Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The Onyx Square faction camp.

Thanks to their recent brilliant display at the academic conference, students were flocking to Onyx Square with interest.

However, Partes Academy had decided to put a hold on selecting new members until McCally, the head of the school, finished her research and submitted her thesis.

And now.

Even though the research was gaining momentum thanks to Khal, McCally was, ironically, bickering with her disciple—the very one she should be treating as a godsend.

“I’ve told you how many times that’s not how you do it!” she barked. “You can’t just force your way through like a brute!”

She was currently conducting new research by utilizing Khal’s unique mana trait, which triggered a Mana Break.

Khal didn’t shrink back from her scolding and countered immediately.

“That is certainly one method, but the Grand Master’s Heart Method is ambiguous, so it can be interpreted in more than two ways. Besides, the detour takes too long to emit mana. It’s better to just break through the barrier and redirect it so the magic can be released faster.”

“How about you try having some patience, Kalliant?”

“You’re the one nagging me the most. And the blood point here is slightly off. It needs a correction.”

“Aaaaargh! You’re so annoying! You brat!”

Not backing down even an inch, Khal’s remarks forced McCally to fix the section he pointed out, her expression grim.

‘…Who’s the teacher here, anyway?’

Lily, who was watching the scene, stared at the two with an absurd look before taking a sip of her tea.

She didn’t know exactly when it started, but she had been neglecting her own school, Lux Lunae, to frequently visit the Onyx Square lab.

Onyx Square was small and lacked support, so the research facilities were quite shabby.

Yet, Lily felt more comfortable in these dusty old facilities.

‘I guess I’m not cut out for rising through the ranks as a noble.’

She gave a bitter smile to herself.

Snap!

Suddenly, McCally glared at Lily, the veins on her forehead bulging.

“Hey, Lily. I hope I’m mistaken, but you weren’t just thinking something incredibly rude, were you?”

“O-Of course not. Hoho.”

Lily feigned ignorance and avoided McCally’s gaze.

‘Her intuition is sharp. Professor McCally.’

McCally stared at Lily for a moment before speaking.

“If you want to learn, you can come by anytime. You don’t have to be part of Onyx Square.”

“Is… is that really okay?”

Lily, who had been secretly interested in the Onyx Square secrets, widened her eyes. Delving into the secrets of another school was usually considered taboo.

McCally shrugged her shoulders.

“Nationality, age, gender—it’s hard to raise proper talent if you filter through all that nonsense. This is a higher education institution, but how you develop what you learn depends on your own capability. Above all, learning the Onyx Square Breathing Technique won’t seriously affect the Lux Lunae Mana Cultivation Method you’re currently studying. So it doesn’t matter.”

“…Professor.”

Lily’s eyes sparkled with emotion. However, as they say, you have to hear someone out until the very end…

McCally poked Khal in the forehead with her index finger and added, “I’m going to work this brutally sturdy guy to the bone to ensure the technique is safely passed down to you, so don’t worry!”

“Ah, I’m glad you’re not planning on moving as slowly as a turtle then,” Khal replied.

Snap! Snap!

The two growled, glaring at each other.

Zap!

For a moment, it felt as if sparks flew where their gazes collided.

‘Are they really teacher and student?’

Baffled by the abnormal sight, Lily suddenly remembered something and asked Khal a question.

“Khal. By the way, what are you choosing for your common subject?”

“Common subject?” Khal asked back, looking like he had no idea what that was.

Lily smiled wryly, thinking to herself, ‘He really doesn’t know anything outside of what interests him.’

“Aside from learning a Mana Cultivation Method at your school, you have to choose whether to study magic or the sword. For example, I’m learning the Lux Lunae Heart Method and swordsmanship.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to learn the school’s magic?”

“Of course that’s possible, but just because you’ve mastered a Mana Cultivation Method doesn’t mean your path is set as a mage or a swordsman. Although, most of the continent’s leading Sword Masters use their family’s secret Mana Cultivation Methods.”

“In that case, swordsmanship seems more convenient.”

“I assume you’ve at least learned the basics?”

Khal gave a small chuckle and shook his head.

“I’ve only swung it properly once.”

To be precise, he had only used it to take off an Orc Lord’s head. Back when he was the Demon Lord in his past life, he had simply crushed enemies with his overwhelming mana or swung his fists and legs.

“Then why did you choose the sword?”

Khal shrugged one shoulder and replied, “My family is a martial house, after all. Since my goal is to become a knight in the future, I should at least know how to swing a sword.”

It was a grand declaration of ambition. One might have expected admiration, but…

“….”

“….”

Lily and McCally stared at Khal as if he were spout nonsense.

“Is there a problem?”

At Khal’s question, McCally exhaled sharply and said, “It feels a bit wrong for me to say this as your teacher, but how can a scoundrel become a knight?”

“Shouldn’t you learn how to control your temper first?” Lily added.

Snap!

“Hooh.”

With a vein bulging on his forehead, Khal experienced something called deep contemplation for the first time. What was this feeling? They were clearly looking at him with concern, yet it felt strangely like they were mocking him.

Getting angry would be falling for their provocation, but as a former Demon Lord, he couldn’t just let it slide. For a supreme being, pride was something worth guarding with one’s life.

“What will you do if I take first place in swordsmanship this time?”

The two women were nearly overwhelmed by the competitive fire burning in Khal’s eyes. However, perhaps due to her own pride, McCally quickly regained her composure.

“Hmph! So you’re going to counter provocation with more provocation? Fine by me. If you achieve that much, I’ll brew a medicine that will allow you to master the 3-Star Grade.”

“I believe my mana is already sufficient.”

Glare!

