The Saintess and the Lumberjack (2) Ivan slowly stepped toward the ring.
Thud.
Thud.
His footsteps were ordinary, yet there was something about the quiet confidence behind them that naturally drew everyone’s attention.
The freshmen’s first impression was simple.
That old guy sure knows how to make an entrance.
Even when Ivan pulled an axe from his waist, none of the students thought much of it.
After all, this was the Knight Department.
Most students lived by one unquestioned rule: The king of all weapons = the sword.
And, in most situations, they weren’t wrong.
Swords were easy to carry, versatile, and suited delicate techniques.
Axes, however, were simple weapons.
Their center of gravity rested almost entirely in the axe head, meaning every strike naturally traveled in a single direction.
In other words, their trajectories were easy to predict and interrupt.
Because of that, most students looked down on axes.
“Enrique.” Standing quietly in the center of the ring, Ivan spoke in a deep, weighty voice.
“Hm?” “How far am I allowed to go?” “Just don’t kill anyone.
We’ve got a Saintess here, don’t we?” Patricia, the Saintess of the Hero’s Party, currently served as the head of the Theology Department at the university.
In other words, a trauma specialist far superior to any Healing Potion was permanently on standby.
“Good.” Ivan nodded.
“Erickson.” “Seeing you up close…
it really is you.
You still have the same face you did back then.” “If I win, you’ll do community service.” “…What?” This man was an intelligence agent of the Kingdom of Droan.
Officially, he was a freshman in the Knight Department.
Outwardly, he served as Esidisi’s personal bodyguard.
But in truth, he was a spy planted by Great King Einar.
Which meant that, at any moment, he could act as an unofficial diplomat and ally himself with either the princess’s faction or the crown prince’s faction.
He was a variable.
Until Esidisi’s future course was decided, Ivan needed to keep him tied down.
The easiest way was to keep him nearby.
Every hour after classes ended, except for the time Erickson was required to guard Esidisi.
“I’ll have you do laundry at the orphanage.” Community service built character.
That was an undeniable truth.
Taking care of orphans greatly nurtured one’s humanity.
It was the perfect opportunity to teach this Droan berserker Huscarl what civilization looked like.
“What a load of crap.” “Come.” Ivan raised his axe.
There was no longer any need for words between the two warriors.
(Average age: over forty.
Current occupation: first-year university practical class.) *** The moment the two men clashed, the freshmen were merely puzzled.
Huh?
Why are they both so good?
BOOM!!
Then…
When the two axes showered sparks into the air…
The freshmen were horrified.
What…?
How is he moving like that?
Did anyone even see what just happened?!
CLAAANG!
KRAAAASH!!
At last, when the strongest freshman— (a man in his forties) —collapsed onto one knee, gasping for breath…
The students finally looked properly at the man still standing perfectly straight.
His eyes glowed an icy blue.
His face remained expressionless.
Despite moving with such ferocity, not even the slightest tremor disturbed his breathing.
He was perfectly calm.
“Haa…
Petrovich…
just as expected…
Little Ivan…
Haa…
What exactly…
are you planning here…?” “Safety management.” Ivan walked past the ragged wreck that was Morde.
Safety…
management…?
Another enormous question mark filled the students’ minds.
Then…
what exactly did I think safety meant all this time…?
“Next.” “U-Um…
Professor…
isn’t this exam covering way too much?
It’s only the first class…” One trembling young man raised his hand.
He was the noble who had laughed at Ivan earlier.
Enrique grinned and nodded.
“Looks like we’ve got our next volunteer.
Come on, no time to waste.” “U-uh…” Since absolutely no one wanted to climb into the ring…
His kind classmates dragged him up there instead.
Sweating profusely, the young noble stumbled backward.
“Come.” Ivan raised his axe.
*** “Come on.
Land just one stab on our teaching assistant, and I’ll give you an A+ immediately!
What do you say?
Hmm?
Or better yet…” Enrique grinned mischievously.
“I’m feeling generous!
I’ll even throw in private one-on-one lessons with a beautiful active member of the Hero’s Party!” Ivan chose not to point out the factual error in Enrique’s last sentence.
He was a reasonable man.
Instead…
He picked up his axe.
Because he took recruit training seriously.
“Next.” After hauling away five corpses— (Not really.) —no one volunteered to enter the ring anymore.
“Hey!
If all of you give up now, you’re all failing!
Hmm?
How about this?
If everyone gets an F and has to retake the course, we’ll start next year’s class exactly the same way!
Better to get beaten sooner than later, right?” Watching Enrique beam cheerfully…
The students ground their teeth.
Fine.
We can’t be certain…
but…
At least nobody’s actually dying.
All they had to do was land a single successful attack.
This was a required three-credit major course.
Its impact on their GPA would be enormous.
Besides…
Knight Department students were fiercely competitive by nature.
Every one of them had grown up being hailed in their hometowns as martial prodigies and sword geniuses.
Just once.
Just one hit!
