The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 22

Farming is hard work.

But for Boris, rolling around the floor every day in the name of “special classes” was like honey.

And when it came to farming, he was better than anyone in the Academy, except for Amon!

“Mr. Marion! You dug this hole too deep!”

“Oh, really?”

“Vice Principal, take out the potatoes in your pocket!”

“……chet!”

Boris, who had been promoted at a rapid pace with Amon’s permission, had even been given the position of ‘supervisor’!

Boris wielded his power like honey, reprimanding the Academy’s workers.

“Chloe, what if you slice the seed potatoes? Will they sprout or not?”

“…….”

“You’re a good swordsman, but what’s wrong with your knife skills!”

“……Boris, let’s go back and see.”

“I’m sorry, it was my fault…….”

The villagers and the Academy staff worked as hard as they could to restore the potato fields.

They’ve been hanging on to the fields for days and days.

“At least we should be able to finish it today, Amon.”

“Yes.”

“Do you pay for work?”

“What?”

“Do you pay for work?”

“Yes?”

Of course, it was under the pretext of a field trip, so she really had no intention of accepting it, and was just asking, but I can’t believe she was so shameless.

“Give me back the liquor I gave you as a gift.”

“……I’ll pay you in kind when I get back.”

“That’s it, man.”

With a wry smile, Marion looked around.

Even though it’s a mess due to the restoration of the potato field, even though there are monsters that appear once or twice a day like deer or wild boars and dig up the potato field, even though it’s a rough land with no cultural facilities to speak of…

‘……Wow, that’s a lot to leave out.’

Anyway, the point is, it’s country life at its best.

And the judgment I made after putting it all together!

“I’m a city girl.”

“Yeah? You were?”

“Yes.”

Stretching, Marion muttered.

“Well, the work will be done soon, and we can go back tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. The principal says she’ll be fully recovered by tomorrow.”

“Good, I’m glad to hear that.”

She was tired of digging with the hoe and running around trying to chase the monsters away.

I wonder how much time has passed.

Bam!

Brest yelled as she tied the rope around the last fence.

“Ooh, the fence is done!”

“Woah!”

The restoration of the estate devastated by the Elder Drake’s raid was finally complete.

The entire village and the Academy’s laborers had worked hard.

That night, the hard work was done, and everyone in the manor went to bed early.

Except for one.

“…….”

Amon sneaked a quick look at the estate’s financial statements without his father’s knowledge, and sighed.

‘The estate is in a lot of trouble.’

In fact, one of the reasons he’d come here was to ask his father for advice on how to get out of his teaching job at the Academy.

But he couldn’t tell him.

‘It seems I can’t ask for the penalty fee. Well, I figured as much…’

A needy manor.

To add insult to injury, the Elder Drake’s raid had destroyed their prized potato patch.

In such a situation, if I said, ‘I’m going to quit my job as an academy teacher!’, I would definitely get scolded by my mother.

‘Of course, if I sell the byproducts of the monsters I caught this time, things will get a little better, but that’ll cost me a lot of money, so I don’t want that.’

The people here weren’t really ‘gentry’.

They were neighbors, colleagues, and friends who lived in the same village.

After all, the tax rate was low, and the income from the monsters’ byproducts had to be used for their welfare and the restoration of the estate.

‘Right now, more than half of the villagers have been injured in the fight with the Elder Drake, a dozen houses have been destroyed, two warehouses have collapsed, and…….’

In other words, the situation in the manor was as Amon had always known it.

The only unexpected thing is that my brother and sister, who had left the estate, went to a nearby city to work and are apparently making money there.

‘Brother, it seems there’s a bit of income under my younger sibling’s name. But they say monster attacks dropped significantly while I was away from the territory, and as a result, income from dealing with monsters has also taken quite a hit.

Amon shook his head in disbelief.’

‘What kind of scourge am I?’

Otherwise, as soon as he arrived, a large army of monsters attacked, and even an Elder Drake came…

‘It’s convincing……even for an academy ragtag.’

Sighing, Amon scratched his head.

He’d managed to sneak his entire fortune into the manor’s vault, but there was no telling how far it would go.

‘I’m going to have to make my fortune soon, and then we’ll be better off……’

Of course, now that he knows the backstory between the Emperor and House Drake, he knows it won’t be easy.

‘But it’s the only way.’

Smiling bitterly, Amon pushed himself to his feet.

He decided to get some fresh air and go to bed.

As Amon wandered outside, he suddenly turned his head.

Shh, shh, shh, shh-!

‘Huh?’

A sound cut through the wind.

It was the sound of a sword swinging.

‘Who is that at this late hour?’

Could it be Chloe?

‘You little brat, practicing at this late hour……!’

Amon’s face fell as he turned toward the source of the sound.

There, Sloth was swinging her sword.

‘No, she’s not helping, and now she’s swinging a sword because she has nothing better to do?’

Amon clicked his tongue and was about to turn away when he suddenly turned his head.

‘Then why is she swinging her sword so desperately?’

