Top Instructor of a Third-Rate Academy

013

As we walked to the classroom for the lesson, Yuria silently followed behind me without a word.

She didn't cast a single glance at the academy's scenery or the surrounding students, only following me.

To be honest, it was so burdensome that I threw a question to break the atmosphere.

"Did you come here alone?"

It takes more than a week to get here from the Grand Temple in the Holy Kingdom, even riding a horse at full speed.

That wasn't much different from the time Rozalin said she had regressed.

It meant that she had come straight here as soon as she regressed.

"I rode a horse."

"Still, the distance..."

"I continuously cast recovery magic so that I could run for a whole week."

...?

"It must have been difficult to get permission for a sudden outing from the Holy Kingdom."

"I said a prophecy had been given and I had to leave immediately, then I just left without permission."

…

Isn't this child more dangerous than I thought?

Should I say she's blindly devoted to what she thinks she has to do, or should I say she's reckless?

No, is the future where such a person becomes the Saint really correct?

"I have a question."

"Uh, huh."

"I've been looking at the surrounding students as we've been walking, but I can't find the person I'm looking for. The person I'm looking for is Pan. The result of the Great Master and the hero of humanity. The father of the sword and..."

"He'll be in the classroom we're going to."

I had told Pan to come straight to Class C from today, not Class A.

So he should be in the classroom now, preparing for the lesson with the Class C students.

At my words, Yuria smiled faintly for the first time.

"That's a relief."

"But um..."

Is it a relief?

Considering Rozalin's case, she's probably going to be shocked by Pan's appearance.

"Hey, Yuria..."

"Instructor!"

Just then, Pan, who had spotted me on the path to the old building, ran over with a happy face.

"Pan. Why aren't you in the classroom?"

"Hehe, it's a bit... I wanted to go with you, instructor!"

It seemed he was conscious of the delinquents and other students in the Class C classroom.

Tsk tsk, to be so timid.

Thanks to that, I missed the opportunity to explain about Pan to Yuria.

"...?"

Yuria, who had suddenly encountered Pan, stared at him with wide eyes, as if she couldn't understand what was happening.

"...Instructor?"

"Uh-huh, that's right. This is Pan."

"God, oh my God."

It seemed to be a shock enough to make her seek the God she had abandoned.

* * *

"Instructor. Why is she glaring at me like that?"

"It's all for your own good."

It was a different formation from when we were walking here earlier.

If I walked ahead, Pan would follow right beside me.

And right behind, Yuria with a scary expression would follow with long strides.

The way she walked with her pupils dilated and her eyes darkened felt like a zombie was following behind.

A ghostly aura seemed to flow from her eyes and expression, which were a mixture of strange obsession and despair.

So much so that Pan was so scared he just walked without daring to look back.

"IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?IsthatPan?"

Her mouth muttered endlessly, as if she wasn't even breathing.

Is that how one uses the rhythm of praying to God?

So much so that as soon as Pan arrived at the classroom, he rushed to find an empty seat in a corner.

It seemed the gaze from behind was scarier than the delinquents who might threaten him.

I stood in front of the students and scanned their gazes.

They were still hostile and uninterested in me, but at least less so than during the first class.

"This is sudden, but we have a new student. She's a... transfer student from the Holy Kingdom.

Yuria. Greet them."

"My name is Yuria Epillio, an exchange student."

Avril was truly competent.

I don't know what he did, but in just one day, Yuria had an official identity.

The admission process was also handled cleanly.

It was said that he had also officially spoken with the Holy Kingdom.

Thanks to that, Yuria was able to stay at Akarind Academy as an exchange student.

Of course, just because the system and procedures are clean doesn't mean it can sway people's perceptions.

"An exchange student from the Holy Kingdom? Why? To a place like this?"

"Did she hear that Goldline was investing here first?"

"Then she should go to Class A! Why Class C..."

"Actually, maybe Class C is better than Class A?"

"Thank goodness! If a priest from the Holy Kingdom is coming here, then God will protect this place too!"

Eyes mixed with confusion and expectation scanned Yuria.

"Now then..."

There was a problem.

