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Chapter 17
The day before the selection trials.
Jiel was deep in serious thought.
“Hmm.”
Going one step further here seemed like an unreasonable choice.
He didn’t sense anything strange yet, but being careful on top of careful was always wise.
‘My behavior might look suspicious to someone.’
A fake identity.
And a former life as an assassin.
With those two mixed together and his missions gone, Jiel still lacked a proper “center.”
Losing his brainwashing had a big impact too.
Brainwashing determined an assassin’s direction and behavioral patterns.
Now that it was gone, he had to judge and act on everything himself.
“I suppose I’ll do this.”
Creak.
Jiel rose from his seat.
And he made a decision.
From now on, he would eat only five bowls per meal.
‘Still hungry, but I must endure.’
The money he had left: 100 Cel.
Was it because he didn’t have money?
Or because the food tasted so good?
He could easily eat twenty bowls, but he held himself back.
‘I have a long way to go before becoming a professor.’
He couldn’t rely solely on his false identity.
He needed to build his own standing here so people would stop questioning him.
There was another reason.
A full stomach dulled the nerves and disrupted the senses.
Even during his assassin days, he always filled his stomach only halfway.
Not that it mattered back then—he ate tasteless nutrition blocks that hardly filled anything.
It was not time to relax yet.
“You’re eating a lot again today. Five bowls?”
“The staff cafeteria servings are huge, you know? But he’s eating five whole bowls.”
“Isn’t he the new liberal arts instructor in Sword School?”
“I heard rumors. He’s really handsome.”
“Tsk. Why doesn’t someone like that come to the Arcane School? I’d spoil him rotten.”
The whispers about Jiel.
He heard everything, of course, but paid no attention.
There was something more pressing.
The moment the staff cafeteria door opened, someone poked her head inside.
“Student Celia Rihardt.”
“You eat so much, teacher. And for so long too. I got tired waiting.”
It was Celia Rihardt again.
He already knew she was tailing him earlier, but he hadn’t expected her to wait outside instead of following him in.
‘It must be some student trend to tail people.’
Student trends were impossible to understand.
“What’s your reason today?”
“If anyone hears you, they’ll think I follow you around every day!”
“You tailed me twice after the staff cafeteria. Including today, that makes four times.”
“H-how did you know?”
Celia panicked.
Jiel answered calmly.
“You have a distinctive scent.”
“M-my scent?”
Her ears turned red again.
‘What is he even saying!’
“Tree bark, grass, jasmine… and honey. A mix of all four.”
“Ah!”
Celia froze—shocked in an entirely different way.
“That’s… my perfume.”
A gift from the Empire’s greatest perfumer: ‘Meadow of Arna.’
His explanation matched the perfumer’s description exactly.
‘How does he know that? Does he know that perfumer?’
According to the perfumer, the perfume was one of a kind.
And he’d guessed the components perfectly.
“So what did you come for?”
“Um, well…”
Celia lost the lead completely.
That had never happened before.
Even with professors, she always took control of the conversation.
But in front of Jiel, her momentum always crumbled for unexpected reasons.
She never imagined it would crumble because of perfume.
‘Today I was supposed to make the proposal…’
Celia had learned from her father:
If you lose the initiative, don’t rush. Wait for the next chance.
It seemed the proposal for becoming her escort knight would have to be postponed.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just wanted to see you! I’m getting nervous with the selection trials coming!”
Even she knew it sounded weak.
“Wanted to see me… I see.”
Jiel murmured something strangely meaningful.
“If you have no further business, I’ll take my leave, Student Celia Rihardt.”
“Okay…”
Celia walked away reluctantly.
‘Next time for sure!’
The more she saw him, the more she wanted him.
An escort knight.
Noble ladies typically had escort knights by second year. Third year at the latest.
It was the academy trend.
An escort knight’s skill and appearance were practically the lady’s prestige.
‘He’s handsome, skilled, and barely talks. What’s not to love?’
From the moment she met him, she had put Jiel on her candidate list.
Now he was her top priority.
It was disappointing, but she’d aim for the next opportunity.
Perfect timing too.
If she showed the full strength of the Rihardt family’s swordsmanship during the selection trials and performed well at the exchange event…
‘He’ll have to consider it.’
Meanwhile…
“So the student is tailing the teacher?”
“Yes. She said she wanted to see me and followed me.”
“What?”
“Tailing seems to be a trend nowadays.”
“…A trend.”
Jiel had run into Tiron, the teaching assistant, and decided to ask him about it.
‘What kind of trend is that?’
It had only been three years since Tiron graduated.
But even he was unsure.
“Well… even if it’s tailing, is that a problem?”
“I see.”
“Teacher, no offense, but you are the type students would like.”
He meant Jiel’s face.
But Jiel took it as praise for being a good teacher.
“A compliment. Thank you.”
“I was just stating the truth.”
Tailing, huh.
Maybe it was simply students following him around.
He was handsome, and from the look of it, even Delev Kundel treated him with such respect…
“It’s not common, but you’re doing well. So, who was tailing you?”
Tiron asked casually—
and froze at the answer.
“Huh? Who?”
“Student Celia Rihardt.”
“S-she said she wanted to see you… and tailed you…”
“Yes.”
Tiron had just bumped into Jiel.
He was on his way to the department office, busy preparing the selection trials.
But that plan was completely forgotten.
‘I shouldn’t have heard that!!’
After Kundel, now Rihardt?!
And not just anyone—Celia Rihardt, the famous daughter of the Rihardt family, was tailing Instructor Jiel claiming she wanted to see him?!
This was huge.
‘Who IS this man?!’
Kundel and Rihardt.
The heirs of the empire’s two greatest families adored this instructor.
Not even a professor—
a liberal arts instructor!
