Chapter 56: An Ominous Feeling

“…Good work.”

“Good work, Professor!”

Sion bowed to Professor Mehden.

Burnt, soaked in water, and a dented ground.

It was the trace of the sparring that Mehden and Sion had unfolded.

‘Magic combat… is fun.’

Sion had devoted most of his time to studying during his school days.

But he was also a man, so he admired the world of magic and swords.

Sion, who didn’t play with friends but often played console RPGs alone….

Magic combat was nothing more than a 100% realistic game enjoyed in virtual reality.

‘The second training was also fun.’

The second training was simple.

Training to exchange magic one by one.

Instead, the moment the feet fell, the judgment was lost.

When the opponent uses magic, identify what kind of magic it is, think about countermeasures, and use magic quickly…

It was close to a kind of magic ‘speed quiz’.

After exchanging magic for more than 30 moves, Professor Mehden declared ‘stop’ and the second sparring also ended.

“Professor, but is there any reason why you stopped the sparring?”

“……The class time is over.”

“Yes?”

Surprised, Sion took out his student ID.

When he checked the time through the ‘phone magic’ on his student ID….

It was really 10 minutes before the end of class.

‘Did time already pass this quickly?’

It felt like less than an hour had passed….

The sparring must have been fun.

As Sion was surprised, Professor Mehden approached the teaching assistant.

“TA Kelly, is all the sparring over?”

“Yes, it’s all over.”

“Then… from next week, we will enter full-scale classes. We will cover the theory classes necessary for combat practice.”

Mehden said, looking around.

It was combat practice, but theory could not be excluded.

Therefore, his choice to teach class was excellent.

‘…?’

He was listening to Professor Mehden’s words, but he cast his gaze towards Sion.

Professor Mehden stared at him and then slightly turned his gaze away.

He continued to speak.

“…From the next class, everyone will take the theory class without exception. That’s all.”

“”Yes~!”

As soon as Professor Mehden’s words ended, the students scattered in groups of three or five.

Everyone was covered in dirt and sweat from the sparring, so they seemed to want to go back quickly.

But Sion followed Professor Mehden.

“Professor.”

“…What is it?”

“Didn’t you say you would give me 1-on-1 classes…?”

Professor Mehden muttered to Sion, who blocked his way.

“……You shouldn’t neglect theory before practicing.”

“Then will there be no more 1-on-1 practice in the future?”

“Well… it may or may not be the case, depending on the situation….”

“Until when is the theory class?”

“…There isn’t any next week for now.”

“Then we’ll practice again the week after next….”

“Ummm…….”

Sion was trying to receive 1-on-1 guidance, and Professor Mehden was somehow reluctant.

Just as the conversation, like a spear and shield, continued.

A person who had been next to Professor Mehden without any presence joined the conversation.

“Then, would it be okay if I did 1-on-1 sparring?”

“…TA Kelly? Are you serious?”

“Yes, if the professor allows it.”

“…Hmm.”

The teaching assistant next to the professor, Kelly.

The graduate student had a shabby face, and her bangs were so long that her eyes could not be seen properly.

However, a strange competitive spirit was felt in the eyes that were slightly visible between the bangs.

‘…Does she want to fight me?’

Since Professor Mehden was teaching magic combat practice.

His disciples were bound to be combative as well.

After hesitating, Professor Mehden finally nodded.

“…Well, that’s good. Kelly, it will be a good class for you too.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“But there will be theory class next week, so hold back then. Sion.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

“Kelly, deal with Sion from the week after next. That’s all.”

“Yes!”

Professor Mehden left the training ground with Kelly.

Watching the two people leave, Sion clenched his fist tightly.

‘I don’t know how well Kelly fights… but I want to do some more sparring.’

Sion was burning with motivation to the point that he surprised himself.

He had never imagined that fighting an equal opponent would be so fun.

He didn’t know if the teaching assistant named Kelly would be able to satisfy his desires.

After Professor Mehden left the colosseum as if running away, someone approached Sion.

“Could you wait a moment?”

“…This voice is.”

A woman’s voice heard from behind.

The main character was… Estroza, who was always smiling gracefully, as usual.

Why is this woman suddenly talking to me?

“What’s going on?”

“Oh my, your expression is too much. We’re still teammates.”

“…Teammates?”

“Yes, that’s actually why I’m talking to you like this.”

He became teammates with Estroza.

There was only one class like that.

Professor Bariyes’ lecture tomorrow, ‘How to Survive in a Dungeon’.

“You’re so popular, so you must be too busy. So busy that you forget that there’s homework.”

She smiled and showed her student ID.

It was a notice posted on the class bulletin board.

1. Register as a F-rank adventurer in the Adventurer’s Guild.

2. Receive an E-rank dungeon request from the Adventurer’s Guild. (If 4 F-rank adventurers form a party together, they can receive an E-rank dungeon, you little sprouts!)

3. Organize preliminary information about the E-rank dungeon and submit a report. (Write it on paper, take a picture, and upload it to the assignment board!)

She pointed to the sentences in the notice with her beautiful fingers.

“Adventurer registration, E-rank dungeon request, report writing… there are three things. Did you really not know?”

