Temporary Professor (7)

1.

The first class ended.

Extreme regret washed over the students.

…Was that a class?

Temporary Professor Elia’s class was practically military training.

They sweated and rolled on the ground.

Not even a moment to catch their breath was allowed.

If they tried to rest, they were kicked in the butt.

They were treated like slaves.

“Huff… huff….”

“Kkeueueuk….”

The students were sprawled on the floor like rags.

They couldn’t get up.

Their arms and legs had no strength.

They had used up all their Magical power.

Not just most of it, but not a single drop was left.

Even fourth-year students in the Magic department, who were about to take their graduation exam, didn’t use up all their Magical power in a single day.

“Get up. There’s still one set left.”

Elia said, looking at the fallen students.

She was cruel.

She was ruthless.

The usually kind Saintess was gone, replaced by a demonic drill instructor.

She was a monster.

Elia hadn’t just been watching during the training.

She had been training just as hard.

She ran around the field and swung her sword with sandbags on her arms and legs.

But she was perfectly fine.

Only a few drops of sweat were trickling down her neck.

If that wasn’t a monster, what was?

“You are all truly excellent talents.”

Elia clapped her hands.

The students were bewildered.

It didn’t seem like the right time for praise.

Of course not.

“Talent that’s just perfect for becoming Magical Beast food.”

It wasn’t praise.

“Since I’ve decided to teach you, I have no intention of turning you into lazy frogs with bulging bellies.”

The future that most students who entered the Imperial Academy desired.

To live comfortably and take up a position.

A goal that had faded from the original purpose of the academy’s founding.

“You will be rolling around on the battlefield, fighting to survive against Magical Beasts and Demons.”

Just imagining it made the future feel bleak.

It wasn’t certain, but.

If that kind of future really awaited them, they wanted to desert.

But that thought disappeared with Elia’s next words.

“And eventually, you will become heroes.”

It wasn’t a guaranteed statement.

But it was a word that made the students’ hearts flutter.

Hero.

A word that made their hearts race just hearing it.

“Heroes aren’t just Heroes. And of course, the Hero Party isn’t the only one that can be heroes.”

She knew better than anyone.

That those who were chosen weren’t the only ones who could receive respect.

“Sword Saint, Adrean.”

A name she hadn’t spoken in a long time.

Her old name.

“He was just a lousy soldier at first. On the battlefield, he was busy running away from Magical Beasts and was kicked by his superiors every day. But even after he passed away, he is still called the hero of the empire and is respected by everyone.”

It tickled her to say these things herself.

It was self-praise.

“He was a talent just like you. A talent that was perfect for becoming Magical Beast food.”

Elia looked at each of their faces.

“You can do it too.”

She said with conviction.

“Although it’s less than seven weeks, I will lay the foundation for you. So get up.”

Elia raised her sword high.

“There’s still one set left.”

One by one, the students got up.

Their arms and legs felt like they were about to break, but they picked up their swords again.

There was nothing concrete in Elia’s words.

How would she lay the foundation for them to become heroes?

She hadn’t presented any methods for that.

But still.

For some reason, her words made the fire in their hearts burn brightly.

“That’s a little better.”

Elia smiled and nodded.

2.

“Kkeueueuk……!”

The next day.

Yohan groaned as he got out of bed.

His whole body ached as if he had been hit by a carriage.

He took a few steps and collapsed on the floor.

This wouldn’t do.

His muscles screamed every time he took a step.

Yohan looked at the ceiling and chuckled.

He remembered yesterday’s class.

It was the hardest thing he had ever done.

He had barely been able to control his Magical power, and he had forcibly squeezed it out.

The backlash was why he was in this state now.

It felt like he had been beaten all over with a club.

“Were you holding back until now…?”

Yohan staggered to his feet. And he grabbed his sword.

He desperately wanted to rest.

It was the weekend, so there were no classes.

He could lie in bed all day and rest.

But he couldn’t stay still.

His motivation was burning brightly.

He remembered what Elia had said yesterday.

‘You can do it too.’

Those words stimulated Yohan.

Yohan was a Hero candidate.

He was destined to become a Hero in time.

If he became a Hero in his current state, he would be a half-baked Hero.

He didn’t want that.

Like his teacher.

Or like his teacher’s teacher.

He wanted to be the kind of person who could be praised as a hero.

To do that, he had to work harder.

He had to train more because he was behind others.

Yohan headed to a clearing in the forest.

Early morning.

A quiet forest.

There was already someone there.

