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The professor in charge was Professor Rokel, who was also the homeroom teacher they met the previous day.

Instead of the classroom, the students gathered in a spacious training ground-like area and formed a circle.

“The combat training class is exactly what it sounds like, a class that trains combat against people,” the professor explained, standing in the center.

“You will first learn about magic battle, fighting against your fellow mages. What do you think is the most important thing in a magic battle?”

A question was asked, just like yesterday’s class.

This time, however, Professor Rokel didn’t wait for an answer and continued.

“Actually, there is no single most important thing in magic battles. The amount of mana you have, the speed at which you cast your spells, the variety of spells you’ve learned and the effectiveness of your combinations, the insight you have into reading and dissecting your opponent’s spells, the use of the environment, psychological warfare, all of these are important. Unless there is an overwhelming difference in skill, magic battle is a mass of variables where no single factor can determine absolute dominance.”

He suddenly pointed at two students.

“As I said, this class is not just about talking. What are your names?”

The students who were pointed at answered.

“I’m Sebastian Madir.”

“I’m Hunt Arsen.”

“Sebastian Madir, Hunt Arsen. Step forward and face each other in the center.”

They came out with a bewildered look and stood facing each other in the center of the training ground.

As I watched that scene, I pondered.

Instead of the professor teaching them, he’s going to have them fight each other in class?

“There are no specific rules or limitations. It’s a sparring session, but think of it as a real battle and give your best from now on.”

With those words, Professor Rokel stepped back and crossed his arms.

Suddenly being told to fight, they looked bewildered and just stared at the professor.

“Victory is determined by my judgment until I stop the contest. The content and results of the duel will be included in your grade.”

Upon hearing that the results were included in the records, the two students finally showed a serious expression.

“Start when I count to three. One, two…”

As the battle began, Sebastian took the initiative and launched a fireball.

The opponent also deployed a defensive magic almost simultaneously, but the fireball collided with the barrier and exploded, spreading flames.

Some students, unfamiliar with such a real battle, showed signs of tension.

Bang! Clang!

One after another, the loud sounds resonated as magical forces collided.

For a while, the battle unfolded with Sebastian continuously unleashing offensive magic and pressing forward.

However, at some point, Hunt suddenly took control of the flow and began counterattacking.

Sebastian struggled to completely block the impact of the magic wave from his opponent and staggered. It was then that the professor intervened.

“Stop. The duel is over.”

Hunt breathed out with a relaxed expression, while Sebastian displayed a slightly frustrated demeanor.

Professor Rokel looked at the two of them alternately.

“Sebastian Madir, the duel is your defeat. What do you think was the reason for your defeat?”

He glanced around and answered in a low voice.

“My mana and output were slightly insufficient compared to my opponent’s.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“It seems so. At least, if we were evenly matched, I would have gained the upper hand first.”

“Then you willingly engaged in a firepower battle without even realizing that your opponent had a superior total amount of mana, and you just threw your attacks against his shields?”

“…”

“Of course, if your total mana had been significantly superior, you would have had a higher chance of seizing the initiative and winning. However, the outcome became a defeat because you exhausted all of your mana first. Can you afford such a gamble even in a battle where your life is at stake?”

Finally realizing his own mistake, Sebastian displayed a look of frustration.

“I’ll ask again. What do you think was the reason for your defeat?”

“Well… Not only was my total mana insufficient, but I also didn’t take into account the opponent’s abilities from the beginning.”

“In that case, how do you plan to proceed with the battle when you don’t accurately know the opponent’s capabilities?”

“I think I will prioritize exploring the opponent while conserving mana as much as possible.”

Professor Rokel smirked.

“Yes, exploration. It’s the basics of basics. Even while speaking, you must have wondered why you forgot such an obvious thing. Learning through words and writing is one thing, but remembering and applying even the simplest things in practical combat is a huge difference.”

He then shifted his gaze towards Hunt.

“Hunt, do you think there are any points of improvement for yourself despite winning the duel?”

“At first, I let my guard down and easily gave the initiative to the opponent.”

“Right. If you hadn’t done that, you could have seized the advantage more easily. Apart from the total amount of mana, your levels were roughly similar.”

Professor Rokel nodded.

“Of course, there are plenty of other shortcomings, but let’s wrap it up for today since it’s the first day. The elements I just mentioned were the focal points for now. I hope you have studied enough. You may leave now.”

It was a short and clear feedback. It seemed that this was how the lessons were conducted.

The two individuals returned to their positions, their emotions contrasting.

