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Chapter 10
“What was your name again? Karen… Aswan?”
“Yurio Harmattan.”
“Right. Wow, I’ve honestly never heard that family name before.”
“Do some studying. It’s a family that appears in history books. Though it’s fallen now.”
“So what’s the point of family prestige? It’s gone now anyway.”
“Where else would you live if your status is ruined?”
The three second-year students of Sword School walked along, chuckling.
“Hey, but the first-years this time… they’re really something, huh? Kundel, and Richard…”
“Don’t forget Sopen. Can’t we do something about them?”
“Try to get close. Whether through clubs or academic societies, if we make friends with them early, it’ll make things easier later.”
Last year, the three couldn’t have said this.
They would anxiously lower their heads to avoid senior students, constantly looking around.
But now, the new students had arrived.
Meaning their time was slowly coming.
“Now that the first-years are here, life’s better. But Deleve? We shouldn’t mess with him, right?”
“If you want to die, go ahead. You’re not going to fight with Kundel anyway.”
“Just saying. I know, I know. They’ve got older brothers in third and fifth year.”
“Mess with the big players, and we’re all dead.”
The three, walking proudly just because they were now seniors, froze in surprise at that moment.
“Oh… hey. Long time no see.”
“Se-senpai.”
The third-year seniors of Sword School.
The second-years’ expressions shifted just like Karen and Yurio’s had a moment ago.
“Ah, hello!”
“So, kids. Enjoying life? Happy that the juniors are here?”
“Hehe… well…”
“Talking back?”
“…Sorry.”
The most striking difference between Sword School and Arcane School:
Absolute obedience to seniors.
Unless the family is particularly distinguished, in which case there’s an exception.
“Do well, alright? Don’t lose focus just because juniors have arrived.”
“Yes, senpai.”
“They answer well. Let’s go. Oh, the inter-school exchange is coming up, right? See you then?”
After the third-years left, the second-years ground their teeth while watching them go.
“Bastards…”
“Ha, damn it, I’m pissed.”
“Hey, hey. Hold on. When we’re third-years, we’ll get to do the same.”
“I don’t think those bastards will give us the chance.”
“Ah, damn it. I’m mad, let’s go do that thing.”
“Go there now? Aren’t there people passing by?”
“Hey, how many bottles do we have left? Enough to light?”
The three grumbling second-years were blocked again.
This time, they thought it was a senior, but it wasn’t.
“You’re the students who just harassed first-year students Karen Aswan and Yurio Harmattan.”
“What?”
A handsome guy stood there.
They didn’t like him from the start.
“Your faces are unique, so you won’t be hard to remember.”
“What nonsense is that?”
“One has differently sized eyes, one has a crooked nose, and the other has thick lips.”
He pinpointed them accurately.
Ziel had no malice. Or perhaps just a bit, stirred by anger.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Ziel Steelheart, Sword School general education instructor.”
“…General education instructor?”
“Yeah. I heard. That self-defense class…”
“Ah…”
The three nodded simultaneously, understanding. One of them snickered.
“Teacher, it’s just a matter between seniors and juniors. The senior was just giving advice.”
“Advice accompanied by verbal abuse and violence, I see.”
“Ah, that… but how did you know?”
“I saw.”
Another snicker followed.
“Want to report us to student affairs? Don’t you know our school?”
“No. Not planning to. For now.”
“For now?”
“If you touch my students again, I’ll request disciplinary action according to the school rules. By the book.”
This strange general education instructor…
Seems like all sorts of odd people are coming.
“I thought, what could he possibly do? Teacher, you don’t know, do you? They’re first-years and their families aren’t anything special, you know?”
“Is that important?”
“Hah. You really don’t understand the world, do you, teacher?”
Their smirking faces showed no respect.
“Teacher, juniors must obey seniors absolutely. Except for kids like Kundel or Richard, they’re all the same.”
“Even if they lose?”
“Eh?”
Lose?
Confused, but Ziel mentioned the upcoming exchange.
“There’s an inter-year exchange coming. Students face off by year. You’ll see there.”
“Exchange? First-years have never won against upper-years. What are you expecting?”
“At your level, my students could definitely win.”
“Level? What did you say…”
At that moment, one of them stepped forward angrily.
“If you come closer, you’ll regret it, second-years.”
The moment they met Ziel’s orange eyes, their feet froze, bodies stiffened.
‘What… is this?’
Something every human feels.
But something a revenant does not have.
Fear.
“Uh… ugh…”
“Hey, what’s wrong with him?”
Plop.
He finally collapsed.
“It’s okay.”
“Uh… ugh…”
“W-what just happened!”
The second one, meeting Ziel’s gaze, gasped and stepped back. Fear overwhelming.
‘What… is this!’
The last one…
“Wh-what… eek.”
Collapsed just like the first.
Ziel stared at their pitiful sight and realized something.
‘So this is what it’s like when the ego manifests.’
Ziel still didn’t fully understand, but anger surged, gripping the three.
Killer instinct.
A skill from his assassin days. One that earned him the nickname “Revenant.”
Only those who learned the Extreme Night Breathing technique could wield it. Very few knew of it. And only Ziel had mastered it.
“What’s going on?”
“Aren’t those Sword School second-years?”
“Seems like they were just talking…”
Hearing the voices around them, the three felt both fear and embarrassment.
The result:
“L-let’s go! Quickly!”
“Get up, idiot!”
They ran off, unwilling to meet those eyes again.
Ziel nodded at their fleeing backs.
“My students will win, then.”
And he walked toward the staff dormitory, as if nothing had happened.
Meanwhile…
“Did you see that, Yurio?”
“Uh… yeah… that… was real, right?”
Karen and Yurio watched the scene from nearby.
“Did the teacher… teach them a lesson?”
