The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 12

The competition is just around the corner.

After a long day of running around the training grounds, Amon was competing with Boris and Chloe when he suddenly realized something.

“So, you two must be feeling pretty confident now, huh?”

“Hmph, hmph……what?”

“Because you’re both coming at me with a lot of momentum.”

“What? Well, that’s…….”

The truth was this.

‘Mr. Amon, you’re really good at dodging.’

‘I’d love to punch you somehow…….’

‘Okay, let’s go at it like it’s life and death.’

Amon’s skillful dodging of attacks has caused them to become overconfident, and they lunge at him with uncharacteristic vigor!

But he’s not wrong to say that they felt confident.

The first time is the hardest, and lately, whenever we had time, we’ve been going to the guardhouse and dueling the soldiers.

Of course, if you keep being nice to them, they’ll think it’s their right. It’s a favor at first, but if you keep asking for a duel, you’ll most likely get cursed at.

‘So I buy the captain drinks and feed the soldiers meals and snacks.’

Eventually, the point is.

‘……I’m slowly running out of money.’

A new teacher’s salary is a pittance.

A month’s salary is about three gold coins.

My pockets are tight, so I sneakily suggest to the vice-principal, who is mainly in charge of the academy’s finances, that I should be allowed to use the money for the student’s education.

‘Hmm, may I see the details?’

‘Yes, honorable vice principal. Here are the receipts.’

‘Alcohol, meat, fruit, and sweets……are most of it.’

‘Yes, the soldiers for the students’ dueling…….’

‘I can’t give it to you.’

Amon jumped.

‘No, why did you ask to see the breakdown if you weren’t going to give it to me anyway!’

The deputy headmaster was also furious.

‘You can’t even give me a crumb of candy, yet you’re giving this to soldiers, Amon. I can’t pay for your expenses!’

I was so frustrated that I felt like crying.

I complained to the headmaster.

‘The necessary expenses?’

‘Yes, honorable principal.’

‘Wait a minute, let me see…….’

Amon stiffened as he watched Anar’el reach into her bulging personal pocket and begin counting out silver coins.

‘Did the Vice Headmaster take all the money? I thought the Academy’s operating expenses were split between the Headmaster and the Vice Headmaster?’

‘It was taken from…….’

‘So you were going to pay for the expenses yourself?’

‘…….’

Poor principal, trying to pay for expenses out of her own pocket!

On the other hand, the principal’s cheeks trembled at the domineering behavior.

‘Why are you putting up with that?’

‘Hmph…….’

‘Where is the authority and majesty of the principal?’

‘Hmph…….’

‘That’s too bad, I’ll have to go ask her about it…….’

Turning around in a panic, I caught sight of the books strewn across Anar’el’s desk.

‘……What is that?’

Anar’el gasped and closed the book.

‘It’s nothing.’

‘…….’

‘……No, it’s just, it looks like a good investment.’

Amon snatched the book from her and tore it to shreds.

‘What the hell, it’s sponsored by the Mythic Continent Pioneers!’

‘It’s the elves’ desire to colonize the Mythic Continent!’

‘This kind of thing should be done with personal money!’

The vice headmaster was justified in confiscating the operating expenses from the headmaster.

If the headmaster touches the operating budget one more time, she’ll finally realize that the academy is a wealthy country.

Anyway, the point is.

‘……Now I really don’t have any money. The principal can’t afford it, and the vice principal doesn’t want to do it.’

Amon, who had been thinking for a while, spoke up.

“So, kids.”

“Yes, sir?”

Amon baited.

“Since you’ve been working so hard, let’s go get something to eat tonight.”

“Wow, sir! Thank you!”

* * *

Chloe and Boris’s faces were as rotten as ever as they reached a back alley tavern with an arena

“You’ve cheated us, sir.”

“Not for the first time.”

I said with a bark of laughter.

“Haha, kids, you mean business when you say you’re going to eat something delicious, don’t you?”

“……heh.”

Boris grumbled, picking at his fried meat.

“I’m going to tell Ms. Sloth that you brought me to this place.”

“Haha, Ms. Sloth agreed!”

Chloe exclaimed.

“That’s not possible!”

