Lord School Faction War (5)
Lana stared wide-eyed at Adele, her expression asking plain as day how on earth the older girl could know.
"If you were trying to recklessly prove your worth just because you hate feeling helpless and frustrated... then that's the wrong answer."
"...!"
Adele settled gently beside Lana, her voice soft and soothing as she began to share her own story.
"I used to be like that, too. A long time ago, everything I did... was a desperate attempt to prove my own worth."
It was a life she never wished to remember—her days as part of Count Coutelli's household, living under the stigma of being an illegitimate daughter born to a noble family. Her story began from that dark past.
"I persecuted others, trampled over them, and even wielded the power of high birth like a weapon. I was truly wicked."
Back then, Adele had fought tooth and nail to demonstrate her value.
Yet in truth, nothing meaningful had ever remained in her hands.
The fleeting glances of approval from the Count and her aristocratic peers were all she sought, clinging to a hollow sense of satisfaction just to keep dread at bay. Even as she realized the emptiness of it all, her meaningless crusade had continued unabated.
Eventually, she had become so numb that even the strikes of the disciplinary rod no longer registered as pain.
Yet for someone like her, a day finally arrived when that pointless quest for validation and empty effort were forcibly brought to an end.
"Someone once told me that one day, I would pay the price for everything I had done... and that warning became reality."
Her life as a bound puppet of the Count's family had slowly cracked beneath the indomitable will of a young man who fought with nothing but his bare hands and sheer grit, until at last, it shattered into pieces.
"That was when I understood. When you let panic drive you into proving yourself at all costs... you only end up destroying who you are."
It was during the second-year term-end evaluation. Adele had only realized the truth after losing everything.
She had committed irreversible wrongs through her own sheer foolishness and complacency. An inescapable, crushing wave of self-loathing had washed over her as she confronted the reality that she had committed atrocities against innocent people without a second thought.
Indeed.
This was what she had lived through back when she had failed to understand why she acted so cruelly, or why she had ever believed such wickedness to be right.
It was an ordeal she had experienced not as Adele Alicia, but as Sylvia Coutelli.
"...Why are you telling me this?" Lana murmured.
It was a story ripe with humiliation and regret—an indelible stain of a dark past, a scarlet letter that could never be erased. Lana couldn't help but be moved by the confession.
"Because I saw my former self in you," Adele answered softly. "I couldn't just stand by and watch."
"..."
Advice born of raw, painful experience.
Lana, who had been on the verge of abandoning everything under the conviction that she was entirely useless, found herself reconsidering her own actions. Even so, there was one thing she couldn't simply brush aside.
"Then what about when someone tells you right to your face that no matter how hard you try, it won't work? How are you supposed to feel after hearing that?"
"Huh...?"
"That guy from Lebrant. He had the nerve to spout nonsense like 'giving up would be better' and that my effort was pointless. What about that?"
Adele tilted her head in confusion. The person who had arrived from Lebrant was Junon, the very man who had just saved Lana's life. Would Junon really say something so cruel?
No matter how I look at it, this has to be a misunderstanding...
"Well... I'm not entirely sure what Junon said to you, but he was probably trying to teach you something. He can sound a bit blunt or indifferent at times, but he never bears any malice."
"Ha! How can you be so sure?"
"Because there were times he gave me blunt wake-up calls, too! He'd flatly tell me no, or say that doing something was completely meaningless. R-Really, it's true!"
Hearing that Adele had faced similar treatment piqued Lana's curiosity. It sounded identical to the cold, rigid rejection she had received. But the moment Adele elaborated on the conversation, Lana's ears perked up.
"I once asked him if I could become as smart as him if I studied hard enough. It was right after one of the academy's lectures. My written exam scores were pretty terrible, you see. Do you know what he told me?"
The situation was eerily similar. Lana, too, had asked Junon if she could ever become strong like him.
Adele gave a wry chuckle.
"He asked me how two different people could ever be identical. Unless we scooped out our brains and swapped them, it's impossible—so there was no way I could become the exact same person as him. Ridiculous, isn't it?"
It was an obvious truth, a piece of common sense that anyone would know, stated with absolute deadpan seriousness. Yet hearing it put that way cast an entirely different light on the matter.
Wait... what the hell? Lana's thoughts spun. Did he tell me it wouldn't work just because he meant I literally can't turn into him?
Faced with that realization, no other conclusion made sense. While logically accurate to a fault, practically nobody in their right mind criticized someone on those grounds.
