Ch.145145. Law School Power Struggle (2)

“Road School power struggle… Hah. I didn’t care about it back then because I was with Tembris.”

Road School refers to another educational institution in the Ardelion Principality besides the Academy. Though that’s just what it’s called, it’s not commonly used.

The problem with forgetting this is that there will be a series of dueling exams, including individual and team matches.

Since the exam involves exchanging attacks with opponents to build skills, the evasion methods I’ve been using until now will be difficult to employ.

That means I’ll have to blend in somehow, but the above information is incredibly annoying.

“Of all things, sequential selection according to request page ranking… Looking at this, I’m definitely headed for Sirah…?”

Suddenly, intense regret washes over me.

If I were at least D or D+ rank, not necessarily E rank, I wouldn’t be assigned to whatever place is left…

“What’s certain is that going to Sirah means there’s absolutely no solution. I have no choice. I should quickly raise my rank today… Huh?”

[P.S. – To prevent sudden fluctuations in request page rankings, points will not change even if you complete requests for the time being.]

Well, shit.

Isn’t this just blatantly telling me to go to Sirah?

“I was planning to drop down to Class D by matching my written exam scores. At this rate, I might fall all the way to Class E. Hahaha…”

My future plan to drop to Class D based on grades… seems to have just been shattered by this power struggle.

This power struggle is actually an exam that grades how well Academy students teach Road School students.

─Attention. The assignment of third-year students to Road Schools has been completed. Please gather in the courtyard to receive detailed information.

Ah. How is it that I don’t even have a choice?

Rather than the grandiose Class A, I wanted to enjoy this peaceful time unnoticed in Class D, if only briefly.

If I fail this exam, I’ll be assigned to Class E and meet those noble bastards, which could be much more troublesome than now.

…It’s as if the system is protesting against me taking it easy.

“Oh! You’re going to Sirah too?”

“Really… Well, at least it’s good to know someone there.”

“Tsk, clicking your tongue at me? Someone who’s received an offer from the Melcom Guild?”

“Oh, you simple-minded fool…”

As we enter the plaza, students are already gathered in groups, buzzing with conversation.

‘Has Professor Muniher not arrived yet?’

Just as I think this, speak of the devil, the familiar eccentric figure appears on the platform.

As the student council president calls for attention and the murmuring subsides, Professor Muniher briefly introduces himself before getting to the point.

“Due to the significant aftermath of the Sirah Subjugation Battle, I know you’ve all been working hard completing requests. However, you’re aware that your growth has been delayed because of this, right?”

No need to state the obvious twice.

“In that spirit, I’d like to evaluate the strength you’ve shown during the subjugation and cleanup operations. Use what you’ve learned to mingle well with the Road School students.”

“Of course, those who have formed teams or parties will be sent to the same location, and if you wish to move individually, you must apply separately.”

Scanning the students, Professor Muniher directly conveyed several precautions.

…But is this really necessary? Couldn’t they just issue notifications?

I briefly entertained this complaint, but suddenly he accepted a knife from Ophelia.

“What is he planning to do?”

“Why a knife all of a sudden? Is he going to cut fruit or something…?”

“As if Professor Muniher would do something like that?”

As the other students murmur, Professor Muniher is someone who despises unnecessary actions. This means something’s up.

“You there, come up here.”

“Y-yes…”

A student who was called out climbs onto the platform, stammering.

“Manifest your magic weapon.”

The student on the platform manifests his magic weapon after hearing Professor Muniher’s instruction. It’s an ordinary staff-shaped magic weapon that wizards in support positions typically use.

And immediately, he strikes down with the knife, shattering the staff made of magical power.

“W-whoa!”

“What just happened? A mere knife broke the staff…”

“I saw it! Professor Muniher infused magic into his hand!”

I saw it with my own eyes too.

He definitely struck down with magic power. But even considering that…

‘Wasn’t the difference in magical power too great?’

Based on my long experience, I couldn’t have seen it wrong.

Breaking that staff with less than 1/10 of the magic power used to create it doesn’t make sense. And it’s even more impossible for a plain knife to have such power.

“As you all know, what this student manifested was a Stage 1 ‘Mirage’ state magic weapon. And this is the Stage 2 magic weapon, the ‘Shell’ type, that you should aim for next.”

The minimal magic power in the knife. The staff that dispersed back into magical energy.

He was clearly issuing a warning to us.

“In this exam, if you fail to acquire this magic weapon, you’ll likely face results no different from those at Road Schools.”

That this demonstration was the next step we needed to take.

***

“Professor Muniher. That demonstration wasn’t planned in advance, was it?”

Ophelia asked Professor Muniher with wide eyes.

“Why do you think that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Saying ‘results no different from those at Road Schools’… It sounded like you were threatening to expel students who don’t acquire Shell-type magic weapons.”

