The Legendary Veronica
Professor Kalian, the combat instructor who had blocked the joint attack from Argo and Runa with his bare hands, swallowed hard. What kind of absurd strength is this…! Even though he had put some real effort into the block—as expected of a professor—the impact reverberating through his palm was insane. If he hadn’t hurriedly poured aura into his arm midway, it would have shattered. This was nowhere near the level of mere students.
I know about the Northern Breathing Method. But is it really this effective? No, that couldn’t be it. Even accounting for the North’s unique traits, the two kids’ skills clearly defied common sense. Power like this usually stemmed from raw talent. Terrifying. In just a few years, they’ll surpass me.
He swallowed dryly again and glanced at the pair, who now wore sullen expressions because the spar had been halted. The atmosphere kept flipping so rapidly that even Kalian struggled to keep up. Were these really the same people who had fought as if trying to take each other’s lives moments ago? The Northerners watching from the stands remained perfectly calm, which meant this kind of bout wasn’t unusual to them. Still, it was hardly a sight appropriate for students.
As their professor, Kalian scolded them.
“Even for a spar, don’t you think this was excessively brutal?”
“We didn’t hit any vital points, so it should be fine… right?”
“I got a little excited midway, but I think we stayed within bounds…”
“Hah.”
Kalian let out an involuntary sigh at their responses. He turned his gaze to the half-destroyed training ground, its reinforced surface still cracked despite the magical fortifications. Where exactly had they “stayed within bounds”? A real fight might have been less destructive. He had plenty more to say, but he held his tongue. The professor responsible for the troublesome twins was already on her way after hearing the commotion.
The presence he had barely sensed at the edge of his perception suddenly accelerated, and in the next instant, a figure appeared above the training ground. The moment the woman with wolf ears standing perkily atop her head scratched lazily at her scalp and scanned the area, murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“Look, it’s Professor Veronica!”
“She came down from the North to meet someone from back home?”
“First time seeing her outside of class.”
Completely ignoring the stir, she swept the area with bored eyes until she spotted me. One eyebrow rose.
“What’s this? The headmaster practically begged me to come, and there’s an interesting little brat here?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Argo, a Bronze-class adventurer affiliated with the Edenberg Adventurer Guild branch.”
“Huh? One of Vergo’s pups?”
She seemed well acquainted with Vergo; her face lit up with genuine pleasure. Outwardly she looked like a slacker with nothing better to do, but I maintained proper etiquette and responded with formal politeness. After all, the woman before me was none other than Vergo’s older sister—also the sister of our hometown hunting instructor Werner—and the legendary warrior Veronica.
The moment Veronica appeared, Runa beamed and introduced me excitedly.
“Sis! This is the friend from back home I told you about! His name’s Argo! He’s ridiculously strong!”
“I could already tell he’s something special. Looks like he’d be fun to train, too.”
When Veronica’s gaze landed on me, goosebumps erupted across my skin. The sensation was like having razor-sharp fangs rake across my body; I instinctively snapped into combat focus. Noticing the shift in my aura, Veronica seemed to realize what she’d done. She withdrew her gaze and offered an apologetic look.
“Ah. Sorry. I let some power slip out on instinct.”
“It’s fine. Thanks to you, I got a firsthand taste of what the strongest Gold-class adventurer feels like.”
Because of that, I now had one more goal to surpass. She was a hero I’d read about countless times in fairy tales as a child. I still admired her, but one day I would definitely overtake her and grow even stronger.
“Cheeky little thing, aren’t you?”
“Does that bother you?”
“No. Actually, I like it.”
Veronica let out a small snort of laughter at my attitude and ruffled my hair as if I were adorable. Kalian, standing beside us, cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Exchanging greetings is all well and good, but discipline seems to be in order first, Professor Veronica.”
“Discipline? What discipline?”
“Sparring in the Northern style is fine, but this was far too violent. They could have suffered permanent injuries. I believe some restraint is necessary.”
It was a perfectly reasonable observation. Rather than simply scolding them, he had correctly identified the danger of our bout and proposed a suitable solution. However, that was only according to Central Region standards. As a Northerner, Veronica merely poked the floor of the training ground with her foot, looking thoroughly unimpressed.
“This much is just a normal fight, isn’t it?”
“Excuse me? Where exactly do you see this as normal? Just look at the wounds—”
Kalian pointed at the injuries covering Runa’s body with a face that said he would not yield on this point, only to stop mid-sentence as he stared at her. Or rather, at what had been wounds.
“Wait, how…? They weren’t major injuries, but they definitely shouldn’t have healed this quickly.”
As Kalian muttered in disbelief, Veronica chuckled. She didn’t think poorly of his attitude. He genuinely cared for the students and never stinted on guidance. The only thing he hadn’t accounted for was the North’s peculiar nature.
“The Northern Breathing Method’s effects are pretty ridiculous. Once you master it, most wounds heal almost instantly.”
“Pardon?”
He still looked confused by her explanation, but what could he do? Even to Veronica, the Northern Breathing Method was an absurd existence. A breathing technique created by ordinary humans had evolved into a colossal Mystery, becoming an exclusive privilege only Northerners could learn. On its own that was already unbelievable, but once you understood its efficacy, everyone simply accepted it. No wonder Southerners called Northerners the “Mystery-specialized delinquents.”