Lana let out a breathless, exasperated scoff, the tears that had welled in her eyes retreating back into their ducts. To put it simply, Junon was just maddeningly pedantic in the strangest ways.
"Um... would you listen to what happened?" Lana ventured hesitantly.
"Sure."
"Well, back at the clearing..."
Hoping against hope that she had merely misconstrued his words, Lana recounted the exchange. After listening attentively with occasional nods, Adele confirmed her suspicions without a shred of hesitation.
"Yep. He was definitely talking about how two human bodies can't be physically identical."
"R-Really...?"
"He probably wanted to mention that a man's body and a woman's body are fundamentally different, too. If you'd kept listening, he probably would have launched into a dreadful lecture comparing age, height, bone density, and body weight."
"Unbelievable..."
Given the explanation, it sounded entirely plausible—which only drew another weary sigh from Lana's lips. To dismiss someone so bluntly and spark such an agonizing misunderstanding was absurd.
"Doesn't it make him seem human, though?" Adele asked with a soft smile. "Junon seems so flawless, yet his very perfection is his greatest flaw."
"...That's not being human. That's just being weird."
Realizing she had tormented herself over a ridiculous misunderstanding, Lana finally managed to shed the self-loathing that had weighed down her chest.
"I want to head back."
"Are you feeling better now?"
"...Yes."
Though she still sounded a bit pouting and sulky, she was obedient. The misunderstanding had clearly been resolved.
"By the way... with everything that happened, I didn't get to ask earlier."
"Hmm?"
"You might wonder why I'm asking this out of the blue, but... who are you, exactly? You don't look like someone from Shirakh."
"Ah, me? Well... let's talk about that once we get back. Junon needs to hear it, too."
With that, the two girls turned toward the Lord School, unaware that the scene awaiting them would soon herald an enormous change for the neglected institution.
"Ugh... how did I even end up dragged all the way out here?"
Walking alongside her, Michel pondered the question for a moment before arriving at the obvious answer: it was entirely the fault of a certain pink-haired slacker.
"Ariiiis? Didn't I tell you over and over to study instead of idling away your time like a carefree fool—?"
Just remembering Senia's murderous glare and narrowed eyes sent violent shivers down Aris's spine.
"It's your own fault for not preparing, Aris."
"B-But Michel, studying is my absolute worst nightmare!"
"If you keep neglecting it, this is going to keep happening."
Ever since Professor Muniher assumed the role of vice dean, the frequency of written exams had increased dramatically. Aris would gladly go toe-to-toe with monstrous beasts, but sitting over books and theories was pure torture. The consequence of neglecting her academics was dire: within the Tembris Party, she alone teetered on the razor's edge of academic demotion. That was precisely why she had been dispatched to Sirach Lord School to make up for her grades by participating in the Faction War evaluation.
"S-Still, since you're here, Michel, won't you give me a passing evaluation... please?"
"Be reasonable. There's no way I'd be allowed to grade you. Another auditor will be handling your marks, so you'd better work hard."
"Aaargh! How am I supposed to teach theories I barely understand myself?!"
"Then you study. So you can teach them."
As Aris clutched her pink hair and wailed in despair, Michel offered an amused, gentle smile. But before their banter could continue, a sudden deafening explosion ripped through the air.
Instantly, both girls dropped into combat stances, their battle reflexes honed to perfection.
"That came from the Lord School's direction, didn't it? Could it be magical beasts?"
"Unlikely. I heard beasts don't appear unless you travel much further north..."
"Whatever it is, let's go check it out, Michel. We can't just ignore it!"
"Right!"
At that very moment, out on the Lord School's training field—the origin of the concussive boom—the crowd had yet to comprehend what was unfolding.
In the middle of the field, a lone black-haired youth was calmly supporting exhausted students one by one, helping them move to safety. Although a thunderous roar had echoed across the grounds, it hadn't been an explosion. There were no scorch marks or craters in the dirt. It had simply been the immense sonic backlash of shattered magic—a dispel resonance so violent that it sounded like a detonation.
"What do you think you're doing? How dare you interfere with my telekinetic magic?!"
"..."
Ignoring the silence, the professor barked again at Junon.
"I asked what you think you're doing, Faction War participant! I am conducting the training and lecture you so desperately wanted, and you dare disrupt it?"
Despite the shrill, indignant shouting, Junon remained entirely unfazed. He silently helped the students to their feet, finally guiding the last one clear of the area.
Smashing a magic circle by forcibly hammering mana into its core lines, huh? Crude, but he actually used his brain for once.
Still, it played right into Junon's hands.
