92 – Talent Recruitment (2)
2 Days before the opening ceremony begins,
-Boom!
“Are you going to stay like this! “You’re just going to get bullied by that brat and just sit there like an asshole!!”
Professor Jane Terceillaz, whose face has not yet gone down from swelling, dominates the crowd by slamming the table.
There was only one person among the professors in the western camp who would be okay with offending the senior professor, so everyone was quiet.
“The defeated person talks a lot. So, when she had time to go in and out of Changgwan, why didn’t she put in a little more effort into building up her basics and stamina? “If that were the case, the current situation wouldn’t have happened.”
“… The strategy was wrong. Instead of going in all at once after hearing the provocation, we should have engaged in a slow and drawn-out battle of wheels. I admit I made a mistake in that regard, Dean. But she’s not without responsibility there either.”
“What is responsibility? “Are you blaming me for their defeat now?”
“Didn’t the department chair also implicitly agree to spar at once? As the head of the faction, if I had made a wrong decision, you should have stopped me. “I think that shifting full responsibility to me now would only prove that I lack the qualifications to be the leader.”
“There is a limit to being unreasonable! In the first place, you… !”
Starting with the informal language of Department Head Fraumkh, who was completely angry, the losers continued their petty argument.
When the accusations against each other flared up for a while and then reached a lull, Dean Fraumch, whose head became cold, faced reality.
“… In any case, what is important now is to stop Professor Ivorys from leading alone. If things continue like this, it could affect the golden generation of first-year students, or even second-year students who have already been assigned future work positions.”
“No matter how far it goes… There are 4 masters on our side. There’s also equipment… “
“There is a swordsman on the other side.”
Geomseong.
When discussing the best sword on the continent, the one whose name is always mentioned first.
When that heavy name surfaced, the heavy atmosphere became even heavier.
“Even though she is a sleeping dragon in the center who will not move at her discretion, she can no longer guarantee that. “Just look at the current situation in the South.”
According to the West’s predictions, the Duke of Marchen should have fallen during this civil unrest in the South.
Compared to the power of the Duke of Marchen, the power of the People’s Revolutionary Army was superior, and the fall of the Duke of Marchen was expected to serve as a justification for the West’s intervention in the south. That is why the master was not assigned to the army of the second princess, who was supposed to achieve meritorious deeds.
But the appearance of the Sword Saint and the entry of her disciple, the new Sword Master Johann Ivorys, ruined everything.
“Now it is no longer possible to guarantee a two-power system between the West and the East. “There will now be 11 Sword Masters in the Empire, and this will immediately have an impact on our Imperial Knight Academy.”
The West was by far the region with the largest number of masters.
Except for one master in the north, Duke Marhen in the south, and the sword saint in the center, they were in the east, and they were all veterans who had experience in wars with the Holy Kingdom, the Union of Eastern Small and Medium Kingdoms, and the Kingdom of Sherrington. .
The west, with its financial power and numerical superiority in masters, and the east, with its army with ample combat experience, have maintained the balance of the empire so far, and this has led to a competition for succession to the throne between the 2nd princess and the 1st princess.
In such a situation, the appearance of a new master, Yohan, is not welcome news to the West and East, which have a strained relationship with Yohan.
And the impact will be greatest at the academy where Yohan is located.
“This is neither the West nor the East. Strictly speaking, it is the central ecliptic where the central sword star has the greatest influence. “Until now, we had forgotten that we were in the tiger’s jaw.”
This sparring was able to take place with the approval of the Sword Saint thanks to the academy’s customs.
But what if Geomseong gives up the neutrality he has maintained so far?
What if we give power to the North, where Lana Sartien, who is like the mother of her disciple John, belongs, or the South, where his territory is located?
“Until now, the Sword Saint had not tipped her balance, so she did not pay attention. But now I have to worry about that too. Of course, looking at the current situation, I don’t think it will change much, but there are no absolutes in this world.”
In the end, Yohan became the key to breaking the existing balance. It also has a very bad relationship with Freibach in the west.
Of course, there are no permanent allies or enemies in politics and war, but considering his relationship with Freibach, it is clear that a very high price must be paid to have him as an ally.
So, even though the harassment under the pretense of academic exchange failed, the professors in the western camp had a reason to lower the value of John’s name.
Even if it’s just to gain a slightly advantageous position in negotiations with him someday.
“So, try to think of a way to overcome the situation. “The family in the west is already quite annoyed by the fact that they paid for the mansion without any benefit.”
“Department Head. “If the professor can’t do it, what about the students?”
“What does that mean? How can a student master a master that even the professor can’t defeat? “
“Because victory and defeat are not necessarily achieved through force alone.”
The professor who gave his opinion continued his speech with a mean smile on the cheek that had been hit by John.
“We cannot do anything to him by force. However, it is completely possible to disparage him and hurt his feelings through students.”
