Chapter 433
Chapter Title: The Special Instructor
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433.
Early morning.
As the sun began to rise, the second-year students started to groggily wake up.
“I want to wash up.”
“Ugh… I’m hungry.”
“I couldn’t sleep properly.”
Wails of misery could be heard from all around.
The hero cadets, who had attended the training retreat with hearts full of excitement after receiving an invitation from the Dragon Lord, had been reduced to beggars in just one day.
“This is no different from a refugee camp.”
“Even refugees probably aren’t in a state this miserable. This is just a den of beggars, a complete den of beggars.”
Karl, who had managed to get some comfortable sleep, albeit brief, looked even more refreshed than before.
Letting out a long yawn, Karl grumbled.
In truth, they hadn't looked quite this wretched when they went to sleep last night.
Every hero academy conducted wilderness survival training.
By their second year, hero academy students had learned the skills to survive even if thrown into the middle of a desert or the open sea.
There was only one reason why these students, the most outstanding among them, had ended up in this state at this particular retreat.
It was all because of Melina’s bizarre legion of guardians.
Worse, it wasn't just the guardians vulnerable to physical force that had tormented the mage students yesterday; guardians with immense physical defense had also appeared.
After a grueling day of training, they hadn't had a proper meal or a good night's sleep, so it was only natural they looked like this.
As Leo clicked his tongue.
*Flutter~*
“Huh? What’s this?”
A piece of paper fluttered down in front of Leo and Karl.
When Karl unfolded the paper, he found a short message written in small, neat, and pretty handwriting.
“Student Karl, please come to the west side of the forest now, avoiding the eyes of the other students. The Dragon Lord?”
Karl gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.
Leo’s note had the same message.
“Leo, did you get the same thing?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow, what in the world is going on?”
“Let’s go find out.”
Knowing what was happening, Leo calmly accompanied the excited Karl to the place Melina had summoned them to.
After slipping away from the other students and approaching the western bushes, they found Lunia, Eiran, Ar, and Driana already there.
“Gasp?! L-Lord Leo?”
Eiran, startled upon seeing Leo, hastily hid behind Lunia.
“What’s wrong?”
Lunia asked with a puzzled look, and Eiran replied.
“I-I’m too embarrassed to let Lord Leo see me in this state.”
“You’ve already shown Leo every embarrassing side of you there is.”
“When have I ever shown my disgraceful side to Lord Leo?”
“Like your strange, runaway delusions.”
“D-Don’t say that!”
Eiran, on the verge of tears, tried to cover Lunia’s mouth.
“Were you all also called here by the Dragon Lord?”
“Yeah. Looking at us now, it’s the party from Dweno’s world, isn’t it?”
Karl tilted his head.
Ar, trying her best to fix her messy hair with her hands, spoke up.
“I wonder if she’s planning some special training just for us?”
Ar frowned as her hair refused to cooperate.
“Whatever it is, I just want to wash up quickly.”
Cat beastmen were famous among the beastman tribes for their cleanliness.
Looking at Ar, Karl said.
“You’re a cat, so you can just give yourself a cat wash.”
“Are you teasing me right now? Do you think I, the heir to the Tune family, would just splash some water on my face and call it a day? And cat wash or not, I’d still need water, wouldn’t I?”
“No, not washing with water. What’s it called? Grooming? You clean your fur with saliva, right? Gak?!”
A fist from Ar slammed into the side of Karl, who was speaking with a chuckle.
It was a simple punch, but it felt as if he’d been drop-kicked by Chelsea.
As Ar snorted at the sight of Karl rolling on the ground.
“Everyone, did you sleep well last night?”
At the voice from behind, everyone except Leo tensed up.
*Rustle- Rustle-*
Karl’s jaw dropped as Melina appeared with a gentle smile.
Though a veil covered her face, Melina’s presence was overwhelming.
“This is the first time I’m speaking with you like this, Miss Eiran and Mr. Karl, isn’t it? It’s a pleasure. I am the Dragon Lord, Melina.”
“Ah, hello, great Lord of the Dragon Clan. I am Eiran Ersar.”
“Hehe, you don’t need to be so tense.”
