Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Everyday life without Ossan, part 5

Adjacent to the Istor Magic Academy’s High School section, there is a research building made for the exclusive use of the students with the highest academic performance.

The main purpose of this building was to encourage talented young magicians to develop their skills to a higher level, but it has now become a cesspool where factions only quibble at each other.

The members of the research-oriented Saint-Germain faction with their ‘not my business’ policy, continue to focus solely on their research. But, besides them, there is another faction that has been particularly notorious for its obsession towards certain extreme beliefs – the Weissler faction.

At one point a faction created by magicians aiming to nurture the next generation of young magic users who would carry the duties of the defense of the nation and the study of military tactics on their shoulders, but, somewhere along the way, they ended up changing into a group of magician supremacists. The reason for this could be attributed to the discovery of the plans for the magic circle of a wide-range annihilation magic in an ancient historical ruin. However, the reality of the situation was that said magic circle was just an incomplete prototype.

In the first place, it could be said that there exist great differences between the dimensions of the historic ruins from the past.

From the period of the start of civilization to the era of wars fueled by territorial conflicts; the times of prosperity where many people lived in harmony to the dawn of destruction. This magic circle dated back to the early days of mankind, where said technology was still in its infancy.

At that time, still, only the mana inside the body was being used for the practice of magic, and due to that, the technique of using nature’s mana, which was born during the warring period, was not employed. Besides, naturally, this magic circle was made under the basis of requiring several magicians to administer mana into it in order to be activated, and yet, it was exactly because of this reason that this wide-range annihilation magic possessed a big flaw.

Mana has the property of being able to transform into different attributes, but at the same time, it has the disposition of being influenced by the mind. If several magicians were to use magic at the same time, their minds would have to be synchronized on the same plane, which in theory could be achieved by lining shoulder-to-shoulder and rouse each other’s spirits at the time of casting the spell. Nevertheless, it was impossible for the minds of multiple magicians to be in perfect synchronization with one another at the same time.

Each person’s mind has its own unique wavelength, and it’s inconceivable for them to be the same. Unlike uniting their hearts to accomplish a common goal, this would mean that multiple people had to become the exact same individual in order to be synchronized with each other. Obviously, such an event was extremely unlikely to happen.

(*T.N: keep in mind that the word used for mind is 精神[seishin] which can also mean spirit and soul, so it’s a bit of a more mystical term)

In short, the individualities of each magician became the shackles that made it impossible to activate this magic circle.

Hence, the wide-range extermination spells developed during the warring period were mainly based on the usage of nature’s mana, yet the resultant magic circles became so monstrously huge that they were only used as artillery batteries attached to forts.

If they were to be compared to modern armament, they would be like short-range ballistic missiles.

(*T.N: this thing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-range_ballistic_missile)

With the start of the Evil God War, magic tools were invented to produce magic circles, but their power was next to nothing in front of the Evil God, and so, they were defeated.

After such large-scale devastation, wide-range annihilation spells forever vanished from the annals of history, leaving behind only the unfinished artifacts that could be unearthed from ancient historical ruins once in a blue moon. But, what the Weissler faction was unaware of was the fact that most of these things dating back from the period of the dawn of civilization were objects of merely historical value.

Of course, the magic circle could be improved, making it possible to more or less activate it, however, it wouldn’t reach a level in which it could be used in a real battle.

It left one to wonder how could they possibly use a magic circle, that was only capable of emitting a faint light, to attack. But, even so, they harbored no doubts about its usability.

To put it simply, they grew arrogant after getting a useless, defective toy on their hands.

It was still tolerable if only one person became impertinent because of it, but it was bound to transform into a problem if a lot of people also become that way. As such, it didn’t take long for them to turn into a group of mere miscreants.

Brainwashing magic was being used behind the scenes, but even so, their movements had become strange recently.

“Don’t screw with me, Samtroll! You’re just throwing away your soldiers!! Take it seriously, you bastard!!”

“What’s wrong with my plan!? The knights and the levied peasants are merely disposable pieces!”

“What you’re describing is nothing but a suicide charge!! And why is that goddamned wide-range annihilation magic we have no clue how to use added into the strategy as well!?”

The so-called ‘absurd tactics meeting’ by the rest of the factions. It’s a strategy discussion meeting that is held by the Weissler faction.

“Yeah, we also think the same!! And now that I think about it, how is it that all of your strategy targets are so incredibly convenient? Are they even possible to implement in practice? Besides, you didn’t even think about the possibility of troops lying in ambush. How can you be sure that the enemy will be incompetent!?”

