Originally, it was common sense that a banquet would only be held after a preparation period of one to two weeks.
Especially for banquets hosted by nobles, the sum of money involved was extraordinary, so they had to be held with even greater grandeur and splendor.
Therefore, holding one in a single day was practically impossible, but...
"I want the banquet to be held today."
-That was the end.
There was no room for rebuttal.
If the princess wishes it, then it must be held.
Even the impossible becomes possible when you throw people into the grinder.
Hundreds—no, thousands—of elites were mobilized, and the banquet preparations were completed in half a day.
And the cadets could not hold back their admiration.
The garden, which had been completely empty until just before morning, transformed—no, transmogrified—into a dazzlingly splendid banquet hall.
It was a result forged by the blood, sweat, and tears of a thousand people.
"Uh, when did a fountain appear here?"
"Wasn't this a flower bed? It was just a sand pit, right?"
"Crazy!? Those are all jewels!"
"...Selling just one of those would cover living expenses for five years."
From the fountain to the decorations, and the orchestra and mobile kitchen.
Even magical tools that lit up the dark night sky in real-time.
There was no greater display of squandering money than this.
...Hmm, actually, isn't it? Just having money doesn't mean you can pull off something like this.
"The princess is truly impressive."
"She's not just a princess. She is the Crown Princess."
"Heh."
"But why are we all huddled together like this? Instead of being somewhere else?"
"Do you want to go hang out where the nobles are? Go ahead if you want to play."
"...No, I absolutely can't."
They felt a newfound dizziness at the thought of power.
The fledgling cadets of the Swordsmanship Department, who had received the bizarre moniker of the 18-Bear-Arhats from their instructor, were clustered together in one spot.
Even though the banquet was clearly held for them, they acted as if it was nothing but burdensome.
Did they say pine caterpillars must live eating only pine needles? As such, for those who had lived their entire lives as commoners, a gathering of nobles was daunting.
They might not know about later when they get used to it, but right now, it was just plain uncomfortable.
Especially.
"Um...? Kunta, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but it seems Kunta and the teddy bears have become a spectacle."
"It's not your imagination, we really are a spectacle."
"Still, it is a rather unique combination."
Farmer, beggar, vagrant, mercenary, and barbarian.
Even if they didn't want to stand out, they had no choice but to attract attention.
...Not in a positive sense, but in a negative sense.
Probably, among that crowd, there were not only curious gazes but also eyes full of jealousy.
They would be resentful that these people had earned the princess's favor.
The reason for their resentment?
Because they are lowborn.
The lowest of the kingdom.
Even though they are Academy cadets now, their status wasn't going anywhere.
Just like their seniors, no matter how skilled they were, they would inevitably face status discrimination for the rest of their lives.
Even so.
"Why are you huddled together like a pack of meerkats? Did you commit a crime or something?"
A person with an overwhelming aura of doing things his way and the skill to back it up wouldn't care about status or anything else.
Like that person.
"Instructor."
Lee Han, their instructor, approached them slowly without caring whether others were watching or not, and the nobles and cadets who had been staring at them like exotic circus animals immediately averted their gazes.
It was likely that all the nobles and cadets had already heard about the entrance ceremony incident.
However, even if they hadn't heard of it, the intimidation he unconsciously exuded was enough to make even street thugs who thought they could throw a punch cower.
Actually, having seen him tear an angry wild boar apart with his bare hands in Vulcan, they knew that wasn't just intimidation, but still.
And such an intimidating man swept his gaze over them, casting a surprisingly gentle look.
"It wasn't even intentional, but the entire Swordsmanship Department is gathered."
"Young Master Loen and Assistant Damian aren't here, though?"
"Cadet Loen disappeared saying he had business to attend to. Well, he's always been a guy who roams around as he pleases, so leaving him be is fine. And the assistant? When does that guy have time to enjoy a banquet? He has to write a report."
"What kind of report?"
"A report that needs to be handed to the Dean."
"Th-that's something you're supposed to write, Instructor..."
"Why me? When there's an assistant?"
"......."
...Come to think of it, the one who suffers the most and is the most pitiful among them might be Damian Pollet.
Just as they were about to collectively think of such a trivial thought.
"Everyone, you've worked hard."
-.........
At the sudden and out-of-the-blue remark, everyone in the Swordsmanship Department blinked.
