─ Before the sparring, I, the instructor, will set one condition.
Juyun delayed revealing the condition until the afternoon class, then smoothly continued with the theory lesson.
Inside Class 1, many guesses and predictions were floating around.
As the afternoon class began,
Juyun appeared in the gymnasium in her usual suit attire.
Feeling the more intense gaze of everyone, she showed a simple smile.
“Did everyone eat a lot for lunch?”
“Yes!”
They answered energetically, but there wasn’t a single cadet who ate enough to feel full.
Lunch was just enough to replenish the energy needed for the practical class.
“Sit down.”
As Juyun’s voice clearly echoed through the spacious gymnasium,
the cadets sat down, each holding their own weapons. Rohan grabbed a standard-issue sword hanging on the wall.
“You all seem to be looking forward to this sparring. It seems like your focus is better than during the usual practical classes I’ve prepared so diligently.”
She knew it was her own kind of joke.
The Class 1 cadets showed a calm smile and listened attentively to the instructor’s voice.
“Before we get to the main point…”
Juyun placed the black educational journal she was holding on the chair.
“I had lunch with the instructors in charge of other classes and exchanged opinions. I want to explain a bit about that.”
Rohan quietly stared at her.
He believed that Juyun was fulfilling her responsibilities as an instructor and putting in sincere effort, so the only way to repay her now was to focus.
“Some instructors say that sparring among cadets is the best training. However, since Orion Academy’s founding philosophy is to develop forces to counter monsters, there is still a lot of debate about this training method.”
The cadets roughly understood what she was trying to say.
Given her past actions, Juyun seemed to be the type to worry about conflicts arising from sparring.
Juyun’s practical classes focused on the efficient use of magic power, assuming long-term battles.
Or, when dealing with large monsters as a group, she taught things like implicit order or formation to prevent attacks from clashing.
All of it felt rational and professional.
“I believe that killing monsters and dealing with people are different, but after exchanging opinions with other instructors, I agreed on the efficiency of sparring classes.”
The next words were surely going to be decisive.
All the listening cadets could feel it.
“As Instructor Carrot said… there are trash among humans who are no different from monsters. When you dig into worldly affairs, you can’t avoid encountering such things.”
If you have martial power, you’re bound to get involved in various incidents.
No further explanation was needed, so Juyun took a step to start the class.
“Finally, I’ll explain the condition I mentioned earlier. You can consider this a simple game between me and the cadets.”
Noah’s tail curled round.
She drew a question mark in the air while stopping him.
Many cadets also had puzzled expressions on their faces.
“I won’t use any weapons, and I won’t attack either. The instructor will stand in place and only use the index and middle fingers of my left hand.”
Watching Juyun teach, you could guess she was right-handed.
There was also a hypothesis that she was ambidextrous, but considering she only used two fingers, it made you wonder what that even meant.
“Due to time constraints, I’ll give each cadet two minutes. You can use any attack you want. If you push the instructor back even one step or make her use anything other than her index and middle finger, the instructor loses. In other words, it’s a victory for Class 1.”
Juyun emphasized that it wasn’t an individual victory but a victory for the entire class.
“If the instructor loses… Hmm, nothing comes to mind. I’ll treat Class 1 to something delicious.”
Noah, who had been listening, suddenly raised her hand.
When Juyun looked at her, the girl twitched her round ears and asked, “What if we lose?”
That was probably the key point.
Juyun, as if she had been waiting for this, raised the corner of her mouth and said, “Noah Frozenheart, along with the rest of Class 1, should strive to master not just practical skills but also theory.”
“Theory classes…?”
Even though the condition was soft, Noah was flustered and stumbled over her words.
Her tail lost strength and stuck flat to the gymnasium floor.
“Is it too difficult? Just do your best. I won’t expect detailed results like scores.”
“…”
“Who knows, you might achieve the condition and just take the delicious stuff. You can eat enough to bankrupt the instructor’s entire fortune.”
At the instructor’s words of treating them happily, Noah tapped the floor with her tail.
Glancing at Ichinose, who was sitting beside her and focusing intently, she boldly continued, “Even if I lose to the instructor, do you think I’ll just rationalize your words about doing my best and laze around?”
“I don’t.”
At the firm voice, Noah’s eyes widened.
Rohan and Ichinose inwardly admired Juyun’s words and held back their laughter.
“I don’t want to prepare for the possibility of you not keeping your word. The conditions are vague… Are you saying you won’t keep your promise with the instructor, Noah?”
“I’ll definitely keep my promise!”
“Then I’ll trust you.”
From Rohan’s perspective, the situation looked like this.
Juyun had already perfectly grasped Noah Frozenheart’s personality and knew how to handle her.
As Noah had shown, even without special conditions, she wouldn’t break her promise with Juyun after losing.
