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The Greatest Warrior of All Time Returns-Chapter 231
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Chapter 231
He seemed to feel sorry for them.
Those kids must have had some kind of fateful opportunity that brought them here, but given the high level of education, it’s likely they had a hard time keeping up.
When kids who are just now learning how to hold a sword are taught how to handle aura, it’s impossible for them to follow along.
That applies not only to swordsmanship or magic, but also to the theoretical subjects.
“I don’t want to see those kids getting kicked out of the academy in vain. And the Headmaster feels the same way. But rules are rules. In reality, those kids only have one last chance left.”
“Does that include Melissa?”
“No. Cadet Melissa returned from a leave of absence, so by regulations she was simply re-admitted. She’s not really subject to academic probation. In fact, she’s more of a model student. She was only assigned here due to academy protocol.”
In other words, his main concern was the ten commoner boys and girls, excluding Melissa.
Of course, not all of them were commoners.
A few were from impoverished noble families.
“They’re all diligent children. But the gap has widened so much that their hard work alone isn’t enough—it’s truly unfortunate.”
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t someone specialized be teaching them?”
“Well... the professors don’t want to take charge of them.”
Ah.
Because of performance metrics?
No matter how hard they teach, realistically, those students can’t catch up to the others who’ve received elite training from a young age.
“You can’t blame them. Professors need to maintain their performance records, and taking on those students would be a major blemish.”
He let out a long sigh.
“I’m free from that pressure, is what you’re saying.”
“Exactly. You can receive honorary professor status under the Headmaster’s authority.”
Is that the only reason?
As I waited silently, he gave a bittersweet smile.
“But there’s a more important reason.”
He looked at me seriously and spoke.
“They’re kids with promising futures. I don’t have the skill to keep them from losing this chance.”
“You mean in practical skills. You’re thinking I might be able to do something for them. So, what level do they need to reach to avoid academic probation?”
“If you’re not interested, you can refuse. The freshmen are about to take placement exams. As long as they don’t fail.”
So, he wants me—someone senior to them—not to allow them to score failing marks in a freshman exam?
“How long do I have?”
“One month.”
Wow, that’s rough.
“You want me to turn them around in a month?”
“I know it’s difficult. But I want to give them a real chance to try their best.”
Even if they end up expelled from the academy, he hopes the experience will be helpful in their future lives.
Professor Rommel really is a man of integrity, from the way he thinks.
“Well, I’ll take a look first before deciding.”
“Thank you.”
He gave a gentle smile.
* * *
Professor Rommel is practically Melissa’s mentor.
At the very least, I know what kind of person he is and what he's thinking, and why he’s asking me for this.
Since I had already planned to make full use of Melissa, I was starting to feel a strange heaviness in the air.
The kids who were born into unfortunate circumstances must have grabbed onto some miraculous chance to get here.
Peeking into the classroom from outside, I saw ten boys and girls gathered.
Most of them looked like commoners, though one or two seemed to be nobles.
They came from different backgrounds and probably had different specialties, but they had one thing in common:
Not one of them had any life in their eyes.
Their faces looked like they had hit a wall so brutal, they’d moved past despair and into complete resignation.
Seeing that, Luna and I crouched down simultaneously and exchanged glances.
“This looks hopeless, huh?”
“Yeah, a month seems way too short.”
To be honest, the way Luna and I trained Melissa wouldn’t work in a normal situation.
It was an extreme method that pushed a person beyond their limits.
Academy professors have years of teaching experience and refined methods, but I’ve never really taught anyone even during my long time in the Labyrinthos.
I’ve seen similar growth in myself, but in my case, I already knew the answers—I just had to reach them.
Professor Rommel said he believes in me, but I can’t be certain.
Melissa won’t join us until two days later, so she’s not even here yet.
“Hmm... I only know how to go with a hard reset.”
“What’ll you do?”
“Well, let’s at least give it a shot.”
Sometimes you only see things clearly when you face them directly.
I threw open the classroom door and entered, and all their gazes fell on me.
Then they spotted Luna behind me and their eyes widened.
Lately, Luna had stopped wearing her mask, saying it was uncomfortable.
I didn’t object to her choice.
In the heavy silence, I walked forward and slowly began to speak.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Leon Cascadia, and I’ll be in charge of you for the next month.”
As soon as I finished my brief introduction, I heard the sound of them holding their breath.
So my name still carries some weight in the academy.
But that was all.
With their defeated expressions, they showed no further reaction.
“First of all, you’re all on the verge of expulsion due to academic probation, correct?”
No response.
“Is that correct?”
I asked again, but still no reply.
Luna looked over at me.
Should I hit them?
