Justice—no, Turbulence rains down from the sky.
Spears of wind fall upon the heads of the students trying to block the Azure Dragon Class from entering the Old School Building’s forest, striking them precisely on the back of their heads with enough power to shake their mana and knock them unconscious.
This is the power of Turbulence.
“I hope you’re not having any strange thoughts.”
“What strange thoughts would I even have?”
On the Old School Building’s rooftop, Ludmila creates and throws wind spears, then dispels her mana with a displeased expression.
She puffs out her cheeks in frustration when I refer to her technique as Funky Wind.
“You used to call it [Turbulence] so confidently.”
“When Evangeline or Yurha calls it Funky Wind, you just laugh it off as a joke, don’t you?”
“You were the one who first called it that, but right now, I don’t want to hear it from you.”
For others, it’s just playful teasing, but when I say Funky Wind, does she take it as a criticism of her skill?
“You understand well. So, you should fix the problem, right?”
“Exactly.”
“Your mana is wavering a lot more now than when you used it in the ant cave. Before, it was a perfect [Turbulence], but now, the wind is leaking out. Isn’t that why it’s Funky Wind?”
“Tsk.”
At my remark, Ludmila clicks her tongue but doesn’t argue back.
“Watch again. Would you still call this Funky Wind?”
“Turbulen—Funky Wind.”
“What kind of ambiguous nonsense is that?”
“It’s lacking precision. I’m not just saying a little mana is leaking. It’s like a balloon with a gaping hole, letting the wind escape uncontrollably.”
“Tsk…”
Even though her Turbulence precisely sweeps away her targets, the instability of her mana is undeniable.
“Do you know why?”
“I’m not sure.”
And that instability is rooted in Ludmila’s emotions.
“Are you feeling anxious?”
“…I’m not anxious. Not exactly—”
“Like Yurha, are you uneasy about new people entering the Old School Building?”
“Who said I was afraid?”
At my words, Ludmila shouts, but soon, her expression hardens, and she exhales deeply.
“Is that the reason for my anxiety?”
“That’s how it seems to me.”
“And what if you are the cause of it?”
“Even if that’s the case, you have to sort out your feelings and accept it. I’m not some personal totem that only one person can claim. Are you afraid I’ll become someone else’s totem?”
“It’s not fear, but concern.”
“Concern?”
Ludmila withdraws her mana and steps beside me.
She points toward the road leading into the Old School Building, where a carriage slowly rolls forward.
“Because ‘they’ will also seek your help, Phoenix. And you will extend your hand to them first, and they won’t want to refuse.”
“Of course. I’m not someone who only helps one particular person.”
“…”
“I get that you want to keep me to yourself, but that’s not possible. A cake has to be cut into slices and shared. If you just grab the whole thing and start shoveling it down with a spoon, how would that look?”
“…Ahem.”
Ludmila’s face flushes red as she lowers her head.
“…Is that how I looked?”
“You can swallow your saliva at the sight of a delicious cake, but if you take it for yourself and start eating with a giant spoon in front of everyone, it’s… not a great look.”
After all, taking a whole cake and devouring it without sharing—especially when it’s meant for the entire Old School Building—wouldn’t just be improper, but outright selfish.
“If you say so. A cake isn’t something that disappears after one bite, and over time, it will either be replenished or replaced with a brand-new cake. So, as a senior, I’ll try to show some generosity to those picking up a fork and sitting at the table.”
“Good thinking.”
The reason Ludmila is more possessive of the cake than others is simple—
It’s mint chocolate.
Since the cake is made of wind mana, she desires it more than Yunia or Evangeline.
“Phoenix. What do you think about the ones coming in besides Senior Yurha?”
She changes the subject.
By now, the carriage has moved halfway down the road, bringing the golden carriage into clear view from the rooftop.
“I’ll know when I meet them in person, but they’re just female students. They’re not special admission students, and their grades aren’t exceptional…”
“Then was there some potential you saw in them that made you allow them to enter the Azure Dragon Class?”
“Allow?”
“Yes. If it were some guy or a strange girl, you would’ve subtly intervened to keep them out of the Old School Building, or even the Azure Dragon Class altogether, wouldn’t you?”
“…”
She’s not wrong.
