The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 5

Immediately, the next morning, at the training grounds for the swordsmanship class.

It was fine up to the point of dragging Sloth over in her sleeping bag, as if to show that her talk of slacking off wasn’t a joke, especially since she hadn’t shown up at the training grounds even though class had started.

Sloth, lying on the platform with her sleeping bag, said.

“Hey, guys.”

“Yes, Ms. Sloth.”

“Let’s get to work.”

“Yes.”

Boris and Chloe, as if they were used to this situation, quickly gathered their wooden swords and swung them, while Sloth curled up on the platform and began to fall asleep.

And Amon stared at her.

“……Sir Sloth?”

“Ms. Sloth is sleeping.”

“Ms. Sleeping Sloth, may I ask you a question?”

“Ouch, ouch, don’t poke me!”

I unzipped her sleeping bag and made eye contact with Sloth.

“Are you teaching your class well?”

I asked, because if she teaches the students well, they’ll do well in the competition!

But Sloth replied with a sour face.

“I don’t bother.”

“Then why don’t I just beat up the teacher?”

Sloth frowned.

“Aren’t you being too rude to your senior?”

“I’ll be polite if you set an example as a senior.”

“…….”

Sloth squirmed in her sleeping bag for a moment, then sighed heavily.

“What’s the point of working if I don’t get paid?”

“Why don’t you get paid?”

Sloth said bluntly.

“Don’t you know this academy is broke?”

She doesn’t realize that the academy has a new source of money, does she?

“So you’re going to work hard when you get paid?”

The truth is, Sloth never worked hard when she was paid.

Even before the academy’s demise, all the swordsmanship teachers considered her a liability.

They just couldn’t touch her because they were afraid of the Pid family name!

In other words, what she told Amon was just an excuse for not wanting to work.

‘What’s he going to do to get them to pay me?’

Sloth thought to herself and replied grimly.

“As long as I get paid.”

With that, Amon quietly walked out of the training ground, and Sloth finally felt at peace.

‘Now I can get some sleep.’

After a while Amon reappeared with a pouch.

“……What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s Ms. Sloth’s weekly paycheck.”

“……Why do you have money?”

“The Academy’s coffers are looking a little better.”

“That’s a lie.”

Sloth quickly grabbed the bag.

‘No way. Yeah, I guess they squeezed me out of it and gave me less than usual?’

If I’m short on even just one silver coin, I won’t work!

And with that, she opened the bag, smiling as a larger than usual amount of silver smiled back at her.

Sloth’s face, on the other hand, quickly turned sour.

“When I said that Ms. Sloth was losing heart because she was worried that she might not get paid, the headmaster gave you a special bonus, which she hoped would cheer you up.”

“…….”

“Well, come on out of your sleeping bag.”

As I grabbed the sleeping bag, Sloth said.

“……Wait a minute.”

“Wait for what?”

“I’m going to change my clothes. I’m in my underwear right now.”

“……Phew, okay.”

Sloth rolls out of her sleeping bag and leaves the training ground.

Five minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes.

Realizing he’d been tricked, Amon ran to catch her.

* * *

Surprisingly, Sloth’s teaching skills weren’t bad.

“Boris, make sure you put enough power into your stepping foot.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And Chloe, take some pressure off your wrist. It’s too stiff.”

As expected from the Pid family, the swordsmanship was genuine, and Sloth’s criticisms hit the nail on the head.

Amon watched Sloth’s lesson in silence.

‘But why is she hugging that sleeping bag? Is there something important inside?’

If it weren’t for that, the picture would have been pretty good.

After class, as the students filed out, Sloth spoke up.

“Junior Amon.”

“Yes, Ms. Sloth.”

“By the way, you said you don’t have a subject yet, right?”

“Yes. I did ask the principal, but she said it would be best to wait and see how things go for now.”

With only two students, there’s no way we can proceed with the normal curriculum.

“What is the subject you want?”

“I’ve been a big fan of history books since I was a kid, so I’d personally like to be in charge of history, although I’m not sure I’d be good at it, since teaching is a different thing.”

Sloth smirked.

‘General studies? Sounds like you.’

Amon wasn’t exactly ‘chunky’.

He was not small, but not big, either.

‘Besides, from the way he walks and carries himself, it doesn’t look like he’s trained in swordsmanship.’

Despite this, he was quite fearless in his demeanor.

It wasn’t just her swordsmanship; with the label of being from the Marquis of Pid family, not only the students but even most fellow teachers couldn’t treat her lightly.

‘You’re the first person to treat me like this.’

Her chest throbbed.

Amon, who had chased her when she ran away earlier, had slapped her.

‘I’m angry. Am I easy?’

The class must be over, she thought, renewed anger rising.

“……Junior Amon.”

“Yes, Senior Sloth.”

“Have you ever taken swordsmanship lessons?”

“Swordsmanship?”

Amon shook his head in thought.

“I’ve used a sword before, but I’ve never taken lessons.”

“Then why don’t you take this opportunity to learn?”

“You mean to hit me?”

She hadn’t thought of that.

‘I was just going to beat him up in the name of teaching him.’

But that sounded like a pretty good idea, and Sloth’s eyes twinkled.

“No.”

“Why don’t you …… your lips and say it.”

I said, watching Sloth lick her lips.

“Mmm, but I would be grateful to learn if you could teach me.”

Sloth’s eyes widened as she licked his lips, preparing an excuse.

“Really?”

“Yes. It would be a good thing for me.”

In the first place, Amon had come to the Academy to get ahead.

‘But learning swordsmanship from someone from the Pid family might help me somehow.’

Sloth had a similar thought.

