Dawn of the Dead?
"So..."
Creak.
"What I'm saying is, that professor thinks the students only attend his lectures."
Creak.
"In my dream, I was digging a hole to bury that professor."
Creak.
Even though there were stairs right beside her, Lizzy slowly pushed the wheelchair up the ramp from behind the students, controlling the corpse.
"..."
She wanted to ask them to move aside, but... there was still time before the lecture, and she didn't exactly welcome the consideration just because she was in a wheelchair.
"The four of you walking ahead."
"And... yes?"
A pleasant mid-low voice echoed calmly.
But that calm was like the stillness of a beach before a massive tsunami crashed in, so the four students walking in front of Lizzy felt a chill and turned around.
"I figured you'd turn around. Your necks looked stiff, so I was debating whether to drag you to the infirmary myself."
"Ah, that..."
Having been born at the peak of a high mountain, they felt the majesty and pressure of that invisible summit all the more clearly.
So without muttering excuses, they promptly cleared the way.
"Thank you for your trouble."
"Y-yes..."
Ferzen stepped forward slowly and passed by.
Watching his back, Lizzy bit her trembling lips hard and pushed the wheelchair forward.
Once the four students who had blocked her path disappeared toward the second-floor lecture hall, Lizzy stopped the wheelchair at the corner of the ramp leading to the third floor and spoke.
"Don't... do that sort of thing."
Thud.
"..."
Ferzen turned his back to her.
"It wasn't because it was you. Helping a student being bullied is simply what a professor should do."
"It wasn't... bullying."
"..."
"There was plenty of time anyway, and I didn't want consideration just because my legs are inconvenient..."
"Lizzy."
"..."
"The world calls that self-rationalization. Moreover, you're doing it in a particularly foolish way."
Grip!
As Lizzy's hands clenched, her skirt crumpled, forming sharp wrinkles.
"Who was it that made me live so pathetically and foolishly...?"
"..."
"Does watching make you happy? Entertained? Seeing me, ruined by your hands, struggle like this? But even so, don't use me as a tool to feel superior by offering half-hearted kindness and claiming moral high ground... I'm not some plaything for you to manipulate at your convenience."
After silently listening to her long rant, Ferzen straightened his tie and replied in his characteristic mid-low tone.
"If I seemed hypocritical in your eyes... that is a misconception. The me from the past who broke your legs still remains."
"..."
"It won't fade with time, and likely never will."
With that, Ferzen turned around.
"I'll let it slide this time, but from now on, address me as Professor. The second offense will result in immediate disciplinary action."
The man, Ferzen, slowly faded from view.
Lizzy stayed in place, forcibly gathering her jumbled emotions before she could finally move toward the lecture hall.
"It should be posted on the bulletin boards in the education building, main building, and dormitories as well... but the assignment deadline is April 12th, with about three weeks left. Keep that in mind."
After finishing roll call, I rolled up my sleeves neatly and stepped forward to the blackboard to begin the third-week lecture.
"For the third-week lecture, I said we'd cover Aura Knights."
Aura Knights. The moment they reach the pinnacle, their mana flows outward, taking form with anti-magic properties that dismantle spells on contact.
Of course, beyond that...
"Aura Knights have one clear difference from mages in how their mana operates. Does anyone know?"
"Their mana cannot be moved by will."
Nodding, I tapped the blackboard.
"Correct. Unlike mages, Aura Knights cannot control their mana at will. Because of this... their training is so grueling it's often called barbaric, which is why surprisingly many end up living as commoners."
"..."
"As such, few people truly understand the training and growth process of Aura Knights. This lecture will detail that. It'll be useful if you ever have to manipulate an Aura Knight's corpse later."
I activated Quantification and used chalk to draw a human figure on the blackboard.
"How do you make this fixed mana—like a block of ice trapped in a sealed space—move?"
"Mana attracts mana, so can't a mage help from outside?"
"Wrong. If that were possible, those from wealthy families wouldn't abandon the Aura Knight path for ordinary lives."
"..."
Looking around, they seemed deep in thought but drawing blanks.
"Enough. Focus. I'll explain now."
I lightly tapped the podium to draw their eyes, then continued.
