The First Practical Lesson
“Ah, sorry. My legs gave out. Could you give me a piggyback?”
I let out a hollow laugh, completely dumbfounded. Was this the same person who had just been firing ice chunks at me to test my skills? Seeing her slumped on the floor with both arms spread wide made the back of my neck tense up.
“This is seriously the last time. Hurry up and get on.”
When I offered my back, Eien climbed on as if she’d been waiting for it. The weight was far lighter than I’d expected, but the arms wrapped around my neck squeezed way too tight, and I couldn’t help coughing repeatedly.
“Hey, ease up a little.”
“Sorry, I feel like I might fall.”
By the way, this kid had been speaking casually to her teacher since earlier.
I channeled mana into my legs.
Whoosh!
I kicked off the ground and surged forward. We left the forest behind in moments, and the academy buildings came into view.
“There it is.”
The place Eien pointed to was a large building directly across from the forest. I quickly opened the door and stepped inside. A grand hallway matching the exterior stretched before us.
“The class at the very end.”
At the far end of the corridor stood a classroom with a far more ornate door than the others.
Bang!
I kicked the door open hard and strode into the room.
The classroom was silent. Roughly twenty students stared at me—and at Eien on my back—with eyes wide in shock. At the front, standing with her arms crossed, was a familiar head of golden hair.
It was Elena Kastina.
“...”
“.....”
Our eyes met. The pupils behind my mask trembled faintly.
“Why are you here?”
A dark shadow fell across Elena’s face.
“Kyle… Professor? Showing up on the first day of the entrance ceremony by carrying the top student on your back—you truly are something else.”
I answered in a fluster.
“Uh… there’s a bit of a story behind that.”
I tried to set Eien down quickly, but she only tightened her arms around my neck even more. Then she spoke toward Elena.
“Professor Kyle only helped me after I got lost. And since my legs hurt, he carried me here.”
Elena glanced at me, nodded, and spoke.
“…Seat her first. Then come to the front of the lectern.”
I walked to the empty front-row seat and lowered Eien into the chair. Then I turned, approached the lectern, and stood beside Elena.
“So let me ask again. Elena, why exactly are you here?”
Elena let out a deep sigh.
“Haa… it’s not like I wanted this. The S-Class normally has two homeroom teachers per class.”
She rolled her neck once, then spoke loudly to the students.
“As you all know, I am Elena Kastina. Outside the academy I work as a 2nd-class mage, and here at school I will be teaching you magic and magical theory. I look forward to working with you.”
The classroom instantly erupted. A 2nd-class mage as homeroom teacher—it really was what you’d expect from the S-Class.
Elena turned to me and continued.
“And this masked individual is Professor Kyle, who will be teaching you combat practice and swordsmanship.”
I gave a lazy wave.
“Yeah, nice to meet you. I’m Kyle. I’ll be handling combat practice and swordsmanship. Ask Professor Elena about anything you don’t know. I don’t know anything.”
The curt greeting left bewilderment on every student’s face. For me, though, it was the perfect introduction—it meant the least amount of work.
At that moment, a blonde male student in the back raised his hand with open displeasure. His flashy uniform marked him as a noble.
“I have a question. I can accept Lady Elena, but I absolutely cannot acknowledge that a suspicious, beggar-like person will be teaching swordsmanship to our S-Class! Do you even know how to hold a sword properly?”
Hoo, provoking me right to my face. Bold.
I scratched the back of my head.
“What are you going to do if you don’t acknowledge it?”
The boy looked flustered.
“Huh? Th-that’s… it means prove your ability as a teacher…”
Did every kid in this academy just love fighting?
“Tsk. What a hassle.”
Guys like him only shut up after you showed them overwhelming skill once.
I wrapped battle qi around my legs and shot toward the student.
Bang—!
A fine crack spread across the classroom floor beneath my foot. The instant I stood before him, I drew the sword at my waist and pressed it to the side of his neck.
“…!”
The boy’s face turned deathly pale. To his eyes, I probably hadn’t even been visible.
I sheathed the sword again.
“Is this enough proof? Anyone else need more?”
The classroom fell into silence. Everyone stared at me with dazed expressions.
Good. The opening show of force should be plenty. Now I could just tell the kids to entertain themselves during my class time…
“Professor.”
Eien in the front row raised her hand.
“You said you’re in charge of swordsmanship, but we haven’t seen you use any swordsmanship yet.”
I walked over to Eien and whispered.
Hey, why are you doing this to me?
At my fierce glare, the corners of her mouth curved up seductively.
I simply want to see the teacher’s real skills.
Sigh. If I spent a few years with these students, my hair would turn completely white.
This time Eien spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.
