episode_0018

“Loki, step forward.”

“Yes!”

I quickly ran forward at Professor Alicia’s words.

Professor Alicia seemed to be the youngest professor at the academy after Professor Idra. Her ash-gray hair was tied back, perhaps for ease of movement.

“So, what’s your reason for being late on the very first day?”

The special class students stared intently at me, curious about why I was late.

Among them, Lucas let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded, and waited for my explanation.

“There’s an incredible reason hidden behind my tardiness!”

“Go on, tell us.”

I spoke with exaggerated gestures, like a storyteller addressing an audience.

“Last night, knowing I had to go to the academy the next day, I finished my training and went to bed earlier than usual.”

“And then?”

“Perhaps because I fell asleep earlier than usual, I woke up earlier than usual this morning. But the problem arose here.”

As I told my story, pausing at the right moments, the students eagerly awaited my next words.

“Since I woke up earlier than I expected, I thought I could sleep more, so I went back to sleep!”

At my words, both the students and Professor Alicia wore dumbfounded expressions.

Professor Alicia let out a short sigh and asked.

“So, you were late?”

“No. Even after falling back asleep and waking up again, there was enough time for me to get ready leisurely and walk slowly without being late!”

“Then why were you late?”

By this point, the students, as if wanting to hear why I was late, again listened closely to my words.

“I thought, ‘If I can walk slowly and still not be late, shouldn’t I just sleep more and then run quickly?’ After thinking that, I went back to sleep, but I slept longer than I expected, so I was late!”

“Hmph.”

Someone’s stifled laughter was heard.

And this is such an important matter, too.

Professor Alicia let out a deep sigh, rubbing her temples, and spoke.

“So, the reason you got a demerit on the very first day is just because you overslept?”

“Uh… if you summarize it simply, yes?”

“Hmph, kneel down and raise your hands.”

“Yes!”

I immediately knelt down next to Professor Alicia and raised both my arms.

Perhaps because I was at the front, all the students were clearly visible at a glance. Several students glanced at me repeatedly.

Then, a student who made eye contact with me burst into laughter.

“Pfft!”

Other students also held back their laughter, as if they found my appearance amusing.

In fact, academy students are no different from adults, so kneeling with hands raised would indeed look ridiculous.

“Everyone! No matter how handsome I am, if you keep staring and laughing like that, won’t it interrupt the Professor’s speech?”

The moment my words ended, I felt an impact on my head.

“Ow! My head feels like it’s going to crack.”

Professor Alicia had given me a light smack on the head. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like she hit me seriously, as I only felt a slight pain.

If she had hit me seriously, my head would have cleanly burst open.

“Stop exaggerating and just go sit down. And don’t be late again next time.”

“Understood!”

I quickly got up and returned to my original seat.

“Now I can finally speak. It’s late, but let me introduce myself. I am Alicia, your homeroom professor. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

The first person to ask a question was Clara.

“Why is the special class in the basement?”

Clara was the one who asked the question, but everyone else present seemed implicitly curious, waiting for Professor Alicia’s answer.

“The reason is related to the classes you’ll be taking. You, as special class students, have two differences from other first-years.”

Having played Kroaka, I knew how the special class differed from other classes.

“Unlike other first-years, you will experience actual combat from your first year. ‘Actual combat’ here refers to dungeon exploration or monster subjugation.”

From what I remember, dungeon exploration and monster subjugation were only possible from the third year.

“Then what’s the other one?”

“All your morning classes will be with me. For afternoon classes, you’ll divide into two groups and go to other professors’ lectures.”

Normally, there are four morning classes, and while other students would take one class each from four professors, we would be taking Professor Alicia’s class for that entire long duration.

“What does that have to do with our classroom being in the basement?”

To Clara’s question, Professor Alicia replied with a grin.

“Well, it’s because it gets troublesome if the sound echoes.”

“Huh?”

“From now on, every morning, you will fight me. No, ‘fight’ isn’t the right word. All of you will hunt me.”

