The Academy’s Hard-Headed Swordmaster

“Yeees—I’m William Taylor, and I’ll be teaching you Basic Magic Theory.”

The professor for the new class was a long-haired man like Damian.

But while Damian’s long hair was neatly styled, William’s looked like he’d simply let it grow because he couldn’t be bothered to cut it.

Brushing aside the unruly strands of hair that fell over his face, William scratched his head as if annoyed and explained the course outline.

“There are some Knight Department students here who can’t use magic. The reason I’ve called you all here is simple. You are the ones who will have to deal with those Magicians.”

During wartime, the role of a knight is crucial.

Disrupting enemy soldiers, assassinating enemy Magicians, or escorting allied Magicians.

In other words, the most common missions for knights were to kill or protect Magicians.

“Just as you need to know your opponent to win a fight, you need to understand magic to know how to deal with Magicians.”

William even presented statistical data showing that knights who had learned about magic were more effective against Magicians than those who knew nothing.

After that, he told everyone to remember the partner sitting next to them.

“Until the end of this semester, your partners will not change.”

“Professor…? What if we don’t like our partner…?”

“I, personally, hand-picked your partners based on your grades and characteristics. Anyone who disagrees with my judgment can leave the class right now.”

However, even if he seemed a bit scatterbrained, a professor was still a professor.

William showed no intention of changing his mind, and in the end, the students had no choice but to get along with the partners sitting next to them, even if they weren’t entirely pleased.

While the students were chatting with the students from the other department sitting next to them, Kyle scratched his cheek, looking at Sera, who was hanging her head in silence.

‘Did I tease her too much earlier?’

Was she still sulking because he had teased her too much?

Thinking so, Kyle confidently extended his hand towards Sera.

“I’m Kyle Meyer. Nice to meet you.”

“Uh, uh? Mm-hm- I’m Sera Kim. Nice to meet you…”

He slapped her still-dejected back, forcibly injecting her with some energy.

When she let out a small yelp from the stinging sensation and straightened her slumped posture, Kyle chuckled and focused on the class.

The class content was simple.

Learning about the structure, history, and types of magic, and then having the Knight Department students experience the magic used by the Magic Department students.

It seemed like a crazy class, but since there were no students who couldn’t use Aura anymore, it wasn’t theoretically dangerous.

“Magic is—”

At the front, William was teaching the history of magic, and the Magic Department students sitting next to them, realizing this was a chance to legally attack the Knight Department students, began to formulate their spells as maliciously as possible.

The world-altering power of Magic Power changes the laws of physics, and Magicians freely manipulate these altered laws.

1-Star Magicians can alter one law at a time, 2-Star Magicians can alter two at a time—and thus, Magicians truly start pulling their weight from 3-Stars onwards.

“Um, Kyle?”

“Yeah.”

“My magic—it’s ready… Sh-should I fire?”

Sera said, aiming the flame that bloomed at her fingertip towards Kyle.

Kyle nodded, telling her to go ahead, and drew up his Aura.

Ping—! The fired flame hit Kyle’s Aura with a thud, bounced off, and then transferred onto his textbook.

“Ah.”

“Oops.”

Sera, who almost set his textbook on fire, hurriedly created water with magic to extinguish the flames, then looked at her soaked and ruined textbook with a bitter gaze.

“…It didn’t work.”

“Instead of flames, is there anything like, just shooting pure Magic Power?”

“It’s not that there isn’t…”

Ping—!

In the next moment, Sera shot out Magic Power with surprising speed.

The Magic Power, ejected at the speed of light, collided with Kyle’s Aura wall and vanished.

Shrugging her shoulders ostentatiously, Sera explained the drawback of this magic.

“Pure Magic Power is just a simple lump of energy… It’s inefficient.”

Indeed, the Magic Power beam Sera fired disappeared without even making a dent in Kyle’s Aura.

Unless one was an Archmage who could freely use the Magic Power widely dispersed in the world, or a dragon that could infinitely generate Magic Power from its heart, it was more efficient to use magic in other ways.

