He Remembered My Name
Xiel's students turned their eyes toward their instructor.
His role in this trial was merely that of an observer.
Long-distance running.
They had run until their lungs burned over the past weeks, but standing before the official test, nervousness naturally crept in.
Is the instructor going to say anything?
Doesn't he have any tips for us?
What on earth is mana resistance going to feel like...?
At the same time, excitement fluttered in their chests. To think that long-distance running—the very thing Instructor Xiel had drilled into them day after day—would actually appear as a test event! And they had not merely run; they had sprinted with sandbags strapped to their limbs, completely forbidden from using mana. How would it feel now that they could actually channel their mana to run?
"Student Yulio Harmatan."
Xiel's flat voice cut through the silence.
"Your heart rate is excessively elevated."
"Pardon?"
How did he know?
"Calm your nerves. Starting with an elevated heart rate provides no tactical benefit while running."
As expected of Instructor Xiel.
"Y-yes, sir! Understood!"
Xiel surveyed his students, adding without a flicker of emotion, "Perform precisely as you were taught in class. Do so, and every one of you will secure a high rank."
Then, he casually dropped another remark.
"Should any of you fail, I will be forced to alter my teaching methods. To something more efficient."
A chill shot down their spines.
What did that even mean?
Don't tell me he means harsher than this...?
Is he insane? We're already dying as it is...!
Deep within their souls, a desperate surge of motivation took root. They could never let that happen. Under no circumstances.
I'm running. I'll run until I drop dead!
Yulio clenched his teeth. Though he had scraped through admissions at the very bottom, he could finally see a glimpse of a future.
"Karen, let's do our best."
"Yeah, obviously. Neither of us has much hope in the swordsmanship division anyway. We have to secure as many points as possible in physical fitness."
"Don't you think we could hold our own in swordsmanship too?"
"Are you starting that again?" Karen sighed. "Who in this place wasn't called a prodigy back home?"
Ever since their very first conversation after entering the academy, she had heard him say it—how Yulio had constantly been praised as a sword prodigy since childhood.
"It's true, though..."
"So was I, okay? But do you see me bragging after coming to the Sword School? Keep your mouth shut."
"..."
"Just focus on the fitness test for now."
And then, the first trial finally began.
"Huff, huff..."
Crushed beneath the oppressive weight of the mana barrier and dragged down by artificial gravity, the trial was grueling. Their legs felt as heavy as if they were strapped with sandbags—
Wait.
Karen remembered Xiel's lessons.
The sandbags! They had run with those exact weights strapped to their bodies.
Could he have known?
No way. That was impossible.
Yet by some miraculous coincidence, the conditions of his training matched the testing environment almost perfectly. Perhaps that was why fatigue did not overwhelm them as quickly. In fact, confidence began welling up within them.
"Hey... *pant*... this is actually doable!"
"I know, right?! We ran until we puked blood with those damn sandbags on!"
The students realized it with absolute clarity. If not for Instructor Xiel's endurance training... if they had not learned proper breathing techniques and personalized gaits tailored to each of their bodies...
We would've collapsed by now.
This is way easier than class! Is it because we can use mana?
Admiration soared through the roof. It had all been part of Instructor Xiel's grand design!
By the fortieth lap, not a single one of Xiel's students had dropped out.
On the other hand...
"*Gasp*, *heave*! I-I can't!"
"*Bleargh*!"
Dropouts began tumbling out one after another from the ranks of students Xiel did not teach.
"It certainly isn't easy. Did you set the barrier's intensity high?" Department Head Berhal clicked his tongue.
"As I mentioned earlier, it is set to medium intensity."
"The caliber of first-years drops with every passing year. At this rate, won't they all be wiped out within five minutes?"
"I will instruct them more thoroughly," Professor Elcanto mumbled, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
Just as Department Head Berhal had predicted, Elcanto assumed nearly every student would collapse shortly. Naturally, he expected Xiel's students to fall right along with them.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten minutes passed.
W-what is going on?
Out of eighty students, thirty had dropped out like flies... and almost every single one of them was a student Xiel did not teach. In other words, they were students from Professor Elcanto's own third and fourth elective classes.
What is this? Why are those kids running so well?
Elcanto squirmed in his seat. Department Head Berhal, who did not know the exact class rosters of the first-years, glanced over.
"Is something the matter, Professor Elcanto?"
"Ah, n-no, Department Head."
"You look unwell."
"Ha, haha. I overate this morning, you see..."
"And after you made such a fuss about dieting."
Though he brushed it off with a pathetic excuse, grease—no, cold sweat—poured down Elcanto's back.
How did this happen...?
Right then, two more students dropped out. Once again, students from Professor Elcanto's classes.
By now, even the students who had been entirely focused on the exam realized something bizarre was happening.
"*Pant*, *gasp*... Hey. Aren't almost all the kids still running from that other class?"
"Y-yeah. Aren't they the ones taking that elective lecturer's class?"
