Chapter 25: The Academy's Service is Over (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: The Academy's Service is Over (3)
For some transmigrators, an academy terror attack might be considered common sense.
However, for ordinary students, such an event was a catastrophe beyond their wildest imaginations.
Even though the terror attack had been suppressed quickly, the fact that it happened at all left many students in a state of deep shock.
What kind of place was the Imperial Academy?
It was an educational institution operated by the Imperial Family, gathering talents from across the nation.
While a sudden wind of change this year had led to an increase in international students, for the average student, the Imperial Academy was seen as the future of the Empire—its second heart.
These were the words of the ancient Emperor who founded the Academy, and the current Imperial Family continued to uphold that legacy.
For such a place to be attacked was nothing short of a declaration of war against the Empire.
Students who understood this worried about what was to come, and even those who didn't could tell something was brewing as the Academy’s security personnel steadily increased.
A heavy tension began to permeate the Academy.
Naturally, the students grew withdrawn, and most extracurricular activities ground to a halt.
Even clubs that usually operated outdoors took a hiatus or moved their activities inside the Academy buildings.
As the students retreated, activities vanished. And as activities vanished, the students became even more withdrawn—a vicious cycle.
It wasn't for nothing that the Academy had recently increased outdoor activities under the guise of "practicals" during classes. It was a desperate effort to shift the atmosphere.
However, despite the Academy's best efforts, erasing the students' anxiety was a daunting task.
And yet...
"Wait, this actually works?"
A professor from the Swordsmanship Department let out a gasp of admiration.
The atmosphere of the Academy, which hadn't budged despite their best efforts, was being successfully transformed by a single student.
His name was Asran.
The man who had cast aside his noble surname and declared he would become a great swordsman like his grandfather.
Even before entering the Academy, he was famous across the continent under the nickname "Minor Sword Emperor."
And now...
"The Defeat Sword Emperor has challenged him again!"
From Minor Sword Emperor (小劍制) to Defeat Sword Emperor (敗劍制).
In other words, he had become an icon of defeat.
It had already been two weeks since Asran first challenged Prince Ellen.
Just as I intended, Asran challenged Prince Ellen every single day, and every single day, he experienced defeat.
In fact...
"...That ended even faster than yesterday."
"...Tell me about it."
Violet and I sat there every day, munching on popcorn from the snack bar while providing commentary on their duel. I focused on their swordsmanship; Violet focused on the deviation from the original work.
And the result?
"Is this right?"
Violet looked at me, her eyes narrowing.
Apparently, this was also wildly different from the original story.
"What's different?"
"Everything. I mean, I know the original plot was shattered a long time ago."
Since she had contributed to that destruction herself, she wore an expression that said she couldn't really complain.
"But I didn't expect to see it getting pulverized in real-time."
"Is it that bad?"
"It's exactly that bad."
Unless it's a life-or-death battle, the weaker party in a fight against a powerhouse stands to gain a lot.
Being stronger means they have much to teach, and simply by processing those lessons, one can improve their skills.
That’s why the opportunity to fight a powerhouse is so rare.
In the E-sports scene—which I watched as often as webnovels in my past life—weak teams often interviewed about how hard it was even to book a scrim (practice match).
It makes sense. From the perspective of the strong, there’s no need to duel someone who offers them no benefit and might even become an enemy one day.
"Asran's growth rate is definitely faster than in the original."
Fortunately, Prince Ellen had graciously accepted Asran's requests for duels.
Part of it was because they were friends, but it was also because Asran was the only person besides me who could actually hold a candle to him.
As the days passed, Asran grew rapidly.
However...
"But the speed at which Prince Ellen is beating Asran is growing even faster!"
Exactly.
Asran’s growth was fast, but the speed at which Prince Ellen learned to dismantle him was faster.
To an uninformed observer, it didn't look like Asran was growing at all; it looked like he was regressing.
With each passing day, he was being crushed more and more miserably!
"People are openly calling him the Defeat Sword Emperor now..."
The ruler of the small sword had become the ruler of the defeated sword.
Asran had earned a title that even I—who was officially recognized by the Commander as having mastered the Essence of Defeat Sword—hadn't managed to obtain.
"But he says he's happy."
"...He wasn't that kind of kid."
You ruined everything.
Ignoring Violet’s accusing gaze, Asran trudged back weakly after failing his 20th "Northern Expedition" against Ellen.
Then.
"Are you okay?"
Daisy approached Asran, holding a wet towel.
Asran avoided her gaze with a dejected expression.
"Sorry. I lost again."
"No, you did great. Even Ellen looked flustered for a moment earlier."
It was true.
After being sent rolling across the ground by a massive blow, Asran had charged back in, kicking up a cloud of dust as if to say his tumble was merely to gain momentum.
Compared to the dignified and upright way he fought when he first entered the Academy, he had become a completely different person.
"Oh my. Look at all this dirt. The servants are going to have a hard time with the laundry."
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing to me? Save the apologies for the servants later."
"Right, okay."
Daisy scolded him while wiping the dust off his face and clothes. Asran merely nodded, his face flushing slightly.
"......"
And from not too far away, I could see Prince Ellen watching them with a wistful gaze.
He looked truly pitiful, but because he had won so overwhelmingly, he didn't have a speck of dust or even a drop of sweat on him, so he couldn't receive any of Daisy's care.
Sorry, Ellen. But I have no intention of switching things up.
