Ch.152152. Road School Power Struggle (9)

“Phew.”

Professor Munihel let out a heavy sigh as he put down his pen and approached the window for some fresh air. Only then did he realize how much time had passed while he’d been writing—the darkness outside told him night had fallen.

Night already? He’d had so much work to do that he hadn’t even noticed evening’s approach.

“Well, at least I found it…”

Professor Munihel muttered while gazing intently at a student’s profile.

The prophecy had foretold the Great Shute Extermination and the truth about the Devourers early on, and with another prophecy dropping, Munihel’s time was becoming increasingly tense.

[Senia.]

[3rd Year, Class A, Page Ranking: A-Rank, 23rd place.]

“I should feel reassured, but something still feels unsettling.”

Senia herself and the Sirens had admitted they came from another world and acknowledged the forbidden Calix summoning.

With their admission, one might think the matter was settled, but the connection to another prophecy left him feeling uneasy.

“Dubhe. Stand firm as both shield and spear.”

“Merak. Dull the enemy’s spearhead.”

“Phecda. Sharpen the spearheads of your allies.”

“Megrez. With your warm touch, solidify the river of blood.”

“Alioth. Cut off the loosened breath of the enemy.”

“Mizar. Become the vanguard that leads to victory.”

The six stars of the Big Dipper that symbolize the Artena Empire left these messages for humanity.

Except for Mizar, whose message was somewhat ambiguous and difficult to distinguish, all the stars had their current positions created based on these messages… but one remaining star did not.

“Aren’t you working too late, dear?”

Perfect timing. It was his wife Dalia, appearing to scold Munihel for consuming himself with paperwork.

“Hmm… am I?”

“The light in here hasn’t gone out on time for days. You’ve put out all the urgent fires, so get some sleep now.”

“My, I must have made you feel neglected. Alright, shall we sleep together tonight?”

“Oh my, why are you being so creepy all of a sudden?”

“Haha. Can’t a husband embrace his wife?”

“Alkaid. What they have lost is scattered throughout the world-.”

“The other six stars, go forth first. Alkaid will sacrifice everything to prevent the world’s fate from being twisted.”

This passage had always felt unsettling.

Now, he thinks it’s fine to consider it simply.

‘Yes… Senia could be Alkaid. It would be too much of a stretch to conclude she isn’t just because of an uneasy feeling.’

He had been keeping an eye on her since the second-year final evaluation, and during the Great Shute Extermination, she immediately grasped the structure of the Devourer.

Moreover, if one were to list all her connections to the Sirens, one could say she had shaken the fates of numerous Sirens.

As a Calix, she protected the Sirens.

She drove away the crises of the Duchy that was nearly devoured by the Lemtert Plague, the Devourer, and Shanbereshe.

That’s one way to look at it.

From now on, everything would be resolved by keeping an eye on Senia, who is both Alkaid and Calix.

That should be the end of it.

…Probably.

***

“Is your class like this too, senior…?”

“Yeah. The kids have no intention of listening to lectures. One of them looked like they were paying attention, but when I got closer, they were sleeping with their eyes open.”

“What a mess. Now I understand why everyone avoids Sirah…”

“Adel, what about your class?”

“…Mine’s the same, I’m afraid.”

The inspectors assigned to oversee the faction battle at Sirah Road School faced a disheartening reality.

The students here showed no desire to learn, and even when taught, they responded with indifference.

As inspectors, it was nearly impossible to check how much the Road School students’ achievements had improved.

“But the class Aris is in charge of seems to at least pretend to learn after she established some discipline, right?”

“Actually, that’s the biggest problem. *sigh*…”

“Huh? Why? If at least one class is doing properly, isn’t that something to build on?”

Michelle, the inspector for Aris’s class, tilted her head questioningly.

“Even our one student who was somewhat academically motivated ran off saying they’d attend lectures there just in case. The number of students in that class, at a glance, is more than ten, right?”

