The classroom in assigned to 'Everything About Combat.'
On the first day of class, it would normally be only natural for everyone to be busy evaluating and analyzing one another, but thanks to yesterday's impact, one person had monopolized everyone's attention.
Eilon Dust.
The owner of the artifact that had neutralized Jesse Athlon, the greatest talent on the continent, in a single blow. But at the same time, it was also true that questions followed him.
Was it really right for Eilon to be selected for the Faculty of Combat Studies, especially over so many renowned talents? Wasn't that far too removed from what people normally considered chivalry? Most of all, wasn't Eilon's strength not his own, but the strength of that weapon?
No one opened their mouth, but they were all thinking along similar lines.
A silent commotion blanketed the lecture hall.
STEP—
Breaking that silence came the sound of footsteps in a steady rhythm.
With a bearing and dignity that overwhelmed everyone's gaze merely by appearing, Lucas walked into the classroom in a uniform that suited his well-balanced proportions, his posture without a single flaw.
Stopping at the center of the podium, he swept the room with his usual chillingly cold gaze. It felt as though he were peering all the way into the depths of every pair of eyes that met his. It was a gaze that naturally made people stiffen, enough to make them completely forget what they had been thinking only moments earlier.
"......Let us begin the lecture."
***
I'd already met all of them once during orientation, but with the effect of , I could feel their Presences even through the classroom walls from afar, and the tension welled up all over again.
I'd somehow gotten through yesterday, but there was no telling how long that would last.
If I made even one mistake, wouldn't I end up as ground meat before I ever got the chance to use them as meat shields?
'Calm. Stay calm.'
I began brainwashing myself by repeating it over and over. But Lucas had originally been a coward too, and I wasn't exactly bold myself, so it wasn't easy.
'Phew!'
My mind refused to settle down. And for good reason. There was a bastard who could slit my throat at a speed beyond perception, a bastard carrying an artifact capable of annihilating an entire unit in an instant, a bastard with talent that even that artifact couldn't stop if it went berserk, and so on. Even without the Demons, there were far too many things here that could threaten my life.
In a way, what I'd been doing until now was no different from deceiving them.
The day they found out......
Ugh, horrifying.
But if I wanted to live, I had to thoroughly play the role of the 'Hero of the Eastern Front.'
I opened the classroom door.
Maybe because I was nervous, my steps felt unnatural. Maybe even a little too robotic.
I stood at the center of the podium and swept my gaze over my meat shields. I'd be disappointed if even one were missing. After everything I'd gone through to gather them.
Thankfully, every single one of them was present. But they were staring at me way too intensely. It felt like we'd accidentally ended up in a staring contest, and frankly, it was a lot of pressure.
"......Let us begin the lecture."
I hurriedly started class.
What could I possibly teach them?
It wasn't as though I was exceptional with a sword, and I couldn't even use the bow, the racial specialty of Lucas's people, because of the Curse of the Bow.
And I couldn't exactly make them do practical training at all day, every day.
But that didn't mean I had no method at all.
'I have theory.'
Every scene before my eyes was a collection of 'settings' born from my own mind. What that character's strengths were, what their weaknesses were, what kind of backstory they had-all of it had been born from my hands.
In other words, there was no one in this world who could challenge me when it came to theory.
"First, let us examine the war that is the reason you are taking my course. Why did this war begin? Deyan, your answer?"
"The war began because the Demons invaded the Middle Realm......."
"Then why were the Demons forced to invade the Middle Realm?"
"That is......."
The lecture fundamentally proceeded using the Socratic method.
By forcing the students to participate like this, I could increase the efficiency of the lecture.
Thanks, Brother Socrates.
If you dug deeply enough into a subject with the Socratic method, there would inevitably come a moment when the other person could no longer answer.
Of course, I was the creator who knew even settings this deep, so there was absolutely no chance of anyone breaking through my logic. More importantly, I simply wouldn't do anything that could be broken through.
-Professor, me! I know!
Eilon was sending me an intense signal with his eyes, but I thoroughly ignored him for precisely that reason.
Anyway, thanks to the Socratic method, the lecture was proceeding actively, yet smoothly.
I tossed out the questions, and they bit down hard.
The shadow bastard and Torres, who had insulted me with their Favorability, were my primary targets.
I would personally teach them just how terrifying a professor's grudge could be.
The students forced to answer gradually turned pale under the endless barrage of questions. Well, most of them were strength builds. When had they ever had to rack their brains this hard over theory?
Of course, Eilon and Luina over there, bundled deep inside a robe, were exceptions.
I had a firm grip on control of the classroom.
Satisfying.
"......Combat is not solely about practical experience. If theory is excluded, it is nothing more than purposeless slaughter. Return to today's topic and examine it deeply. Any questions?"
Of course there weren't any. Even if there were, wasn't it a student's virtue to just let things pass in this kind of atmosphere when dealing with a professor?
"Then that concludes today's lecture......."
"Professor."
A voice broke the silence.
"I have a question."
It was Deyan's counterattack.
'What the hell? Back when I was in school, whenever a professor asked something like this, everyone just lowered their heads and pretended not to know through sheer grit! Everyone else is staying quiet, so why you?!'
This wasn't exactly a situation I could forcibly ignore.
"What is it?"
I accepted the question as calmly as possible.
"I would like to ask about the duel that occurred on the first day. Professor, do you believe it was a fair duel?"
"I do not."
Of course it wasn't a fair duel.
The outcome had been obvious from the start.
"Then is that the kind of combat you mean to teach us?"
Deyan's eyes gleamed.
