Even Heroes Get Disrespected
After spilling everything to Marina, my heart felt a little lighter.
I still had no idea why or how the Black Dragon—Marina—had been running hypnosis operations during the war, but it didn’t matter. Whether it had been simple entertainment or some deeper purpose, it was fine. Once I wrapped up my duties as a professor here, I could simply return home and rest.
Combat Studies.
In plain terms, it was the art of fighting well. The only problem was that I knew almost nothing about my own body. So for the past week I had focused entirely on understanding myself.
Training Room.
I stood before the mirror and extended my arms, spreading my fingers and clenching them. Even in that single motion my muscles reacted with surprising subtlety.
I started with the weights. Lying on the bench, I lifted the barbell. It was far lighter than I expected. I added plates. Still light. Added more. Still light. I hung every weight in the room, yet it remained light. I couldn’t tell whether my body was unusually strong or whether the training-room equipment was simply too light.
But this level should be average, right?
Training Field.
I drew my sword and faced the dummy. I inhaled, and my body moved on its own—once, twice, three times. The blade sliced cleanly through the air. The movements were smooth, yet none of them matched what I had intended. My body seemed to be acting independently. Could I ever teach this to students?
“Just one more time.”
Library.
I opened the books on swordsmanship and martial arts. Basic stances, footwork, breathing. Following the illustrations, I twisted my wrists. The posture was already ingrained in my body. My body followed faster than the words on the page. Whether this ease was comforting or frightening, I still hadn’t decided.
Thus a week passed.
***
On the day of the entrance ceremony the grand hall was packed with new students. Young men in uniforms stood with faces that mixed excitement and tension. Some rose on their toes, others whispered to the person beside them. I could almost feel their emotions, having come from their own hometowns.
On the stage the professors sat in a row. I occupied a corner seat, a position that allowed me to remain inconspicuous.
Marina stood in the center.
“Hmph, mic test one-two-one-two.”
Her voice rang through the hall. She tried to sound solemn, but the gesture looked utterly mismatched with her small frame. A ripple of laughter escaped the new students. Marina paid no attention and continued.
“Welcome to all who have entered the Einar Empire Academy! For the next three years you will become strong here—magic, swordsmanship, tactics, and scholarship——”
Marina’s speech grew long. The content was serious: the virtues and attitudes the empire’s future leaders must possess. Yet the speaker was tiny and her voice light. …That’s just acting.
I gritted my teeth and forced my lips to stay still. The professor beside me wore a similar expression. To uphold the president’s authority we all maintained serious faces, but the new students grew visibly captivated by every word. The content itself was clearly excellent.
“…This concludes the welcome for all who have entered the Imperial Academy! For the next three years I will introduce the faculty who will teach you!”
Marina extended her hand toward me. One by one the professors rose.
The first to stand was a massive, scarred man whose arms were thicker than my thighs.
“I am Logan, formerly known as the Mercenary King! I will be teaching Combat Studies!”
His voice alone made the hall reverberate. Cheers erupted among the new students. The Mercenary King, leader of a legendary band that had roamed the continent. For him to become a professor was astonishing.
Next a woman cloaked in mysterious aura rose. She snapped her fingers and small stars sparkled across the ceiling—an illusion created by magic.
“I am Bella Anist, a 7th-Circle mage. I will handle Magic Theory and Application. Please take care of me~”
Gasps rose from the new students. Seven Circles. Fewer than ten such mages existed on the entire continent. Even her aura alone made their hair stand on end.
I thought to myself. According to my week-long investigation, the fame of War Hero Arthur was virtually unknown inside the empire. The war between Leon and Basil remained a distant tale to the empire’s students. It was pointless to speak of stories they had never heard.
Let’s keep it simple.
My turn came. I stood and took a light breath. Marina winked at me encouragingly.
“I am Arthur from the Leon Kingdom. I will be teaching Combat Studies.”
Short. No experience, no reputation, and no noble blood revealed. The baron title I was supposed to receive from Leon Kingdom had not yet been processed, so it was only natural.
Silence fell.
The new students’ reactions split.
Several female students in the front row stared at my face. One tugged her friend’s sleeve, whispered something, and both blushed.
Ah… This kind of reaction is new to me.
Behind them the male students’ gazes changed. They glanced at the girls, then fixed on me with killing intent. One propped his chin and glared. Another pursed his lips and sneered.
They felt humiliated that a commoner without lineage would teach them. Other students were probably sending the same hostility.
Then the next professor stood and began listing his career in detail—Imperial Knight Order graduate, academy alum, achievements in several battles. The new students’ eyes locked onto him.
I sighed inwardly. My first impression had already collapsed.
When I lowered my head, Marina gave me a thumbs-up from the stage, visible only at knee height so as not to be noticed. Her lips moved slightly. Well done.
…It seems the only person I can rely on at this academy is Marina.
I watched the new students with hazy eyes until the introductions ended. At that moment our eyes met familiar ones.
Princess Isabel.
The face I had not seen in a week. Wearing the uniform, she stood out among the other new students. When our gazes met her eyes widened in surprise, then a cautious smile spread as she waved.
