...A sparring match that ended in vain, contrary to expectations.
For Lee Han, it was full of disappointment, but the sentiments of those who watched the match were different.
- ...Gulp.
The most changed thing was the way they looked at him.
Originally, there were some gazes of disgust, but now the disgust was gone, and there were even occasional gazes of admiration and reverence.
Most were of commoner origin, and the rest, mostly of noble origin, had mostly probing gazes.
Perhaps they had judged that it would be okay to build a relationship.
Anyway, this is why I can't bring myself to like the species called nobles.
But not liking them is not liking them.
Lee Han finally started with a proper introduction.
"I introduced myself before the match, but I'll introduce myself again. Lee Han Turtle. For your information, it's Lee Han, not Ri Han. Remember it well."
- ……
"At least answer, you clueless brats."
- Yes, yess!
"Good responses."
Anyway, these greenhorn babies, when will they become proper human beings?
"…I'm from the White Silver Lion Knights, and as you know, a commoner. Probably everyone who knows, knows. Ah, if any of you hate receiving teachings from a commoner, you don't have to show up, like the 2nd and 3rd years. Since whether you skip later or skip now is about the same anyway."
"Penalty points…"
"There are no penalty points. It's easier for me to only teach those who want to be taught. Just show up well during the exam period. You'd want to get the credits, right. Well, if you don't even need that, just take another class. The correction period is over, but I'll go and ask the other class instructors or lecturers to put in a good word for you."
For Lee Han, this was displaying his own goodwill.
It was a shame that the toys for sparring would decrease, but he wasn't an irresponsible enough human to play around while leaving the guys who wanted to learn seriously behind.
Rather, those who say they'll put in the effort are welcome.
As there is such a thing as a running mate, training together shows quite good effects.
"Ah, anyone who wants to attack me at any time can go ahead. Sparring is welcome."
"Kunta will step up!"
"You go treat your waist injury first. What were you doing while others were sparring?"
"……Umm."
Kunta became sullen.
However, this wasn't a statement that only applied to Kunta.
"Same goes for the rest of you. Guys who didn't get treated and just watched the sparring, go get treated right away. We're overflowing with patients."
"Wasn't that all the instructor's doing?"
"So what?"
"…I just mean it's a figure of speech."
Garland's words were dismissed, and afterward, the people who had rolled on the ground today quickly disappeared.
They were heading to the recovery room where the healers were waiting.
'As expected of the Academy. The support is insane.'
Considering that a healer's annual salary is roughly at the level of a large corporation's deputy manager, weren't they bearing that cost?
Not only that, if you hire a healer, you automatically have to pay a monthly offering to the temple.
With that money, they could build a new building every week and still have money left over.
'I should use this frequently from now on.'
As he felt a strange satisfaction recalling the healers...
"I-Instructor, then what will we be learning?"
A question came from those he hadn't paid much attention to.
"Name?"
"I-I am Levy Volt, Instructor."
"Hmm. A noble?"
"I-It is merely a humble family."
"Hmm, do you want to learn swordsmanship, cadet?"
"…Even so, since I've taken the class once, if I can learn it… I want to!"
"Is that so…?"
She seems like a fairly decisive kid.
She's clearly a noble girl who has never learned swordsmanship.
She is undeniably a frail girl who looks like preparing for a social debutante would be a higher priority than swordsmanship.
A girl who doesn't fit the Swordsmanship Department.
But it's not particularly strange.
Because aside from that girl, roughly half of them were like that.
Honestly, the reason girls who probably haven't even done dishes once came to his lecture was mostly…
'To find a prospective fiancé, or to find a debutante partner.'
Just as a prom party in American movies or dramas selects a prom queen and king, the element of a wonderful partner is important in a debutante.
Especially going out to a debutante with those who might become future knights and even making a marriage arrangement is quite common in noble society.
He figured they were probably the faction that came aiming for this.
In a way, it's quite audacious.
Lee Han wasn't particularly interested.
Because the reason this academy was maintained was through the massive patronage of such nobles.
