*Wreeeak!*
Schlus’s new model came flying at full speed.
In response, the training golem swung its *fist*.
It was a speed that definitely didn’t lag behind Schlus’s charge.
*Bang!*
A diagonal slash from above.
As Schlus slammed down a steel pipe, the golem’s *fist* shattered into pieces.
“What, what was that just now?”
“I don’t know. I can’t see a thing…”
Amidst the flying debris and the *booming* sound, the students couldn’t even comprehend what was happening.
Both the golem’s movements and Schlus’s were far beyond their understanding.
*Hoo…*
The golem was quickly preparing to swing its left *fist*, but Schlus didn’t give it a chance and went deeper.
Next came the leg.
With a smooth connecting motion, Schlus delivered a horizontal slash.
The golem’s leg broke effortlessly, causing its stance to tilt.
Schlus took a step back, waiting for it to lean forward.
The moment the golem fell forward…
He sliced upwards, smashing the golem’s head.
*Thud…*
The golem fell helplessly, never to rise again.
It had been destroyed by its core.
Silence descended upon the lecture room.
Through the *cloud* of dust, Schlus stood quietly, breathing heavily.
With the golem already incapacitated, no one dared to speak first.
“I’ll return it to you. Sorry for the damage.”
“N-no, it’s just a steel pipe, what’s the big deal…”
Sergey received the steel pipe and gave an awkward smile.
The pipe had been bent this way and that, completely losing its original shape.
“I expected a magical confrontation, but I didn’t think you’d just smash it, haha.”
The golem had been made for magic training after all.
It had enchantments for mana resistance, designed to withstand magic, but was incredibly weak to physical strength.
Of course, “weak” was in comparison to magic; it wouldn’t take ordinary strength to break a rock.
Perhaps it had quite a decent internal circuit.
Sergey thought that Schlus might have more talent as a knight than as a magician.
‘What on earth…’
Trie’s pupils shook.
While Schlus’s movements were certainly not perfect, they were complete enough to be impressive.
His swordsmanship was refined and executed in a manner tailored to his physique.
It wasn’t just about mastering swordsmanship; it was a level that required deep contemplation, exploration, and truly grueling effort.
It was believable for a low-level knight taking a senior knight exam.
“Wow. But this is… what should I do?”
Sergey scratched his head, chuckling.
There was only one training golem prepared.
He peeked inside, wondering if it could be repaired, but with the core spell destroyed, recovery would be difficult for Sergey, who didn’t know the design.
*Hoo hoo hoo! It looks like you could use my help, Professor Sergey!*
*Chairwoman?*
Just then, the lecture room door swung open, and Alexia appeared with her hand on her waist.
“I’ll fix it for you!”
“Do you know the structure, Chairwoman?”
“Nope! I don’t!”
“Huh? Then how will you…?”
Alexia strutted over confidently and placed a hand on the golem.
The spells engraved inside were damaged far worse than the shattered limbs and head.
But Alexia was confident she could fix it.
“I just need to go back in time!”
“Go back in time? What do you mean…?”
“I never forget anything I’ve seen! Of course, I remember the entire process of the golem breaking! There’s a specific mana wavelength released when the spell is destroyed! If I analyze it, I can figure out what broke and how!”
*…What?*
Even after hearing that, Sergey tilted his head in confusion.
She wanted to restore the original by using the wavelengths emitted during the break process?
Theoretically, that wasn’t impossible.
It was like predicting how a carriage broke just by listening to the sounds at the accident scene—quite a challenge.
*Hmm…!*
Alexia began to repair the spells.
The erased spells were re-engraved, and the scattered debris reassembled the golem’s legs.
As Alexia removed her hands, the golem stood tall, looking just as it had when first seen.
The students were all left gaping, unable to look away.
They were overwhelmed by the might of a top-tier, Elsteter-class magician.
“Is this good? I fixed the external damage too!”
“Haha! Truly, Chairwoman! It’s restored to its original state!”
*Hoo hoo! You can praise me more!*
“But when you say you saw the golem breaking the whole time, does that mean… you were spectating the class? Where exactly—”
*Ah! I forgot! I need to go now!*
*…*
Alexia hurriedly fled, avoiding Sergey’s gaze.
If she wanted to spectate, she could have just done it boldly. She’s the Chairwoman, after all.