Professor Rokel immediately scanned through the students as if searching for the next sparring partners. His gaze then stopped at me, directly.

And the next person his gaze landed on was none other than Lea.

“There, those two. What are their names?”

…Of all people, why was it her again?

Yesterday, starting from the theory class, it seemed quite coincidental how well everything was connected.

“I’m Ran.”

Lea looked at my direction for a moment and replied, “I’m Lea Herwyn.”

“Come to the center. From now on, all students will engage in one-on-one combat like this continuously.”

Lea and I stepped forward to the center of the training ground, facing each other.

I could feel some students looking at me with pity, probably because of my opponent.

Of course, there was no way I could win the duel with magic alone.

Her level was 36, while my magic skills probably didn’t even reach 20 according to the level scale.

Shouldn’t it be over in a few seconds?

Although there were no specific restrictions mentioned, it made sense to strengthen our bodies for combat in a magic combat class. It’s not like we had swords or anything.

Once the duel began, I immediately prepared defensive magic in anticipation of an attack.

However, Lea, for some reason, stood still without launching an attack and just stared in my direction.

It was as if she was giving me an opportunity to attack as much as I wanted.

Well, if that’s the case.

I smirked and unleashed my offensive magic.

Since my attack wouldn’t pierce her defense anyway, I could use my full power without hesitation.

Boom!

The shockwave magic I had focused on a narrow range was blocked by her shield and dissipated.

Seeing the unexpected power, Lea’s eyes widened slightly.

I quickly followed up by creating fireballs and spreading them around her.

She was using a shield in a disc shape that covered her entire body, but that meant if she missed blocking even one attack, it would be fatal, despite the low consumption of mana.

In short, she had the confidence that she could block all of my attack with just her manipulation skills, without the need to counter with her own magic.

I spun the fireball around chaotically and shot it from various angles.

In response, Lea didn’t even blink an eye and formed several shield-like barriers, effectively blocking all the incoming fireballs.

It was blocked much more easily than I had anticipated.

There was no field where I could gain an advantage over Lea, who was already far superior to me in terms of magical control.

Since there were no attack patterns that came to mind anymore, I simply unleashed a flash spell with a throw-and-see approach.

Flash!

An intense light exploded, obscuring the field of vision.

In the meantime, I created another fireball and shot it again. However, it was still in vain.

An opponent of that level wouldn’t be defenseless just because their field of vision was limited.

As the vision returned, I saw the opponent looking at me with an incredulous expression.

She retracted the shield and opened her mouth.

“Is there anything else you want to show?”

Then she reached out her hand and unleashed a shockwave spell.

I immediately cast a defensive spell, but as soon as the shield collided with the shockwave, it shattered into pieces.

I staggered back a step. The power was enough to cleanly destroy just the shield.

“The duel is over.”

Since it was clearly a decisive battle, Professor Rokel stepped in.

However, I had tried everything and lost, so I didn’t feel any regrets.

“Ran, what do you think was the reason for your defeat?”

It was a question that required no deliberation, so I answered right away.

“There was a significant difference in capabilities in every aspect.”

“Then how do you plan to lead such battles with opponents in the future?”

I paused for a moment, unsure of the question’s intent.

Lead? Lead what? The difference in magic between us was overwhelming in every aspect. Maybe he’s just asking for the heck of it.

“I guess I just have to fight as best I can.”

“Is that all?”

“I’ll leave it up to luck and even take chances if there’s even a slight possibility. I would try to escape if I can. But ideally, it would be best not to create a situation where I have to fight such an enemy in the first place.”

It was a somewhat serious answer, but a few students chuckled softly.

Professor Rokel also chuckled and nodded.

“I see. It was in your best interest to bet on your ability to control your mana, but before that, the difference in capability was too great. Your mana and control abilities were outstanding, but the rest were lacking. In the future, you should focus more on your progress in spellcasting rather than the magical aspect.”

I nodded my head.

As someone weak in spellcasting, I still had a limited repertoire of spells and a considerably slow pace in casting magic.

The reason I had time to defend was that the opponent gave me the leeway to put up a defense. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a chance to deploy a protective barrier.

“Leah Herwyn, you were… flawless. But why didn’t you give it your all?”

In response to the professor’s question, she answered with a lack of enthusiasm on her face.

“Because if I had given it my all, it would have been over as soon as it started, and I don’t think that’s the point of a duel at all.”

“Are you showing consideration for your opponent?”

“I just didn’t want to blur the meaning of the class.”