Yuria didn't have the social skills to just ignore the students' whispers.

"I am an apostate who has abandoned God, and the reason I came here is because of the Great Master, Instructor Cassian."

So Yuria calmly dropped a bomb in the middle of the classroom.

All the students had expressions as if they couldn't understand what they had just heard.

The more they mulled it over, the more the combination of words didn't make sense.

Apostate, Great Master, Cassian.

'Even I think it's a ridiculous combination.'

"Whaaaat?"

A sound like air escaping came from the students' mouths.

If this continues, it's just going to be a huge disaster.

Never mind the lesson, I'll have to waste today as well.

There are about 2 weeks left until the test I promised Avril.

There wasn't much time.

I clapped once to draw the students' attention and then declared.

"Today, we'll have a swordsmanship sparring lesson at the training ground! Everyone, let's go!"

If I make them move their bodies as much as possible, their idle thoughts will disappear.

I led the students to a small training ground behind the old building.

"...Uh-huh?"

The children who hadn't come to their senses until now began to wake up one by one as if from a dream.

It was as if they had just woken up from a fantasy spell.

I gathered those children at the entrance of the training ground and then climbed onto a platform set up on one side.

The stone-carved platform had been neglected for a long time and was covered in moss and vines, and the edges were corroded.

"There must be people who feel it's unfair that they received a C. That they're not someone who should be here."

Anyway, the school's system had changed.

In this situation, I couldn't just keep spouting empty words about education and ignore the students.

How should I teach in a situation like this?

I had to think about my teaching method.

"For students who aren't interested in swordsmanship, magic, or military tactics, Class C will be an opportunity. But for those who are, it's unfair."

Since it had come to this, I would give the students the motivation for self-development and inspire their desire to learn.

"So I decided to give you a chance. Two weeks from now. We will have a test."

A class placement academic achievement test. At the declaration of the placement test for short, the students' eyes sparkled.

It was a reaction as if their scattered attention from Yuria had returned in an instant.

"But with the usual methods, it will be difficult for you to beat the Class B or A students."

This was a cold assessment.

The academic achievement level of the A-class students is about twice that of the C-class.

What this means is that an A-class student has the ability to take on two or three C-class students on their own.

"So for the next two weeks, it's special training."

"How?"

A boy with a crooked expression in the back asked with his arms crossed.

It was the leader of the delinquents who had been bullying Pan.

"You can't even swing a sword properly yourself, instructor. So how are you going to make us stronger than Class A? Are you just going to spout some more weird nonsense?"

He's not usually a guy who reacts so harshly even during class.

It seemed he had accumulated a lot of complaints because of what had happened in the past few days.

But his words themselves had a point, so the students' attention was focused.

"? Instructor Cassian is the great master who created the Sword Master Pan..."

I covered Yuria's mouth with my hand as she was spouting some nonsense beside me.

It was a story that wouldn't do the students any good to hear.

Rather, in a situation like this, appealing to authority was the best way.

"You all know student Rozalin Vürhelm well. I have received her secret swordsmanship techniques."

At the mention of Rozalin's name, the student who had been arguing with me turned pale.

It seemed the trauma of being beaten up in the past was resurfacing.

The other students became noisy with pure anticipation.

"She dropped out and went home!"

"Is it really Senior Rozalin's swordsmanship?"

Rozalin Vürhelm, the name of the swordsmanship genius who would go down in the history of Akarind Academy, had that much weight.

"She has left the school for a while due to circumstances. Instead, she left her swordsmanship to be of some help to the students of Akarind Academy. I will pass on its basic theory to you."

"Ooh, are we finally getting a proper education?"

"If it's the senior's swordsmanship, I'll soon be a master of the sword too...!"

I pointed to the training ground for the excited students.

It was a training ground of about 400m if you ran around the edge.

'I should come and clean it once in the evening.'

It was full of gravel and weeds, but it wasn't so bad that it would be difficult to run for just one day.

"First, we'll train our stamina and lower body. We'll warm up lightly and run 10 laps. But the important thing is posture."

I personally showed the students the running posture.

I wasn't swinging a sword, so there was no strain on my body.