“Wouldn’t your shitty strategy only work against bandits!? A war between nations wouldn’t be so simple!”

At the previous tactics meeting, the people who were brainwashed were profoundly shaken by Zweit’s opportune debunking of their hitherto established theories, and the more earnest magicians have started to re-examine history from the beginning.

(*T.N: not really sure; I’m more inclined to say that “history” refers to the history of military tactics or maybe even their faction’s history; 真面目な魔導士達は一から歴史を見直す事を始めた。)

Then, they looked at their strategies from different points of view and finally started to realize how shallow and thoughtless, the tactics they had been formulating so far, were.

In turn, the weakening of the brainwashing magic produced a tremendous tear within the faction, and eventually, more people started to break free from said spell one after the other. Thus, the faction was currently split in two: the realists and the idealists, who were engaging in a fierce debate at the moment.

The former group is composed of the ones that are focused on facts and logical arguments just like Zweit, while the latter is the group siding with Samtroll. However, now that the effects of the brainwashing magic had begun to disappear, Samtroll has been gradually losing his minions. On the other hand, Zweit suddenly rising to the position of the representative of the realist camp, has caused Samtroll to be completely exasperated.

“Since our military strength is limited, we should also keep in mind our hypothetic enemy’s war potential. Your strategy is no different from just putting an incompetent commander in charge of the troops, I’m completely against it!”

“You bastard, who do you think you’re talking to—”

“You’re just an academy student, right!? Here, things like being a noble or a commoner, having power or not, don’t mean a thing! In the first place, wasn’t your own House’s intention to contribute to the defense of the country by helping formulate realistic strategies!? Are you repudiating your own family!?”

“Ugh…”

When the brainwashing magic was still in effect, they were close to being perfectly submissive, but once it was dispelled, the backlash against Samtroll, as they bared their fangs against him, was even greater.

To make matters worse, the fact that Buhlmite was a user of brainwashing magic had started spreading.

The ability of magicians to perceive the flow of mana is relatively high, even at that instant, there were people observing his movements. In order to brainwash them again, he would have to use his magic while interacting with them, but in such a situation where he was being actively monitored, even a small amount of mana was likely to be detected. In that state, it was exceedingly difficult for Buhlmite to use his magic again.

“Since we don’t know if we can use the wide-range annihilation spell, it’s pointless to include that power into our strategy.”

“I concur! This doesn’t make any sense. Any plan that’s based on wasting away our war potential is not worth even discussing.”

“Agreed. The assumption of the enemy’s military strength is too naive. We should take into account that the opponent is human.”

“I also agree. To begin with, how can 100,000 soldiers be defeated by a small contingent? It’s strange, right?”

Once a distortion is created, the ripples start to spread rapidly. Some of those on Samtroll’s side also began to agree, utterly smashing his plans and driving him into a corner. The foundation he had built collapsed like a house of cards.

“This strategy isn’t worth even arguing about, Zweit could do it far better than this.”

“This is despicable. The strategy pretty much assumes total annihilation, right?”

“But, it makes sense. It puts emphasis on how we can reduce the damage to our allies, and how long they can survive in a desperate situation.”

“You can fight another day as long as you’re alive. It’s quite realistic as it also makes us keep in mind the restoration of the country.”

“Compared to him… you’re too immature, Samtroll.”

This was the outcome of trying to obtain a position of power without putting any actual work.

Incidentally, Zweit was currently not inside this research building. He was banned from coming to avoid him saying anything unnecessary that could jeopardize Samtroll’s plans, but be that as it may, Zweit and the rest of the students could still converse freely as they see each other regularly in the dormitory.

From there, they formed a group dedicated to the study of tactics, and currently, they are being consistently harassed.

This ripple was sure to spread even further, nonetheless…

After a while, the tactics meeting was finally adjourned, but Samtroll continued to glare at his detractors in bitterness until they left.

“Damn it!! That fucking Zweit, he had to blab about unnecessary shit!”

“They’ve also completely figured out what my magic is. They kept watching me the whole time.”

“Fuck… Still, there’s nothing I can do about it. He’s the Duke’s son, he knew I wouldn’t be able to touch him… Damn it!”

The resentment against Zweit ran deep. And yet, the more self-centered and arrogant one is, the stronger this tendency presented itself, and the more one would forget about the things that are less convenient to one’s views.

He was the one to first scheme aginst Zweit. It was his own fault, so to speak, yet he was too foolish to realize that fact.

