Chapter 36: An experiential learning that becomes bones and flesh Part 4

Skulls with no real focus.

Corpses barely recognizable as once being someone’s flesh, and golems fused with those corpses.

And a young professor who controlled these grotesque creatures with just a flick of their finger.

“The key to dealing with undead-type monsters is finding their core. You can’t assume they have the same vital points as regular living beings.”

Letter, who was sitting comfortably on a nearby rock, watching the students struggle, did not forget to give advice.

After analyzing the power and efficiency of the students’ magic, she explained better spells and combat techniques.

In this moment, she looked no different from any other professor during a practical class.

However, unlike the other professors, whose practical lessons were always conducted within the familiar academy buildings—

And whose lessons only involved illusions with a near-zero risk of danger—

***

—Crunch!

—Boom!

“Ugh, ahhh!”

“You okay?!”

The students were currently in the boundary of the northern front, where snowstorms raged.

And the monsters they were facing were not illusions, but actual demons.

A deep fear welled up from within as a bony fist barely missed a student’s body just moments ago.

“Hmm, if you manage to dodge an attack, the first thing you should do is gain some distance. If you just stay there frozen in fear, you’ll be sent to the afterlife right where you stand.”

The students knew better than anyone that if this were a real-life situation, they wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.

If it weren’t for Letter’s threads subtly altering the trajectory of the fist at the last moment, their shoulder bone would have been crushed in an instant.

‘I should’ve just taken the written exam…!’

No matter what, taking a test would have been better than coming to the northern front, where the main demon army was just a three-hour walk away.

No matter how difficult Letter’s tests were, surely, they weren’t as bad as fighting actual demons.

Now, staring at Letter, who continued calmly explaining combat strategies against the monsters with her usual indifferent expression, they found themselves at a loss for words.

Just what kind of life had she lived, and in what kind of place, that she could know so much about fighting monsters at such a young age?

‘I… I don’t know anymore.’

‘So this is why she became the godfather of an ancient dragon.’

‘Ah, my legs are cramping…?’

***

It was only after they barely managed to take down all the monsters Letter had restrained that they were able to return to the northern military camp.

Technically speaking, Letter had kept her promise that no one would get hurt.

But while their bodies remained intact, the mental exhaustion was indescribable.

This applied not only to the students but also to the soldiers who had accompanied them.

“So, how was your little field trip?”

“Look at their faces. What do you think?”

“Hmm, so you must have run into some wandering demons.”

“If only we had just run into them, I wouldn’t even be saying anything.”

“…?”

Before they encountered the demons, Letter had seemed like nothing more than a peculiar little kid.

Maybe she had come all the way to the north just to mess with the students.

Or maybe, she was just some clueless child curious about what the frontlines against the demons were like.

Yet, the scene the soldiers had just witnessed was undeniably a lecture.

A kind of lesson unlike anything they had ever heard of—one that used real demons as teaching material.

They found themselves speechless, suddenly understanding why the world held Primus in such high regard.

“Alright, Group 1, go rest in the tent. Group 2, start getting ready.”

“Ah… Yes!”

Without any sign of exhaustion, Letter was already gathering the next group of students, an act that only fueled the soldiers’ misunderstandings.

None of them had expected that she would truly make all the students participate in the reconnaissance mission.

They began to wonder—’was this just how professors at Primus taught their students?’

The murmuring students mostly spoke in exhausted groans.

Their words vividly testified to the sights they had just witnessed and the enemies they had just faced.

However, the majority of the students waiting in the tents refused to believe them.

And so, their frustrated voices, insisting that they had actually fought monsters, eventually turned into sighs of resignation.

“Well, you’ll all find out soon enough anyway.”

“Find out what? That you’re a liar?”

“…Just don’t come crying to me later.”

***

One way or another, it was a fact that every single student Letter had brought would be participating in the soldiers’ reconnaissance.

Of course, it wasn’t likely that they would encounter monsters in every single search mission.

But it was easy to guess that any search involving Letter wouldn’t go smoothly.

“They’re in for a rough time.”

“Sigh… How did those kids even end up here?”

“Beats me.”

The soldiers, who had initially viewed the Primus students as mere outsiders, now found themselves feeling a growing sense of sympathy and pity for them.

