Chapter 73

Even though I only walked about a hundred meters, an intense fatigue washed over me as if I had been marching for ten hours.

I really felt like turning back.

No one has ever made me turn back before, but these guys might just achieve that difficult feat.

Sigh… Well, since I’ve come all this way, I guess I should attend the lecture, right?

Let’s consider enduring these stares as practice for what’s to come.

At least they’re just students. The gazes of real nobles will be much more sinister.

Filthy maggots of the Empire.

I steeled myself and stepped into the main building.

The situation inside was no different.

They were chattering among themselves, but when they saw my face, they suddenly fell silent.

Then they started whispering to each other again. The content was obvious.

I forced myself to ignore the piercing—no, scanning—gazes and walked down the hallway with confident steps.

As I moved forward, the students in front of me split to either side.

They used to part like this when I walked by before, but…

I had thought about improving my image someday, but not in this direction.

The feeling of their gazes following me from behind kept bothering me.

The slowly returning sensations were almost annoying.

The back of my neck, my lower back, and even my buttocks were itching incessantly.

“Hey… I haven’t seen you before, and you’re not wearing a uniform. Are you from outside?”

Suddenly, some guy approached me.

He was tall and looked like a pretty boy.

His face seemed innocent, and his attitude was gentlemanly, but I wasn’t fooled.

The slightly raised corner of his mouth, the predatory glint in his eyes, and the way his gaze subtly drifted downward—not at my face.

He’s definitely the type who pretends to be harmless to seduce women, only to reveal his true colors the moment they let their guard down.

I’m sure of it. I could swear on the name of Faelun.

“Only academy students are allowed here. If you’re lost, I can guide you…”

He even reached out to grab my hand without permission.

How bold.

“Get lost.”

“Huh? I didn’t catch that. Could you say it again? By the way, your voice is really nice.”

Whether he genuinely didn’t hear or was pretending not to, he was persistent.

If you didn’t hear, why are you complimenting my voice? Nonsense.

“I said, get lost. Now.”

I blew cigarette smoke in his face.

The man, who suddenly got a minty facial, took a step back.

“Hey, what’s the big idea…!”

He didn’t expect me to react like this, and his expression twisted.

Just go away already. Don’t make my struggle feel pointless.

The man, about to lose his temper, hesitated when he noticed the surrounding gazes.

Yeah, it wouldn’t look good.

Regardless of my attitude, if a sturdy man were to lay a hand on a seemingly frail woman, his reputation would plummet.

“Talk about bad luck…”

The hesitant man finally turned away.

You’ve got it wrong. The one with bad luck here is me, not you. You’re actually lucky.

If you’d moved your hand, it would’ve been crushed along with what’s between your legs.

Your ancestors must be watching over you. Go offer them a sacrifice or something.

After that, no one dared to blatantly block my way or hit on me. Thankfully.

I mean, if they had even a shred of brain, they’d have guessed from my attitude and appearance that I’m someone of high status who’s not to be trifled with.

It was a good thing for them too.

If more guys had tried to approach me, I might not have been able to hold back my irritation.

A tragic groan, and the lineage of a family would’ve been cut short. Like what Asha did.

If that had happened, maybe these stares would’ve lessened. Would that have been better…?

—

“Ah, Ha-shal-leur! Are you discharged now?”

“Ha-shal-leur!”

As I entered the lecture hall, Milia and Rana greeted me with happy faces.

The murmurs behind me quieted for a moment, then turned into shock.

Not a single one of them recognized me.

‘Ha-shal-leur…? No way, really?’

‘The Beastman Devourer was such a beauty?’

Beastman Devourer?

Is that the final form of my rumors?

Honestly, just hearing the rumors made me speechless, but the way it sounds kind of cool gives me mixed feelings.

The students’ chatter kept ringing in my ears.

‘Is that even possible? The woman who was like a man-eating tiger…’

Man-eating tiger, huh?

Well, compared to Ja-han or Or-han, I probably look like a kitten.

Not that I’m saying I want to look like a real cat.

‘Her eyes used to be so fierce it was hard to even look at her. Now she’s even more… than Lacey.’

‘You better watch your mouth before you get struck by lightning.’

‘Shaullite will protect me.’

‘Yeah, right.’

Elpinel, if you strike that guy with lightning, I’ll convert to the Great Celestial Faith.