It was a statement that struck a chord with me.

Like she was saying that having students compete against each other in this way was not helpful to her.

And even if she truly meant it in that sense, it couldn’t be called arrogance. It was a fact. Her level far surpassed that of a freshman.

Professor Rokel spoke with a faint smile.

“You two may now return to your seats.”

After a few students had their turns, it was Esca’s turn.

She was nervous, but the Heir smiled and patted her on the back.

“Whoa…”

The duel began, and surprisingly, Esca took the initiative and unleashed her magic aggressively.

The shockwave magic flew towards her opponent, but the opponent’s prepared defensive magic easily blocked it.

【Lv. 11】

I easily deduced the outcome of the duel while observing that spectacle.

It was because Esca’s level was lower than her opponent’s. Her level was among the lowest in the class.

Having roughly grasped Esca’s power with that last strike, her opponent immediately launched a counterattack.

Esca struggled to defend against the fierce onslaught, but quickly reached her limit.

Boom!

Esca’s defense barrier was completely shattered by the opponent’s attack.

At the same time, another barrier formed around her, blocking the impact.

It was Professor Rokel who had set up the barrier before any danger occurred. The professor, who had withdrawn his hand, opened his mouth.

“The duel is over.”

He said to Esca with a dry tone, looking at her.

“Esca Marioles, you have lost. What do you think was the reason for your defeat?”

Breathing heavily, Esca spoke with an unconfident voice.

“…I think my overall magical skills were lacking compared to the opponent.”

“That’s correct. To put it bluntly, it was abysmal, even for a freshman. It seems that you need to improve your abilities in the realm of pure magic before you improve in the realm of combat.”

A shadow was cast over Esca’s face by an unreserved and harsh criticism.

As the two returned to their positions, it seemed like the heir was about to say something to Esca, but stopped herself.

The heir turned her gaze and glared at Professor Rokel. Perhaps she was angered by the harsh words her friend had received.

The heir’s turn came almost at the very end.

Well, most of the students were at the beginner level, so after a few exchanges, they exhausted their mana, and each match ended quickly.

As I observed the two people standing face to face, I thought to myself, ‘The level of magic is still that of a beginner.’

According to the hero, the heir had exceptional talent not only in swordsmanship but also in magic.

However, unlike swordsmanship, she hadn’t properly learned magic, so she only knew basic spells like me.

Of course, even so, the outcome of this match was already determined.

Although her magic skill was still at a beginner level, his mana was not.

【Level 32】

Her level was in the thirties, lower than Rigon and Lea.

But her mana level was definitelyy not that of a beginner.

As soon as the match began, the heir raised her hand and said, “I’m going to attack with fire magic. Properly defend yourself.”

“…Uh?”

Immediately after, she conjured flames, as if demonstrating.

Only after the opponent hurriedly cast a defensive spell did she launch a fireball.

Boom!

With a loud noise, it seemed like the opponent’s defensive barrier was partially shattered.

The heir looked at it and ignited the flames once again, this time even more intense.

“Let’s go once more.”

The opponent appeared terrified.

However, before that, the professor spoke up.

“The duel is over.”

The heir turned to the professor with a smirk, extinguished the flames, and asked him in an antagonistic tone.

“How was I? Professor.”

Professor Rokel stared at her and replied.

“The level of magic power was exceptional, and the speed of spell casting was outstanding. However, you engaged in actions that were difficult to comprehend. Are you planning to announce your attack to your opponent even in a real battle?”

“No. But this is a training session.”

“I told you to approach it as if it were a real battle.”

The heir was momentarily at a loss for words but retorted as if something had occurred to her.

“If I had done my best, the opponent wouldn’t have been able to block the first attack, and it would have ended right away. Doesn’t that blur the purpose of this lesson?”

I was dumbfounded and let out a small laugh.

The heir was clumsily borrowing the words Lea had said to the professor earlier.

It seemed like she was simply being difficult because she didn’t like the professor for no apparent reason.

Curious about the reaction, I turned to Lea, and she had an unpleasant look in her eyes.

Despite the heir’s rebellious attitude, Professor Rokel still spoke in a dry tone.

“Your rudeness will not save your friend’s face. Now, return to your seat.”

Hearing that, the heir turned around with an unsatisfied expression.

However, even so, it seemed like she understood from the professor’s words that she had done something not so good, as she said to the student who was her opponent.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t do that to tease you or to ignore you.”

“Uh? Yeah…”

After all the remaining students finished their sparring, it was the perfect timing for the class to end.

