I Guess I Have No Choice
"Haa... I guess I have no choice. Fine. Let's begin."
The moment the words left my mouth, the temperature around Ien began to plummet at an alarming rate. Even in the middle of the training ground where the hot sun beat down mercilessly, white frost formed beneath her feet and the ground started to freeze over. The eyes of Ien, gripping her staff, glowed a vivid red.
‘Even as a freshman, she has this much mana? What kind of ridiculous body does she have?’
While I was inwardly impressed, four blue ice spears formed at the tip of Ien's staff and shot toward me at terrifying speed.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
These weren't mere probing attacks. The speed was so extreme that an ordinary student or knight wouldn't even be able to react properly. I lightly twisted my body, letting the first ice spear graze just past my shoulder, then used my wooden sword to deflect the rest, altering their trajectories.
Clang—! Ting—!
The spears slammed into the ground and shattered into pieces, kicking up clouds of sand. At that moment, taking advantage of my briefly blocked vision, the final fourth spear hurtled straight toward my left thigh.
‘Was she just flustered back in the forest? This girl seems to have quite a bit of real combat experience.’
I gathered fighting spirit at the tip of my foot and slammed it hard into the ground.
Boom—!
Using the recoil, I lightly launched myself into the air, narrowly dodging even the last spear. The spear that passed beneath my feet embedded itself in the training ground wall before vanishing.
The instant I landed, I spotted Ien across the way. As if she'd expected me to dodge all the spears, she showed no sign of panic and was already preparing her next spell. The mana gathering around her felt far from ordinary. When she finally raised her staff high into the sky, a massive shadow fell over my head.
"Huk... W-what the hell is that?!"
"Crazy, she's creating a spell that huge in one go?"
Shocked voices rose from the students who had retreated to watch from a distance. When I looked up, a colossal chunk of ice—easily over two meters across—hovered in the air.
‘Hey, I told you to train, not to demolish the entire academy training ground.’
Ien swung her staff in my direction. At the same time, the massive ice mass floating in the air began hurtling toward me at breakneck speed.
Vwoooong—!
There wasn't enough room to dodge left or right. On top of that, as if to block my escape routes, Ien had already covered the ground with a thin, slippery sheet of ice. When I glanced sideways to check, even Ilena, who had been sitting on the bench, had half-risen to her feet in apparent alarm.
‘Damn it. If I wrapped my body in mana like I did in the forest, this would be so much easier...’
But if I openly used mana right now, there was a very high chance that Ilena, who was watching me from behind, would discover my true identity. The fighting spirit emitted by knights who wield weapons and the mana handled by mages had completely different wavelengths and natures from the very beginning. Knowing Ilena's personality, there was no way she would leave someone who could use mana alone. She'd definitely pester me about teaching her magic or something.
‘Well, I do know how to use simple spells, but...’
No. I absolutely hate anything troublesome. Unfortunately, the current situation wasn't one where I could leisurely weigh two options.
‘What should I do? If I try to smash that huge ice chunk using only raw strength and fighting spirit, my wrist bones will shatter first.’
While I pondered this in the brief moment I had, the shadow cast over my head grew even darker and larger. The bone-chilling cold radiating from the ice pricked at my skin. In that split second, countless excuses and alibis raced through my mind.
‘Ah, I should save my own skin first.’
In the end, my short deliberation came to a close. If Ilena later questioned whether I'd used mana, I could just insist that I had a special constitution and that was simply how I was. Even she wouldn't have a comeback for that.
I planted both feet firmly on the slippery ice sheet and carefully—yet instantly—drew mana into the wooden sword gripped in my right hand, wrapping it around the blade.
Vwoooong—!
Mana of a clear, blue hue—distinct from fighting spirit—enveloped the wooden sword, shimmering as if pretending to be fighting spirit. Just before the massive ice chunk Ien had launched could crush my body, I put my weight behind the mana-infused wooden sword and swung it upward in a powerful diagonal slash.
Kwaaaaaaaaang—!!!
An earsplitting roar shook the entire training ground. The mana-infused slash cleaved Ien's enormous ice mass clean in two. The massive ice fragments, split precisely down the middle, fell at an angle on either side of me and embedded themselves in the ground.
Rumble—!
I lightly shook the hand holding the wooden sword. I should have fought this comfortably from the start. Crack.
However, unlike my body, the wooden sword in my hand hadn't fared so well. Unable to withstand the impact, it crumbled into powder, leaving only the hilt behind.