“Really. You’ve gained some confidence, haven’t you, and besides, Chloe, you’re getting used to being the center of attention.”

Chloe smirked.

“Yeah, you just have to think of people as ‘@#$’.”

“Huh? Yeah, well, anyway, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get in a fight once in a while in a rough place like this……and Ms. Sloth said so too.”

Amon said, picking up a tomato to replace the boring potato.

“Even in a tournament, there’s no guarantee that your opponent will fight with manners, right?”

“……Yes.”

“So I thought it would be good for you to experience a place like this. Besides, you and the soldiers have gotten used to each other, and there’s no point in fighting anymore.”

The students nodded in understanding.

“By the way, Chloe.”

“Yes ……?”

“What is @#$?”

Chloe was about to answer that question when Marion sat back in his seat and said.

“Phew, I’m back from registering players, so get yourselves ready.”

Boris and Chloe’s jaws dropped at that.

They were nervous about fighting in a different environment.

Then Amon whispered to Marion.

“What are the odds on this match?”

The story we told the students earlier is from the perspective of “Teacher Amon”!

And now he’s talking to Marion from the point of view of the adult Amon!

“Two times. The opponent is too weak.”

“……Yes, but still, isn’t that too low?”

“Kid, what do you think the odds are when everyone in the city knows they duel soldiers at the guard post every day?”

For some reason, there have been fewer onlookers near the guard post lately.

“I’d say they’re paying twice as much, but they’re kids, and they’re not used to the atmosphere here, so I’d take that into account.”

“……chet.”

Well, whatever.

‘We’ll call it slow. A player can only participate in two matches per day. Since I have 1 gold right now…….’

I’ll take it at 2x odds, and since I have two students, that’s four matches.

‘Alright, I should be able to get at least 15 gold!’

Amon looked greedily at the tense students.

‘I’ve taught you so hard, this is the least you can do!’

The greedy grin on his face disappeared.

It was time to turn back into Teacher Amon.

“Now, children, listen carefully.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The rules here are simple: bare hands, that’s it.”

“That’s ……?”

“Slapping, eye gouging, biting. Anything goes.”

Boris said in a confused voice.

“Ha, but we only learned swordplay, right?”

“If you don’t have a sword, are you just going to suck on your finger?”

“…….”

“Trust what you’ve been taught and trust yourself. Okay?”

Amon rubbed Boris’s head as if to encourage him.

Seeing that, Chloe said.

“Mr. Amon, do you think I’ll be good?”

Amon patted Chloe’s head as well.

“With all the training you’ve been doing, you could do it with your bare hands!”

“Yes……sir.”

The contestant, “Boris,” was then called to the front of the cage, and when he left, I ran up to the staff, panting.

“One gold on Boris!”

* * *

Boris’s performance was shocking.

His opponent was a burly man!

“Hick, what are you doing here?”

“Heh…….”

“Hmph, don’t worry, this uncle will be gentle with you…….”

“Oh, don’t come!”

Boris swung his fist, hitting his opponent in a not-so-good place.

The sight made the entire male audience shudder and grab their crotches.

“That one popped!”

“That’s awful!”

Amon and Marion muttered as they watched their opponent being carried off on a stretcher.

“Well, I guess it can’t be helped with the height difference.”

“……Yes, but do they stand a chance with bare hands, barring a rush attack?”

I nodded at the question.

“According to Senior Sloth, the Marquis of Pid’s swordsmanship was basically created with bare-handed fighting in mind.”

“Hmm? Is that true?”

“She taught it without the core, the vision, of course, but I’m told the structure is the same.”

Amon swung his fist in the air in trajectory like a slashing motion.

“As you can see, it’s a punch that would be a ‘crushing’ blow with a bare hand, and a sword strike that would be a ‘chopping’ blow with a sword.”

“……!”

“In the end, it’s probably because this swordsmanship was developed with hand-to-hand combat in mind that its movements are so flashy and unusual. That might be why they say the swordsmanship of the Marquis of Pid’s family carries such an intense aura of lethality.”

Amon smirked.

“Anyway, if the kids realize that fact, they won’t have a big problem even with their bare hands. In the first place, Boris’s punch was a ‘deflection’, right? Since they’re used to swordsmanship, it must have been a natural movement.”