“What on earth…”

Clara and all the special class students were flustered, but Professor Alicia ignored their reactions and continued speaking.

“In truth, there isn’t much other professors can teach you.”

Professor Alicia’s gaze turned towards Clara.

“No one can teach magic to the disciple of a Magic Tower Lord.”

This time, her gaze shifted to Sepia.

“No one can teach a Spirit User who possesses enough spirit affinity to contract with all four great spirits.”

And this time, it went to Kuran.

“No one can teach tribal combat to someone who has strongly inherited the blood of the Isar tribe.”

…

Professor Alicia explained why all the students, except for me, couldn’t learn in a conventional way.

Finally, her gaze turned to me.

“No one can teach a unique magic.”

Everyone fell silent. In that silence, the only person who could speak was Professor Alicia.

“You will all become incredibly strong in the future. And you will fight against those weaker than you.”

“However,” she added, continuing her words.

“Not yet. Right now, there are countless people stronger than you. That’s why, so that you can grow, you will learn how to fight against stronger opponents.”

“When will we start fighting?”

This time, the person who asked the question was Lucas. Lucas pulled out his spear as if ready to fight at any moment.

Besides Lucas, everyone else also prepared for battle. Sepia summoned her spirit, and Clara prepared to chant her spells.

Even with everyone prepared to fight, Professor Alicia smiled as if she had no worries whatsoever.

“Naturally, starting now.”

As Professor Alicia finished speaking and everyone was about to attack, my voice echoed through the classroom.

“Wait!”

…

“Wait!”

As Loki’s words echoed, all the students who had been rushing towards Alicia stopped. Alicia asked Loki, who had suddenly shouted out.

“What’s the matter?”

“From ancient times, it has been said that a teacher’s grace is as vast as the heavens. How could I possibly swing a sword at Professor Alicia?”

At first, everyone thought Loki was just joking. However, unlike usual, there were no exaggerated gestures when he spoke, and his voice was utterly serious.

“Professor, you might not remember, but about six years ago, I ignored the village elders’ warnings and ventured deep into the forest, where I got lost.”

“…………”

“As a child, I was surrounded by monsters, and it was Professor Alicia, who was an adventurer at the time, who saved me.”

“…………”

“From the day I resolved to become strong like you, I’ve worked tirelessly every single day until now. How could I possibly swing a sword at you, Professor?”

Everyone fell silent. They had no idea that Loki, who always seemed so playful, had such a past.

In the classroom, where only silence continued, it was Alicia who spoke.

“Six years ago, you say? I remember it clearly. At that time, I wasn’t an adventurer yet.”

“””?????”””

“Ah! You caught me~”

His serious voice vanished in an instant, replaced by an utterly mischievous one.

Moreover, his voice came from above, not from where Loki had been standing. Everyone looked up towards where the voice came from.

And there, Loki was hanging upside down from the ceiling.

“Next time, I’ll have to research more carefully before coming up with my lines.”

Loki said that and pulled something in the air.

Everyone knew what the something Loki pulled was. The powerful thread that had bound the golem on the day of the entrance exam.

That powerful thread, which had even bound a golem, now bound Alicia’s body.

“Hmph.”

The thread that had bound the golem easily snapped when Alicia exerted force.

“It’s tougher than I thought.”

“I don’t think that’s something someone who broke it so easily should say.”

Loki rushed at Alicia and swung his staff.

He used Shadow Walk to target vital points like her head and heart without hesitation, but Alicia easily dodged.

If the Emperor had moved at his own pace, dodging as he went…

Alicia, however, simply dodged with overwhelming speed.

As if truly teaching them how to fight against the strong.

“So you’ve become this strong in that time, huh?”

Alicia grabbed Loki’s staff, which was aiming for her neck, and threw him straight into the wall.

Bang!

With a tremendous sound, Loki was embedded straight into the wall.

Fortunately, he managed to twist his body just before impact, reducing the damage.

Loki spoke to the still-stunned students.

“Everyone! What are you all doing, not fighting?”