Chapter 6 - 6. A Sword Suits You Better Than a Bow (2)
The day the academy life began.
Gathered in their classroom ahead of the entrance ceremony, the students couldn't hide their excitement.
After all, this was the prestigious Imperial Academy, and more than that, it was Class A, the top-tier class.
The entrance exam had been incredibly competitive, and getting assigned to Class A as a top student was no small feat.
Having overcome such difficult odds and proven themselves as elite, they now expected nothing but rewards.
They were certain that with the finest teachers and top-notch education, they were on a path to greatness.
'But nothing in life is guaranteed.'
It was time to teach these arrogant elites, born geniuses of noble lineage who expected success as a given, a valuable truth: life doesn't always go as planned.
I took my first step forward.
The sound of my shoes echoed, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.
Under normal circumstances, my role would be to give a brief introduction before leading the students to the auditorium for the ceremony. But that would be far too ordinary.
First impressions matter a lot in relationships.
So, with a severe frown, I sneered.
"A room full of incompetent fools, it seems. Was it too much to ask that you sit quietly and wait?"
An insult before an introduction.
On top of that, I wasn't the Ironblood Duke; I was just some unknown professor. Confusion spread across the students' faces.
They kept their mouths shut, but their expressions clearly read, 'Who the heck is this guy?'
To these students, I kindly introduced myself.
"I am your new professor, Lian. As a commoner, I have no family name. Remember my name well—I'll be the one teaching you from now on."
As soon as I finished, the murmuring intensified.
An inexperienced, new professor, and worse, a commoner, assigned to teach them? They were clearly displeased.
'Probably more the latter.'
The academy might tout equality as its motto, but I'd already noticed that subtle discrimination ran deep within these walls.
Without it, they couldn't pull off the "arrogant nobles underestimating the commoner protagonist" trope.
Good thing this is a school story. Just saying I'm a commoner is enough to drop my approval rating, and it's all I can do to keep a straight face.
"…Even so, he's still a professor!"
But perhaps the reaction was a bit too good. A boy, clearly offended by the insult directed at me, raised his voice in protest.
A righteous personality, almost feminine features, and the added complexity of magical insensitivity despite having enrolled at the top of his class.
A main-character-like boy, defending me.
He likely felt a sense of kinship, also being a commoner. But I decided to accept his goodwill silently. I cut off his impassioned speech before it even began.
"…I'm fairly certain I told you to keep quiet. Seems you lot lack even the basic ability to follow instructions. It's clear more drastic measures are in order."
I scowled.
The dark circles from my sleepless night added a certain harshness to my expression.
"Show me your primary weapons."
Using the most authoritarian tone I could muster, I gave my command.
Even the protagonist stopped in his tracks, taken aback by the unexpected demand. Ignoring their reactions, I jotted down the names of those who hesitated, pressuring them into swift compliance.
In moments, I had collected all their weapons and, without changing my expression, made my declaration.
"These are confiscated. For morons like you, weapons of this caliber are too much. You'd only end up depending on them and neglecting to develop your own skills."
Spears, enchanted swords, priceless family heirlooms—it didn't matter.
They were all confiscated as of now.
"Until you're worthy, you'll gain experience with weapons suited to your station."
After taking their treasures, I handed each of them a battered, old pistol.
This blatant act of robbery wouldn't go unnoticed. Soon enough, a golden-haired boy with a temper to match sprang to his feet.
"Are you kidding me?!"
I fixed him with a fierce glare.
The murderous look made him flinch, but I had no intention of attacking him.
"Do you have a problem with my teaching methods?"
"That, that's…."
"Then feel free to leave. I have no intention of keeping anyone who wishes to go. I'll speak with Professor Scott from Class B to transfer you there."
My goal was to dump the entire Class A onto Professor Scott.
It was fine for me to act out to get myself fired, but if my behavior led to them being underprepared when facing the final boss, it would be catastrophic.
I'd gone to great lengths to act like a terrible teacher, so they'd better catch on quickly and transfer out.
I tossed the boy his spear, adding a note from Scott offering a place in Class B if he wished. The student stood there, stunned, before slowly walking away.