“Then, what do we do? If we move, they’ll immediately suspect us.”

“There’s an annual event coming up soon, right? We’ll make our move then.”

“I see… We can make it look like an accidental death.”

“It’s dangerous to touch him now, so leave him be for the time being.”

They decided to use their last resort. It was an unforgivable and inhumane act, but that never crossed their minds, they, who were blinded by their lust for power.

In a room with no one else but them, a devious scheme was brewing in secret.

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“Hey, Kreuz, what will you do about the combat training drill?”

“I’m not interested in participating… I want to continue with my research, it’s just a waste of time to partake in that kind of event.”

Kreuz, the research hikikomori, replies in a gloomy tone as he turns his head back to reading dictionaries of each race’s ancient languages.

He wasn’t very good at any physical exercise-related activities, though he took pride in his nature being fit for doing research. And yet, he still sighs with a cloudy expression as he remembers that those with excellent grades in the Academy are forced to participate.

The combat training drill was an event he was not grateful for.

“It’s not an event everyone has to participate in, and yet you’re forced to go, huh?”

“And that’s exactly the issue. What is the point of having researchers pile up combat experience? And the rest of the students don’t have to participate? It’s absurd.”

“But, you know, Kreuz-kun. Shouldn’t you build up stamina a little bit? Even now you still have muscle pain, don’t you?”

“If it is for the sake of research, I’ll show you that I can endure at least this much. The likes of a combat training drill… what a joke… Are you coming too, by the way, Selina?”

“I’ll pass. Sounds like a pain.”

While trying to send people to the combat training drill, the person herself refuses to join.

Kreuz couldn’t help but be envious of the people with average grades, seeing that they were not compelled to participate. He regretted that if he had known that things were going to end up that way, he would have adjusted the number of credits he earned.

“In my case, I have to go. I skipped classes way too much and now I’m screwed with my credits.”

“Makarov… I think that’s just you reaping what you sow. You’re always slacking off.”

“I take alchemy, though?”

“Or put in another way∼, that’s the only lecture you take, isn’t it, Makarov-kun?”

“Leave me alone!”

Makarov gets worked up after receiving Yi Ling’s teasing. Although he has only been attending to one subject’s lectures, in actuality, he’s one of the top students in terms of grades.

He’s an excellent student, however, given that he wanted to land in a good job, he didn’t have any interest in other lectures. And perhaps for that reason, he often had to ask for Kreuz’s help the day before the exams.

“Oh, this magic character is… isn’t it similar to the ones from this ancient language right here?”

“Could you tell me which race’s language it is, please?”

“The elves, it seems∼. This character means… ‘Wind,’ maybe∼?”

“Ah, here too. It’s the language of the dwarves, ‘Convergence.’”

“I found one too. The beastmen’s… ‘Power,’ I wonder?”

The four of them divided up the work of deciphering the magic characters: searching the texts that are the most similar to the magic characters and setting them aside to use them as a reference for the deciphering process.

“As expected, they were ‘words’ after all. Magic characters are the precursors of ancient languages, what do you guys think?”

“Wait a minute, then, what about the general knowledge of the magic formulas we’ve learned? Was it pointless?”

“I wouldn’t say that, though it means that what we’ve been learning so far was fairly misguided.”

“Then, what are these incomprehensible characters? I can’t read them at all.”

“Those must have probably been tampered with afterward. That’s why these words don’t appear to hold any meaning now.”

(*T.N: tampering as in altering with malicious intention.)

Selina and Makarov, who had been studying magic at this Academy, were shocked by that revelation. They were both top of their respective classes when it came to grades, but this was tantamount to telling them that all of what they have been trying so hard to learn was meaningless.

And although Makarov wasn’t as shocked as Selina, he was definitely surprised nonetheless.

“Hmm? But Kreuz’s siblings had already deciphered them, right? Didn’t you know already how to do it, Kreuz-kun∼?”

“I could have learned how if I had gone to my family’s state during the Summer vacation. Sadly, I missed that chance.”

“In other words, does that mean that the two of them had another magician to teach them the deciphering method of magic formulas? No way, right?”

“Yeah, I know right? If such an excellent magician existed, there’s bound to be rumors about him…”

“He’s sort of like a wandering magician, I suppose. I heard that he was a magician who would put to test his dangerous spells on an actual battlefield.”

All of them were at a loss of words. Supposing that this was true, it would mean that there was an unknown magician with great wisdom and profound knowledge regarding magic out there.