The class was even more intense than the first day, and the students seemed to be exhausted.

Professor Rokel clicked his tongue slightly.

“Now it’s just the first class. It would be better for everyone to adapt as soon as possible.”

***

Meanwhile, around the same time, the students from Rigon’s class gathered at the training grounds for combat training.

“So, what’s the big deal about him being so scary?”

Nearby, a conversation reached Rigon’s ear as he stood alone, motionless.

“People are just scared of where he came from, Calderic. It’s not like he looks particularly intimidating, all slender and delicate.”

“Hey, hey. He can hear us…”

“What if he can hear it? He can listen.”

“Do you really have no fear? They say the student from Calderic is recommended directly by the Lord.”

“That’s all just baseless rumors. Does it even make sense? He’s a guy with no family name, so where would he come from?”

Rigon turned his head, knowing that they were talking about him.

The male student, whose eyes met Rigon’s, flinched, then smirked confidently and quickly turned his gaze away.

Rigon let out a small sigh.

This won’t be easy.

Within a day, he had already been stigmatized within the class.

At this rate, he wondered if he would end up with no friends other than three people until graduation.

“Quiet down, will you?”

Suddenly, a deep voice interrupted, and the two chattering male students immediately shut their mouths in surprise.

The owner of the voice was a male student standing right next to them.

Rigon had seen his face before the start of the semester.

He was the male student who was the representative of the freshmen at the entrance ceremony. His name was Vaion Lexio, if he recalled correctly.

He was a promising talent from a prestigious martial arts school and he was already well known among the students of the Swordsmanship Department even before the semester began.

“Everyone, be quiet.”

Not long after, the assigned professor entered the training grounds. It was a woman dressed in training attire.

She glanced around and introduced herself.

“I am Gaon Cessilia, the professor in charge of hand-to-hand combat classes.”

“……”

“Well, I guess my name doesn’t really matter. Stop standing there dumbfounded and grab the training swords over there.”

Once the students had all taken their swords, Professor Gaon smirked and said, “From now on, you will have a sword duel. The first two to volunteer, come to the center.”

“……”

“Are you embarrassed to be asked to fight all of a sudden? This is the nature of hand-to-hand combat. Of course, every fight counts towards your grade. I’m going to give extra credit to the first person to step up. So are you going to sit on the sidelines?”

One student quickly stepped forward, and another student followed suit.

Rigon watched the scene with great interest.

Compared to the theoretical lessons from yesterday, this hands-on class was more to Rigon’s liking.

“Alright, let’s get started. Think of it as a battle for your life and give it your best shot.”

The class proceeded with the students engaging in sparring, followed by feedback from the professor.

However, Professor Gaon’s feedback was generally harsh.

“Why do you miss the opportunity to counterattack when you know it? Are you scared to even cut your opponent with a training sword, you coward?”

“Every time you swing your sword, your body’s balance is a mess. What are your legs made of, straw?”

“Why do you always waste your energy without any strategy? Fix that habit. You’re just wasting your breath for no reason.”

After the practice sparring, the defeated students returned to their seats with a gloomy expression, unable to escape from criticism.

Rigon watched, comparing the professor’s words to his own impressions. There were differences, but for the most part, they were in agreement.

“Next is…”

Midway through the class, the professor’s gaze fell upon Rigon.

She gave a strange smile and said, “You’re the guy who came from Calderic, right? Let’s see your skills. Come forward.”

Rigon stepped forward in the midst of the attention, walking slowly to the center of the training grounds.

“And you, come forward.”

“Yes? Yes.”

The next student who was called stepped forward.

He was the male student who had slandered Rigon earlier.

Both of them stood facing each other, holding their swords.

With a smile on his lips, the male student confidently raised his sword.

Rigon also extended his sword, thinking it would be better to show at least some courtesy.

“Begin the duel.”

As the professor’s words fell, the male student rushed towards Rigon with great momentum.

He had been thinking that he wanted to test himself against Rigon.

With everyone watching, if he could bring Rigon down, his reputation in the class would skyrocket.

I’ll knock him down to the ground!

The moment when the distance between the two people narrowed within the range of clashing swords.

Kaang!

The male student screamed in pain as if his hand was being torn apart in an instant.

The sword he had let go of was flying through the air, leaving him wondering what had happened.

Rigon, who had picked up the sword, scratched his head and looked at the bewildered face of the male student.

Did I use too much strength?

He had tried to control his strength, but maybe he should have just blocked it instead of attacking.