And so…
Even after thirty corpses—(Not really.)—had been carried away…
The freshmen still refused to give up.
“Next.” *** At last…
It was Yuri’s turn.
Her hands shook violently as she gripped her sword.
Never before had a blade felt so unbearably heavy.
The ring was drenched in suffocating killing intent.
A cold wind swept across the bloodstained floor.
She gathered her courage and took a step…
Only to shrink back the instant she looked at the man before her.
Every time she saw that shabby work uniform…
And the old towel hanging around his neck…
A certain image surfaced in her mind.
“Yuri Frank.” “Y-Yes!
Yes, sir!” Ivan silently met her eyes.
His piercing gaze seemed to dig straight into her mind.
Yuri’s pupils darted wildly.
Her head spun.
Strength kept leaving her hands.
“Top-ranked freshman of the Knight Department.” “Yes, sir!” “Lee Yuri?” “…Hic?!” “Or Kim Yuri?
Park Yuri?
Choi Yuri?” “W-Wh…
What do you mean…?” “In Krasilof, Yuri is a man’s name.” “Y-Yes…
um…
there’s a reason for that…” “Come.” Ivan raised his axe.
“We can discuss your circumstances slowly.” “N-No, no, no!
I’d…
I’d like to forfeit!
Is that okay?!
I’ll fail!
I’ll just fail the course!
Aaaahhh!!” Before Yuri could even drop her sword…
Ivan was already upon her.
Instinctively, she raised her blade and deflected the axe.
She desperately swallowed the scream threatening to burst from her throat.
It’s wrapping around me.
Like a snake…!
The axe climbed along her sword as though it were about to bite into her neck.
CLANG!
She had already watched dozens of students turned into rags by this exact style.
Yet no matter how many times she saw it…
She could never get used to it.
Ivan’s axe seemed to have reached an entirely different realm.
Each swing wasn’t overwhelmingly heavy.
Morde Erickson’s blows had actually been stronger.
But Ivan’s attacks were…
Fast.
Before she even realized it…
His axe had already entangled her sword.
He understood every possible use of an axe.
Not merely swinging it.
He struck the blade.
Used centrifugal force to draw the weapon back in.
Brought it crashing down.
Then immediately slashed diagonally.
KRRRAAAK!!
Hooking her sword with the curve of the axe head…
Twisting the haft…
He pried the blade away.
Had Yuri let go of her weapon from the impact…
The fight would have ended instantly.
Looking down at the kneeling girl…
Ivan gave a small nod.
“You fight well.” “…Thank…
you…” “I’ll be watching you.
Next.” Her legs numb…
Yuri staggered down from the ring.
Miraculously, she hadn’t suffered a single injury.
But that only made her feel as though that monster had intentionally gone easy on her.
She looked at Ivan with terror…
Then squeezed her eyes tightly shut.
*** What…?
Kim, Lee, Park, Choi…?
He’s…
Korean?
Lee Yuri had been an illustrator.
The last project she’d worked on before dying had been freelance artwork for an adult academy game.
It was called <Hijak 3>.
A game where students tried to escape from…
A gardener…
Who exploited their weaknesses to do all sorts of…
Questionable.
Very questionable things.
That gardener…
Was a middle-aged man wearing an old work uniform with a towel around his neck.
And now…
She had fallen straight into that damned world.
Immediately after pulling an all-nighter to send in the first rough draft of the commission.
A world where…
A bearded gardener carrying an axe glared fiercely at female students.
(It was a misunderstanding.) If he finds out…
Something…
really…
really terrible is going to happen to me…!
Remembering what became of the students whose weaknesses had been exposed…
Her body trembled uncontrollably.
The gardener was watching her.
Worse still…
If he discovered they were from the same country— That they were both people who had possessed this world— The story might suddenly turn into a blackmail plot through some unknown means.
She was…
The protagonist.
Well, she was an orphan, a full-scholarship student, and a sword prodigy.
How else could an illustrator who had spent her entire life drawing pictures suddenly become someone like that?
Of course she was the protagonist.
…
She wanted to go home.
*** Isabelle lasted three exchanges.
Oscar survived two.
So the rankings were…
Morde.
Yuri.
Isabelle.
Oscar.
Well, Morde wasn’t actually a student to begin with.
Otherwise…
Everything had turned out almost exactly as Ivan expected.
My eyes haven’t dulled yet.
Satisfied, Ivan nodded.
“Did you just smile?” “You’re mistaken.” “I swear you smiled.” “My face naturally looks like this.” “Pfft…
You lunatic…” Hearing the voice in front of him…
Ivan quickly schooled his expression again.
Standing beside him was Enrique, both hands raised in surrender.
Enrique struggled to suppress her laughter, hiccuping all the while.
Being a reasonable man…
Ivan chose not to react to the undignified behavior of his much older mentor.
While Yuri had been trembling in fear…
Ivan and Enrique had been receiving a thorough scolding from the Saintess.
After all…
They had just delivered fifty patients to the office of the head of the Theology Department.