"When I say you've worked hard, I'm not just saying it to the teddy bears."
"Are you not going to call them Bear-Arhats?"
"I might just call them Teddy Bears."
"I-I think just teddy bears would be better."
"You brats, only your heads have gotten thicker."
In the loosened atmosphere along with the lighthearted jokes.
He carefully made eye contact with all the cadets.
Without missing a single person.
"First off, chicks."
"Ye-yes?!"
"You've also worked hard. It's good that you always jump rope diligently, and it was also good that you didn't try to slack off. Above all, I know that you organized the liberal arts assignments and other lecture assignments for the teddy bears. I appreciate your meticulousness and delicacy."
"Th-that's, that was just..."
As if it was nothing special.
They babbled that they just found something they could do and tried it out, but Lee Han silently...
"Teddy bears, bow your heads 90 degrees right now and greet them. They are the remarkable ladies who took care of your grades."
-Ugh!
Following the command instinctively, they immediately bowed their heads and showed their respect.
However, it wasn't just because they received a command; because there was heartfelt gratitude, their thanks were sincere.
Because they realized that the core of today's victory was not possible solely through their own efforts.
There was invisible support and help.
"Eugh-!"
The still-embarrassed girls hid their shyness by covering their faces with fans.
They only knew them as haughty noble young ladies, but they weren't bad kids either.
"And you young master punks. You did well too. I heard you dealt with the guys who were mocking the teddy bears."
"...I just did it because it was unpleasant that the Swordsmanship Department was being insulted. They are also part of the Swordsmanship Department, aren't they?"
"That's why I'm saying you did well. When I first met you, you were just annoying young masters, but now I see you're kind young masters."
"If you're going to praise me, please stop calling me 'young master'."
"Not yet."
"Ugh..."
"Ahaha!"
They groaned, but conversely, the teddy bears couldn't hide their surprise.
Because they didn't expect them to get angry on their behalf.
They were even somewhat moved, and those who received their gazes turned away, perhaps feeling shy.
Comradeship.
The trust-filled bond felt by those who suffered together facing the harsh cliff that was Lee Han.
This must be exactly what it means to become close through hardship.
Although they weren't at the point where they could openly call each other friends, surely something resembling a friendship that transcended status had formed between them.
It felt like tears might come out a little.
"And lastly, the teddy bears."
"......."
Lee Han called out to them, and they were already prepared to shed tears.
With what words...
"-I won't say you did well. Honestly, you won because you were lucky."
"......."
...Their tears quickly dried up, and their hearts stirred for a different reason.
It was a stirring of disappointment.
"Instructor..."
"Don't be disappointed. You must have already heard a lot of praise from others, right? Then one person needs to give you bitter words."
"......."
...As expected of a man who always defies predictions.
Because he reproaches them when everyone else gives a standing ovation.
However, Lee Han was serious to the end.
Just like he treated the others.
"The reason you won is solely because the spellcasters let their guard down. If the spellcasters had fought carefully and cautiously step by step, you would have definitely lost. If you had just passed the 3-minute mark, your stamina would have run out and you would have destroyed yourselves."
"That's..."
"Is anyone going to rebut that?"
"......."
...There isn't.
Because it was the truth.
As those words said, the time they could fight at full power in real combat was 3 minutes at most... no. Thinking back carefully, the moment it passed the 2-minute mark during the battle, they thought they were going to go crazy.
Because deploying Gyeong and techniques in real combat was a much harsher and more brutal experience than expected.
If the mages had been just a little more calm.
So if the petty spells shown at the very end had bound their mobility from the beginning, or otherwise demonstrated a clever tactic of dispersing firepower?
If so, they would have been miserably defeated.
Pathetically, without even time to do anything.
Lee Han had pointed out this exact thing.
"There was the opponent's carelessness, and there was an unexpected element created because you had two more people than your opponent. Lastly, luck was on your side. So I cannot praise you. What you couldn't do, you couldn't do."
"Yes..."
They lowered their heads.
Until just a moment ago, they had dreamed of a rosy future while receiving bouquets from the massive crowd, but when the man teaching them spoke so strictly, the wind in their lungs leaked out.
As their shortcomings were pointed out one by one, today's mistakes became visible.
And as the dizzying moments flashed through their minds, their faces finally turned pale.
A bitter smile was inevitable.
However.
"Still, it was good that you didn't give up."
