Since Ancient Times, the Whip Has Been Medicine - 4
"Did you understand a single thing from that class just now?"
"Nope. Not one bit…"
The moment Bern's first lecture ended, the students drifted out of the classroom wearing identical blank stares. They had sat through a full hour of theory and walked away understanding almost nothing—except just how terrifyingly strong a swordsman who had reached the higher realms could be.
"Do you have to love your sword like a lover to end up like that?"
"I'd probably hesitate a little, then."
"Thank god I'm going the magic route."
"Maybe I should drop the sword and switch to magic too? The teacher looked like he was using both earlier."
"Don't even try. With that rock for a brain, what magic are you going to cast?"
"Carve a formula into the rock and something'll happen, right?"
"Pfft! Yeah, sure it will."
The students traded jokes back and forth. Listening from a distance, Bern finally felt it sink in—he really was at the academy. For a fleeting moment he even envied their ordinary youth.
[Do you regret dropping out?]
No. I don't regret it. I just feel a little envious, that's all.
Before the possession he had been an ordinary guy who liked subculture, living an utterly ordinary school life spent hunched over a desk studying. Coming to this other world had given him extraordinary days, yet somewhere inside him still lingered the thought: What if my school days had been special too? The chance had been right there, and he had kicked it away by dropping out.
There might have been a way to stay enrolled and still live happily. Different bonds might have formed. But I'm satisfied with what I have now. People who care about me, a life I can live however I want.
He had escaped the fate of the supporting protagonist who only ever got used. Looking back on a life he now steered himself, Bern gave a wry smile. With a single wave of his hand he erased the scribbles on the blackboard and left the classroom.
Word had already spread that he was the instructor who had brought A-Class's problem children to heel, so every student's eyes followed him. Unbothered by the countless stares, he walked into the faculty office, sat at the temporary desk the headmaster had prepared, and stared at the ceiling. Footsteps approached.
"Bern-sensei! Is it true you straightened out the A-Class kids?"
"Amazing! How did you handle those hot-tempered brats?"
"Rumor says you're a mage who's broken past the sixth wall—is that true?"
The faculty office was used by provisional and assistant professors rather than full professors. Unlike the prideful full faculty, they were mostly easygoing. To them, a man who had generated so many rumors on his very first day was pure catnip. Questions rained down on Bern until he scratched his cheek.
"All right, everyone calm down and ask one at a time."
"Is the rumor true that you chewed out A-Class?"
"'Chewed out' doesn't quite fit. I simply corrected their misguided behavior."
"How exactly did you correct them?"
"Whenever they stepped out of line I showed them terrifying illusions with magic. Direct corporal punishment only breeds resentment in students with high self-esteem."
"You mentioned magic—how many walls have you broken?"
"That's personal information I can't share in detail, but yes, I've surpassed the sixth wall you just mentioned."
"Ooh! I also heard you're quite skilled with the sword—true?"
"I wouldn't call myself deeply skilled, but I can handle one well enough."
The office grew lively around Bern. Even among the younger professors he stayed friendly and kept the conversation flowing. But rarely does everyone share the same heart. A black-haired man who entered later took one look at the atmosphere and clicked his tongue.
"Tsk! Since when is the faculty office a place for noisy chatter? If you have any self-awareness as professors, act with a little more dignity!"
"Ah—sorry, Bradley-sensei."
"See that it doesn't happen again."
Bradley-sensei's scolding instantly killed the mood. Bern shot his colleagues a questioning look; they explained in low voices.
"That's Bradley-sensei. Top graduate of Felix Academy, three years as a provisional professor, officially appointed next month."
"Oh?"
"But he's so rigid no one ever approaches him."
"Whenever anything happens he nitpicks and looks down on people, so every teacher hates him."
"At dinners he just brags nonstop about being the academy's top graduate…"
A classic "I'm better than you" personality—vain, jealous, forever elevating himself by putting others down.
"You should be careful too, Bern-sensei."
"Me? Why?"
"You became a part-time lecturer on the headmaster's recommendation, right? Bradley-sensei sneers that you must have bribed him."
"He dismissed you as some nobody without the skill to be a real professor who just wanted to leave a record of himself."
"Even though you're actually this capable and already handling the A-Class that full professors avoid."
"Anyway, he's definitely going to pick a fight and dig in at least once."
"I see. I'll watch myself."
He said the words, yet Bern didn't take Bradley seriously. People like him existed everywhere. Already used to the type, Bern planned to ignore him as long as the man didn't cross the line—and if Bradley did make an issue of his conduct, Bern would just offer a hollow apology and move on.
"Whoops! Already time for the next class."
"Time really flies, doesn't it?"
"Hang in there today, Bern-sensei."