‘I can beat him with this, or I can teach him and pass the buck later.’

Two birds with one stone!

Sloth held out a wooden sword.

“Shall we start with dueling, then?”

“What? We start with dueling right away?”

“I’ll see what level you are, and then decide what and how to teach you.”

“Well, I guess…….”

Amon took the wooden sword and swung it lightly a few times.

“Hmm, it’s light. I feel like something’s spinning……”

“Lighter than a real sword?”

“Yes. By a lot.”

Sloth smiled coldly inside at Amon’s appearance, as if he was chopping wood.

‘You say you’ve used a sword before, and you don’t even know the basics?’

A beginner’s beginner!

‘Haha, I will engrave respect for your seniors deep into your bones.’

Sloth clicked her wooden sword.

“Come on, then.”

“Uhm……okay.”

Amon said, twirling the wooden sword in his hand in frustration, as if it didn’t fit in his hand.

“But you’re going to practice with a sleeping bag? Wouldn’t it be better to leave it somewhere?”

Smirking, Sloth hugged the sleeping bags he was holding even harder.

What’s the big deal about holding a sleeping bag while beating up a beginner?

“Just a little duel. Never mind.”

“Well, okay, shall we get started?”

“Yeah, get your ass in here…….”

Suddenly, Sloth’s eyes widened.

Amon was in front of her, brandishing a wooden sword.

‘……What?’

In her panic, Sloth tried to block Amon’s attack, but in her haste, her arm was caught in the straps of her sleeping bag.

In the meantime, the wooden sword had reached her eyes.

‘Holy……!’

Sloth squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact.

But there was no shock.

‘……What, what?’

She cautiously opened her eyes to see Amon’s wooden sword hovering in front of her.

He sheathed it and said with a frown.

“I told you to put your sleeping bag down.”

“Uh, uh…….”

Sloth, who had been gaping like a goldfish, forced her mouth open.

“You, you’re pretty fast……?”

“Thank you. I’m the fastest on the estate.”

“……Really?”

Scratching her head in disbelief, Sloth sighed heavily then she flung her sleeping bag away and said.

“Sorry. Let’s do it again.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sloth gripped the wooden sword with both hands.

This time she was going to be serious.

‘I’ll beat you up.’

Amon was obviously a novice by the way he held his sword.

Furthermore, there was no sign of any mana.

In other words, he wasn’t a ‘knight’ who manipulated mana.

‘He’s just a bit nimble, right?’

In other words, if she’s serious about it, she can beat him to a pulp.

Sloth spoke up, a sneer in her voice.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

This time, she could see him lunge.

The wooden sword slashed straight down like an axe.

Sloth tilted her sword to parry the blow lightly…….

-BANG!

Sloth’s shoulder felt like it was going to fall off, and she nearly fell to the ground.

‘What, what!’

Strong and dangerous.

With that thought, Sloth drew up her mana.

In the next instant, blue mana burst forth from her sword, causing Amon to jump back in horror.

“Oh, the Aura Blade!”

The exclusive domain of the Sword Masters!

Drowning out Amon’s cries of horror, Sloth shouted.

“It’s Sword Aura!”

“Eh……?”

“Ah! What the hell, you!”

That fast and strong, with bad posture and not being able to tell the difference between Aura Blade and Sword Aura?

Sloth felt as if all her efforts were being trampled underfoot.

“Enough! Enough!”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“You don’t know how to use Sword Aura, do you?”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen one before.”

“……Ha, yeah, yeah. You’re right, it’s a light duel, and there’s no need to use Sword Aura, so let’s stop.”

Sloth scratched her head.

‘Amon Drake…….’

House Drake?

Never heard of them before.

‘I don’t know, but are they a pretty big family?’

Sloth opened her mouth.

“You said Drake, didn’t you?”

“Yes. Baron Drake is my father.”

I’d never heard of them before.

“Where are you from?”

“Me? I was born and raised in Drake, our manor.”

I’ve never heard the name of the estate before.

“I see you don’t know the Arma Mountains, do you?”

“Of course I know……No?”

“Yes. My estate is in the Arma Mountains.”

“……What?”

Sloth looked at Amon as if she didn’t understand what he was talking about.

“You have the estate there? The Arma Mountains are the end of the continent, right?”

“I don’t think there’s a manor. And no, it’s not the end of the continent. There’s a plain beyond the mountains.”

“That’s the Garden of Silence, that’s why it’s called the end of the continent!”

Sloth said, throwing up her hands in disbelief.

“So, you came all the way here from the Arma Mountains?”

“Yep. It took me almost two weeks.”

Sloth’s hair went white.

‘I heard that it takes two weeks to run without stopping?’

Besides, wasn’t the Arma Mountains a dangerous place, full of high-risk monsters from the Silent Garden?

”Eh, aren’t there a lot of monsters there?”

“Normally not that many. Every day they break down the potato field fence and it’s a headache. Ogres, trolls, dragons……”

Ogres? Dragons?

Sloth’s eyes widened.

“Well, what do you do with them?”

“We kill them.”

“Kill them?”

“Then should I let them live?”

“So, you’ve never seen sword aura before, and you don’t even have a knight on the estate, how are you supposed to kill one?”

Amon said, as if I were talking nonsense.

“Why would I need a knight? I can kill them with an axe.”

“……An axe?”

“Yes. An axe this size.”

With a wave of his hand, Amon drew an axe in the air, the size of a man.

‘Is that why you said the wooden sword was light and useless?’

She asked, laughing at the absurdity of it all.

Amon opened his mouth.

“Then, senior, please teach me some sword skills…….”

“No. I won’t teach you!”

Amon frowned.