Chapter 014
Chapter Title: Professor Artian Nier
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“What do you all think you are?”
“Pardon?”
“You are students of Lumerne. In other words, hero candidates! When faced with a crisis, don't you think your first priority should be to overcome it yourselves?”
The students flinched at Ain's roar.
Just then, Ain's eyes caught sight of Leo, moving without hesitation.
“So there's at least one decent one here.”
A kraken's tentacle shot up and came crashing down.
Swish-!
Leo drew his sword and sliced the tentacle off.
Splat-!
Kicking the writhing tentacle that had fallen to the deck back into the lake, Leo shouted.
“Don't be intimidated by its size! Your skills are more than enough to handle this!”
Leo's gaze was fixed squarely on Celia and Chloe.
“Hmph! Who said I was scared?”
An indignant Chloe scoffed, and Celia, not to be outdone, drew her sword.
“What do you take me for, Leo?”
Fwoosh-!
The fiery aura, the symbol of the Jerdinger family, erupted from her blade.
“As if I'd be scared of some squid—!”
Sploosh!
“Aaaah!”
A jet of water shot out from the tip of the kraken's tentacle, drenching Celia.
She managed to defend with her Aura Armor, but in an instant, Celia was soaked to the bone like a drowned rat.
“It's a kraken's instinct. They shoot water in response to heat.”
Leo stifled a chuckle and poked Celia's forehead.
“Looks like you still lack experience.”
“Ugh! We're the same age! Don't you dare lecture me about experience!”
Celia yelled back, her face flushed as she rubbed her forehead.
In that moment, the kraken attacked again.
Celia's eyes narrowed fiercely.
“You damn squid! I'll turn you into calamari!”
Whoosh-!
Celia's sword carved a brilliant arc through the air.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
Finely diced pieces of the kraken's tentacle scattered.
Leo smiled at Celia, who turned to him with a "How was that!" expression, and swung his own sword.
Vwoom-!
With a tremendous gust of wind, the kraken's tentacle was shredded even more finely than Celia's cut.
“Grr! I won't lose to you!”
Provoked, Celia's eyes practically shot sparks.
“Your swordsmanship is incredible.”
Meanwhile, Chloe raised her magic staff and chanted a runic incantation.
Crack-crack-crack-!
“Icicle.”
Particles of ice gathered in the air, forming a massive icicle.
As Chloe released the spell, the icicle shot forward.
Thwack-! Crackle-! Shatter!
When the magic hit, the frozen tentacle of the kraken shattered into pieces.
“Hohoho! Why bother sweating it out on the front lines like the knights? It's much smarter to stay back and— Eeek?!”
Chloe, who had been looking smug, became the kraken's next target.
As she panicked at the kraken's unexpectedly swift attack, Leo grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and pulled her back.
“Mages don't belong on the front lines.”
Slice-!
Leo swung his sword and cut off the kraken's tentacle.
“Krakens react to mana, so be careful when you use magic.”
“O-Okay.”
The freshmen who had panicked during the attack finally came to their senses and began to fight back.
The kraken was a high-level monster, but the students of Lumerne were not so weak as to go down without a fight.
Watching from the back, Ain's lips curled into a smile.
*This year's freshmen are quite exceptional.*
Professor Ain, who had just been scolding the freshmen, was now quite satisfied.
This lake was famous for being home to all sorts of aquatic monsters.
As such, attacks from these monsters were something of an annual event.
Every student admitted to Lumerne is exceptionally talented.
And by gaining admission to the most prestigious academy, Lumerne, they had already proven their skills.
Skill, background, academic record.
Lacking in none of these areas, the new students were bound to be arrogant.
*With that kind of mentality, they'll never keep up with Lumerne's classes.*
The freshmen didn't know.
That they had only just met the minimum requirements to study at Lumerne.
That was why they needed a wake-up call, and why Lumerne allowed these aquatic monster attacks to happen.
Of course, they weren't left to fight the monsters completely defenseless.
As proof, the ship's hull—which would have been the biggest problem in a kraken attack—remained undamaged.
Naturally, the freshmen failed to notice this, too preoccupied with fending off the kraken before them.
*As expected, the top students are the ones who stand out.*
As Ain assessed the freshmen's skills, his eyes landed on Leo.
*Impressive.*
A glint of interest appeared in Ain's eyes.
His swordsmanship is clean, with no wasted movements.
Moreover, he moved with such agility, cutting down the kraken's tentacles as if he could predict its every move.
*I'll have to remember him.*
Seeing how he wielded a sword, he was clearly aiming for the Knight Division.
Pleased to have found such a promising student, Ain smiled in satisfaction.
***
The freshmen barely managed to defeat the kraken, but even after that, the attacks from aquatic monsters didn't stop.
The boat party from just a while ago felt like a dream as a parade of monsters unfolded.
After about an hour, every single freshman was a complete mess.
Their uniforms were soaked, their bodies drenched in sweat, and their faces etched with exhaustion.
They were frantically busy fighting off the relentless waves of monster attacks.
“I can't fight anymore! My mana is completely drained!”
Chloe shouted, sprawled out on the deck.
“Ugh... anyone have a mana potion left?”
Karl looked around and asked, but no one answered.
“Hah... hah...”
Celia, panting heavily, glanced at Leo.
*That stamina monster!*
Leo still showed no signs of fatigue, keeping a watchful eye on the water.
How could someone the same age have such tireless stamina?
“Hoo-!”
Gritting her teeth, Celia took a deep breath and stood next to Leo.
