A swordsman who had spent their entire life wielding a sword and training could eventually condense mana and coat it over their blade.
This was the realm of Aura! Because it looked so cool and flashy, many noble children, upon seeing it, decided they wanted to learn swordsmanship.
Even those from mage families were no exception.
So, when Yi Han first expressed his desire to learn swordsmanship, Alarron thought to himself, *‘Ah, he wants to learn Aura.
He’ll be disappointed when he finds out the truth.’*
Alarron was a strict knight.
He didn’t bother explaining the truth upfront, thinking Yi Han would give up on his own.
But Yi Han held on far better than expected, and Alarron, satisfied, decided to reveal the truth himself.
However, he was quite taken aback when Yi Han showed little interest in Aura.
-“I just think it’s enough to train myself and protect my own body,” Yi Han said.
-“...!” Alarron couldn’t help but admire Yi Han’s words.
It was a level of maturity one wouldn’t expect from a child.
To think he was learning swordsmanship with such a serious mindset.
-“Actually, Yi Han, you too can use Aura. Someday, that is.”
-“No... I’m fine without Aura. I just want to be a mage...”
-“Aura isn’t something you can grasp just by swinging a sword for a year or two. But if you keep practicing and training as I’ve taught you, you’ll eventually understand it.”
-“I just need to protect myself. I want to live... in the office.”
In any case, Yi Han continued to follow Alarron’s instructions diligently.
He wasn’t aiming to awaken Aura or become a Sword Master; he just thought it wouldn’t hurt to train.
...
And now, the results were showing.
-‘The feel of it is better than I thought...?’
Yi Han was surprised at himself.
It wasn’t surprising that he could predict the pig’s movements and strike it precisely with his staff.
After all, he had learned the technique after being beaten by Alarron countless times.
The staff provided by the magic school was sturdy enough to be used as a club without any issues.
But when he struck the pig, he felt something—a ripple of mana gathering around his staff.
It was a sensation he had never felt before while practicing with the sword.
-‘Is it because I’ve started learning magic?’
He wondered if this was what Alarron meant by “someday you’ll understand.” The natural feeling of gathering mana into his weapon.
Of course, it was still far from being called Aura.
To achieve Aura, one had to condense and refine mana.
But even this much was enough.
An attack infused with mana was far more destructive than a simple swing.
-“Grrr...”
The pig, which had been fiercely grunting, staggered and collapsed to the side after just one hit.
Nylia, who had been watching, looked at Yi Han in disbelief.
-‘Did I miss something? Did he use magic?’
The world of magic was vast, and of course, there were spells to enhance strength or agility.
But those were far too advanced for a freshman who had just enrolled.
-“Did you take it down?”
-“I think so...”
Yi Han lowered his staff and checked the mutant pig’s pulse.
It was definitely dead.
Yoner, supported by someone, stood up and spoke in disbelief.
-“Is this class even supposed to be like this?”
-“I’ve been thinking that since I met the headmaster.”
Even if the secrets of alchemy lay deep within nature, it was absurd for such monsters to be roaming around where freshmen who hadn’t even learned proper magic were wandering.
It was called a pig, but judging by its earlier strength, it could have easily smashed through a thick tree.
-‘Should I drop alchemy?’
Yi Han seriously considered it.
Assuming all the professors at this magic school were a bit crazy, calculating the probability of death...
Classes outside the classroom seemed more dangerous than those inside.
He thought it might be an easy class, but seeing monsters like this, it seemed things would only get tougher.
-“They might send us deeper into the forest to collect troll saliva or something.”
-“Ugh...”
Yoner also frowned at Yi Han’s words, clearly troubled.
He wanted to open an alchemy workshop, but he didn’t want to die for it.
-“Wait... You’re not thinking of dropping the class, are you?”
Nylia spoke urgently.
Their friendship was already fragile.
These two were the only friends she had managed to make.
If they dropped alchemy, she’d be left alone again.
-“You’re not, right!? Both of you are from the Blue Dragon Tower. Don’t you have any pride or something?”
-“I don’t.”
-“I value practicality over honor...”
-“......”
Nylia was completely upset by the two nobles’ responses.
-“Fine, do whatever you want!”
-“Why are you getting so upset?”
-“Yeah, we haven’t decided to drop it yet.”
-“... Really?”
Just as Nylia turned her head to ask, a familiar cry erupted from the distance.
-■■■!
-“... Looks like another one showed up.”
-“... Maybe we should drop it after all...”
-“......”
What the three found when they ran over was another mutant pig, just like the one they had faced earlier.
Realizing that there were at least two of these creatures in the area, Yi Han quickly came to a conclusion.
-“We should drop the class.”
-“Hey...!”
-“Now’s not the time to argue about that...”
Yoner pointed downward.
The pig wasn’t alone.
It was threatening some unfortunate students.
-‘Six of them.’
Including the princess, Adenarth, there were six students.
A much better situation than Yi Han’s group.
-“They’ll handle it themselves, right?”
-“Huh?”
Yoner glanced at Yi Han, then back down, then at Yi Han again.
-“Do you really think so?”
-“Let those guys handle it.”
Nylia grumbled.
She didn’t have a good impression of the group following Adenarth.
They seemed like arrogant nobles clinging to the haughty princess!
-“I’ll take care of it!”
-“!”
One of the six stepped forward.