When you go back to the Kingdom, I'll work with the Royal Family to set you up with a nice lady, so just try to forget about Daisy.
Please.
"Damn it, to think he'd use Daisy's maternal instincts like that..."
I heard Violet, who was rooting for the Prince, let out a low groan, but that was their problem, so I ignored it.
After parting ways with Daisy, Asran was smiling brightly as if he had never been depressed. I headed toward the corner of the training grounds where we usually met, but...
"Have you arrived?"
The person waiting there wasn't the Minor Sword Emperor—or rather, the Defeat Sword Emperor—I usually met.
"...Sword Emperor?"
The real Sword Emperor was waiting for me.
Sword Emperor Aren, the Head Professor of the Swordsmanship Department.
To be honest, I couldn't bring myself to like this man.
On a minor level, he was the one who had given some pointers to our King and the Commander in the past. Because of that, the King came to idolize him so much that he named all his sons similarly to the Sword Emperor, which was the root cause of my constant confusion with names.
On a major level, the reason I had to study abroad in a distant land and work in the middle of a RoFan world was that the Sword Emperor had taken the position of Head Professor at the Imperial Academy.
However, just because I didn't like him didn't mean I hated him.
The Sword Emperor was the idol of every swordsman and the very archetype of a knight in the eyes of the public.
Of course, if you dug deeper, the Sword Emperor had never actually belonged to a knights order or been formally knighted.
But most of the images people associated with knights came from anecdotes about the Sword Emperor.
And because those anecdotes were so heroic, the public's image of knights was naturally positive. Leon, known as the Kingdom of Knights, benefited greatly from that indirect effect.
So, all things considered, I didn't have any particular ill will toward the man.
He had suddenly called me out before to try and drag me into his RoFan club—no, the Flower Arrangement Club—but when I refused, hadn't he just let it go?
A professor and a student. That distance was perfectly fine.
But why?
"I have been waiting."
Why are you suddenly hitting me with a 1-on-1 meeting?
It’s impossible not to feel some type of way about this.
"I have heard much about you from my grandson."
Damn it, Asran. You were the culprit?
I feel betrayed.
I did my absolute best to help your love life.
You were just flirting with Daisy thanks to me, and you repay my kindness with this?
"Is that the Magic Sword?"
It seemed he had even told him about the Magic Sword.
"It is."
"May I try using it once?"
The Magic Sword?
The words almost slipped out, but if I had said that, I would have looked like the jerk who let his grandson use such a thing.
So, I confidently handed the Magic Sword over to the Sword Emperor as if it were a perfectly harmless object.
"Hmm."
The Sword Emperor drew the Magic Sword, inspected it from various angles, swung it once, and then handed it back to me with a smirk.
"An interesting toy."
"Isn't it?"
"It is useless to me, however."
He was saying he could already control all of his power freely.
It might have sounded arrogant, but since it was the Sword Emperor saying it, he was likely just stating a fact.
"With a bit more refinement, it seems it could be used for classes in the Swordsmanship Department."
"I believe the Empire has confiscated them for research. Why don't you inquire with them?"
"Is that so?"
"Shall I put you in touch with the person in charge?"
I was planning to sell out Uncle Aeryun immediately.
He had betrayed my fragile heart twice, so I figured a few betrayals in return wouldn't hurt.
"No need. A professor should handle that much effort himself."
I had a feeling next year's Academy lectures were being decided right then and there. The course title would probably be something like Knowing Your Limits with the Magic Sword. That might actually be fun.
"We've strayed too far from the topic. The reason I came here is to make a suggestion to you."
"I am absolutely not joining the Flower Arrangement Club."
I was serious.
My resolve on this was even firmer than when he first asked.
"That is not it."
It seemed I had jumped the gun.
"I have seen how much my grandson has changed thanks to you."
"Uh, well..."
I was momentarily lost for words.
This man was doing it again—hitting me with a surprise attack just like last time.
"He has, hasn't he?"
Asran himself might be happy because he was spending more time with Daisy.
But from a third party's perspective, it just looked like he was losing every day and his reputation was tanking.
He had been praised as the Minor Sword Emperor who would succeed his grandfather, but recently, he had become a laughingstock called the Defeat Sword Emperor.
As Asran's grandfather and the reason for the "Minor Sword Emperor" title, he might see it as me ruining his grandson.
"It is good."
"Pardon?"
However, the Sword Emperor's response was completely different from my expectation.
What? Is there some family drama I don't know about?
There were rumors of friction between the Sword Emperor and Asran's father when the latter received an Imperial title.
But he didn't seem like the type of person to hold a grudge over that.
"It is natural for a swordsman to lose. I, too, suffered many defeats in my youth."
What followed was a warm smile.
Looking at his nostalgic eyes, if this were a novel, we’d be halfway through a flashback chapter by now.
"It is good to become familiar with defeat. Some may point fingers, but if one does not challenge themselves, they will never know defeat."
In other words, he lost because he challenged himself.
"My grandson has experienced defeat, and he has even been broken, yet he stood up again. That is enough."
He wasn't a professor praising a growing student.
He was a grandfather smiling proudly at his grandson.
And so, the old man made a suggestion to his grandson's friend with a pleasant smile.
"Young man, would you like to learn the sword from me?"
A stroke of luck.
This is a stroke of luck, right?
...Wait, this isn't the "graduate student route," is it?