Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Emperor's Sawtooth Sword
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The auditorium was a scene of utter chaos.
Though his words had been welcoming, the man’s aura was nothing short of ferocious.
He had merely unleashed an intangible energy, yet it felt potent enough to kill.
That was how incredibly high the level of the man on the stage seemed to be.
"Ughhh!"
The oppressive aura had already persisted for over a minute.
Most students had lost strength in their legs and collapsed to the floor, while a few had fainted entirely.
It was no different from outright torture.
But even in such a situation, there were those who endured.
"Looks like most of the decent ones have survived."
The top-tier students I had identified the moment I entered the auditorium.
They stood ramrod straight, resisting the pressure.
They must have been the ones who had hired excellent tutors and trained diligently since childhood.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to withstand such a ruthless aura.
Even I could feel my own legs trembling.
"Blaargh! Ugh!"
However, not everyone in the top tier was holding up well.
The red-headed fool who had made a scene the moment we arrived at Venderford.
Bizolt Railton was retching and crawling on the floor.
It seemed his family's prestige was high, but his skills were pathetic.
'Is he modulating the pressure just enough for that guy to withstand it?'
Glancing aside, I saw Isabel, beads of sweat dotting her face.
Despite being a direct descendant of the Rantzverger family, she couldn't seem to overcome it completely.
As I was furtively watching Isabel, the man on the stage revealed his face.
He had thrown off the hood and cloak that had been pulled down frustratingly low.
With that, the aura dominating the space grew even more powerful.
'Should I just pretend to collapse? Or should I stand out from the very beginning?'
If I managed to withstand this properly, there was a high chance I would catch the princes' eyes.
After all, very few people were perfectly resisting the pressure.
My deliberation was brief.
If I, with no background to speak of, wanted to become a key aide to a prince, I had to display commensurate ability.
But it was at that very moment.
*Snap.*
"Hooo..."
"Gasp! Hah!"
The transcendent aura that had been crushing the assembly vanished in an instant.
The man had finally withdrawn his energy.
Sighs of relief erupted from all corners of the auditorium.
Even those who had been holding on showed signs of hyperventilation or slumped to the ground.
The chaos was bound to continue for a while.
As I was thinking this, the princes' gazes swiftly swept over the crowd.
It was only natural.
'They're basically handing out opportunities on a silver platter; you'd be a fool not to take one. Ah, but don't look at me with such passionate eyes. It's making me uncomfortable.'
I did my best to ignore the princes' stares and turned my head toward the figure on the stage.
And just then, my eyes met his.
'Who was he again?'
A master of his caliber couldn't possibly be unknown to the world.
Yet his face wasn't very familiar.
Then again, I always tossed aside mission materials and directive addendums without reading them, so that was to be expected.
Wavy, salt-and-pepper black hair, a large scar etched across his face, broad shoulders, and brawny arms.
His appearance was practically that of a living weapon.
His lips were pressed into a firm line, and his gaze, looking down, held not a trace of emotion.
A chilling sensation emanated from him, but I simply met his stare blankly.
'What do you want?'
At that, his gaze shifted subtly.
The man finally averted his eyes and slowly began to speak.
His deep, resonant voice instantly captivated the audience.
"From the moment you enroll in Venderford, you will lose all your existing status and titles. Everyone becomes an equal student. We, the faculty, will treat you as nothing more than students. I expect you to keep this in mind."
His tone was formal, but it didn't feel polite.
The reason was simple.
The content was nothing more than a warning not to mess around.
Besides, only a handful of students were even listening.
The vast majority had yet to recover from the shock.
'Hey, mister, can't you see this place is a mess? What are you gonna do about this atmosphere?'
With my arms crossed, I silently observed the man's actions.
He went on to convey a few more points, but there was nothing of substance.
It was all just a threat that he would crush anyone who didn't follow the rules.
Judging by his aura, it seemed he would smash the skull of anyone who got on his bad side, prince or not.
A moment later, I understood why the middle-aged man had such guts.
"...That is all. I am Hol Sivas, Vice Chancellor of Venderford. Once again, I welcome you."
Introducing himself at the very end made the impact feel even stronger.
'Now I know who he is. And how he can say such things in front of the princes.'
The Vice Chancellor of Venderford, a man known as the Emperor's Sawtooth Sword.
He was one of the empire's greatest masters, and a famous rumor illustrated his image.
It was said that he only acted when the Emperor had someone to be crushed.
'Our eyes met earlier... he's not planning to crush me, is he?'
I pressed my arms down, trying to still the involuntary shiver running through my body.