‘Didn’t expect to find something on the first search. Was that good luck or bad luck…?’

***

One hour after the first reconnaissance.

Now, as I finished preparing to go out for the second search, I was left with some uncertainty.

The monsters we encountered during the first mission weren’t moving toward the demon army’s camp.

Instead, they were heading toward the human military base.

Looking back, they didn’t seem to be charging at the human camp, but it was also unlikely that these mindless creatures were just coincidentally moving in that direction.

‘Bait? Or maybe a diversion?’

‘What was the commander behind those monsters thinking?’

Losing those creatures wasn’t a significant loss to them, but there was also no real reason to just throw them away as disposable pawns.

Originally, I had expected that we would only accidentally encounter monsters at the very end of the reconnaissance.

That was why, as the second search began, I was in a much more cautious state.

The eerie atmosphere of the frontlines quickly set in.

Not far away, I could see the dark forest where we had encountered the monsters just a short while ago.

“What’s the plan, Professor? Are we heading back in?”

“There might be another group following them. Let’s take a detour.”

“Well, let’s do that.”

It wasn’t unlikely that someone had come belatedly to retrieve the monsters that the students had taken down.

That was why I turned my steps toward the river running along the forest’s edge rather than heading straight ahead.

“It’s… quiet.”

“The front lines should be quiet. If they’re noisy, that means someone’s fighting.”

“Hmm, now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

The students walking behind me chatted idly, sharing their impressions of the battlefield.

One said it was so cold they wouldn’t even be able to fight properly.

Another wondered why monsters would even inhabit such a desolate place.

These were the kinds of questions people unfamiliar with the front lines would naturally ask, passing from one student to another.

It was a relief that the atmosphere had softened a little compared to the first search.

‘But why did I have such a bad feeling about this?’

‘Hmm, I don’t sense any presence or anything…?’

Soon, we reached a distance where the demon army’s encampment was visible to the naked eye.

I halted for a moment.

I was about to point at the demon soldiers ahead and explain the situation to the students—

***

—A chill ran down my spine.

“…?”

For a split second, I felt a sharp, murderous intent.

My fingertips trembled ever so slightly.

I immediately scanned the surroundings several times, but I still couldn’t sense anything.

‘Had I imagined it?’

But dismissing it as a mistake didn’t seem right—after all, the soldiers’ expressions had stiffened as well.

The real problem was that even they had no idea where that deadly aura had come from.

“Hmm…”

Faced with this sudden, eerie phenomenon, I decided to retreat for now.

There was nothing certain yet, so there was no need to take unnecessary risks that might endanger the students.

Yes, we were definitely about to turn back—

—Step.

[Where do you think you’re going?]

‘Why is timing always so damn awful?’

『Blink』

[Leaving without even a greeting? How rude.]

Rip.

The teleportation magic circle I had laid beneath the students’ feet was torn apart in an instant.

It seemed the pale, lanky figure standing beyond had no intention of letting us go.

A cracked mask.

A perfectly tailored suit.

And that languid, drawling voice that irritated me just by recalling it.

“I leave the students to you.”

“P-Professor!”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise. No one will get hurt.”

Standing before me was someone who should not have been here.

A dreamer who was supposed to be on the other side of the continent, nurturing his followers, was staring straight at me.

‘The reason doesn’t matter.’

Now that things had already unfolded, there was no point in useless regrets.

For now, protecting the students came first—no matter what.

***

Boom!!

A massive black pillar erupted from thin air.

A vast barrier spread out immediately after.

“Stay near the pillar and don’t stray.”

That was the last thing I could say to the students.

Because the dreamer wasn’t going to wait any longer.

[Adults being protected by a child… how embarrassing.]

“Well, I’m older than I look.”

Dark mana flared up like an explosion.

Every single wisp of it was aimed at the students, not me, so I had no choice but to advance, crushing them all one by one.

“Your opponent is me, sophist.”

[…It’s been a while since I’ve heard that name. You’ve piqued my curiosity even more now.]

“Sharne.”

“Yes.”

“Tell the old man—the dreamer has ambushed our guests.”

“And what about you, young master?”

“…I need to score some points with the lady. Who knows? If I show up heroically when she’s in danger, she might just fall for me.”

“…I’ll cheer for you.”

“What’s with that look?”