episode_0057

“Be careful when walking in front. There are many magic traps set up. I’ll go first, so follow me.”

“Yes, understood.”

I am now moving to the secret warehouse under the Ardent Academy where I stole the statuette last time.

After dropping off Claire at the dormitory, not long after, five people including staff and professors came to find me, and we signed something like a confidentiality agreement stating that we would not disclose this information and followed them.

“When I came to the back door last time, which was relatively weak in security, it was really tough.”

At that time, my physical stats were low, so I couldn’t avoid the traps I knew and got hurt. It was to the point where my arm was almost broken to break the barrier.

This time, following the professors comfortably and openly felt strange.

The staff said as a reward for contributing to the attack by the Academy demons, I could take one item from the warehouse, but that part bothers me a bit.

“Normally, before visiting the warehouse, I always have a brief conversation with Iris at least.”

It’s a situation where only staff and professors are sending me down to the warehouse, so maybe they are busy with something.

Finally, using a temporary magical device that can pass through barriers, given by Iris in advance or temporarily, I saw a familiar place.

“There are quite a lot of items here, right? Even if you look for everything, you might not have enough time. But you only have two hours, so I’ll give you a rough description of the approximate locations. Armor pieces are in that section…”

Of course, the staff member who thought I would be visiting for the first time kindly explained next to me, but I was grateful for the favor, but it wasn’t very helpful.

If you roughly look around, you should be able to remember where each item is.

“… Oh, and don’t touch the items sealed with purple or red barriers that seem dangerous to anyone.”

Among them, there are some quite dangerous things mixed in, as difficult to break through as the current me, considering how strongly Iris made the barriers.

“I never had such intentions in the first place.”

Still, with words of gratitude, I pretended to casually look around as guided by the staff and quietly picked up one of the swords I had in mind.

[Test Steel Sword 341]

[Hero Grade]

[One of the swords made by a Dwarf craftsman who reached the end of blacksmithing skills during his inexperienced years of practice. There is a low chance that critical damage will increase upon impact, and attack speed will temporarily increase upon critical hit.]

“It shouldn’t matter even if I choose this one.”

It’s not a bad sword.

Although not mentioned in the description, it doesn’t easily break even when used roughly.

Since it doesn’t apply to stats, it can be used freely without risk.

There are no swords of a similar level inside the Academy, so it should be fine to pick any of the ones I know.

I could get a few proper swords during the vacation and give them to Victor or other students as well as keep some spares.

“I’ll go with this sword.”

“Let’s see… It’s a sword made by a Dwarf craftsman. It seems that its condition hasn’t changed much despite the passage of time.”

After carefully checking if the chart matches the item, the staff praised me for choosing the item well.

Finally, after completing the final possession inspection when leaving, I received the chosen sword and headed back to the surface.

*

“Yukal student, can you come with me for a moment? It won’t take much time.”

The voice calling me belonged to Chris, one of the four professors who had gone to the warehouse earlier for my guidance and supervision, as I looked in that direction.

I had thought about testing the sword appropriately, but since there was no special schedule, I decided to simply accept and follow.

“Of course.”

‘What could be the reason for calling me?’

Professor Chris, who should have known roughly what happened after the conversation with Professor Seigen, had not specifically called me.

Seeing that we were heading towards the Department of Swordsmanship, could it be that he wanted to have a brief conversation in his office?

It was a bit strange to go through the outskirts where students rarely passed.

“Maybe you chose this path because it’s the shortest way to get there quickly.”

As it got slightly darker and the sporadic students disappeared, the change began at that moment.

Suddenly, Professor Chris drew his greatsword and attacked with full force.

“Did you choose this path to attack crazy me?”

I wondered if there was any merit to Professor Chris’s actions, but I couldn’t even spare a trivial thought.

The first strike narrowly avoided cutting the edge of my clothes.

In fact, the impact was so powerful that it would be more accurate to say that the clothes were completely crushed.