If the Academy faculty had been actively trying to push a particular person into the Azure Dragon Class, and if that person had been a girl possessed by an Angel, I would have immediately expelled her from the class.
I don’t have the direct authority to do so, but I do have the power to make it happen indirectly—not just for Azure Dragon Class, but also for the newly established class in the Academy’s main building.
“Ludmila. This female student named Shuri—she wasn’t originally supposed to enter the ‘White Tiger Class’ or ‘Black Tortoise Class’, which the Academy faculty set up in the main building, was she?”
“Not exactly, but there are talented individuals among those who entered those classes. That’s why I’m bringing it up.”
Ludmila thrust her mana-made spear into the air.
The wind scattered in four different directions—east, west, south, and north—forming distinct patterns. These patterns bore a striking resemblance to the beings known in this world as ‘Divine Beasts’.
“They’ve orchestrated things so that we’ll eventually clash in the Great Martial Tournament—but would it be enough for only Vermilion Bird Class to win?”
“So you’re saying it’s already a given that the Vermilion Bird Class will win?”
“It’s not arrogance—it’s confidence. Their team consists entirely of A-rank members, but the Vermilion Bird Class has long been capable of handling A-rank opponents, whether they be beasts or humans.”
“But the Azure Dragon Class isn’t like that?”
“Exactly.”
Right now—
An odd kind of competition had begun.
Was it meant to provide students with equal opportunities?
Or was it an attempt to quell the dissatisfaction of students regarding the special privileges given to the Old School Building?
Or perhaps it was an internal Academy experiment?
Unlike Azure Dragon Class, which had been newly added to the Old School Building, the Academy’s main building had also established the Black Tortoise Class and the White Tiger Class—elite teams trained under a special regimen.
Every single member was A-rank.
Their goal was simple:
Defeat the Vermilion Bird Class.
At first glance, it seemed like an assembly of ace students determined to dethrone the Vermilion Bird Class, which had held the top rank from the monthly practicals in March all the way to the end of the semester.
But at the same time, it was a check on the Old School Building.
A matter of pride, particularly for the instructors.
“Even just looking at the instructor in charge of the White Tiger Class…”
* * *
[At that moment, in the Academy’s main building. A newly constructed facility built during the break.]
“So this is the New School Building?”
The Student Council President, Julius Keyarnim, his golden hair shimmering, clicked his tongue as he took in the sight of the gleaming white structure.
“It looks exactly like the Old School Building, with all its long history and traditions.”
“What, does it feel like they’re copying too much?”
“…Instructor Ederson.”
Beside Julius, Ederson Lionheart, the Dean of Academic Affairs, stood.
Unlike his usual attire, today he was clad in what appeared to be his old mercenary uniform—a black combat suit. Not that he had ever truly left the battlefield.
“Are you already preparing them for live combat training?”
“If the White Tiger Class doesn’t want to embarrass themselves in the Great Martial Tournament, then yes. Unlike the other teams, their squad is made up entirely of men.”
“Hahaha…”
Julius gave an ambiguous chuckle and pointed toward the entrance of the New School Building, where voices were already raised in argument.
“Before they even fight the Vermilion Bird Class or the Azure Dragon Class, it looks like they’ll have to battle the Black Tortoise Class first.”
“That would actually be ideal. Personally, I’d like a nice, even 2-on-2 split.”
“Are you trying to stir up gender conflicts?”
“Who knows? Even if the other class consists entirely of female students, it’s not like your boys would lose to them, right?”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
Klang!
Right in front of the New School Building’s entrance, students from both special classes clashed, their mana-forged swords colliding fiercely.
“Aren’t you going to stop them, Instructor?”
“Fighting is how people grow. As long as they don’t kill each other, it’ll be great training.”
“And you really think this will help them catch up to Vermilion Bird Class?”
“Who knows? Over there, things might be even more intense than here.”
“Hah.”
Julius shook his head in exasperation.
“How did things even come to this?”
“It was inevitable. Who could have predicted Silverstar would put that up as the tournament’s grand prize? Not even Yurha Silverstar—it was the president of Silverstar Trading Company himself.”
“…The [Hero’s Sword].”
A weapon once wielded by one of the Four Founders / Heroes.
“A legendary sword said to grant its wielder instant S-rank power—becoming one of the Great Martial Tournament’s prize rewards.”
And among those rewards, the real one had appeared.