But then, Hol Sivas's gaze turned back to me.
Hey, what did I do to deserve this?
I'm innocent, you vicious sword of the Emperor.
I had a bad feeling, but I didn't look away from the Vice Chancellor's stare.
'What kind of rule is this! A middle-aged man's intense gaze right after enrollment!'
I screamed internally, but Hol Sivas's eyes remained fixed on me.
***
"You've worked hard. Did you find any promising ones?"
As Hol Sivas exited the auditorium, someone abruptly spoke to him.
It was Jerome Klevitz, the dean of the Knight Faculty and a swordsmanship professor.
Though he bore the grand title of "Wings of Radiance," he was quite respectful before the Emperor's Sawtooth Sword.
It was likely because Hol Sivas was not only his senior but also on a much higher plane of mastery.
"Hmm..."
But the Vice Chancellor's expression was strangely complex.
The plan to sort the gems from the stones by manifesting his aura was a test agreed upon by the entire faculty.
But with Hol Sivas, who had been inside the auditorium, remaining silent, Jerome Klevitz couldn't help but feel frustrated.
He glanced around and saw that the other professors wore the same expression as him.
"Please, tell us. We watched from a distance, but your judgment would be the most accurate, would it not?"
At Jerome Klevitz's question, Hol Sivas finally nodded.
"There were certainly some outstanding individuals. The heir of the Sword Duke, the chancellor's daughter, and the direct descendants of the four great families all show promise. The princes, too, seem not to have neglected their training. However..."
"Is there a problem?"
The Vice Chancellor recalled the handsome, black-haired young man who had stood with his arms crossed.
A lean yet solid build, a handsome face, and a unique aura that was quite impressive.
But he was a figure who did not exist in Hol Sivas's memory.
He was likely from a provincial noble family or an student admitted through donation or recommendation.
"Do you remember the one in the back?"
"Ah, you mean the donation-based student?"
"So you know who he is."
"Yes, I looked him up since he was standing alone. He's the son of a merchant active in the Four-Part Autonomous District. His family has some money, but no noble title."
Jerome Klevitz casually swept back his stiff blond hair and quickly flipped through the student roster.
He soon found the name Ray and showed it to the other professors.
Compared to the other students, his status was on a much lower level.
"I was sure there was something about him... Is he truly a diamond in the rough?"
"Perhaps it was because of the distance? He was standing at the very back."
Jerome, the dean, offered a negative opinion to Hol Sivas's mutterings.
Logically, it made no sense for the son of a mere merchant family to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with princes.
No matter how much of a genius one was, a flower could not bloom without the right environment.
"That's impossible."
But the Vice Chancellor shook his head.
It was true that the aura's effect diminished with distance.
But the distance to the young man was less than fifty meters.
There was no way the aura's power would be so drastically reduced over such a short distance.
'And besides... I applied even stronger pressure on him.'
The moment their eyes met, Hol Sivas had unleashed a much more powerful aura.
Aimed at that one person alone.
But Ray had accepted the energy with a nonchalant expression.
No, to say he merely resisted the pressure was an understatement.
"It felt as if the energy didn't even exist."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"
"Hah! It's nothing. There must have been some mistake."
No matter how much he thought about it, the Vice Chancellor couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
That a mere twenty-year-old could completely 'ignore' the aura he had unleashed.
And that was after he had significantly increased its power.
Faced with an unbelievable result, Hol Sivas simply wrote it off as a misconception.
This was a historic moment—the founding of Venderford University.
With a mountain of tasks to attend to, there was no need to rack his brain over one strange student.
Besides, he could uncover the boy's true nature anytime during his stay.
"Are the preparations going well?"
At the Vice Chancellor's question, Rupert, the combat arts professor, responded.
Rupert was the former vice-commander of the Rogermond, the empire's largest mercenary corps, and a man with vast practical experience.
"Heheheh! Perfectly. Not a single one will return alive..."
At that, Clarence Wallock, the strategy professor, sighed and cut in.
Professor Clarence was a gentlemanly-looking middle-aged man who had served as the supreme commander of the Imperial Army.
"My apologies. I will adjust the difficulty to an appropriate level. If students die during the exam, the aftermath will be difficult to handle."
"Please do. Let's get moving, everyone. We're short on time."
The professors were already discussing the final exams for the semester.
Judging by their conversation, they seemed to be preparing something quite unusual.
After concluding their meeting, the professors dispersed in different directions at the Vice Chancellor's command.
Left alone, Hol Sivas looked back at the auditorium building.
The impassive face of the student named Ray had suddenly come to mind.
"I wonder what kind of person he is."