The First Class and the Handshake Test
The orientation day for the new semester had arrived. I headed to the lecture hall to teach my first class. There were only six students. The classroom was the smallest one in all of Delphiana Academy. ‘Nice and quiet. Perfect.’
With just six students, I could give each one plenty of personal attention. Even if the curse put them at a disadvantage when it came to concentration, I figured I could more than make up for it. Of course, the academy might grumble about it. Paying you all that salary and you’re only teaching six students a semester? But that wasn’t my problem. Nope, not at all.
And yet…
‘What the hell is all this?’
I blinked repeatedly as I stared into the lecture hall. ‘I’m sure there were only six people.’
The tiny classroom was packed so full there wasn’t even room to stand. At a glance, there had to be seventy—no, over eighty students crammed inside.
‘Did I go to the wrong room?’
No, this was definitely room 502B. I was sure of it.
“It’s Professor Altair! Make way!”
As I approached, the crowd parted to let me through. So I hadn’t come to the wrong place after all.
I finally made it to the front of the blackboard, though it wasn’t easy. Still dazed, I looked over at my teaching assistant, Hendrick.
“What is all this? I thought only six people signed up?”
“They didn’t register in time, but they really wanted to take your class, Professor….”
“Why? During the official registration period, only six people signed up.”
“Well… it seems the duel had quite an impact.”
“The duel?”
The one with Marius? Ah, so that was it.
‘The impact of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, Knees and Toes was this huge?’
To think it had drawn this many students despite the curse. I would never underestimate Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes again.
I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. The murmuring died down immediately.
“More students showed up than I expected. Officially, only six people registered for my class.”
“Professor! It was my mistake not to register for your class! Please let me attend!”
“Please!”
Hmm. This was awkward. As a brand-new instructor, I turned back to Hendrick.
“What do people usually do in situations like this?”
“It depends on the professor… but unless they’re particularly strict, most accept as many as they can handle.”
“Hmm….”
I scratched my head.
“For now, anyone who skipped their registered class to come here, raise your hand.”
Just over ten students lifted their hands.
“Go back to those classes immediately. It’s disrespectful to the instructors teaching them.”
Those students left the room with gloomy expressions, looking reluctant. The others watched them go with faint, satisfied smiles.
‘That leaves a little over sixty.’
It was a bit more breathing room, but the classroom was still packed. Honestly, even if it was uncomfortably full, it wouldn’t be a huge problem. Since this was a swordsmanship class, most lessons—except for today’s orientation—would be held outdoors. And if it really came down to it, I could always request a different available classroom.
So the real question was…
‘Can a rookie like me actually handle this many people?’
Honestly, it seemed like it might be too much. ‘It’s the first class. I should take it easy.’ I didn’t want to start on hard mode. That was a good way to burn out. Plus, the more students there were, the less time I could spend on each one. Would they actually learn anything in a class like that? Especially when the curse would clearly tank their concentration.
‘They’re paying good money to attend this academy.’
As someone who was also drawing a salary from the academy, I had a duty to provide the students with the best possible learning environment.
‘I need to cut it down.’
Having made up my mind, I rapped my palm against the blackboard.
“Unfortunately, not all of you can take this class. There are simply too many people.”
The students nodded as if they’d expected this.
“So quite a few of you will have to leave. Of course, the six students who officially registered are exempt. When I call your name, please come forward. Ditrua de La Ronalf, Rilke Termore, Clement….”
The called students pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. The original registrants. The chosen ones. The six survivors. The other students watched them with clear envy.
‘I need to filter out at least half of them here.’
Should I make them play rock-paper-scissors? That would be easiest, but I couldn’t do that….
“As you’ve probably heard from the rumors—and are already feeling with your entire bodies—I am cursed. Do you truly have the confidence to spend an entire semester with someone like me?”
The mood in the room grew noticeably heavier.
“Please think about it seriously. No matter how excellent my lessons are, what’s the point of taking them in the worst possible condition? Don’t waste your precious time.”
At those words, several more students quietly slipped out of the classroom. That left roughly forty students. Still too many.
It seemed I’d reached the limit of what I could accomplish with words alone. I’d have to use a different method. And that method was… well, that one.
“We’re going to do a simple test.”