“Yes… Now that you mention it, I saw students who weren’t on our attendance list, and some who seemed to have arrived late starting from the second day…”

“They went there just hearing the name value of a Tembris Party member teaching. That’s what worries me more. We were supposed to prepare for the first week’s midterm evaluation through internal battles, but our internal battles never even materialized…”

“My goodness, I had no idea that was the issue while we were teaching together… So our class was the problem…”

“Well, what can we do? Those students wouldn’t have attended at all if not for that class. Besides, someone of Miss Aris’s caliber deserves that attention.”

With people flocking to hear the renowned Tembris Party, even the previously consistent student numbers in each classroom were thrown into disarray.

The Levrant students lost their motivation to teach.

And the inspectors? It became increasingly difficult for them to check achievement levels through feedback and submit their reports.

Today marked the seventh day since the beginning, with six days already passed.

The inspectors received a letter instructing them to gather the faction battle participants in Alghenib Province for a midterm evaluation.

However, this sudden notice caused everyone concern.

Many students hadn’t even properly attended lectures, let alone learned strategies or tactics, making their participation in the faction battle questionable.

“Let’s at least make sure they understand the midterm evaluation requirements. We have no choice.”

“Yes…”

The gathered inspectors nodded and dispersed.

Adel also hurried to inform Junon about the main test regulations.

“Oh, you’re really improving a lot now, Rana.”

“There you go again with your fancy words! When they break, I barely see any difference! Look, even Ethan is about to collapse from exhaustion!”

“No, I told you, right? If the interior is solid, even magic circles are harder to break. Yours and Ethan’s don’t break as easily now, so I’m deliberately hitting them harder.”

“But they still break all the same! We can’t even feel the difference you’re talking about!”

As always, there was Junon looking unfazed, Ethan depleted of magical power and struggling, and Rana who grumbled at the harsh training but still obediently followed along.

The three of them could regularly be seen in the training ground that was otherwise empty because no one else used it.

“Oh, it’s Inspector Unnie! Unnie!! Come over here and dock this teacher’s points!”

“Hey… what nonsense are you spouting?”

“But it’s true! Every day, our magic circles…”

*Clap!*

To stop the noisy atmosphere, Adel clapped her hands to draw the attention of all three.

The three looked at her with questioning eyes, probably wondering why she was suddenly acting this way.

“Let’s focus and listen. This seems important.”

Junon noticed this and settled the excited atmosphere. It was the optimal situation for delivering news.

“Today at 2 PM. You’ll be taking the first week’s midterm evaluation at Alghenib Road School.”

“WHAT?!”

.

.

.

After about ten minutes of hearing about the first week’s midterm evaluation from Adel, it was clear that the requirements were quite demanding.

‘So all Levrant students except Road School students and examination committee members will be absent.’

This meant they had to judge based solely on what they heard, and without detailed explanation from the participants themselves, no feedback could be given.

This was probably a regulation added by Professor Munihel. It seemed designed to prevent targeting specific opponents in preparation for the second week.

So all Junon could say to the two was:

“Do well. Even if you lose, don’t get discouraged.”

“Yes!”

Everyone present knew this announcement was quite sudden.

With Professor Munihel’s midterm evaluation entry, anxiety naturally followed for everyone.

But there was no need to dwell on anxiety alone.

Whether their studies had been helpful or useless would be answered not just by the results, but by the process as well.

Among the students entering the arena entrance, Rana and Ethan walked in with tense expressions.

“Welcome, faction battle participants.”

*Gulp.*

A middle-aged man speaking from the platform.

All students’ attention focused on him.

He was too famous not to recognize—there might be fewer people who didn’t know him.

“I am Munihel, a professor at Levrant who planned this faction battle.”

Munihel Zelbarton Emerald.

He had personally come to oversee this faction battle.

***

Her heart was racing too fast.

Her hands and feet trembled even though she hadn’t done anything yet, and the vibrations on her skin wouldn’t stop.

For Rana, this was the most nerve-wracking moment of her life.

“Teacher said not to be too nervous, Rana.”

“Y-yeah… r-right…”

Ethan tried to comfort her from right beside her, but… how could she not be nervous!

