Dean Ederson Lionheart was headed toward the Old School Building.
“Attention, all male students in the dormitory.”
Student Council President Keyarnim announced as he entered the residence hall’s head supervisor’s office and began speaking over the dorm-wide intercom.
“Starting tomorrow, each individual room will receive a magic pad, and please attend lectures according to the designated schedule.”
If anyone questioned why the Student Council President was handling something that should be the Academy staff’s responsibility, it was because the staff member was a “woman”.
“Everyone, to be honest, I don’t want to attend theory classes either.”
His candid comment elicited chuckles across the dormitory.
“But let’s consider the effort put in by the instructors recording theory lessons on their own and the staff who work hard to support us.
Let’s do our best to participate, thinking of it as finishing up all those theory classes at once.”
This was his encouragement, not as the Student Council President but as a senior classman and a fellow student nearing graduation.
“Times are tough, but that’s why we must stick together and support each other.”
As a fellow man, he wanted to tie on a red headband and fight for the rights of male students, but Keyarnim was the Student Council President for all students.
“Let’s put aside bad thoughts as much as we can and try to focus on positive ones. Aren’t we all hopeful?”
Thus, he could only guide the male students toward a more positive mindset.
“Hopefully, things turn out that way. This is difficult to explain; it’s not easy to put into words. Haha.”
After the broadcast ended, students gathered in their respective rooms, or sometimes in the rooms of friends, to discuss the message.
“And please make sure to clean your rooms. When we move to real-time lectures… even if we’re seen only through the magic pad, we should look neat, shouldn’t we?”
This kind of message was often conveyed before.
“While we’re here in the dormitories, remember that it’s a form of training to show a more refined self later on. In swordsmanship circles, it’s what’s called ‘closed-door training,’ except we’re connecting with others by facing them.”
Regardless of the circumstances, was it right for men at the Academy to be cooped up in the dormitory, afraid of encountering mana drainers?
“Someone might say, ‘As a man, why are you just hiding in the dormitory?’ Some of you may think about boldly attending lectures in the main building full of women.”
Is that what it means to be manly? But hasn’t acting so manly led to getting caught by predators?
“A friend of ours got devoured. Monsters must be hunted, and though that monster was caught, we never know when another one might emerge.”
If the other party were a rational woman, we would gladly serve her like a princess. But these aren’t women; they’re predators intent on draining men’s mana.
“It’s unfair, isn’t it? Yes. Why should it only happen to us?”
A rotten world. Why has heaven burdened men with such trials?
Is it because the Goddess is a female deity who set such rules for women’s benefit?
Only gloomy, negative stories continued.
“However.”
Hope was born.
“If we gain the power to resist mana drainers, we could break free from the dormitory and confidently step out into the world.”
Hope could now be spread not just individually but to the world as a whole.
“Think of those back home or in your territories – your brothers, your people, your knights. Preventing even a sliver of their mana from being taken by monsters is something you will demonstrate and teach them personally. That is our hope.”
Academy students are elites, and those who graduate are expected to return to their hometowns or territories, spreading the skills and knowledge gained at the Academy.
If that’s “a way to counter the oppression,” so be it.
In these times, men’s activities are restricted, actual victims of mana drain are appearing, and that threat has reached the Academy.
“Some might think, ‘Shouldn’t we have a chance to fight back?’ Feeling unjustly targeted, wondering how we might get back at them.”
Many men felt deeply moved by the Student Council President’s words.
“Let’s endure, grow, and wait patiently.”
With hope, they could endure.
“After refining and honing ourselves here at the Academy, we’ll use our strength to turn the tables on the monsters trying to devour us. We’ll give them a taste of their own medicine.”
Revenge.
Overpowering the monsters that attempt to consume them.
“Grow so the monsters will shrink back, looking up in awe. Everyone, if they are monsters, we shall be giants!”
YEAHHH—!!… The cheers from the dormitory grew so loud it seemed the building itself would tremble.
“Giants! Giants! Giants!!”
In any world. In any era.
“Male students of the Academy! Remember the words of the Four Saints and the Emperor of the Empire!”
Greatness is something revered; this truth is depicted even in ancient murals.
“Young men! Become giants!”
* * *
[Meanwhile, in the Old School Building.]
‘If they’re saying ‘giant,’ that’s probably not the meaning they’re thinking of.’