“…Let’s listen in more detail.”
“Didn’t we secure most of the promising second year students? Even though Stella, the senior, says she can’t help it, it’s enough to shape public opinion.”
No matter how much you are a professor at the Imperial Knight Academy, it is difficult to ignore the protests made by many prospective knights.
There is a saying, “Three saints and holy tigers,” So even slander without any evidence is bound to gain weight when people gather together. Especially if the slander is about to become an article.
“You may be used to swinging a sword on the battlefield, but you may not be used to being slandered, bullied, and harassed by students. This is especially true if it is a boy who has just become an adult.”
“Are you okay? If you happen to end up on the other side… “
“You just have to not cross the line. And what can you do on the other side? “Unless you really want to go to war with the West.”
“Hmm… “
No matter how much a knight has experienced war, deciding to go to war requires a different kind of courage. Dean Fraumch is well aware of that fact.
That’s why I was interested in the story of her professor who was persuading her, so I listened to her method.
“Good. Then, I will leave this matter to Professor Lapila. “All second-year students will soon be gathering in the dormitory, so please guide the students who have already been assigned to this area on their future plans.”
“Okay, Department Head. “Just leave it to me.”
“And everyone. We hope that you will also pay attention to the upcoming exchanges with the Magic Academy of Sherrington Kingdom. “It will play a very important role in recruiting wizards.”
As the plan was made, the head of the department, Frau Mech, comforted those around him and thought of his niece, Hannah Frau Mech, who was scheduled to come to the Imperial Knight Academy in the next few weeks.
5 Circles. A high level just before reaching the 6th circle called a mage.
Even though numerous wizards appear, there are very few people who fall into the 5th circle. To put it mildly, wizards of the 5th circle are treated like nobles in the empire, and aren’t they given the same respect as knights of sword expert level or higher?
She was planning to coax the child of her family, who had moved away from her, into helping her with her work, even though she had no contact with her.
‘For now, we are trying to suppress rumors as much as possible about the creation of the Sword Master, but it is a fact that will spread someday. But it may be possible to delay it to some extent. A wizard with a mysterious image, and a talent who has achieved the 5th circle at a young age, can turn the topic around a little… !’
She went on with her meeting, organizing in her head her plan to exploit her niece, Hannah Fraummech, whose face she had never seen.
Without even knowing her true identity.
* * *
On the first day of class, after finishing the first grade class, I headed towards the second grade class.
“Why are there so many? There are more than expected… Should I like this or not?”
“Wouldn’t it be okay if you like it? That means the professor is popular. Actually, considering what I heard about masters, the number of people is relatively small… “Maybe everyone still doesn’t believe that the professor is the real master?”
When I heard the teaching assistant in charge of my class chattering, I thought that this could definitely be the case.
It’s a lot for a new professor, but it’s not much for a master.
Perhaps because this world is set in the Middle Ages, most of the rumors spread through word of mouth, so it was very slow.
Even if there is something like a newspaper, in most cases the facts are not verified well. So, you may be thinking that the stories about me are probably a bit exaggerated.
“Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first-year class again, Assistant Professor Bernkreutz.”
“No problem, Professor Ivorys! Just leave it to me! “I brought the right educational materials!”
The class I was in charge of was called ‘Practical Combat Swordsmanship’. It seems like I can teach swordsmanship from a perspective that actually experienced combat this time.
I roughly repeated in my head the handover details that my former professor had left in advance, and opened the door to the training room, which was no different from a classroom.
“Nice to meet you all. “My name is Johan Ivoris, and I am in charge of the new combat swordsmanship course.”
Quickly go up to the podium and identify the people gathered and identify familiar and unfamiliar faces.
Lena, Sharon, Meron, Eleanor… I see my people in the dormitory because I am still a student. I need to quickly sell the store and meet you on the weekend.
Anyway… Oh. Stella also applied for this lecture?
I was happy to see who was ranked as the best among the people I wanted to recruit, so I decided to take questions from the students.
“Before full-scale training, I would like to ask questions to understand your current situation. Anything is good. “I will inform you with sincerity and as truthfully as possible, so if you have any questions, please ask them here and now.”
Honestly, as a professor, I don’t know how to become close to students. I should have studied well. At most, I’ve done nothing more than become an instructor at the dojang.
So, I got straight into the main topic of the class without any rhetoric.
And one female student raises her hand.
I was curious about what perspectives the students who would become knights would have, and turned my eyes towards the student who raised his hand.
“Professor.”
“Yes, student.”
“Forget that and just talk about your first love.”
“…Huh?”
“Kkkkkk.”
A completely unexpected question.
As a result, the atmosphere quickly cools on the side where Lena, Sharon, and Meron are, while on the other side, an excited atmosphere blooms, as if waiting for an interesting story.
It seems that their interests are a bit different from those of first graders.