Oliver, with his yellow skin.
His full name was Oliver Steel.
A prodigious talent who, at the young age of 23, made his name among the hundred heroes of the continent.
As a result, everyone involved in the continent's social circles knew of him.
However, even the most talented lose their shine in front of those more talented.
In every route of the story, Oliver becomes a supporter after being outshone by Neike.
Oliver looked at Theo and said,
"Hey, aren't you going to answer when a senior like me asks you a question?"
Oliver jerked his chin, indicating for Theo to speak up on his own.
Hailey and Oliver's aides, who followed him, said nothing, accustomed to such situations.
But Theo just looked at Oliver with his usual calm expression.
Irene and Alphs, standing nearby, looked anxiously between Theo and Oliver.
After all, Oliver was famous for his talent as much as his nasty temper.
-Hey, old man. You're the third-ranked, aren't you? Let's see your skills. I don't really believe in numbers like that.
His audacious request for a duel with Hollow, the master of his guild and the third-ranked hero of the continent, was well-known.
"Yes"
Theo responded informally.
"Oh."
Oliver scoffed.
'This guy must be crazy.'
He thought outwardly, but was inwardly surprised.
Excluding some monsters like guild masters, no one had ever stood up to him in his life.
Indeed, Oliver thought he didn't care about others' opinions, but he was more conscious of them than anyone else.
"Ha ha, our junior seems a bit stiff. Should I loosen him up a bit?"
Oliver cracked his neck, making a bone-popping sound.
It was purely to intimidate.
No matter how reckless he was, he was at Elinia Academy.
It wasn't the right time, and as an outsider, he couldn't just assault a student.
Hailey was amused seeing Oliver's surprised expression for a change.
Theo shook his head.
"I'm flexible enough, thanks. Just tell me why you called me."
The ones surprised this time were Hailey and Oliver's aides.
It was one thing to do it once, but to continue taking such a high-handed approach to Oliver.
And a first-year student at that.
As Oliver's expression seemed about to explode, Hailey interjected.
"Then let's get straight to the point, Theo Lyn Waldeurk. Are you interested in receiving the S-class sponsorship from 'Ataraxia'?"
"No, thanks. I'll just take your kind thoughts. I prefer being on my own."
Theo rejected the offer without a moment's hesitation.
'It doesn't offer me any particular advantage.'
The S-class sponsorship included the opportunity to observe the missions of the 'Ataraxia' hero team during academy holidays, along with a lower-tier legendary weapon artifact and various financial benefits.
However, Theo knew well what a real hero's mission entailed.
More importantly, observing these missions wasn't optional; it was mandatory.
'I'd rather spend that time collecting more hidden pieces.'
The lower-tier legendary weapon artifact didn't appeal much to him, given his access to the Waldeurk family's treasure vault.
The financial benefits also didn't interest him.
"Then, I'll be off to train."
Theo nodded to a stunned Hailey and disappeared with Piel, Irene, and Alphs.
"““......”””
Hailey and the others stood frozen on the spot, speechless.
They hadn't anticipated Theo rejecting the S-class sponsorship.
No one in the history of the 'Ataraxia' guild had ever declined an S-class sponsorship.
Even Oliver had accepted it without hesitation.
Oliver broke the silence.
"Wow, he's really crazy, huh? To kick away an S-class sponsorship? He's a lunatic you have to respect."
Oliver continued,
"Ah, it's so ridiculous that I can't even get mad. My mood's gone. I think I'll take this chance to look around the academy."
With those words, Oliver left the knight department's training ground.
His four aides glanced at Hailey, then followed after Oliver.
"Crazy."
Hailey muttered, left alone.
"Is he really going to do it alone? Without the power of a guild?"
Hailey stood alone in the training ground for a long time.
I sparred with Irene.
The new trait I had acquired was quite satisfying.
Even without using magic or [Overload], I could almost match Irene.
Wiping off her sweat, Irene looked at me with tired eyes.
"......Huh. You've improved remarkably, Theo. I can't play the role of your teacher anymore."
