Chapter 210: My Own Little Classroom (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 210: My Own Little Classroom (2)
Lunch break. I had taken refuge in the principal's office to escape the crowds.
"So, how was your day, Geomma? Your first day back at the academy after becoming one of the Seven Stars?"
Medea asked with a cheeky grin as I lay sprawled on her sofa. She seemed to find the whole situation highly amusing—especially since she was asking despite knowing full well what a nightmare my morning had been. I dragged myself upright and sat up straight.
"...I expected some backlash, but the aftermath is worse than I thought. Honestly, at this rate, holding normal classes is going to be impossible."
"I'll say. Looking at your face, it's clear we'd have to calm the cadets down or do crowd control every single day before class if we leave things as they are."
"Isn't there anything we can do?"
"It's hard to implement a proper solution right away. The succession ceremony only just ended, so the faculty and administration are still swamped with the aftermath. Hmm... though there is one temporary fix. I'm just not sure if you'll like it, Geomma."
"Whether I like it or not doesn't matter right now. My daily life is literally falling apart."
"Well, if you're practically begging me!"
Medea's eyes curved into a knowing smile. She darted over to her desk and flicked a sheet of paper toward me. It fluttered through the air and landed neatly on my lap. Medea began her explanation, gesturing for me to read along.
"To be honest, while preparing for the succession ceremony, I figured something like this would happen. So, the old fossil and I came up with a little workaround. Behold: the creation of a brand-new class!"
Medea added a self-made "Ta-da!" sound effect before continuing.
"Simply put, it's a class designed to quarantine you from your massive fanbase. After all, both you and your peers still need to attend lectures. If you stay in the Wolf Class, today's chaos will just keep repeating, won't it?"
"Most likely, yeah."
"And it's not like transferring you to another class would fix anything. Tiger, Wolf, Dragon, Star—it wouldn't matter which of the four classes you went to."
I nodded in agreement. Medea continued.
"So, we're going to establish a class just for you! Ah, of course, this is still an academy, so it won't literally be a class of one. You'll handpick the roster yourself—around ten people or so. That should solve the crowd control issue, right?"
"A class handpicked by me... I don't know about other things, but wouldn't that spark a controversy over favoritism? To the other cadets and their parents, it'll look like a 'special class' was created out of thin air."
Medea offered a faint smile and shook her head at my concern.
"My dear Geomma, it seems you still don't fully grasp the weight of your own position. Let me engrave this into your mind once and for all: you are no longer a mere cadet. You are a Seven Stars hero."
"Ah."
"When you agree to a proposal drafted by me—who is both a Seven Stars hero and the academy principal—do you really think anyone would dare raise a major objection to our decision?"
Medea was reminding me of the sheer authority I now wielded.
She was showing me just how daunting it was for anyone to talk back to a Seven Stars hero, and how to exploit that psychological pressure to my advantage.
If anyone else had heard this, they would have scoffed, “How can an educator think like that?!”
And they'd be right. To put Medea's words simply: "Two Seven Stars heroes are doing this. Got a problem?"
It was a highly feudalistic mindset, completely out of touch with a democratic society. Coincidentally, however, this world was far closer to the latter.
A society strictly divided by status and rank, where the Seven Stars heroes reigned at the absolute peak of the pyramid.
Do as you're told. That was the law of this world, unlike Earth. With the Demons looming as a public enemy, a rigid hierarchy was essential for rapid mobilization in times of crisis.
"Remember, Geomma. When you have power, you can push things through even with the flimsiest of justifications. Backlash from the parents? I guarantee you, not a single soul will speak up."
This was her side as a ruler, not an educator. This somewhat cold-blooded pragmatism might very well be her true nature.
Or perhaps she was teaching me a lesson as both an educator and a senior Seven Stars hero. Education isn't limited to academics, after all. If she was teaching me political maneuvering, that too was a form of education.
Catching an unexpected glimpse of this side of Medea came as a refreshing shock.
Medea was a global powerhouse who had survived countless trials to reach her current position. She was the principal of Joaquin Academy and the Sage of the Seven Stars. If she had been soft-hearted, she would never have made it this far.
Medea slumped back onto the sofa to my right. Her throat seemed dry from all the talking. When I handed her some green tea, she gave a bright smile and took a sip.
"Ahhh!" She let out a satisfied exclamation that practically radiated middle-aged-man energy. Toying with the cap of the plastic bottle, she spoke again.
"And it's not just the parents. The cadets won't have any right to complain even if your class is made up entirely of your personal connections. Frankly speaking, they were busy discriminating against you until earlier this year. They had more than enough time to build a bond with you, but they kicked away their own good fortune. It might sound a bit harsh, but they need to learn this as a life lesson too."
A sharp, refreshing truth, cold as the green tea itself. It felt like she was determined to put me on a pedestal today.
"You know, out of school ties, regional ties, and blood ties, I absolutely detest the latter two. But I do think school ties are pretty important. After all, I met the old fossil and that gorilla of a man right here at Joaquin Academy. Ergo, the connections you make in school are vital to navigating life!"
"I see..."