If that fact were to come to light, the existence itself of the Academy might be put into question.

Put differently, if an unknown magician was able to decipher magic formulas, it would mean that the things taught at the Academy fall behind this anonymous magician’s knowledge, prompting the trust put in the Academy to hit rock bottom. And, although that is not to say that absolutely everything was false, around 60% of what was taught in the lectures would become meaningless information. If that were to happen, even the factions, let alone the Academy, would be subjected to criticism.

“Hmm, though Grandfather is also a magician. It seems like the deciphering method is already in his hands, or at least I have the feeling that it is now.”

“The Solisthea faction, huh?… Seems like it’s gonna grow much bigger.”

“From what I heard, apparently the sources of funding for each of the factions have been thoroughly crushed.”

“That was my father’s work, I believe. Well, I’m sure we’ll be fine. If we’re talking about the fundamentals of magic research, it’s already drilled in our heads, isn’t it?”

“In that case, The Weissler faction will become the target… right?”

The Weissler faction had been stirring up quite the clamor recently. In the streets, the hoodlum-wannabes were running rampant, causing the military police* to also be mobilized.

(*T.N: 憲兵; In this context I’d say it refers to the feudal lord’s soldiers tasked with the protection of peace and order, the original meaning refers to a police force from the imperial Japan that was inspired by the Frenchs’ gendarmeries.)

Moreover, it appears that a division is starting to form within the faction, with none other than Kreuz’s brother, Zweit, at its center.

“I’ve talked with my brother a couple of times, and apparently some kind of brainwashing magic, a psychic-type of bloodline magic, was being used. And, I guess that he started pressing them hard now that he broke free from the spell.”

“Oi, isn’t that a crime!?”

“Yeah! Is completely forbidden to use magic on other people, right!?”

“Psychic-type magic doesn’t leave any evidence behind. Though, the effects can be canceled by a strong mental shock. Besides, it’s possible that he might be intentionally trying to create a commotion.”

The effects of psychic magic didn’t last particularly long. Since the agent that affected the mind was mana itself, even a temporary agitation would make it exceedingly difficult to maintain the brainwashing magic for a long time.

That is because people have emotions, hence their mana also possesses the tendency of fluctuating disorderly according to them, which in some cases, also affected their magic. If it is an intense emotion, like anger, its offensive ability will temporarily increase, and conversely, when sadness is experienced, its effects will be reduced.

In that way, if the brainwashing magic is not continuously used on a regular basis, its effects will be gradually dissolved by the target’s internal mana.

Ripples started spreading with Zweit as the center, eventually becoming waves as the minds of the ones put under the spell were released from its grasp, and their anger directed at the main culprit.

The problem was that said main culprit was now playing the victim card, in turn aggravating the true victims even further, and escalating the situation into a state of internal division.

However, no matter how much Samtroll and his lackeys struggle to reverse the situation, the tide might no longer be stoppable at this point.

“But, you know∼ about Samtroll, I haven’t been hearing good rumors about him lately∼ Did you hear too∼?”

“Yeah, I heard he has ties to the underworld.”

“Something like he was seen having dinner with someone shady like that, right? And that he was having a discussion about making a deal or something.”

“Well, let’s pray we don’t end up being dragged into that. More importantly, your hands have stopped, you know? This is also part of the research, so please make sure to do it properly.”

(*T.N: ‘we’ as in their faction)

Urged by Kreuz, they once again continue with their task of deciphering magic characters.

“By the way∼, it’s almost noon. Are you going to eat here?”

“Is it that time already? Let’s see… Let’s eat in the Academy’s cafeteria, you two are inviting.”

“Ugh. You know, this month I’m kinda struggling to make ends meet, so… ”

“Me too… I bought too many things this month, so, you see…”

“This is your punishment for spreading strange rumors. Be grateful that you weren’t sued.”

Selina and Markov ended up agreeing to split the bill in two.

It was due to their loose mouths that strange rumors about Kreuz were spread, so in a way, they were getting their just deserts.

(*T.N: I thought the rumors were about Zweit and Celestina and that the culprit was yi ling. I legit can’t picture this whole scene. I’m sure I didn’t miss anything tho)

The two of them, the root of all evil, continued to buy Kreuz and the others lunch for a while.

Truly, out of the mouth comes evil.

(*T.N: 口は禍の元であった。can also be translated as ‘root of all evil,’ and it’s a reference to Matthew 15:18 as well I guess https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/gills-exposition-of-the-bible/matthew-15-18.html , which basically means, PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP OR YOU’LL REGRET IT . That’s probably the pun here.)

