240. Academy Dispatch (3)
The public sparring hall of the Imperial Academy.
This is a place that all students on campus can use freely.
Most children of nobles use a private sparring hall provided by their parents within the academy.
That’s why I had no reason to come here.
When I was invited and headed there, I had no choice but to follow.
Squeezing through the crowds of people who came to see me.
“Damn, why are we in the same space as these things…” !”
They arrived at the sparring hall in a row, ignoring those wearing the same school uniform.
Then he looked at me standing alone in the middle of the sparring hall.
「Nice to meet you, everyone. “This is Bale Mikhail, who is giving the special lecture today.”
Applause pours in.
However, most of them are ordinary students.
The five children of prestigious families who failed to stand alone looked at me disapprovingly from afar.
It is worth it.
They were going to teach only themselves, but they ended up joining other students.
However, I wasn’t particularly worried about their gaze.
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Rather, the only thing that caught my eye right away was Miya, who was looking at me happily.
Educational opportunities must be equal.
Just as Miya would have developed further if she met good seniors, I wanted to give them equal opportunities.
「How old are all the students here now?」
“Between 14 and 16.”
Miya answered calmly.
I nodded and picked up a wooden sword lying on the floor of the sparring hall.
「Then it’s time to solidify your basic skills.」
Basics.
In response to a word that is not fun to just hear, the children of our prestigious family all created an Oman statue.
“Ugh…. “What kind of basic skill is this?”
“Do you think I brought you here just to learn something like that?”
「Everyone, what did you learn when you first came to the academy?」
“It is the embodiment of mana.”
Cynthia answered with an expressionless face.
I nodded my head.
「That’s right. “If you concentrate and unleash the mana in the center of your chest, you will be ready to strengthen your body or use magic.”
I focused on the strong energy located in the center of my chest.
Then, the mass of mana made into a perfect sphere became clear enough for their eyes to see.
“Perfect sphere….”
“It’s amazing….”
The young people looked blankly at the form of my mana.
However, the children of prestigious families only laugh at them.
“What’s so great about that? “The size of mana is the size of an orange.”
“The trend in fortresses is to increase the size of mana and show off explosive power….”
Those who have already trained through private tutoring.
I was dissatisfied with my old-fashioned teachings.
Looking at those guys, I narrowed my long fox-like eyes.
He then said with a grin.
「So, this first lesson is about maintaining the ’embodiment of mana’ under any circumstances.」
When I gave the signal, Miya came out.
Her male students paid attention to her because she wore a secretary outfit that highlighted her beautiful body.
The female students also focused on the round and intense mana core located within their bodies.
「The basics of swordsmanship are cutting, striking down, and striking upward.」
Miya held her sword straight and swung hard at her diagonal first.
Then, the sound of the fierce wind blowing struck the sparring hall surrounded by students.
――――.
However, even as she swung her sword, her mana in the center of her chest did not waver at all.
Like a heart.
「If the sphere does not shake during these three movements, your power will be doubled.」
I decided to show her down and up instead of her because her outfit was uncomfortable.
Holding her wooden sword, she concentrated all of her concentration into the posture of standing upright.
That moment.
――――――!!
“… !!”
The heavy pebbles on the floor responded to a light strike.
As if she was reacting to a subtle living thing, she rolled around and ran away.
“What…?” . “Didn’t you just swing it?”
“What kind of typhoon sound…” .”
With a simple upstroke, the vast sky shook like a stone thrown into the water.
The students all swallowed deeply at the strange echoing sound.
――――――.
“I know that the current trend in swordsmanship is to increase her size rather than training her Mana core.”
I said while looking at the children of the prestigious family.
Then, they immediately avoided my gaze and looked the other way.
「Because it is advantageous in sparring to show off overwhelming firepower and win the match at once.」
I stroked the tiles of the sparring hall, which was about thirty steps at best, with my military boots.
「However, that only applies in sparring.」
With his black eyes, he looked at the young youth who had never killed anyone before.
And, this time, I gave them a cold warning.
「On the other hand, a real war lasts from as little as an hour to as long as a day or more.」
At my serious voice, the smiles disappeared from the students’ faces for a moment.
They began to worry about the front lines they might end up in after graduation.
However, our prestigious families were still relaxed.
Because they thought they would never be sent to the battlefield.
「No matter how many enemies you brilliantly cut down….」
I stood side by side with Miya in the middle of the sparring hall.
And then, all at once, they looked at them with unfocused eyes that had seen someone killed.
「If you get tired and allow one last hit, it will be over.」
The end.
The students became quiet at that short and distant word.
But.
One of the five people visible in the distance.
“Anyway, all the students attending here will be assigned to officer level or higher, right?”
Alfonso, the son of the academy principal, raised his hand and spoke calmly.
