Ch.50Second Semester Evaluation (3)

“Monsters! Battle positions!”

At Lael’s urgent cry, the students each prepared for combat.

The tension didn’t end there but reached even me as I watched from a distance.

My heart began to pound at the realization that this was the first battle between students I had taught.

Though Lael was with them, they were all precious disciples to me, so it was natural to worry about what might happen if something went wrong.

Rustle—!

The tall grass swayed, and whatever was causing it drew closer to the formation.

“Denevan! Prepare to cast magic!”

“R-right!”

Following Lael’s instruction, Denevan cut his hand with a dagger.

Blood dripped to the ground, and black mana began to ripple around his body.

Having received an A in his first semester evaluation, his movements were clean and precise.

But that only meant his preparation was perfect…

“He’ll miss.”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

Just as I muttered under my breath, something burst from the undergrowth at high speed. And naturally…

Denevan’s black magic missed.

“Did you know it was a Great Wolf when you said that?”

I answered Derin’s surprised question without taking my eyes off the students’ battle.

“Well, more or less.”

There are many creatures that can move at such speed through undergrowth, but among those living near the Royal Capital, it could only be that one.

Any adventurer who’s spent even a little time around the Royal Capital would know this, so it’s nothing surprising.

Now, the question is how well the students can follow Lael’s instructions…

“Ed!”

The Great Wolf that had landed on the ground changed direction and charged at Ed at high speed.

He swung his sword in panic, but the blade never made contact with the monster.

As his sword cut through empty air, the beast seized the opening and lunged with its sharp fangs toward his arm.

Just as his arm was about to be bitten—

Thwack—!

Lael’s mana-enhanced kick struck the Great Wolf’s side, sending it tumbling several times before it quickly regained its footing.

‘I thought my heart would stop.’

It was an immense relief, as in the worst case, Ed’s arm could have been torn off.

“Don’t panic and watch until the end! The moment it attacks is when it’s most vulnerable!”

Lael’s instructions were clean and precise.

The Great Wolf may be fast and unpredictable, but the moment it attacks is the exception.

If they can just catch that moment, it should be easy to inflict critical damage on a creature with relatively weak hide for its C-rank.

But can they do that while frightened?

“Frit! Be careful, it’s coming your way!”

Lael’s shout, followed by the monster’s sharp attack.

A critical situation unfolded.

Slash—

Frit dodged the monster’s front paw and carved a deep wound into its hind thigh with his sword.

‘As expected, he’s amazing.’

During the entrance exam, he was a talent I had my eye on for using both black magic and a primary weapon.

Though he lost in the mock battle then, that defeat became a catalyst that ignited his passion.

His skill with both black magic and weapons had grown incomparably since then.

And now he proved it here.

The wounded Great Wolf growled, expressing its anger, and charged at Frit again.

But attacking without its previous mobility gave Frit an opportunity.

His sword moved twice in quick succession, leaving two more wounds on the Great Wolf’s legs.

Seizing the opportunity, Flan cut her hand with a dagger and cast black magic, but the Great Wolf, still having some strength left, leaped up quickly to dodge.

But there’s no way to dodge in mid-air.

Denevan’s black magic, launched with a slight delay, hit its mark.

Whoosh—!

The finishing blow was Ludmila’s fire magic.

With that, the students’ first battle ended without major injuries.

That fact must have brought them both relief and great joy.

“Oh… I really thought I was going to die.”

“Lael, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I might have lived the rest of my life one-armed.”

“Frit, you’re amazing. How did you do that?”

The atmosphere was nothing short of festive.

Even I felt good just watching from the side, so they must feel even better.

But that only lasts for a while. As battles continue, they’ll likely lose even the energy for celebration.

Knowing this well, Lael changed the mood.

“Those who used black magic, heal your wounds with potions. And as you’ve learned from this battle, panic means death. You need to stay as calm as possible.”

The excited air cooled down, and the students nodded with serious expressions, all traces of laughter gone.

Watching them brought back memories of when I adventured with Lael.

Like a distant, nostalgic memory.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, as Derin stood with a somewhat bitter expression.

“Do you want to go back to those days?”

At my sudden question, Derin slowly shook her head.

“I like the present.”

“Me too.”

Though the work is hard, our hearts are lighter now.

“Everyone, keep up the good work. Let’s form up again and move out.”

With Lael’s instruction, the student party reformed their ranks and continued on their way.

* * * * *

After the Great Wolf, there were no more battles.

That’s probably thanks to the adventurers dispatched by the Guild working hard, but that ends now.

Near the Royal Capital, there’s a wide plain, and the Guild’s jurisdiction ends there. Once we crossed the plain and entered the forest, that no longer applied to us.

“Oh, can we eat this?”

As Ed held up a mushroom about the size of his fist, Lael firmly stated:

“That’s poisonous.”

“Huh? Really? It looks so delicious.”

Indeed, it looks appetizing with its colorful appearance, but such mushrooms are often poisonous.

Conversely, mushrooms that aren’t pretty in color…

“Crow, look at this. I gathered lots of cloud mushrooms!”

Derin proudly showed me an armful of dark-colored mushrooms.

Cloud mushrooms.

They look ominous, like storm clouds, but they’re delicious whether grilled plain or used in cooking—truly the best mushrooms.

I turned and offered her the bag on my back.

“Put them in the bag. Let’s eat them when we camp.”

Of course, we brought 15 days’ worth of food, but…

‘I don’t want to eat that.’

While preserved food is essential for adventures due to its long shelf life, that also means it lacks moisture, so honestly, it doesn’t taste good.

Not to mention it’s so hard it hurts your teeth.

“Everyone, look around and let me know if you find anything that looks edible.”

Lael must know this too, hence her desperate appearance.

To my eyes, Lael looked incredibly busy.

She had to check the map to find the way, stay alert for monsters, and now search for food too.

Her head was moving constantly; I worried she might get a neck strain later.

“Lael, how about this? Is it edible?”

At Ludmila’s question, Lael stopped and turned around.

“No, that causes paralysis… huh?”

Where Ludmila pointed, there was indeed a pretty mushroom that causes paralysis.

But beside it was something cloud-shaped and ominous-looking, making Lael smile brightly and shout:

“Everyone! Look for these!”

Cloud mushrooms are usually found in clusters.

In other words, if there’s one, there are likely many more nearby.

Not only do they taste excellent, but they’re also easy to find.

They’re like a ray of hope for adventurers.

Lael stood in the center keeping watch for monsters while the others focused on finding cloud mushrooms.

Soon they had gathered enough to feed all six of them with plenty to spare.

“Put what you’ve found in your magic pouches. Now let’s find a suitable camping spot.”

The party reformed their ranks and continued moving.

Though they had experienced only one battle, it seemed to have had a significant impact.

The fact that they now formed ranks without being told showed they had already grown a step further.

Setting aside evaluation, as a professor, seeing such growth brought a smile to my face.

After moving forward for quite some time, Lael stopped the party.

We had reached a rare clearing in the dense forest—it seemed she wanted to camp here.

“Look around and let me know if you see any problems.”

While a clearing is perfect for camping, there might be other reasons why trees don’t grow here, so she wanted to check.

“There doesn’t seem to be any problem.”

“Yeah, it looks fine.”

After hearing the party members’ responses, Lael took one final look around and said:

“It seems so. Let’s start preparing. We need to make a fire, so Ludmila, Denevan, please gather some wood.”

The two set off first.

“Flan, Ed. If you go straight in that direction, there’s a valley. Could you check what condition it’s in?”

The other two departed.

“Frit, let’s double-check the area around here.”

Her concise, clean instructions made me nod involuntarily.