Chapter 4
The Holy Knight of the Academy was set in a terrifying world where witches had nearly destroyed everything in the past. Numerous heroes from across the globe had gathered to exterminate the witches, but due to remnants left behind by them, monstrous beasts were still popping up all over the world. This frightening lore was inscribed in history textbooks.
And the Aegis Academy was an institution established to nurture heroes who would protect humanity from those frightful threats, including the terrifying monsters.
This meant, of course, that the curriculum would naturally include classes related to enhancing combat capabilities through superpowers.
“Originally, after the test we just had, I was going to give a brief introduction session, but since we have some latecomers, the schedule got a bit pushed back! So let’s skip introductions and go straight to the ability measurement time!”
Eve, standing at the teacher’s desk, snapped her fingers.
In an instant, the classroom full of students transformed into a vast meadow.
Sylvia and Yoon Si-woo, who were right in front of me, vanished without a trace, leaving only Eve and me in the prairie.
I guessed the other students were having one-on-one encounters with Eve just like I was.
To project an illusion while simultaneously managing thirty students—it was a remarkable demonstration of split-thinking worthy of the title “the best in the world.”
“Alright, let me introduce myself first. My name is Eve. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next year. And our student with 200 points, what’s your name?”
“Scarlett… Evande.”
“Okay, so it’s Miss Evande then.”
“Please call me Scarlett.”
“No way. ‘Evande’ sounds much nicer.”
Being called the ‘200-point girl’… What a dreadful title.
On top of disliking not being referred to as ‘guy’ since I’m still a guy on the inside, the added burden of being labeled ‘200 points’ cranked the pressure up by 200%.
It felt like I had scored full marks in a placement test, burdened with unnecessary expectations from the teacher.
By the way, every time I said that name, I felt so embarrassed.
How could a name be like that…
Eve hummed, cheerfully singing “Evande, Evande,” before snapping her fingers again.
With a pop, an angrily-faced scarecrow appeared out of thin air.
“Ta-da! This is a special scarecrow created to measure your abilities. Despite its looks, it’s quite a sturdy fellow. Go ahead and attack it with your full strength, Evande! Having scored 200 points, I expect great things!”
Seriously, what can she expect from someone who can’t even burn their clothes?
To begin with, unless it’s someone like Yoon Si-woo or Sylvia, it wouldn’t be destroyed at all.
With a sigh, I decided to try igniting myself.
Based on my previous experiences, it seemed emotions flared up the flames within me.
Perhaps the triggering emotions were anger or excitement.
However, when I saw Sylvia smiling earlier, and my hair barely caught fire, it felt more like anger was the reliable trigger.
Thinking of what could get me riled up, the first thing that sprung to mind was Yoon Si-woo.
Looking back, he truly was an irritating guy.
He would probably end up with a few top-tier heroine beauties hanging around him soon.
He might even dare to extend his reach toward me, just because I’m a girl now.
But no matter how perfect you think you are, Yoon Si-woo, you can never have me, Scarlett Evande, the 32nd descendant of Kangrung Evande…
A surge of inner anger burst forth into flames.
However, these flames, to be honest, felt more like glowing rather than truly burning.
What value do flames that can’t burn anything hold?
I didn’t know… I was merely a firefly…
The scarecrow before me almost seemed to mock me.
Feeling frustrated over being ridiculed by a mere scarecrow, I found myself throwing a punch with all my might.
With a whoosh, my fist struck the scarecrow’s face.
Impressed by the punch I delivered, which was on a completely different level thanks to my superpowers, I still found that the scarecrow bore no scratches at all.
And why would it? After all, that was just a genuine punch.
“… So, Evande, is your original power not fire but rather physical enhancement?”
Eve’s gaze, akin to someone watching a drunken man hitting a punching machine on the street, filled me with shame, causing me to shake my head in denial.
I then thought about whether there was a way to increase the firepower of my flames to actually burn something.
Typically, you needed to add more fuel to increase flame strength.
If anger was the fuel for my flames, perhaps I just didn’t have enough anger.
I pondered what made me most furious.
The absurd ending of The Holy Knight of the Academy?
Or was it the being that turned me into this?
Suddenly, I recalled a cherished friend I had to part with after becoming a girl.
My precious friend, who would cry tears of joy when I was happy and share my sorrow when I was down, Sojung…
As that indescribable feeling of loss sparked my anger, I sensed that the heat of the flames engulfing my body had become significantly stronger.
With this state of mind, I was certain I could burn something now.
In most novels and comics, fire-type users could manipulate flames as if they were their limbs.
Imagining the flames flying toward the scarecrow’s face, I shouted inwardly.
Fire Ball!
But the flames stayed completely still.
Hellfire! Flame Emperor! Breath of Fire!
The flames still did not budge.
And then it hit me.
If I couldn’t manipulate the flames like limbs, I would have to use my limbs to control the flames instead.
BOOM!
A fist engulfed in fire struck the scarecrow’s face.
I dubbed it Fire Punch.
Although it looked quite powerful, all it did was leave a bit of soot on the scarecrow’s face.
But figuring out how to actually use flames that could burn felt like a significant achievement, right?
“Umm, Evande? You might want to think a bit more about your surroundings when using your powers in the future…”
Suddenly, Eve spoke in a flustered tone.
Her trembling gaze was fixated on my body.
Curious, I lowered my gaze to see a pristine white girl’s body staring back at me.
In a state of shock, my mind turned blank.
Of course, if flames erupted from my body, my clothes would burn away too.
If a girl suddenly turned up nude in a classroom, it would undeniably cause a major ruckus.
A horrifying vision flashed through my mind—being blackmailed by the male students of the school.
Just a day after becoming a girl, I was facing a life-altering crisis.
If I wasn’t careful, I’d definitely be refused entry to school starting tomorrow.
“Evande, since you’re a girl now, be careful with those kinds of things! For now, let me use magic to make it look like you’re wearing your uniform. I hope there’s a spare uniform in the teacher’s office…”
Eve snapped her fingers, and suddenly I was clothed in the same uniform I had worn earlier.
I was incredibly grateful that Eve was my main teacher.
I could have ended up experiencing something straight out of an erotic comic…
As Eve clapped her hands, the illusion dispersed, revealing the classroom once more.
None of the other students seemed to have returned yet, suggesting that their measures weren’t finished.
Even though the students hadn’t moved from here, what kind of trickery was this illusion magic?
“I’ll head to the teacher’s office. Stay put, Evande.”
Eve sighed gently and walked out of the classroom.
And the moment she left, Yoon Si-woo appeared to have finished his measurement and was suddenly seated on a chair.
Feeling my presence, Yoon Si-woo turned to me and took a sharp breath.
As his face turned bright red, he quickly averted his eyes, leaving me puzzled.
What had happened inside the illusion magic?
.
..
…
Ah, illusion magic.
Flames erupted from my body.
In the next moment, a Fire Punch slammed into Yoon Si-woo’s jaw.
*
Right after delivering a Fire Punch to Yoon Si-woo, I dashed out of the classroom and took refuge in the bathroom, changing into a spare uniform that Eve had brought from the teacher’s office, roughly resolving the awkward situation.
When Eve returned to the classroom and saw Yoon Si-woo holding his jaw in a daze, she quickly grasped the situation and burst out laughing.
“Ahaha… Sorry, Evande. I’ve never seen an ability like Si-woo’s before, so I made a mistake… Haha… So sorry…”
If she wants to apologize, I hope she can hold back the laughter a little…
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