081

“Hap!”

With a shout, Zelta stopped his sword.

“Your stance is very shaky. The first five or so times were good. Don't skip your basic physical training during the vacation.”

“Yes, sir!”

Zelta lowered his sword, his face tense.

“Um, my score is…….”

“You know I don't tell you. You'll get it on your report card after all the exams are over.”

“Yes….”

With a disappointed expression, Zelta trudged back to his spot.

Next up was another first-year student.

This student also came forward and demonstrated the physical techniques of Cassian's Basic Swordsmanship, which they had learned throughout the first semester, as well as the slashes, thrusts, and blocks of the intermediate swordsmanship.

Fortunately, this time, the Chairman didn't say anything about pursuing practical combat for the final exams or introducing a new type of test.

No, it would be more accurate to say that he hadn't had the time.

Strangely enough, Avril had started to get deeply involved in school politics.

He suddenly organized several years' worth of tax ledgers, the students' educational curriculum, and the methods used to manage instructors, then demanded the Chairman explain the reasoning behind them.

It wasn't a major incident, but I had a gut feeling that this somehow wasn't the end of it.

Well, thanks to that, I was happy to be able to conduct a normal final exam like this.

“I understand what you're trying to show, but you're too shaky.”

“I thought Security Officer Sordian’s swordsmanship was cool… and Senior Rozalin’s too.”

“It's good to mix two swordsmanship styles, but you can't just keep them separate. You need to know exactly when and why you're using a particular style. Simply using two sword styles is no different from just swinging two swords without practice.”

“Yes….”

“Still, your courage is commendable. Ah, that third swing showed signs of contemplation. That was the bridge to connect the two swordsmanships, right?”

“You noticed?”

“Yes. That kind of deliberation needs to be lengthy. Think about it carefully over the vacation. This final exam is just the starting point.”

“Yes!”

Although I was grading them, I focused more on checking their swordsmanship and giving them feedback.

It was with the hope that they wouldn't just get bogged down in getting good scores, but that their entire academy life would be enjoyable.

After finishing the exam for one class, I headed to the faculty office.

Teachers who had finished proctoring their exams around the same time began to trickle in.

“Is Teacher Qantaii finished as well?”

“Indeed! Mine was a written evaluation on tactics and strategy, so it was not difficult.”

“So it wasn't about swordsmanship.”

“To begin with, my Class A has focused on military strategy as much as swordsmanship. If they listen well and understand my lessons, they will be able to achieve great results through group movements even if they are somewhat lacking in strength!”

And over there, Instructor Jessie and Instructor Gwen approached together.

The two of them were similar in age, hit it off well, and being fellow women, they had grown close and often moved about together.

“You've worked hard.”

“Vacation is almost here. What are everyone's plans?”

When vacation started, the students would leave, and only the teachers would remain to look after the academy.

Although we would be moving around for maintenance work on the academy, there was a lot of postponed work to do using the more relaxed schedule.

“I intend to create a military strategy textbook!”

“You're developing a textbook?”

“I was impressed by how Senior Cassian utilized textbooks in his classes. In the first place, tactics and strategy are often taught through books. I intend to create a textbook tailored to our cadets!”

It was a good choice.

“I think I’ll be… busy here and there.”

“Do you have a lot to do?”

“Yes. I can't tell you exactly what it is, but I think I'll be able to tell you when the second semester starts.”

“I understand.”

After hearing Gwen out, our gazes turned to Instructor Jessie.

Instructor Jessie thought for a moment before answering.

“I'm thinking of taking a vacation to go see my father.”

Instructor Jessie was the daughter of a knight from the fallen Otland Islands.

I had heard that her father was a knight who had abandoned his lord and fled, and that he spent his entire life drinking.

“……I intend to show my father the level of my swordsmanship.”

At Jessie’s words, those who knew her circumstances nodded silently.

What would the father who hated his own children wielding swords say upon seeing his daughter, who had even awakened her Aura?