It was then.
“I see the dock!”
“This wretched fight is finally over!”
“Waaaaaah!”
Cheers erupted from the deck.
For the students exhausted by the long battle, there could be no better news.
A short while later, the boat docked, and the students disembarked as if escaping a nightmare.
Waiting for the freshmen at the dock was a small woman in a suit and glasses.
“Thank goodness! It seems nothing serious happened!”
At those words, the students seethed inwardly.
*Nothing serious?! We were attacked by monsters!*
Of course, no student was tactless enough to protest.
She had come to greet the freshmen, which meant she was almost certainly a professor at Lumerne.
“Professor Ain. Thank you for escorting the new students! I'll take over from here.”
“Understood.”
Ain nodded and turned to the freshmen.
“I will be teaching the first-year Knight classes this year.”
The Knight Division students flinched.
“Some of you in the Knight Division will be taking my class.”
Ain looked at a few students, including Leo, and grinned.
“Anyone who wants to reach greater heights, come to my class!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood, Professor Ain!”
The Knight Division students shouted in response.
Pleased with their answer, Professor Ain's expression turned meaningful.
“And be sure to listen to your escorting professor.”
With that, he left.
“My name is Artian Nier. I'll be teaching the first-year Summoner classes.”
She adjusted her glasses and introduced herself with a kind smile.
“Artian Nier? I've never heard that name before.”
Celia tilted her head.
To be a professor at Lumerne, one had to be a very famous figure in their field.
But she had never heard the name Artian Nier.
“Artian Nier is quite famous in the central region.”
Karl spoke up then.
“What kind of person is she?”
“I heard she's a Spiritmancer.”
“A Spiritmancer?”
Celia looked surprised.
Summoning magic is broadly divided into three fields.
Spiritism, contracting with spirits.
Beast Summoning, which commands mystical beasts.
And finally, Spiritmancy, which calls upon heroic spirits.
Among them, Spiritmancy—the ability to summon a fragment of a being called a heroic spirit—was an extremely rare skill.
*It was one of Lisinas's specialties.*
Spiritmancy was in the realm of innate special abilities, so even Kyle, who had mastered all classes, couldn't learn it.
“Shall we head to the entrance ceremony hall, then?”
Artian said with a gentle smile.
But the students protested.
“Professor! Isn't there anywhere we can change our clothes?”
“That's right! We can't attend the entrance ceremony looking like this!”
The students, who had been so docile with Professor Ain, now clamored over each other to speak.
They were all noble students.
With Professor Ain, they had been intimidated by his title, the Knight of the Frozen Sea.
But with the unfamiliar and frail-looking Artian, they immediately voiced their complaints.
“Ah, no! I mean, we have to stick to the schedule...”
“My family would never tolerate me appearing at an important event in such a state!”
“Exactly! We earned our place at Lumerne fair and square! This treatment is unacceptable!”
“Right! Right! I'll file a formal complaint through my family!”
“E-Everyone?!”
Artian, who truly had a gentle personality, could only shrink back, unsure how to handle the students' protests.
Emboldened by her reaction, the students grew even louder.
“Shouldn't we stop them?”
Celia frowned, but Leo just chuckled.
“I don't think that'll be necessary.”
“What?”
Artian hung her head low.
And then...
“You goddamn brats! You think you can walk all over me just because I was being nice?! Who the hell do you freshmen think you are, mouthing off to a professor!”
Artian snapped her head up, a torrent of curses spilling from her lips.
Contrary to her docile demeanor from moments before, a murderous glint now shone in her eyes.
The students who had been raising their voices were stunned.
One male student, still not grasping the situation, hurriedly shouted.
“Even if you are a professor, that kind of language is unacceptab—”
“Look at this little shit. Still haven't read the room, have you?”
Wham!
“Huh? Wh-what?”
With a vicious smile, Artian grabbed the male student by the collar and lifted him up.
The student was a head taller than the other freshmen and quite large.
But Artian, holding him by the collar, showed no sign of strain.
Instead, a golden energy began to flow from her body.
“Gasp? A-Aura?”
“A Dual Class?”
The students were horrified.
The student in her grasp also turned pale.
Artian threw the student toward the lake.
“Aaaaaah!”
Splash-! Flail! Flail!
The student who fell into the lake flailed about.
Artian gave a chilling warning.
“If any other little shits try to talk back, I won't let it slide—!”
Before Artian could finish her sentence, her expression changed again.
“How troublesome.”
This time, her aura turned cold. She sighed and flicked her hand lightly.
This time, a golden mana flowed out.
Artian used magic to save the student who had fallen in the water.
The students' eyes went wide.
She said she was a Summoner professor, yet she used Aura and magic!
“Just as I thought.”
“You know about that ability?”
Surprised, Celia hurriedly asked upon hearing Leo's murmur.
“She's channeling the soul of a heroic spirit. Her personality changes because of the souls she's contracted with.”
“Channeling? That's an ability I've only ever heard of!”
Celia exclaimed in awe at the ability, which was extremely rare even among Spiritmancers.
No wonder Professor Ain told them to listen to her.
“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. The heroic spirits I've contracted with are a bit hot-headed!”
Artian, back to her original personality, apologized in a fluster, but the students just watched her warily.
They had instantly realized that the professor before them, though not famous, was a powerhouse far beyond their league.
Amidst the tension, Artian beamed and said.
“Anyway, everyone! Let's go to the entrance ceremony!”
“Yesss...”
The students could only respond weakly, eyeing her cautiously.