This was a once-in-a-lifetime moment!

“Next! Students assigned to group C-5, prepare for one minute and proceed to the third arena!”

“Damn, why is your turn coming so quickly?”

“W-what should I do…”

The first part of the faction battle midterm evaluation was an individual league-style competition.

Time had passed, and the C-5 group match was about to begin. Rana’s turn was in group C-6, right after this one.

“There’s still time, so try drawing this.”

“A magic circle…? What’s it for?”

“Just draw it. Teacher taught it to us.”

Rana followed along, drawing the magic circle that Ethan was drawing.

Though she was nervous, she diligently copied it since Junon had taught it to them.

“Oh… this is what Teacher…”

“Other people don’t do it this way, but only Junon Teacher uses this method. Remember how she told us to memorize the order well so we wouldn’t forget?”

“…Of course.”

“Then you’re good. Just remember this.”

Rana knew it too.

Junon’s order of drawing magic circles was quite strange compared to others.

And because she taught it that way, Rana had struggled for a while to memorize this order. Though Ethan seemed to be grumbling, he was actually being considerate.

“Thanks. I feel less nervous now.”

“Then go win. You need to beat at least one person so we can face Teacher with some dignity, right?”

“I’ll win more than you, so don’t worry!”

“Big talk.”

Group C-6 was finally called. Rana’s turn had come.

Though she had been extremely nervous, now she was thinking of just one thing.

-‘It’s okay if you lose, just remember what you’ve learned. Got it?’

She just needed to clearly show what she had learned. Of course, that didn’t mean she planned to lose.

Her opponent appeared on the arena.

With the starting signal, the opponent immediately began drawing a magic circle.

‘Just like Teacher said!’

She created a brief diversion to buy time, then slowly prepared another spell.

Wind or electric magic, good for harassment, came flying first, followed by a powerful strike.

A faint smile appeared on Rana’s lips.

-‘People who face you will usually develop in the same way. That’s why they’ll be late. Much later than you.’

The Alpheid line, filled slowly due to anxiety.

That part is empty of magical power, appearing completely vacant to others.

-‘There, hit them with whatever is fastest. That’s our strategy.’

Whoosh.

A fireball created in Rana’s hand advanced toward her opponent.

Normally one would aim for the body, but she aimed her magic at a completely different target.

Crack-!

“Huh? W-why is my magic circle…!”

It wouldn’t activate. Of course not… the magic had hit the Alpheid line, the core line!

The magic circle, filled with uneven magical power, shattered. The aftershock of dispersing magic with nowhere to go followed, causing a Mana Down state where magic wouldn’t respond.

This gap was a definite chance.

Another fireball struck the opponent, who was still trying to draw the magic circle without understanding what had happened.

“Argh!”

-Thud.

“Group C-6 match. Due to out-of-bounds ruling for student #2, student #1 Rana is the winner!”

“I-I won… I WON!! Wahaha-!!”

Rana rejoiced with cheers of triumph as she secured victory against her first opponent.

It was her first win after implementing everything she had learned from Junon.

Perhaps if Junon had been there, she would have praised her for doing well.

“Group C-6… After going through groups A and B, we finally see Sirah Road School’s first victory in group C.”

Professor Munihel, who had been watching, recorded the win and loss while closely observing Rana.

─Ethan! I won! I did well, right? Really well!!!

─Why are you telling me… Fine. Good job, good job. Happy now?

─Why are you so unenthusiastic! At least give me a high five! Come on, Ethan! Do it!

─W-wait. I’m preparing strategy, why are you being so annoying…!

Rana extended her palm asking for a high five while Ethan waved his hands in embarrassment.

Watching the two, Professor Munihel grinned and muttered:

“Must be Junon’s teaching. Really now. Who in the world would teach someone to blast magic at the opponent’s magic circle instead of their body?”

Such an unorthodox attack method could only come from that guy.

“Eliminating the means of attack before getting hit… Well, that’s thinking like him, I suppose? Commendable.”