Top Instructor of a Third-Rate Academy

Chapter 7

Sitting in my chair in the faculty room, I pondered Rozalin's words.

'I was missing an arm. Who do you think cut it off?'

Considering the context, it meant that the House of Marquis Vürhelm had cut off their own daughter's arm.

Does that make sense?

The House of Marquis Vürhelm was a renowned noble family in the empire.

Be it swords, be it scholarship.

They were a family of old traditions, fitting the description of being skilled in both literary and martial arts, and as such, a family of extremely high dignity.

The head of a family renowned in the empire would cut off his own daughter's arm just because she dropped out of a rural academy...?

It didn't make sense from a common-sense perspective.

'What does it matter if I don't get it.'

After a moment of thought, I stopped thinking.

I don't understand.

The past two days had been a series of events too dynamic to be troubled by that.

Wasn't Rozalin's claim of returning from 10 years in the future to save me absurd in the first place?

Rozalin said she would take care of the matter with the House of Marquis Vürhelm herself.

'Let's just prepare for class.'

I rummaged through the file folder on my desk.

I didn't have a class next period, but the period after that, I had to teach a swordsmanship theory class for the 4th-year A class.

There was a lot to prepare for the class.

'There were a lot of kids here who used heavy swords, drawing large trajectories.'

After studying under Elder Perdius for a month, I wandered the country to properly learn the sword.

And after wandering for about three years, I realized.

Swordsmen were a strange breed who carried muscles instead of brains in their heads.

From the theory books circulating in the market to pretty decent secret manuals.

They were all over the place, ranging from incomprehensible sentences like 'If you swing the sword like this, you'll feel an enlightenment in your muscles' to obvious ones like 'Counterattack from a place where the opponent's attack can't reach but yours can.'

The vast majority of them were disorganized, and even when I managed to decipher the contents of a book, they were often useless.

'Why on earth are they selling a sword manual for a swordsmanship that only a 190cm tall person can use as a basic sword theory book.'

Books that were just a collection of their own combat experiences, organized in a plausible way.

Right.

The current swordsmanship education lacked a scholarly system.

I felt sorry for the instructors who taught this kind of thing as theory or education, and for the students who took those classes.

'I'll create the theory.'

And so, two years ago.

I came to this Akarind Academy, which had at least attempted systematic theoretical education.

The file folder was a record of the students' characteristics, created to establish such a theory.

'Last time we did a lesson on the lower body, so this time, focusing on the movement of the wrist while drawing a trajectory...'

As I was thinking that and about to get up.

"Hey, Cassian!"

A man who had approached my desk slammed his hand on it with a loud bang.

A body nearly 2m tall, with burly muscles, a firm jaw with a double chin, and closely cropped yellow hair.

It was Freutche, another swordsmanship instructor working here.

"They say it's all your fault that Rozalin dropped out and is doing weird things, what's all this about!"

"Who did you hear it from?"

"The psycho!"

It seemed he heard it from the chairman.

So, in front of me and next to Rozalin, he was all smiles, saying what's right is right, and then he passed all the blame onto me to others?

Really, the level of his politics... is that what it takes to become a chairman?

"That is..."

"This is why I shouldn't have entrusted the 2nd-year class to you! I told you! A clumsy oaf like you should just teach the freshmen theory!"

Freutche shouted with a grim face.

His voice was loud enough to echo throughout the entire faculty room, no, it was loud enough to be heard even outside in the hallway.

No one stopped Freutche.

Clumsy, unskilled, loud, and just a nag.

There wasn't a single instructor who didn't know that image of me.

In fact, in the distance, a few instructors looked at me with expressions of schadenfreude.

Most of them were in charge of swordsmanship.

"This is why a background of not being able to wield a single sword properly..."

"With skills like that, he's from the Imperial Royal Academy."

"Haha, what's the point of being smart? If he really had that kind of ability, would he have come here?"

They exchanged jeers and giggles as if they wanted me to hear everything.

"It's not just anyone! It's Rozalin! A genius the likes of which has rarely been seen in the history of Akarind Academy! If she graduates and returns to the empire, she's a talent who will raise the name of our academy just by breathing!"

"I know."

"You know, and you let this situation happen?! Say something, what on earth did you do to make a student like that say she's quitting the academy!"

"I saved a town soldier by risking my life."

"So why on earth would you risk your life to save a town soldier, what?"

The voices from all around were cut off.

The center of the commotion had, at some point, entered the faculty room and was standing next to Freutche.

Freutche's face, stiff as a board, looked at Rozalin.

Rozalin looked up at him with a bright smile.

No, to be precise, only her lips were smiling as she looked up at him with fierce eyes.

"Two days ago, three Orc Warriors invaded Hans's farm outside the town. If we hadn't protected it, many people in the residential area would have died."

The reason Instructor Freutche's expression was frozen was probably not because he was caught talking about Rozalin.

It was because he hadn't seen Rozalin enter the faculty room and come up next to him.

"But Instructor Cassian was the fastest to step up, and even though he wasn't skilled, he fought hard against the warriors and bought time."

Rozalin's gaze turned to the instructors who had been whispering about me just a moment ago.

They avoided Rozalin's eyes and looked away.

"No, that's because we weren't there, if we had been there..."

