Chapter 233: Heaven Class (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: Heaven Class (2)
As I stepped into the Heaven Class room, a peculiar atmosphere hung in the air—typical of the start of a semester. It was a subtle blend of awkwardness and quiet excitement.
Perhaps because of that, a heavy silence reigned for the time being. After all, the class brought together quite a gathering of distinct personalities: Leon von Reinhardt, Abel von Nibelung, Rachel de Myura, Saki Ryozo, Speed Weapon, Chloe Auditore, and Hontail.
I hadn't expected warm, friendly chatter on the very first day anyway.
Besides, the original purpose of creating this class was to isolate them from the chaotic commotion of the other classes.
This suffocating silence was technically what the Principal and I had intended. Still...
I raised my left hand to offer a greeting. But the kids—or more specifically, the majority of them who were girls—only pursed their lips before abruptly turning their heads away.
I casually lowered my raised hand and scratched my chin. Awkward. So awkward.
Out of all of them, the only ones who offered me a smile were Hontail and Chloe. Even then, sensing the room's mood, they merely greeted me with subtle glances.
I shifted my gaze. I spotted Speed Weapon, one of the few males in the class. His eyes sent me a clear message: I can't breathe. I'm gonna suffocate. I agreed with a nod of my eyes.
I should ask him later why the vibe is like this on day one.
Even if the primary objective was training heroes, Heaven Class was still fundamentally a part of the Academy. Though the dark cloud of the 2nd Human-Demon War was looming on the horizon, I wanted these kids to enjoy their student life.
—Meeting people and building bonds. That's something you can only learn by mingling with peers your own age.
Those were the words my first master had told me in my past life. And they applied to everyone here. Even if they were fated to bleed and fight on the front lines a few years down the road, until then, they were cadets who had the right to savor their youth.
It was my personal hope that along with their growth, their bonds of friendship would deepen as well.
After all, they're real teenagers, unlike an old soul like me who's already seen it all.
I slowly walked inside, looking around the classroom. As for the remaining seats...
Why is only the seat right in the middle left?
That seat practically screamed "main character." Setting aside being the literal center of the class, it was completely surrounded by female cadets. It looked almost like a peacock fanning out its tail feathers.
Either way, anyone could see that seat clearly belonged to the Hero, Leon. Yet Leon himself was sitting in a corner, far away from the center.
Did Leon leave that spot empty on purpose for me?
I don't need that kind of consideration, you jerk. Stunned for a moment, I had no choice but to walk over and sit down.
Thump.
The back of my head pricked with stares. Though I tried hard to ignore it, it was painfully clear that every single female cadet was glaring at me. I was experiencing the literal definition of sitting on pins and needles.
But I had no other choice. The seats had been set up to match the exact number of students. Since the class capacity would stay fixed anyway, placing them close together was meant to encourage conversation. Who knew it would backfire like this?
Feeling uncomfortable, I leaned forward. I checked the wall clock mounted high above the center of the blackboard. Five minutes to nine in the morning. At that moment, the classroom door swung vigorously open.
Clack, clack.
The crisp, rhythmic clicking of heels echoed. The cadets' colorful eyes widened like saucers. The suffocating silence vanished in an instant. And understandably so.
Madness.
Even I, who knew full well who was coming, shot up out of my seat. Ryozo and Weapon did the same.
Fresh, light-green hair. Mint-colored eyes. Up to this point, these were the features we were familiar with. However...
Taking confident, brisk strides, she soon came to a stop at the podium. Then, a pleasant smile spread across her lips.
"Good morning!"
The podium, which previously would have come up to her chest, now reached only to her belly button.
"As those in the know already know, I am the professor in charge of Heaven Class from here on out—Meain Poison."
The senior who, until recently, had been with us under the alias San Hana...
"I look forward to working with you, my kids."
...had reappeared before us, transformed from a young girl into a full-grown adult.
* * *
At the same time, in the Principal's office.
Medea paced in circles around the reception table, incessantly biting her thumbnail.
