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Chapter 332

When I returned to the exchange dormitory, Spear Saint Bellion Krevard was waiting for me outside.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Hmph. Do I look like I was out playing around?”

“Yes.”

“You cheeky brat.”

He clicked his tongue, then suddenly frowned.

“Where have you been?”

“Just out for a short walk.”

At my answer, he gave a dry laugh.

“The smell of blood is all over you.”

He asked,

“How many did you kill?”

“To be precise, I didn’t kill anyone. I just saw the dead.”

He gave me a peculiar look, then fell silent.

“There won’t be any problems, will there?”

“There won’t be—because I’ll make sure there aren’t.”

“I’ll have to go to the Pinas Archipelago.”

“Something happened?”

He chuckled.

“Nothing big. Just that adults shouldn’t meddle in children’s games. You look after the cadets.”

It seemed he’d be away for quite some time.

Since the cultists were dealt with anyway, it didn’t really matter.

“Understood.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Old man.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Oh? You call me ‘old man’ now?”

“Take this.”

I handed him the prototype spear I’d made from mithril ore.

It had been lying around unused, and this seemed as good a time as any to pay off a small debt.

“It’s solid and light. You’ll find it useful.”

“It’s sturdy and light indeed. Fine. I’ll bring it back later.”

“Yes, sir.”

He gathered a few belongings and left in a hurry.

So, just like that, I found myself responsible for the academy students—but it wasn’t much of an issue.

The day passed quietly, and soon the next day dawned.

There wasn’t much planned for the second day either.

By evening, there was supposed to be a formal banquet at the central hall, where everyone would socialize and draw lots for the exchange competition events.

The real contest of wills would begin there.

“When you get there, don’t let them look down on you. The battle of presence is all about guts.”

The cadets looked unimpressed, as if wondering why that mattered—but Melissa alone understood.

“You better take that seriously, if you just stroll up smiling and offer to shake hands, you’ll get brushed off so fast your neck will spin.”

Her words made the other cadets glance at one another uncertainly.

“Um… Professor, aren’t you going to stop them if they start fighting?”

Asked Lishia Hevilion, the granddaughter of the alchemy dean and a golem craftsman.

“Stop them? Why?”

“Huh?”

She frowned.

“If the cadets fight, shouldn’t you—”

“You don’t seem to understand. It’s not just the cadets—professors have their own battle of presence too.”

“…What?”

“It’s written right here,”

I said, waving the document in front of them.

“So don’t worry and just rest until dinner. I’ll go protect your pride for you.”

“Brother.”

Melissa sighed and caught my sleeve, her expression serious.

The cadets thought she was trying to stop me.

“What is it?”

“If you’re going to do it, crush them completely. You know that, right?”

“Just watch over the others and help them train.”

With her, the rest would be fine even if they all attacked at once.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luna’s dorm room door still closed.

She’d been up all night gaming with that Paradise artifact again.

I’d better let her sleep.

I set off confidently toward the exchange venue.

* * *

“Oh dear, I was expecting the famous Spear Saint himself, but it seems a mere student has come instead. So, what business brings you here, cadet?”

As if a cadet would ever come here on their own.

They obviously knew I was the supervising professor and were just trying to provoke me.

“Would a cadet come here? And since when do you address me so casually?”

“What… what did you say?! You insolent—”

I brushed off their bluster and sat down.

Then I looked over the two men.

One master-level, one expert of the highest class.

A decent lineup, I supposed, but that didn’t matter.

They were young, and seeing me alone, they were trying to assert dominance, subtly releasing their aura.

“First things first—has there been any change in the sequence of events for the exchange?”

“…No.”

“Good. The events will be decided during tonight’s banquet, correct?”

“...Yes.”

“And the participant list is confirmed as before?”

“…Yes.”

“Excellent. There are no changes on our side either. However, as Supervising Professor Bellion Krevard has been temporarily dispatched elsewhere, please address any official matters to me.”

“What could a brat like you possibly know? If a problem arises during the exchange, will you take responsibility—”

“You’ve been rather talkative since earlier.”

I cut him off, opened my eyes, and calmly swept my gaze across them.

“It seems you’re not interested in talking, only in leaking your killing intent.”

Then I let a fraction of my aura surge out.

BOOM!

A crushing pressure filled the room, forcing everything within range down as if gravity itself had increased.

The two men turned pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

“Ghk—!”

“Khak—!!”

Both the expert and the master choked for breath under the oppressive energy.

