Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: An External Mission
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"Wow… I was going to help you, but it seems I'm the one who needs a lesson."
As everyone stood in stunned silence, Adelle murmured in a daze.
It seemed her breathing had finally returned to normal.
She looked at me with a flushed expression.
'That's a look of utter fascination, isn't it?'
A gaze filled not just with curiosity and surprise, but with a hint of awe.
Yes. This is it.
The praise and delight I used to receive from the crowds back in my prime in Troven!
Showcasing my skills after so long, a sense of pride swelled in my chest and refused to fade.
"When on earth did you master the Velour to such a level?"
At Adelle's question, I replied with a faint smile.
"When a beauty such as yourself asks, how can I refuse? Dancing has been a hobby of mine since I was a child. I had a good teacher, too."
In truth, my statement was the equivalent of someone acing the imperial civil service exam and claiming they just studied from the textbook.
But she nodded enthusiastically as if she understood, her eyes sparkling.
It seemed she was so impressed by my skill that she was willing to overlook any nonsense I spouted.
"It seems you've channeled your talent for the sword into dancing. I suppose anything physical is interconnected."
"Of course. I'm very good with my body..."
I stopped mid-sentence, realizing how strange that sounded after I'd said it.
Hey, that's not what I meant.
I narrowed my eyes at the students' strangely shifting expressions.
But then, the sound of Adelle muttering something pricked my senses.
My sixth sense for danger, that is.
"That line about 'a beauty such as yourself'... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before..."
Ah, damn it.
Just as expected from the prodigy of a ducal house. Her memory is annoyingly sharp.
She was vaguely recalling the classic pick-up line I used at Salon Mascal years ago.
Somehow, I had a feeling this woman would remember the exact situation.
But just then.
"That was remarkable skill."
Lisa Sorvino had approached and was speaking to me.
Seizing the opportunity, I replied politely to the professor.
"I've practiced in my spare time since I was young. I had help from several dance instructors."
Thanks to the immediate change in topic, the contemplative look on Adelle's face vanished.
Professor Sorvino nodded with a gentle smile.
"It's a pleasure to have such a prepared student. I will be watching you closely."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Now, let's continue. Everyone, focus!"
*Clap, clap!*
Lisa Sorvino clapped her hands lightly, drawing the students' attention.
It seemed they were returning to the basic steps of the Velour.
When the dance class was first added, the students had cheered.
Most thought it would be a great way to blow off steam, dancing excitedly with a partner.
However, the dance class brutally shattered their expectations.
"Ugh… This is harder than Professor Hott's class."
"Look at the atmosphere. It's absolutely brutal. One wrong move with your posture and you're sent straight to flexibility training."
Lisa Sorvino's instruction was incredibly strict.
Holding difficult poses and performing intense steps, they were constantly pushed to their physical limits.
Moreover, being trapped inside a water spirit's body under the guise of improving flexibility was a hellish experience.
They were forced to stretch to the absolute limit of their joints' range of motion.
Of course, there was no brutal leg-splitting.
It was a rather advanced training method that increased flexibility through various movements.
'The problem is you have to float in mid-air and hold ridiculous poses.'
It was a form of punishment that inflicted both physical strain and mental anguish.
To avoid the flexibility training, the students had to be on high alert.
I could finally see why the princes were so uncomfortable around Lisa Sorvino.
Her standards were simply too harsh.
But none of this applied to me.
Skill doesn't just disappear, after all.
"That's all for today's class."
"Thank you for the lesson, Professor."
I was leisurely going through the steps, my mind wandering, when the voice announcing the end of class rang out.
Since it was lunchtime, I thought I could naturally ask Adelle to join me at the student cafeteria.
But even though the class was over, Professor Lisa Sorvino remained on the platform.
It seemed she still had more to say.
"Lunchtime begins now, but there will be a special announcement. All students, please move to the auditorium."
The sudden declaration was met with silence.
'What kind of rule is this? Today's lunch isn't just any other day. It's my chance to be with Adelle!'
Of course, I hadn't even asked her yet, but I was confident.
Adelle was already more than halfway won over...
...or so I couldn't quite say, but I was planning to ask anyway.
Dancing together, then sharing a meal!
What a natural progression.
Everyone else seemed to be on the same page, as disgruntled murmurs filled the room.
After all, the students were even more exhausted than they were after swordsmanship class.
Being told to gather somewhere when they desperately needed a sweet break was bound to cause complaints.