"Sister isn't going to cause trouble, is she?"
She muttered, her face fraught with anxiety. Right on cue, the extension phone rang nervously. Medea frantically grabbed the receiver and began apologizing.
"Hello? Who is this? Did Meain Poison cause some kind of trouble? I'm so sorry that such a person is my twin sister."
—It's me.
The voice belonged to the Sword Emperor. At that, the tautly stretched phone cord instantly slackened into a loose curve. The stiff muscles in Medea's shoulders relaxed slightly as well.
Letting out a deep sigh, she immediately grumbled.
"Ah, jeez! You scared me. I thought my heart was going to stop."
—Don't throw around talk of dying so lightly. Consider our age. We're already seventy. Carelessly mouthing off jinxes like that might actually make it happen.
Medea scowled at the Sword Emperor's scolding and spat back with annoyance.
"I've lived several times longer than you, so it doesn't matter to me!"
—Are you mocking us modern humans just because you're an Ancient?!
"Yep, I sure am. If you don't like it, try being born an Ancient next time."
—...
"If you're just going to chatter aimlessly, hang up. I have a throbbing headache today just from breathing."
—I saw the news. They say the All-Power has returned to Joaquin Academy.
"It's not a return. She's been hiding in plain sight as a cadet since the beginning of this year."
The Sword Emperor let out a booming laugh. Medea toyed with the phone cord as she spoke.
"They say the darkest place is right under the candlestick, and nowhere is better for hiding than the Academy. The security and everything else are world-class. And my sister knows that better than anyone."
—Unpredictable as ever, then and now. No wonder I couldn't locate her no matter how hard I tried through the Association. To think she was at the Academy... That makes a lot of sense.
After Kang Geomma left Hawaii Island, the Sword Emperor had inquired about the All-Power's whereabouts. His intention aligned with Kang Geomma's: he wanted the All-Power to stay at the Academy and watch over the cadets.
Yet that very All-Power had walked into the Academy on her own two feet. While it brought relief that his goal had been met, it was also true that he couldn't feel entirely at ease.
The All-Power revealing herself? One could infer that the current situation was far from ordinary.
The anomaly at the Gehenna Gate, the sudden appearance of the All-Power, Meain Poison. The omens were meshing together like clockwork gears.
The Sword Emperor brushed aside the flickering ominous thoughts and spoke again.
—Reporters must be swarming like a tide. How is the Academy holding up?
"How else could it be? It's absolute chaos. Still, Association staff are holding the fort at every entrance to deal with the press, so thankfully the cadets aren't being bothered."
—The Association certainly handles that sort of thing well.
"Instead, the parents are throwing a fit. They're upset that Heaven Class was established behind their backs, demanding to know what kind of class it is, calling it discrimination, and whatnot."
The Sword Emperor snorted.
—Ridiculous. They've been discriminating based solely on social status all this time, yet now they dismiss proper differentiation as discrimination.
"Anyway, I am so exhausted... seriously. Out there, reporters are causing a mess, while inside, parents are bombarding us with complaint calls. And that's not all—I'm worrying myself sick over whether my sister will pull some stunt. I feel like my lifespan is dropping by a year every minute. Ah, though I'll still outlive an old geezer like you."
—...Your sense of humor is in terrible taste.
The Sword Emperor shook his head gently.
—Ah, come to think of it, Lady All-Power must have manifested the Poison family's Unique Blessing just like you, right?
"Yeah. If she appeared in her true form, the fact that the Poison family are descendants of Ancients would be exposed to the whole world. Well, but it's six of one, half a dozen of the other. It's just her appearance from a few years in the future anyway. Ah, that future might be one where an old geezer like you doesn't exist anymore!"
—Medea! You—you really...!
Medea giggled mischievously. Bickering with the Sword Emperor made her feel better. The two were lifelong friends who had met at the Academy.
"Though talking like this really brings back old memories... Come to think of it, the one who taught us back then was my sister—"
Suddenly, a chill ran down Medea's spine. Her green pupils trembled violently. After retracing her past in her mind's eye, she finally spoke.
