Without looking back at Emilia calling their names, the three of them left the auditorium.
âKahaha! I see the rumors were true, the Hero Academy has gotten rough around the edges. But I must say, this dragon-slaying request does sound fairly interesting. So this is what weâll be focusing on during this school exchange program.â (Eldmed)
Eldmed was completely unconcerned with the current mess, and was about to move on to the lesson.
âSo what say you, Emilia-sensei? At the rate things are going now, the soldiers of the royal palace will probably start subjugating the dragons only when they realize that the Hero Academy is unable to handle them. But if we wait until then, all the students will all have gone to the great beyond. Donât you think we should teach them how to defeat dragons somehow?â (Eldmed)
Emilia looked troubled at Eldmedâs question.
âWell⊠Of course, but⊠I have never seen or even heard about dragons beforeâŠâ (Emilia)
âKahaha! Leave that part to the Demon King Academy! Shin-sensei here has slain over ten thousand ancient dragons under the command of the Demon King of Tyranny two thousand years ago. In other words, heâs a specialist in dragon slaying. With his guidance, they should be able to slay a dragon or two easily in about ten days or so.â (Eldmed)
Emilia looked at Shin with a look of surprise on her face.
âHow about you, Shin-sensei? Any tips you can give on how to defeat dragons? Or any weaknesses you know of?â(Eldmed)
âAllow me.â Shin answered like it was obvious, and used magic to draw an illustration of a dragon on the blackboard.
âA dragonâs body is covered in robust scales, but it has a unique weak spot on one part of its neck. You can easily slice its head off by running your sword through that spot. Dragons are enormous, and their neck is thicker than the blade of a sword, but it should be enough for you to slice through half of it.â (Shin)
âAnd there you have it. Just figure out where that weak spot is, and the rest will be easy. Khahaha!â (Eldmed)
The students felt somewhat relieved after hearing Shin and Eldmedâs explanations, as if they believed they had a chance of succeeding.
And most of all, having an instructor experienced in dragon slaying accompany them would be more reassuring than having human soldiers come along.
ââŠSay, I just had a thought. Isnât it pretty incredible that Shin could cut them down while expressly avoiding their scales?â Sasha blurted out next to me.
âCalling dragon scales hard would be an understatement, after all. But I think cutting them down is nothing difficult for him. Itâs just that he wants to avoid anything that would survive his blade and dull its edge.â Lay replied.
âEither way, I really donât want a direct confrontation with a monster that makes Shin choose a particular spot to cut it downâŠâ (Sasha)
âAhaha⊠It may not be a problem for us, but Eldmed-sensei is planning to have the other students perform the same feat like itâs normal, huh.â Misa said.
âNot to mention, he said that heâll make sure theyâre capable of slaying dragons in ten days or so like itâs nothing, but heâs definitely going to make his lessons so hard theyâll die.â Eleonore followed.
âThatâs nothing. If they die, all theyâll need is to have the <Resurrection Ingall> cast on them.â I said.
âHarsh.â Misha muttered.
âItâs not just harsh. Itâs downright evil.â Sasha commented with a sigh.
âStill, though I think the Conflagration King will also intervene when that happens, you guys should be careful not to get devoured.â (Anos)
âWell, of course I donât want to get devoured by dragons, but⊠Is there another reason youâre warning us about it?â (Sasha)
Sasha looked anxious about my reply.
âDragons possess a peculiar digestive system. When eating their prey, they consume their sources as well. And once theyâre digested, their owners canât be revived.â (Anos)
ââŠThis is horrible.â (Sasha)
Sasha clutched her own head.
âUm⊠Eldmed-sensei.â (Emilia)
Emilia, who was about to walk up the podium, stopped in her tracks and spoke up.
âCan I ask you to replace me for the rest of the class please? I wonât be long⊠Iâll just bring those delinquents back.â (Emilia)
âKhahaha! Sure, sure, I donât mind. I see youâre quite devoted to your students. The three who left might die if they donât learn about dragons, after all. Of course you would be worried about them.â (Eldmed)
ââŠIâm not worried. Itâs simply that if any student dies, I will be held responsible.â (Emilia)
Eldmed cackled at that.
âThose who act in self-preservation are better than those who only think but never act. Now off you go, Emilia-sensei.â (Eldmed)
After nodding in response, Emilia left the auditorium.
âHmm⊠I wonder if Ledriano-kun and the others will actually come back.â Eleonore asked herself in worry.
âThey are all⊠turning delinquent⊠in their⊠rebellious phaseâŠâ Zeshia commented, adding to Eleonoreâs worries.
âOn that note, I donât think Emilia-sensei is fitting in at all in the Hero Academy, so why did you assign her here? Didnât she come and seek an audience with you specifically to ask you to save her?â Sasha asked.
âWell, I thought Iâd give her a taste of misery.â (Anos)
âAre you a devil?!â (Sasha)
âItâs a bit drastic, sure. But there are things people donât notice without going through that. Doing it the gentle way wouldnât help her at this point.â (Anos)
Sasha pondered my remark.
âDonât worry, if this doesnât work, Iâll just keep at it until I come up with another way to save her.â (Anos)
As I laughed like a typical Demon King, Sasha looked at me with a slight look of discomfort.