If anyone asked if strange signals had been intercepted, the answer would be no; it was simply the broadcasted situation from the male dormitory, transmitted through the magic pad.
“A giant, huh.”
“Is it because he’s already a ‘giant’ that he’s unfazed by all this?”
Standing slightly away from the Golden Carriage, I watched it quietly until Instructor Esta approached and handed me a warm coffee.
“You’re still awake.”
“Can’t seem to sleep.”
I took a big sip of the coffee from Instructor Esta.
“If a way to resist mana drain is finally ‘secured’, the male students would have a solid shield against those who seek to devour them.”
“…”
“What’s on your mind?”
“A shield… Well, it’s not wrong.”
A shield is a shield.
But sometimes, people use that shield not only to defend but also to counterattack, overwhelming their aggressors.
“You’re talking about Dean Ederson’s adversary. What kind of relationship do you have with him?”
“An adult one.”
Esta gestured indifferently towards the swaying carriage.
“Not all relationships between men and women are romantic, you know.”
“Are you saying it’s more of a business partnership?”
“…You know, don’t you?”
Esta gave me a half-lidded stare, probing, and I shrugged while sipping my coffee.
“I know, but it’s not exactly a topic I’m fond of.”
“Hmm, and why’s that?”
“Because it’s not a harem, of course.”
“Heh.”
Esta laughed under her breath.
“As a man, wouldn’t it be appealing to have that kind of relationship with multiple women?”
“Some men might think so, but I’m someone who seeks both eros and platonic love.”
“With several women?” “Why not? As long as each side is willing to make a little compromise, a relationship can be more than physical—it can fill what’s lacking in each of us.”
Relationships, after all, are supposed to be built on mutual understanding.
“I see. Then, you must not be particularly fond of the ‘experiments’ going on in there.”
“Excuse me?”
“Experiments, and the pursuit of physical pleasure without emotions involved. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s a bit different.”
“Hm?”
“Being a Unicorn Rider, perhaps you have a more… refined sense, but—”
I tapped my fingers together.
“There’s such a thing as physical affection.”
“…Physical?”
“When people share something physical—whether a bed or holding hands—feelings can develop naturally.”
I clasped my hands together like two anchors linking up.
“Sometimes someone who may not seem like an ideal boyfriend or husband turns out to be an excellent partner, and then, over time, their flaws fade as positive aspects of the relationship take over.”
“…”
“It’s not only love when a mental connection comes first, leading to a physical bond. If a bond forms out of a physical relationship, and that develops into mutual need and emotional security, that’s love too—a pure one, even.”
“…”
“There could be cases like that. Until now, men have been the victims of Mana Drain, but in the process of shielding themselves and struggling together, mutual respect could form.”
There’s no rule saying that men and women can’t just be friends, though it’s not uncommon to find those who share a unique kind of closeness based on mutual need.
“That’s probably the kind of person Dean Ederson brought in—a trusted individual, even if they experience Mana Drain themselves.”
“!!”
Esta suddenly drew her sword, stabbing it into the ground to create a radiant barrier.
Then—
Boommm!
The carriage erupted with a massive explosion, and fierce winds swirled upward.
“Wow.”
The wind reminded me of an intense aura—a chaotic, powerful presence.
“What on earth is…!”
Swoosh.
Inside the exploded carriage…
A muscular middle-aged man stood proudly on the bed.
“What… what is…?”
“Impressive.”
I felt compelled to clap in admiration.
“To think he’d undergo [Awakening].”
The man once known as the Mercenary King or the “Lion King”.
He had joined the Academy as an instructor, taking the position of Dean of Academic Affairs, and though he was S-rank in skill, he had felt a wall in his development and shifted his focus to training others.
Yet his mana had now expanded, nearing the threshold of 97 or 98, breaking through his limits.
“At this point… would that be S+? Or perhaps SS-rank?”
“…Indeed.”
Esta covered her face with one hand and lowered her head slightly.
“He was already a giant, but now he’s truly become a remarkable figure.”
“Exactly.”
At times, certain men break past the limits of 20.
They gain the strength to resist Mana Drain, and that alone isn’t enough.
“That’s the power of the Kegel Technique.”
With a mana buff, some even temporarily reach levels of 27 or 28.
“A teacher’s role is to set an example for students.”
Ederson Lionheart, as an instructor, had succeeded in demonstrating the standard for students to strive for with his own body.