It was also the reason they had the financial capacity to hire healers.
However, them sparkling their eyes as if seeking teachings was outside his expectations.
Why are they like that?
"Isn't it because the fight between you and Lord Roen was so amazing? People tend to have admiration for things they cannot do."
"…Is that so?"
"Especially girls from noble families. They must have grown up in a greenhouse their whole lives, so this kind of stimulation must seem mystical. Well, it won't last long anyway. Given the characteristic of noble women who extremely avoid sweating, once they sweat a little, they'll all drop out. That's why I heard that by the time the first semester is over, all the women stop coming to classes in the Swordsmanship Department."
"You know a lot?"
"Hehe, my older brother is an Academy graduate, so I've heard a lot."
"An information broker, huh. Useful."
"Thank you!"
"…But, assistant."
"Yees?"
"Can you not shove your face in? Seeing your face makes me want to punch it."
"…Yees."
"Yeah, looking good. Always stay like that when you talk to me from now on."
"……Damn it."
"I can hear you, assistant."
Damian, no, the assistant's (slave's) eyes became moist once again.
* * *
Today's class ended.
Just as universities usually finish early on the first day of lectures, he also showed flexibility.
Before he knew it, all the cadets had returned, and the training ground became silent.
Only Lee Han remained alone, and the dimming sky was at least somewhat worth seeing.
"Hmm."
However, rather than having the leisure to look up at the stylish sky, reviewing the sparring match that took place today was more helpful.
'Hmm, should I have broken through faster back then?'
Even if it was a sparring match with those infinitely weaker than him, it wasn't without things to learn.
Why else would a prestigious family be a prestigious family.
They are utterly lacking in the basics, but they know plenty of high-level techniques.
It might be pearls before swine, but if someone who isn't a pig can extract some of those pearls, that too is a great achievement.
Four people in particular were noteworthy.
'Was it Kunta? I should try fighting that barbarian guy one more time tomorrow. I'll take my time facing him this time. He seems like a similar type to me, so it should be fun.'
'The guy with the dual swords and the one with the Fang Tian Hua Ji weren't bad either.'
'…The regressor guy was more insidious than I thought.'
Rather than the guy he secretly expected, he was more interested in the others.
There is much to learn.
Also, unlike him, they are guys with infinite potential.
They must be the so-called geniuses.
If he observes and fights such guys, his body will accumulate new information each time.
Didn't Baltar say so?
Rather than theoretical learning, what he needed was the accumulation of information through real combat.
And having guys with a lot to learn from is something to be more than welcomed.
"…Come to think of it, this job isn't half bad."
It was a job he was forced to take on by Isis.
But today, after trying it out like this, it wasn't bad.
No, it couldn't be better.
"It's completely rewarding?"
The title of Academy Instructor.
Now that he thought about it, it was more rewarding than when he was in the knight order.
Lee Han smiled hollowly yet gleefully at the unexpected discovery of a job that suited him.
It seemed like there wouldn't be any boredom compared to a knight order full of guys avoiding sparring and with no reward at all.
……Also.
"Hey, you rat bastard."
There were quite a few more interesting guys.
"Come out quickly. Day before yesterday and today too. Why are you peeking like that?"
Swoosh.
The wind blew as if licking the grass of the empty lot.
It was just an empty lot, but what could he possibly mean?
In a somehow bizarre situation, just as Lee Han tried to take out a hand axe from his bosom….
Huf.
"…I apologize, Instructor. I didn't intend to get in your way."
A man suddenly appeared.
He knew the face.
It was one of the faces he had seen among the cadets.
The presence-less guy who was stuck right next to that Roen kid.
His name was definitely.
"Hans?"
"…It's Jack."
"Ah, right."
"……Could you please put the hand axe away now?"
"Let me hear your answer first."
Tap tap.
Lightly tapping the ground with the hand axe, Lee Han forced an answer.
From the point of suspiciously watching him, wouldn't it be strange even if an axe flew at him?
In such a threatening situation, Jack still maintained a smiling face but was sweating cold.
