Chapter 4: In this world, the weak have no rights (1).
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The environment is painted with bright light; the sunlight shone, reducing the coldness in the bodies of the creatures.
Although it is already noon, the coldness of winter remains, albeit slightly.
The sun rose to its zenith and began emitting more heat.
It was easy to guess that spring was beginning to arrive just by seeing the vitality of the trees and plants gradually increasing.
"The sky is truly clear today."
The supervising teacher, Deus, smiled while observing the vast blue expanse.
Even from his office window, he could enjoy the view.
Not a single cloud in the sky; the clarity of the sky could be seen just by looking at it.
Sometimes the sounds of birds chirping could be heard.
The reflection of the sunlight painted the environment with a beautiful light, while the wind made a faint rustling sound.
"It's truly beautiful."
This nature had strange powers—making one fear it and, at the same time, making one love it.
Its strange magic was always desirable.
This was beauty; this was the captivating magic of nature.
It captivates the eyes, makes breaths slow down in wonder.
That was nature from Professor Deus's window.
He wanted to sip a cup of tea and calm his nerves; the sound of the birds was like a lullaby.
Perhaps a nap wouldn't hurt.
He wanted that; he really wanted that, but…
"Leave me alone!! Let me go, you scoundrels!"
"Tie him up well! He may seem docile, but he has brutal physical strength! Don't treat him like a human! Don't treat him like a human at all!"
"Hold his head! Above his forehead, he won't bite there! Can't you hear me? I told you the head!"
Clack!
Strong human teeth appeared, immediately trying to tear the hand that tried to touch his head.
"Watch out! He bites! This beast bites humans!"
"…No, he's human like you. Why are you treating him like animal tamers now?"
A person's voice came out faintly, as if feeling pity for the "poor fellow" being tied up.
"Human, huh! Are you joking with me? As long as you're lenient, do your duty! Take him then!"
Before the person who felt pity had any time to explain his position, he was left with the "poor fellow" to tie him up.
Clack!
"Wait—ouch! No! My ear! Don't bite me! Aaaah, get your filthy mouth away from me—!!"
He felt that his earlobe would tear; blood flowed from his ear. The blood boiled inside his body from anger as the damned beast struck hard!
Alas, this didn't reduce the ferocity of the tied-up beast.
Instead, his ferocity only increased, and he started throwing punches and kicks as he could.
"Leave me alone! Leave me alone, or I'll bite you to death!"
"…Forget it! This scoundrel needs taming!"
'What did I say earlier? Huh?'
'You're lucky. He almost broke my arm earlier.'
'Humph, human, they say. The elders were right when they said that life is a joke from afar and a tragedy up close!'
The colleagues of the person whose ear was bitten stared arrogantly, and their gazes conveyed their feelings.
'You scoundrels… I almost lost my ear because of you!'
The victim silently protested while looking at his companions like a dog betrayed by its own kind.
Unfortunately, there was no time to protest or quarrel now.
The situation of the "beast needing restraint" didn't help to reduce the noise.
'What a mess.'
Professor Deus sighed resentfully but didn't look behind him.
What was behind him was a scuffle to tie up what was supposed to be a "person."
In the eyes of the supervising professor Deus, he imagined the image of a wild animal resisting being tied up.
'Why did today have to be clear? Huh?'
Why? If it were a stormy day, his motivation to work would be greater.
But to have a clear sky while I have to tie up this scoundrel?
Life is often not fair; damn it!
Supervising teacher Deus smiled brightly as he looked at the sky.
Ugh, despite my complaints, I must stick to the plan; sighed…
"Aaaah! Leave me alone! You son of a bitch! My ear! My ear will bleed like this!"
One of those who tried to tie up Leon was immediately bitten on the ear.
This scoundrel had a terrifying habit of biting people's ears!
Do you have a vendetta against ears or what? Huh?!
'Just stay still, and let us tie you up calmly!'
"Leave me alone first! You're assaulting children! Save me! I'm being assaulted!"
"Shut his damn mouth!"
Professor Deus yelled because of the noise.
"What? Assault?! Do you think you would be tied up like this if you hadn't hurt the other students! Huh?!"
Professor Deus reprimanded sharply while staring fiercely at the perpetrator.
Look at your age before saying this, you scoundrel!
Anyone who hears you will think you haven't made a mistake, truly!
The reason for his infamy as a foul-mouthed professor began to appear.
"It was self-defense! They attacked me first—umm!"
The mouth of the boy, who was, of course, Leon Evenius, was covered while he grumbled and resisted the rope tied to him.
"No! Before that, why am I the only one being treated like this? These scoundrels didn't get what I got; this is unfair!"
After removing the hand that covered his mouth, Leon protested while staring to his right.
In that direction, four people were sitting calmly and mocking what was happening.
"Don't even involve us in this; we didn't resist unlike you, so you deserve this because you…"
"Shut up, student, or I'll tie you up next."
"…Sorry, I'll be quiet."
What one of the seated people wanted to say was quickly suppressed by one of Deus's men.
"I don't care! Leave me alone! Leave me alone, you scoundrels!"
Leon began to rage again.
"I-it's too strong! He'll escape like this!"
"Enough! Needle! Bring the tranquilizer needle quickly before this damned beast rages!"
"No! No! Leave me alone! I'm going to—… I'll… eliminate you—… huuum… fwoo… snore…. "
The commotion subsided gradually before a snoring sound was heard.
The young boy fell into a coma.
"Fwooo… finally over. What needle did you use?"
"The one we use to tame the beasts of the northern forest; specifically when we hunt thunder wolves."
"Tsk, what a damned beast… we needed a shot of that needle to calm him down…"
The two people who were holding him grumbled resentfully before firmly tying his body to the chair.
After they finished, some were treating their ears and resting.