The first is always the hardest.
With him gone, the hurdle was lowered, and I was sure others would follow.
"I assume none of you are too dense to find the auditorium. I won't waste time leading you. Anyone who wants to leave, take your weapon and go."
I gave only the essential instructions before departing, ensuring they wouldn't have to face me again.
Watching their expressions, now drastically different from a mere five minutes ago, I felt certain of my victory.
This battle was already won.
The moment the professor left, the classroom erupted.
The hot topic was, of course, Lian's outrageous behavior. His approach had been so extreme that the students' backlash was equally fierce.
"Let's all transfer to Class B together."
"We should petition the headmaster to change our professor."
"We'll use our family influence to get him fired."
It was chaos, with each person shouting their opinion.
As she surveyed the scene, a girl finally spoke up.
"Does everyone really believe that professor acted without any thought?"
Her calm, measured voice cut through the noise, bringing immediate silence.
It was only natural, given that the girl who spoke was the most distinguished person present—the Empire's Second Princess, Sylvia Leonhardt.
"We're dealing with an academy professor. Not just any, but one chosen over the Ironblood Duke to lead Class A. If you can't make sense of his actions… perhaps it's not him who lacks clarity, but our understanding that's flawed."
Her remark was so logical that everyone had to take it seriously. Receiving their full attention, Sylvia confidently picked up her gun.
"Take a look at the guns you've been given. You'll understand what I mean."
At her words, the students inspected their pistols without hesitation.
And within three minutes, gasps of astonishment filled the room.
The intricate inner mechanisms shifted constantly, impossible to fully grasp. Even if damaged, the gun repaired itself, instantly returning to its original form.
This was clearly no ordinary worn-out pistol.
"This isn't like an ordinary gun that automatically absorbs and fires magic. If you don't control your magic flow manually, it simply won't fire."
The challenge was to guide magic accurately through its narrow circuits.
One wrong move and the circuits would explode instantly. Slow down, and the power would weaken, requiring both precision and speed.
"Isn't this… just like the principle of magic enhancement?"
A student's voice broke the silence.
The princess smiled at the boy's insight.
"Magic enhancement is only taught to top-ranked third-years due to the risks involved. But… what if we used this as practice?"
Magic enhancement involves channeling magic into one's bloodstream, significantly boosting physical abilities.
Normally, the Academy struggles to teach it due to the potential harm from even minor errors, but this approach changes things.
With the gun's circuits being minuscule and constantly shifting, training with it would naturally teach the principles of magic enhancement.
Everyone's faces turned to shock once more.
Learning magic enhancement in a safe, straightforward way—they all knew how invaluable that was.
"But then, why didn't the professor explain this to us? If he'd just told us, we'd all have accepted it without complaint."
The only remaining question was why Lian had acted so oddly. However, Sylvia's answer came quickly.
"He probably did it to separate those who follow instructions from those who don't."
Some students, becoming overconfident, might attempt actual enhancement after practicing on the guns.
But if they miscalculated, the consequences could be catastrophic.
"…So he acted that way out of concern for us."
Without filtering out those who ignored instructions, lives could be at risk.
Lian's harsh demeanor was out of genuine care for his students' safety.
"Damn it, I thought…"
A student who'd vowed to get Lian fired flushed with embarrassment. The others looked no different.
They had misjudged their professor's intentions, insulting someone who had only been looking out for them.
The atmosphere grew solemn.
Watching them, Sylvia pondered briefly.
'How much of this did the professor intend?'
She'd realized he wasn't acting maliciously when the Saintess remained silent throughout his supposed "outrage."
And it hadn't taken long after channeling magic into the old pistol for her to understand that it was a tool for magic enhancement training.
But there was one thing she couldn't decipher.
Sylvia had chosen to explain the professor's actions to her classmates on a whim. She could have kept silent and headed to the auditorium instead.
If she had, Lian might indeed have faced serious trouble—he might even have been fired.
But the professor had left without hesitation.
Did he genuinely care so little about his job, willing to risk dismissal if it meant benefiting the students?
Or had he anticipated her reaction, knowing that she'd reveal the truth and turn the tide in