Go Arinmon! I Choose You!(3)

On the way home from the academy.

I was about to head straight to the palace, letting myself get swept up in that path full of students, but unfortunately, I was caught by the scruff of my neck by Mira before I could leave the academy.

It seems Mira had only received word that I had been chosen as the exam supervisor professor around the time I was about to leave after receiving the letter.

-At least get an explanation of the supervision guidelines before you go!

So, caught by Mira who came running while shouting like that, I was only able to be released after receiving a crash course on what to do as a supervising professor, and now that I had finally arrived at the palace, I had barely reached the training grounds after asking for directions.

“It’s quite troublesome to walk directly. This place is ridiculously large.”

This palace, when I came with Myu last time, we went straight to the audience chamber by gate magic so I didn’t realize, but it was larger than I had imagined.

It wasn’t just a single castle standing alone, but filled with all sorts of auxiliary structures, so even finding the way to the training grounds was a task.

Fortunately, there were many people who looked like maids, vassals, or soldiers along the way so I could ask for directions, but if there had been no one, it would have taken ages just to reach the training grounds.

But in the end, I arrived here after asking for directions several times, so I suppose there was no problem.

“So this is the training grounds.”

I let out a small exclamation as I looked at the massive Colosseum-like structure standing before my eyes.

Perhaps because there were many knights from the knightly orders, the size of the training grounds boasted an enormous size that couldn’t be compared to ordinary training grounds.

However, I don’t know why the knights aren’t going inside to train and are just standing outside like this, even though the training grounds are so spacious, but there’s no need for me to particularly care about that.

After all, I was only going to administer the exam for the two princes and leave, so although I was curious about the sight of knights filling the area around the training grounds, I didn’t particularly ask about it.

“Hmm.”

Standing in front of the entrance to the training grounds, I saw a rugged-looking iron door.

However, although rugged, as if to show that countless people pass through it daily, the iron door that had been polished by countless openings and closings without any dirt on it was permeated with the scent of leather gloves unique to knights.

I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been in this body for several months and my mind has become that of a warrior, but I smiled slightly with satisfaction at seeing such an iron door, and then opened the door and stepped inside.

Creaaak───

As I stepped through the smoothly opening iron door, I saw the scene of the oval-shaped training grounds spread out widely, just like the exterior.

“Hooh… So this is the interior of the royal palace training grounds.”

Dozens of weapon racks sorted by weapon type were arranged around the edges, and occasionally watering stations with mana stones embedded in them could be seen.

Wooden chairs made for taking short rests between those essential things, and towels hanging on them. Everything seemed to have been arranged for the knights.

“Indeed, it’s quite nice.”

After finishing a brief look around, I turned my gaze from the edges to the center and saw numerous straw dummies set up on the floor of the training grounds.

And among those straw dummies, my eyes caught sight of boys holding swords and resting.

Two boys with light blonde hair fluttering. Surely those two must be the princes I have to test today.

Therefore, I approached the two who were looking at me with arrogant expressions… no, to express it more truthfully, with gazes that clearly showed contempt.

“Pleased to meet you, Prince Tin, Prince Pelian. I am Aria, the swordsmanship professor from Lua Academy who will be in charge of your exam today.”

“Hmm? Aria? No surname, I see you’re just a commoner rag. Tch, I guess we can’t expect much.”

“It can’t be helped, brother. Lua Academy may be prestigious, but they claim to value equality.”

“That’s true.”

Tin and Pelian, who put contemptuous words in their mouths on top of dismissing me as a commoner, even though I had simply greeted them.

I don’t know what they can’t expect, but I could tell it was at least about this exam.

Judging by their arrogant and contemptuous attitudes earlier, they seemed to have quite a lot of confidence in their own skills.

But seeing them speak like that while looking at me, to be honest, although it’s hard to believe, they seemed to think I was weaker than them.

‘Of course, this body does look weak at first glance…’

It was true that Aria’s body looked weak to the eye.

On the surface, Aria’s body had no visible muscles and was just beautiful.

But if one had accumulated a certain degree of strength, they should at least be able to gauge how strong I am. Just now, Haran, the captain of the knightly order, and Morgan had been gauging how strong I was from the moment they first saw me.

But the fact that they couldn’t even do that much was enough to know how pathetic their skills must be without even seeing them.

Therefore, I shot them a glance filled with contempt, but the insensitive duo didn’t seem to notice my gaze.

Although I could hear them clearly, they burst into laughter while chattering with words of criticism about me, thinking I couldn’t hear them.

I smiled a wry smile along with a sardonic smile at the sight of the two whose appearance after the exam started was truly anticipated.

At the very least, there would be no problem in assuming that these two wouldn’t receive good scores from me.

After all, it seemed that the chances of these two receiving good scores from me, whether in character or skill, converged to zero.

The seemingly weak body and appearance that only seemed to care about looks.

Tin couldn’t hide his disappointment the moment he saw the woman who opened the door and entered the training grounds.

Pelian beside him seemed to be enchanted by the beautiful woman’s appearance, but Tin, who was serious about swords, was different.

‘Talking about dual-wielding with a body that doesn’t even look like it has any strength.’

Basically, dual-wielding was a swordsmanship that could only be established when one had even stronger muscles than the average person.

But seeing her using dual-wielding with such a frail body, it seemed clear how stupid she was and how she managed to enter the academy with such a worthless body.

And then, hearing the woman’s words introducing herself as she approached them, Tin couldn’t help but snort again.

‘Aria? To think they’d send a mere commoner without even a surname as an exam professor suitable for me.’

It seemed even Father was quite unwilling to grant his request. He had asked for someone strong, yet to think he’d send such a commoner rag as the exam professor.