'Did he notice I was monitoring him yesterday too?'
To be precise, it wasn't him but Irene Windler he was monitoring, but who would have thought he'd notice that.
'As my lord said, he's no ordinary human.'
A dangerous person.
Not only simply strong, but there's something special more.
That's why his lord too.
'Must be trying to draw a certain line.'
Jack barely parted his dry lips.
"…My lord has a message for you."
"You could have just said it earlier, did you really have to do it like this? Honestly, nobles…"
"By any chance, do you know about 'Angels'?"
"…?"
"You don't. That's enough."
"Angels?"
"I'll only tell you this. You must not trust angels and the temple."
It was an incomprehensible statement.
Angels?
…Does that guy happen to have a mental illness?
There's a lot of suspicion, but let's just hit him on the head later.
Who knows if it'll be fixed.
Secretly displaying his goodwill(?) to cure him, he answered nonchalantly.
"I am an atheist, you know."
"Haha, how irreverent. But I'm the same, so I'm an irreverent guy too."
"Hmm, I don't know what it is, but it seems you guys came to the Academy with a very impure purpose?"
"…I won't deny it."
Jack thought he could die this moment.
Because if the instructor tried to kill him, he would definitely die.
But
"But how old are you?"
"Yees?"
"I'm asking how old you are, punk."
"T-Twenty, but…"
"…Your premature aging is severe. I thought you lied about your age and enrolled."
"You're going too far, Instructor…"
Lee Han hurled a soul-crushing insult out of nowhere, and Jack cried.
Lee Han shook his head with a smirk.
He roughly expected it.
He didn't know about angels or whatever, but the regular villain roles that are milked dry like bone broth in rofan novels are mostly.
'Royalty or the Temple are the villains.'
They must be the type that is squeezed dry like boiling bone broth.
And with a mind thinking "just in case", Lee Han asked.
"Are there no more people I should be wary of?"
"…Are you believing my words?"
"Just a gut feeling. And it doesn't seem like something I should be wary of."
"…You really seem like a peculiar person, Instructor."
"Enough flattery, I asked if there's more. Something interesting."
"I-Interesting…?"
Jack wondered if any further remarks would be overstepping.
However, Jack decided to overstep, as Lee Han wasn't threatening him but rather seemed like an interested bard listening to a story.
Because he had a feeling that if he gained this person's favor, he might get great help later.
"…Do you know anything about the prodigal 2nd Prince?"
"2nd Prince? Is the kingdom still raising princes?"
Since his older sister became the Crown Princess, he knew all the princes in the country had disappeared.
They were either driven out, or disappeared without a sound, so not paying attention to them was probably for the best.
But there was a remaining prince?
"T-The Prince is not a dog, Instructor."
Unrestrained reckless remarks.
Shouldn't this person learn to watch his mouth first, being a knight?
"Whatever, prodigal prince? What's with that cliché name."
"U-Uh… It should be quite famous, do you not know? He's rumored to be a violent prince with a severe mental illness."
"But why that guy?"
Lee Han asked why the name of a prince he had no interest in was coming up, and Jack.
"…There is a rumor that the prodigal enrolled in the Academy hiding his identity this time. I don't know the reason either."
"Enrolled?"
"Yes. Honestly, I wonder if he needs to be guarded against, but since he's a prince, shouldn't you at least be careful?"
It was a convincing story, and Lee Han slightly nodded and asked again.
If there were any characteristics or something.
"Umm, ah! I heard the prince has a mental illness."
"Mental illness?"
"Yees, they say he does pointless things like frequently pointing his finger at thin air."
"……."
"Why do you ask?"
"…No, just. I thought he was quite a bit crazy."
Lee Han let out another reckless remark, and Jack advised him what if someone was listening, but Lee Han didn't pay attention.
Rather than the reckless remark he just spouted.
'…What is this. There was one more of them?'
Rofan possession.
Regression.
This alone is quite a lot….
'Is it a status window this time?'
Thinking about it again, this Academy life.
"Hah."
There won't be a moment to be bored.