"I still have much to learn, so keep teaching me."
"I'm not sure if there's anything more to teach."
Piel, who had been sitting nearby watching our spar, said.
"Really. Did you have some sort of epiphany? It's not just your skills that have improved, but your fundamental understanding of the sword seems to have deepened."
......As expected from the holder of [Sword Master] and [Weapon Master], sharp as ever.
"That's good to hear."
I casually brushed it off and turned my attention to Alphs, who was swinging her sword nearby.
She definitely seemed better than two days ago.
The way she held her sword had improved overall.
'Being near someone skilled really accelerates improvement.'
The change in environment can have a surprisingly rapid effect on people.
It was one of my longstanding thoughts.
"Still, my body feels too stiff."
After cooling down with magic, I briefly instructed Alphs.
"You don't need to grip the sword too tightly. You might think it adds more power to your strikes, but as long as your palm doesn't slip when you hit, that's enough."
This is what I call 'tailored education'.
Alphs was a beginner, so I explained as simply as possible.
Using technical terms like forearm muscles or deltoids might only decrease her motivation to learn.
Alphs stared at me for about three seconds, then nodded several times while looking forward.
"Yes, yes! Thank you, Theo!"
Whoosh, whoosh──
She swung her sword repeatedly.
......Somehow, she seems even stiffer than before, but maybe that's just my imagination.
Well, what can I do?
If she doesn't understand it in her head, she'll just have to learn it through repetition.
Noticing Piel looking at me with a strange expression, I spoke to her.
"Piel. Bring artifacts from your house as soon as possible."
With Oswald's appearance, it's likely that incidents of violence will frequently happen within Elinia Academy from now on.
Even if Piel is talented, the presence or absence of artifacts makes a huge difference.
She is essential to prevent the academy from being destroyed. She needs to maintain her condition and grow.
Piel tilted her head in confusion.
"Why? They're banned, aren't they?"
"Starting next Tuesday, all enrolled students will be allowed to use artifacts."
"......Really? Alright, I got it."
Piel nodded and then stood up from her seat.
In the 13th Bio-research Ward of [Ford Company], located in the northern magical city.
Oswald, who had just woken up, caressed his left arm.
His left arm, which had been severed by Theo and Piel, was now fully intact and functioning normally.
With an incredulous look, Oswald spoke to the masked man standing before him.
"Jeez, it's still unbelievable every time I see it. My arm just popped back? We didn't even get the actual arm back. There isn't going to be some sort of backlash from this later?"
"There's no need to worry about that. The arm you currently have is identical to your real left arm, so there won't be any rejection, even after a long time."
"Man, technology is really something. It's hard to adapt."
"You'll get used to it soon. I have to attend a Thomas' meeting, so I'll leave now. If you need anything, please feel free to ask. All the researchers are here to assist you."
"Alright, alright. Take care."
The masked man turned and left the research ward.
Oswald grabbed an axe and swung it.
"Oh?"
He felt much stronger than before he lost his arm.
"Something feels wrong from this... Thomas, that guy's unreadable."
If Oswald is considered Maitri's leader in the action and right hand, then Thomas is known as Maitri's strategist and left hand.
At the same time, Thomas is the head of all 20 biowards within [Ford Company] and the person who procured the mass teleport scroll.
"Something's fishy, especially the mass teleport scroll. That's not an ordinary item."
Oswald was deep in thought.
But it didn't last long.
"Well, it doesn't really matter."
Thinking about it only gave him a headache, and he wasn't particularly keen on knowing.
After all, he was satisfied as long as he could carry out his killings.
And now, he had a new goal.
Oswald started swinging his axe again.
"......This time, I'll definitely kill him."
His new goal was to kill Theo.
"That insolent brat......"
Swinging his axe vigorously, Oswald let out a strange, maniacal laugh.
"Hehehehe!"
The mere thought of beheading Theo was enough to excite him.
"Life really needs a goal! Oh, Renimid. You were right!"
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