Chapter 86:
On (4)
“Good work, everyone.”
As always, Professor Deiare began walking among the students.
It was to offer appropriate advice based on the sparring sessions that had just taken place.
“Phew… Today was no joke.”
“Hey, I can’t reach my back. Can you apply so ointnt for ?”
“What? Don’t you know that a scar on the back is a disgrace to a swordsman? If you’ve got any sha, bite down on your sword and walk it off.”
“Walk where, you idiot? Quit spouting nonsense and just apply the ointnt. It hurts like hell.”
anwhile, the students settled down in their own spots to take a short break.
This wasn’t sothing they were doing of their own accord—it was Professor Deiare’s directive.
Unlike what was commonly said about centauros, she didn’t impose unnecessary hierarchy or try to assert her dignity. She was a pragmatist through and through.
“……”
Clack, clack.
The distinctive sound of hooves echoed crisply.
It was the sound of her approaching, as she personally walked among the students.
Whenever she drew near, the students assud it was their turn and imdiately stood up to greet her politely.
Those nearby also stood up quickly and respectfully waited for their own turn.
This behavior had naturally taken root, having realized through just a handful of classes what a remarkable educator and exceptional warrior Deiare truly was.
“First of all…”
Then, as if she had been waiting, she delivered individually tailored, yet golden words of advice and observations to each student.
Her voice and deanor, in contrast to the widespread belief that centauros were rough and wild, were impeccably polite, careful, and courteous.
“Up until the midpoint, your performance was abysmal, but your recovery afterward was quite comndable. Adaptability is important, and you have a fair degree of it. From what I can tell, instead of clumsily trying to refine techniques without direction, it would be more effective for you to first establish a solid foundation.”
“From my observation, you’re more suited to a sword than a polearm. You have a habit of gripping the shaft of long weapons too close to the base—I’ve paid close attention several tis, but I saw no deliberate intention or strategy behind it. If you don’t like swords, then try a different weapon altogether. But let
be clear: gripping a polearm too close without reason or strategy is a foolish and ignorant act that discards the greatest advantage of such a weapon—its reach.”
“You’re too afraid. There’s a big difference between being cautious and simply being a coward. Just like there’s a difference between courage and recklessness. To be blunt, if you can’t overco that trait, you might want to consider another path.”
…That said, her words were as sharp and harsh as could be.
Like an untad warhorse pawing the ground nacingly, her words made hearts skip a beat.
Yet none of the students listening showed any sign of discomfort.
So had grown accustod to it after hearing it a few tis and letting it slide, but more importantly, she always followed her criticisms with practical solutions.
“Even if we’re talking about fundantals, there’s no need to touch on every area. Focus first on overall stamina, reflexes, and reaction ti. I’ll inform the assistant in charge, so focus on training those aspects. You’re good at adapting in the mont—if your reaction speed improves, you’ll have more options at your disposal.”
“You seem to prefer halberds among the polearms. Since you use slashing, thrusting, hooking, and swinging all properly, it seems you enjoy attacking in varied ways. That might be why you don’t find swords appealing—am I right? …Good. Then go pick out a few weapons from the ones hanging back there. I’m sure you’ll find several that suit your style. Of course, continuing with the halberd is fine too, but polearms don’t suit you very well, so I wouldn’t recomnd it.”
“How about trying a shield? Even a small one provides a level of reassurance no other weapon can. It’s been around for ages, so naturally, there are countless techniques and it’s quite powerful. Let’s start by building your confidence in direct engagents.”
Like that.
Deiare went around to every student, tirelessly offering advice and solutions for their issues.
Before long, she approached the area where we were resting.
Everyone, myself included, stood up.
Soon, Professor Deiare stood before us and began giving feedback and observations.
“First of all…”
Cruyak, Harira, and Br Riik Konafa.
The three who had been following the Third Prince Behad received feedback first.
Unlike the others, their feedback was filled with praise and encouragent.
‘Well, those three were pretty well known as Behad’s close aides in my past life too.’
Behad and Jeil Enbarso also received fairly typical comnts.
Still, maybe it was because I had been aware of them from the start—or maybe because I already knew they weren’t ordinary.
But there seed to be sothing weighted in Professor Deiare’s words.
“It wouldn’t hurt for you to take this a bit more seriously.”
“…Surely there’s sothing better than an axe.”
Maybe it was just my imagination, but her tone seed noticeably softer when speaking to Jeil Enbarso.
While I was thinking that, she approached Allen and , her neatly arranged blue hair swaying gently.
Golden eyes.
Her sharp black pupils scanned us.
“You…”
Professor Deiare walked toward , not Allen.
It seed I was first.
“First, you need to decide on your path.”
“My path, professor?”
“Yes. You’re in Crooks, aren’t you?”
Deiare examined
as if scanning every corner of my body.
“If you’re going down the path of a Holy Knight, I recomnd continuing with the sword while also training your divine power. Strictly speaking, you lack talent, but your instincts and adaptability are exceptional. And… for so reason, you seem oddly experienced, like a seasoned rcenary.”
“……”
I made an effort not to react.
It seed Professor Deiare ant it only as an analogy, as she continued speaking without any special reaction.
“But watching your sparring today confird it for . You’ve handled other weapons besides swords. And I dare say you’re at least sowhat proficient with all of them. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
Seeing that, Professor Deiare also nodded.
“…It doesn’t seem like you’re just answering to move the conversation along. Good. If you already understand, I don’t need to elaborate. Continuing from what I was saying earlier—if you dabble in everything, you’ll end up good at nothing. It’s better to choose one thing and focus. You certainly have potential. But it’s only just enough that, if you fully commit to a single path, you might just blossom. You won’t beco a master of all—sword, spear, whip, axe, bow—you can’t excel at them all. First, choose your direction. That is the most important decision you need to make.”