Sweat was flying.

Reflecting the sunlight, it sparkled like beads.

The sword lightly cut through the air.

Yuriel Van Skolhart.

She was there.

“…?”

Yuriel turned her head and looked at Yohan at the rustling sound.

“Hi?”

Yohan smiled and greeted her in a friendly manner.

An awkward atmosphere flowed.

They had met several times, but they weren’t close.

Swish.

Yuriel stared at Yohan for a moment, then turned her head.

She swung her sword again.

“Is your body okay?”

To break the awkward atmosphere, Yohan carefully spoke.

Yuriel had also taken yesterday’s class.

She had also rolled around on the ground until her uniform was soaked with sweat and dirty.

Not as much as Yohan, but she must have had some aftereffects.

“…….”

Yuriel only turned her eyes to look at Yohan.

“…Don’t talk to me.”

“Ah, sorry. Am I disturbing your training?”

“…Yeah.”

She nodded once, saying it was a disturbance, and Yuriel focused on her training again.

Yohan watched her for a moment, then took out his sword.

He also started training.

He lightly swung his sword as a warm-up.

He glanced.

While swinging his sword, Yohan stole glances at Yuriel.

Neat movements.

Restrained sword.

Even with basic movements, he could feel the difference in level.

“……Why?”

Yuriel glared at Yohan, who was stealing glances at her.

“Sorry.”

Yohan immediately turned his head.

But he couldn’t help but look at Yuriel again.

He was interested in her swordsmanship.

He had faced her one-on-one twice so far.

Every time, he felt that her swordsmanship was really sharp and precise.

“Haa…….”

Yuriel lowered her sword and sighed.

“…Do you have something to say?”

Yuriel glared sharply at Yohan.

He could see the strength in her hand holding the sword.

She looked like she was about to cut him down at any moment.

“Ah, no… it’s not that….”

Yohan waved his arms.

“I just thought it was cool.”

Yuriel’s eyes widened at his answer.

“…What?”

“I’ve thought this before, but you’re amazing. There’s no excess in your posture when you hold the sword or your attitude towards the sword, and you can already use Sword liberation.”

Yohan explained ramblingly.

He had seen Yuriel since the entrance exam.

She looked like an expert, which was hard to believe since she was the same age.

“Actually, when I saw you use Sword liberation during the entrance exam, I almost peed my pants. I even wondered if I should give up. It was the first time I had seen such beautiful swordsmanship. I was in the position of facing you, but I was momentarily distracted….”

“S, stop…!”

Yuriel shouted at Yohan’s continued praise.

“D, don’t flatter me…!”

Yuriel wasn’t used to being praised by others.

When she was in her family, she was rather despised.

It was common for her to be ignored, being told that she couldn’t be called a member of the family with just that much skill.

It wasn’t just her family.

The people around her didn’t react well either.

That’s why she was immune to people praising her swordsmanship with sparkling eyes like this.

“It’s not flattery, it’s the truth. You’re cool.”

He persistently praised Yuriel, who denied her greatness.

“I also respect how hard you must have worked since you were young.”

Yuriel’s face darkened for a moment.

Her already pale skin seemed to become even paler.

“Effort…….”

Yuriel shook her head.

“That’s wrong. I’ve never put in any effort.”

Instead of biting her lower lip, Yuriel gripped the sword hilt even tighter.

“……It’s just that this was all I could do.”

In the cold loneliness like the harsh winter, all Yuriel could do to soothe her loneliness was to swing her sword.

She wanted to be recognized, but she wasn’t.

That desire had been dead for a long time.

But seeing the Saintess’s sword revived that dead desire.

She wanted to be recognized.

That’s why she applied for the Basic Swordsmanship class and came to the clearing in the forest every morning and night to train. To be recognized by someone who looked at her swordsmanship properly.

“Anyway, don’t talk to me anymore. It’s a disturbance.”

Yuriel focused on her training again.

“Ooh… so that’s how you let the sword flow like that?”

Yuriel’s eyebrow twitched.

It bothered her.

He wasn’t talking to her, but it was quite annoying that he was watching her swordsmanship and admiring every little thing.

Swish!

Yuriel glared at Yohan as if telling him not to look this way.

But at that moment, Yohan quickly turned his head away and avoided her gaze.

And as soon as Yuriel started training again, he turned his head again and watched her.

…Annoying.

But.

“Ooh… wow….”

She couldn’t deny that the exclamations she heard between the songs of the sword cutting through the wind sounded good.