“As it is, the advantage of Aura is that it’s needlessly sturdy. If you’re going for a brute force contest, Magic Power is at a significant disadvantage.”

“Is that so?”

“…Shouldn’t you, the one who handles Aura, know better?”

“I’ve never handled Magic Power.”

Certainly, compared to Magic

Power, Aura felt like it could be concentrated more effectively.

However, Magic Power had its own advantages.

“By the way, this class is really boring. Is it actually helpful?”

“The professor will hear you…!”

“My apologies for being bored.”

Kyle flinched, startled by the professor who suddenly appeared behind him.

He was sure William had been at the front just a moment ago?

Glancing back, he saw that William was still there.

Closing his eyes slightly and drawing up his Aura, Kyle realized that both the professor at the front and the one right in front of him were real.

‘What in the world…?’

“Surprised? Yes, that’s the look of surprise. Good.”

William snapped his fingers.

The form of the professor standing at the podium began to disappear.

And in the next moment, the Magic Power emanating from the professor in front of Kyle also began to fade.

“This is my innate superpower. An ability commonly called Force.”

“…This is Force.”

“Yes, do you understand what kind of ability it is?”

Kyle quietly nodded.

An energy undetectable even by him, an Aura Master.

However, if he concentrated a little more, he could sense it.

The presence was fainter than a water flea, simply masked by other energies.

“The ability to erase one’s presence… is it?”

“Why, do I seem like I’d have such an ability?”

“To be honest—yes.”

“…Correct. Forget that you called it boring. But there won’t be a second time.”

Saying so, William created another copy of himself at the front.

Kyle finally understood how William had tricked him and moved behind him.

William’s own presence was less than a water flea; compared to the magic power he felt from the magic he used, it was like the difference between the Grand Canyon and a single grain of sand within it.

In other words, if he cast an illusion magic that roughly projected his appearance and then cast invisibility magic on himself, he could focus attention solely on the illusion in front.

‘That’s amazing.’

It wasn’t the Force ability that was amazing.

It was his magic skills, which allowed him to utilize that ability to its fullest, that were impressive.

Kyle realized once again that simply being good with a sword wasn’t enough to survive in this world.

If William had intended to assassinate him?

He probably would have been hit by a powerful spell without even knowing it.

‘To stop something like that—’

Just swinging a sword wouldn’t be enough forever.

Swinging a sword, mastering Aura—something more was needed.

Subtly turning his head, Kyle looked at Sera sitting next to him.

She was still sulking after being reprimanded by the professor, but if it was her…

‘She was a huge fan of Diaros Academy, right?’

A veteran player who knew everything.

She had said herself that she was practically the Diaros Academy wiki.

‘Then…’

Wouldn’t she also know about the hidden opportunities within the Academy?

* * *

After class ended, I went straight to Sera.

She, having recovered her composure during class, greeted me.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

At my sudden request, she tilted her head, asking what it was.

“—Are there any hidden treasures or opportunities within the Academy?”

“Plenty. But—do you need them?”

She asked as if wondering why an Aura Master like me would need such trivial things, but an Aura Master wasn’t invincible.

If that were the case, I would have become the Emperor long ago.

Why do you think I haven’t?

After listening to me, Sera pondered for a moment, then began to recall the opportunity most necessary for an Aura Master like me.

Nodding, Sera held out a finger in front of my face and replied.

“—On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Become my comrade!”

The catchphrase of Japan’s biggest and best pirate manga.

Sera recited that line.

She’d tell me if I became her comrade.

‘What’s with this whole comrade thing?’

Since there was no particular reason to refuse, I accepted.

* * *

On the weekend I made plans with Sera, Kyle headed to the meeting place.

“Oh, over here, over here!”

In the distance, Sera was waiting for him at the meeting place, and several people who appeared to be her comrades were already standing around her.

As he approached, they flinched and trembled, surprised to see Kyle’s face.

“…Why are you guys here?”

“That’s what we want to ask you.”

Yuri and Arthur, the two of them, were waiting for him there.