Chapter 52

Professor Lawrence.

He knew better than anyone.

The strength and capriciousness of the wind.

There was no archer who could make the wind completely their own and use it perfectly.

That was Professor Lawrence’s definitive thought.

Why?

Because he had seen it countless times before.

The archers, full of pretense, confident they could use the wind perfectly, would shoot pathetic arrows swayed by the wind whenever it became a bit stronger and more unpredictable.

Of course, there were certainly some archers who were decent.

But he knew that even that was just an unstable coexistence with the wind.

That was the limit.

The wind is not something that can be tamed.

That’s why Professor Lawrence chose a different path.

Not to use, but to overcome.

With a huge iron bow and iron arrows that earned him the nickname “Giant Bow,”

the powerful tension of the iron bow and the weight of the iron arrows minimized the influence of the wind.

The reputation of the “Giant Bow,” piercing through any strong wind and hitting the target with unerring accuracy, was created that way.

Of course, not just anyone could replicate such a method.

Iron bows and arrows were initially weapons designed for lethality and destructive power, not precision.

Firstly, the incredible strength required to handle the iron bow and arrows.

And then, the extreme skill in archery to extract accuracy as well.

Only a few on the continent, like Professor Lawrence, could possibly do it.

That’s why his expression turned cold when Max assumed the posture to shoot the bow in a strong wind.

Such baseless audacity.

A wind of that level was not something one could utilize just by having good fundamentals.

In fact, a truly fundamental archer should not shoot an arrow in such conditions.

But to shoot anyway?

It’s a false sense of pride from slightly improved skills.

“In the end, that’s all it is.”

No matter how good a teacher one has, it seems one cannot change the nature of their mentality.

Ping!

Max shot the arrow in the end.

Professor Lawrence frowned.

Trying somehow to ride the wind, but that was it.

Such a strong wind… Huh?

Suddenly, a look of agitation appeared in Professor Lawrence’s eyes.

Because the arrow, swept by the strong wind, showed no sign of twisting.

It meant it had caught the wind’s flow properly.

An extremely difficult feat, even for experienced archers.

The stronger the wind, the harder it is to grasp its flow.

And yet, the fledgling Max, who was only starting to build his foundation, had done it.

But.

There was still the most important thing left.

Accuracy.

Even if you manage to ride the wind’s flow, if the arrow hits the wrong spot, it’s meaningless.

For an arrow to have meaning, it must be backed by a significant level of accuracy.

Sswek!

The arrow flew through the strong wind.

Professor Lawrence’s eyes wavered as he watched its movement.

He noticed that the arrow was heading towards the center of the target.

Precisely in the center.

Crack!

The arrow hit the dead center without any deviation.

“How can this be possible?”

A deep question arose on Professor Lawrence’s face.

The previous eight shots.

That shot was impossible with the level of those eight.

By chance?

Impossible.

In such a strong wind, the probability of hitting the dead center by chance, even if one shot a thousand arrows, was almost nil.

So what?

Narrowing his eyes, Professor Lawrence fell into thought.

In the meantime, Max notched another arrow.

‘Again?’

Professor Lawrence’s gaze turned to Max.

He felt the wind’s direction had completely reversed.

The wind speed had changed, too.

The only similarity was the severe windstorm.

This capriciousness was precisely what tormented archers the most.

A completely different feeling required for the next shot.

Would he be able to use this wind as well?

Or wait until it calmed down enough for it to be easy to handle?

But the latter didn’t seem to be the case.

The confident expression alone was enough to tell.

Thud.

Fiing!

As the bowstring was released, the arrow flew again.

This time, too, the arrow rode the wind’s flow brilliantly.

And it was shot forward even more powerfully with the wind’s force.

And its direction.

‘That is…?’

Professor Lawrence noticed first.

The arrow was aiming for a docking shot.

An absurd act.

To aim for docking in such a fierce wind, not when there’s no wind or just a breeze?

