Chapter 32

“You were way too rough with your hands. Just because you’re a special admission student doesn’t mean the academy will tolerate all your recklessness. Keep that in mind.”

After sorting things out, Kal-lain left a single warning, as if it were no big deal.

For someone who sent five freshmen to the infirmary, it was a surprisingly lenient remark.

Guess they’re treating this level of incident as just a minor deviation.

Well, injuries like that will heal in a couple of days anyway, and in real combat, you’d get much worse.

“Alright, that concludes the morning lecture. Everyone, fall in!”

At Kal-lain’s command, the students gathered back in front of the inspection area.

Perhaps because they’d seen some blood, everyone was on edge.

Their faces were as stiff as statues, and they stood perfectly still in a rigid attention stance.

Thanks to the sparring session, the once-pristine academy uniforms were now all stained with dirt and sweat.

So that’s why they give us two sets of uniforms—so we can wash and alternate them daily.

Once everyone was lined up, Kal-lain continued.

“Good work, everyone. Although there were some incidents, I believe you’ve all gained a sense of your peers’ combat styles and the dangers of battle.”

At the mention of the dangers of battle, a few freshmen subtly glanced in my direction.

The looks in their eyes no longer held contempt.

Just a mix of rejection and fear, as if they were staring at something completely alien.

…My blood-soaked shirt felt damp and lukewarm, which was gross.

“Since there were quite a few injuries, we’ll analyze and evaluate the sparring content in the next lecture. Have lunch and then head to your respective departments for afternoon classes. Dismissed!”

Upon Kal-lain’s order, the freshmen scattered, heading toward the general dormitories with their close friends.

It was almost funny how they avoided coming within 4 meters of me.

Once they face Suin or monsters directly, they’ll realize what I showed them was nothing.

I returned to the special dorm, washed up lightly, and changed clothes.

“…The royal family won’t appreciate you causing too much of a disturbance.”

Nigel hesitated a bit upon seeing my blood-soaked clothes, then left a short piece of advice before tossing them into the laundry basket.

The special dorm attendants would probably wash them later.

“It was necessary.”

Yeah, it was something I had to do eventually.

Building a good reputation can wait—right now, showing off my strength and danger was more important.

They needed to see with their own eyes what I was capable of, so they wouldn’t dare mess with me.

With my position still unstable, it’d be troublesome if someone picked a fight and I had to deal with it head-on.

So, it was best to prevent any fights from happening in the first place.

In that sense, the sparring class was the perfect opportunity.

Under the guise of sparring, I could beat someone up without holding back.

…Though I might’ve gone a bit too far with Kenneth.

In the heat of battle, if I let my guard down even a little, the urge to tear my enemy apart surges.

It’s probably Ha-shal-leur’s instincts, a sign that she’s hungry.

Since I took over, I haven’t had a proper fight with anyone.

Truly, a vicious body.

—

The afternoon lecture was on weapon utilization and its integration with martial arts.

The instructor was a friendly-looking female knight named Teresia, I think.

Since it was the first class, it was just a light orientation held indoors.

…Guess Professor Kal-lain, who threw us into sparring on the first day, is the odd one.

The students kept flinching and avoiding me, so I sat at the very back of the classroom and lit a cigarette.

This course is for knight department students to fully understand the characteristics of their weapons and master systematic combat techniques.

Most freshmen rely more on physical ability and experience rather than technique when wielding weapons.

First, students are categorized by the weapons they use, and then specialized instructors provide tailored lectures, theory, and sparring lessons.

For longswords, they teach a simplified version of Imperial swordsmanship in the first semester.

…So, it’s like a watered-down version of Nigel’s Imperial swordsmanship special lectures.

This didn’t seem like a necessary class for me either.

I’ll have a lot of free time.

Well, what I need now isn’t basic combat skills but knowledge.

At least the lectures on hostile entities might be worth attending.

The Empire’s enemies—monsters and non-human races, right?

Especially the details about Suin.

I’ll need that soon.

—

=======[Damien]=======

The infirmary in the academy’s main building.

Out of about twenty beds, six were occupied by patients wrapped in bandages, lying as if dead.

The casualties caused by the special admission students.

The white patient gowns were stained red with blood in several places.

Academy healers were busy casting healing miracles and administering potions.

Damien sat in front of Milia’s bed, staring down at her expressionlessly.

Her pale face looked gaunt.

Her entire right arm was wrapped in bandages, and she was sweating and groaning from the pain.

Eventually, Milia groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

Damien immediately put on a concerned, youthful expression.

