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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 69
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The next day, Tuesday.
As soon as I entered the classroom, I first checked David's seat.
And when David was in his seat as usual, I could finally put my worries at ease.
A step.
As I headed straight for the seat next to him, David looked at me with a faint smile.
"David. Are you okay?"
When I spoke first, as if getting ahead of him, David nodded as if it were obvious.
"Of course I'm fine. Can't you tell just by looking at me?"
"Still, I just wanted to make sure. Anyway, I'm glad you're okay."
Even as I sat in my seat, David outwardly appeared to be completely fine.
"So, Han Cheon-seong, I heard you beat Gerard yesterday, right?"
"That's right."
"That's a shame then. I should have seen that spar."
At his completely normal demeanor, I couldn't help but let out a laugh.
I had worried he might be disheartened or gloomy after his crushing defeat in yesterday's spar, but that was an unnecessary concern.
"If you think that, then I should have just let you spar first."
"...That's true. I wanted to land a hit on him too. Though, instead of landing a hit, I just got thoroughly beaten."
As David scratched his cheek at the end of his sentence, I didn't see anything particularly bad about his expression.
'Getting thoroughly beaten is certainly a necessary experience.'
Of course, the fact that his opponent was Gerard was a bit of a downside, but the fact that David didn't give up even in that spar would undoubtedly be a great strength for him in the future.
I had truly felt it during my first spar with Leonhardt.
How much power willpower could hold.
"David. Still, it seemed like Instructor Kali highly praised your not giving up until the very end, didn't she?"
"Nah. There's no way Instructor Kali would praise me. I just held on out of stubbornness, what's so great about that?"
"Most guys don't even have that kind of stubbornness, you know."
Even as I said it, I truly believed it.
A spirit that doesn't give up, whether out of stubbornness or anything else, has meaning. In training one's will, there is no stronger discipline than overcoming the desire to give up.
Back then, I was too consumed by anger to think clearly, but now I fully understood why Kali didn't stop the spar.
Yet, recalling yesterday's spar time, it was amusing. After my victory against Gerard yesterday, no other student sparred with me, except for one.
And even that one person was easily defeated by me, after which no one else wanted to spar with me.
Because facing reality and being prepared to be broken isn't as easy as it sounds.
"So, David, how is he?"
I asked, having thought about it.
"Who?"
"Is Gerard acting like before?"
When I spoke more directly, David let out a chuckle and shook his head.
"No. That Gerard guy, maybe it's because of what happened with you yesterday, but his attitude completely changed today."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He didn't pick a fight, just stayed quiet."
At his words, I also turned my head.
Gerard was visible in a not-so-distant seat. Outwardly, he seemed similar to usual. But the biggest difference was that his gaze wasn't directed towards us.
'I thought if he held a grudge, I'd have to punish him even more severely.'
Whether my warning yesterday was ingrained in his mind or not, just looking at him now, it seemed I wouldn't have to worry about Gerard anymore.
"Anyway, putting that aside, Han Cheon-seong."
"Huh? Why?"
As I straightened my head and replied, David suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Hey. You... by any chance..."
He suddenly drew out the end of his sentence in a strange tone, then closed his mouth, and for a moment, I wondered what was wrong with him.
"By any chance, what?"
"Ah, never mind. It's nothing."
"David. If you're going to say something, say it properly. What exactly did you want to ask?"
Even after I asked repeatedly, David just gave an awkward laugh.
As if he had thought wrong.
"No. It's just, Han Cheon-seong. I just thought you were quite popular."
"What a random thing to say."
"It's just... never mind. Just let what I said go."
A soft click.
Just then, the classroom door suddenly opened.
Click-clack. Click-clack.
As Kali appeared in the classroom exactly at 9 o'clock, as always, all the students in the classroom held their breath.
And I was no different. I took a breath and straightened my posture.
'Did the conversation with Adelia go well yesterday...?'
I prayed, simply hoping that nothing had happened between the two instructors.
Then, inadvertently, when Adelia's overwhelming physique came to mind, I hastily shook my head.
Yesterday's encounter hadn't faded from my memory even overnight. Adelia's striking figure wasn't something easily forgotten...
"..."
Then, why at that exact moment, of all times,
My eyes met Kali's. I couldn't tell why.
Her red eyes, holding only indifference or coldness, made it impossible to tell what emotions she currently harbored.
"Everyone, please take your seats."
At the voice that echoed afterward, I took out my textbook and swallowed hard.
***
—A1 Class Lecture Hall.
As time passed, the afternoon lecture was now underway.
"The blossoming, or evolution, of abilities each has different growth factors. And all students in this lecture hall already know that a strong will is required as a foundation for such things. To manifest that will even more firmly and strongly, excellent concentration is absolutely necessary..."
At the words of Gebel, the A1 class instructor, most students gripped the strange blue cylinder placed before them and focused.
It was an auxiliary tool called a 'Pavel,' which reacted to grip strength, its blue cylinder shrinking and expanding.
This was training time, maintaining a certain level of grip strength while practicing concentration. If one failed to control their grip, the mana inside the cylinder would burst out in small amounts, causing a slight pain in the student's hand.
"Ugh!"
"Gah!"
"Hah!"
Just like now.
The groans of several students who failed to control their grip echoed throughout the lecture hall.