It was an act so preposterous that it would be reasonable to severely reprimand him for his arrogance.

But it was different.

This arrow was different.

It rushed precisely towards the tail of the arrow already stuck in the target.

And it swallowed the tail whole.

Crack!

The arrow was split in two.

And the new arrow lodged itself in confidently.

Thump!

At that moment.

Professor Lawrence’s composure broke.————————————————————

I, having succeeded in a perfect docking, stylishly lowered my bow.

When else would I get the chance to pose if not now?

Honestly, I was a bit excited.

It was the first time I had ever succeeded in docking in an archery evaluation.

No, I had never even reached the skill level to successfully dock before.

There was a limit to the level of archery skills I could learn from Hiresia.

It was probably a result of the limits of the relationship that couldn’t be narrowed.

But this time was different.

My relationship with her was flowing in a direction I had never experienced before.

That’s why I acquired an unexpected technique called ‘Focus’.

And this was the result.

The last two arrows that shocked everyone.

‘This is me, kids.’

I smiled slyly, enjoying the astonishment from those around me.

I could feel my presence rising in real-time.

My gaze turned to the named heroine among the small fry.

Elaine.

She had barely managed to recover from the crazy things Max had done and returned to a normal relationship.

Even she had an openly astonished expression.

It wasn’t an expression I could see easily, so a smile of amusement spread across my lips.

But that smile must have felt mocking.

For a brief moment, a flash of anger crossed Elaine’s face before she looked at me and smiled back.”It seems like she’s trying to show that she’s not affected. She must have felt some embarrassment herself, as she soon hung her head low.

‘I didn’t know she had that side to her.’

I couldn’t help but let out a snicker.

To the protagonist, who is a junior, she is an ideal senior both in terms of ability and personality.

Once you get close, she becomes a reliable figure you can depend on.

It was clear to the eye that I was conscious of her in a way that was different from liking.

The fact that she became flustered and did something cute(?) in response to being teased is a situation the protagonist, as a junior, couldn’t even imagine.

I smirked inwardly and turned my gaze forward.

Another important character.

It was to see Professor Lawrence’s reaction.

Of course, not every professor at Saint Lepheria Academy was important.

There were supporting characters and even extras, so only those who needed to be checked were of concern.

Professor Lawrence.

His full name is Lawrence Lambert.

He is the empire’s greatest archer and the younger brother of the current head of the Lambert Count’s family.

Not only was he famous, but the Lambert Count’s family was also a prestigious military family in the empire.

Therefore, they could become an enemy or an ally in the imperial succession dispute that would later cause turmoil in the empire.

The Lambert Count’s family supports the First Prince.

So, depending on whether the protagonist supports the same First Prince or the First Princess, their position could be distinctly different.

Honestly, I’m not sure which is the correct choice.

Both the First Prince and the First Princess have extraordinary abilities.

The problem is that neither has the qualities of a wise and benevolent ruler, not even a chick’s tear worth of it.

Genetically or otherwise, both had unpleasant personalities.

So, no matter who ascended to the throne, a bloody storm was pretty much guaranteed to sweep across the continent.

Because they would become ruthless tyrants without blood or tears.

Having played the game thousands of times, there were no exceptions.

So whether Professor Lawrence would become an enemy or an ally depended on the choices made at that time.

However.

‘That’s not the only character involved.’

In the game, you can’t freely meet all the characters.

There are human relationships that only open up when certain conditions are met.

Professor Lawrence’s sister was one such character.

You could only meet her if you earned Professor Lawrence’s recognition.

Marianna Lambert.

Interestingly, she was associated with the clergy.

Because she had become a nun and joined the church.

But the truth was different.

She wasn’t just a nun but the church’s tenth sword.

In other words, she was the 10th ranked paladin.

A very high-ranking position.

So, if I had to get involved with the church anyway, it was a good choice to open up a relationship with her.

Better a big fish than small fry.

