12
Chapter 12
"Group 1, once you've collected everything, exit the range quickly. Next group!"
At Instructor Amelia's command, the trainees standing at the lanes filed out and Group 2 took their place.
Two days ago, Instructor Amelia had asked me to assist with the midterm evaluations.
I tried to decline, as I had my own work like drafting and grading the theory exams, but Amelia used her position as Senior Instructor to override my refusal.
Sigh, it doesn't even seem like being a Senior Instructor comes with any extra actual work.
"Instructor Bio, please adjust the targets."
For this shooting test, trainees must choose the weapon they are most confident with—either a dagger or a bow—and hit the target.
Since daggers and bows have different effective ranges, the targets must be constantly adjusted.
I know both are the most common weapons for a Ranger, but they've barely learned anything; why not just standardize it?
Giving the trainees a choice just makes things harder for me.
It would be so much simpler if one or two lanes were dedicated exclusively to daggers or archery.
But because that inflexible woman ignored my suggestions and insisted on testing in numerical order, I'm the one suffering.
"Instructor Bio?"
"I'm on it."
The previous group didn't have a single dagger, but this group has two.
I adjusted targets 2 and 4 and stepped back into position.
Tweet—
As Amelia's whistle signaled the start, the trainees fired their arrows and threw their daggers all at once.
Ten projectiles were launched, but only six sounds rang out.
Targets 2, 4, 6, and 8 were missed.
"Yes! I hit it!"
"Good thing I aimed slightly to the right."
While some trainees cheered, those who failed hung their heads and went to collect their weapons.
'The trainees are even more pathetic than I thought.'
'Then again, it's hard to master archery or dagger throwing in such a short time.'
'Oh, are you actually defending them because they're your students?'
Defending my foot.
Who cares if they're skilled or not?
"Instructor Bio, please adjust the targets again."
Ugh, can't we just make the trainees who already finished do this grunt work?
It's late September, but it's still scorching hot.
It's absolute hell being out here in the blazing sun when I could be in a cool classroom with magic power temperature control blowing chilly air.
"Hurry it up over there!"
I rushed the students out and readjusted the targets.
After repeating that five more times, the test finally ended.
"Good work, everyone. Clean up and then head to dinner."
Fortunately, it looked like she was going to make the kids do the cleanup.
I was planning to head to the dormitory for a shower before eating, but Amelia approached me.
"Instructor Bio, do you have a moment to talk?"
"What is it?"
I've spent all day running around in the sun because of her; I wonder what she's going to nitpick now.
"What do you think, now that you've seen them yourself?"
Wait, she wasn't trying to start a fight?
"What do you mean by 'what do I think'?"
"During yesterday's faculty meeting, the Dean mentioned sending our Ranger Class trainees to Belugaria."
Oh, I thought it was something serious.
Belugaria is a traditional festival held to give thanks for the year's harvest and pray for another bountiful one next year.
It runs from the second Wednesday of November through the weekend, featuring various performances and night markets filled with food and sights, but the true highlight of Belugaria is something else.
The Emperor's martial arts tournament.
The tournament is divided into three categories based on the participants.
Alpetta, open to anyone regardless of their background.
Berta, reserved for those in public office, such as members of the Imperial Army or the Magic Tower.
Greeta, specifically for academy trainees from across the empire.
Unlike Alpetta and Berta, which don't distinguish between wizards, swordsmen, and rangers, Greeta is a bit different.
While they eventually fight regardless of their field, Greeta first crowns winners in each subject, who then compete against one another.
At yesterday's faculty meeting, the Dean announced that the Ranger Class trainees of Belliard Academy would participate in Greeta.
"Based on the level of today's test, I doubt anyone could even pass the preliminaries."
I wasn't just trying to get under Instructor Amelia's skin; that's simply the reality.
Belliard Academy only opened its Ranger Class this year, while other academies have students who have been training for a year or two.
Amelia's expression soured again.
Even the Dean, who declared the participation, seemed to have low expectations, suggesting it would be a good way to gain some experience.
Did she actually expect some sweet talk?
"You're being too cold."
