’t start trouble recklessly.”

I shot at Beruz, glaring.

“If an educator acts with reckless bravado, it’s the young students who suffer the consequences, Assistant Professor.”

Words wrapped in the guise of a professor.
But the actual intention contained within was a little different.

‘If you cause this kind of problem, I’ll have to take the blame too, won’t I?’

Writing a letter of apology on the first day of work is absolutely not an option.
I don’t care if the other housemasters get screwed, but I can’t tolerate being screwed myself.

Revenge is one thing, but living as an academy professor is also a decent retirement plan.
The food is like royal cuisine, the salary is hefty, free housing is provided, and you even get a pension from the Magic Tower when you retire.

Isn’t it a luxury that a cause-of-death investigator who lived in a boarding house and filled his stomach with water could never dream of?

“…I’ll let it go with a verbal warning for now. But if you cause something like this again without my permission, be prepared then.”

Grind, grind. I said, biting the half-melted candy.

“The housemaster of Obsidian is me, not you. I hope you will stick to your own duties, Assistant Professor.”

“…”

Beruz’s face turned red with embarrassment.
I stopped my scolding there and turned my gaze to Antiopea.

It was annoying that he had acted so recklessly, but the root cause was his ignorance of the school rules.
Since it was a provision that most full professors had also forgotten, I was going to deal with it lightly for now.

After scolding him this much, he would have understood the meaning of my words unless he was an idiot.
If he had the intention to reflect, I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it with a fellow faculty member.

“The same goes for you, Saintess. I believe you came here to observe for the safety of the students. And yet, you stood by and watched this situation unfold.”

“P-Pea is not at fault! It all happened because I insisted! So don’t blame Pea!”

“The Hero is right, Professor.”

Alber protested, clenching her fists at my reprimand.
Then, the princess, who had been silent, also bowed her head and spoke in a polite tone.

“The responsibility for today’s situation lies with me and the Hero. We will gladly accept any appropriate punishment, so please…”

“It’s alright, everyone. And the professor’s words are not wrong either.”

Rejecting the help of the two students, Antiopea smiled calmly.
Then, she bowed her head in apology and said.

“I am truly ashamed, Professor Anastasia. I have only shown you a disgraceful side of myself as a Saintess.”

“…”

“I also feel a sense of responsibility for this matter. I will not make any flimsy excuses. However, there is one thing I would like you to understand…”

It was then.

“…I could have controlled it too.”

A single word came from the side.
Wondering if I had misheard, I turned my head and saw a stiffened Beruz looking at me.

Then, he spoke in a much harder voice.

“I could have controlled this duel at my level, Professor.”