“Oh, you didn’t know that the Marquis was a commoner before he was reinstated?”
He shrugged his shoulders and chuckled.
As if responding to the sight of such a guy, Duke Duncan of the North also raised the corners of his mouth.
“Now there is no need for such ineffective training. We just need to step up to the vanguard for a moment and show off our firepower to raise the soldiers’ morale.”
As the principal’s son, he received prior training in tactics and command systems.
They looked down on me because I was not from the academy.
“So, today, why don’t you teach us about the overwhelming firepower that split the sky?”
Splitting the sky.
When the technique I demonstrated at the First Sword Contest was mentioned, firearms came back to the students’ eyes.
This guy was trying to disrupt the atmosphere I had created like a loach.
「Hmm. That makes sense. It is necessary for a commander to boost the morale of his soldiers.”
I nodded silently, as if agreeing with what he said.
Then, Alfonso closed his eyes proudly, as if he thought he had won.
「So, Mr. Alfonso, does he have such a brilliant skill that will give courage to the soldiers?」
“Of course. “Our Damon family has been at the vanguard and led battles since ancient times.”
I wondered why he was so arrogant, and I realized that his family also had a former Imperial Swordsman.
That’s why he was still able to remain calm even after seeing me.
「Then, come out here and show it for yourself.」
“Good.”
One of the five people standing side by side stood up.
Wearing a white school uniform and fancy golden epaulettes.
――――――.
As he entered the sparring hall, all the students looked up at him.
Alfonso must have been enjoying the gaze, as the smile never left his face the whole way up.
「What skills will you show me?」
“It’s a thunderstorm.”
The name is very grandiose.
If I look at something I don’t remember from 10 years ago, I don’t think it would be a big deal.
He took out the one-handed sword he was wearing.
Then, he pointed to the neck seal located at the edge of the sparring hall.
“It is a technique that fires a thunderbolt of sword energy at the opponent when the sword is swung at the target from this distance.”
Then, it’s just a thunderbolt.
Why is there a storm?
「Now then, there will be a demonstration of Prince Alfonso Damon’s skills.」
I pursed my lips and took a small step back.
And, with a graceful hand, he asked the students to applaud.
For a stage for our talented Alfonso children.
―――――.
He raised his sword in response to the pouring applause.
And then, he activated the mana that flickered like lightning within his chest.
Mana was released so powerful that the guy’s hair floated in the air.
With a blue air current as thrilling as lightning.
“aaah!!”
Alfonso swung his sword with all his might in front of everyone.
That moment.
Kwaang!!
A lightning-like sword energy flew through the neck seal and blew off one of his arms.
The arm fell to the floor and made a loud noise.
“Oh….”
“A sword that can cut off an arm at that distance…” . “It’s definitely like the Damon family.”
At the age of 15, he threw a sword attack and cut off one arm.
My classmates were impressed by that appearance.
“Whoa…” .”
The guy took advantage of the sound and closed his eyes.
And, he enjoyed the outpouring of cheers.
“….”
However, among the classmates who gave praise, Cynthia still had an expressionless expression.
As if I couldn’t understand this situation.
And, it was the same for me too.
「Is this the end?」
I asked him with an odd expression.
Then, Alfonso’s lips parted without realizing it, perhaps in an unexpected reaction.
“Yes?”
「Is this just a brilliant strike that will impress the soldiers?」
“Oh, of course it’s a bit small now…. If you drink the elixir soon, you will become stronger….”
「So, you are saying with your own words that you are young and have this level of power?」
When I spoke openly and without any malice, Alfonso’s face began to turn red.
The guy was conscious of his classmates rolling their eyes here and there and whispering.
“Of course, of course. “Do you think this level of skill is easy for someone my age?”
I smiled as if I had been waiting for his question.
Then, I stretched out my hand and called a student whom I had briefly taught.
「Cynthia Freya. Please come forward.”
A female knight with short blue hair stood up as if responding to a call.
And then, I leisurely came up to the sparring grounds.
She was usually quiet and blunt, so she had almost no presence.
Despite her beautiful appearance, her students were whispering when she appeared, perhaps because her popularity was poor.
“Did you call me?”
「Would you like me to show you ‘cutting’?」
Cutting.
Cynthia’s blue eyes sparkled as if she remembered the technique she had learned during her days in the Verdant Knights.
In the past, I used it when I was training the immature Director Allen.
“You mean mixed with mana?”
「Yes. Feel free to swing as much as you like.”
In the past, Cynthia learned cutting from me, but she never boasted about it.
She finally picked up her wooden sword, perhaps wanting to show me her growing skills.
‘Hmm…. ‘You didn’t draw the real sword.’
I decided to use the same wooden sword that I used when learning from me.
“….”
Cynthia stared at the seal on her neck, a cut on one of her arms visible in the distance.