I nodded again.
There wasn’t a single thing in her words that I could disagree with.
Apparently out of things to say to , Professor Deiare turned to look at Allen.
“You…”
Professor Deiare let out a sound that could’ve been either a sigh or a deep breath.
“Today’s sparring was the worst. Do you admit it?”
“Yes.”
“What made it so?”
Allen answered with his head lowered.
“You let yourself get provoked too easily. Because of that, what could’ve been an easy victory was dragged into a loss by your emotions. That’s what I ant.”
“You’re being far too kind and generous to yourself. Are those really the only two issues?”
Professor Deiare’s voice was sharp and scolding.
“You overestimated yourself and underestimated your opponent, despite being worn down from the earlier matches. Just as I said before, you made a foolish decision, unable to control your emotions in the heat of the mont. You squandered every advantage you had in an instant. You insisted on using a stance that didn’t suit you, without proper practice or training. And what’s more—you took three consecutive hits, aning the match was already over, but you refused to yield and prolonged the spar, pointlessly injuring your opponent.”
“……”
“If this had been a real fight, you would’ve died with your intestines spilling out. Never, even for a mont, think that you can overco such a situation with re spirit or willpower. You were struck in the most critical of vital points—places that could physically kill soone in under a minute. And even though you knew that, you let your stubbornness drag the match on. Do you admit it?”
“…I won’t make any excuses. It was all due to my own foolishness.”
Allen bowed deeply, and Professor Deiare said nothing more.
Instead, she rely exchanged a brief glance with the blue-haired assistant beside her—Pappleton.
“For you, the most urgent task is to control yourself. For the remainder of class, sit still and ditate.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And…”
Professor Deiare’s voice lowered slightly.
“…Co to my office after class.”
Because we need to finish our previous conversation.
Professor Deiare murmured it like a quiet whisper.
“……”
It wasn’t hard to figure out that she was referring to the offer she had previously made to Allen—the one he’d once confessed to —about taking him in as her apprentice.
After class, I was wandering aimlessly through the academy’s park alone.
Partly because I hadn’t taken a walk in a while, and partly to clear my cluttered mind.
—I’m sorry, Lian. It seems the conversation will take longer than expected… Please go on ahead today.
—And as for what happened today… I have nothing to say except that I’m sorry. Just as Professor Deiare said, my stubbornness caused you harm. I apologize again.
Leaving those words behind, Allen followed after Professor Deiare.
Originally, I had planned to have a al with him, and under the pretext of discussing the upcoming supplentary class next week, I intended to gauge how he was doing…
But now, my schedule had suddenly opened up.
“Hmm…”
What should I do with this leftover ti?
Well, maybe their conversation would end sooner than expected, so I might as well wait around.
As I pondered that and wandered through the park—
“Huh?”
“Ah, Professor.”
I happened to run into Professor Yul Runberg, who was sitting on a bench—apparently also out on a walk.
When he saw , he flashed a friendly, easygoing smile.
“You’re Lian Gwendil, correct?”
“…You rembered my na?”
I asked in genuine surprise.
It wasn’t even an elective class—just a shared course—and we hadn’t crossed paths many tis. I never imagined he’d rember my na.
“Haha, we cleaned the lecture hall together the other day, didn’t we? That’s why I rembered.”
“Ah.”
I nodded at his response.
With a slight grunt, Yul Runberg stood up from the bench.
“Since we’ve run into each other like this, would you care to join
for a walk?”
His sudden offer caught
off guard, and I hesitated.
But he simply smiled again—a smile that now carried a hint of playfulness.
Known for his striking appearance, he seed like soone my own age, even though he had long since passed thirty.
“I actually have sothing to tell you.”
He glanced around casually before continuing.
“To be precise, it’s about Allen.”
With those words, I had no choice but to nod.
“Kyren.”
At the sound of his na, Kyren Amiel’s eyelids, peacefully closed in ditation, twitched.
He felt a twinge of irritation at having his usual ditation ti disrupted and looked toward the one who had interrupted him.
“…What is it?”
It was a male student—also the assistant of Professor Yul Runberg.
Though he was of common birth, he was a student with exceptional talent and ability.
With his bold and cheerful personality, Kyren had quickly grown close to him. Their friendship had now lasted over three years.
“It’s about Allen Amiel.”
At those words, Kyren’s expression twisted in an instant.
But he cald the storm in his chest and looked at the student who had spoken.
“I clearly told you not to ntion or talk about him until I brought him up myself, rember?”
“I rember.”
The student, Birek, nodded.
“I also rember you said I should only bring him up if you started first.”
Kyren nodded again.
Birek—his friend—wasn’t soone who would prod at another’s sore spots for no reason.
Thinking there must be a reason, Kyren adjusted his posture and asked.
“Right. You rember. So for you to bring him up, sothing must’ve happened?”
“Yeah. Sothing that made
think you needed to know as soon as possible.”
Birek said that as he stepped a few paces closer to Kyren.
Kyren showed no sign of doubt as he watched Birek approach.
“What is it?”
“…Well, it’s…”
Birek spoke cautiously.
“Apparently, Professor Deiare invited him to beco her apprentice.”
How did Kyren’s face change at that?
Just as expected, Birek simply furrowed his brows slightly at the sight of Kyren’s reaction.
The next day.
Even though it was the weekend, the rumors and slander aid at Allen began to spread once again.
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