"Anyway, my dear Geomma is just too amazing! Top of the elite class, and a Seven Stars hero at seventeen! Oi, oi, Heavenly Sword. Just how high are you planning to climb? Is it like, 'My sashimi knife shall transcend the black sky and pierce the cosmos!' or something?!"
For a good while, Medea babbled on with infinite favoritism, eagerly peppering her speech with teenage slang she didn't normally use.
Has the principal always talked like such a child?
I tried to think of a fitting response, but ended up just standing there awkwardly. Combined, our mental ages were well over a hundred; exchanging “oi, oi”s felt entirely wrong.
The sheer cringe that would hit me when I tried to sleep tonight kept my lips sealed. Then, my gaze drifted down to the paper Medea had handed me.
"Um, Principal? There's already a name written on this new class roster."
"Ah, that. Hehe."
At my question, Medea scratched her cheek with an innocent smile. I could read her like a book now. She was trying to gloss over it. And for good reason...
`[No. 1: Kang Geomma, No. 2: Medea Poison.]`
Why on earth was the academy principal's name written in the student column?
If she were listed as the head instructor or the advising professor, that would be one thing, but seeing her name right next to mine made me think I was seeing things.
But judging by her reaction, my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Medea's name was boldly written down as a student.
I should have known the moment she started buttering me up with that teenage slang.
As I narrowed my eyes at her, Medea twirled a lock of her hair, looking away. When I kept staring, she finally spoke in resignation.
"W-Well, the ink must have smudged there when printing. Or maybe it was a typo. I didn't notice when I checked earlier, but thanks to you, now I know!"
"Are you sure about that?"
Medea nodded vigorously.
"Of course! Otherwise, does it make any sense for the principal to be listed as a student?"
"Since you put it that way, I understand. I'll start by crossing your name off, then."
"..."
No response. I pressed her.
"Principal?"
"Ugh..."
I drew a thick line through her name with a ballpoint pen.
Medea, cut.
* * *
Medea couldn't quite hide her disappointment. Leaving her behind, I stepped out of the principal's office.
Ten minutes left until the end of lunch. The Wolf Class would still be packed with people, so it was best to time my arrival right when the next period started.
I walked down the empty corridor of the main building. With each step, I began to flesh out Medea's proposal in my head.
"Medea said she already did the groundwork behind the scenes so the administrative process can move quickly."
All I had to do was recruit the members. The maximum capacity was ten. I just needed to gather about ten people, regardless of their current class. That wouldn't be difficult.
Including myself, there were five members in the Travel Club. Excluding Senior Hana, who was a second-year, that left four of us. Nearly half the roster could be filled by club members.
What about the remaining six? A few faces immediately came to mind.
My own special class. I intended to put this to good use. To be precise, I was planning to design it as a special headquarters to prepare for the 2nd Human-Demon War.
The eyes of the world were currently fixed on me. But in truth, this spotlight belonged to Leon von Reinhardt, not me.
No matter how I had ended up with the rather burdensome epithet of the Heavenly Sword, the one who would ultimately slay the Demon King was the Hero.
As I'd mentioned before, his unique blessing and the game's signature trait, the 'Miracle Blessing', was the sole key to subjugating the Demon King. No matter how hard other heroes struggled, without that blessing, it was all for naught. That was how this world's system was designed.
Could the Blessing of the Sword God slay the Demon King? I kept the possibility in mind, but there was no guarantee.
If I could kill the Demon King myself, there would be no reason for Leon to even exist. Besides, he had already proven his worthiness as a Hero by being chosen by Balmung alongside his Miracle Blessing.
A moment's thought made it obvious. Slaying the Demon King was Leon's role. Even now, with me having thoroughly derailed the original storyline, that fact remained unchanged.
Leon needed to grow just as much as I did, if not more.
Therefore, I planned to keep him close to monitor his progress and figure out how to assist him in the future.
Judging by the student council election, Leon didn't seem to harbor any hostility toward me. In fact, he had been the first to reach out and show friendliness. He wouldn't flatly reject an invitation to join my special class.
"So, that's five people including Leon and the club members. For the remaining slots, I can bring in Abel and Rachel."
Their growth was just as crucial as Leon's. I recalled reading on the online community that the synergy between Abel and Leon was the key to turning the tide in the 2nd Human-Demon War.
In short, Leon couldn't solo the Demon Army. Humanity would only triumph if Abel supported him. The same went for Rachel. I wasn't so sure about Ryozo since she was basically a background heroine, but regardless.
With that, I had selected seven members. It wasn't the maximum capacity of ten, but there was no rule saying I had to fill every slot.
Still, as I pondered, it felt a bit empty. Like it was missing that final touch. At that moment, a spark of inspiration flashed through my mind.
"Ah, those guys."
One person I needed to keep a close eye on. And another who wasn't even a cadet—or a human, for that matter—but whom I still wanted to bring into this special class.
Dong— Dong— Dong—
The bell chimed, signaling the start of the fifth period. I quickened my pace.
The blueprint was set. All that was left was to reel them in. Persuasion wouldn't be necessary.
It wasn't like I was doing this for my own amusement anyway. Besides, I was a Seven Stars hero.
They'll just have to do as they're told.