While Kalian’s mind drifted into outer space trying to process Veronica’s words, she shouted with a satisfied expression toward the spectators still staring blankly in our direction.
“All right, all right! Everyone disperse! The spar’s over, so go on about your business. Also, Training Ground One is closed for the next few days!”
At her command, the students in the stands hesitated briefly before scattering. Very few people at the academy could refuse her orders. Especially after the incident a year ago when she had beaten a Sword Master like a stray dog—she was someone even the nation preferred to avoid. At such a threat from her, the students vanished like an ebbing tide.
Left alone in the now-empty training ground, Veronica smiled with a refreshed expression.
“Good! The annoying kids are gone. Shall we find somewhere quiet and chat?”
I turned to look at my companions. From their faces, it was clear no one intended to refuse Veronica’s invitation. It made sense—this was an offer from an adventurer legendary throughout the North. At the very least, no adventurer—or Northerner—would turn her down.
We followed her out of the training ground. The area outside was still buzzing from the earlier spar. The level of combat far beyond anything students usually witnessed seemed to have inspired them; people were reviewing their realizations or exchanging impressions as they walked about. Veronica gave a small laugh.
“Looks like it was good stimulation after all. A training craze is going to sweep the place for a while.”
“Now that you mention it, you did say you teach students, Miss Veronica.”
It was rare enough for Northerners to leave their region, let alone teach at Orbis Academy. I must have looked puzzled, because she kindly explained.
“The headmaster came all the way to the North to ask me. Said he couldn’t protect the academy by himself or something like that.”
“That must have been a difficult decision to make.”
“I wouldn’t know. But he apparently ran all over the place trying to recruit me.”
A Gold-class adventurer was an extremely valuable asset even to the Adventurers’ Guild. Most problems were handled internally, and in cases like a War Ant nest, they could simply deploy a tactical Gold adventurer to resolve it. I couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of price the headmaster must have paid to bring in one of the strongest among such elites. Still, no matter the compensation, it would be meaningless if the person themselves refused. I wondered why Veronica had chosen to come down to the Central Region.
“There was the headmaster’s request, but I was looking for a suitable place to retire and picked here.”
“Was it that obvious on my face?”
“Most people seeing me for the first time react similarly.”
I gave an awkward smile at Veronica’s accurate reading of my thoughts. She led us into a splendid, imposing building and stopped before the most ornate door.
“We’re here. This is the quietest, most peaceful spot in the entire academy.”
“Where exactly are we?”
“The headmaster’s office.”
Huh? Before I could stop her in a panic, having failed to process her words in time, Veronica kicked the door open with a powerful swing of her leg and strode inside majestically.
BANG!
“Get over here!”
“Stop coming to find me, you brat!”
The headmaster, who had been seated at his desk handling paperwork, shouted with veins bulging on his forehead as if he had predicted her arrival. But it had no effect on Veronica whatsoever. After all, she held the upper hand and he was the subordinate—who could possibly stop her? The white-haired elder closed his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm his rising blood pressure, then noticed us standing beside Veronica. In an instant, he transformed into a benevolent archmage, smiling gently as though he had never been angry.
“Guests from the North, I presume?”
“We came to see a friend.”
“Ah, Ruin and Runa’s friend. The doors of Orbis Academy are always open to you.”
“Then why are you trying to steal Northern talent?”
“There is no nobility or baseness in learning. At Orbis Academy, even that child would have much to gain.”
The headmaster, who had been glaring at Veronica, checked the faces of my companions and seemed to grasp the situation. He nodded.
“The academy is a place that yields to no one. Even if nobles make a fuss, it means nothing here. Stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you for your kindness.”
“Then we’ll excuse ourselves for a moment.”
Everyone thumped their chests in gratitude at his words. The headmaster was an archmage—skilled enough to be considered Gold-class even in the North—so we accepted his consideration with sincere thanks. Seeing us behave politely (unlike a certain someone), the headmaster looked pleased for a moment before a question seemed to occur to him.
There was no way such well-mannered people would rudely kick open the door to the headmaster’s office. Therefore, the true culprit who had led them here had to be the damned professor standing before him. Headmaster Germa hid his unease and asked her,
“So why exactly did you come here?”
“To chat somewhere quiet.”
She casually pulled tea and snacks from a shelf as she spoke. The headmaster gave a dry laugh, then retrieved a staff from his subspace and resonated with the eight circles in his heart.
“This is not your playground! Get out!”
“Aw, why? I came all this way to keep a lonely old man from getting bored!”
What began with the headmaster’s explosion of pent-up frustration quickly turned into a childish bickering match between the two. I watched in admiration as they meticulously controlled and limited their power so that none of the aftershocks leaked outside. Soon, a woman who appeared to be the headmaster’s secretary entered and began setting out the tea and snacks.
“Is it really okay not to stop them?”
“It’s an everyday occurrence. They’re only half-joking, so just ignore it.”
After the secretary answered calmly and finished preparing everything, she left. We exchanged glances, then quietly sat down on the sofa. Ruin, Runa, Harne, and Elicia were already seated, happily munching on cookies. Watching them, Adela turned to look at me.
“The Central Region doesn’t seem normal either.”
“You can say that again.”
We all quietly nodded in agreement with Adela’s observation.