At the same time, everyone else's gaze focused on me as well.
'Well, look at these bastards.'
It seemed yesterday's incident had planted doubts in them.
Well, I suppose it had been shocking for those lumps of muscle wrapped head to toe in an illusion like chivalry.
"Let me ask you instead. Did yesterday's duel seem fair to you?"
"I also believe, as you do, Professor, that it was unfair."
"Why?"
Brother Socrates's method began again.
"Because his artifact itself is unfair."
"Then are you saying Jesse Athlon, the greatest prodigy on the continent, and Eilon Dust should have fought barehanded??"
"Th-that......."
Right. No matter how he thought about it, even that had to sound wrong.
"B-but this goes against chivalry......."
Good grief. What a romantic bastard.
"Did I say I was teaching 'Everything About Chivalry'?"
"......No."
"Then why should yesterday's duel have been required to conform to chivalry?"
Deyan could not answer.
"Remember this clearly. My course teaches everything about 'combat.' Yesterday, Eilon fought well, and he won. Are you planning to measure Demons who rain down Hellfire by the standards of chivalry too? Or are you frustrated because your paltry swordsmanship is powerless against magical weapons and loses to them? Do you not understand? Do you think that magical weapon will solve everything?"
Honestly, I did too.
But what I needed was absolute safety without variables.
Eilon's magical weapon was not invincible. More importantly, its user was a bundle of imperfections.
That was why I needed them.
"Combat is combat. It is not noble, beautiful, or sublime. Blood sprays, bones break, and flesh scatters......."
For a moment, the scene from my dream came vividly back to me.
Grasco collapsing.
The people before me crumbling into pieces of flesh.
"......It is reality."
"But if there is strength beyond our perception, then what are we learning for?"
Oh.
A sharp point.
"Just because it surpasses your perception does not mean it cannot be brought down."
But that was all I could tell them.
Otherwise, how was I supposed to make them keep taking my damn course?
"Then show us."
"What?"
"Prove to us that we were not wrong to choose you, Professor."
This bastard, seriously?
***
Deyan had spoken for the students' doubts.
Was there truly something that could not be brought down?
Surely not.
If that were the case, Lucas could never have survived the Eastern Front and been praised as a hero.
Yet doubts naturally remained.
There had been no survivors from the Eastern Front aside from Lucas. That meant no one existed who had witnessed Lucas's divine might.
A mysterious powerhouse built entirely from rumors.
Deyan wanted to see that man's strength with their own eyes.
Expectation glimmered in the students' gazes.
Deyan, too, desperately wanted to witness Lucas's strength.
Just how strong did Deyan need to become?
What goal did Deyan need to aim for in order to surpass that man and protect Romero?
Deyan opened both eyes wide and waited for Lucas's answer.
***
I couldn't back down.
Just look at those eyes. They looked ready to devour me at any moment.
'Ah, you son of a!#%'
My mind went completely blank.
'......Wait.'
Then, into my blank mind, the settings suddenly came flooding back.
Everything in this world that had been born inside my head.
TorresJesseAthlonGrascoEilonMagicBeamCannonTransformBodySuitDragonHeartManaCondensationPekranMoraMagicPowerNullificationMagicPowerCore......
'There's a way.'
I remembered.
A way to completely neutralize the Magic Beam Cannon.
"Fine. I will show you. Come forward, Eilon."
At being called, Eilon popped out with a bright expression.
Don't look so happy. It's scary.
"As you have all felt, Eilon's artifact is powerful. But I will show you that it is not invincible."
I was clinging to nothing more than a possibility.
But I couldn't retreat, so I was facing it head-on.
"Use the Magic Beam Cannon on me."
Huff, huff.
My breathing already felt like it was getting ragged.
"Yes!"
WHIRR— CLICK CLACK-CLACK CLANG—!
-Magic Beam Cannon, target on.
WHII—
That thing transformed into the Magic Beam Cannon without even hesitating.
I could fully understand why my pet had fainted.
Even at a glance, immense magical power was surging from it, and I had the powerful feeling that if it hit me, I'd die; if it grazed me, I'd die; if I so much as smelled it, I'd die.
Cold sweat soaked my back, and my heart hammered like a pair of drumsticks. It felt as though the thread of my reason had been stretched taut to the very edge of snapping.
If I had any calming pills, I wanted to shovel down a whole handful.
Just when I felt like I might faint before I could even try anything,
[New notification received.]
[munh36369 donated 1,000G.]
[Anything7 donated 100G.]
THUMP—!
A greater thrill devoured my fear.
Financial therapy really works.
With my mind instantly calmed, I recalled the solution.
'The Magic Beam Cannon is a culmination of Magic Engineering powered by mana. So all I have to do is cut off the path the magical power flows through.'
And I possessed a Skill capable of doing exactly that.
More precisely, it wasn't mine. It was a technique belonging to Professor Pekran Mora.
Spatial Slash.
By cutting a single point, it could briefly tear apart space itself. Of course, the duration was short and there were few viable points of application, so it rarely had much use in actual combat. But right now, could there possibly be a more suitable technique?
'Teaching and Learning Advance Together. Pekran Mora- Spatial Slash.'
My stance lowered, and magical power surged.
WHIIII—!
In the meantime, the Magic Beam Cannon continued charging, its magical power stinging against my skin.
'Not yet, not yet, not yet.'
It required exact timing.
The instant it fired.
I had to cut it off at that exact moment.
If my breathing faltered even once, I'd be leaving this world on the spot.
WHIIIIIRR—!
'Now!'