Test? I could hear the students murmuring. They seemed to think it would be some kind of swordsmanship evaluation, but they were wrong.
I raised my right hand like I was taking an oath.
“You’ll shake my hand, and we’ll see how long you can endure it. You need to be able to withstand my aura if you want to follow my lessons properly.”
The students nodded.
“So… let’s set the standard at five seconds. If you can endure a handshake for five seconds, you pass. If not, you fail. Anyone who fails must leave the classroom immediately.”
Five seconds should be enough for me to actually teach them something, right?
And so the handshake test began. I felt like a famous celebrity.
“One, two, three. Fail.”
A student with his eyes squeezed shut trudged out of the room. He was the last one.
In the end, only ten people remained in the classroom.
‘Fewer than I thought.’
That included the original six who had signed up in advance.
‘Should I lower the standard? Drop it to three seconds?’
But could a student who couldn’t even last five seconds really keep up with my class? I wasn’t sure since I hadn’t tried it, but there was no need to take that risk, was there?
I decided it was best to keep the current number. ‘Some of the pre-registered students might not last either.’ Still, with so few people, I should be able to manage. I’d just have to pay extra attention.
I addressed the surviving students.
“Then let’s begin our first class.”
Since it was the first day, we held orientation and used the remaining time for a simple theory lesson. There wasn’t enough time for a proper class, but all ten students listened with sparkling eyes.
‘Looks like I was right.’
Ditrua thought as she gazed at Altair. They hadn’t learned much since it was the first lesson, but she had grasped the general tone of the class. It was a completely different teaching style from what she had learned in the palace. Which one was better? Both had their pros and cons. Still, it was clear that her lessons would broaden her perspective.
On the exact opposite side of the room sat Rilke. She was just as satisfied with the class.
‘It’s similar to Master’s style.’
The way she approached swordsmanship was alike. Although the curse made it difficult to concentrate, the high quality of the lesson made it manageable.
Soon, the class was nearing its end.
“One last question. Why did all of you decide to take up the sword?”
At her question, the students fell into thought. Altair scanned the ten students before stopping her gaze on Ditrua.
“Ditrua?”
When her name was called, everyone in the classroom turned to look at her. The Third Princess pondered for a brief moment.
‘I can’t exactly say it’s because the sensation of tearing apart those worthless pieces of trash feels best with a sword.’
She smiled brightly and spoke.
“To gain a foothold so I can take the lead in what I want to do.”
Altair’s gaze now shifted to the complete opposite side of the room.
“Rilke?”
“…To carry on my master’s will.”
Altair’s eyes lingered on her for quite a while.
‘Why?’
Ditrua didn’t like that one bit. That someone else—especially that little purple-haired brat—was receiving more of Altair’s attention than she was. ‘It’s probably nothing.’ She snorted lightly.
“Then… Hendricksen? What about you?”
The previous students’ answers had all been impressively refined. Clement, who assumed he would be next, fell deep into thought.
‘Why did I pick up a sword again?’
He couldn’t remember. If he could, he would have liked to ask his past self who had first decided to wield one. But that was impossible.
Fortunately for him, Altair’s question stopped at the student sitting right next to Clement.
“Those are all good answers, but I’d like to add one thing.”
Everyone listened attentively.
“A sword is a tool to achieve a purpose. In my opinion, the pinnacle of swordsmanship itself should never become the goal. There may be differing views, but I believe this is correct. The means should not overtake the end.”
She briefly made eye contact with each student one by one. It wasn’t an easy gaze to withstand, but these were all people who had taken up the sword. They could endure it for a short while.
“And… some of you probably didn’t have an answer pop into your head right away when I asked. Maybe you thought your reason was too simple and felt embarrassed compared to the others.”
A few students lightly bit their lips.
“But simple is fine. Even a seemingly trivial reason is okay. Whatever it is, just don’t forget it until the very last moment you hold a sword.”
At those words, Clement raised his hand and asked a question.
“Could you give us an example?”
“An example?”
“An example of a trivial reason.”
“Well… something like wanting to show the night sky to the residents of a world that only has daylight….”
She smiled gently. It was a completely different smile from the atmosphere until now. Everyone was mesmerized by it when the bell rang.
“See you in the next class.”
Altair left the classroom faster than anyone else.