Difference in Class (2)
The academy's top students are never weak.
There are other educational institutions that train knights or mages, but they're only at a foundational level.
None of them can teach at the advanced level like the academy.
Because the difference in students' talents was as vast as heaven and earth, the intensity of education had no choice but to be different.
Among them, there were already students capable of manifesting aura or dealing with monsters.
In fact, a student representing a year could be considered close to an Expert.
One couldn't say the students were weak.
Even if their personalities were arrogant, there was nothing lacking in their skills.
The problem was simply that the opponent was too strong. Selion was horrified by the opponent he t for the first ti.
"What did you just say?"
There's no way they're this weak? What nonsense.
How could a sword that had slain countless monsters be considered weak?
Even if what he was holding now was only a wooden sword, it couldn't possibly be so insignificant.
'Wait, why does this girl seem perfectly fine?'
Rio had clearly been struck in the solar plexus by Selion's surprise attack and knocked away.
She should be struggling just to breathe; what's more, being a woman, it should have been normal for at least so bones to break.
Did a priest heal her quickly?
No, a priest's healing couldn't be that fast. She'd simply gotten back up without any treatnt at all.
"Excuse ."
"...!!"
At that mont, when Rio spoke, Selion was startled.
As he felt a wave of humiliation at having been intimidated by an underclassman and grew angry, Rio continued.
"Are you really strong?"
"What did you say?"
"It's just, you're so different from the rumors. If you're not going all out, you don't have to hold back. I'm used to people not being kind."
What kind of crazy nonsense was this girl spouting?
True, he wasn't going all out. After all, he was only wielding a wooden sword.
While it wasn't impossible to spar with a real sword at the academy, Selion always used a wooden sword when facing students as a self-imposed handicap.
That way, the opponent wouldn't flee, and he could gradually inflict more pain.
"I heard you're one of the top contenders for first or second place in the knight departnt. If this is all you've got, that's a problem."
"...."
"If you're not going to take it seriously, why are we even dueling?"
The more he listened, the dizzier Selion beca.
The nearby noble students and his younger brother Shalio were all wearing expressions like, 'What is she talking about?'
In fact, Rio was just as troubled.
From the mont she'd entered, she'd placed great expectations on the academy's students.
Because she'd always had to fight monsters from the demon realm, she needed great strength just to survive.
To be exact, she wanted to beco soone who wouldn't be embarrassed to stand beside Louis.
Compared to the absurd strength of the young master, Rio herself always seed so insignificant.
Like her squad mbers, Louis always led her.
Without him, she would have died one way or another right after being dragged into the demon realm.
Because Louis had carried her, soone who shouldn't even be alive, this far, Rio felt a mix of emotions toward him.
'I can't be abandoned.'
If you're incompetent, you get left behind.
That was the truth she'd learned after years with the 7th Legion.
To hunt more monsters, her current strength simply wasn't enough.
She needed even stronger opponents.
The young master or Commander Silia, who sparred with her from ti to ti, weren't enough.
Who could be the person to help her gain more experience?
'That's why I had high hopes for the students.'
There were so many talented peers around.
Hearing the rumors, Rio thought they'd all be on her level.
But when she actually took fencing classes together, Rio's expression soured.
Among the students she'd trained with for the past month, none were at her level.
'Still, the class representative should be...!'
Once again, Rio had pinned her hopes there, but now those hopes were about to be crushed.
"Hey, girl. Are you sure you won't regret this?"
At Selion's question, Rio nodded imdiately.
Seeing her accept without a hint of hesitation, Selion shouted to Shalio.
"Shalio! Throw my sword over there!"
"But big bro, what if you end up killing her...."
"She's the one who chose this. It's not our responsibility."
Swallowing nervously, Shalio threw Selion his real sword.
Tossing aside the wooden sword and grabbing his real weapon, Selion gripped it tightly.
"If you'd just apologized to my brother, this wouldn't have happened. This is your choice, you brat!"
"Enough, just co at already."
"...!!!"
When Rio replied as if she didn't care, Selion's veins popped on his forehead.
He swung his real sword with all his might.
KAAANG!—
At the sa ti, the mont Rio drew her own sword from her waist, a sword echo rang across the air.
The watching students' jaws dropped open.
From their perspective, Selion, who had seed as imposing as a mountain, was knocked backward instead.
"Ugh!"
Instead, Selion, who was overpowered, landed on his backside from the shock.
"What is this?"
Rio, who had easily parried the sword, spoke in a voice full of disappointnt.
"Is that really your best?"
Unintentionally sitting on the ground, Selion looked up at Rio.
Sensing soone gazing down at him with a look of scorn, Selion bit his lip.
"I was hoping for so much as the class representative... why are you no different from the others?"
That girl was spouting nonsense again.
But having just had his attack nullified, Selion instinctively understood.
'This isn't on the level of an academy student...!'
That was his all-out attack just now.
If not blocked, it could have been fatal—even deadly.
Now that it had been rendered pointless, his boiling rage instantly solidified into fear.
'At this point...!'
He didn't know what this girl's true identity was.
But there was one thing he was sure of.
If he didn't kill her first, he had the gut feeling he'd be the one killed.
"Guys! Grab her!!"
At his shout, the surrounding students rushed at Rio as a group.
"H-big bro?"
"Shalio, you too! Hurry!"
Ordered by his brother, Shalio also charged at Rio.
Seeing all the guys, who'd been watching, rush at her, Rio was a bit taken aback.
Did they really think they could win by ganging up?
"Stay still!!"
One student grabbed Rio's arm.
At that mont, Rio, annoyed that soone who wasn't the young master dared to touch her, twisted her expression in displeasure.
As she swung her arm, all the students latching onto her were thrown off.
"Kyaaaah!!"