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“Did you hear? Apparently, those guys from the Weissler faction are having an internal conflict.”

“I heard that Duke Solisthea’s son and Marquess Weissler’s useless son are opposing each other.”

“Hm? Didn’t the Duke’s son also have a rotten personality?”

“The rumors say that apparently he was put under a brainwashing spell along with the other members of the faction.”

“Seriously? Isn’t that violating the rules of the Academy!?”

(*T.N: wouldn’t it be an actual crime before that?)

As the actual size of the Academy was smaller than what it might seem, such rumors spread quickly. The many small-sized factions, that could be called ‘weak factions,’ in particular had been keeping a close eye on the movements of these two major factions.

“If I’m not mistaken, it was a conflict of opposing opinions within the faction, right?”

“I heard that Samtroll was exposed for being in cahoots with an underworld organization, and also that the members have begun pushing for an internal reform.”

“What I heard is that this fucking piece of shit Samtroll extorted Zweit-sama into having sexual relations with him against his will.”

(*T.N: the speaker is a woman.)

“Eh? I heard that Zweit-sama converted to the ‘muscle faction,’ you know, the gachimuchi…*slurp* ♡”

(*T.N: a woman too, and gachimuchi are super macho men, mostly gay, though. Also, both words, muscle/body and sexual relations, have the kanjis 肉体 in them.)

It would seem that some of the rumors were merely baseless gossips, though, within a few days, they were already spreading throughout the Academy. And the reason was:

“Hey, Dio… By any chance, did you tell anyone about the brainwashing magic thing? And that it doesn’t leave any evidence behind?”

“Uh… I might have gotten carried away a little. When you went to the bathroom, I unintentionally…”

“Nah, I don’t really care that much about that, but what the actual hell are these latest rumors? When the fuck did I became obsessed with physical beauty*!?”

(*T.N: again, the word physical beauty has the kanjis 肉体 in it. You can probably guess what the joke is, but it makes zero sense in English. TL;DR: og rumor is he gay, but it now is that he ‘awakened to physical beauty and muscles’ instead of awakening to pps)

“Maybe people saw you doing your daily sword practice. Even if it’s early morning, there are probably other students that wake up that early, right?”

“And how the fuck that lead to having a hard-on for gachimuchi!? And also, now people even think I’m gay!”

“That rumor about you being… uhh, ‘light in the loafers,’ is nothing but Samtroll’s cheap ploy, right? Don’t pay attention to it. Though… that asshole might involve me in it too before long…”

In Dio’s case, he wanted to avoid looking like he was in a strange relationship with his close friend. If such a thing reaches Celestina’s ears, he would have no choice but to hang himself.

(*T.N: yeah, it actually says that もはや首を吊るしかなくなる)

It was the same for Zweit, he wanted those kinds of rumors to disappear as soon as possible.

“More importantly, what are you going to do about the combat training drill? Do you even know how to hold a sword?”

“Yeah, I don’t think fighting is my thing. But the thing is, I don’t wanna die, so I’m still joining either way.”

“…Never seen you going to the combat practice, when do you go?”

“I go three times a week, but it’s probably by the time you’re taking your other lectures. It also really helped that we have people who know how to handle a weapon in our faction.”

“I think it’s good for you to be training, but if you underestimate real combat you’re gonna die for real, you know?”

Zweit recalls the combat training with the Golems. The hellish days of endlessly fighting hordes of Golems that kept regenerating until they managed to destroy their cores.

Nevertheless, he was satisfied that thanks to that, he learned the 【 Swordsmanship 】 and 【 Hand-to-Hand Combat 】 skills, and was able to become able to use them proficiently.

(T.N: 剣術[kenjutsu] and 格闘[kakutou] respectively)

He was thrilled that he was definitely getting stronger, and he had a really good smile on his face whenever he was able to feel the solid feedback of his sword being transmitted through his hands whenever he wielded it.

By coming up with methods of how to fight while using magic at the same time, putting them to the test, and tackling the issues that arise, he was steadily gaining strength. He also has been taking the initiative to attend other lectures, such as alchemy and medicine compounding*, which he felt were essential.

(*T.N: 薬術[yakujutsu] literally ‘way or art of creating medicine,’ it doesn’t refer to medical science but to fantasy ‘herb doctors’ that make healing potions and shit.)

“What kinda training did you go through, Zweit? You said Golems were used in it, but usually, only a few can be used at a time, isn’t it?”