At Khal’s rebuttal, McCally shot him a look and said, “What good is having enough mana? If you emit any more of your latent mana, you’ll cause fatal damage to your body. The medicine I’ll make for you will neutralize your mana and strengthen your physique.”

“If that’s the case, then fine.”

Khal’s motivation burned even brighter as he turned to look at Lily.

Flinch!

Startled by his gaze, Lily shrugged her shoulders before speaking with a coy expression.

“Just so you know, I’m a commoner here on a scholarship, so I can’t give you a gift that valuable.”

“Hmm, then there is another way.”

Khal curled his lips into a sinister smile, and Lily asked with a slightly worried look, “Really? What is it?”

Thump, thump.

She was already nervous about what he might say. It wasn’t the first or second time something ridiculous had come out of that mouth.

“I want you to help me buy a gift for Eri.”

“A gift?”

Lily was a bit surprised that the condition was so light. Khal scratched the back of his head and said, “It’s my first time giving someone a gift. I don’t really know what to get.”

“Hmm, I see. Alright. I’ll do that then.”

At the unexpectedly innocent request, Lily chuckled and nodded. Regardless of the bet’s outcome, she was more than willing to help with that.

Just as the warm atmosphere was settling in, Khal spoke up as if he just remembered something.

“While I’m at it, I might as well buy gifts for you and the pint-sized teacher too.”

“Eh?”

“W-Why all of a sudden?”

‘Is my birthday the same as the Professor’s? My birthday is in winter, so it’s still far off.’

McCally and Lily looked at Khal with puzzled expressions, and Khal crossed his arms, speaking arrogantly.

“It’s a hassle to give out gifts one by one. I can’t be bothered to hear those words three times a year.”

Immediately after he said that, snap!

The two women’s faces darkened as they bristled with anger. They weren’t beggars. Naturally, their tempers flared at Khal’s tone, which sounded like he was saying, ‘Here, take this and get lost.’

A storm of scolding poured down on him, starting from McCally and then Lily.

“Oh, really! Fine! You brat! How dare you talk like that to your teacher, who is as vast as the heavens! If you lose, you’re building a new cabin as big as the one we have now! The lab was getting cramped anyway, so this works out great!”

“And Khal, I’m going to prepare a meal full of all the sweets you hate, and you have to eat every bit of it. Of course, you’re paying for it yourself!”

Stunned by their burning intensity, the former Demon Lord took a step back.

‘Where did things go wrong?’

He genuinely didn’t seem to understand why they were angry. And why was he, the Great Demon Lord, being nagged like this here? It was a complete mystery. At this rate, he doubted whether he could truly achieve the ‘rehabilitation’ he promised Chait.

‘Rehabilitation is truly difficult.’

“Sigh.”

He let out a sigh, feeling the heavy burden of his mission.

Snap!

Even more infuriated by his lethargic attitude, the two women shouted simultaneously, “Don’t you dare sigh!”

* * *

The Partes Academy Headmaster’s Office.

Only those recognized by nations across the world could become the master of this room. On the desk sat a nameplate engraved with the name Petro Stanislav, and in the chair sat an old man with snowy white eyebrows and a beard.

Known worldwide as the White Archmage, he was the man responsible for creating Laurak, the barrier said to be unbreakable, around Partes Academy.

Although his original nationality was not Isilia, the kingdom had gone to great lengths to install him as the Headmaster, knowing his immense global influence.

The Headmaster of Partes was treated with the status of a Marquis not only in Isilia but also in other nations. He was also the only person who possessed the personal information of all students at Partes Academy—information even Ekaterina II could not access.

This meant that admission to this place depended solely on his judgment. While it was a risky system that relied on a single person’s conscience and could potentially lead to discrimination, Petro never used his privileges for personal gain. To him, having reached the pinnacle of everything, worldly desires were trivialities.

And currently, Petro was having quite a headache because of a student he had recently accepted.

“Hmm. I accepted him based on that Stark brat’s recommendation letter, but he’s causing more trouble than I expected.”

The documents he had received were filled with complaints about Khal.

Thud!

Too bored to look further, Petro tossed the papers into the trash can. He clicked his tongue as he looked at the pile of documents.

“Tsk tsk. He’s the type to stay quiet as long as no one crosses the line. Well, I suppose his personality is quite a handful too. Kalliant Stark.”

He smirked. Despite the headache, he seemed to find the changes happening in the school because of him quite amusing.

Right then, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Once permission was granted, the door swung open and a massive man entered. He was about two meters tall, with a sturdy build and dressed in casual mercenary-like attire, with wild blond hair and a beard.

Petro narrowed his eyes and called his name.

“You’ve worked hard coming such a long way. Lizark Baumann.”

“I am the one who should thank you for the invitation. My term is three years, but I will pour everything I have into raising outstanding talents.”

The man who gave a disciplined greeting was Lizark Baumann. He had been invited to Partes as one of the instructors for the common subject of swordsmanship. Although not a Sword Master, he was an Aura User who could use Aura, and he was known for raising the swordsmanship skills of ordinary soldiers to a level where they could fight Aura Users. He was also well-versed in tactics and strategy.

His vast experience was more than enough to make him a Partes instructor. Petro nodded in satisfaction.

“It’s good to be young. Hahaha, don’t push yourself too hard. You must be exhausted from your travels, so go and rest.”

“Then, I shall take my leave for today.”

After his greeting, Lizark headed for the door, and Petro spoke up, narrowing his brow slightly.

“Tell Deses to participate well in class. You two seemed quite close. Hahahaha.”

Turning his head, Lizark bared his teeth in a grin and said, “…But of course. I will do my best to ensure no student tries to slack off.”