In the process, the tangled and colliding students scread.
Just from Rio swinging her arm lightly, many of their bones were broken.
"You're done now!!"
While the students were buying ti, Selion appeared carrying sothing.
He'd thrown away his sword and was now lifting a boulder thicker than himself, charging at Rio.
KWAANG!!―
True to his reputation as the top of the academy's combat division, his strength was astounding.
Taking Rio by surprise, Selion smashed the boulder down toward Rio's head.
He intended to crush her as if driving in a nail with a hamr.
Slice―
But right as he slamd down, the boulder split in half.
Rio, standing between the split halves with her sword raised, wore a look of utter disappointnt.
"Even our pet can handle sothing like this."
That pet was a monster Louis' squad mbers had captured in the demon realm about a year ago.
Its appearance was unusual, and it seed docile, so they'd secretly tried keeping it—but it soon revealed its vicious monster nature and attacked.
It was ultimately killed with a single slash of Rio's sword, but truly, Selion's show of strength was less impressive than that pet.
"Ah...."
Just monts ago predatory, Selion's face turned ashen.
Ever since joining the academy, always reigning at the top, he felt what it was like to be brought to the bottom for the first ti.
He couldn't quickly adjust to this strange sensation and simply slumped to the ground.
"Please... spare ."
In the end, he uttered words that should never have been spoken aloud.
Because from this girl before his eyes, he sensed an indescribable aura.
Even as the boulder had been sliced, Selion had felt a chill unlike anything before.
For the head of combat studies, who had wielded a sword countless tis, to fear a blade—this was a first.
He had no evidence, but... she was definitely soone who had cut people down dozens of tis.
"Why did I bother getting my hopes up?"
Releasing a murderous intent, Rio slowly approached.
With his legs giving out, Selion was unable to flee and allowed her to close in.
"At the very least... I thought you'd be as strong as one of the demon realm's mid-rank monsters."
"What...?"
But hearing that, Selion's previously frightened face now hardened.
"A what?"
"If you're all so talented, shouldn't you be as strong as a mid-rank monster from the demon realm?"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
At such absurdity, Selion clicked his tongue.
"A monster from the demon realm is the kind of beast that not even ten people like could take down! What possible reason do you have to say sothing like that?"
"What...?"
At that, Rio—until now full of killing intent—looked utterly shocked.
If that was really true, it would explain why this guy was so weak.
"Don't you even know that monsters from the Imperial Court's territory and those from the demon realm are classified at different ranks? That ans demon realm monsters are a whole different class of monster! Soone like couldn't even beat a low-rank demon realm monster!"
"...."
Rio was left speechless.
Was there really that big a difference between monsters from the demon realm and the Imperial Court's territory?
Rio turned to Louis as if begging for explanation.
"Is it true?"
"I suppose so."
To begin with, the demon realm was an environnt where weak beings simply couldn't survive.
Rio had just been too used to that side to realize.
"But Pram said there are lots of people like us in the academy...."
"She must have been mistaken."
What Pram actually said was 'people the sa age,' not 'with the sa skills'.
Rio had just interpreted the sentence in a way that suited her.
"That brat Pram... lied to ...."
At that, Rio's face flushed with anger.
"I'm not letting her off when I get back."
Poor Pram, becoming the target for no good reason.
Of course, there was soone even more pitiable right now.
"What a waste of ti. How are you going to take responsibility for this?"
"W-what?"
Why is she yelling at ?
Selion, at least, hadn't actually done anything wrong in this regard.
"You pretended to be strong all this ti, but you're actually weak. Do you know how much you made feel disappointed?"
"How is that my fault... kuhek!!"
But Rio didn't care about that and kicked Selion in the face.
One of his teeth flew through the air, blood spurting out.
On top of that, a fracture ford in his facial bones and he was left almost crying from the pain.
"You're the one who deceived . So why are you the one whining?"
"I really am—kaaagh!!"
Before he could finish, Rio stomped on his palm.
"I was tricked. I was betrayed by you all whom I'd hoped for. So take responsibility."
"Why... kuhk!"
Realizing he couldn't communicate with her at all, Selion shed even more tears.
Anyone could see it was Rio who had misunderstood, yet Selion was being treated like a criminal and beaten.
"Help... ...."
Having had his face smashed in, Selion mumbled as he looked at Louis.
In fact, from Louis' perspective, he had to stop Rio, so he intervened montarily.
Then he asked Selion,
"Then what do you think when you look at those guys?"
Louis pointed at the male and female students whom Selion had beaten before.
eting their eyes, Selion suddenly shouted.
"What are you staring at!! Do I look like a joke to you?!"
He should be apologizing, but instead, he was barking at them.
Seeing that, Louis didn't try to stop Rio.
"Rio. Just do whatever you want."
"Okay."
In the end, Rio beat Selion until so of his bones were broken.
Selion's screams echoed through the forest, but nobody ca to help.
Just like when those two students had suffered earlier.
****
The next day. Silia, working undercover as a teacher, let out a sigh in the daylight.
[Teacher Talia, the advisor for Rio, please co to the conference room imdiately.]
Regardless of the troubleso situation Silia was dragged into, Louis was waiting in secret for soone at the academy's entrance.
"You're quick to arrive."
"You're the one who said to hurry."
Ferus arrived at the academy right on schedule and t up with Louis in secret.
Suddenly, Louis rubbed his eyes and took out a lens.
"These are really uncomfortable. My eyes hurt when I sleep with them in."
"Then just take them out when you sleep."
"I'd feel anxious doing that."
Louis handed the lens over to Ferus.
"This is the only evidence."
Ferus opened the lid of the crystal pendant hanging from his neck and put in the lens, which he received from Rio.
"I'll ask you for a favor in a bit."
"Alright."
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