“There was a difference of heaven and earth between this magician and ordinary ones. I had to endlessly fight against 30 Golems at the same time.”

“Normally that would be impossible, you know? Just what is that magician?”

“It’s better if you don’t know. He’s seriously a monster. The Academy’s lecturers, like, don’t even hold a candle to him.”

“If he can do something like that, he should be super famous by now, why is his name so unknown, though?”

“Because if he were someone in power, he wouldn’t be able to do his research or move freely. He could make money by selling monsters’ materials and there wouldn’t be any uproar if he were to become a mercenary either. He could go fighting all across the country if he wanted to.”

Dio couldn’t picture in his mind how the magician who trained Zweit looked like. He has heard nothing but outlandish tales, and given that they were so preposterous, he never believed them.

However, since Celestina, who couldn’t use magic before, was made into the Academy’s ‘genius girl’ in just two months, it was not at all far-fetched to say that he was leagues above the Academy’s lecturers in terms of ability.

“Even with this blessed environment, it seems like the research of magical technology hasn’t progressed much, so after all, I wonder if the problem is with the quality of the lecturers.”

“I guess. A researcher would think of any possible way of obtaining research funds despite the situation they’re in if the need appears, and if they’re mercenaries, there’s loads of good prey to hunt.”

“From monsters, you can get stuff like materials and magic stones, and depending on the prey, yeah, you can actually make bank. But, it’s just that your shishou is way too insane.”

“And it seems like for him it’s a hobby he has out of self-satisfaction, you know? He’s in a realm that green hands like us could never understand.”

“Honestly, I don’t really wanna meet that shishou of yours.”

“Nah, before that there’s a better chance of running into my grandfather.”

After that, neither of them said anything for a while until it was time to head to the Academy’s training grounds, where about fifty people from the Weissler faction had gathered.

“There you are. You’re late, Zweit.”

“My bad. Took me a while to find Dio. He was off training somewhere.”

“I see… But, why does he look like he’s about to die?”

“He’s fine, don’t worry. He merely stepped on the tiger’s tail and now he’s escaping reality…”

“I have no clue about what you’re talking about.”

Dio’s fate was in the hands of a single crazed old man.

“More importantly, let’s start with the close-quarters combat lecture. You must be in high-spirits since hand-to-hand combat isn’t such a popular subject at the Academy, right, lecturer Bourbon*?”

(*T.N: バーバン)

“Until now, only the chirping of birds could be heard around here, so yeah, you being so eager to start with the lecture makes me quite happy, to be honest.”

The students members of the Weissler faction that were already gathered were amazingly muscular…

Er, anyway… A magician who could be perfectly described by the words ‘gachimuchi skinhead,’ approached Zweit will smiling delightfully.

Incidentally, his robe looked like it was about to be ripped apart by his bulging muscles.

Although he was supposed to be a magician, no matter how one looked at it, his appearance was one of a seasoned warrior who has roamed across countless battlefields.

“Let’s start! In response to your fervent enthusiasm, I will earnestly drill the basics of hand-to-hand combat into your heads!”

“Please. If it becomes a retreating battle, we would have to protect ourselves from the pursuing enemy soldiers. It’s also possible that the enemy might use magic tools to conceal their appearance, so if push comes to shove, we have to be prepared for an open battle.”

“Umu! Good job noticing that, I’m glad you did. These days, all the students think that they can just shoot magic from the rear, but you can’t afford to be that naive on a real battlefield.

Depending on the situation, we could be forced to consider either withdrawing or acting as the rearguard. Magicians with paper-thin defense will definitely be in danger if brought to a melee! That’s why knowing hand-to-hand combat is crucial if you want to live.”

“If we imagine a situation in which we have to go to the frontlines in order to minimize the damage to our allies, a more flexible style of combat that emphasizes mobility is more desirable, right?”

“Certainly, that’s true. But you lot are magicians, you don’t have to fight like knights, right? No matter what you do, don’t forget that the most important thing you have to do is supporting your allies.”

“““Yes!”””

“Good answer. I will train you thoroughly before the outdoors training drill. Are you ready!?”

“““Yes, sir!”’’’

(*T.N: said in engrish)

It went in a strange direction somehow, which gave Zweit a bad feeling about the situation. Nevertheless, in this way, the training begins.

It was later said that on this day, in a certain part of the Academy, a certain person’s verbal abuse echoed loudly.

The shouts of abuse, that could not be said to be commendable at all, continued for two days until the start of the outdoors training drill… along with the screams of the students……