Chapter 440

440.

It was the second week of the training camp, already past the halfway point.

The students were busy gathering in groups, discussing the fruits of today’s training.

“Look! I can cast my magic a little faster now!”

Iliana said excitedly.

As she raised her hand, her specialty, the magic of light, activated.

“Hmm- Maybe I’ll soon overcome what some might call my weakness: the slow incantation speed.”

Iliana said this with a proud face, stroking her chin. Chelsea watched her with a disdainful look.

“Iliana, the reason your incantation speed was slow was because you neglected your theoretical studies.”

“No, that’s not it! Do you have any idea how hard it is for a mage-swordsman like me to move quickly while reciting incantations? Do you understand the struggles of a mage-swordsman who has to use both aura and mana simultaneously?”

“You neglected your studies, and that’s a fact.”

At Chelsea’s indifferent comment, Iliana, who flinched, suddenly shouted “Aha!” and jumped up.

Then, crossing her arms firmly, she declared,

“You’re just scared I’ll catch up to your specialty, high-speed incantation, aren’t you? Huh! You’re just jealous!”

Whaack-!

“Kyaa!”

“Wh-what did you say?”

A gust of wind magic, without any warning, sent Iliana flying.

Watching this, Kal muttered while chewing dried meat.

“Chelsea, somehow your incantation speed seems to have gotten even faster, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s the result of the training I received from Instructor Arkan!”

Chelsea said this with a proud smile. Nella looked at her with a curious expression.

“I thought I heard that he’s an outsider when it comes to magic?”

“Yeah, he doesn’t know much about magic. But there’s a lot I’ve learned from him about things like combat techniques and methods to enhance focus!”

Watching Chelsea speak enthusiastically, Nella smiled softly and patted her head.

Seeing this, Teid muttered,

“The students from the Department of Knights will surely make sorrowful faces. They’re already afraid of Chelsea, calling her ‘Knight Hunter.'”

Chelsea, ranked as the best melee combatant in the second-year Department of Magic, had already become a nemesis to the students of the Department of Knights.

So the students of the Department of Knights began calling her ‘Knight Hunter.’

Chelsea flashed a V sign.

That’s when…

“Oh! It’s Instructor Arkan!”

“Mr. Arkan! Have you had dinner yet?!”

A commotion arose in the campsite.

The students turned their heads, and there stood Arkan.

“He’s popular, huh.”

“Compared to the graduated seniors, he’s practically an angel.”

To Nella’s muttering, Iliana, who had returned after being blown away by Chelsea, replied,

“First of all, he’s good-looking!”

“Anyways, good looks are irresistible.”

“Kyaak!”

When Teid teased her, Iliana stomped on his foot.

Completely ignoring Teid flailing on the ground holding his foot, Iliana stroked her chin and said,

“It’s hard to put into words, but he has a mysterious charm, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, unlike most beastmen who are rough and wild, Instructor Arkan feels gentle.”

“And I’ve heard his abilities are incredible, even though he’s not a graduate of Azonia. Wouldn’t it be great if he became one of our school’s professors?”

Nella and Iliana were busy chatting about Aron.

Meanwhile,

Aron, surrounded by female students, was smiling softly.

This caused the female students to exclaim in admiration.

“At first, I thought Aron-sama was too weak compared to others who looked similar…”

“You thought that too, right? Me too. But somehow, this kind of demeanor is nice, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. He’s charming. I feel like I want to protect him.”

The female students of Azonia spoke with soft eyes.

“Hmm!”

At that moment, Borman stepped between two female students.

“Hmph, Instructor Arkan is undoubtedly a strong man. But as a beastman male, one must naturally exude strength and a wild nature!”

Borman, with wide-open eyes, looked at his side.

“Isn’t that right? Dion!”

“The traits of strength and wild nature belong only to Dion.”

“You’re just a muscle-head.”

The female students of Azonia reacted sharply.

At this, Borman confidently shouted,

“Isn’t my brave stance in combat quite cool?”

“Sure, it’s impressive.”

“Yeah, right. You’re ignorant. It’s our boss cat who’s cool!”

“Yeah! And Arga is way cooler and more dignified than you.”

“Her?”

Borman squinted as he pointed at Ar.

“Hates water. Hates water. Hates water.”

Ar, hugging her knees, was shivering in front of the bonfire. This demeanor was far from brave or dignified.

The students of Azonia, watching Ar’s mysterious behavior since a while ago, expressed curiosity.

“Still, she’s cute like this!”

“She’s like a broken cat!”

Contrary to expectations, the classmates reacted even more enthusiastically.

Seeing this, Borman muttered,

“The heart of women is truly unpredictable.”

“Whoever you compare to, he’s definitely cooler than the ignorant you.”

“Why are you picking a fight again, fox?”

While the Azonia students were squabbling,

Aron moved toward the students of Seirun.

While generally popular with the female students, the Seirun students didn’t like making a big fuss, so they didn’t show much interest in Aron.

“Eiran.”

Aron smiled and took out a snack from his pocket.