"Humans get nutrients from food, using them as energy for activity. But if we don't eat and lack those nutrients, what does our body do?"
...Ah.
"Getting the idea now?"
When there's no nutrient energy to burn, our body burns fat as a fallback. And when even fat runs out, for an Aura Knight...
Only then do they melt the ice-block mana that won't obey their will, spreading it throughout the body.
This is how Aura Knights train their mana.
"Of course, this method is dangerous. There's a real risk of starvation midway. But if you can repeat this process countless times when mana is full, it's theoretically the fastest way to the pinnacle."
Aura Knights' mana is frozen solid like ice, unmoving, but also trapped in a sealed room—so even when melted, it needs a path carved out.
That path is pushing the body to its limits, slowly recovering damaged cells with mana.
Naturally, the melted mana flows to those mana-recovered areas.
In short, a pinnacle Aura Knight is one whose entire body—every cell—has been reconstructed through mana recovery.
Once there, the ice-block mana fully melts, circulating naturally through the body even if not by will.
When muscles contract powerfully then, the mana flows outward like wringing a wet towel, flowing along the skin...
And the moment it takes specific form, that is called aura.
"Um... so does that mean you need experience starving nearly to death to get complete feedback from memories related to that training?"
"Yes. However... this is just a shortcut. Most Aura Knights don't start with such reckless methods."
As I prepared to continue the lecture, I paused for a moment.
If Ciel Midford had truly crossed the Louerg snowfields into the capital, he must have undergone this process several times.
I secretly hoped his corpse lay starved somewhere in those snowfields...
But knowing it was overly optimistic, I shook my head and dismissed the thought.
"Typically, Aura Knights train by intentionally destroying muscles—lifting heavy weights, for example—then leaving them to draw out mana. If the muscle damage exceeds what their mana can repair, they end up with permanent disabilities."
"..."
"Even if they're lucky enough to complete both arms, legs, and abdomen... to reach the pinnacle, they must attempt the starvation method I mentioned."
Yes, that's why detailed info on Aura Knights is scarce, and few walk that path.
"So if your family has an Aura Knight's corpse, or a relative pursuing that path... seriously consider their struggles."
In the silence broken only by breathing, I took a sip to wet my throat.
Then, explaining ways to better comprehend Aura Knight corpses, I naturally wrapped up the lecture.
"Good work. See you next week. Ah... Corpses were originally to be distributed today, but due to scheduling, it'll take 3-4 more days. Details on the board."
Delayed distribution meant less time to build proficiency, but since it applied to everyone, reactions were just accepting shrugs.
Most were still frowning and grumbling, unadjusted to the integrated desks after nearly a month...
Leaving the lecture hall, I stopped by the department office, instructed Alphonse to post the notice, and returned to the main building's faculty office.
'Today...'
Another night of duty for me.
I'd steadily observed the hand mirror linked to the underground scenery, but no signs yet.
So my guess was increasingly likely.
If activity happened, it would surely be...
'Tonight.'
Initially, I suspected the professor on duty with me, but dismissed it upon learning it was Uriel.
By elimination, it naturally pointed to...
The professors on duty at the commoner dorms.
The imperial knights or mage corps guarding the academy.
One of them was the culprit.
Only they could roam the academy freely late at night without suspicion.
'We've tugged this tug-of-war long enough...'
It was time for resolution.
"I don't wanna do night duty..."
At lunchtime, sitting across from Lizzy at a nearby restaurant, Uriel kept complaining.
But Lizzy, listening to Uriel's gripes, gave perfunctory replies while lost in deep thought.
If what Ferzen—that man—lectured on today was true...
How much blood and sweat had her eldest brother, Roer, poured in secretly?
No, hearing it, it wasn't effort.
It was closer to a high-risk, high-return gamble with his life.
'Come to think of it...'
She'd never been one for diaries.
But the point she started... was clearly after going to Brutein, kneeling, and apologizing.
So perhaps her brother Roer had prepared that selfish consideration—leaving a full record of his training process to maximize comprehension if he died midway, allowing her to manipulate him effectively.
"Not tasty?"
"No. Thank you, it's good."
If she met her brother, she felt like she should just hug him warmly without a word.