Chapter 2 - If you want it, fight for it
Chapter 2 - If you want it, fight for it
"There are two ways to block an opponent's magic. One is to launch a magic attack of your own and cause a chain reaction to detonate it before it reaches you. The other is to block it with defensive magic. It goes without saying, but I don't really recommend defense because it limits your movement and, above all, keeps the opponent on the offensive. Of course, there are times when defense is the best option, but I will be conducting this lecture with an emphasis on counterattacks or reversals rather than defense."
As expected, words worthy of the Devil of the South. To choose offense over defense.
Yulia, Cecily, and the various demons all thought the same thing at once.
If his command ability were his only strength, a faction admiring Klaus—a clear enemy within the demon race—would never have emerged.
His military command ability is excellent in its own right, and his skill in fighting enemies on the front lines is equally outstanding.
For demons who measure strength by pure martial prowess, Klaus was truly the ultimate enemy.
"Student Yulia. If you thought Student Cecily's magic arrows were flying at you, how would you have blocked that attack?"
"...I, too, would have used my mana to detonate the arrows flying at me."
"Detonate them before the opponent's magic touches you, is that it?"
"Yes. The mana used in combat magic doesn't have a perfect structure because it only needs high speed and appropriate destructive power. Therefore, it is known that if it receives a certain amount of shock, the mana causes a chain reaction and explodes."
"Correct. But it was different when Student Cecily and I clashed. It didn't explode; it just completely crumbled. Do you happen to know the reason why?"
Yulia slowly shook her head.
Normally, when magic collides with magic, the mana inside intertwines and explodes.
But why Cecily's attack completely crumbled that day was a mystery to Yulia as well.
"To block an opponent's magic midway, it's natural to counter with a similar amount of mana. But I used the bare minimum. Just enough density to cause a bruise if it hit the opponent's body."
"Is that possible? I heard that if you're not careful, the mana could be absorbed in reverse, and in the worst case, the opponent's magic could become even stronger."
"Correct. So, what's important is grasping the structure and density of the opponent's mana. And then striking the core of that magic. You turn the magic that the opponent poured their mana into and launched into nothingness with far less mana."
It sounds very simple, but Yulia, Cecily, and the students who knew a thing or two about magic knew all too well that it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Magic doesn't take forever to fly at you; it flies at you within seconds, or even a split second at the shortest.
In such a situation, grasping the opponent's magic, seeing through it, and even aiming for its core to attack required talent, effort, and immense experience.
"The reason Student Cecily's magic arrows crumbled instead of exploding back then is precisely for that reason. A strike was dealt to the core that forms the foundation of that magic, and since the mana that would have caused a chain reaction was broken, it had no choice but to scatter into crumbs."
Klaus was speaking in such a calm tone, as if such a high-level technique was nothing special at all.
As if to say that you, too, could do it if you just put in the effort.
'Especially Yulia. You'll probably master this in the near future.'
In fact, this technique was originally devised by Yulia and later used by the demons in the Second Continental War.
It was a feat that only a talented person with a sharp eye and proficiency in magic could achieve after immense training, yet he had forced them to prepare it and send it to war, where they played a huge part in crushing the Western Alliance.
Then why is the current Yulia wearing such a clueless expression?
Because this technique was one of the many methods she created to grind her teeth and seek revenge after suffering a horrific incident at her uncle's instigation.
It meant that in these days, when she was still thinking about continental peace and the alliance between the West and the East, she hadn't even conceived of it yet.
"You might think it's too difficult or absurd, but looking at it another way, it's the ultimate technique. There's nothing better in combat magic than devouring greater mana with a smaller amount."
"...."
"Of course, I don't intend to force this on you. You can understand what I've shown and explained as merely a part of teaching the highest efficiency of combat magic. Many of the students here aren't even familiar with combat magic yet."
At first glance, it could be taken as an insult to the students.
However, except for a few students, most had no particular thoughts on the matter.
Is the professor standing in front of them just an ordinary professor? He is Klaus, who fought on the front lines against the demons with combat magic.
He is the man who just crumbled the opponent's magic arrow into a tiny lump.
He has the right to look down on them; he is a man who can do that, a man permitted such arrogance.
Most of the students sitting in the lecture hall thought that way about Klaus.
'Cheeky commoner, how dare he.'
Of course, a small number of human noble students still considered him an arrogant man who was full of himself just because he had achieved some success on the battlefield, despite being a commoner.
"The time is already up. Since it was the first lecture, we will stop here for today."
The students stood up from their seats and left the lecture hall.
Gathering in small groups by race, they began to talk about the war hero professor and the parts he had explained today as they walked.
"What is this, is it even possible? No matter how weak the combat magic is, in that short amount of time. To read the opponent's mana and strike its core in a time that could be called a split second."
"...It's hard to see it as a bluff when the evidence is already certain."
"Right. There's no way the demons would have gone easy on Commander Klaus... no, Professor Klaus, or conspired to stage this, and above all, that Cecily Leblanc is a woman with quite a temper."
It would be hard to understand, hard to accept.
If you fail to strike the core, you waste time and end up getting hit by the opponent's magic attack; that was the risk you had to bear if Klaus's technique failed.
Is there any need to take such a risk? It would be much safer to just launch magic of similar intensity to the opponent's and destroy it.