Sergey couldn’t understand Alexia’s motives at all.
“Now then, let’s resume the tests!”
With the commotion settled, Sergey clapped his hands.
*
*Damn it—*
Blood trickled from his nose.
He quickly wiped it with the handkerchief he had brought for this occasion.
His body felt heavy and extremely fatigued… It seemed he had become quite seriously addicted to mana energy.
He had just dropped 1 mana point.
Due to the low mana sensitivity stat, the ratio of the generated mana energy that converted to mana was barely less than 10 percent.
He could only unleash superhuman strength for about 3 seconds, but that was enough.
The training golem was already on the ground after just 2 seconds.
He hadn’t meant to destroy the core, where the spell was located, but perhaps due to the excitement, his hands moved unconsciously.
It might have been a compulsion born from looking into Schlus’s memory, feeling the need to finish off the opponent decisively.
Thanks to that, he finished the quest, so he had no complaints.
By the way, looking into this guy’s memory, it seemed like he was anything but ordinary.
What commoner fights giant monsters alone on a snowy mountain?
Seeing that he was here now meant he survived, but could he have done it by himself?
Nah, someone must have come to help him.
He wished he could have examined the memory fully, but that didn’t happen while dealing with the golem.
*Hmm…*
By the way, Trie kept glancing over this way.
She assumed she hadn’t been noticed, but it was way too obvious.
Is this her “dimwit” angle showing through?
Simply eliciting any interest from Trie was sufficient achievement for today.
After all, that was why he had caused such a ruckus, wielding a steel pipe.
“Next up! Edengard Trie von dem Schulzenburg!”
“Yes!”
At Sergey’s call, Trie jumped to her feet.
Finally, it was Trie’s turn.
The other students had all tried to tackle with magic.
But influenced by Schlus, Trie would use a sword.
The little sword she always carried on her *belt*.
“Huh?”
However, Trie unbuckled her *belt* and placed the sword, scabbard and all, down at her seat.
Approaching the training golem unarmed, he watched Trie blankly.
But her stance wasn’t one meant for martial arts either.
“Then I’ll begin.”
It was an extremely ordinary pose, breathing easy to cast magic.
He felt his energy drain away.
Throughout the test, Trie cast flame magic, wind magic, and so on, but… she failed to inflict any meaningful damage on the golem.
After all, he was the only one who broke the golem.
Still, he believed that if she had drawn her sword, she could have taken it out faster than he did.
Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed.
“That’s it. You can go back now.”
“Yes.”
Trie bowed her head and returned to her seat.
A faint shadow fell on her expression as she exhaled deeply.
‘I need to accelerate the plan a bit.’
A change of tactics.
He had to promote Trie’s shift to knighthood a little faster.
Watching her waste her top-tier talents on magic was more frustrating than he imagined.
How on earth did the protagonist watch this for over a year…?
He must persuade Trie as soon as possible, turning her into a sword that fights for him.
That was the immediate goal concerning Trie.
“Next! Aintz von Wiegenstein.”
“Hey, watch closely, Schlus. I’m going to break the golem too.”
“Oh. Uh. Sure.”
Aintz stepped out confidently, but honestly, Schlus replied half-heartedly.
He didn’t really care about flashy magic flying around.
He was too busy keeping an eye on Trie, who was wearing a serious expression.
*
“That’s the end of the test. The results will reflect in future classes. Dismissed!”
With the class ending, the students poured out all at once.
They gathered in small groups, chatting, yet could not help but glance at one person.
That was none other than Schlus Hainkel.
The only one who had damaged the training golem during the test.
Just entering the Imperial University meant the students were already akin to half-completed magicians.
Yet, their magic had failed to scratch the golem even once.
The only one to raise the golem’s level to 9 was Aintz, and that was it.
As he surveyed the golem, undamaged despite the *explosions* shaking the room, Aintz could only wear a wry smile.
Because of this, Aintz was now certain.
That following Schlus would definitely not be boring.
“Aintz, we’re heading to tennis—”
“You all go ahead. I have something to do.”
“Huh? Aintz?!”
Of course, Aintz wasn’t unaware that his friends wouldn’t take this well.
For them, who harbored deeply rooted discrimination against commoners, it was impossible to be close to Schlus.