The only pre-planned content was that the aptitude for Shell-type magic weapons would be included in this semester’s grades.

But what he said on the platform sounded almost like an expulsion recommendation.

“I was just trying to scare them a little.”

“Scare them?”

“I occasionally see it. Students who think too highly of themselves once they’re given a little freedom.”

“…”

Of course, such arrogant individuals do exist.

But those were mostly nobles who were dissatisfied with Levrant Academy and transferred to Mirpark Road School after dropping out.

Currently, although students might briefly show off to their peers or friends, no one seemed to genuinely harbor such attitudes.

At least, not from the student council president Ophelia’s perspective.

‘Surely Professor Muniher knows this too…’

“By the way, how did you come up with such a good idea?”

“Pardon? Ah…”

Ophelia was startled by the sudden question. She had actually devised it to address both her own and Renias’s complaints, but she couldn’t answer that way.

“I thought it could be a good opportunity. Just like how you selected people during last year’s semester evaluations, Professor.”

“Hmm. I see.”

At the mention of selecting people, Professor Muniher closes his eyes.

-‘Huh… Alcaide, you say? Is this really from the Temple?’

-‘…Yes.’

-‘It’s… exactly the same as back then.’

-‘That’s why we need to find it quickly.’

He recalls the symbol drawn inside the scroll that Dalia showed him.

That which fell as an oracle from the Temple.

Alcaide. The one who has lost everything.

The target was designated as someone from the Academy, just as in the past.

This was why he readily accepted Ophelia’s proposal.

‘I almost wish the Temple would retract this oracle, saying they can’t trust it.’

How does one find someone who has lost everything? It’s impossible to investigate everyone’s information when you don’t even know what they had to begin with.

Moreover, people don’t just lose material things; they can also lose abstract things.

How could one distinguish between these?

In other words, there are no clues, no evidence will emerge, and the only condition given is the territory of the Ardelion Principality.

It’s impossible to know who among the many at Levrant Academy might be Alcaide.

So Muniher planned to observe this power struggle in its entirety, clutching at straws.

Because the fate of a certain couple who saved the Artena Empire decades ago might repeat itself.

***

Several days later.

A teacher from Sirah Road School opens the door, looks around the classroom, and says:

“Ten students today… Well, it doesn’t matter. Study on your own.”

Surprisingly, that was it.

“Anyone want to play ball? I brought one.”

“Oh! Let’s go!”

“Me too, me too!”

“Since that desk isn’t being used, I’ll pull it over. Let’s see… What page was I on yesterday…”

“Snooore…”

Students are either sleeping face down, doing their own things as if lectures don’t matter, or some are even leaving without hesitation.

Amazingly, the professor just takes out a book for “self-study” and minds his own business.

He doesn’t even scold them for what they’re doing during lecture time.

In short, it’s a complete mess.

At this point, a female student trembles with anger and stands up, slamming her desk.

“What is this?! This is supposed to be a Road School too. A place to teach students!”

“Geez, you startled me. Why are you shouting? I was sleeping well… Tsk.”

When a student who just woke up complains, she glares at him with fierce eyes.

“Hey, hey… Rana, I told you before. Transferring from Road School to Levrant? Not happening. Just eat your meals and go.”

“Do you come to school just to eat and sleep?”

“What else is there to do here? Just kill time and then go learn a trade. I’ve been here for a year and a half and haven’t seen anyone who thinks differently.”

Sirah Road School.

It’s a place where people from Sirah who couldn’t enter Levrant Academy for various reasons, or dropouts who want to continue their education, come to study again.

On the surface, it has students and professors like a school, but the reality?

It’s just a place to eat, sleep, do whatever for a while, and collect support funds. It doesn’t function as a school at all.

‘This is wrong… A so-called professor doesn’t even teach students, just picks his ears…’

Thoroughly disgusted with this twisted situation, Rana deeply regretted dropping out of Levrant Academy.

She felt trapped in this Road School ever since she left Levrant Academy to urgently earn money for her mother’s medical bills.

That’s why she protested every time.

Shouldn’t they at least pretend to teach when students raise complaints?

Whenever she showed such fierce resistance, the professor would ignore her and put on earplugs, complaining about the noise.

She desperately wished someone would fix this sham of a school.

-Excuse me? We’re from Levrant.

“This nonsense again this time of year. Tsk.”

The professor frowned as always, standing up with an annoyed expression, planning to give them a piece of his mind and send them away.

However, this time, one could say fortune was on their side.

“Go check it out. They said they have nothing to do with us!”

“I’m sorry, but this is the power struggle. Your students need to participate with us. Do you understand?”

The black-haired boy who opened the door, pointed at the students, and stared directly at the professor seemed completely serious.

Unlike those who had come before just to kill time.