Wait, it’s not the Great Celestial Faith anymore, just the Elpinel Church. Whatever.

‘She looks a bit unwell. Is her injury not fully healed? Well, she did fight those beastmen.’

‘Now that I think about it, there’s a rumor she’s a master…’

‘No way. If she were a master, why would she bother coming to a lecture?’

Exactly. Why did I even come?

I don’t think I came here to see this mess.

My steps grew heavier as I trudged over to Milia.

I sat down next to him.

Damien asked how I was doing.

“How’s your body? Seems like your energy hasn’t fully returned yet.”

“My mind feels more broken than my body…”

I put out the cigarette I was holding while spouting some half-sincere nonsense. I had planned to put it out before entering the classroom, but I was so mentally exhausted that I didn’t even notice.

“Those guys are just seeing you like this for the first time. It’ll get better.”

“Yeah, Ha-shal-leur. Cheer up.”

Damien and Milia awkwardly tried to comfort me.

Well… I don’t know if they’ll stop being intimidated even if my sharp gaze returns. You guys didn’t seem scared of me even when I was in full swing after we got close.

“I like how you look now!”

“Not me…”

I didn’t want to end up like some academy idol. Every time I saw guys blushing, it felt like my pride was taking a hit. …Though some girls did that too.

It’s good that the academy students are quickly recovering from the shock of the recent tragedy… But I never wanted it to be because of gossip about my face.

I really need to recover my energy as soon as possible. Maybe I should just eat and rest on repeat?

—

A little later, Professor Kal-lain entered.

“Everyone, quiet down. Let’s begin the lecture.”

The students’ chatter died down. The whispers about me disappeared in an instant, and everyone turned serious, focusing on Professor Kal-lain.

Good. At least their mindset seems to have improved. That’s enough for me. I don’t expect more.

“Today’s lecture will cover the Great Magic War and the standard magics you should be cautious of. It’s rare for you to face magicians, but it’s still something you should know.”

Professor Kal-lain walked to the podium and began the lecture. His voice echoed through the now-quiet classroom.

“First, let’s talk about close combat… Magicians are the most dangerous enemies for knights. Their firepower can render a knight’s armor useless, and they attack from a distance where a knight’s sword can’t reach. Binding or mental magics are even harder to counter.”

Well, thanks to my anti-magic resistance, I find those magics easier to deal with, but it’s not the same for others. If you’re bound and a magic attack comes flying, that’s the end.

“That’s why knights must always prepare equipment to counter magic. But what if you don’t have such equipment? How would you face a magician?”

“Uh… just dodge, maybe?”

A student answered hesitantly.

“Correct. The most reliable method is to dodge the magic and close the distance for close combat. However, if the distance is too great, it’s better to just run. Unless you’re exceptionally fast, closing that gap isn’t easy. If you don’t want to die like a fool, that is.”

I also struggled to close the distance against that magician back then. Though I was holding back my strength at the time.

What was that magician’s name again? Something like Ke… I can’t remember.

“The second method is to use throwing weapons. As Princess Ai-shan Gi-or demonstrated during the first day of sparring… Huh?”

Only then did Professor Kal-lain properly look at my face and let out a confused sigh. Come on, Professor, not you too.

“Ahem. As she showed, you can disrupt the magic by throwing a weapon. However, this isn’t a safe method either. If there’s a significant gap in skill, it might work, but if the opponent is equal or stronger, the magic might just swallow the weapon and keep coming.”

It’s a standard method, but he’s right. A dagger has its limits, and throwing a longsword or spear would leave you unarmed afterward.

“If you have a dagger to throw at incoming magic, throw it at the magician instead. They’ll probably block it with a barrier, but that’s your chance to close the distance.”

That was advice worth remembering.

“So, the third method I recommend is this: by any means necessary, disrupt the caster’s focus.”

Professor Kal-lain emphasized this by lightly tapping the podium.

“Magic is like wielding a blade without a handle. It’s powerful, but it’s always a risk to the caster as well. So, if you can provoke the magician and make them lose control of their magic, the backlash will attack them instead.”

Disrupting a magician’s focus, huh? It’s an abstract strategy.

But then again, magicians have different personalities and reactions, so there’s no one-size-fits-all method.

“Remember this: a magician dies the moment they panic.”

In the heavy silence, only the sound of scribbling pens continued.