The Academy’s Hard-Headed Swordmaster

I’d forgotten who was behind the Academy District bombings, but knowing wouldn’t have changed much.

I knew what I had to do.

“Shopkeeper, stay inside this building.”

“W-what?”

“There aren’t any bombs nearby, so you’ll be safe inside. Yuri, Aria, we’re going back to the Academy.”

“……Straight back to the Academy? Not to help people?”

Yuri questioned my decision, but I shook my head.

“We’re just students. We haven’t been trained in rescue operations. With no idea what the terrorists’ goals are, it’s better to regroup and follow the Professors’ instructions than to act individually.”

“……Kyle.”

“What? Falling for me already?”

I grinned, and Yuri nodded with a blank expression.

“Surprisingly, you can actually think.”

“Hahaha! Call it common sense.”

I led the two out of the shop. The streets were ravaged by the bombings.

Injured people trembled in fear, while others, consumed by panic, ran aimlessly.

I helped those with serious injuries and guided the panicked toward safety as we made our way to the Academy.

‘KABOOM—’

“The situation seems pretty serious….”

The explosions continued even as we approached the Academy.

Who would dare cause such chaos here?

Even a powerful secret organization would be thoroughly investigated and dismantled by the Imperial Family if they got serious.

‘Are they insane?’

Or perhaps the potential gains from this terror outweighed the risks of Imperial intervention.

Lost in thought, I reached the Academy and immediately led Yuri and Aria to the auditorium.

The Professors and instructors had always told us to gather there in emergencies.

Indeed, almost all the students and instructors were already present.

“We’ll be safe here.”

Having ensured their safety, I began searching for the Principal or a Professor who could handle this situation.

Unfortunately, neither Gawain nor the Principal were present; they must have already been dispatched somewhere.

All I could find were Knight Department instructors.

They were clearly out of their depth, pacing anxiously, more familiar with wielding swords than managing crises.

“Instructor.”

“Oh, uh, Student Kyle. What is it?”

“Shouldn’t we start with a headcount?”

“Oh, r-right—a headcount. Alright, everyone, attention!”

Heeding my advice, the instructor, along with another, began organizing the students.

Using the attendance roster, they compiled a list of those present and absent.

They quickly realized a significant number were missing, and the instructor bit his lip.

“Instructor? Could I take a look at that?”

“Uh? No, this is for the instructors….”

“Please.”

The presence of an Aura Master naturally intimidated others, often compelling them to comply unconsciously.

I took the list from the instructor and scanned the names of the absent.

A substantial number were missing from all departments—Knight, Magic, and Military.

From the Knight Department, Hundred, Arthur, and Liber were among the missing.

‘This is….’

As I scanned the list, I noticed a commonality among the absent students—they were the ones whose skills had inexplicably improved recently.

Not only Liber from the Knight Department, but also names Yuri had mentioned as having rapidly improved were on the list.

My sharp instincts as an Aura Master sounded the alarm.

I filled in the gaps with educated guesses, relying on instinct rather than logic.

‘I see.’

I understood.

The terrorists’ objective and their identities.

I returned the list to the instructor and immediately left the auditorium.

Yuri blocked my path.

“Kyle, where are you going?”

“Just going somewhere.”

“……You’re not going to come back injured again, are you?”

I chuckled and briefly hugged her before releasing her. Yuri grimaced, seemingly understanding.

Ignoring the instructors trying to stop me, I exited the auditorium.

I saw a dragon soaring in the distance and let out a hollow laugh.

“And what’s that?”

The Principal was pursuing the dragon, firing spells at it.

Forcing myself to stop from instinctively chasing after the dragon, I closed my eyes and spread my Aura throughout the Academy.

‘I wouldn’t mind earning the title of Dragon Hunter.’

But there was a more pressing matter. With my Aura blanketing the Academy, I sensed the presence of everyone within.

And I began searching for the Aura I sought.

Not this one, not that one, not this one either….

After a considerable amount of time, enough to give me a headache, I found a familiar presence. An Aura as pure as mine, and just as potent.

“Found you.”

Having located Arthur, I headed straight towards him.

***

Arthur, in the midst of training within the Academy, tensed as he saw a group approach.

They were in no normal state; their eyes were bloodshot, and saliva dripped from their mouths.

At the forefront was a man with long hair reaching his waist. Arthur quickly glanced at the man’s chest and recognized his name: Damian.

“Arthur, is it?”

“That’s me…?”

“Didn’t hear you were a guy… Well, whatever. Come with us.”

Damian ordered Arthur to follow. Arthur shook his head and gripped his training sword.

“What if I refuse?”

“If you want to suffer.”

With a casual gesture from Damian, the others lunged at Arthur.

Powerful Auras emanated from them, rivaling the Aura generated by Arthur’s heart.

Arthur immediately enveloped himself in his own Aura.

The abnormally overflowing Aura strengthened him beyond his usual limits, allowing him to hold his own against the dozen Aura users surrounding him.

“Ugh—! Everyone, snap out of it—!”

“ROAR—!”

But he could only hold out for so long. A

rthur couldn’t bring himself to harm them, while they attacked with lethal intent.