They didn't use magic, given the danger.
Let alone the fact that there's no need for it unless necessary; despite being mischievous, Leon hadn't inflicted real harm.
"What a beast…"
"Don't remind me… I've never been beaten like this before in my life."
"He's definitely not human; that scoundrel!"
"Look at him; I feel sorry for the professors. Even they're suffering while tying that damned thing up!"
"Shut up! What if he hears you and attacks us again?!"
"Aaah, what? I didn't say anything; I'm mute; my tongue is cut off, how can I speak? Hahaha!"
"…Never mind."
Some peeking heads could be seen from nearby.
The students were whispering as they stared at the impressive process of tying up agitated beasts.
"Despite that… his sleeping form looks a little cute."
"He's mischievous, but he also looks wonderful. Kyaa~."
"Maybe that's part of his charm?"
Well… not everyone.
The female students were whispering among themselves about Leon, who was sleeping in the chair, and how his calm appearance was attractive.
'How did we get to this?'
Professor Deus sighed while sadly staring at the sky.
Is this truly a prestigious academy?
Why is there more crazy stuff happening here every time?
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"Where is he! Search the forest! He must be near it… or even hiding inside!"
"You go north, and we'll go east!"
"Okay."
Since the morning, the atmosphere was active and lively.
It's truly wonderful to be young!
Living life with joy and enjoying nature… none of that was written on the faces of the young people.
They rushed madly as if they were searching for something.
Students here, students there, students everywhere!
It was like a mission to search for an important missing person.
Among the students, there was one who seemed more determined to find his prey than the others.
A young man who was a bit thin with pale white skin; so pale that he seemed ill.
But his eyes didn't show any sign of weakness.
Determination.
There was a determination of unknown origin emanating from his eyes.
Elerick, like the new students, was searching, but his reasons were completely different.
'Don't tell me it's him…'
He searched right and left but didn't find him.
There was something I need to confirm; so I have to find him quickly!
The boy named Elerick searched frantically, but his determined appearance wasn't something you'd notice among the many students here.
In such a beautiful atmosphere, the clamor filled the surroundings.
"You idiot! Why did you attack me!"
One of the students shouted resentfully!
"Sorry… I was hiding, and your hair was black, so I attacked you, and I didn't know—ouch, that hurts!"
"Shut up and get out of my face! You wasted my chance to catch that damned thing!"
"How do you know? Maybe he won't come…"
The boy who was kicked on his behind grumbled silently as he mumbled resentfully.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Goodbye!"
Why was there such greed and desire just to search for one person?
Supervising Professor Deus's assessment.
How difficult is it to gain a good assessment from him?
Although they were merely new students, rumors about the supervising teacher Deus's strictness in his assessments had spread across the continent recently.
Therefore, they knew about the value of his assessment naturally.
What kind of place was the Crescent Light Academy?
It was one of the many prominent academies that brought together multiple cultures.
Let alone anything else, it had unusual teaching methods.
It started with the history of this academy.
The first flame that was lit was the flame of the founder.
Usually, the theoretical aspect of education was important, and sometimes more important than the practical aspect.
But the founder of this academy had his own doubts about this.
"In this world, where one person can shatter rocks with their bare hands, and can attract heat and cold, and even cut mountains with their sword, what is the use of clinging to something like books and forgetting to hone our experiences?"
"The world was influenced by the ways of our ancestors, and our generation has become stagnant."
"The world is beginning to change; unless a person knows how to adapt to the current, they will be swept away by the waves of change."
The hierarchical upbringing and knowledge of various types of theoretical sciences were certainly useful in times of peace.
A peaceful world needs order to continue, certainly.
However, peace will not last forever.
And order will be broken someday.
The hierarchy that ensured the advantages of the nobles was merely a thought of the past; it was no longer possible to curb people now.
Previously, commoners were treated like cattle and slaves.
In this world, there was nothing called "human rights." The only one who had rights was the strongest.
Who was the strong in that past period?
Techniques for using magic were exclusively for the nobles.
This tells one the answer.
In some cases, a person could obtain simple techniques if they declared allegiance to the empire in which they lived.
The allied empires agreed on a law to ensure their continued power.
Namely, the execution of anyone who teaches commoners techniques for using mana without permission from the empire to which that person belongs.
To have power only for yourself, suppress those beneath you.
Simple and cruel logic.
But in any case, it can't be said that it's wrong.
The fear of death made rebellion more difficult for ordinary people.
That's why there were no known ways for a person to become strong.
Otherwise, a person only had to live in humiliation or try to steal it.
Magical energy exists all over the world.
This is a fact, but not many knew how to use that magical energy in their bodies.
What were the techniques? They were methods that directed the magical energy in your body toward the appropriate way to manifest it somehow.
It was as mysterious as how humans are alive.
Magical energy was like blood in the body; it can't be easily separated from your body.
That's why the value of these techniques was more precious than gold and diamonds.
Of course, not everyone was the same.
There was nothing in the world that remained the same.
The world flows like water, sometimes violently, and sometimes calmly.
Water can't remain stagnant forever.
With the advancement of generations and the development of magic, people began to invent new methods and names.
Martial arts, dark magic, and elemental magic; people used magical energy as a basis for reproducing new techniques.
Mana, aura, internal energy: Qi.
Depending on the division of people and the faction to which they belonged, the name and fighting style would differ.
One origin branches into countless branches.
From generation to generation, with blood and tears.
The world developed, and the percentage of people using magical energy increased significantly.
These were the result of the struggle of the heroes of the ages.
To survive, everything possible had to be done.
To survive, the body and mind would work to their utmost limits.
The oppression that people lived through made them angry and rebel throughout the world.
Of course, the nobles wouldn't stand still waiting for their demise.
And thus, the war that occurred 300 years ago resulted.