Deal, Press, Crush
Ten minutes had passed since Class B arrived for the practical evaluation. Each group was huddled in their respective waiting rooms, deep in strategy meetings. I glanced around with just my eyes and saw that Veil seemed to be briefing her students on some kind of plan.
Master, what kind of strategy are you going with?
“Hmm? Oh, that’s easy. We’re doing deal-jjik-nu.”
Deal-jjik-nu?
Just as Jukchang-i was tilting her head in confusion at my words, Sai asked with a serious expression, “Professor, what’s our strategy?”
Not only him—the rest of the students were all staring at me as well. I curled the corner of my mouth into a smirk and answered.
“Our strategy is simple. Deal-jjik-nu.”
““Deal-jjik-nu?””
“It just means we press them down with raw power. Honestly, if you just use everything I’ve taught you so far, there’s no need to even come up with a real plan.”
The kids nodded in agreement, their eyes shining with understanding. I then shifted my gaze to Sena.
“Sena. Your only job is to guard the flag. If you step in, the balance will be completely broken.”
“Yes. Understood~”
She answered in a relaxed, almost singsong voice. I turned to Sai next.
“Sai. You’ll be our representative. Just asking to be sure—you can win, right?”
At the question, a wicked grin spread across Sai’s face. Then he shouted:
“Of course, Professor. To us, defeat is—”
““Nonexistent!!””
“Victory against those who have never even fought the Demon King is—”
““Impossible!!””
““We will win!!””
They raised their practice swords high and roared like heroes marching off to the final battle.
Even though this is just a student-versus-student match in reality!
***
Another ten minutes passed. The students of Class A had arrived at the designated castle. Inside were lavish ornaments that looked like they belonged in a royal palace. Any normal student would have gasped in awe, but—
“Sai, so what are we going to do?”
To Sai and the rest of Class A, that stuff didn’t matter. This match was far more important. After all, if they won this time, the professor—er, the Demon King—had promised to cancel after-school classes for five whole days!
So they absolutely could not lose.
“Hmm. Kai, first give me a rundown on the enemy.”
“Hold on.”
Kai pushed up his glasses, pulled a notebook out of the communication crystal, and slowly flipped through it before closing it again.
“Umm. There’s really no point in even sharing information on these guys.”
“Why? Didn’t you say Class B has some strong kids too?”
“Even if they’re strong, how strong could they possibly be? Compared to us, who’ve fought the Demon King, they’re nothing special.”
Though Kai’s words were arrogant, they weren’t exactly wrong. Everyone in Class A—including him—had changed so drastically that calling it simple “growth” felt like an understatement. In truth, they were all brimming with confidence. No matter who came at them, they believed they could win.
Of course, that excluded a few monsters like the professor.
“Then Sai, what’s our plan?”
“Sena-nim guards the flag while we do exactly what the professor said—deal-jjik-nu.”
With those words, the students of Class A waited quietly for the match to begin.
***
At the same time, in the neutral zone, I was leisurely sipping a drink when—
“May I sit next to you, Professor Elric?”
Eve approached me naturally. When I nodded that it didn’t matter, she sat down beside me without hesitation. Then she started blatantly stealing glances at me.
Hmm. What’s with her? Why is she staring like that?
She’s always stared at Master though.
“Yeah, but never this obviously.”
She had secretly shifted her gaze toward me before, but she had never stared so openly. The uncomfortable stare finally made me speak up.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
“Ah, um… Do you, by any chance, need to go to the bathroom or anything?”
“……Pardon?”
What the hell? Is she trying to jump me in the bathroom or something? The completely out-of-left-field question left me dumbfounded. Eve flailed her arms wildly in a panic.
“N-no! I just meant it like that!”
Apparently embarrassed by her own words, she whipped her head away.
Hmm. Should I use Mind Reading?
If it were me, I’d save it. The cooldown is way too long anyway.
A week-long cooldown really is ridiculously long. Using it on Eve, whose regression is now confirmed, would definitely be a waste.
“Professor, may I sit in front of you?”
This time, Veil—the professor in charge of Class B—approached and asked if he could sit across from me. Why does everyone feel the need to ask permission before sitting near me? I nodded in mild exasperation, and he took the seat opposite.
He spoke up immediately.
“I heard the news. You’ve been holding after-school classes lately.”
“Yes, well… that’s true.”
“It was quite surprising.”
“Pardon?”
What’s so surprising about it?
“You’ve always left right at dismissal time, yet now you’re staying late for your students?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
Technically it’s all for Master’s own goals.
Hey now. A good deed is still a good deed.
While I was mentally responding to Jukchang-i’s jab, Veil pushed up his glasses, clearly having misunderstood something.
“Seeing that side of you made me look at you in a new light. I never imagined you cared so much about your students… It seems rumors really can’t be trusted.”
“Ahahaha…”
The rumors are true though.
They’re just ridiculously exaggerated!
I was inwardly protesting Jukchang-i’s words when—
“Looks like it’s about to start.”
The long-awaited practical evaluation finally began.