“…No, I knew it, but….”

“Of course, Student Sion is favored by the professor and receives 1-on-1 personal lessons, and has become a protégé in the eyes of the combat department professor… but shouldn’t you do your homework properly?”

Estroza smiled gently.

Each sentence felt like a thorn.

As expected, Estroza was reluctant for Sion to deal with.

‘But… what should I do? I’ve already done all the homework.’

She didn’t know it, but Sion, Patrick, and Geibolg had already finished all the homework.

They met at the Adventurer’s Guild at the same time and registered as F-rank adventurers,

and with the help of Sion’s acquaintance, Boriyan Beist, they received an E-rank dungeon request…

Even the report was already written by Sion with his experience as a graduate student.

He was wondering how to say it without hurting her.

Estroza seemed to have misunderstood something while looking at Sion’s troubled appearance.

“From the reaction, it seems you really didn’t know. Well, it’s okay. There’s still time.”

“…It’s not that, actually….”

“I don’t want to hear any excuses.”

Before Sion could say that he had already done all the homework.

Estroza cut him off.

“Tell the other two team members. Tell them to come to the Adventurer’s Guild by 6 p.m. today.”

“…Um, it’s not that….”

“You can do that much, right? I don’t want to talk anymore. I don’t want to hear any excuses… Well, I’m leaving now.”

“Ah….”

Step by step.

Estroza rattled off only what she wanted to say and left.

As if she had won, with a smile of victory on her face.

Sion silently watched her leave the colosseum.

“…There’s no need to wait until 6 p.m.”

He had no reason to go to the Adventurer’s Guild because he had already done all the homework.

…Maybe even if he told Geibolg or Patrick, they would answer, ‘Just tell them to wait’.

Geibolg might laugh and say, ‘Hahaha! You deserve it!’

‘But why did she ask me to do it? …Could it be that she pawned it off?’

Estroza asked Sion to pass on the message.

A move as if she were ordering a servant.

…It was no different from looking at Sion like a subordinate and ordering him to call Geibolg and Patrick.

Sion thought that he should not get close to Estroza.

‘I just shouldn’t say it.’

A way to take revenge on her.

That is not to follow her orders.

In the first place, there was no reason to follow her orders, and wasn’t she detestable?

Sion was curious about Estroza’s expression tomorrow.

‘Should I train?’

The joy and elation he felt when he sparred with Professor Mehden…

The lingering feeling had not yet faded.

He had no plans, so he was thinking of training alone when.

Woong—!!

Sion’s pocket vibrated.

It was a phone call from his student ID.

Sion checked the caller through his student ID.

[Name: Michelle Fontaz]
[Phone number: xxx-xxxx-xxxx]

“…Michelle Senior?”

Michelle Fontaz, a 3rd year senior in the magic department and a member of the judo club.

She called Sion.

“Hello.”

[Yo, 1st year kid. How have you been?]

“…Yes, class just ended. What about you, senior?”

[I’ve been doing well. It’s not that, but~]

Michelle’s business was simple.

[I wanted you to come to the judo club for a while.]

“…Judo club?”

Sion shuddered at the word judo club.

Judo itself wasn’t bad.

But… the judo club leader was the problem.

‘Horyama Misako… was she called senior.’

Horyama Misako, a 3rd year in the Academy’s combat department.

She, the leader of the judo club, sparred with Sion.

…And she took advantage of her carelessness to win.

‘I was really… scared to death at that time.’

The sight of her persistently chasing Sion, asking for a rematch, was haunting.

If Professor Granshar hadn’t saved him… it’s terrible just to imagine.

She was asking him to come to the judo club with such a leader?

“I’m sorry, but that’s a bit….”

[Wait, wait! Don’t hang up. I know what you’re talking about. But… you have to get the money, right?]

“Ah….”

That’s right. There was money that Sion had to receive by winning against Misako in the sparring.

The money wagered as the winning prize was several tens, perhaps hundreds, of silver coins.

It was a loss not to receive this.

[It’s in the judo club, so come and get it. There are too many silver coins to give them to you directly.]

“…The leader isn’t there, is she?”

[She’s there, but… uh… she’s training hard after losing to you, so she won’t know if you come. She’s sparring fiercely right now.]

“…….”

Hearing that made him not want to go even more.

Sion pondered. Should he enter the judo club, or should he not go even if he had to ask?

After much deliberation, the conclusion he came to was…

“…Can you give me the address?”

[Oh, ooh! I’ll take a picture and send it to the chat room right away. Just come as it is. Ah! The leader might hear you, so text me before you open the door!]

“Thank you, senior.”

[Okay, see you later.]

Click-!

The phone call ended.

Sion fiddled with his student ID and put it in his pocket.

‘Let’s keep my mind sharp.’

He just needed to make sure that Misako didn’t find out that he was there.

He just had to receive the money collected from the judo club event and return.

Then he would get at least a few gold coins for free.

‘…Nothing bad will happen, right?’

Why did he keep getting this ominous feeling?

Sion rubbed the back of his neck with an unnecessarily chilly feeling.

He started walking towards the address sent by Michelle Fontaz.