Atlas’s gymnasium.
Students had gathered for the Combat Theory class.
“......Whoa.......”
And in front of them stood an odd pair.
The teacher they knew so well, Frondier.
And next to him stood a blond handsome man.
The two looked about the same age, and just standing side by side like that made a picture.
“Ah, ahem.”
Frondier gave a light cough.
“The person beside me will be taking over Combat Theory in my stead from now on—Teacher Aster.”
“I’m Aster Evans, as introduced. I look forward to working with you.”
When Aster bowed his head, applause broke out in the gym.
Only, the clapping sounded a little dazed.
“......Then, Teacher Frondier, are you not doing Combat Theory anymore?”
“Mm, most likely not. Teacher Aster is here temporarily, but the teacher who replaces him later will not be me.”
Up until ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Aster arrived, Frondier had been handling three subjects: Mana Theory, Combat Theory, and Magic–Arms Dual Use.
It was an excessively hard schedule; there was clearly a need to adjust it.
“I vouch for Teacher Aster’s skill. He’ll lead you all far better than I do.”
Frondier spoke up for Aster and looked around at the students.
As he did, what Carla had said came to mind.
—A favor, you say?
—Teacher Aster might suddenly become a teacher and have his skills doubted. He’s so young, too. I pushed it a bit forcefully.
—Mm, I see.
—So I hoped you would help, Mr. Frondier.
‘Even if you ask me to help.’
Frondier looked at Aster.
To be honest, he wasn’t worried in the least.
He had never seen Aster teach anyone, but Aster had continually learned swordsmanship from his older sister.
He didn’t know exactly what training he’d received, but that relationship was probably similar to Frondier himself and Atjie.
Given Aster’s disposition, he would have completely mastered what he’d learned as his own, and someone like that has no problem teaching others. It’s not as if Aster can’t talk, and he doesn’t get nervous either.
“Teacher.”
A student raised a hand there.
Seeing that student, Frondier was a little surprised.
‘......Ias.’
During the battle in Palma, Frondier hadn’t properly seen Ias take part. He’d been in Pandemonium with Aphrodite.
So he only learned later that Ias had joined the fight. At the time an emotion hard to express in one word welled up in him. Things like pride, worry, and expectation got all mixed together.
He had been one of those Frondier worried might have been injured, but seeing him now, he looked fine.
“......Yes, what is it, Ias?”
Frondier put away his brief thoughts.
Ias said,
“Then which of you two is stronger?”
“.......”
Frondier fell silent for a moment. It felt like being asked an elementary schooler’s question about whether a tiger or a lion is stronger.
But the answer was clear. Much like a tiger vs. lion fight.
Frondier pointed with his thumb—at Aster.
Aster pointed with his index finger—at Frondier.
“......?”
“?”
And the two looked at each other.
The answer was clear, yet their answers differed.
“What are you doing, Frondier?”
“No, that’s my line.”
“Did you already forget I’m trying to surpass you? Why would I try to surpass someone weaker than me?”
“This is a different matter. It’s about skill proficiency and physicality. If we’re talking superiority as a warrior, I can’t beat you.”
“What does that matter. We’re talking about who survives in a real fight.”
“The way I do things doesn’t help students and.......”
And suddenly the two started a weird debate.
Ias, who’d asked the question, had his eyes half closed.
‘......Stronger than Teacher Frondier?’
Ias thought.
He had an eye for it. Especially recently, his eye for reading strength had grown a lot.
Aster was unmistakably a powerhouse. No matter how high Ias craned his neck, it felt like he wouldn’t see the end.
But that was the same for Frondier.
“......Then.”
After thinking, Ias spoke.
“Could you show us a spar once?”
“Hm?”
There Frondier, a little flustered, asked back.
By contrast, Aster’s eyes flared as if he’d just heard something wonderful.
“Right. Instead of flapping our mouths, let’s have a bout. That way the students will know for sure.”
“......No, I’m telling you you’re stronger.”
“You don’t know that until we try.”
Is this even a proper conversation? Frondier’s head was starting to hurt.
‘I just wanted to do the handover.’