“Instead of a boring theory class on the first day, how about we do combat practice with Professor Kyle today? Everyone seems to be doubting his abilities anyway.”
Elena nodded.
“It’s not a bad suggestion. Professor Kyle, you don’t mind, do you?”
That rabbit-like girl. I’d definitely repay this grudge later.
There was no way I could refuse now.
I let out a long sigh.
“Haa… Fine. Everyone, gather at the training grounds…”
At my resigned tone, a faint smile spread across Eien’s lips.
The academy training grounds.
Under the blazing sun, roughly twenty students stood in neat rows across the wide field. In front of them stood me, wearing a cheap robe and a mask. On a bench in the back, Elena sat with her legs crossed, watching us with keen interest.
Why did that teacher follow? It was burdensome.
“Alright, attention.”
I picked up a wooden sword from the pile in the corner.
I’d left my real sword with Professor Elena on the distant bench. There was no way a teacher should risk killing a student with live steel.
“This is the first combat practice class. The standard would be to start with a big theory lecture, but I’m not good at that. Call me the intuitive type. Anyway, I’ll fight you directly and give feedback as we go.”
Sighs rose from the students. They still seemed wary after the classroom incident.
“The rules are simple. Use any weapon or magic you have. Come at me one by one using any means necessary.”
Murmurs exploded the moment I finished.
“You want us to use real swords?”
“Magic is allowed…?”
I quieted them and added.
“If even one of you lands a valid hit on me or makes me drop this wooden sword, class ends for today. As a bonus, I’ll give everyone full marks for practicals this semester.”
The students’ eyes changed instantly. They really were serious about their classes.
“So, who wants to start?”
As I rested the wooden sword on my shoulder, the male student from earlier raised his hand.
“I’ll go first.”
“You’ve got spirit. Already forgot what happened earlier?”
He stepped out from the line and stood across from me in the center of the field.
“My name is Denin. Please take care of me in this duel.”
Denin’s eyes were dead serious. He drew a real sword from his waist and pointed the tip at me. His stance was polished—clear signs of knight-family training.
“Good. Come at me.”
When I lowered the wooden sword and aimed it at him, he charged with a shout.
“Haaat!”
Not bad speed. He must have been a standout in his family.
His blade sliced sharply toward my right shoulder.
Clack—!
“Ugh?”
But no matter how fast, a student was still a student. I twisted lightly to dodge, then tapped his wrist with the tip of the wooden sword.
“Keuk…!”
Strength left his wrist for a moment and he nearly dropped the blade, but he recovered and reset his stance. Immediately he swung a wide horizontal cut at my legs.
Hoo, not bad at all. Maybe I underestimated him.
Tap! Tap!
I deflected his sword again by striking the flat of the blade. Panic flashed across Denin’s face.
“Your movements are too big. I can see your next move plain as day.”
When I spoke calmly, battle qi began gathering on his sword. He was angry.
This… I can’t block it normally.
I wrapped battle qi around my own wooden sword and watched. Black smoke rose from it like haze. The raised blade came crashing down toward my head.
This time I didn’t dodge. I swung my wooden sword upward to meet it.
Clang—!
The wooden sword and real sword collided with a sharp ring that echoed across the training ground.
“Wh… what…!”
Denin’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had struck a wooden sword with real steel, yet instead of it breaking, the impact threatened to shatter his own wrist.
“You don’t seem to know how to handle battle qi properly. It doesn’t get stronger just because you load as much as you can onto the blade.”
I had covered the wooden sword in a thin, extremely dense layer of battle qi—enough to withstand a real sword. Pure battle qi with no mana, so Elena watching from behind wouldn’t notice.
I twisted the wooden sword to knock his blade aside and lightly jabbed his solar plexus.
“Keok!”
Denin gasped and dropped to his knees. His sword clattered to the ground.
“That’s it. Next—take him away and someone else step up.”
A few students who seemed to be his friends came forward, carried Denin off, and left. Heavy silence fell over the rest.
Seeing one of their stronger members defeated in only three exchanges—and by a wooden sword at that—had left them speechless.
Then—
“Next is me.”
Eien, standing at the front, stepped forward. In her hand was the staff she had used back in the forest.
The one person I least wanted to fight has stepped up…
I quickly checked the clock. Ten minutes remained until class ended.
“Hmm… only ten minutes left. Shall we stop here?”
At my words, Eien’s eyes flashed bright red. I answered with clear reluctance.
“Haa… fine. But you’re fighting with magic?”
Eien answered indifferently.
“You clearly said magic was allowed earlier, Professor Kyle.”
I gripped the wooden sword properly.
“Haa… can’t be helped. Fine. Let’s begin.”