"Ah, it broke."
As I muttered to myself, Ien's figure became clearly visible through the mist on the other side. She was breathing heavily, her face pale from expending a considerable amount of mana to launch that enormous ice attack. But her eyes sparkled with interest as she watched my wooden sword scatter across the floor.
"Oh my, Professor Kyle. The weapon you were holding has broken?"
Ien smiled mischievously and spoke boldly. "You clearly said before class started, didn't you? If I land a valid hit on your body or make you drop your weapon, today's class ends immediately. Since your weapon broke and disappeared, I suppose that means I win, right?"
Well, yeah. It did break in the end. A promise is a promise.
"Yeah, that was quite impressive power. I lost. As promised at the beginning, today's class ends here. I'll give you a perfect score, Ien."
Ignoring the students' astonished gazes, I wrapped things up roughly and turned to quickly leave the training ground. But at that exact moment, an extremely chilling presence pierced my back.
"Just a moment, Professor Kyle."
It was Ilena.
"Thank you for your hard work on your first class. However, that peculiar fighting spirit you displayed at the very end..."
Ilena gestured with her chin toward the massive ice fragments that had been split in two. "From what I observed closely, it didn't seem like simple knightly fighting spirit. I clearly sensed the aura of mana emanating from your sword, Professor."
I felt a jolt of alarm, but I feigned ignorance and recited the excuse I'd prepared in my head.
"Haha, mana? How could I dare speak of magic in front of a great mage like you, Professor Ilena? What you just saw was merely a technique I developed for survival after a long life of hardship."
"Sword energy, you say? No matter how advanced a knight's fighting spirit is, it couldn't possibly emit such clear mana. That blue light shimmering from your sword was unmistakably mana."
"Ah, I was simply born with a rather unique constitution, so my fighting spirit tends to shine with a bluish hue. Haha. The world is vast—surely there's room for one oddity like me."
At my shameless response, Ilena's brows furrowed sharply. A cold bead of sweat trickled down my spine.
"I'm really looking forward to your future classes, Professor Kyle."
I cleared my throat, pretending to be nonchalant, offered a brief greeting, and hurriedly headed toward the faculty office I'd spotted earlier while running to the classroom.
My steps toward the faculty office felt heavy.
"Haa... What a life."
The moment I entered the empty hallway, the sigh I'd been holding back escaped. Grumbling to myself as I walked, I soon found myself in front of a massive door. The nameplate read First Faculty Office. I recalled that this was where the core professors in charge of high-ranking classes like S-Class and A-Class gathered.
I rubbed my throbbing neck once, straightened my posture roughly, and opened the door.
Creak—.
Inside the spacious faculty office, several professors were already seated at their desks, working or chatting over tea. They were all dressed impeccably in luxurious uniforms or refined attire. The moment I stepped inside—wearing a robe that dragged on the floor and a creepy mask that covered my entire face—the air in the room froze instantly.
"......?"
"W-what is that guy?"
An elderly professor with silver hair, who had been bringing a teacup to his lips, flinched and stopped. A young female professor flipping through documents scanned me from head to toe and frowned deeply. It was the kind of stinging gaze you'd get if a back-alley beggar crashed a fancy banquet.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and raised my hand lightly.
"Ah, hello everyone. I'm Kyle, newly assigned to teach S-Class practical combat and swordsmanship starting today. Please take care of me."
My curt greeting plunged the faculty office into an even deeper silence.
"S-Class... practical instructor?"
"Ah, that specially recruited teacher who’s co-homeroom with Archmage Ilena."
"Good heavens, there's a limit to improper attire. What is a mercenary-like person doing in our academy..."
The professors' hushed whispers and sidelong glances reached me clearly through the mask. Well, this was the reaction I'd expected. Honestly, being openly ignored and avoided like this was much better for me. It meant no one would bother me by pretending to be friendly and striking up conversations.
"Looks like my seat is in that corner over there. Well then, please continue with what you were doing."
I casually brushed off the pouring stares and trudged toward the lone empty desk sitting in the corner of the faculty office. Then I sank deep into the chair and propped my legs up on the desk.
‘Yeah, at least my spot in the faculty office is peaceful.’
I could just ignore the surrounding glares. Wearing the mask, I closed my eyes. Dealing with the kids from the very first day had drained me too much. Whether I quit tomorrow or not, I needed to get some sleep first.