“Here.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Eiran, who had been secretly reading a book in a corner, smiled brightly at Aron offering her the snack.

“What are you reading?”

“A book.”

“Wow, similar. That child also loved books.”

Eiran, knowing whom Aron was talking about, smiled shyly.

“Well, what’s the content then? That child never showed what they were reading.”

“It’s… just a magic book! It’s for my Seirun Magic class textbook.”

Eiran quickly closed the book and laughed awkwardly.

Lunia, passing by, checked the book cover and narrowed her eyes.

“[Contemplations on the Constellations of the Night Sky and the Magic of the Stars]? Isn’t that a first-year textbook? Why are you reading this? Aren’t you… reviewing something weird again… Uh?”

“No, no, it’s review! It’s important to review, isn’t it, Lunia-san?”

Lunia pressed her lips together and hurriedly patted Eiran’s arm.

“It’s unfortunate. If it were martial arts, I could help.”

“No! Instructor Akan’s guidance has been very helpful!”

“Is that so?”

Eiran, who cheerfully answered and had her head patted by Aron, watched him leave.

At this, the female students of Seirun quickly asked,

“Eiran-sama, it seems Instructor Akan has been taking special care of you all along?”

“Are you close with that instructor by any chance?”

Watching her classmates’ gleaming eyes, Eiran smiled.

“It seems like he favors me.”

“Huh? No way!?”

“He certainly has a distinguished aura different from other beastmen.”

“It’s not like that.”

The reason Aron cared for Eiran was simple.

She was the descendant of Berkiya, his beloved disciple.

Having adored Berkiya immensely, Aron couldn’t help but show extra attention to Eiran.

As Seirun female students gathered around Eiran,

Aris said,

“Eiran, you’re going to k*ll Lunia that way.”

“Uh? Ah! Lunia-san! Snap out of it!”

Seeing Lunia’s eyes rolled back as she fainted, Eiran was horrified.

While the usually quiet Seirun students began buzzing,

Aron next approached Chen Sia, who was meditating with her eyes closed, unaffected by the lively atmosphere.

Watching her from a small distance, Aron said,

“Delving too deep may not be a good choice, don’t you think?”

At this, Chen Sia slowly opened her eyes.

With widened eyes, she blinked a few times and showed a curious expression.

“How did you know?”

“I felt your killing intent. I could predict your movements from that.”

“Wow.”

Chen Sia, surprised by Aron’s words, stuck out her tongue.

As a shadow specialist, Chen Sia had trained to hide her killing intent.

She could conceal it even at the moment of killing.

Aron not only sensed her faint killing intent while she was confronting an imaginary enemy during meditation but also predicted her movements based on it.

‘Just how high of a martial prowess does he possess?’

Chen Sia marveled.

Watching her, Aron took a snack from his pocket and handed it to her.

Chen Sia received it respectfully with both hands and asked,

“Thank you for remembering me. Why do you give me special attention?”

Chen Sia knew that Aron, as an instructor, cared for other students too.

But she was curious about why he cared more for her compared to others.

“Because you remind me of someone I know.”

Aron smiled gently.

Having been a disciple of Kyle, Aron also knew Bihár.

And he was aware that Bihár had worked behind the scenes, in the shadows, for everyone.

‘That child truly respected Kyle.’

Aron wished that Bihár could live a bright and hopeful life.

However, he felt hurt when he learned that Bihár had lived in the shadows of history for the sake of her talents.

There must have been a reason for it, but it wasn’t the future Aron had hoped for.

“If you protect someone’s back, consider this.”

“Hm?”

“Don’t think about sacrificing yourself for someone else.”

Aron’s words made Chen Sia blink.

“Keep moving forward without giving up.”

Hearing this, Chen Sia realized what Aron was trying to say.

Earlier, during her meditation,

When contemplating combat,

When diving inside the enemy’s embrace,

She had assumed d*ath.

Chen Sia smiled bitterly at Aron’s advice.

“The person I follow is extraordinary. But the path they wish to tread is quite perilous.”

Chen Sia closed her eyes.

“That’s why I want to stand behind them and protect their back because I owe them much.”

‘When they extended their hand and showed me the possibility of becoming a hero, my world became full of light.’

“I’m more than willing to sacrifice myself for them. So please don’t pity me.”

“I’m not pitying you.”

Aron smiled gently.

“That person wouldn’t want you to d*e.”

Looking straight into Chen Sia’s eyes, Aron spoke firmly.

“The person you wish to protect would get angry if you sacrificed yourself for them. That’s the kind of person he is.”

“Do you know Master Leo well?”

“I know him well.”

Aron smiled.

“Whatever the situation, he absolutely doesn’t give up, right? If you want to be a source of strength for him, you must never give up either.”

“…”

Chen Sia widened her eyes.

“Mr. Akan… Did you have a similar experience?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Did you give up, Mr. Akan?”

“…”

Aron closed his eyes,

And smiled bitterly.

“I did. I was a coward.”

Chen Sia blinked in surprise.

“You must never do that.”

Aron, patting Chen Sia’s head, said,

“Never become that kind of bad person… or bad younger sibling.”