Regardless, the duel ended there. It was just one exchange.

There was nothing as fatal during a battle as losing one’s own sword.

“It’s over. That was anticlimactic.”

Amidst the astonishment of the students, Professor Gaon spoke with a laughter-tinged voice.

The male student, regaining his composure, stammered.

“P-Professor, I… I was too careless…”

“Careless? I clearly told you to approach it as if your life depended on it. And now you’re telling me that you couldn’t even demonstrate your skills properly and lost in just one exchange?”

She looked at him with disdainful eyes.

“There’s nothing to say since it ended so quickly. Just go back to your seat, you pathetic fool. Your mindset is the problem.”

Professor Gaon turned her gaze towards Rigon.

“What’s your name?”

“Rigon, ma’am.”

“Alright, Rigon. You were excellent. You got all the basics right in that one move. Go back.”

Praise instead of criticism for the first time.

Rigon went back to his seat, and the boy went back to his seat, looking devastated.

“Next up… You, come out.”

The student Professor Gaon pointed to next was Vaion Lexio.

Vaion walked to the center of the training grounds, picking out a sword that was more like a greatsword.

The male student selected as his opponent stood facing him, showing signs of great tension.

Kwang!

As soon as the sparring began, Vaion rushed forward at an incredible speed that didn’t match his size and swung his sword.

The opposing student hurriedly raised his sword to defend, but with a loud sound, he was sent flying in the air and fell to the ground without any strength.

Just like with Rigon, the sparring ended at a single strike.

The students gasped in awe at Vaion’s tremendous power and watched the scene unfold before them.

“…”

Vaion, having sheathed his sword, turned his gaze towards Rigon.

Rigon also blinked his eyes, confused by why he was being stared at all of a sudden.

***

Professor Rokel, walking down the hallway, had a slightly tired expression when he saw a woman walking towards him from the opposite side.

Professor Gaon gave him a friendly nod of recognition.

“Professor Rokel. Are you going back after finishing class?”

“Yes.”

“My class just ended as well and was on my way back. How was your class?”

Before Rokel could answer, she immediately continued speaking.

“Well, I was surprised. Did you know that there is a student from Calderic in the swordsmanship department?”

“I am aware.”

“His name is Rigon, and he was in the class I just had. He was amazing, already on par with a full knight.”

“I see.”

Professor Rokel thought it was somewhat surprising.

If even Professor Gaon, who was stricter than himself, praised him to that extent, it meant he was truly talented. However, he wasn’t particularly curious about the students in the Swordsmanship Department.

“By the way, aren’t there any geniuses in your class, Professor? Wasn’t there a famous student named Lea Herwyn?”

“Don’t show interest in other people’s students.”

“Haha, I’m just looking forward to the future exchange class. You seem grumpy.”

Professor Gaon laughed heartily.

“Speaking of which, I have something to tell you about the semester exams. How about having lunch together?”

“Sorry, I’m busy. We can talk later.”

“Oh, don’t do that…”

After shaking off persistent Professor Gaon, Professor Rokel returned to his office.

He sat down and organized his documents, leaning back in his chair.

And for a moment, he lost himself in thought. About the students who left an impression during the personal combat class earlier.

Leah Herwyn. The famous prodigy from the Herwyn family.

Her performance in today’s class was indeed as rumored.

Even in the short sparring, Professor Rokel could clearly see her current level and absurd talent.

If she could grow at such a rate at the tender age of fifteen, he wondered if she would surpass the professors at Elphon before she reached thirty.

“And…”

The two students who were presumed to have been admitted through the direct recommendation of the headmaster.

Kaen and Ran.

Originally, Professor Rokel had no interest in the backgrounds of the students. However, he had a bit of curiosity about those two.

His colleague, the current headmaster, Nuremberg, had never used his authority to recommend students for admission since taking office. This fact alone sparked his curiosity.

There were certainly some peculiarities that caught his attention, whether it was their well-trained physique or their aura. Both seemed closer to warriors than mages.

The only difference was that the child named Kaen had talent in magic, while Ran did not.

From Rokel’s perspective, Kaen was also a genius. Although there were some shortcomings, if she continued to learn well, she would become an exceptional mage in the future, comparable to Lea.

However, Rokel couldn’t understand why Ran, that child, chose to enter the Department of Magic instead of the Department of Swordsmanship.

Lost in his contemplation, Professor Rokel resumed organizing his documents.

One thing was clear: this year’s first-year students were much more interesting than last year’s.