The problem was that my evasive movement was too large to avoid the next strike.

“It’s too late. Can’t dodge…”

In an abrupt situation, I evaded unsteadily, knowing that I couldn’t perfectly evade based on my stats, so I ended up deploying my armor to block and retreated.

-Clang!

“Just one hit, but that part is almost destroyed.”

Nevertheless, there were no injuries, and by retreating, I bought time to draw my sword.

“What are you doing, Professor? Attacking a student.”

If I hadn’t been able to cope with the sudden situation, I could now easily evade Professor Chris’s attack.

“I’m not completely confident that I can win outright in a direct confrontation yet.”

Retreating and ensuring that bystanders don’t get involved or seeking help from other professors would be preferable.

Although I was prepared to move while deflecting Professor Chris’s attacks at any time, contrary to my expectations, he immediately hoisted the greatsword back on his shoulders.

“I heard the news that you dealt with the demons who invaded this time. I had a rough idea, but I didn’t expect this level. Not only handling the Ora, but also deploying Ora Armor. You might even be able to handle the Ora Blade already.”

“Is he resorting to such tactics to forcibly bring out my skills?”

This time, Professor Chris confirmed how I handled the situation and likely realized the level I had reached.

“With your achievements alone, you could probably beat most of the students in the graduation class of the Swordsmanship Department at the Ardent Academy. Trying out the sword directly made it even clearer.”

“This situation is tricky. If it continues like this, I can predict what Professor Chris will say next.”

“Come to the Department of Swordsmanship, Yukal. This is my final offer.”

“What happens if I refuse, Professor?”

Laughing casually at my words, he slowly opened his mouth.

“If you refuse, I will inform the other professors in the Department of Swordsmanship about this fact and we will all go to the principal’s office together to demand your record.”

In the end, it turned out like this.

It was already agreed upon with Iris at the beginning of enrollment, so she would probably refuse for now, but if the professors go on strike collectively or take further action, it wouldn’t be a simple matter for her to overlook.

The most troubling point is that many students may suspect my excellence, but I don’t want to let others know about specific achievements or abilities.

I must persuade Professor Chris standing in front of me.

After thinking, I spoke towards the professor, showing a hint of anticipation.

“Even if you do that, it will be difficult to transfer to my swordsmanship department. It’s already been agreed upon with the headmaster.”

Knowing about it due to being able to take additional swordsmanship classes and what was conveyed by Professor Seigan, Chris Professor opened his mouth without any hesitation.

“The headmaster must have underestimated your skills. If you demonstrate your current achievements, I can guarantee that your transfer is close to a predetermined fate level.”

“He doesn’t seem willing to bend his thoughts even if I mention Iris.”

Although there seems to be no need to closely monitor Claire anymore after ending negotiations with Cynerea, missing out on Ucal’s entrance to the School of Magic, which only became possible in reality, feels like it shouldn’t happen.

“I can’t explain, but I have a reason to stay in the School of Magic. However, I’m sure you won’t be convinced as it is now.”

He seemed about to lose his temper at my words, but silently waited for me to continue speaking.

“It seems that you intend to transfer me to the swordsmanship department so that I can learn more about swords. In that case, wouldn’t it suffice to prove that I can become stronger or learn even if not in the swordsmanship department? I will visit you separately in my second year and challenge you with a sword.”

Chris Professor was dumbfounded, wondering if he had misheard.

“So you’re saying you’ll defeat me in your second year, not even in the graduating class?”

“Yes. If I can’t beat you by my second year, I will transfer to the swordsmanship department as you wish. But if I win, I hope you will respect my choice without further interference.”

There was a long silence, possibly pondering the unexpected response.

“Please believe me. And if possible, please don’t tell others about this fact.”

In the end, Chris Professor had no choice but to respond to me with a sigh.

“Do as you propose, Ucal. At that time, I will give it my all, so you must strengthen your resolve.”

Leaving those words behind, Chris Professor left without hesitation.