Tin felt filled with resentment towards his father, but since the professor had already arrived, there was nothing he could do about it now.

The only thing left for Tin was how to make this annoying woman named Aria lie on the ground.

Since Tin was already certain about how such a commoner using a sword beyond her station had entered the academy, he was thinking about how to break her arrogant pride.

And just then, Pelian, who was nagging beside him, suggested a good idea to Tin.

“Brother, should we call in the knights outside? If we show them the sight of us taking down an academy professor, I don’t think they’ll be able to look at us with those eyes anymore.”

“…Yes, that’s a very good idea. There should always be an audience for a fight. Even if it’s a one-sided fight.”

The knights who had just been driven out of the training grounds by them were well-known knights in the Phara Kingdom.

Especially the 1st Knightly Order included among the knights outside were knights that even the woman before them would have to respect as fellow swordsmen if she had any brains.

It was obvious that if she were to kneel before him shamefully in front of such knights, both her pride as an academy professor and her pride as a swordsman would be completely trampled.

It may be a worthless pride, but what’s wrong with trampling it?

“Then I’ll go call the knights. Hey, you lot!!”

Therefore, Tin watched Pelian’s retreating figure running off in the distance with a vile smile behind his hand covering his face, and then turned his gaze back to Aria once more.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Tin swept his gaze over Aria’s expressionless face once, hoping she wouldn’t break too quickly.

Not knowing how easily that arrogance would be shattered.

Arin was bewildered.

The reason was none other than Pelian’s sudden order, coming out of the training grounds and telling them, the knights, to all come in.

She had led the other knights in for now since it was a prince’s order, but she couldn’t help still being confused.

Why had they called back the knights they had driven out to practice?

And the reason became clear in less than a minute after entering.

“Then I’ll start the entrance exam right away, but before that, I think it would be better to change to weapons that match your level.”

“Is there really a need for that? Even if the weapon is a bit better, it doesn’t seem to mean much in your hands.”

“Just as my brother said. It would be better for you to just start as is.”

Aria’s words saying that her weapon was too good, so she would change weapons to match the princes’ level before starting the exam.

Hearing those words, the two princes made rotten expressions and then didn’t hesitate to spit out words dismissing Aria, making the reason obvious.

“Don’t tell me… you think you’re going to win…?”

It was hard to believe, but that was the only thing that came to mind.

The two princes were always full of arrogance, so it wasn’t an unreasonable thought.

And thinking that much, they probably brought the knights into the training grounds with the feeling of wanting them to watch their performance well.

Arin herself wasn’t sure, but she seemed to have heard that 15-year-olds were at an age of craving others’ attention.

Therefore, Arin could only sigh and lower her head at the two’s actions that left her no choice, but she raised her head again at Aria’s following words.

“I’m sorry, but changing weapons is non-negotiable. I can’t kill the princes during the exam, can I?”

Of course, Aria calmly replied to the two again that she couldn’t change weapons, and Arin unknowingly nodded at those words.

Certainly, if Aria used her own weapon as is, not only in terms of weapon quality but also in mana quantity, the princes were overwhelmingly lacking, so their necks might be cut off.

Of course, the princes who didn’t know this fact burst into hollow laughter and watched Aria’s retreating figure heading towards the weapon rack with displeased eyes.

Aria, who walked to the weapon rack on the opposite side from Arin herself, fell into brief contemplation.

However, that contemplation was brief, and soon Aria chose one weapon, grasped it in her hand, and returned to the princes.

Aria looked at the weapon in her hand as if pleased with it.

And at the weapon Aria was holding, not only the two princes but also the knights couldn’t help but burst out in question.

That was because the weapon Aria had brought from the rack was neither a quality sword, nor a tin sword, nor even in the form of a real sword, but a wooden sword.

“Are you saying you’re going to face us with that sword…?”

“Yes, I judged that a wooden sword would be appropriate to match the princes’ level.”

“A wooden sword? Are you saying that a stick made of wood, not even a sharpened sword, is appropriate for us?”

“As you said. If I were to hold a sharpened sword, you’d probably be cut along with the sword.”

Aria’s words continued, saying, “You can’t even thickly coat your swords with mana, can you?”

Aria’s words, spoken so naturally that they showed no tone of provocation or intent to disrespect, but of course, the two princes were enraged by her words.

The two princes immediately drew their swords.

And without anyone going first, they both showed mana coated on their swords as if they had squeezed out everything they had.

“We are not swordsmen that the likes of you can disrespect!”

“Can you still say such arrogant words about cutting us along with the sword?!”

The mana that the two had coated on their swords was certainly quite high-level.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect yet and the shape was distorted here and there, but it was at least a sword enhancement on par with the middle to lower ranks of the 2nd Knightly Order.

However.

“Yes, I can cut you.”

The problem was that for Aria, it was only as skilled as an ant crawling on the ground.

Slice───

With a cutting sound as if slicing through something hard, Aria swung her wooden sword.

But when everyone was about to tilt their heads at the anomaly of nothing happening, the change occurred.

With a creak. The slowly split blades of the princes’ swords fell to the floor.

The falling sword blades, raising small dust on the dry floor, were enough to bring silence into this training ground, including the two princes.

With just a wooden sword made of wood, the princes’ high-quality iron swords had been bisected and fallen to the floor.

Because everyone here except Arin knew well how impossible this was, the two princes gaped blankly, and looking at them, Aria tilted her head indifferently.

“You’d better go get new weapons.”

At those words, the two princes dropped even the hilts they were holding.

“Sigh… Professor, really.”

The only one calm in this atmosphere was Arin alone.