And then, her expressionless eyes sharply raised….
The moment the sword was raised into the air.
She swung her mana neatly, maintaining her upright and spherical shape.
――――――.
It was neither flashy nor explosive.
It was just a thin sword blow fired with concentration.
With that single blow, Jang’s torso, whose neck was several times thicker than her arm, was cut with a single knife.
Quaaang!!!
Furthermore, a huge knife mark was left beyond the wooden seal and all the way to the wall behind it.
I ended up smiling sincerely at that sight.
“Wow….”
“Well, what is that…” ?”
This time, it was the other students who became expressionless.
They couldn’t believe what was unfolding before their eyes and couldn’t say anything with their lips parted.
Cynthia’s strike.
That blow was comparable to the demonstrations of the professors who taught her.
「Cynthia Candidate. “What is the name of the technology you demonstrated?”
“It’s a cut. “Master.”
Master.
The students’ eyes lit up at those words.
Because the power of a simple slash was much greater than the skills of a fancy, prestigious family.
「Did you say it was a lightning storm earlier? “It’s ‘a little’ better than that.”
I released a small reward for my student.
However, Cynthia humbly bowed her head as if she was satisfied with this.
“Thank you, Master.”
I turned my back and looked around at the students surrounding the sparring hall again.
Their expressions have changed quite a bit.
I calmly asked them again.
「Okay then, those who want to participate in training, please come up to the sparring hall.」
I left those words and slowly turned my head.
Soon.
―――――――!!
The sound of military boots from countless students began to arrive.
Like a herd of cows attacking.
That’s how the lecture started.
All academy candidates stood in rows and rows and performed basic swordsmanship movements.
Cynthia, who received praise from me, also went back to the beginning and trained hard.
I also taught the passionate students how to pose by setting their posture.
The children showed off their enthusiasm by even asking me questions.
“Jeilgeomnim. “If we try hard, we can become like Cynthia, right?”
「Of course. “If you just practice the basics consistently, you can achieve it within 4 years.”
However, Cynthia’s talent is so outstanding that she learned it in just one year….
Let’s keep that a secret for her children.
“….”
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Miya also watched the heated atmosphere of the sparring hall with a happy expression.
And, she imagined how great it would have been if she had had that opportunity.
“It’s a good time.”
However, she soon found the five children still with rotten expressions.
I smiled and shook my head at the still suspicious and arrogant appearance of the children.
“Are you going to call your parents?”
Of course, they also participated in the training and repeatedly cut.
However, everyone seemed to be thinking about something else, so there was no soul in their movements.
“Damn…. Is it really true that you can improve your skills just by doing this?”
“Is it okay? “This is just hard work.”
As the princesses and princesses murmured, the Northern Grand Duke slowly shook his head.
“Is that so? Cynthia: You’re that b*tch’s teacher. “There must be a secret plan that only he knew.”
“That’s right, otherwise how could we surpass the Alfonso family’s technology?”
The princess also helped, looking at Alfonso’s thoughts.
However, Young master, who was openly embarrassed, did not say anything.
“….”
The guy who took a close look at Cynthia’s swollen fingers and disciplined movements right before her eyes.
Only then did he recognize her effort and talent and acknowledged the effectiveness of her training.
I am only focused on training.
However, the sons of noble families thought that Alfonso had become quiet simply out of shame.
“Are you going to suffer like this?”
The children looked at Duncan, the Grand Duke of the North, the leader of their social club.
Then, the guy answered with a cold look.
“Of course not.”
He came down from the sparring hall for a moment and headed to the teacher’s office with his classmates.
Then, he openly used the emergency crystal ball on campus.
“Oh, please change my father. “My uncle was the former Imperial First Sword, right?”
“Yes, mother. Is that so? “What kind of instructor teaches cutting all day long!”
There is one ultimate tool in their social club.
That’s right, calling their respected parents.
They call this procedure ‘Dragon Calling’ for short.
“Oh my…. It’s an emergency… !!”
“What should I do…” ?”
The professors in the staff room were terrified at that sight.
They felt a chill down their spines at the sight of the imperial dragons that would soon flock here.
If dragons come to the human kingdom, they will destroy everything.
When the parents of social club members come to visit, disaster begins.
「――――――」
Not knowing that, I still leisurely coached the children directly in the sparring hall.
Then, I came down the stairs and sat on the bench to take a short break.
「Hmm. “I’m glad the kids followed along well.”
“Yes, your student’s skills were definitely great.”
Sia, sitting side by side, lowered her head as if she was embarrassed.
Her blue crown sparkled.
Miya looked at the young girl happily and told me that something occurred to her.
“Oh that’s right, Veil. Now that I think about it, the princesses may come later.”
「All three of you?」
“Yes. “There was a meeting nearby today, and he stopped by ‘for a moment.'”