I bowed in greeting. Her cheeks looked a little red—perhaps her constitution, or perhaps she had caught a cold.
That was as far as my thoughts went. The professors’ introductions had finished and the ceremony was over.
It had gone without incident. I let out a sigh of relief and stood. I wanted to hurry back to the dormitory. Today had been exhausting.
“Hey, is there anyone!”
A hand caught my arm as I turned. It belonged to Bella, the 7th-Circle mage. Behind her the other professors had gathered, Logan among them. His arms crossed and his gaze sweeping up and down felt uncomfortable.
“The newly appointed professors are planning to have dinner together. Would you like to join us?”
Ah.
I had wanted to return quickly and rest.
I don’t know how to refuse.
“…Yes.”
With tears in my heart I nodded.
Following the professors, we arrived at a restaurant far more luxurious than expected. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and gold decorations shimmered on the walls. Each table was covered with a white cloth and arranged with gleaming silver cutlery.
I sat and unfolded the menu.
…Insane.
The price was enough to cover an entire month’s meals from home in a single sitting. An amount incomprehensible to a commoner. My fingers flipped to the cheapest option. Still, the professors for the next three years were here. Without showing it, I chose a moderately priced middle menu.
“Professor Arthur, how old are you? You look very young——”
Bella leaned in from the next seat, her robe slipping open to reveal the inner curves of her chest. I quickly turned my eyes to the water glass on the table.
“I am twenty-four.”
“Ah! So you really are young. Entering the academy as a professor at such a young age—your abilities must be extraordinary!”
She pressed closer, her chair touching mine. I subtly slid my own chair a little farther away.
“It was good luck.”
Close to the feeling the king had given me. I denied her words and lifted the water glass. The pattern of approaching without suspicion was one I had encountered often from female leads in my previous life. If I accepted the goodwill as it was, strange rumors might spread.
“Call me Bella noona~, let’s get along well from now on~”
A sharp gaze came from across the table. When I looked up, Logan the Mercenary King was glaring at me with arms crossed. His eyes evaluated me and dismissed me at the same time.
“Hmph! Obviously you came as a parachute.”
The table fell silent. The hands of the other professors froze. Someone set down their glass; others alternated glances between me and Logan.
Parachute.
…Isn’t that the right word?
I nodded and took a sip of water. The cold liquid sliding down my throat was the only comfort.
“Professor Logan, parachute? Your words are harsh.”
Bella frowned. Her fingers tapped the table, sending faint ripples through the surrounding magic.
“Hmph! I don’t like that sneaky face from the start. Already trying to seduce women——”
Logan’s face flushed crimson.
“——Shouldn’t I teach something other than Combat Studies?”
His hand moved toward his waist. The next instant an axe crashed onto the table. Silver cutlery jumped and clattered to the floor with a sharp clang.
The atmosphere of the table froze. The other professors exchanged uneasy glances. Bella’s expression hardened and eerie magic seeped around her. The air grew heavy.
I had only come for a light meal.
If I had known this, I would never have come.
I stared at Logan’s axe, glowing blue and ominous.
Yet
my body remained perfectly calm.
Over the past week I had learned to recognize the conditions under which my body would react. It only responded automatically in combat situations or when life was threatened. The reaction occurred without my will. Hold a sword, slash an enemy, survive. That was all.
And now, facing Professor Logan who had drawn his axe—my body did not react at all.
I had known that when I arrived at the academy there would come moments when I would have to fight with my own will, whether I liked it or not. But as a commoner I had wanted to avoid combat as much as possible.
“If Professor Logan apologizes now, I will let it go.”
Bella addressed Logan.
“Apologize? To that guy?”
Logan’s face grew even redder. Veins bulged on his neck. His hand clamped the axe handle.
“Shut up!”
He kicked his chair and swung the axe in a downward arc aimed at my head.
For a moment time seemed to slow.
The axe descending toward my head moved with agonizing slowness. I could see the joints of his fingers gripping the handle turn white. The sound of iron slicing air stretched into an endless hiss.
A page from the martial-arts book in the library flashed through my mind, the illustration and explanation burning in my thoughts.
My hand moved.
I rotated my arm to sweep his wrist. At the same time my opposite palm rose toward his chin.
- Tock.
The swept arm stopped lightly against my shoulder. The axe slipped from Logan’s hand. His eyes rolled upward. The chin struck, Logan collapsed like a broken puppet.
Time returned to normal.
I caught the falling axe. When I gripped the handle the heavy weight transmitted through my palm. Although I possessed considerable gold and jewels from the king, leaving even a scratch on this expensive restaurant table or floor might result in an unknown compensation fee.
Phew…
I had successfully blocked it. I let out a long sigh of relief. Since I had seen no blood, Marina would not scold me later, would she?
I looked around. The other professors remained frozen, staring at me. Bella stood with her mouth open, paralyzed. Magic scattered from her fingertips.
I lifted Logan’s fallen body and placed him back in his chair. His head lolled. He was still breathing—unconscious, probably.
I returned to my seat. When I sat down, Bella stared at me in a daze.
The waiters who had brought the food all stopped. The trays in their hands trembled faintly.
“Shall we start with dinner then?”