"You have crossed the line. Even if you are a student of Lebrant Academy, disregarding the pedagogical authority of a presiding professor is an undeniable abuse of your position!"
A venomous smirk twisted the professor's face as mana began swirling around his raised hand. The gathered energy quickly manifested into a gleaming magic circle, priming an offensive spell.
"T-The professor is casting again...!"
"We're going to get caught in it! Run, everyone...!"
"Aaaah! I'm out of here!!"
Having already experienced the torment of being crushed under telekinetic pressure, every single student fled the field in utter panic.
Within moments, the training grounds emptied until only two figures remained. The black-haired boy, his expression still an unreadable mask of stone, locked eyes with the professor's sneering visage.
"Hah! Did you think glaring at me like that would scare me? You're nothing but a child. Besides, do you realize what this means? There are no eyes left to watch us."
A battlefield without witnesses was an ideal opportunity. Whatever transpired here would never reach the light of day. Even if suspicions arose, securing concrete physical evidence would be impossible.
"You had the nerve to grab me by the collar earlier. That felt like absolute shit, you know? Do you know why I was expelled from Lebrant Academy in the first place? It was for corporal punishment."
"..."
"Heh, heheheh...! Disciplining an insolent student who overstepped his authority will serve as a perfectly acceptable justification. So you'd best prepare yourself! I always return what I suffer twofold, and this is going to hurt like hell, you arrogant brat!!!"
The spell formula completed, and the magic circle blazed with brilliant light. Massive scrap iron and metallic debris levitated into the air, coalescing under crushing pressure to form a gigantic siege weapon—a lethal metal battering ram pointed straight at Junon.
Just standing there like an idiot...! Hah, he must have given up!
It was an attack far beyond what an ordinary student could ever hope to withstand. The boy held no weapon, wore no armor capable of dampening such kinetic force, and as a commoner, couldn't possibly possess high-grade defensive artifacts. Even if he had all three, the colossal impact of the projectile would send him flying and crush his bones.
Imagining the groveling wreck Junon would become, the professor unleashed the projectile with absolute certainty.
BOOM!!
The metal battering ram struck its target dead-on.
The professor's twitching cheek muscles finally gave way to a manic, triumphant grin, his voice rising in vulgar delight.
"Bwahahaha! Serves you right! What made you think an E-rank nobody from the commission boards could ever stand against me?!"
The ringing resonance of the impact had sounded far clearer and sharper than the earlier dispel. It was all the proof he needed to picture Junon broken on the earth. He strode forward slowly to deliver the finishing blow.
"You shouldn't have gotten cocky. You shouldn't have provoked me! You stupid little... wait, what?!"
The gloating died in the professor's throat.
Standing there completely unscathed, casually deflecting the massive hunk of iron with a single arm, was Junon.
Then, Junon let out a soft sigh.
"Oh dear," the professor muttered, scrambling for an excuse. "Did I pull my punches too much because it's been a while since I disciplined a student? Well, no matter. It wouldn't do to face another reprimand, so my instincts must have held back."
This time will be different.
Pouring far more mana into the formula, he reforged the metal battering ram, aimed it with murderous intent, and fired once more.
Another thunderous crash echoed across the field.
Yet as the thick plume of smoke slowly cleared, the silhouette within was neither crumpled nor kneeling. It stood tall, upright, and entirely unbroken.
"What... what is this...?"
Even the core of a wild Stump monster in these parts would shatter into dust from a single direct hit by that projectile. How could the flesh of an unremarkable, bottom-tier E-rank student possibly endure such force?
The professor swallowed a lump of dry saliva.
As the smoke drifted away, the same impassive face emerged. Those dark eyes—staring as if ready to gouge out his very soul—held not a trace of emotion. And then, he took a step forward.
Slowly. Inevitably. Suffocatingly.
Snap.
Without realizing it, the professor took a step backward, the crack of a dried branch underfoot piercing the heavy silence. Watching the boy brush off two consecutive siege-grade projectiles, the old man suddenly recalled the manner in which his telekinesis had vanished minutes earlier.
Don't tell me... the sound earlier was from injecting raw mana straight into the array's line core...?!
A dispel resonance was the auditory impurity produced when opposing magical energies collided head-on and dispersed back into raw atmospheric mana. If the sound of those two battering rams wasn't the sound of impact against human flesh, but the sound of the spell structure being dismantled from the inside out...
"No...! That's impossible! There's no way someone like you could do that!!!"