It’s the obvious truth of the world.

And she had a special quest that could only be obtained from her.

Anyway, what was important now was Professor Lawrence’s reaction.

Because depending on his reaction, the timing of meeting Marianna would change.

‘Huh?’

My eyes widened as I observed Professor Lawrence’s reaction.

Because Professor Lawrence was walking towards me, step by step.

It was an unusual event.

No, it was an experience I had never had before.

The guys next to me didn’t even shoot their arrows yet, and he comes in during the evaluation?

That’s not like him…?

I was lost in thought when Professor Lawrence came up to me.

“What, what is it?”

“Why is the professor suddenly…?”

“Maybe because he shot too well?”

The other guys seemed puzzled as well.

But Professor Lawrence didn’t care about the reactions around him and stared straight at me.

Then he blurted out a word.

“Why did you shoot in the strong wind?”

His expression did not seem like a rebuke.

If I had missed, he would have completely scolded me for doing something crazy, but since I hit perfectly, he couldn’t say anything.

“I wanted to show that I could use the strong wind as well.”

I answered with a plausible response.

Whether that answer was effective or not, I couldn’t tell.

Because his expression was as cool as usual.

“Do you think you proved that?”

“To some extent.”

I answered without hesitation.

If I hit two shots and managed to dock them, isn’t that enough proof?

As I was thinking that, Professor Lawrence suddenly came closer.

He was so tall that I had to look up to meet his eyes.

What is it that you’re making me sore my neck by coming so close?

I was barely holding back the question I wanted to ask when Professor Lawrence leaned his head towards me.

Uh, what?

What are you doing now, you?

Do you have some weird taste?

I was genuinely confused.

…I caught a glimpse of the female students around me screaming ‘kyaaak’ and covering their faces in embarrassment.

What is this?

Near my ear, Professor Lawrence spoke.

“Do you see the path of the wind?”

No, do you have to ask so secretly?

I was incredulous, but I also felt it.

This question was significant.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to come up and quietly ask.

How should I answer?

Honestly?

Or just dodge the question?

Or should I pretend to be something I’m not?

After a moment of thought, I spoke.

“I see it, but not always.”

I answered honestly.

It seemed like the best thing to do with someone like Professor Lawrence.

“Hmm, I see.”

Professor Lawrence had a thoughtful look.

Then he asked again.

“Who is your teacher?”

Obviously, he was asking about my archery teacher.

He seemed to have noticed that someone was teaching me archery.

But I decided not to answer that question honestly.

There was no reason to reveal my secrets willingly.

“That’s a secret.”

“Too bad.”

Professor Lawrence straightened up from his leaning position.

Everyone around was looking at us as if they were dying to know what we were talking about.

Keep wondering.

Because I’ll never tell.

I smirked to myself.

Then Professor Lawrence spoke loudly.

“The last two shots were very excellent arrows.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

Professor Lawrence, who was stingy with praise.

He not only praised them as excellent arrows but very excellent arrows.

It wasn’t just praise but extremely high praise.

And he said it publicly, so everyone could hear.

Not only I was surprised by this unusual event.

Everyone was looking at Professor Lawrence with eyes wide open in shock.

‘This is…’

It wasn’t just because of the docking.

The decisive difference from other plays was the focus time.

The arrow I fired after reading the path of the wind perfectly had elicited this response from Professor Lawrence.

…Doesn’t this mean I’ve been recognized?

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed so.

As the protagonist, it would not be possible until the second semester of the second year at the earliest.

Thanks to gaining the focus skill, that period was accelerated beyond imagination.

“Anyway, sorry for the delay. Let’s restart the evaluation.”

The evaluation resumed.

Perhaps because I had shot an incredible arrow earlier, the pressure had increased, and more people were making mistakes.

Shooting first had turned out to be an advantage.

As a result, I scored a high mark of 95 and secured the second rank in my year.

It was a perfect achievement of the goal.