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The academy bell announced the next period. The cluster of colleagues scattered to prepare their own lessons. Bern gathered his teaching materials and stood; he caught sight of Bradley leaving the office. The man glared at him, then slammed the door shut.
He's got it in for me good.
[What do you plan to do now?]
Leave him be. He'll vanish on his own in two weeks anyway. He should know making unnecessary trouble only hurts himself.
[Humans are the sort of creatures who sometimes do things even when they know better, are they not?]
A little sniping I can overlook with my ocean-wide magnanimity.
[Your lack of conscience remains as healthy as ever.]
Bern smiled faintly and headed for the indoor training hall. Magic had theory classes too, but practical lessons were far more efficient. Swordsmanship likewise grew best through sparring, yet he had deliberately taught theory to instill the proper mindset of a swordsman—never mind that not a single student had understood a word of his sword philosophy.
"Good, everyone's here again!"
He poked his head into the training hall, confirmed the A-Class roster, then stepped up onto the sparring floor.
"As you all know, this period we'll take turns in one-on-one magic sparring!"
"Sensei, we don't know how to use magic."
A girl raised her hand high. Behind her stood the students who specialized in the sword. Bern only smirked and continued.
"Do swordsmen only ever fight other swordsmen? 'Know yourself and know your enemy and you will never lose a hundred battles.' Even if you can't cast magic, you need to understand the basics so you can respond when a mage comes at you."
"So we can just fight however we want?"
"No. Magic is the main event this period, so every student specializing in the sword is forbidden from attacking."
"Huh? Then what are we supposed to do?"
"You watch the incoming magic and either dodge it or cut it down with your sword."
Magic came in countless varieties, each with its own range. Ordering them to dodge every possible spell was pure madness—and then telling them to cut the spells with a sword left the students speechless. They wanted to protest, yet the instructor standing in front of them looked like he could do it without breaking a sweat, so no one spoke.
"Therefore, one by one, step forward and—"
"Hold it!"
"Hm?"
Just as class was about to begin, a voice cut across Bern's words. At the entrance to the training hall a man in a black suit strolled in, leading students from another class.
"Bradley-sensei, what brings you here?"
"Can't you tell by looking? I brought my students to use the training hall."
"Strange. This period's hall reservation belongs to A-Class."
"Haa! Didn't you even check the academy curriculum? Class-time changes take effect if you apply three hours in advance. Not knowing that—this is why we have non-regular lecturers…"
"I seem to recall that when a schedule change is made, prior notice between the instructors involved is mandatory. Yet I'm only hearing about it now."
"That's because you spent the break gossiping with the other provisional professors—!"
"You do realize that's a pathetic excuse, right?"
Bradley had picked the fight assuming a first-day instructor would be unfamiliar with the rules. Bern was not the sort to roll over for such a cheap trick. In the end it was Bradley's face that flushed red, not Bern's.
"Sh-shut up! Anyway, C-Class is using the hall this period, so get lost already!"
"Hmm… Why don't we just run a joint class instead?"
"Joint class? Ha! Why would I have to teach alongside a half-wit like you?"
"If we leave the hall and walk all the way back to a classroom, it's a huge waste of time. So let's be efficient and hold a mock battle between A-Class and C-Class right here!"
"Aha! So that's your game!"
Bradley snapped his fingers as if he'd just figured it out. He looked at Bern with open contempt.
"You know you can't beat me on teaching quality, so you're planning to borrow A-Class's strength and throw your weight around, is that it?"
"I wasn't thinking anything of the sort."
"Don't play dumb! A-Class and C-Class aren't even in the same league—proposing a mock battle is absurd!"
"Then how about a wager with me?"
"A wager?"
"Yes. For this period I'll take charge of C-Class, and you coach my kids. After that we run the mock battle and count which class wins more matches."
"Hoh."
"That way we'll know whose instruction is superior, won't we?"
"Not a bad idea—except your A-Class might deliberately throw the matches."
"You don't need to worry about that."
Bern turned to face the A-Class students. With a sunny smile he dropped a bombshell.
"Give it everything you've got. If you win, I won't lay a finger on you no matter what you do from now on."
"……!!"
Permission to commit any injustice without consequence. For the A-Class students who had already tasted death at Bern's hands, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And their opponents weren't even B-Class—just C-Class. Victory was practically guaranteed, so every one of them burned with fighting spirit.
"Satisfied?"
"Mmm… No problems there. So what are the stakes?"
"The loser cleanly takes three slaps to the face, and until tomorrow has to attach the word 'sex' to the end of every sentence."
"Vulgar, but not bad."
And so the duel between the two instructors began. A-Class and even Bradley-sensei himself were more motivated than ever—while the C-Class students were already trembling in fear. Bern, as always, merely smiled. It was the smile he reserved for prey that still strutted about without realizing they had already been marked.