-!!?
"You didn't run away in front of the crowd, you didn't run away in front of the fireballs, and even at the end when you thought you'd lost, no one gave up. Even if you had lost today, I would have been satisfied. At least it's a joy to know that my 'disciples' aren't cowards who abandon their comrades. So you did well. Even if the match was terrible, your spirit is definitely worthy of praise."
Thud.
Lee Han tapped his fist against the left chests of those who had gone out to the match today as he passed by.
Tok.
Showing careful consideration by only slightly tapping Levy Polt's head instead of her chest.
"You worked hard. I acknowledge at least this much."
-.........
They opened their eyes wide and looked at their instructor.
Each stroked their chests and heads, feeling the heat rising from deep within their hearts.
Right, the instructor had 'acknowledged' them for the first time.
"Striking the heart and the head. That's a mercenary-style encouragement."
"What kind of encouragement is that?"
"It's an encouragement given to mercenaries who safely protected their heads and hearts on the battlefield and returned. It's a praise often given to novice mercenaries, though."
"I see."
It was an encouragement fitting for an instructor whose past career was occasionally suspected.
"Listen up, you other punks too. Like I said, Gyeong isn't some all-powerful tool. So don't envy what I've taught them, and cherish what you have. What you've learned is more stable and superior to what those guys have learned."
Young masters.
The noble cadets offered their congratulations, but they, who somehow still felt a twinge of bitterness, flinched at Lee Han's words.
They still harbored the regret of not being able to go to Vulcan in their hearts, and seeing today's battle made their hearts ache.
And it seemed the instructor had already noticed this bitterness of theirs.
"Don't be disappointed. You're still young, and you'll have a long time with me. I'll train you properly during that time."
"...It's a bit scary when you say it like that, Instructor."
"You won't die, you won't."
"I don't know whether to laugh at this or..."
A statement that seemed like a joke but didn't sound like a joke at all.
Still, finding comfort in hearing it must be the psychology of immature youth.
"The same goes for you three. Just because you've learned both the Fighting Spirit Method and Gyeong at the same time doesn't mean you'll unconditionally become stronger. Rather than getting stronger by adding one more thing, there are cases where you become neither here nor there and end up with a minus. So just think of Gyeong as a means like an auxiliary wheel. Don't place too much meaning on it."
"Are we also subject to your nagging?"
"Because you're also my disciples."
"......."
"Then the harsh words are over now. Everyone, enjoy the banquet to your heart's content. And rest. I'll give you three days off. You don't have to attend classes for a while."
"......."
"I'm not joking, so believe me, you brats."
-Waaaaah!
Joyful cheers.
However, whether this joy was about receiving a vacation, or joy about the acknowledgment he had given them...
—Perhaps, only they would know.
"...Brats."
As if his words had become a detonator, they shook off their tension in an instant and enjoyed the banquet in their own ways.
Also, when the group that had clustered together like meerkats scattered, people from other departments slowly approached and even spoke to the disciple punks.
It was expected, but it seemed that now that the ones clustered together like hedgehog quills scattered into individuals, they could finally approach them a bit more comfortably.
‘Come to think of it, when else would they mingle.’
He understood that feeling.
Originally, a banquet could serve as a channel of communication between departments that were hard to mingle with.
It also meant an opportunity for those who wanted to form ties with the Swordsmanship Department punks.
‘That bear-girl, she's going to have a hard time.’
Levy Polt, who had gone from Chick No. 1 to Bear-Girl, captured the attention of many men.
Well, she was quite a cute kid, so it made sense she was popular.
It wasn't strange that there were many guys trying to hit on her.
Of course.
‘If they touch her, it'll be a three-month hospital stay...’
Bears, whether male or female, should not be touched.
Especially the bears he raised—even if they couldn't tear a person in half, they could fold a waist in half.
He hoped that no unfortunate incident of a waist getting folded would occur while they were messing around, and he...
"Huh? Where are you going, Instructor?"
"I have some business to attend to for a bit."
"The Princess will be arriving soon, though?"
"That's all the more reason I have to go."
"??"
"Enjoy yourself to your heart's content, Cadet Irene. It seems there are many guys interested in you."
"Pfft, I'm not interested. How am I supposed to hang out with kids like that?"
"You're a kid too."
"Ah!"
"......."
...What an amateurish possessor that guy is.