"126 times. 2 times."

"Huh?"

"I have my own livelihood issues, and well, personal dreams. As soon as I dropped out, I got a job. It's called Guard Captain, and I'm the head of security for Akarind Academy?"

At Rozalin's confession, the others who had been observing the situation had expressions of disbelief.

They were hearing it for the first time.

"This year, after class, Instructor Cassian participated in the town guard 126 times. He always went out to the square and took care of the townspeople's big and small affairs. In comparison, Instructor Freutche, 2 times."

So she has access to the guard records.

The instructors affiliated with Akarind Academy formally report their outings when they leave the academy.

Rozalin had seen that report.

No, but did she memorize all of that in just two days?

The smile on Rozalin's lips deepened.

"Right. If you had been there. If you had been there, you would have protected them, but you weren't. Neither was anyone else."

The entire faculty room fell silent.

A single girl who, just a few days ago, had been a student at this school, was now leading the atmosphere against the teachers.

"So I quit. Because it seemed like this person was the only one I could trust!"

Rozalin smiled and placed her hand on my shoulder with a pat.

"Common sense, if my only complaint was with Instructor Cassian, I would have asked for him to be fired, why would I quit school? It's not like I'm crazy. Right?"

The smile disappeared from Rozalin's lips.

Standing there was a warrior.

And according to her, one who had rolled with barbarians for over 10 years, roamed the front lines, and finally rose to the position of great general.

A hero of unparalleled genius.

It must have been difficult for people to readily accept that presence.

Ding-dong―!

"Ahem, ahem!"

That's why, as soon as the bell rang, the instructors, without exception, left the faculty room.

Freutche was no exception.

Even those who didn't have a class this period all left.

Before long, only Rozalin and I were left in the faculty room.

"Ugh, trash. I knew they were like that, but seeing that pathetic sight again after coming back makes my blood pressure rise. I should just flip out and tear the place down like I want to."

Only after they had all left did Rozalin bare her teeth and growl.

It was that wild look I had seen earlier.

"Don't be too hard on the teachers. They're all people who work hard for education, after all."

"You're too naive, Instructor. Naive. Ah, really. To think I have to leave such an innocent person behind. I can't leave with peace of mind."

If she's leaving, is it to the House of Marquis Vürhelm?

Rozalin, as if displeased, grumbled and tapped the floor with her innocent shoes.

"I keep telling them I have things to do here and I'm not going back to the mansion, but they won't listen. I have to go and throw a fit. I have a lot to do in the future, and I don't want to be meddled with."

"...I don't know what you're planning to do, but you have to be reasonable."

"Is this the time to be worried about me? I'm more worried about you when I'm gone. If the instructor dies, humanity is doomed! Have some self-awareness! Ah, so ignore those bastards who pick fights with you and take care of your faith in humanity! Go look at a stray cat or something!"

Rozalin huffed and puffed for a while, then let out a sigh, "Hoo."

It was hard to believe that this was the kid who had just led a confrontation against all the instructors in the faculty room.

"So! I've called for an escort to assist the instructor while I'm gone!"

"An escort? Did you request someone from the House of Marquis Vürhelm?"

"Tsk, tsk, your imagination is so poor! I've prepared something even more surprising!"

Rozalin smiled brightly.

For some reason, that smile made me uneasy.

Because every time Rozalin did something outside of common sense in the past two days, she had made that expression.

"Follow me!"

But Rozalin, rather than explaining, ran out of the faculty room as if to show me directly.

Not knowing what to do, I sat still, and Rozalin's head peeked out from the faculty room door.

"Ah, hurry up!"

* * *

Rozalin said she had returned to the past.

"I wasn't the only one who came back."

And that about ten of her comrades who were there had also come over with her.

"Those people will all be coming to you, Instructor. Because we have to save the world."

"So you didn't contact them..."

"I did contact them as soon as I arrived. I did nag the one closest to me to come quickly."

"And that is, of all people..."

I looked at the young man in front of me.

He was in his late teens, about the age of a graduating student at Akarind Academy.

His shaggy gray hair made it difficult to guess his expression.

His jawline and slender build gave him a rather neurotic and obsessive impression.

He was wearing a tunic under a travel robe, and on the left side of the robe was an embroidered golden parchment.

There was only one group that used that seal.

The Goldline Merchant Guild.

One of the three major merchant guilds in the empire, it boasted power and prestige by exclusively supplying military goods to the empire.

And a young man with gray hair from the Goldline Merchant Guild could only be one person.

"Avril Goldline."

The only son of the head of the Goldline Merchant Guild.

A big shot like this is my... escort?

Rozalin looked at my surprised expression and giggled.

"Awesome, right? He's the one who supplied all the military supplies until the end of our war. His personality is a bit shitty, but his calculations are solid."

Is it okay to say that with the person in question right next to her?

I could feel a gaze on me from behind his hair.

A gaze that seemed to be sizing me up and evaluating me, no, more like putting a price on me.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Cassian, the swordsmanship instructor at Akarind Academy."

I tried to ignore the gaze and held out my hand.

"The world is ending, and you're playing house. So, when are you quitting this shithole academy?"

...Why do these guys from the future like quitting the academy so much?

It seems another weirdo has arrived.