"I'm not being cold; I'm just being realistic."
Time was also a major issue.
Since preliminaries are held before the finals, the festival is in mid-November, but the prelims begin on November 1st.
With today being the end of September, there's barely a month left for preparation.
It's not an incredibly short window, but trainees from other academies won't be idling around.
"Still, the Dean asked us to select a representative, so perhaps Instructor Bio could give his opinion..."
"The practical instructor knows the kids' skills better than I do. You handle it; I'm heading out."
I quickly made my way to the dormitory, fearing she'd try to hold me back again.
I took a quick shower, had lunch, and went to the faculty office to start grading the written exams.
Since I had no afternoon classes today, I could clock out as soon as I finished this.
Wait, what on earth is this?
62... 50... 44... 36?
Because this was a recorded midterm evaluation, I had made the questions more complex than the quizzes, and the scores were abysmal.
Huh? Just as I was wading through a sea of terrible grades, I found one that was... wait, a perfect score.
I double-checked, thinking I might have misgraded it, but it really was a perfect score.
The name on the answer sheet was May Levi.
She was one of the few who got a perfect score on the written entrance exam.
Her intellect is certainly top-notch.
I had even included a question slightly outside the curriculum to trick them, but she got that right too.
Does she study ahead?
She's a hardworking genius.
Then again, she's almost the only one who bothers me with questions during self-study, so it's a natural result.
But her practical evaluation earlier was a disaster.
She didn't even graze the target, let alone hit it.
Glancing at her evaluation sheet, her other practical grades didn't seem very good either.
She's the unfortunate type—smart and motivated, but physically lacking. Wouldn't she be better suited as an administrator?
I finished grading, feeling a bit sorry for her.
I was about to leave, but the faculty office seemed unusually rowdy.
"Oh? Instructor Karis is taking over the Swordsmanship Class this year."
"Instructor Berman had too much on his plate, so he stepped down. I heard Karis is filling in."
"Really? Instructor Karis is a good choice. I heard Instructors Aris and Maria are handling the Magic Class again like last year?"
"The Magic Class has so many applicants that they're hiring one more person."
"There are so many talented students this year, I'm really looking forward to it. By the way, who's in charge of the Ranger Class?"
"Instructor Bio will likely handle it."
Huh? Me?
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Oh, you were listening? We were talking about who would be in charge of the supplementary lessons for the trainees entering Greeta."
Since winning the tournament would bring honor to the school, it wouldn't be strange to hold supplementary classes, but why on earth would I be the one to do it?
"I'm not doing it."
"Really? I heard Instructor Bio would be the one."
"Who said that...?"
"Instructor Amelia did."
"I heard that too."
I immediately went to Instructor Amelia's desk to demand an explanation, but she was nowhere to be found.
Feeling a bad premonition, I asked a nearby instructor and learned she had gone to the Dean's office, so I rushed out of the faculty office.
This woman is unbelievable.
How could she dump this work on me without a single word of consultation?
If it had already been reported to the Dean, it would be hard to reverse, so I hurried toward the Dean's office—but damn it.
Just as I arrived, the door opened and Dean Marquis Banks and Amelia walked out together; I was a step too late.
"Oh, Instructor Bio! I was just on my way to call you. Perfect timing."
"What brings you...?"
I had a rough idea, but I pretended not to know, hoping that I was wrong.
"Instructor Amelia mentioned that it would be great if you took charge of the supplementary lessons for the Greeta participants."
That woman, seriously.
"Since I'm a theory instructor, I think it would be far better for Instructor Amelia, the practical instructor, to teach them."
"Not at all. I may be the practical instructor, but Instructor Bio's skills are far superior to mine, aren't they? So he should be the one to do it."
"Wait, being skilled doesn't necessarily mean one can teach..."
"I believe Instructor Bio will do a more than adequate job."
What is wrong with her?
She had even told me to leave the academy because I was useless to the students; this is just absurd.
"I agree. Our Ranger Class trainees are at a disadvantage due to their short training period, aren't they? The students will appreciate it if someone as capable as you takes over."
They'll appreciate it?