Shaking his head, Lee Han slipped away, and Irene stared blankly at his retreating back.
[Irene, what are you looking at like that? Are you looking at the biceps? Or the latissimus dorsi?]
"Do I look like a pervert like you? ...Cough, I-I did look a little, but it wasn't intentional, geez."
[That's our Irene! You know a thing or two, hehe!]
"Ugh, seriously! It's not like that!"
Irene Windler blushed and rebuked the ghost, and seeing this, the men who had been approaching her unconsciously stepped back.
They were about to be drawn in by her beauty, but recalled that a mage's madness was more dangerous than a poisoned rose, and their lives were precious.
The poisoned rose Irene Windler, who had unintentionally repelled the swarm of approaching males, said to the ghost girl.
"Just, I don't know if it's my imagination, but the Instructor's eyes..."
[Eyes?]
"Seemed like they were... smiling a bit."
[...Huh?]
Isn't it a good thing if he's smiling?
The ghost girl tilted her head, but Irene Windler also just shrugged, unable to pinpoint exactly what she felt was strange.
If she were to explain the oddness she felt.
‘He looked so joyous that, conversely, it was almost scary?’
Thinking it was a truly strange thought even to herself, she just smiled awkwardly.
* * *
Clack, clack! Clack, clack!
There was a group of people riding horses across an empty street of the royal capital, moving toward a secluded place.
Whatever the rush was, their movement speed was without sluggishness, and at some point, they entered the deep extraterritoriality of the royal capital.
Parasitic Naraka (寄生奈落)
A street where the worst of the lowlives gathered and lived.
The capital had tried to eradicate it several times, but each time, they hid well like cockroaches or parasites, and at some point reappeared, so the Naraka was a hidden darkness of the capital that couldn't be eliminated even if they wanted to.
It was named Parasitic Naraka from its appearance of parasitizing the royal capital as if it were its host, and it was like the Naraka of a distant cliff in that once you entered, you could never come out.
There was some exaggeration to a certain extent, but the danger was real, so those who deliberately sought to enter it were undoubtedly tremendous criminals.
Yet, people on horses, and moreover, people wearing quite luxurious clothes, were entering that street voluntarily.
Thus, it was strange.
Not a single criminal in the Naraka blocked them, and it was strangely quiet.
As if everyone, with one heart and mind, was trying not to come out of their houses today.
"Hoo, hoo! W-we should be safe once we get here, right?"
"Yeah, we can relax a bit now."
"But hey. Is there really a need to run away in such a hurry? I feel like we're just panicking over nothing..."
"You idiot! The princess being here means that crazy Inquisitor is nearby! He would definitely notice our suspiciousness, so how could we stay there! Running away is the answer."
"Ugh."
Inquisitor John Ray Albert.
When his name came up, they shivered all over.
They trembled even though they had only encountered his records in reports.
Because those records were extremely terrifying just to read.
If their existence was discovered, he would come looking for them holding a cross immediately.
A superman wrapped in terrifying death.
"Hoo, but it's a relief. Even though it changed from the plan, we escaped safely like this."
"Who knew the Naraka would be of help..."
"It's not that the Naraka helped, it's because the [Organization] exists that it gave us strength, so we must never forget our gratitude-"
"-Organization, may I ask what that organization's name is, friends?"
Chilling!
"......."
Tap, tap. Footsteps walking lightly.
The man, walking as if strolling down a promenade, approached with a light smile, and they looked at the man with eyes finding it hard to believe.
Because they couldn't understand why... why he was here.
However, the man rather smiled as if he was disappointed.
"Do you not even know where your friends are, isn't that right, Instructor Hans?"
"......."
"Haha, Instructor, please smile. Why are you looking so stern."
"T-Turtle Sir..."
He, the Alchemy Department Instructor Hans, called out the man's,
Lee Han's surname with a trembling voice.
And he.
"You don't seem to understand how I found you?"
Lee Han playfully tapped the ground.
However, unlike his playful gesture, the longsword at his side was exceptionally cold.
"Well, it's not that strange. I just have a good sense of smell."
Thump.
"Especially, I can smell spellcasters amazingly well, moreover...!"
Thump.
"-To spellcasters who give off a 'stench' like you guys, even more so."
The hand axe in his hand exuded a dangerous ferocity.
To hunt 'beasts' that had given up being human.