Chapter 20: Academy Legend
During the test, Head Instructor Everhart was having tea with Roten’s Elder.
“Head Instructor, how’s the Dean?”
“Oh, the Dean? As always, away for over half the year.”
“Haha! That boundless energy never fades with age, does it?”
“Sigh, tell me about it. I wish he’d settle down, but then he wouldn’t be the Dean.”
They chatted about the absent Dean.
Suddenly, Everhart stared out the window.
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Everhart reached for his teacup.
Then, sensing something, he bolted up.
“Head Instructor?”
“Sorry… I need to go.”
“Where?”
“To the test site. Something’s in that forest that shouldn’t be!”
“What?”
The Elder knew Roten Forest well.
“No way?”
“There’s definitely something.”
With the forest controlled by assistants, There shouldn’t be dangers, but Everhart’s instincts couldn’t be ignored.
“If a knight like you feels it, there’s a problem. Let’s go.”
“Elder, it’s dangerous. Stay here. I’ll go alone.”
With a grave expression, Everhart opened the window.
Using the sill as a springboard, he leaped to the opposite roof.
He darted across rooftops toward the test forest.
“Can’t follow that. Truly a Sword Expert at his peak.”
The Elder, admiring the fading figure, descended the stairs.
Meanwhile, Everhart, outside the village, saw a flare in the sky.
As expected! Something big’s happened. That aura isn’t a mandragora’s. Surely not an Alraune?
As Head Instructor, he knew assistants culled mandragoras yearly, Ensuring no monster could grow into an Alraune.
But if, by some fluke, one had hidden, it was different.
It could lead to a catastrophic disaster.
I need to hurry.
Everhart infused Qi into his legs, speeding up.
Dash!
If an Alraune appeared, not only cadets but assistants responding to the signal would be in danger.
I shouldn’t have listened to Brook.
Regret was useless now.
He needed to handle the situation quickly.
Arriving at the flare’s origin, Everhart felt another eerie aura.
Thud!
It differed from the ongoing one.
Upon arrival, he witnessed a shocking scene.
“No way.”
As feared, it was an Alraune.
But it was already split in half, dead.
And it wasn’t an assistant who killed it.
It was Evan Lafard, a cadet recently gaining attention.
Not a scratch? After facing that Alraune?
An Alraune wasn’t something you could kill by luck.
Its tough bark required raw strength, not tricks.
That Evan had done it was unbelievable.
Only a handful at Lansed could do that alone. Evan’s far beyond cadet level… Jaina!
Amid admiring Evan, he saw Jaina Vaberin, supported by an assistant.
“Jaina!”
“Head Instructor?”
Jaina looked at him, surprised.
“Jaina, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Cadet Jack Reed is hurt worse.”
Blood trickled down her forehead, but she prioritized Jack.
“Please check on Jack. I’m really fine…”
She said, swaying.
Blood, hidden by her red hair, showed she’d lost much.
“Oh no! You’re badly hurt.”
“No, I’m really fine.”
“Alright, alright, go to the village with the assistant. I’ll look after Jack.”
Normally, just encountering an Alraune would endanger cadets.
As Jaina said, Jack was seriously injured.
But why is Evan completely unharmed?
Visually, Evan seemed unscathed.
Without the Alraune’s blue sap, you’d think he’d just arrived to spectate.
“Evan, did you do all this?”
“Bragging’s not my thing, but no reason to lie. Yes.”
“Any injuries?”
“No. Please focus on Jack. He was brave but got hurt badly.”
Even as he spoke, his gaze was on Jack, being carried away.
Proof of his concern for Jack.
“Don’t worry. Caring for cadets is the Academy’s and my duty.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll handle things here, so go to the village. It’s dangerous.”
“The test…”
“The test is over. With an Alraune found, continuing is too risky. We’ll stop here.”
Everhart shouted for all to hear.
“Assistants, listen. The test is over. Ensure all cadets return to the village safely.”
“Yes!!!”
The gathered assistants scattered to carry out the order.
“What about our Group 9?”
“The test was about how many mandragoras you caught. But you took down something greater—how could we ignore that? No one would dispute your perfect score.”
“No, I mean there’s a sack over there. Used to hang other cadets.”
“Hm?”
“Oh, I should grab it.”
Evan slipped into the forest for the sack.
“Where are you…”
Left alone,
Everhart, about to follow Evan, noticed something in the Alraune’s corpse.
What’s that?