"Run with your gaze fixed 10-15m ahead. Don't lower or tilt your head excessively, and slightly tuck your chin to relax your neck. Relax your shoulders naturally, and it's good to bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and swing them back and forth in a short, rhythmic motion."

From head to toe.

It was a posture designed to develop basic stamina while running for a long time and to prevent injuries.

A few students, including Pan, awkwardly tried to imitate my posture and prepared to run.

But the majority of the students ignored my explanation and started to warm up as if they were about to run out at any moment.

And three people.

The student who had been beaten up by Rozalin gritted his teeth and pointed at me, arguing.

"Where's the proof that, that, that running posture is related to Rozalin's swordsmanship?"

"Proof?"

"In the first place, it doesn't make sense that the witch entrusted her swordsmanship to a teacher who can't even use his own body properly! In the first place, can you even teach it?"

The more he spoke, the more confident he seemed to become.

His voice grew louder and his intonation stronger.

'He's not wrong.'

That's why Freutche was supposed to take on this role.

But because of the incident with Sordian, I didn't have time to discuss the training with Freutche.

There's no other way.

"I'll show you."

I took out the wooden training sword I usually carry.

I hold the sword in my hand and compose my breath.

The stance I'm taking is the swordsmanship stance Rozalin used before it changed.

The breath I calmly draw in while relaxing my body circulates inside me, creating a refreshing feeling.

Zing!

At that moment, a pain like electricity running from my right shoulder to my elbow began.

For it to tingle this much without even swinging the sword, I guess I should call it Rozalin's swordsmanship.

"It looks similar to Senior Rozalin's stance..."

"Hey, I can take that stance too!"

I slowly tune out the students' voices.

Just once.

Just by imitating the stance, I could gain the students' trust.

I gritted my teeth and prepared to swing the sword.

'A straight, honest, and clear sword path.'

A swordsmanship with a noble dignity, as if looking down on everything from the high heavens.

The most concise and beautiful sword path among the swordsmanship Rozalin uses.

A thrust.

At the same time as pushing off the ground with the left foot, I receive the power of the ground as if it were bouncing up my body.

Starting from the ankle, the rotating force rotates the entire body diagonally.

The body, with the elasticity of a spring, shoots forward like a cannonball.

At the same time, the outstretched arm, and the sword extended from the arm, rush towards the opponent.

'Hkk!'

But the pain that started from the moment I stepped on the ground traveled up from my ankle to my entire body.

The world turned black, and a ringing sound of 'pii—' filled my ears.

Just when it felt like my body was about to sink down as if submerged in water.

'...Huh?'

In an instant, the pain in my body begins to disappear.

It wasn't completely gone, but it was to the extent that I could control my body to some degree.

I planted my right foot firmly on the ground to support my collapsing body.

I move my body in the order I had simulated in my head.

No, it felt like my body was moving on its own in the direction it felt was right, before I could consciously move it.

And finally.

Swish!

With a sharp sound of cutting through the air, the thrust was completed.

"Hah, ugh."

No, it was about to be completed.

Surprised by the sudden movement, my arm trembled slightly.

I couldn't hold the sword in the air for long and dropped it.

Damn, it would have been better if I had finished it well until the end.

I forced a smile and looked at the students to get the situation under control.

At this rate, the teacher's dignity will be...

"Wow..."

"Did, did you see that? That was awesome. It's really Senior Rozalin's swordsmanship!"

"A swordsmanship that can even change the clumsy Instructor Cassian... crazy!"

...Did it work?

Fortunately, the students seemed to be more impressed by the trajectory of the swordsmanship in the middle than the final finish.

Even the delinquent leader who had pointed out the problem first could only click his tongue, "Tsk," and avoid my gaze.

I had been acknowledged.

'Ah...'

For some reason, my heart was full.

I, I had properly wielded a swordsmanship for the first time.

A swordsmanship I thought I couldn't wield properly because of my glass body.

'It's definitely divine power.'

I was sure because I had experienced it just yesterday.

"Yuria, thank..."

The moment I turned to express my gratitude.

"Ah."

With a thump, the pale-faced Yuria collapsed, her nose bleeding.