Morning Assembly and the Whispered Promise
The morning assembly is over. I walk into my classroom as if it has become a gathering spot.
As I walk, my mind fills with deep worries. The concerns about the field trip I mentioned during the assembly are exactly what they are.
This field trip is, in plain words, a quest that forces me to face off against demons. I know it will be forced in advance, and I also know that the demon executives are in the central tower. Unlike the quest on the floating island where I blocked student contact with the demon executives, this time there are no such restrictions, so I do not know when and where Idea will appear with her elite demons.
Even I do not know this, and this time the field trip is to the underwater kingdom under the name of observation. As a professor, I must stay behind with Myu and the avatars I created from clones.
At best, all I can do is quickly notice Idea’s appearance, use the clones to deceive the academy side, and stop Idea.
Although Idea’s ultimate goal is the library, I have no certainty that she will not attack the academy before that, so I must watch closely.
At best, the usable option is probably Morgan, registered as an assistant, and Isolde.
If things go that far, I could leave the control of the clones to Myu and move myself, but Myu, who must control the clones finely, would fall into action inability, so I need to think of a better method.
Of course, such a thing would never have happened if I had kidnapped Idea and Pensia during the floating island incident, so it is only natural that I take responsibility.
And since the students would likely face demons directly during this field trip, I prepared today’s first class a little differently from usual.
“Are you ready? Myu!”
“Yes, Mother. I will work hard even though Aria Mother’s body is in poor condition after a long time.”
Myu answers with a cheerful voice, her green hair flowing as she asks, while I nod with my rose-red hair.
Without a doubt, she is in the form of the Yujia and Aria avatars. The only difference from usual is that I am using the avatar of Yujia instead of Aria.
Together with Myu, who has changed into Aria’s appearance instead of my usual self, we head to the practice field for today’s first class.
To start the combined class of swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat that I prepared with Principal Mira’s agreement.
“There is still me here, you know…”
Of course, I did not forget the swordsmanship teaching assistant Morgan either.
It was not a mistake at all.
* * *
Arin is in a very confused situation right now.
After finishing the general class, monster theory, which is today’s first class, she passed on the student council instructions to the students listening to the swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat classes.
And what the student council passed on is none other than the fact that the hand-to-hand combat class, originally scheduled for after lunch, will be combined with the swordsmanship class as today’s first practical class.
Combined practical class.
This unprecedented event is enough to surprise the students listening to the class, and especially for Arin, who listens to both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat classes, it is an unbearable word.
That is only natural, because the schedule she had faithfully followed has suddenly changed.
But since it has already been delivered unilaterally, there is no choice but to go along with it.
Arin walks to the practice field where the combined class is held, together with Kana and Riana, who are just as bewildered as she is, and time has passed since then until now.
“Oh, you’re all here!”
“Quickly enter.”
When I arrive near the practice field, I see Professor Aria and Professor Yujia.
Arin mutters to the two who came together, as if they are walking in front of the students gathered at the practice field.
“Those two seem to be close…”
“Anyway, they said they are family, right?”
“I have never seen them clinging together, though.”
According to the known information as Riana and Kana said, Aria and Yujia are family.
I heard it directly from Aria herself, so there is no room for objection, but I had forgotten because I had never seen professors who are really family clinging to each other.
Honestly, where is the family that does not even try to act like they know each other, even though they are family?
Of course, I thought it was because they were not acting close inside the academy to focus on their work, but when I see this appearance, it seems that is not the case.
Thinking that far, Arin feels like she might secretly follow them if she has time, but she soon shakes her head and shakes off the thought.
“It is not necessary to meddle in someone else’s family history…”
From the appearance I see right now and the appearance Professor Meiel showed during the audience with His Majesty the King yesterday, they do not seem like bad people.
I decide not to dig too deep and completely erase the half-shed thought from my mind, and the foot that had stopped moves again as Kana pulls my sleeve.
“Let’s go quickly, Arin. If we are late, she will scold us…”
“Kana-nim is right. Let’s hurry.”
“Let’s go, quickly.”
Led by Kana’s hand, we enter the practice field at a fast pace, and Riana follows behind.
Since the place we had stopped was not far, we enter the practice field in just a few steps.
Arin, Kana, and Riana walk behind the students gathered in front of Professor Aria and Professor Yujia, taking an appropriate distance from the students in front and stopping.
“Um?”
“Why, Arin?”
And when we find a place and stand, Arin shows curiosity on the woman’s face she sees.
A moment ago, she was hidden behind Aria and Yujia and not clearly visible, but when she enters the practice field and stands, the first time she sees a woman she does not know standing in front of them.