I felt that Jessie probably wasn't going to get her father's approval or praise.

Rather, I thought she just wanted to show him that the person he had abandoned, the person he paid no attention to, had come this far.

“What about you, Teacher Cassian?”

Everyone's attention turned to me.

“To be honest… I don't know if there's anything I can do.”

“Hey, what's the matter!”

“It's Teacher Cassian, of all people, saying he can't do something. Aren't you going to have the most spectacular vacation out of all of us and then come back saying, this is an advanced swordsmanship manual?”

“I bet he would!”

If only that were true.

The crisis I was facing was that my entire vacation was likely to disappear, regardless of my will.

I laughed awkwardly, hahaha, and then saw them off.

I left the graded score sheet in the faculty office and made my way to my dormitory.

The inside and outside of the academy were bustling.

There was a long line of carriages belonging to parents who had come to pick up their children for the vacation, and they couldn't hide their surprise at the sight of the Akarind territory, which had developed so much in just a few months.

Merchants ran about busily, and even more energetically than the merchants, the students reveled in their freedom.

The instructors guided the students so they wouldn't lose order, and in between them all, Hati's mercenaries stood their ground.

As they all boasted strong impressions and physiques, no particular problems arose.

As I passed the people, crossed through the instructor-exclusive dormitories, and finally arrived at my dormitory building.

“Welcome!”

Rozalin greeted me with a bright smile.

Behind her, Yuria stood blankly with her usual dark and dead-looking expression.

“Teacher! Welcome! You probably have no idea how long I've waited for this moment! It was for this very moment that I left the academy for over a month, suffered, got tangled up fighting a damn old hag, and went through hell and back!”

“Old hag?”

“There's this person. She looks like she's in her 30s, younger than you, Teacher, but on the inside, she's completely withered, an old woman like no other, but well, let's move on from that!”

Rozalin slightly stepped aside.

Then, the scene inside my house that Rozalin had been blocking was revealed in its entirety.

Medicinal herbs formed a small hill, and in one corner, Hati was boiling various things in a large cauldron.

“……Ha.”

“You're here.”

This was the reason I said my vacation might disappear.

The last time I took the medicines Rozalin brought, I was unconscious for nearly three days.

It was the process of reconnecting one of the nine Mana Roads.

And the amount of medicinal herbs Rozalin brought this time seemed to be almost five times what I had taken back then.

“They’re rarer, too!”

“There are herbs rarer than those?”

“To be precise, these are herbs that have been well-trimmed, dried, and prepared by a druid, a specialist in medicinal herbs!”

Since I was scheduled to down all those herbs, I might completely disappear for a week, no, maybe a month.

“……Do I really have to drink this much?”

“Hey now, Teacher, you don't seem to realize what state your body is in! That Saintess-head told you that you don't have much time left! Huh? She's the one person in the human world who would know the most about the human body, injuries, lifespan, and all that!”

“You can't just die. Nope. You've only made the intermediate swordsmanship so far. Finish it all before you die.”

“This bastard, you? Wanna die?”

It was a good thing that my lifespan would be extended, but.

I entered the room and sat down on the chair at my desk.

A single flask of potion was already sitting on the desk.

“You'll be having just three bottles today.”

“Today?”

“Because you'll have to drink five more after you wake up from fainting. Did you have lunch today?”

“I skipped it.”

“Good. Downing this bottle should fill you up.”

It seemed likely.

The color of the potion was green, then it shimmered into a fluorescent-like purple, a color I would never want to go near if I saw it in the wild.

“The ingredients are……?”

“Teacher. That has to go into your mouth, so do you really need to know things you don't have to? This is directly related to your life, not something else, so I'd rather not see you vomit.”

…….

I turned my gaze away from the herbs, which were plastered with musty smells, sour smells, and smells I had never encountered before but never wanted to smell again.

About 30 minutes later, three bottles of potion were lined up on my desk.

“Here. Drink up.”