His Aura-enhanced body swung the wooden training sword against their Aura-reinforced steel, but it couldn’t withstand the onslaught. Soon, the wooden sword snapped in half.

“Haaah—.”

The moment the sword broke, Arthur discarded it and began striking with his bare hands.

This was better.

His Aura-enhanced fists effortlessly knocked out the remaining students.

As Arthur incapacitated nearly ten of them, Damian approached unnoticed and struck Arthur’s jaw.

“Ugh!?”

The blow to his jaw jolted his head, disrupting his balance.

Arthur stumbled, trying to kick, but Damian easily caught his leg and tripped him.

Damian stepped on Arthur’s chest, his hand in his pocket, looking down at him.

“Your skill with Aura is pathetic compared to its abundance.”

“Ggh…!”

“Proof that it’s a power you don’t deserve.”

Arthur realized who Damian was.

The very presence the man who sent him to the Academy had warned him about.

The ancient organization that sought the Dragon’s Heart.

“The… Forgotten Worshippers….”

“You know the name. Good. That means we’ve found the right person.”

Damian pressed down harder on Arthur’s chest.

His eyes gleamed with avarice.

Gasping for breath, Arthur glared at Damian, as if vowing to never forget him, even if he died here.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you here. Not until I figure out how you managed to have the Dragon’s Heart implanted in you—”

“Figure out what?”

“—What the!?”

Damian abruptly looked up. Towering over him was Kyle, at least 1.5 times his size.

How could he not have noticed someone this large approaching? Incredulous, Damian stared at Kyle before leaping back.

“…Who are you?”

“I’m Kyle Meyer.”

Kyle helped Arthur to his feet, brushing the dirt off him, then turned back to Damian.

“His friend.”

“Friend? A first-year, then.”

“That’s right. You’re a second-year? A senior, I see.”

“K-Kyle… be careful. That guy—he’s not normal—”

Before Arthur could finish his warning, Damian lunged, swinging his sword.

He remembered that only one among Arthur’s classmates could match him in swordsmanship, and it wasn’t Kyle Meyer.

Contrary to Damian’s expectations, Kyle effortlessly parried the blow.

Only another Aura Expert could so easily deflect an Aura-infused attack. Damian’s eyes widened in surprise.

“How?”

Behind Kyle, Arthur gasped in astonishment. Kyle continued to parry Damian’s attacks, then launched a counter-offensive.

Caught off guard, Damian stumbled back, clutching his chest where Kyle’s sword had grazed him.

“……That skill at your age. You must have been blessed with immense talent.”

Damian glared at Kyle, who simply shrugged. Damian chuckled and reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a glass vial filled with red berries.

“However, times have changed. Talent alone is no longer enough.”

Damian popped the cork and poured the berries into his mouth.

Confused, Kyle watched as a crimson Aura began to emanate from Damian.

A visibly intense Aura. Kyle’s expression hardened as he observed the Aura leaking from Damian. Seeing his reaction, Damian roared with laughter.

“AHAHAHAHA—! Yes! That’s the expression!”

Still laughing, Damian focused the escaping Aura into his sword.

The crimson Aura enveloped the blade, forming an edge that seemed capable of cutting through anything.

“Aura… Blade?”

Arthur gasped, recognizing the phenomenon.

Damian, who was just an Aura Expert moments ago, was now externalizing his Aura.

Kyle, having witnessed the entire process, had an idea of what was happening, but asked anyway.

“How did you do that?”

“Alright, I’ll tell you as a parting gift. These Scarlet Berries grant anyone who consumes them a surge of life force. And that overflowing life force transforms into Aura.”

“That’ll kill you if you keep it up.”

Damian’s method was like drawing upon one’s innate life force in martial arts novels.

Converting life force directly into Aura was a technique that would kill an ordinary person in seconds

Damian had bypassed this limitation by consuming the life force-rich berries.

It was still incredibly dangerous.

“It would, if it went on long enough. But who here can stop me? The Principal, off fighting a dragon? The former hero, dealing with the terrorists?”

Only another Master could stop an Aura Master.

And there were two Masters at the Academy. Both were unlikely to be available due to other pressing matters.

This meant Damian could kill Kyle and kidnap Arthur without interference.

“Hmph, I’ve wasted enough time. Die.”

Damian slowly approached, his Aura Blade shimmering. Drunk on the surge of life force, he moved with inefficient bravado.

Kyle sighed, looking around.

Confirming that no one else was present besides Arthur, he turned to his friend.

“Hey, Arthur.”

“K-Kyle. Don’t worry about me, just run—”

“Don’t tell anyone you saw this.”

“W-what?”

‘Ah, I didn’t want to use this here.’

Kyle drew his sword.

A blue Aura Blade now enveloped his own weapon.

“—That’s.”

“Times have changed, and talent alone isn’t enough?”

Kyle’s Aura Blade obscured half his face as he grinned at Damian.

“That just means you lack talent.”

“Y-you… just how much blessing do you need to be satisfied?!”

“I don’t know.”

I’ve never thought about it.

With that, Kyle charged towards Damian.