To the vast majority of the eliminated students, nearly every runner still on the track was an unfamiliar face.
"How are they still going? Does that make any sense?"
"I felt like I was going to die..."
Watching this unfold, the expressions of the two instructors sat at opposite extremes. One was an anxious wreck, trapped between dread and tearful panic.
Meanwhile...
It worked as expected.
Xiel, having personally designed and taught the self-defense and endurance running curriculum, felt the corner of his lips curl upward ever so slightly. It was a smile that surfaced without him even realizing it.
Is this emotion... what they call pride?
A moment later, that small smirk lifted just a fraction higher.
"Hmm."
Department Head Berhal finally caught on. He realized why Professor Elcanto beside him was sweating bullets, and why that distant elective lecturer named Xiel had the faintest smirk playing on his lips.
Xiel Steelheart. A mere elective lecturer... yet he transformed these students?
Looking closely, the forty students who had not even flinched when the trial was announced were almost all still running. Only two or three had dropped out, and even they had held out remarkably long before collapsing. Their baseline physical stamina was extraordinary.
"The results are starting to take shape."
No sooner had Berhal spoken than several more students dropped out. Now, only forty-five remained. They would run until only forty were left standing.
I can do this.
Karen and Yulio.
When the endurance running class had first begun, the two of them had hovered near the very bottom. Yet astoundingly, they were still running. Their pace had slowed, but they maintained a steady rhythm.
Unlike class, they were allowed to use mana. And more importantly, throughout those grueling lessons, they had gradually overcome their sense of helplessness!
It wasn't that I couldn't do it. I just didn't know how.
Almost there! We can make it to the next round!
Those two thoughts propelled their legs forward.
Forty-four.
Forty-three.
And forty-two.
"*Gasp*, *pant*..."
Their breath grew ragged. Their legs screamed in agony, and the frantic pounding of their hearts echoed in their ears.
"K-Karen, just a little more!"
"Shut up and run, Yulio! There aren't... *pant*... many left!"
And then—
"The trial has concluded."
With forty students eliminated, the first event officially came to an end.
Karen and Yulio collapsed where they stood, and most of the remaining runners sprawled across the floor beside them.
"*Gasp*, *wheeze*..."
"Aaaaargh!"
A chorus of ragged breaths and screams—impossible to tell if they were shrieks of agony or cheers of triumph—filled the gymnasium.
Tyron waited considerately for the students to drink water and catch their breath before speaking.
"You all worked very hard. Two evaluators will cross-verify your individual records and pacing to assign scores."
Making it into the top forty was not strictly necessary to pass overall, but the sheer fact that they had run without stopping until forty people were eliminated filled the students with immense pride.
"W-we did it, Karen."
"*Phew*... Seriously. Wow. That actually worked."
As if by silent agreement, both turned their heads toward Xiel.
"Is the instructor... smiling?"
"Looks like it... maybe?"
Neither of them had ever seen Xiel smile in their lives. It was probably just an illusion. There was no way. Instructor Xiel was human, of course, but imagining a smile on that emotionless face felt impossible.
"Nope. We saw wrong."
The corner of his mouth had already dropped back down. Naturally, they dismissed it as a trick of the light.
"Professor Elcanto, that was quite an intriguing outcome."
At Department Head Berhal's remark, Professor Elcanto pressed his lips tightly together.
Only the first physical fitness trial had concluded, yet the reality was glaringly obvious. The "intriguing outcome" Berhal had subtly pointed out was plain for all to see.
A mere five students.
How could this be...?
Except for a pathetic five survivors, the first-years from his own third and fourth elective classes had been completely wiped out. In fact, when factoring in the second-years who had not taken first-year electives, the results were even more shocking. How could every single one of them have been crushed except for five?
More importantly, what on earth did Lecturer Xiel teach them...?
Even more staggering was the stamina of the forty students taking Xiel's class. The five who had dropped out had only collapsed toward the middle of the trial, not at the beginning. The gulf in physical fitness was absurd.
"The next trial will begin in one hour. Please take this time to rest. Be advised that using magical artifacts, recovery tonics, or unauthorized beverages to restore stamina will result in immediate disqualification."
With the first trial officially over, Department Head Berhal cast a deeply intrigued glance in Xiel's direction.
"Hmm."
A blaring sense of crisis flared in Elcanto's chest! He had no choice.
"Ha, haha. It seems Lecturer Xiel introduced rather... unique training methods. For first-years, their stamina is..."
His only option was to elevate the other party so he would not look utterly incompetent by comparison. But Department Head Berhal was not an easy man to fool.
"Professor Elcanto. In this case, wouldn't a different word be more appropriate?"
"..."
Failure. He should have cleanly admitted his shortcomings instead—
"I understand being fond of a newly hired elective lecturer. But doesn't this seem a bit... suspicious?"
"Pardon?"
"Think about it. What kind of method could possibly improve students' stamina to that extent in such a short time?"
"Ah..."