While Aintz wasn’t entirely free from prejudice himself, the idea of being flexible based on ability didn’t exist with his friends.
The “Empire,” no, the “continent,” would be shaken by Schlus. And a bunch of useless noble brats.
It was crystal clear what to discard and what to choose.
Spotting Schlus’s back, Aintz waved and approached, but—
“Hey! Schlus! That test was amazing! How are you so strong?! Can you tell me—”
“Sorry. I’m kind of busy today. Let’s chat later.”
*…*
Schlus dismissed him with just a few words and callously left.
Aintz stood there, mouth agape, frozen in spot.
*
*…*
On his way home.
Trie’s elegant walk came to a halt.
A usually deserted path now had someone sitting on a bench ahead.
And that person was…
*Schlus Hainkel.*
The hot topic commoner prodigy.
Of course, Schlus had darted over on purpose to run into Trie, but she had no way of knowing that.
‘Should I talk to him? Or not?’
Trie began to chew on her lips, contemplating.
The swordsmanship he showed during the test was definitely longsword swordsmanship.
And it didn’t look like a hasty imitation; it seemed quite well-honed swordsmanship.
A commoner wouldn’t normally have the chance to hold a longsword, let alone learn it.
So, she grew curious about how Schlus had come to learn swordsmanship.
And Trie couldn’t hold back when she was inquisitive.
“Schlus Hainkel.”
“Oh, aren’t you Edengard Trie von dem Schulzenburg?”
*…Just call me Trie.*
“Got it, Trie.”
“Huh?”
“What’s the problem? You were the one who said to speak comfortably first.”
Trie was somewhat taken aback.
She didn’t expect him to use casual speech…
If it were up to her, she’d want to correct his speech pattern, but Trie decided against it.
The Schulzenburg family wasn’t particularly strict about manners or formality.
Show your worth and power.
Then others would treat you accordingly.
That was the teaching of her father, Gawayn von Schulzenburg, a legendary warrior in history.
“Do you have a complaint?”
“N-no! I was just surprised…”
Somehow, it felt like her speech was getting increasingly rude, but she decided to let it slide.
She’d initiated the conversation out of curiosity.
“Did you do well in the test? It looked like you had used a sword before?”
“Just briefly a while back.”
Schlus flexed his hands.
His palms were filled with calluses.
“May I know who you learned from?”
“My father. He was a guard in the northern region, probably.”
A guard? A guard learned longsword swordsmanship instead of spear techniques?
That seemed a bit strange, but for now, she accepted it.
It wasn’t unheard of for a common soldier to turn into a seasoned knight.
“Is that all you’re curious about?”
“Yep, that’s about it.”
“Then may I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“You practiced swordsmanship, right?”
*…!*
Trie’s pupils dilated.
Schlus’s deadpan expression seemed to see right through her.
“No. That’s a misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding? The stance. The breathing. Just looking at those calluses tells me you’ve reached a considerable level, haven’t you?”
“N-no…”
“You don’t need to hide it.”
*Sigh…* “Fine. You’re right.”
Trie sighed, having no choice but to admit.
The more she denied it, the more Schlus seemed to mock her with confidence.
“But saying I’m at a considerable level is really a misunderstanding. I’m nowhere near actual knights.”
“Surely you’re stronger than I am.”
“I only saw your swordsmanship briefly. I can’t judge based solely on that.”
“Be honest. You think I’m stronger than you, don’t you? Am I wrong?”
*…*
Trie clamped her mouth shut.
How could this guy always be so direct and confident?
What was annoying was that everything he said was true.
Schlus’s swordsmanship was indeed impressive.
By comparison, it certainly stood up against lower-tier knights.
Yet, she still felt he had a rough edge, and it seemed unlikely he could handle her.
“True. But why do you ask?”
“I think it’d be nice if you could teach me.”
“What?”
“I’m asking if you could please teach me swordsmanship.”
Schlus spoke to Trie with lifeless eyes.
His disrespectful tone remained, but the smile had completely vanished from his face.
He was clearly serious.
He was asking her to teach him swordsmanship.
Trie felt her heart race at this request, one she had never received before.
After abandoning knighthood and choosing to become a magician, her heart had long since stopped.
After some contemplation, Trie slowly parted her lips.
“I refuse.”
