Academy’s Barbarian

The dignity of the Grand Princess seemed to have been thrown out the window, as Freide sprawled on my sofa, leaning back and recounting her tales.

Complaints about the reconstruction costs of the Northern Wall draining Pailoon’s treasury, or how my mansion in the north had been completed in a way that was utterly beastman-phobic. Just trivial chatter like that.

Listening to her, it sounded like the place was wallpapered with beastman hides. Curtains made of beastman hide, carpets of beastman hide, even the sofa and bed were covered in beastman hide.

At this point, my mansion might have a higher concentration of beastmen than an actual beastman’s den. Just stepping inside, you’d probably be hit with the overwhelming stench of beastmen.

She even picked out the best-preserved taxidermied beastmen and displayed them like statues, with Ryu-rik’s taxidermied form apparently placed in my bedroom.

“Why would you put that there? It’s going to mess up my sleep…”

If that thing shows up in my dreams, I might end up smashing the bed without realizing it.

“Decorating a bedroom with worthy hunting trophies is only natural, isn’t it?”

“That’s fine for deer, wolves, or bears, but who in their right mind taxidermies an entire werewolf…?”

“Well, our late mother did?”

Did she just pull the “our late mother” card?

Bringing up a deceased family member like that? Is that even fair?

“…Now that I think about it, I guess that makes sense. Knights in the north wouldn’t even consider bears worthy trophies. So, yeah, beastmen are more fitting for decoration.”

I quickly corrected myself, wiping a cold sweat. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be turned into trash in an instant.

—

After excitedly rambling about the mansion’s layout, Freide finally returned to the special dormitory after lunch.

She used to eat alone just fine, but it seems it wasn’t by choice—she just didn’t have anyone to be friends with. Even now, it seems she doesn’t have many friends besides us.

Maybe people started keeping their distance after she reached the level of a master. The number of people approaching her dwindled even more.

Even the already small number of residents in the special dormitory had decreased significantly. Lacey, Ferne, Asha, and I had left, and Evian was better off not being around in the first place.

At least there was Calix, but he left to participate in the Great Holy War.

With the political turmoil across nations escalating into war, even the other races stopped sending new special students. Now, the special dormitory was practically Freide’s personal mansion.

Agnes had recently joined, though… Given that she’s a saint from the Menes Church Order, specializing in beastman slaughter, she might get along well with Freide. Who knows, they might turn the special dormitory into a beastman corpse exhibition hall.

Anyway, with Leonor and Nigel’s help, I refined my lecture content. What I was teaching were mostly game tricks and tips, so there might be some differences from actual combat.

“Where on earth did you learn this, miss?”

“It’s an unusual approach, but… it seems practical.”

Thankfully, both responded positively. Though they did question whether some of the tricks were actually feasible.

Two days later, the day of the lecture finally arrived.

—

For this rare lecture, I swapped out my usual Ka`har attire for the professor’s uniform provided by the academy.

A long uniform reaching my ankles, with a golden belt and buttons. Topped with a black cape coat adorned with golden embroidery, it was a neat yet splendid outfit.

It felt a bit stuffy, having grown too accustomed to Hersela’s attire, but compared to the barbaric Ka`har clothing, this had a more refined, soldier-like elegance, which I found satisfying.

“You look so cool, sis!”

Rana was absolutely thrilled.

“Wearing that, you really look like a professor. They say clothes make the man, but you’re not just flying—you’re ascending to heaven.”

Leonor also seemed impressed, nodding as she looked me up and down, her chin resting on her hand. Whether it was a compliment or teasing, I couldn’t tell.

Take a page from Nigel’s book. He just showered me with pure compliments, saying it suited me perfectly. Whether it was out of loyalty or genuine admiration, I’m not sure.

—

With teaching materials in one hand and a cigarette in the other, I made my way to the academy’s grand hall.

“Professor, is that really…?”

As always, all eyes were on me.

“The Sword of the Starry Sky. The Empire’s strongest swordsman, Marquis Median…!”

“So cool…!”

The difference from before was that instead of fear and discomfort, there was now awe and admiration. Especially among the new students, who looked at me with the same starry-eyed gaze as Rana, regardless of gender.

This is all the result of my hard work.

A proud smile naturally spread across my face. I let my coat flutter dramatically as I walked through the campus, trying to look as cool as possible with the cigarette in my mouth.

[What are you doing?]

Hersela, unable to comprehend this coolness, sneered at me with a mocking tone, but I didn’t care.

What does a brat who spouts embarrassing lines about being a Heavenly Demon know about being cool? Kids at that age naturally crave this kind of atmosphere.