“Well, I see, but I was wondering something.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Did you also learn swordsmanship from Sloth?”

Amon grumbled at the question.

“I tried to get her to teach me a few times, but she never did.”

“……Hmm, I see.”

Amon’s non-teaching league was still intact.

‘This is the kind of guy who watches me teach my students and copies me so perfectly, I’d be in trouble if I tried to teach him.’

In the middle of this conversation, Boris returned.

“Boris, congratulations on the win!”

“……Well, I don’t know what’s what.”

I’m like, “Of course not.”

‘I won because I hit them in a bad place.’

But it was the best he could do at the time.

‘He was a grown man. There’s a huge weight difference, so it’s not easy to take him down with your bare hands. A rush attack is the best way to do it……..’

Amon looked at Chloe.

“Chloe.”

“Yes.”

“You saw what Boris did, didn’t you?”

“…….”

“Slap him too…….”

Marion slapped Amon’s cheek.

“You crazy man, what are you trying to do to a little girl!”

“Kekk! Ha, but that’s the best…….”

“Well, by the way…….”

Then Chloe said.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll try my best to use what I’ve learned.”

“Oh, really?”

Amon nodded reassuringly as Chloe smiled.

The contestant was then called to the cage, and as she left, Amon ran over to her, panting.

“Two gold for Chloe!”

* * *

This match shocked me in a completely different way than Boris’s.

“Ah, Amon.”

“……Yes.”

“Chloe was that good?”

“I knew she was, but……she’s even better than I thought.”

It was an overwhelming performance.

She parries her opponent’s attacks with ease and then slips in a nimble counterattack.

“Thwack! Ha, only one…….”

Thwack!

“You little brat!”

Pfft!

“Ugh! This, this guy…….”

The opponent was trying to hit her with a punch but Chloe dodges like a squirrel and scores a good hit!

The difference in size is meaningless if you can’t land the attack…and no matter how big the difference in size, if you’re hit with a sharp blow again and again.

-Thud!

Chloe’s opponent falls to the ground and the crowd erupted in cheers.

“To see such a high level of competition here!”

“Little lady, you’re amazing!”

In response to the cheers, Chloe grinned wickedly, looked around the crowd, and muttered.

“……@#$s.”

And with that, Chloe stormed out of the cage!

Soon after, Chloe approached me and I patted her on the head.

“Well done! Chloe, that was awesome!”

“I’m ……thank you.”

Seeing that, Marion poked Boris in the side.

“Boris.”

“Yes …….”

“Do you feel anything?”

“…….”

Boris ended the match by hitting his opponent in a bad place!

Chloe, on the other hand, played a great game!

Boris throws a fit.

“Hey, I can do that too!”

“Hehe, yeah, yeah.”

Meanwhile the man who watched Chloe’s game muttered.

“Hmph, a student of the academy?”

He muttered with a sour face and clicked his tongue.

“This is going to hurt business.”

He said.

“Call Dexon the Fixer. Tell him to crush those kids in the next match.”

“Yes, master. But there is Viscount Rumdom…….”

“There is no connection between us and Dexon. Viscount Rumdom won’t be able to identify us either.”

The man smirked as his subordinate left.

‘Hoo-hoo, young man, I’m sorry, but……you’re interfering with my business, so you’ll have to go.’

The man looks down with a cruel smile on his face, sipping his wine.

“Master, the children and teachers have left.”

“……what?”

In fact, Amon and the others left immediately after Chloe returned.

They were just getting hungry, so they left the bar to get a proper meal.

The man said with a cruel smile.

“Hmph, he’ll be back soon. Tell Dexon the Fixer to trample on the kids.”

~At that time, Amon and his party~

“Sir, I’m sleepy.”

“Yeah, well, let’s go back to bed.”

“Yes, sir, but will we come back here again?”

“No. The contest is coming up soon, so we should start preparing for it.”

He made a decent amount of money, and there was no reason to come back.

“Come on, let’s go to bed. Come on, kids.”

“Yes, sir.”

~On the other side~

“They came back, didn’t they?”

“No, sir.”

“Hmm…Tell Dexon to brutalize the kids.”

The man smiled a cruel smile and tipped his wine glass.