“Damien……?”

“Are you okay, Milia? Does your head hurt?”

“Ugh… I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you.”

Perhaps due to the throbbing pain in her shoulder, she admitted defeat simply.

Is it because of the abandoned sparring?

Milia’s voice, as she answered, was quite deflated.

Her green hair, soaked in cold sweat, clung to her forehead, looking pitiful enough to be described as tragic.

“It’s a relief that you’re okay. But why are you pushing yourself so hard? It’s not like you, Milia.”

Damien asked for the reason.

He needed to know the reason to prevent a similar situation from happening again.

The woman named Ha-shal-leur seemed to want to get close to him, so leaving the two friends in a hostile situation wasn’t right for him.

If it were the usual Milia that Damien knew, she wouldn’t have acted so aggressively towards someone she just met.

She wouldn’t have forced herself to fight an opponent she couldn’t beat.

Even at a glance, Damien could tell that the woman was terrifyingly strong.

She was a woman wrapped in a ferocious aura, as if violence and cruelty had been molded into a human body.

How many people had she killed?

The thick killing intent, reeking of blood, seemed visible, and her blue, burning eyes were closer to those of a monster than a human.

Her physique was slender, but the muscle fibers beneath her skin were compressed to an incredible density, as if they might burst at any moment.

Perhaps this is what the bodies of masters, whom I’ve only heard about, are like?

Strong individuals who have trained their bodies to the limits of human capability.

No, even masters wouldn’t possess such a physique.

Their strength doesn’t come from mere muscle power but from the deeds they’ve accumulated.

Great deeds, good deeds, evil deeds, life force.

A blessing that transforms a person into a superhuman.

In terms of pure physical ability, Ha-shal-leur might actually be superior.

Though why she doesn’t even show half of her strength is unknown.

Damien recalled the appearance of Ha-shal-leur he had just encountered.

Her exotic looks, a mix of Western and Eastern features, were strikingly beautiful, definitely making her a considerable beauty.

However, few would be bold enough to notice her beauty after facing her ferocious killing intent and eerie eyes.

I’ve heard that when people see something terrifying, they become frightened, and once fear takes over, they lose the rationality to perceive beauty.

“…I was scared.”

Milia barely managed to speak. Her body was trembling slightly.

Damien patted her left shoulder lightly to comfort her.

Milia leaned slightly against him.

“I couldn’t understand why that monster was approaching you… Her friendly demeanor actually gave me the creeps.”

Is that so? Damien tried to recall what he had been thinking at that time.

‘Contrary to rumors and atmosphere, her speech was surprisingly ordinary.’ Something like that.

On the other hand, Milia must have felt fear. That’s why she lost her rationality.

‘Was that strange remark about the plundering soul also a result of losing judgment?’

Damien looked down at Milia, who was leaning on him, and pondered.

As long as Milia harbored fear towards Ha-shal-leur, the relationship between the two would continue to cause friction.

Ha-shal-leur seemed indifferent to this, so Milia would be the only one at a disadvantage.

‘Then, what should I do?’

Should I soothe Milia’s fear?

Fear stems from the sense of crisis that the other person might harm you.

“Still, after talking to her, she seems a bit rough, but not as bad as the rumors say. She even felt quite sorry towards you, Milia.”

“Damien?”

Milia looked at Damien, who was defending Ha-shal-leur, with suspicious eyes.

Damien continued calmly, paying attention to his affectionate tone.

“Maybe because she’s from the Ka`har tribe, people view her with prejudice. You never really know someone until you talk to them. Milia, you’ll realize she’s not such a bad person once you talk to her later.”

Unconvinced, Milia pointed to the critically injured patients lying on the nearby beds.

Four men, wrapped in bandages, were groaning in pain.

Especially, one young man from the magic department seemed to be in serious condition.

“Then what about those people? Didn’t she do all that to them?”

“…Maybe it’s because of cultural differences. You know, the Ka`har tribe is known to fight seriously even in sparring.”

Damien made an excuse, recalling what he had read in a book before.

To improve the relationship between the two, he needed to convince Milia somehow.

“Well…”

“Let’s talk again later, the three of us. If we talk calmly, you’ll clear up your misunderstandings. You must be very tired, so rest for now.”

Damien gently calmed Milia, who was about to argue, and laid her back on the bed.

‘…This should be enough for now. It’s hard to erase resentment while the pain remains.’

Still, if he keeps persuading her, Milia will probably accept his opinion.

As always.

====================

Two days later, the first lecture on the Introduction to Hostile Entity Research began.