Among the split head, he saw shattered axe blades.
Picking one up, Everhart was stunned.
The aura lingers. It’s not just cloaked.
To claim mastery of aura, or Qi, one must envelop a weapon with intangible Qi about a pinky’s length.
But that’s just the start; higher realms exist.
Among them, the hardest is infusing Qi into the weapon itself,
Not cloaking but embedding it.
That’s for those aiming for Expert level. That kid’s already surpassed his father, Raymond Lafard. Calling him a genius is too weak. He’s a monster.
Holding the fragment, Everhart reevaluated Evan.
And then.
“Instructor! This should earn me a perfect score, right?”
He shook his head at the size of the sack Evan dragged.
“You meant to wipe them out.”
“Wasn’t that the goal?”
“True, but did I say to catch cadets?”
Behind the huge sack, three cadets were dragged, ankles bound by chains.
“Oh, they tried to steal it, so I tied them up.”
“Really? That’s not allowed. Unlike the sandbag test, this one disqualifies them. Your Group 9 gets a perfect score. Let’s go.”
Thus, the mandragora hunt ended abruptly.
To rank the groups, all cadets gathered again at the village entrance, Placing their mandragora sacks before the assistants.
“Group 7. Let’s see… Nine mandragoras.”
While assistants counted, the cadets’ attention focused on one spot.
“Look over there.”
“Wow, first time seeing one in person, not a drawing.”
Their gazes landed on the Alraune’s corpse, left in a corner.
Despite being dead, its intimidating presence made it hard to believe Evan killed it.
“Heard that? Evan took it down alone.”
“No way. If Evan could, we could at least scratch it, right?”
“Wanna check?”
Some curious cadets approached the Alraune.
They swung their weapons at its bark.
Clang!
“Argh!”
The stone-like hardness nearly made them drop their weapons.
“How did he split this in half?”
Feeling the truth of the rumors, they realized how absurd Evan’s feat was.
Even without the Alraune, he’d have drawn attention.
“Tally complete! Now for the announcement. First place is Group 9, with 113 mandragoras. Second is Group 3, with 19…”
***
In the day after the mandragora hunt ended, much happened.
Due to the Alraune, Roten Village halted Nakoa harvesting.
The Elder’s decision, fearing other threats in the forest.
He urgently requested professional hunters from the main island.
Meanwhile, assistants and instructors temporarily searched the forest for potential dangers.
They found a cave with remains and clothing, likely Alraune victims, Including Gain’s silver ring.
Fortunately, no other monsters as threatening as the Alraune appeared.
As the village regained stability, The Academy dealt with its mistakes.
“Ugh…”
“Struggling?”
“No, sir!”
“If not, keep your head down.”
Brook, who proposed the test, was in the Head Instructor’s office, head bowed.
Sweating profusely, begging for forgiveness.
“It nearly became a disaster. This punishment is light.”
“Y-Yes…”
Brook’s voice trembled.
“Sigh, get up.”
Brook rubbed his crown and stood.
“You’re on a one-month pay cut. I’m not blameless, so we’ll leave it at that. Reflect deeply.”
“Yes, understood.”
Brook left the office, shoulders slumped.
As he exited, Everhart pressed his temples.
“Sigh…”
By luck, or Evan’s heroics, no cadets died.
Jack had both arms broken, and Jaina had bruises, but it ended there.
Still, word of their injuries would spread.
If news of this dangerous test got out, noble families would protest.
Even if Lansed stripped noble privileges, parents didn’t consent to sending kids into danger.
“Damn it. If only the Dean were here.”
As the acting Dean, Everhart had to face this head-on, a vexing situation.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked.
“Later.”
He wasn’t in the mood to meet anyone.
Knock, knock.
“I said later!”
Already irritated, the person outside seemed clueless.
“Who the hell…”
Crunch!
The doorknob broke, and the door fell off.
Thud!
A muscular old man with a bushy white beard appeared.
“Muhahaha! Why so angry? Something happened while I was gone, huh?”
His clothes clung like skin, highlighting his muscles, His bronze skin striking.
Seeing him, Everhart slammed the desk and stood.
“Dean!”
The barbarian-like old man was Duke Valendo, the Academy’s Dean and a legend.
“Muhahaha!!”
Everhart, hearing that hearty laugh, felt tears of relief.
“You came at the perfect time. I have much to report.”
“Seeing you welcome me, something big happened. Let’s hear it.”