"They all started around the same level. Whatever Instructor Xiel taught them, doesn't this strike you as rather strange?"
"Y-yes, exactly!"
"Look into it. Find out how he did it."
"Understood, sir."
"Hmm. I appreciate an elective lecturer's passion, but if it's that sort of method, we'll have a problem on our hands... Then again, it might be nothing, so inquire discreetly. Understood?"
"Of course!"
Professor Elcanto's eyes gleamed.
Indeed, when he thought about it, it made no sense. Could stamina really improve this drastically?
Did he feed them something?
Considering the weight of the selection trials and the prestige of participating in the Exchange Event, doping was hardly outside the realm of possibility.
"Ahem. Well, I shall head over to observe the second-year trials."
"Yes, have a safe trip, Department Head."
Berhal waved a dismissive hand and strode briskly out of the hall. The moment the department head exited the gymnasium, Professor Elcanto sprang to his feet.
I don't care how powerful his backers are—if he used drugs, an audit will tear him apart! And if that happens, I'm finished too!
Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get this professorship?!
I have to uncover it first.
Waddling hurriedly across the floor, he approached a specific student.
"You are Student Yulio Harmatan, correct?"
Out of all the students not enrolled in his classes, aside from high-ranking noble scions like Deleve or Celia, Yulio was the only freshman whose name he remembered. The reason was simple.
What kind of no-name family even applied here?
The family name had been so obscure that it stuck in his mind, and Yulio had scraped into the academy dead last.
Meanwhile...
P-Professor Elcanto knows my name? Even though I'm not in his class?
Yulio thoroughly misinterpreted the gesture.
"H-hello, Professor!"
"Mm. Yes. You ran quite hard out there. You must have prepared a great deal."
"Yes, sir! I worked incredibly hard!"
"Did you? Hmm. But you ran remarkably well."
"Heheh. Thank you, sir."
Professor Elcanto leaned in and probed slyly.
"Did you... perhaps consume something good?"
"Pardon?"
"Mm. I was just wondering if you ate anything special lately. In your daily life."
"That's..."
Yulio's eyes wavered.
There it is!
Caught you, you little punk.
"...Well, you see..."
"Yes, go on."
"It's a bit embarrassing to say..."
Professor Elcanto glanced around conspiratorially.
"I promise to keep it strictly between us."
"...The truth is..."
*Ba-dump, ba-dump!*
Spit it out already!
Elcanto's heart pounded against his ribs.
"I've only been eating... food from the student cafeteria..."
"What?"
"...I don't have much money, so I could only afford the cafeteria meals..."
"..."
What was this kid talking about?
"The other students go out to buy delicious food, but I just... Please don't tell anyone. It's really embarrassing."
"So... you didn't consume anything special?"
"I don't have the money to eat anything special."
To Yulio, "special" food didn't mean exorbitantly priced establishments like Lancaster's Star, but the popular restaurants scattered along the academy streets. Yet he lacked the coin even for those. He consistently filled his belly with the cheapest cafeteria meals, and occasionally Karen treated him to lunch. House Harmatan was noble in name only; in reality, they were destitute, barely scraping together enough funds to pay his Sword School tuition.
"Ah, but if you mean something special someone else bought for me..."
"Yes! Exactly that!"
"Instructor Xiel..."
"What did Instructor Xiel do?!"
"We ran into each other on the street, and he bought me a chicken skewer."
"..."
He was going to lose his mind.
Professor Elcanto pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
Then how on earth did he do it...?
Elcanto glanced toward Xiel, his gaze trembling violently.
What was this? By all accounts, Yulio should have dropped out near the very beginning, yet he finished within the top forty on the first trial. What kind of sorcery had taken place? Even if actual magic had been used, the evaluators would have detected it instantly.
What kind of training did he put them through?
In truth, if he had actually bothered to read Xiel's training reports, he would have easily understood. But forging Elcanto's signature on those documents was always Tyron's responsibility. Professor Elcanto had never once read a single one of Xiel's curriculum reports.
"You'll keep it a secret, right...?"
Professor Elcanto stared at Yulio in sheer disbelief.
"Y-yes. I'll keep it a secret. Fine. I asked a foolish question."
Having run out of things to say, he racked his brain before squeezing out a final parting word.
"Just... make sure you eat well."
Yulio stared blankly at Professor Elcanto's retreating, hurried back. Karen walked over a moment later.
"What was that? Why was Professor Elcanto talking to you?"
"The professor knew my name..."
"Huh?"
"He told me to make sure I ate well. He even worried about me."
"Uh... really?"
Yulio's eyes shone with profound emotion. Karen tilted her head, thoroughly perplexed.
"Why would Professor Elcanto care?"
"I don't know. But the fact that a professor remembered my name..."
In his heart, Yulio offered up fervent praise to Xiel once more.
People really acknowledge me now that I've changed. Thank you, Instructor Xiel.
The revival of his family!
It was no longer just an impossible dream.