His face twisted into a mask of pure hysteria, and he scrambled to cast another spell. If the boy could only close the distance on foot, he had no means of defending against high-speed ranged spells. A projectile-type incantation would incinerate him.
"Astaroth's Third Battle Spear: Lushark—"
"Tear this stray dog to shreds!!!"
⟨ Astaroth's Third Battle Spear: Lushark ⟩
This was a high-tier spell that even a Class B student from Lebrant Academy—someone holding a current commission rank of B-minus—would struggle to deflect at full power. On top of that, its lightning attribute naturally countermanded anyone attempting a melee approach. There was no way this greenhorn could stop it.
And yet.
BZZZZT! TING!
"I-Impossible... How... how did..."
The lightning spear snapped like a brittle twig against a bare hand cloaked in brilliant white mana. Its form dissolved into harmless sparks, vanishing into nothingness. And Junon simply continued his steady, unflinching march forward.
Cold sweat beaded across the professor's palms. A freezing trickle ran down his spine. The suffocating dread from earlier returned with overwhelming force.
Fear.
What the old man faced now was the primal terror that none of his magic could ever pierce this monster.
"E-Eek! Stay back!! Stay away from meeeeee!!!"
The spell circles he had prepared in advance flared into blinding activation. It was telekinetic force fueled by twice the mana he had used on the students—a lethal, crushing wave capable of turning a human being into paste, the kind of forbidden violence that resulted in criminal imprisonment rather than academic reprimand.
He no longer cared about the consequences. He didn't care if the boy before him exploded into a bloody mist. No matter what fallout arrived later, he just needed to stop those advancing footsteps.
Please. Just this once, work!
SKRRRRRGH—!
Yet once again, without fail, the desperate plea of a terrified coward shattered completely beneath Junon's bare palm.
Now, Junon stood directly before him. Zero distance—a range where no ranged mage could ever hope to hold an advantage.
"Returning what you suffered twofold, was it...?" Junon's voice fell, frigid as the grave. "Then should I repay you on behalf of the seven students who suffered under your pathetic excuse for teaching?"
"Guh... k-kehhhk...!"
Choking on his own frantic breaths, the professor stumbled backward and collapsed onto his rear. Crawling desperately across the dirt like a wounded dog, he scrabbled to find anything to cling to. The smug arrogance that had relished the prospect of brutalizing a student was completely gone, replaced by the sheer, desperate panic of prey about to have its throat torn out by a predator.
"G-Gaaah...!"
"What's the matter? Does it hurt? Did you think it hurts when you get hit, but doesn't hurt when you hit others?"
"P-Please... stop... st—hurrgh!"
Before the sneering mouth could beg further, Junon grabbed him by the scruff, lifting him effortlessly. The quiet boy's voice had dropped into an icy, merciless register.
"Seven... no, including Lana, that makes eight. I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life for every single student who ever had their precious time stolen by a bastard like you."
"Eeek! Hieeeegh—! Urgggh..."
White froth bubbled from the professor's lips, his eyes rolling back into his head before he slumped limply to the ground, knocked unconscious by sheer terror.
"..."
The old man lay motionless on the dirt. Junon stared down at the pathetic heap, but he didn't disperse his mana. Lingering frustration burned within his chest.
Is this really how it ends? Without him ever feeling in his own flesh the torment those eight kids went through?
A rotten branch was draining the life from a healthy tree. This old fraud was precisely that rotten branch.
It didn't sit right with him. It was an entirely natural outrage. He wanted nothing more than to dump a bucket of water over the man's head, wake him up, and shatter his jaw with an unyielding fist—to carve the lesson of retribution into his very soul.
Yet... he had to stop. Forcing his rational mind back into control, he knew that would be the wrong path.
"..."
He was merely a visiting student participating in the Faction War. This man, vile as he was, held the title of professor. Junon had neither the official authority nor the legal right to administer judicial punishment. If he crossed that line, this rotten place would never truly change.
It had to be changed properly. A true precedent had to be established. And to establish that precedent, he needed to remain here—not get stripped of his credentials and expelled for violently thrashing an instructor.
Letting out a slow breath, Junon stepped away from the unconscious professor and turned around.
There, standing at the edge of the training grounds, were two girls who had just arrived.
"You held back. You really held back...!" Adele exhaled in immense relief.
Beside her stood Michel, her expression ablaze with righteous indignation after hearing what had transpired.
"Thanks to you, the students are all safe. We've already gathered direct testimonies regarding the absurd corporal punishment this professor inflicted."
Michel stepped forward, her voice resolute.
"Leave the rest to us, Junon."