And as if it were natural, Gebel, the A1 class instructor, slowly walked among the students.
"Concentration may seem simple at first glance, but it is never truly simple. However, it can certainly be trained sufficiently. Focus on the Pavel in your hand, but also listen. Activating your senses keenly and activating the latent mana within your body will also be the best way to cultivate concentration."
With those continuous words, Gebel slowly moved among the focused students.
Step. Step.
As he did so, Gebel generally observed the students with satisfied eyes.
Excluding the S-class, which was assigned to royalty and top-tier nobles, this could be said to be the lecture hall where students with the best aptitudes and talents of the year were gathered.
Students, each existence like a shining star. The instructors assigned to teach them were, naturally, also extraordinary beings.
Gebel was an officer who had achieved great feats on the battlefield, with an aptitude level of 9. He was known as a pillar, maintaining the eastern front alongside Kali.
Gebel was currently paying particular attention to certain students.
"..."
"..."
Two individuals, a man and a woman, focused on their Pavels without a word.
They were Leonhardt and Glesia.
A faint blue light now shimmered around each of their bodies. It was proof that while gripping the Pavel and focusing on their grip strength, they were also manipulating mana simultaneously.
'As expected.'
Thinking they were worth noting, he also cast a glance at the student next to them.
A student with fiery red hair, her brow furrowed. Yumia, too, radiated a brilliant talent no less than theirs, with a fiery aura, distinct from mana, swirling around her entire body.
'This year, I can certainly place my hopes on these three students.'
Since S-class students rarely showed themselves, it was safe to say that these three were making the most significant impression, even at this early stage of the academy.
And students who stood out early usually continued to stand out until the very end.
Step.
He deliberately walked among them and spoke again.
"The Pavel training we are currently conducting is almost a mandatory requirement for students aspiring to become officers nearing graduation. This is because on a battlefield where every second is critical, strong concentration is required to make judgments and confront monsters. And even if one doesn't stand on the battlefield, increased concentration will be of great help in various fields."
Step.
Just as he moved his steps.
"...!"
He suddenly saw Glesia bite her lip tightly. It seemed her concentration had broken, and she felt pain from the Pavel.
'Does her concentration waver when the conversation turns to the battlefield?'
He thought she was a strange student, even as he considered it.
98% of the students in this A1 class were of noble birth. Each one was from a renowned family, or at least a family with a respectable history, even if their title was low.
However, Glesia was the only exception. Glesia was in a very peculiar situation.
To consider Glesia a commoner... that was truly laughable.
Aside from her personal aptitudes, talents, and qualities, her current family connections were like top-secret information.
A request had been made within the academy that no one could access it unless they were her direct supervising instructor.
'That renowned Apostle Executioner. To think that Glesia was Anastasia's younger sister...'
He couldn't describe how surprised he was when he first confirmed it.
A monumental figure of the Western Front. An officer who had shown such overwhelming prowess that it was said a single individual officer was responsible for one-third of the entire force.
[Apostle Executioner]
—Anastasia.
To consider her a commoner without a surname was akin to considering her an officer whose noble title conferment ceremony had already been confirmed. It was only because she hadn't returned to the Empire that the scheduled conferment of her title was continuously delayed.
'At the very least, she'd be a Countess. Perhaps even a Marquise.'
The fact that she had single-handedly held a front for many years was a tremendous achievement that the Empire could not help but acknowledge.
Moreover, her epithet was 'Apostle Executioner'.
—Apostles.
Monsters classified as top-tier threats among all monsters were called Apostles.
And the power of the Apostles was the primary reason the front lines were currently stagnating.
While Apostles, which even veteran officers, considered core forces who had years of experience on the battlefield, couldn't be certain of their survival when facing them, continued to appear, the number of experienced officers was gradually decreasing.
In that situation, how many Apostles Anastasia had killed, and what legendary feats she had accomplished... Even I, who was on a different front, had heard of her fame.
Step.
As he walked, he suddenly checked the time.
It was past 3 PM. It was about time to end the lecture.
"Today's lecture will conclude here. If any student wishes to dedicate themselves further to training, they may continue to train with the Pavel until 5 PM."
Despite clearly announcing the end of the lecture, no one rose from their seats.
Everyone was focused on the Pavel in their hands, diligently training.
"..."
At that sight, a contented smile involuntarily formed on his face.
Indeed, the future of this Empire, its destiny, rested upon the A-class students gathered here.
Their mindset was entirely different from that of the lower-ranked students.
A faint scrape.
Then, as one student rose, his gaze involuntarily followed.
A calm expression beneath blue hair.
Click.
The student who picked up the Pavel and returned it to its original place was none other than Glesia.
"Instructor. Thank you for the lecture."
"...Yes. Glesia, you worked hard today too."
While giving a reluctant reply, he watched Glesia leave the classroom without a moment's hesitation.
'What on earth happened?'
Glesia was the student who usually concentrated the most in lectures. Yet, today, strangely, she was the first to rise from her seat.
"..."
As he gave her his attention for a moment.
*
Conversely, Glesia, who had left the classroom, was thinking intensely.
"With this kind of training, I'll never be able to reach my sister."
I, after all, needed...
Han Cheon-seong, that man.
The only man who made me see my sister's shadow.
Coincidentally, today was the day she was supposed to meet Han Cheon-seong.