A furious, flamboyant movement that belied the lazy Sloth.

‘……Is that the true swordsmanship of House Pid?’

It was nothing like the swordsmanship she had taught Boris and Chloe, missing the essentials.

Glamor, finesse, deception, it seemed to encapsulate all those words.

Amon watched in silence as she swung her sword.

Tsk!

Sloth’s legs shook with exhaustion, and she faltered.

But then, with a shaky, wobbly effort, she pushed herself up and began swinging her sword again.

That’s when Amon frowned.

Sloth’s hand was dripping with blood as she held the sword.

‘She swings a sword so hard that it bleeds?’

Come to think of it, he could hardly remember ever seeing Sloth’s bare hands.

She always held her sleeping bag with both hands.

‘……And the way she always dozed off during the day?’

Was it because she was practicing her swordsmanship while everyone else slept?

“……Tch.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Amon turned away.

This world isn’t easy, he thought.

* * *

“Grandpa, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Kahaha, yes, you’re back.”

The old man looked at the boy who bowed his head deeply and opened his mouth.

“Well, what was the result?”

“I won…….”

“Ho-ho, you won?”

The old man said, his eyes narrowing.

“Did you win by hiding your skills, as I said?”

“…….”

“Kahaha, I guess not.”

Said the old man who patted the boy on the head.

“Well, grandson, the world is not so easy, is it?”

“……Yes, just like you said, Grandpa.”

“That’s right. There are many hidden powerhouses in the world. Even though I’m the most powerful swordsman in the world, there’s probably someone out there that even I can’t touch, so it’s foolish to go around showing off your skills.”

“…….”

“That is why I have ordered you to hide your claws, lest you become overconfident. Do you understand?”

The boy was none other than Raymond, the winner of the swordsmanship portion of the contest.

The one whom Amon is grinding his teeth against for stealing Chloe’s victory!

And the old man Raymond was facing was none other than Reinbelt, the Azure Sky Sword King, one of the four Grand Sword Masters of the empire.

“By the way, grandson.”

“Yes.”

“Who is the person who brought out your true skill? As far as I can recall, none of the participants in the swordsmanship division of this competition were plausible.”

The original intention of this competition was to find ‘hidden figures.’

As a result, there were very few big-name contestants.

So it would take a big name to bring out Raymond’s true talent.

“……I’ve never seen her before.”

“A girl you have never seen before?”

“Yeah. A girl named Chloe Aran, a student at Amonis Academy.”

“Aran? The surviving royalty of the Aran Kingdom…….”

That explained a bit.

The Aran Kingdom is a small country located in the alpine region.

As a result, their natural cardiorespiratory endurance and physical strength were unparalleled.

“And the girl said that she had a master who taught her.”

“Hooo? A master who taught her such a skill…….”

Reinbelt’s eyes flashed.

“That means they’re so good at teaching that she could make you reveal your true abilities…….”

Reinbelt’s mouth watered in interest, and he rose to his feet.

“Sounds like fun! Let’s go, Raymond!”

“What? Uh, where?”

“Kahaha, that’s a stupid question!”

Reinbelt, the Azure Sky Sword King, smirked.

* * *

Flopped down on the bed, Amon sighed.

He had returned to the academy this morning.

“Phew……the academy beds are fluffy after all.”

So much fluffier than the straw and dried grass bed in his room at the manor!

‘Even that was taken away from me by Headmaster Anar’el, so I slept on the living room floor.’

Anyway, after all they’d been through, they were going to take the rest of the week off and start teaching again next week.

‘Since things have come to this, let’s just teach the students diligently. If they have the skills, it’s natural that they’ll be successful, and if they’re successful, I’ll be able to benefit from my students……’

It doesn’t matter.

If you follow your connections, that’s the way to go.

‘Then I’ll have to change all the beds in my house to something fluffier.’

Amon smirked and pushed himself to his feet.

He sat down at his desk, trying to figure out what to teach next week.

-BAM!

Anar’el burst through the door, her face bright red.

“Ah, Mr. Amon!”

“……Couldn’t you just knock and come in?”

“Uh, I’m sorry, but…….”

“Ehhh, what’s the matter, why don’t you calm down and tell me?”

And when she had calmed down, she said.

“We have a visitor.”

“Aha, a guest.”

“And it’s a Grand Sword Master.”

“Aha, a Grand Sword Master……?”

The calmness of home began to return.

“Why is the……Grand Sword Master here?”

Anar’el swallowed hard at the question.

“Teacher Amon, calm down and listen.”

“I am in a very calm state, Headmaster.”

“No, you’re not. Take a deep breath. Come on.”

“Huh, ha, ha. Yes, I did.”

“Okay ……Then I’ll know you’re calm and I’ll tell you.”

After catching his breath, Anar’el spoke slowly.

“Reinbelt, the Azure Sky Sword King, one of the empire’s four Grand Sword Masters. He’s come to meet you. Not anyone else, but you specifically—Amon Drake.”

Amon rolled off his chair.