Beast girls might only appeal to certain tastes, but a cool, mature, and refined beauty is always a hit. I could already hear the squeals of female students echoing around.

I used to feel self-conscious about such attention and avoided emphasizing my appearance, but now that I’m used to it, I welcome it as long as it doesn’t get annoying.

A person’s heart is heavily influenced by appearance. It’s an absolute truth that applies to any relationship.

In short, even if the lecture is a bit sloppy, as long as the professor is beautiful, people will let it slide with a “Well, it happens!”

Even in my past life, wasn’t it the same? Doing something stupid, if you’re good-looking, you’re seen as quirky, but if you’re not, you’re just a fool.

Unless it’s a life-or-death situation, appearance is the ultimate asset.

—

And so, I stood before four hundred students as a professor. As I swung open the grand hall’s doors, the noisy hall fell silent in an instant.

Every faculty and year had signed up for the course, filling the vast hall to the brim. Even some of my former classmates and Freide were in attendance.

…If I mess this up, I’ll be the laughingstock for the next decade.

I took a deep breath, sucking in the cigarette smoke to calm my nerves, and walked to the center of the stage.

In the center of the stage was a small lectern, and behind it hung a massive chalkboard.

Why make it so big when we don’t even have technology like PowerPoint? Unless you’re a giant, you can’t even reach the top of that thing.

“Phew…”

Exhaling smoke, I placed my teaching materials on the lectern, and the students began murmuring again, though much quieter than before.

Their reactions ranged from “This is nothing like the rumors” to “I’m so excited,” so it seemed my appearance had passed the test.

I cleared my throat, looked straight at them, and began the lecture.

“Ah, ah. Pleasure to meet you, cadets. I am Hashalr, the honorary professor in charge of the newly established ‘Introduction to Countering Hostile Species.'”

It felt like my tongue would go numb using honorifics with kids much younger and weaker than me, but since it was my first lecture, I decided to be polite.

“It’s only a four-day course, but I look forward to working with you.”

Cheers and applause followed.

—

I smoked my cigarette, waiting for the applause to die down, and when the noise subsided, I spoke again.

“The purpose of this course is to teach you, as budding combatants of the Empire, the tricks to easily slaughter all threats to humanity.”

“Isn’t that overlapping with the regular curriculum?”

As soon as I stated the purpose, a question flew at me.

Kids these days are bold. I don’t recall giving them permission to question me. I glanced over and saw a freshman girl who still had that newbie vibe.

She wore the magic faculty uniform, with her hair tied in twin tails and glasses. She gave off a strict, studious vibe. Probably not a noble, but from a wealthy merchant family.

As a freshman, her skills seemed lacking. A flick of my finger could probably shatter her mana barrier and blow her head off.

Anyway, since she asked, I should at least answer.

“As you pointed out, there may be some overlap with the regular curriculum, but there will also be content you won’t find there. What you gain from my course is up to you.”

“Is it true you cut the sky with your sword?”

“Can you show us just once?”

“How do you surpass the level of a master?”

…Answering was a mistake.

Seeing that I answered readily, they must’ve thought it was okay to ask more questions, as a flood of inquiries poured out.

“What’s your relationship with Seilon of the Holy Kingdom—”

In the midst of it all, someone even tried to pry into my personal life. What’s with this kid?

I clicked my tongue and chewed on my cigarette without answering.

I thought staying silent would calm the commotion, but with their youthful energy, they showed no signs of quieting down.

At least my former classmates, who knew my temperament, kept their mouths shut after reading my expression. But the freshmen, full of pride, and the third-years, who only knew my legends, kept firing questions.

“Silence.”

“Why did you abandon Ka`har and defect to the Empire—”

…These kids really need to get a grip.

“I said, silence.”

I raised my right hand like a blade and swung it behind me, channeling the essence of the Vacuum Slash.

– Sssshhhhk!

An invisible slash shot from my fingertips and struck the chalkboard on the wall. The board split in half and crashed to the stage floor with a heavy thud.

“……”

The hall fell silent.

Knights, mages, even the professors—all were stunned by the technique I had just demonstrated, blinking as they stared at the shattered chalkboard.

Now it’s quiet.

“I’m here to lecture, not to hold a hearing. So, I’ll only allow questions from those who understand the principle behind the technique I just showed. If you don’t get it, shut up and listen.”

I swept a cold gaze over the students and lowered my still-tingling right hand.

This technique, using my bare hand to assert dominance, was fine, but I forgot that using any sword other than Durandal would shatter it.

…I almost crushed all the bones in my fingers. Thank goodness for divine protection.

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