Yeah, right. They'll love it.
"Um..."
"Is there some reason you cannot handle the supplementary lessons?"
"It's not that there's a problem, but..."
"Then it's settled. You'll be in charge of the Ranger Class supplementary lessons."
...I knew she'd try to pick a fight again, but I never imagined she'd annoy me in a way that didn't even help me get fired.
'See, what did I tell you?'
I didn't like Ark's sarcasm, but he was right.
I should have kicked her out after that fake career incident, even if it meant a bit of trouble.
"I'll be expecting great results."
The Dean winked at me, just like in the last duel, and walked away.
The Dean was one thing, but Amelia looked at me as if she was enjoying herself and left.
Even after the duel, she still doesn't seem to know me very well.
Ah! Maybe I was too nice to her last time, and now she thinks I'm an easy target.
'Serves you right for not listening to me.'
Serves me right, my foot.
Back in my active days, I once completed a mission and returned safely even after my identity was exposed due to a teammate's mistake while spying.
A little trick like this is child's play.
****
"Hey guys, did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"The theory instructor is taking over the supplementary lessons for Greeta."
"Instructor Bio? That guy just makes us do self-study every day."
"And then he made this midterm exam ridiculously hard."
"Right. I thought it would be easy like the quizzes, but I totally bombed it."
Was it really that hard?
I didn't personally feel it was that difficult.
"Wait, if Instructor Bio is in charge, won't the supplementary lessons just be more self-study?"
"Knowing him, he probably will."
"I was thinking of entering for the experience, but I think I'll pass."
Just as I was wondering why Instructor Bio, who finds everything such a chore, had taken on these lessons, the door opened and he walked in.
After the greetings, he began calling out the midterm written scores in numerical order, and just as the students had mentioned, the grades were dismal.
Hardly anyone scored over 70, let alone 90.
I guess they weren't exaggerating.
Oh? It's my turn.
"Number 17, May Levi. Perfect score."
"Whoa!"
"May, that's amazing!"
It was the expected result, but I felt a bit shy with everyone cheering and praising me.
"Quiet, everyone. For those of you who scored below 50, be warned that you'll be held back if you get the same score on the final."
"The exam was way too hard!"
"Exactly! It was nothing like the quizzes. You should have warned us."
Huh? Only the last question was outside the scope; everything else was straight from the course materials.
"Quizzes are to verify what you've learned, but the midterm is to check your academic achievement and whether you can apply it in practical situations, so they are naturally different."
"Still, it was too difficult."
"If it were truly impossible, there wouldn't be a perfect score. Instead of blaming the exam, I suggest you reflect on whether your own effort was sufficient."
The classroom fell silent instantly at the instructor's words.
A few students glared at me, which was a bit overwhelming, but I felt happy at the same time.
Because my usually indifferent instructor had actually praised me.
"Those who performed poorly this time should make up for it on the final. Now, for an announcement: the Ranger Class trainees will be participating in Greeta this year."
There wasn't much of a reaction, as most of them already knew.
"I will be in charge of the supplementary lessons for Greeta. Anyone interested can apply at the faculty office by tomorrow's lunch break."
"Um, Instructor, are the supplementary lessons just self-study too?"
Eddie, the one who had been complaining about the exam, asked.
"I'll explain the details to the participants separately, but since these are lessons to prepare for Greeta, the method will differ from standard theory classes."
If the method is different, it probably isn't just self-study.
"Are there any restrictions on who can apply?"
It was Rita, who had just said she'd give up if it was just self-study.
"Any trainee in the Ranger Class can apply."
No restrictions?
I had heard that only those recommended by an instructor or with excellent grades could apply for Greeta prep; was that not the case?
To be honest, I'm more confident in theory than anyone, but I'd given up because my practical scores were so bad... maybe I should try?
Winning a prize or even being selected as the school representative would be a stretch, but it's not impossible to try.
I'll tell him right after class.
I'm actually looking forward to seeing what a non-self-study class by Instructor Bio is like.
"One more thing: even if there are no restrictions, this is for tournament preparation, so it won't be easy. Don't apply unless you're serious."