Lisa Sorvino wasn't unaware of this, but she spoke in a firm voice.
"If you'd rather stay for more class, be my guest."
At her words, the students stampeded out of the room.
Indeed, the threat of more class is the best medicine for students.
***
"What's with the sudden announcement? Couldn't they just put it on the bulletin board or send out a notice?"
"Must be something really important."
The students gathered in the auditorium, clueless, exchanging meaningless opinions.
After about ten minutes, the front doors opened and someone strode in.
*Thud! Thud!*
With heavy footsteps, a figure ascended the high platform.
The somewhat noisy auditorium immediately fell silent.
It was none other than Venderford's vice chancellor, Hol Sibas.
As if the trauma from the entrance ceremony had been reawakened, a few students' faces turned pale.
"It's been a while."
The vice chancellor, sweeping back his wavy, salt-and-pepper hair, scanned the students.
He didn't exude any particular aura, merely letting his gaze drift, yet the atmosphere in the hall grew incredibly heavy.
I, of course, was staring at Hol Sibas with an indifferent expression.
'It's your fault I got separated from Adelle.'
Lost in the throng of students, she had been pushed away to another spot.
There was still some distance between us, so I couldn't just grab her and keep her by my side.
I watched the platform with an expression that said, 'Let's just hear what you have to say.'
Then, my eyes met Hol Sibas's.
When I held his gaze without looking away, a faint smile appeared on the vice chancellor's lips.
'What, why are you smiling? Do I look like a pushover to you?'
As I was thinking this, a booming voice erupted.
It seemed he was finally about to make his special announcement or whatever it was.
"I assume you've all grown accustomed to swordsmanship and aura by now. Therefore, I am issuing an external mission."
The students began to stir at the vice chancellor's thunderous declaration.
It was so sudden that their fear of Hol Sibas seemed to have vanished completely.
"A mission?"
"What's that supposed to mean? We came here to learn."
"If they're going to treat us like soldiers, why bother coming all the way to the imperial capital? I could have just become a regular army officer in my own country."
More than half of the talents admitted to Venderford were of noble status from various nations.
Assigning trivial tasks to international students was bound to be met with resistance.
But Hol Sibas ignored their reactions and unleashed his presence.
"Silence!"
*Kwoong!*
The killing intent unleashed by a Tier 2 master was truly formidable.
An invisible pressure bore down on the hall, and the voices of complaint quickly died out.
Satisfied with the chilled atmosphere, the vice chancellor continued.
"Recently, a faction under the command of Brezhnev, one of the Seven Monstrous Evils, has been attempting to expand beyond the Deser Mountains. By order of His Majesty the Emperor, we will subjugate them."
"..."
It was a truly shocking announcement.
The students' jaws dropped at Hol Sibas's declaration.
The Seven Monstrous Evils were no small matter.
They were monsters on par with the Four Outer Stars.
"Hasn't the Empire failed to subjugate Brezhnev every time?"
"I heard his hideout is an impenetrable fortress."
"But he said it's just a faction. Maybe it'll be fine?"
"If there's no penalty, can we just not do it?"
"Not a chance."
Perhaps because they'd been suppressed by his aura, the students exchanged opinions in hushed whispers.
It seemed this level of chatter didn't bother Hol Sibas.
The vice chancellor immediately delivered the most important part of the special announcement.
"You have until the end of the month to form teams of up to five members. The departure date will be announced later."
At the instruction to form their own teams, the students quickly looked at one another.
Some groups, who seemed to have already formed their teams, huddled together.
Bizolt and his lackeys were a prime example.
'They still stick together after I thrashed them like that? Their families must have some serious connections. Now, let's see...'
I, too, instinctively turned my gaze.
But Adelle had already joined the third prince's group, and the female students from the basic class were being courted by the guys from the advanced class.
Damn, why are those bastards so fast?
Feeling a sense of crisis, I quickly scanned for talent and my eyes met Sophia's.
'Hey, my pretty mage friend. We had a good time in the Tomb of the Bronze King, didn't we?'
Of course, she thought I was someone else with the same name and showed no reaction.
She simply went to Ellington's side, completing their group of five.
I take back calling him the esteemed Sir Ellington.
That enviable bastard, he's surrounded by nothing but women!
I glared at the third prince with eyes full of jealousy before trying to approach the remaining female students.
But then, someone suddenly appeared and blocked my path.
"Let's talk."