Arin points to her carefully and asks Kana, who asks from beside her.
“Is she a stranger?”
“Eh? Yeah…”
Her snow-white long hair reaching all the way to her hips and her extremely dark green pupils. The woman in a tightly fitting attractive outfit causes Kana to tilt her head like Arin.
I have seen many professors at the academy, but I have never seen this woman before.
If she has come to the practical class, she is definitely not a student but a professor. So, I should have seen her at some point, but I do not even have a hazy memory.
And the one who answers the deepening question is Riana, who is quietly observing the woman from beside her.
“Is she not the swordsmanship teaching assistant?”
“Teaching assistant?”
“Yes, yesterday Professor Isolde explained it, right? She said there is one more teaching assistant besides herself.”
Yesterday, when Aria could not come to the academy because of the audience with His Majesty the King, the assistant who came in her place was Isolde.
During that morning assembly, Isolde mentioned that there is another teaching assistant besides herself.
“I think it was the lecture with that teaching assistant that is swordsmanship, so she should be the one. Her name started with Mo…”
“Ah! Morgan the teaching assistant!”
“Right! She said Morgan the teaching assistant!”
Arin recalls Riana’s memory and shouts Kana’s name.
Morgan.
The swordsmanship teaching assistant who newly joined yesterday along with Isolde.
When the name she thought of rings, Riana claps, and the next moment Aria and Yujia, who open their mouths, prove that their prediction was correct.
“Well, it looks like everyone is here, so let us start the class.”
“Although this is the first combined class for everyone, do not worry! Everyone gathered here already does swordsmanship, archery, and hand-to-hand combat, so there will be no problem.”
After confirming that there are no more students coming from outside the practice field and checking the number, Aria and Yujia take turns speaking.
The perfectly matched breathing of the two makes me look around and see many familiar faces.
The students listening to archery are unfamiliar, but besides that, the faces I have seen once in swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.
Arin nods slightly as she agrees, and Aria, who has come down from the podium, pushes the back of the white-haired woman standing below her.
“Before we start the class, let me introduce you to the ones listening to swordsmanship. Today, I will help with the class, but from now on, Morgan will be the one to help with swordsmanship.”
“Fufufu~ Hello, everyone. I look forward to working with you from now on?”
With a bewitching smile as if a witch is smiling, Morgan greets them.
For some reason, Arin feels a slight chill seeing the inorganic eyes like looking at food on a plate, but before that emotion can properly be felt, Aria pushes Morgan back and continues speaking.
“I think everyone who has come here today must be curious. Why the sudden combined class.”
That is exactly right. This must be something everyone who came here, not just Arin, Kana, and Riana, would be curious about.
If it is the first combined class, how could one not be curious?
And the answer is given by Yujia, who jumped down from the podium following Aria.
“We cannot prepare for all situations with just swords, fists, and bows, so that is why I called you all today. To teach you all the ultimate techniques at this opportunity. To be more precise…”
Yujia points to the weapons of the students standing in front of her and draws out the end of her sentence while slowly raising both hands.
Then, power begins to gather in her both hands. Slowly, as if showing off, Yujia gathers the power.
The power starts from her chest and flows through her arms, wrists, palms, fingers, and fingernails.
She puts as much power into the places she calls hands as she can, and the next moment, when Yujia’s two hands clash.
The vision flashes.
Piiiiing───
“Ayug…?”
“Uueu…?!”
“Ueh, ears…!”
Although it looks like she clapped, no sound is heard. No, more precisely, when Yujia claps, the sound does not reach her ears.
A storm of power erupts like a wave without any gap with the clap.
The power storm spreads faster than sound, and when it touches the ears, hearing loses its function.
After a little time passes, the wind sound comes in a little with the dull sensation, and after a few more seconds, the sound properly enters the ears.
Perhaps realizing that their ears have returned to normal, Yujia, who was smiling, opens her mouth and says.
“I proposed the combined class so that I can tell you this. Since I adjusted it so that there is no problem with hearing now, it will be fine, but I will teach it to the level where you can use it in actual battle. And since Aria-sister also knows how, we will teach it together.”
“To be more precise, while you use your weapons, we will tell you when and how to use this. This is a technique for actual battle only.”
Aria corrects Yujia’s words and shrugs her shoulders, and Yujia smiles and looks at the students with narrowed eyes.
Those eyes, which give an extremely uneasy feeling.
As expected, such ominous feelings always come true.
“Well then, since the time has been combined, let us practice hard to master it.”
The sentence given by the two matching the rhythm sounds like the harmony of a demon.