Eiran blushed slightly at Melina’s gentle smile.
As a lover of hero tales, Eiran knew all about the Silent Dragon’s exploits.
It was only natural for her to be nervous in the presence of a hero considered the greatest of the current era.
“I’m Karl Thomas, my Lord.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Karl.”
Beneath the veil, Melina’s lips curved into a soft smile.
Seeing this, the tense Karl paused, then asked cautiously.
“My Lord… have we perhaps met somewhere before?”
“Hehe. Are you hitting on me right now?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Having asked unconsciously due to a strange sense of familiarity, Karl looked flustered.
After greeting Karl playfully, Melina said.
“I’ve called you all here because there is something I must ask of you.”
“Something you must ask?”
“Yes. Shortly, I will be introducing the instructors who will be training you for this retreat. When that happens, you must not, under any circumstances, get excited. Understood?”
“What is there to get excited about?”
“Understood? Miss Ar?”
Melina leaned her smiling face close to the puzzled Ar and spoke emphatically.
“Yes.”
Watching Ar nod with a flustered expression, Melina nodded in satisfaction.
“Good. Now then, please return to your friends. I will see you all in a little while.”
At Melina’s words, the group, though wearing expressions that said, ‘Is that it?’, returned to the campsite.
-Why did you have to be so roundabout about it?
Leo asked, using magic so only Melina could hear.
-Surprise events are always fun, aren’t they?
Leo let out a hollow laugh at Melina’s cheerful reply.
“What is wrong with you, trying to make a pass at the Dragon Lord?”
“No, I really just asked because it felt like I’d met her somewhere before.”
Lunia spoke to Karl as if she was dumbfounded, while Karl crossed his arms and said in a serious tone.
“Leo! You felt like you’ve seen her before too, right?”
“I don’t know.”
Leo chuckled inwardly and shook his head.
‘He’s as sharp as ever.’
If nothing else, Karl’s powers of observation were second to none.
They returned to the campsite with unsettled expressions.
There, the students were lining up by academy.
In front of them stood some familiar faces.
“Wow, not just Senior verkia, but Senior Ulta and Senior Jamua are here too.”
Karl exclaimed in admiration, seeing the female seniors from Lumerne’s previous graduating class who were making the biggest names for themselves.
“Miss Lunia! Senior Rienia is here too!”
“It’s no surprise that senior would be at an event like this. Ugh, but what on earth is she wearing? Sunglasses and a cap pulled down low?”
Unlike the purely delighted Eiran, Lunia, while happy to see last year’s student council president, Rienia, wasn’t entirely pleased.
She was famous for her unpredictable behavior.
During last year’s Lumerne-Seirun festival, she had taunted Leo with the championship trophy, only to be taunted back by Polium.
Now, too, her strange attire and the way she stood with her arms crossed and head bowed low seemed ominous.
Besides them, the faces of Seirun graduates were also visible.
On the Azonia side, last year’s student council president, Vanir, was leading the graduates.
“What in the world are we not supposed to get excited about?”
Ar’s cat tail swayed back and forth as she wore a look of complete confusion.
Driana also tilted her head as she looked at the graduates.
“Just as you said, there’s nothing particularly special.”
It was then, as the students were assembling.
“Look at you move! What’s with the dawdling, everyone!”
Rienia suddenly lifted her head and roared.
The students froze at the abrupt situation.
“Move it, now!”
At the sudden bellow, the students began to move in a flurry.
“Line up straight! Is this all you so-called hero cadets can do!”
Seeing Rienia shouting, veins popping on her neck, a female Seirun student spoke with a whimper.
“S-Senior. You’re scaring me. Why are you acting like this?”
She seemed frightened by the bloodthirsty demeanor of the former student council president, who, though eccentric, had always been kind.
“Who are you calling ‘Senior’?! I am an instructor here to train you trainees. From now on, you will address us as ‘Instructor.’ Understood?”
“S-Senior.”
The female Seirun student teared up at Rienia’s voice, which was colder than Seirun’s northern winds.
“Trainee Tilena. Step forward.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Step forward.”
Tilena hesitantly stepped forward.