“I couldn’t understand the meaning of her actions, so I asked.”
Tiron still had many years left to live.
He sensed danger.
The Rihardt family.
If he talked about this or acted like he knew something…
‘Be careful. I’m nowhere near becoming a professor yet.’
If it was Rihardt, they could make a teaching assistant disappear without a trace or ruin his career with one word.
“Um, Instructor Jiel. I heard nothing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Please be careful too. Don’t mention this anywhere. It could be serious. With people like that behind you—well, anyway! Be careful! Kundel and Rihardt’s names carry enormous weight in the empire!”
Even while panicking, Tiron still worried for Jiel.
Jiel couldn’t understand the reaction at all.
“Anyway, I’m leaving. I heard nothing! Nothing!”
Tiron fled.
Jiel watched him disappear and wondered:
“Is this trend so dangerous to talk about?”
Selection Trial Day
From early morning, first-years gathered in the auditorium.
Out of 100 total students, 80 were participating.
Those with circumstances or who preemptively gave up were excluded.
“I heard almost 90 joined last year.”
“Yeah, but Rihardt and Kundel basically have two slots guaranteed this year.”
“Sophen too. Maris Sophon isn’t a joke either.”
The student body’s interest centered on one thing—
Who would be chosen for the exchange event?
It was a symbol of hope.
If I get chosen…!
Admiration from peers, attention from professors, and massive external evaluation boosts.
The Sword School Exchange Event attracted many high-ranking guests.
Simply being selected brought enormous benefits.
“Hey, look. Those guys are all huddled together.”
“Aren’t they the ones taking that weird instructor’s class?”
“That guy… Jiel or something?”
The 40 students who took Jiel’s class were warming up together.
Coincidentally, the auditorium was where they normally had class.
Familiar surroundings meant they naturally fell into their usual formation—
even forming the same training lineup they used in class.
“Weren’t they forced to run long distances with sandbags?”
“I heard he makes them train without using mana.”
“Oh, did you hear? In self-defense training they just get hit repeatedly.”
“That instructor’s insane. How is he not fired? Don’t Kundel and Rihardt complain?”
The remaining 40 students clicked their tongues without understanding the truth.
Rumors from outside.
A bizarre instructor.
And even more bizarre students who obediently followed him.
Meanwhile, rumor-savvy students added:
“I heard Instructor Jiel is sponsored by some huge organization…”
Immediately dismissed:
“Stop saying nonsense. Then why would he come here as an instructor? He’d be a professor.”
“He always talks BS. Just shut up already.”
At that moment, the auditorium doors opened.
Two professors and one teaching assistant entered.
Two more assistants followed.
Tiron would oversee the trial.
The other two handled scoring.
“The department chair.”
“He actually came?”
Department Chair Professor Berhal.
Junior Professor Elconto.
Three assistants.
And—
“That’s the liberal arts instructor?”
“He’s really handsome…”
“I’ve never seen him before… wow…”
Jiel Steelheart, the instructor of all the rumors.
Then several large devices were brought into the hall.
“What are those?”
“For the test, maybe?”
Technicians quickly installed the devices around the auditorium and left.
“Ahem.”
Once preparations were complete, Tiron introduced the professors.
“Welcome first-year students, to the selection trials for the exchange event. Today, we are honored to have Department Chair Berhal and Professor Elconto with us. Chair, please say a few words.”
“Ah, yes. Welcome students. You may be nervous, but maintain calm minds during the trials…”
The boring speech continued—
“—and above all, take the test fairly.”
Professor Berhal looked directly at Delev and Celia in turn.
They were the reason he had come today.
Tiron proceeded with the rules.
“As stated beforehand, any interference with others, use of magical devices, or cheating of any kind will result in immediate disqualification, and disciplinary measures may follow—up to expulsion. Keep this in mind.”
The first stage was a physical test.
“It will proceed in three rounds. Scores for each section will be averaged to determine the forty students who pass round one.”
Eighty students.
Exactly half would be eliminated.
No one knew the details of the physical tests.
Then the first was revealed:
“The first test is ‘Barrier Resistance Running.’”
The moment that was announced—
‘Huh?’
Several students smiled strangely.
Confidence?
At Tiron’s signal, the devices activated with a metallic click.
Wuuuuuuuung!
“Hngh!”
“What—”
A powerful pressure struck all at once.
Their chests tightened, and something pulled them downward from below.
Click.
When the devices turned off, the students gasped as if finally allowed to breathe.
“To prevent the trials from running too long, we have installed magical barriers that increase gravity and alter the environment to mimic high-altitude conditions.”
“What?!”
Cries of panic erupted.
“Ordinary physical tests take too long. So these devices were introduced. Please understand.”
It wasn’t a request—
it was a notice.
But he wasn’t wrong.
Sword School students could all use mana and had solid physical conditioning.
Testing them the normal way would take forever.
Efficiency was necessary.
‘It also separates the strong from the weak.’
It tested how well they adapted to sudden environmental change.
For most students, it was a disaster.
More precisely…
For half of them.
“Huh?”
Meanwhile—
Department Chair Berhal, who was sitting idly, planning to watch only Delev and Celia before leaving for the second-year trials, noticed something strange.
It was the same thing Tiron had noticed.
‘Half of them are panicking… but the other half look excited?’
Exactly half.
One group looked on the verge of tears…
The other group looked completely fine.
‘The naturally talented ones—fine. But who are these oddly thrilled students?’
“Professor Elconto.”
“Yes, Chair?”
“Those students on the left—who are they?”
The invisible line drawn across the auditorium showed exactly forty students huddled on the left.
“Oh, those on the left are the students taking Instructor Jiel Steelheart’s liberal arts class.”
Berhal’s boredom vanished.
He sat up straight.
“Hoh.”
He was finally interested.