“Alright. Let’s start the class. Who’s going first?”
“Me!”
Noah jumped up from her seat.
The girl strode forward and stood in front of the instructor.
“Two minutes start from the moment you attack. Show me your full strength.”
“Can I really do whatever I want?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about damaging the gym. If we cared about that, it wouldn’t be Orion Academy.”
Juyun stared at Noah, her right hand tucked into her pocket.
Noah was already spinning her shoulders, wearing a bright, innocent smile, clearly enjoying herself.
“You know, I think I already understand why Dad told me to go out into the world.”
“Oh?”
“Dad isn’t really good at teaching. I’m so glad I met you, Instructor.”
“Thanks… but I won’t just agree with you so easily.”
The only reason Noah could speak so lightly of Lord Seolho was because she was his daughter.
“All cadets on standby, move behind the instructor. Maintain a safe distance.”
Watching the Class 1 cadets quickly move into position.
Noah, having finished her warm-up, began to draw out her magical energy.
Chuwaaaa───!!!
A hazy chill flowed from the girl’s entire body.
Her opponent wasn’t as strong as her father, but still a formidable force whose power she couldn’t underestimate.
Noah had no intention of going through this class empty-handed as usual.
She was going all out.
“Fimbulvetr.”
Noah Frozenheart’s right index finger.
The ring began to change shape with a crackling sound.
What she held in her hand was an ice axe.
A massive axe that would normally require two hands, Noah spun it effortlessly with one.
“*Huff*.”
The girl took a short breath.
Simultaneously, *BOOM!* The ground shattered as Noah vanished.
Puwaaaa───!!!
A pure white chill swept through the gust of the clash, revealing the two figures.
Noah’s fierce axe was caught between Juyun’s fingers.
“Your destructive power has already far surpassed the average cadet. Your magical energy release is particularly impressive.”
“!”
“But taking a breath as a prelude to your attack isn’t good. You’re giving away too much, from your tail to your muscles.”
Juyun pointed out casually, showing no urgency.
Noah, unable to pull her axe free, used it like a bar to continue her kicks.
“Not panicking and reacting quickly is also impressive.”
“Wha!?”
As Juyun slightly shook the axe she was holding, Noah’s kick missed.
Noah let go of the axe, spun around, and landed on the ground.
She recalled her weapon back into ring form.
And summoned it again.
*Whoosh! Bang! Whooosh!*
In an instant, as Juyun tried to catch the swung axe with her fingers again.
Noah leaped back, regaining her stance.
“….”
With the axe resting on her shoulder, she took a low, beast-like posture.
Noah’s gaze at Juyun intensified.
Her sharp fangs became visible.
“Like a true predator.”
Ignoring Juyun’s comment, Noah growled and began to freeze the surroundings.
Crackkkk!
The area around Juyun froze thickly, but the spot where she stood remained unaffected.
Noah tensed her thighs and kicked off the ground, moving swiftly.
*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The loud noises echoed.
Yelling, she runs around the gymnasium this way and that.
Simply moving in a straight line, but the cadets can hardly keep up with her incredible speed.
Where Noah passed, frost bloomed and ice froze.
They trembled and formed icicle-like spikes.
They poured down like arrows towards Juyun.
Bam bam bam bam!!!
A cold wind spread throughout the gymnasium.
Noah kept attacking, running in and swinging her axe repeatedly.
Every time the axe moved, the gymnasium shook with a loud boom! Boom!
Moving fiercely here and there, she must have sensed an opportunity.
Noah landed behind Juyun and swung her axe roughly.
“Everything is a movement that obeys intuition.”
“!!!”
Juyun caught the axe Noah swung towards her waist with her fingers.
The sharp blade almost touched her suit.
Noah didn’t find this regrettable.
It just went as Juyun intended.
“Eek!”
Noah, who had transformed the axe into a ring shape, swung her fist and kicked.
The shockwave from her punch shattered the ice, but Juyun casually caught Noah as if playing with a child.
“Her gaze is so sharp, it’s only focused on the attack points. Noah needs to learn how to use this as a trick.”
“…”
“Whether to develop movements based on intuition or to systematize them, I need to think about it.”
With Juyun’s words.
Tiriririring!
The alarm rang, signaling two minutes had passed, and Noah stopped moving.
Juyun placed her hand on Noah’s head.
“Noah, are you satisfied?”
“Yes!!!”
The girl, with a flushed face, exhaled cold air.
It seemed she was extremely happy to have let loose after a long time.
Seeing her tail wagging left and right, it seemed she was more pleased with that than not being able to push Juyun back.
“I’ll study theory hard too!”
“Excellent.”
A cool acceptance of the result. Juyun smiled and patted her head.
Then, she used magic to shatter all the ice in the gymnasium and clean it up.
Juyun’s gaze turned to the cadets.
“Next.”