"...Hey, old geezer. Do you remember the lessons we took from my sister?"
—How could I ever forget... that...?
The Sword Emperor spoke through gritted teeth. He was trembling with dread.
—Honestly, it's doubtful whether one could even call that a 'lesson.' Her methods were far too extreme.
"Holy shit, I forgot! I have to go stop her right now! Otherwise, our kids might end up turning into personality-ruined wrecks like you or the Spear Saint!"
—What about you? Why are you leaving yourself out?
Medea ignored his words. The Sword Emperor added with a tired face.
—Stop panicking and calm down. Even if you talk like that, you admit it too, don't you? Lady Meain may be an eccentric, but there is no dispute that she brings out a cadet's potential to its absolute limit. She is a born educator.
"Th-That's... true. Frankly speaking, it was thanks to my sister's crash-course training that all of the Seven Stars became strong so quickly... But still..."
—I understand your concern for the cadets, but this is the lesson they need.
The Sword Emperor groaned softly. His breath was heavy with worry. Thinking that his own granddaughter was about to go through it made him feel at a loss all over again.
—Well... it is a little—no, heavily—sadistic, though...
* * *
Scanning the faces in the classroom, the All-Power flashed a faint smile.
"Since you're all famous faces anyway and probably know each other, we'll skip introductions. I don't have much to introduce about myself besides my name either, so pass! By the way, even if you ask about my first love, I don't have one, so I can't answer! So let's jump straight into the lesson."
The All-Power turned around. Picking up a piece of chalk, she began writing on the board. Everyone's eyes settled on her fair nape.
"Combat, fierce battle, hand-to-hand combat, mutual slaughter. There are many words, but in the end, what do you think is the single most important thing when it comes to fighting?"
"Training and discipline."
The answer came from Weapon.
"One must elevate basic capabilities through relentless training and self-cultivation."
"And the reason?"
"Because only when coupled with a healthy mind and body can one draw out a Blessing to its absolute limit. That's why the Academy's curriculum focuses more on strength training and combat than written coursework."
"As expected, Weapon."
Weapon stroked the back of his neck shyly. Thanks to his answer, the All-Power's lecture gained momentum.
"Correct. The core strength that allows us humans to maintain a balance of power with magic-wielding demons lies, as Cadet Weapon said, in 'training.' Demons are inherently born strong and grow slowly, but humans are born weak and must constantly whip themselves forward."
Her clear, dynamic tone instantly captivated everyone's attention, drawing the cadets' gazes to the blackboard.
"In exchange, humans can become sufficiently strong through discipline without expending resources. However, it comes with pain. Muscles tear and heal to become firmer and stronger, right? The same goes for willpower. The more it's chipped away, the more it seems to wear down, but in reality, it hardens. The greater the mental shock, the more potent the effect. That's what we call shock therapy."
The cadets straightened their backs, listening intently as they forgot even to take notes.
"Building physical strength is something individual students must work on, not the Academy. Let's leave that to each of you to handle on your own. You're not little children; nagging you to exercise would be a bit much, wouldn't it? Therefore, the curriculum for our Heaven Class will encourage elevating mental strength."
Leon, sitting with his arms crossed, asked a question.
"How, exactly?"
The chalk scratching against the board came to a halt. White dust crumbled from its tip.
The All-Power turned sideways, locking eyes with Leon. Her mint-colored eyes sank into a deep stillness.
"Do you know what works like magic for building mental strength?"
Meain carved a single, giant word onto the board.
『DEATH』
"Getting used to it."
Snap!
She snapped her fingers. A Subspace draped a tight, seamless purple barrier across the classroom's ceiling, walls, and floor.
"From now on, let's eradicate your fear of death by dying twenty times every day inside the Subspace. Customized learning for each cadet comes after that."
The cadets' eyes went blank. The All-Power set down her chalk.
"What are you all waiting for? Move the desks and chairs to the sides."