'You idiots won't grow if you do that.'
Why did the Western Alliance, which managed to hold on somehow in the First Continental War, suffer the humiliation of being wiped out, soul and all, in the Second Continental War?
It was because there wasn't a single person willing to take risks and become stronger.
In that regard, Klaus wanted to give the demons a perfect score, thinking they were much better.
Even this technique he had just taught, Yulia had mastered perfectly, and Cecily had also performed quite excellently, proving the excellence of the demons to him.
Besides that, a surprisingly large number of demons helped each other practice and built the basics, which they later developed further upon returning to their home country.
Conversely, in the Western Alliance, the students did try their best at first.
Because they didn't want to be pushed around by the demons, and because they thought there must be a reason since it was coming from a war hero.
However, the human side, especially the nobles of the kingdoms and empires, who were so jealous of Klaus's growing influence that they practically had seizures, used every trick in the book to disparage it.
They were busy nitpicking, having renowned magic experts claim his technique was absurd and that it was tantamount to suicide for anyone but a select few to execute it.
'That's why I coolly gave up on the Western Alliance. These guys are hopeless.'
What can you do? This is the setting I put into the novel.
The Western Alliance is screwed, and the Eastern Demons are destined to have a bright future.
It's a massive wave that cannot be resisted. Even if you want to resist, you will eventually be swept away.
'You guys shouldn't feel aggrieved. I died so many times trying to save you once. In the end, all I got back was betrayal, betrayal, and more betrayal.'
Just as Klaus was clicking his tongue inwardly and stepping out into the hallway.
"Klaus...."
"Professor Klaus."
Yulia was greatly shocked by Klaus's first lecture.
Why hadn't anyone thought of that? Was it just fixed in their minds that you should just detonate the enemy's magic because it was the most effective and safe way?
The technique Klaus devised and used was incredibly dangerous, but it was worth that much.
When an opponent attacks by drawing out 50 mana, you would originally have to consume at least 40 mana to block it, but with Klaus's technique, 20, or even 10, was enough to replace that process.
'A genius, a heaven-sent genius. He shouldn't have been born human! He should have been born a demon!'
She was frustrated, so incredibly frustrated.
The human nobles who looked down on and ignored this man for being a commoner were sitting right next to her.
She felt an intense urge to stand up right now and tear their mouths open.
They don't even know how blessed they are; they don't even know that heaven has given them a gift.
She knows it, she knows that this man is truly a heaven-sent figure.
She couldn't think of any way to bring him to her side.
Wasn't he the Klaus who reacted as if he were looking at a child even to the condition of making her the Demon King?
'...No, no. If anything, it might actually be for the best.'
If he had been born a demon, he would have caught her uncle's eye first.
And he might have served her uncle, not the Demon King, as his master, and might have tried to kill her every chance he got as someone hostile to her.
Thinking that way, she felt relieved that he was human, that he was a commoner.
He's pretending not to be, but there must be a fire burning inside that man, just like in her.
It is certain that he has ill feelings toward the humans, toward the kingdom, who pushed him away despite his ability, despite his talent, despite the fact that he achieved merit and no one could deny it.
'Absolutely, I will absolutely make him my person.'
Perhaps the reason he let her go so easily after she acted like a fool two days ago.
Maybe it's because he felt that he and Klaus himself were similar.
Did he feel a sense of camaraderie in the image of someone struggling to overcome their situation?
"The time is already up. Since it was the first lecture, we will stop here for today."
When Klaus announced the end of the lecture, Yulia slowly stood up.
She is certain; she must make this man, this human, her own person.
He will not disappoint her. He will serve her more faithfully than any other demon.
Even if Klaus has no such intention, she must make him that way.
The object of loyalty must be her; she doesn't even want to imagine him becoming someone else's.
She is greedy. She craves him. She wants to possess him, she wants to possess him like crazy.
The greed of demons, which is said to be terrifying once triggered, had caught fire.
There were many who approached her because she was the Demon King, or who offered their loyalty.
But there was almost no one she herself had wanted so intensely; no, there had been none at all.
That was why she wanted to possess him even more. If she put that war hero under her, the repercussions would be enormous!
"Professor Klaus...."
Most of the students had left the lecture hall, and now Klaus was just about to leave the lecture hall as well.
It was the moment Yulia was about to call out Klaus's name.
"Professor Klaus."
There was a woman with a louder voice than hers, and unlike her, she was approaching Klaus as if she were flying toward him.
'What the.'
She was dumbfounded; to think someone was snatching away something she had been aiming for right in front of her eyes.
Yulia, dumbfounded, turned her head to look at the female student approaching Klaus.
Whether it was because her student uniform was too tight, or whether it was done with other intentions.
A female student who had unbuttoned her student uniform to show all of her cleavage, just like she had two days ago.
On top of that, her very short skirt was revealing the woman's voluptuous lower body entirely.
"...What is it, Student Natasha."
"I have something to discuss, do you have a moment?"
Her sparkling blonde hair fluttered and melted away.
The one saying that with a bright smile was definitely, definitely an elf.
That elf woman, who was so haughty and annoying, was muttering that in a voice that was just melting away.
"...."
Yulia blinked her eyes, and then a blue light flashed in her pupils.
While shouting inwardly, 'That elf bitch, who does she think she's hitting on!'