“Get on the ground.”
“What? But this is the bare ground.”
“I won’t say it a third time. Get down.”
With a yelp, Tilena dropped to the ground.
“Roll left. Roll right.”
The student named Tilena, who had needlessly showed tears, rolled on the ground without knowing why.
All the students from every academy wore horrified expressions at the sight.
“Where do you think you are, showing tears! Get your head in the game!”
Rienia’s face twisted further in anger as she screamed.
“I’m sorry!”
Tilena, tormented by Rienia, hastily wiped her tears and shouted.
Torua, who was watching the scene, asked a Seirun graduate he knew.
“Why is she so worked up all by herself?”
“I don’t know. For the past few days, she’s been reading a bunch of weird books, and then she started celebrating, saying she’d become the perfect instructor.”
Rienia’s classmate answered with a dumbfounded look.
“Hmm? Should we be doing that too? It looks kind of fun.”
Torua’s eyes sparkled.
Meanwhile, Rienia, having thoroughly disciplined her junior, stood before the students and spoke.
“This instructor is not a bad person. Depending on your actions, this retreat can be either heaven or hell. Understood?!”
“Yes.”
“I can’t hear you!”
“YES!”
At Rienia’s terrifying display, Lunia let out a deep sigh.
“I knew it.”
“Your senior is scary.”
“I don’t know anyone like that.”
Lunia flatly disowned her at Ar’s comment.
Leo, too, let out a hollow laugh, finding Rienia’s behavior absurd.
‘I thought so before, but she’s a very peculiar person.’
Just as a grim atmosphere settled over the campsite.
“Hello, everyone.”
Melina revealed herself.
The entire second year let out a collective “Ooh!” at the Dragon Lord’s appearance, but they quickly snapped to attention under Rienia’s fierce glare.
Melina, tilting her head at the sight, began her customary address.
“It truly lifts my spirits to see such promising hero cadets. I hope you all gain a great deal from this training retreat.”
After the unremarkable, yawn-inducing speech ended, Melina said.
“Before we begin the retreat in earnest, I’ve invited a special instructor.”
At Melina’s words, the graduates looked puzzled.
The students’ eyes sparkled at the mention of a special instructor.
*Step- Step-*
And all eyes turned to a young beastman who revealed himself.
“This is Instructor Akan, whom I have specially invited.”
“H-Hello, everyone.”
Karl, who had been fighting off a yawn, froze as he saw the special instructor who had appeared.
“Keok?”
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
As Karl let out a sharp gasp, Tade, who was in front of him, asked with a curious look.
Lunia and Eiran’s jaws dropped.
Driana rubbed her eyes several times.
A young beastman, his movements somewhat stiff, walked timidly toward Melina’s side.
Everyone wore a puzzled expression.
“Doesn’t he seem to lack… a lot of spirit?”
“An instructor invited by the Dragon Lord should be someone incredible.”
Amid the confused expressions.
“Haa… haa…!”
Ar let out ragged breaths.
Her ears perked up, and her eyes went wide and round like a cat's.
Her entire body tensed as if she were about to pounce at any moment.
Just as Ar’s tail began to sway back and forth.
*Yank!*
“Nyaak?!”
Leo had somehow moved behind Ar and pulled her tail hard.
“What do you think you’re doing! Black Rabbit!”
Ar glared daggers at Leo, who had swiftly returned to his spot after pulling her tail, and shouted.
At the same time, Rienia’s fiery command fell.
“Who was that! While the Lord is speaking!”
“I-It was the Black Rabbit!”
Ar protested with a sense of injustice, but Rienia was resolute.
“Come with me!”
“You’ll pay for this! Black Rabbit!”
Ar screamed with a resentful voice as she was dragged away by Rienia.
Ar-on watched Ar being dragged away and wore a slightly terrified expression.
Leo, who was feigning innocence, clicked his tongue as he watched Ar rolling on the ground, pinned by Rienia.
‘She has a lot to learn from Ar-on.’
But the one who was supposed to be teaching, Ar-on, was scared of Ar.
‘A long road ahead.’
Leo shook his head with a hollow laugh.