I watched them for a moment, then spoke.

“Before you posture and try to intimidate people, shouldn’t you first ensure the cadets’ safety? Or does Kona Academy have a policy of letting students get hurt?”

“Ghhhk…”

“Urgh…”

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No answer, of course.

“You seem mistaken. Just because Lord Bellion left doesn’t mean our academy is unguarded. I’m here because he knew things would still be fine without him.”

“Haaah!!”

“Khuhk!”

As the pressure lifted, they gasped for air, eyes wide with disbelief.

“Minor details can be discussed later. If there are any changes, contact me directly.”

I turned to leave.

The two men were still slumped in their chairs, legs too weak to stand.

Leaving the hall, I stopped by the banquet area, where the Valtosma Kingdom staff were preparing for the evening.

Everything looked fine, so I returned to the dormitory.

Only Melissa was there, going through some paperwork—probably documents she still had to file back in Cascadia.

“I went and won.”

“Good job.”

I raised my fist.

She giggled and bumped it with hers.

“What about the others?”

“Luna took them for training.”

“Will they survive that?”

“They’ll come back half-dead, probably.”

Luna had an unnerving sense for how far she could push living beings without killing them—and she often overshot that line.

Worse, if someone did get seriously hurt, she’d just heal them on the spot and keep going, like a broken machine with no brakes.

Melissa herself had once sparred with Luna early on and ended up avoiding her for weeks afterward.

“Honestly… she could tone it down a bit.”

“You’re one to talk. You’re just as bad, you damned squid.”

“What’d you say, you blobfish-looking thing?”

“Hey!!!”

I ignored her outburst and linked my vision with the wraith shadowing Luna.

Melissa, curious, stopped tugging my hair and nudged me.

“Don’t hog it! Show me what you’re seeing!”

“What a temper…”

Using an image projection spell, I shared the view.

Through the wraith’s eyes, I saw the cadets standing in a field opposite Luna, weapons ready but still unscathed—it seemed training had only just begun.

“I won’t say much,”

Luna said calmly.

“This is to gauge your abilities. Attack me as if to kill.”

Her tone was indifferent, but perhaps because of her striking appearance, the male cadets hesitated nervously.

Lishia Hevilion readied her golem without a word, and Ashuria silently circulated her mana.

“A-all of us… against you alone?”

One of the boys stammered.

“Is there a problem?”

“N-no, but… she’s unarmed. How could we possibly—”

Luna frowned slightly, then stomped the ground twice.

Thud. Thud.

BOOM!!

In an instant, Carnivel Licentra’s body flew backward as if struck by an invisible force.

“Gah!”

Carnivel Licentra—disciple of the Rotorius Kingdom’s sword master—was older than most cadets and considered a prodigy even across the central continent.

But to Luna, that meant nothing.

He tumbled several times before collapsing unconscious. Luna dusted her hands.

“If you won’t attack, I’ll make you.”

“Wh-what—”

“In war, your enemy won’t care about courtesy.”

She vanished.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared before Basara Krevard.

Startled, he thrust his spear, but with the weapon’s reach disadvantage at close range—

Tap.

Luna deflected it easily, swept his leg, and slammed her fist down.

BOOM!!!

The ground exploded, debris flying everywhere.

“Eeek?!”

Basara’s eyes went wide—Luna’s fist had stopped just beside his face, shattering the ground instead.

If she hadn’t pulled the blow, his head would’ve popped like a melon.

“Y-you were actually going to kill me?!”

“It’s fine. People don’t die that easily.”

She casually healed Carnivel and helped him up.

Their faces said it all: How are we supposed to fight that monster?

“For reference, from now on I’ll hit hard enough to blow off a limb.”

“What?! You’d cripple us?!”

“I’ll heal you afterward.”

At this point, healing seemed to be her preferred form of torture.

When the training finally ended, the cadets stumbled back to the dorms, collapsing in the hall before even reaching their rooms.

Lishia Hevilion clapped both hands over her mouth, gagging before bolting for the bathroom.

“Alright, everyone, get up, the banquet starts in three hours. Fix your uniforms and meet in two hours and forty minutes. The attendants here will help you get ready.”

Nearby, the servants and maids bowed politely in acknowledgment.

“S-someone… kill me…”

One cadet groaned.

“It’s fine, people don’t die that easily.”

Melissa, reading her book, sighed and muttered,

“A perfect pair of lunatics, those two.”

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