“Seems like it… but he didn’t even touch them, did he?”
“A wizard, maybe?”
“No way. He didn’t cast a spell or use a magic tool.”
For Karen and Yurio, the idea of subduing someone without touching them was unimaginable.
Wait.
‘Fear.’
Ziel said he’d teach how to overcome fear. Could this be it?
Recalling the fleeing seniors, it started to make sense.
“Looks like my fear’s eased a bit, Yurio.”
“Huh?”
“The seniors, I mean.”
Yurio murmured,
“Teacher Ziel is just amazing…”
Healthy body and stamina.
The class nobody calls by its real name anymore.
The running class everyone calls “Long-Distance Running” returned.
“Did you practice?”
“No way.”
“What? Hey, Yurio. I saw you running last night.”
“That was just a walk.”
“Trying to get a praise card? Or did you deliberately run 20 laps to prepare?”
“Who deliberately finishes last?”
Before Ziel arrived, the first-years chattered like first-years do.
“But what do you get for collecting five praise cards?”
“Don’t know. Ask someone today. Don’t know what the prize is.”
“Deleve got one, right? Did you ask him?”
“No one here can really talk to Deleve properly.”
“Ugh, if I skip, I fail. I’ll ask him.”
“That’s the same guy who ran so hard last night?”
“I said it was just a walk!”
The first-years were gradually adapting to long-distance running after self-defense class.
They had no choice. If they skipped general education now, they’d have to take it again in second-year.
And not just that.
Ziel Steelheart, the suddenly appointed instructor.
Even Deleve, with the best background among the first-years, quietly followed the class.
Some resisted like in the first self-defense class, but both had calmed down.
‘I didn’t expect general education class to be like this.’
Karen, lost in thought, tapped Yurio.
“You okay? You practiced yesterday too. Don’t overdo it… like last time.”
“Shh. Someone might hear.”
“Yurio, trying hard is good, but still…”
Yurio looked downcast.
“I know. I want to work hard because our family’s weak. We don’t have money or fame.”
“No other way? Medicine, something…”
“The doctors don’t even know the cause.”
“It’s okay. I can do it.”
Karen and Yurio had grown close on the first day of orientation.
Perhaps they bonded over being from minor families.
Yurio’s family was weak and he had a congenital illness, earning Karen’s sympathy.
“Ziel said he’d teach how to overcome fear. Yurio, you can overcome yours too.”
“Really? That’d be great…”
Yurio murmured with little expectation, but one thing was clear:
The sight of Ziel subduing the three second-years without doing anything was impressive.
‘Could I be like that someday?’
Karen and Yurio slowly began to admire Ziel.
Yurio a bit more than Karen.
Why?
Because he had received praise for the first time since entering Sword School.
Screech.
The auditorium door opened and Ziel entered.
Instantly, the chattering students went silent.
“I’ll take attendance.”
As always, his flat, calm voice.
Karen’s name was called.
“Karen Aswan.”
“Yes, teacher!”
“Yurio Harmattan.”
“Yes!”
“Do not talk during attendance.”
“…Yes.”
“Alright…”
After calling attendance, Ziel pointed to the box of sandbags.
“Everyone wears them and stands at the starting line. Complete warm-ups too.”
Unlike the first class, students grabbed sandbags without hesitation.
After warm-ups, they stood at the starting line with Ziel next to them, also wearing a sandbag.
“No magic use. And Deleve, Celia…”
The two who ran over 200 laps last class.
“As mentioned, both of you run at full effort.”
Though expected, it still made Yurio’s mouth dry.
How far could he run without magic?
“Run two laps at full effort, then one lap slowly. Repeat.”
At least there was a slow lap in between.
“Go.”
Tap tap tap tap.
The sound of 39 students and one teacher running filled the auditorium. Two ran slightly faster.
“Huff… huff…”
By the 20th lap, Yurio, who had failed at lap 20 last time, was panting.
‘Damn, I ran myself to death all week.’
Embarrassing. He barely got in, but he didn’t expect to be this weak.
After the first class, he pushed himself to train hard…
‘Am I really hopeless?’
Though his family celebrated his admission, they had little expectation of him.
He didn’t want to give up. For the family’s sake.
“Huff… huff…”
But his breath grew shallow.
‘Only 22 laps done…’
Legs weak, about to collapse.
Plop.
A hand on Yurio’s shoulder.
It was Ziel.
“Huff, teacher?”
“You’re leaning too far forward, Yurio Harmattan.”
“Yes, sir!”
“If it’s hard, slow down a bit. Don’t run too fast at first; endurance matters.”
“Yes!”
It sounded like simple advice.
‘But it feels… encouraging?’
Oddly, he felt stronger just by adjusting his posture.
“Huff… huff…”
Running with better posture, Yurio’s breathing stabilized.
Ziel withdrew his magic from his fingertips.
‘He’ll run longer now.’
Boosting confidence in struggling students is also a teacher’s role.
From books he read in the library.
Touching Yurio, he realized:
‘His magic flow is off.’
The flow felt irregular.
‘He won’t last long.’
As expected, Yurio collapsed at the 30th lap.
Ziel immediately lifted him aside.
“T-thank you, teacher. Huff.”
“Drink water. Slowly. Sip it.”
Following Ziel’s advice, Yurio drank slowly.
“Huff… huff…”
“You’re weak, Yurio Harmattan.”
“Ah, no! I’ll work harder!”
He desperately tried to hide his congenital weakness.
“You don’t seem unpracticed.”
“Eh…?”
“I heard your chatter. You practiced the whole time, right?”
Ziel placed a hand on Yurio’s shoulder again.
“Your magic flow is unusual.”
“…!”
How did he notice that?
Ziel studied him for a moment.
“This wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”