Having said that, Rozalin immediately pushed Yuria in front of herself.

It seemed like a preparation to immediately deploy Yuria to solve any problems that might arise in my body.

Whew.

Alright, I had to drink it.

They said a demon was coming.

And not just anywhere, but to our academy.

They said I would be able to protect my students.

I grabbed the potion on the far left and poured it straight into my mouth.

‘Ugh.’

It was the worst taste imaginable.

The moment the liquid grazed my tongue, it felt as if dozens of ingredients that hadn't properly fused were unleashing a chaotic jumble of their own distinct flavors.

Just when I thought it tasted like chalky mud, a smoky tobacco scent and the sour smell of old, moldy cheese rose up at the end, followed by something like a floral fragrance, before a stench like the excrement of a beast erupted from within my body.

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcibly suppressing the urge to vomit.

The amount was large, too, making each sip an ordeal.

“Just tilt your head back, open your throat, and pour it in! It's not drinking, it's pouring!”

I thought I knew what Rozalin meant.

It was a method my friends who were heavy drinkers used back when I attended the Imperial Academy for beer-chugging contests.

I did my best to stay conscious and poured the potion down my throat.

It was better than gulping it down.

“Next! Hurry! Before the effects kick in!”

I immediately drank the second bottle.

This time, it was much easier than the first.

And just as I reached for the third bottle.

Thump!

I felt a massive mana vibrating from the center of my body.

It was an undeniable omen, like the sky turning red before a great typhoon.

My ears were instantly deafened, then filled with a high-pitched ringing—삐―.

The world swirled chaotically, and I felt like my eyes would go out at any moment.

“Huuuurrrrryyyyy uuuuup!”

Rozalin's voice sounded drawn out, as if submerged in water.

I forced my hand out and drank the potion.

No, I wasn't sure if I drank it properly.

There was someone touching me from the side, a hand helping me drink the potion.

Judging by the thick skin and hand, it seemed Hati had helped.

That was as far as my senses went.

My body is falling.

Hati will catch me.

* * *

After somehow managing to drink all three bottles, Cassian fainted.

The smell of the three medicinal herbs he had just drunk seemed to waft from his mouth, not yet digested.

Hati gently placed his ear by Cassian’s mouth, tested his pulse, and finally, placed his ear over Cassian’s heart.

“He's fine. He's asleep.”

Now, all they had to do was wait and see how long this sleep would last.

“You're sure there's nothing wrong, right?”

Rozalin gestured to Yuria with her eyes.

Yuria's dead-looking eyes scanned Cassian's entire body.

In the meantime, her holy power wrapped around Cassian's body once and passed through.

“As of now, I do not feel any abnormalities in the Great Master's body. Though it seems we will have to watch over him for at least two more days.”

“Got it. Hati. Get your guys and have at least four of them guard this area from now on. Don't let any strange riffraff near, and leave the teacher alone until he wakes up. Yuria, you watch the teacher here. I'll also come by to check on him in between my work.”

Rozalin's gaze turned to Cassian.

A mere one-year lifespan?

She couldn't be satisfied with that.

After how they met and how she saved him.

“Please wake up soon, Teacher.”

One day, two days.

And then ten days passed.

Cassian had not yet woken up.

Yuria, Rozalin, and Hati took turns standing watch, guarding the house.

And on the eleventh day.

“Is this the child you spoke of? Tsk tsk. There was no need for the Wolf King to worry. It seems you all have killed him already.”

The 6th-circle Great Mage, Ulf, visited the academy.

“What?”

“So you were trying to graft the severed Mana Roads. Truly a rare and wondrous constitution. However, my herbs were for cultivating a forest that is already lush, not for solidifying barren soil. Such is the limit of thievery.”

At Ulf's words, Rozalin drew her sword.

“Old hag. Are you saying you tampered with the herbs?”

“Stop. If you play with your sword now, even one who could live will die. Let's save the man first.”