Yi Han recognized him as a noble he had seen in the dormitory.
-“Who is that?”
Of course, just because he had seen his face didn’t mean he could immediately recall his name.
Yi Han knew the noble families of the empire, but he wasn’t familiar with their children’s faces.
-“Asan Dalkard.”
-“Ah, the Dalkard family.”
-“... You know the family but not the face...?”
Yoner was puzzled.
The Dalkard family.
While the Wodanaz family had served as the emperor’s advisors for generations, the Dalkard family had held positions like the empire’s chancellor or treasurer.
They were renowned for their excellent and precise work.
-“If it’s the Dalkard family, they should be reliable.”
-“Yeah, unlike Gainando, they seem trustworthy.”
-“?”
Nylia tilted her head in confusion.
Did they just mention the prince? Asan was tall and lean, but his stance with the staff looked impressive.
Yi Han noticed that Asan had trained in swordsmanship.
Experts could recognize each other.
-“That Dalkard has learned swordsmanship.”
-“If that’s the case, then it should be fine.”
Yoner felt relieved.
He didn’t want the six below to get hurt.
Asan gripped his staff and aimed at the pig.
-“I’ve read your movements 100%.”
He took a step forward.
-“You can’t escape my predictions, pig!”
Another step.
His footwork was as precise as if drawn with a ruler.
Yi Han was slightly impressed.
-‘Is he a human calculator?’
The empire’s swordsmanship was as diverse as its magic.
There were strong and heavy styles, fast and light styles, complex and intricate styles...
And as Alarron had said, there were styles like the one Asan was using now.
-“A geometric swordsmanship based on complex mathematical calculations, creating shapes with each step...”
-“Oh, that sounds interesting. Can I learn it?”
-“... What!? You think that looks fun!? Doesn’t it seem like a crazy swordsmanship?”
Alarron, not knowing that style, had only taught Yi Han what he knew.
But seeing Asan move with the staff reminded Yi Han of that conversation.
It was meticulous!
-■■■!
As Asan provoked the pig with his footwork, the pig seemed to get angry.
It charged at Asan with a fierce cry.
Asan sidestepped like a bullfighter and fiercely stabbed the pig’s side with his staff.
-“Ha!”
-■!
-Bang!
And then Asan was sent flying.
The enraged pig slammed its body sideways after a sudden brake.
-“......”
-“......”
Though it wasn’t a direct hit, the impact was significant.
Asan rolled away.
-“Ugh... My calculations were off...”
-“... He’s just someone who trained hard in swordsmanship...”
Yi Han muttered.
It seemed Asan had trained diligently but had little real combat experience.
That’s why his stance was good, but he couldn’t predict the pig’s charge and got sent flying!
-“Let’s help.”
-“!”
Nylia was surprised by Yi Han’s words.
She hadn’t expected him to step up in such a dangerous situation.
-‘Is this the dignity of a noble...?’
Unlike other nobles who were all talk, Yi Han was taking the lead in a dangerous situation.
He seemed like a noble straight out of a story.
Nylia was slightly moved.
-“If we help, maybe we can ask for favors in other classes later. Exams or assignments. Especially with the princess’s connections.”
-“......”
Nylia’s admiration vanished.
You opportunist...!
Adenarth gestured behind her.
The meaning was clear without words.
The remaining four students hurriedly hid behind her.
Not that hiding would do much...
Adenarth suddenly felt lonely.
She had told them to step back, but this situation wasn’t pleasant.
But this was just another task to complete.
Like everything else she had done perfectly, Adenarth intended to handle this pig flawlessly.
-‘Read its breathing.
When it charges...’
-Whack!
With a loud noise, the pig tumbled to the side.
-“?!??!”
And then Yi Han appeared behind it, sighing in relief.
-“Good thing it didn’t notice.”
-“Do you see how important it is to approach with the wind at your back?”
-“Yeah, the wisdom of a hunter is impressive.”
-“... If we keep taking alchemy, maybe we’ll gain even deeper wisdom?”
-“No, I don’t want that.”
-“......”
Yi Han had already made up his mind.
He hated alchemy!
-‘I’ll live in the classroom.’
Adenarth froze for a moment, then quickly regained her composure and bowed her head.
-“... Thank you, Wodanaz.”
-“It’s nothing, Your Highness.”
Nylia, listening nearby, whispered in confusion.
-“Why are you speaking formally?”
-“Yeah, I got swept up in the moment.”
Even though they were all peers and the school’s rules allowed for informal speech regardless of status, the princess’s formal tone made Yi Han unconsciously respond in kind.
-“By the way, if you feel indebted, could I ask a favor?”
Adenarth nodded.
-“Could you recommend some easy classes for good grades?”
The princess had a wider network, so she likely had more insider knowledge.
Yi Han thought so.
-“......”
Of course, from Adenarth’s perspective, this was a bit mind-boggling.
What was this Wodanaz mage saying? Surely he wasn’t asking for an easy way out of classes...
Was there some other meaning?
-“I know some easy classes for good grades!”
A familiar dwarf’s voice came from behind.
Yi Han suddenly felt a chill, like when he had met his old graduate school professor.
-Tap-
The dwarf professor, Thunderstep, grabbed Yi Han’s collar as he tried to step aside.
Then, in a cheerful voice, he said:
-“That would be the alchemy class, Wodanaz.”
-“......”