***
Kimihi, known as Class B’s strongest, was among the top-tier students of his grade. Understanding the magic professors taught was child’s play to him. Not only could he use it perfectly, he could even apply it in creative ways. With such genius talent, he had never once faced hardship in his life.
At least, not until today’s practical evaluation.
“W-what the hell is this?”
Kimihi’s pupils shook violently at the scene before him. It was only natural for him to be this shaken. After all, just three students were overwhelmingly dominating ten of his own.
And those three were—
“Ahahahahaha! I’ve gotten this strong?!”
“Where do these bastards who’ve never even fought the Demon King get off acting so cocky!”
“Come at me all at once, you pathetic pieces of shit!!!!”
—students who ranked at the bottom of Class A.
He had thought he’d lured them into a trap, but it turned out to be completely useless.
I can’t lose ten people here. I have to step up myself.
Having organized his thoughts, Kimihi released his mana. A complex magic circle appeared before his eyes.
The next instant—
“I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
“Just as expected!”
“Everything the Demon King—er, Professor—said was right! Kyahahahaha!”
Three women suddenly appeared from behind him, having been lying in ambush the entire time. Startled by the unexpected surprise attack, Kimihi tried to counter them, but—
“Too late!”
Karen, with her pink hair, struck the back of his neck with a precise chop.
-THUD!
An indescribable agony exploded from his nape, and at the same time—
“Ugh!”
All strength left his body. While Kimihi was still reeling, the girls who had already finished off the rest of the students spoke.
“All cleaned up over there?”
“Yeah. Done.”
“This feels way too easy.”
“You’re telling me we suffered for a whole month because of these losers?”
They wore expressions of utter disappointment. Kimihi glared at Karen, who had ambushed him, and spat out,
“Cowardly surprise attack…”
“Cowardly? Whoa… so this is how the Demon King felt.”
“It really does feel like a compliment.”
“For some reason, I don’t feel bad at all!”
These crazy bitches. He called them cowards and they actually looked happy about it. While Kimihi was inwardly stunned, Karen stepped on his stomach and looked down at him.
“The professor always says this to us.”
She flashed the gentlest smile imaginable and added,
“Life is real combat, you pathetic little shit.”
With those final words, she completely drained Kimihi’s barrier gauge to zero.
***
At the same time, the professors watching the match from the neutral zone were left speechless.
“………”
“………”
They had expected Class A to have the advantage. Even if Elric had done obscene things to the Saintess candidate, his lectures were still insanely well-received by the students. So of course the class that received his intensive training would be stronger. Not to mention Class A even had the Saintess candidate herself.
But still—
“Does it even make sense to get this strong in just one month?”
“And Sena doesn’t even seem to have stepped in yet.”
“What the hell is this…”
Class A was toying with their opponents without Sena even lifting a finger. Naturally, the professors’ eyes turned toward Elric. There he was, calmly sipping his drink as if this result was completely expected. The professors looked back at the screen.
“How on earth did he teach them to make the students so ruthless?”
“I feel like I’m watching veteran soldiers who’ve been through countless battles.”
“By the way, who are those students referring to when they say ‘Demon King’?”
“Probably Professor Elric, right?”
“Hmm. Maybe it means ‘King of Magic’?”
While the professors were chatting with puzzled expressions—
As expected. A completely natural outcome.
Elric, on the other hand, was leisurely enjoying both his drink and snacks. After all, he had trained them like hell for an entire month. Ambushes, real combat experience, technique, toughness, mindset, and more. He had only taught them the basics, yet losing to mere students was out of the question. At best, kids who had only taken a few academy lectures couldn’t possibly become that strong.
The imperial family probably doesn’t train anyone like Master does, right?
Exactly. That’s why they still can’t beat the Demon King’s army.
In the previous timeline, they had dragged out the war against the demons for so long that I assumed the Demon King must be insanely strong. But that wasn’t the case at all. She had collapsed after getting beaten senseless by Jukchang. The fact that they couldn’t end the war against someone like her made one thing clear: these humans—including the Hero—simply weren’t putting in any real effort.
Otherwise, there was no way they could lose to the Demon King’s army after I had already wiped out five yanderes.
That sounds more like the abnormal one, Master?
No way. That can’t be it.
I was stubbornly denying Jukchang-i’s opinion when—
-BOOM!
As if he had been waiting for this exact moment, Sai, Class A’s representative, finally stepped forward.
***
Meanwhile, the Demon King was holding a communication crystal, waiting for a mid-battle report from her subordinate. Soon after—
-Yes, Your Majesty.
Zan answered promptly, as if he had been waiting for her call. The Demon King asked in a grave voice.
“How is the infiltration proceeding?”
-Thanks to Lilis, it is going smoothly.
“That’s good to hear. Do not let your guard down.”
Just as she was about to end the call—
-Your Majesty.
Zan called out to her in an extremely serious tone. The Demon King tilted her head.
“Do you have something else to say?”
-Well… it’s just that… Have you ever been to the academy?
“Hmm?”
-The students here are all saying they have experience fighting Your Majesty.
“Uh……”
With me?