She asked the same way she always did, and I gave her my usual answer.
Go ahead.
KWAANG!!
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In an instant, Luna smashed the podium in front of me into dust.
“Answer.”
Her cold voice made the kids freeze in shock.
“Still won’t?”
“Y-yes, ma’am!!”
Only then did the terrified students finally respond.
Good.
Now the atmosphere is finally satisfactory.
If a sudden loud noise caused chaos in the other classrooms, it would become a hassle.
I released the soundproofing spell I had casually cast.
"Good. Now you're being a bit more cooperative. Let me ask again. You were admitted to the academy through special recruitment despite repeatedly failing due to poor grades, and now you're on the verge of being expelled with an academic warning. Is that correct?"
At my question, some students clenched their fists and trembled.
Then, with great difficulty, they answered.
"Y-Yes..."
"That’s… correct..."
"In order to avoid that future, you must compete with the incoming freshmen in an exam one month from now and avoid a failing grade."
For freshmen, failing a few times isn't a big issue.
But for these students, it's different.
Normally, upperclassmen don't get outperformed by underclassmen.
But things change if the freshmen aren't ordinary.
Even if they were, these students are in such bad shape they’d have trouble even against them.
"Just in case any of you are thinking ‘there's no way I'd lose to a freshman,’ let me make one thing clear."
I opened a document and began reading names aloud.
"The youngest son of the Hontail family."
The legitimate heir of the Hontail family, one of the 13 great magical houses of the continent.
"Disciple of the Sword Master of the Rotorius Kingdom—Carnivel Licentra."
I continued listing names.
Licia Hevilion, granddaughter of the dean of the Galleon School of Alchemy.
Ashuria Abelgard, the hidden adopted daughter and disciple of the great mage Luteon Abelgard, who is now in seclusion.
And finally—
"Representative of the Great Forest? No… the World Tree’s representative, Triana Bel Trigard."
With each name I called, the students’ faces grew gloomier.
"The individuals I’ve mentioned are already acknowledged as overwhelmingly talented even among their peers. And even excluding them, the average level of incoming students is undeniably high. Far beyond what you can handle."
Because the exam is graded on a curve, the higher your competition, the harder it is to get a high score.
And unfortunately for these students, they had the misfortune of enrolling during a year when the freshman class was exceptionally strong.
Their future was obvious.
"Meanwhile, you have one month."
I flipped through the documents smoothly.
"I don’t manage the theory classes. My subject is practical combat."
I said this plainly, tapping the blackboard behind me.
"Alright, everyone outside."
* * *
I trudged out of the classroom and into the training ground just beyond, handing each of them a solid real sword.
"A real sword?"
"Shouldn’t we be using wooden ones?"
"Wooden swords, huh…"
I let out a short laugh.
"Let me be honest."
With a snap of my fingers, I cut off all surrounding sound.
"When I looked at the records from when you were admitted, every single one of you was marked as ‘talented.’ But that means nothing."
Dropping the formal tone, I spoke with a mocking edge.
"Talent? That half-baked talent of yours is a dime a dozen in this world. Professor Rommel must've lied to give you hope. But I’m not the nurturing type. Especially not when I’m assigned to losers like you. Frankly, I find it disgusting."
Luna began lightly stretching beside me.
"Got a problem with that? Then go ahead and try. If even one of you can graze Luna’s clothes, or knock both of her feet off the ground, I’ll take back everything I said and apologize."
"......"
"Still not happy? Fine, she won’t even use aura."
"Aren’t you underestimating us too much?!"
"You lot have some serious delusions. I heard Professor Rommel kept encouraging you, saying you have talent and shouldn't give up."
I leaned back lazily on a nearby chair, crossing my legs arrogantly.
"Think you're something special? You're not. So stop wasting time. Come at her with everything you’ve got, and then get the hell out of here. Once you're gone, I can focus on teaching students who actually show promise."
What began as mere anger from them soon boiled into intense hostility—and finally, murderous intent.
"Even if I die here, I’ll never forgive you."
Their fury surged.
In contrast, Luna remained completely calm, waving them in with a flick of her fingers.
"Come on. You pathetic failures."
"Uoooooaaaah!!!"
The first to charge was a student holding a sword.
At the same time, I scribbled notes on the clipboard I held.
Fundamentals are decent.
Shows signs of effort.
But the underlying approach is flawed.
There’s a simple way to reveal someone's true worth.
Put them in an extreme situation.
Those half-defeated kids could hardly be expected to show their full potential.
I didn’t miss a single movement from all ten of them.
If Professor Rommel said they had talent, then it's likely these kids are just lost.
If they truly had no talent, they wouldn’t have lasted this long.
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