In truth there wasn’t much to hand over. Aster would be giving a more systematic education anyway. He’d get a general grasp of the students’ level after seeing them a few times.
‘......Maybe this is the favor.’
The favor Carla had mentioned. Showing Aster’s skill for the students who might doubt it.
If it was a spar, it would be a very simple way to grant the favor.
Of course, he didn’t know what state Frondier himself would end up in during the process.
“......Fine. Let’s spar.”
“That’s the spirit.”
“But barehanded.”
At those words, Aster’s heat cooled off with a hiss.
“What? If it’s for injury prevention, there are wooden swords.”
“You’re the guy who can cut stone with a wooden sword, and you’re talking injury prevention.”
“As if I’d cut you.”
“......Well, you wouldn’t, but this time let’s do it barehanded.”
That would probably be more meaningful. For the students.
“Ias. Give us the signal.”
“Ah, yes. Understood.”
Frondier and Aster each took their stance.
The students focused their gaze on the two.
They had seen Frondier’s skill.
The most outstanding student in the combat track at Atlas was, by far, Ias. Frondier had pinned him to the floor barehanded several times. In subsequent classes too, Frondier had shown excellent skill.
Could someone be stronger than that Frondier? A teacher they were seeing for the first time?
“Then, rea.......”
-Tak.
Bang!
Aster’s fist. The place where Frondier’s face had been. A speed as if swapping places with space.
To the students, the moment Aster kicked off with his foot and the moment he threw his fist looked almost the same. They were watching as third parties and still couldn’t follow the speed.
Swish! Bang! Tap!
The exchanges after that. Most of the attacks that Aster and Frondier threw were dodged or blocked. Yet there were sounds as if the air were bursting. They were manifesting aura.
All the students thought the same thing.
‘......If you get hit by a punch like that, you die on the spot.’
Whether real swords, wooden swords, or bare hands, none of this helped with safety in the least.
While handling it with his characteristic defensive techniques, Frondier thought,
‘Right, I figured.’
From the moment he saw Aster’s burning eyes, he’d guessed a light spar wasn’t going to happen. Aura at full output from the start—so very Aster.
But actually, said the other way around, since Aster had predicted what Frondier would predict, it also let Aster charge in with even less hesitation.
Sst—, Tang!
“!”
Aster’s high straight kick. Frondier tilted his head back to evade, but it grazed him.
The speed was different from just before. Before the speed, the attack range itself was different.
‘How does a foot reach all the way here?’
No matter how amazing Aster is, it’s not as if his legs suddenly get longer. Frondier’s eyes went to Aster’s steps.
‘......No, this crazy bastard.’
Frondier confirmed it.
Aster was using Ilseom’s instantaneous high speed as a constant. In one of the moments between the steps Aster set down, his entire body moved to another position. It was a really short distance, but to an enemy facing him right in front, there would be nothing but despair.
Only, Frondier was rather used to despair.
Sst! Pat! Tang! Taang!
He shifted a little more defensively and coolly watched Aster.
‘......It’s not exactly the same as Ilseom. Unlike Ilseom, where movement and attack happen simultaneously, at the moment of attacking he’s returning to Aster’s normal attack speed.’
Of course, since it’s Aster doing those “normal” attacks, the lethality was more than sufficient. Still, unlike Ilseom, it wasn’t to the point you couldn’t respond at the instant of attack.
‘And it’s still immature.’
It hadn’t been long since Aster started constant high-speed movement. So when he used it was starting to show a little to Frondier’s eyes.
‘If that’s the case.’
When Aster shifted again—
Thud.
Frondier hooked Aster’s foot.
“Ah.”
Aster let out a short sound. His body balance tilted.
Crash!!
Frondier’s fist shoved into his flank. He floated up into the air.
Both their faces crumpled.
‘Bodies at this level don’t feel like you’re hitting human flesh!’
The sensation he’d felt even when fighting Renzo. It felt like punching a hunk of metal. How does it make sense that the puncher’s fist hurts?
“You—how did you know!”
Compared to the damage of the blow, Aster seemed angrier at the fact he’d allowed the attack.
“Because you’re a scrub, you bastard!”
Boom!
Before Aster could set his stance, Frondier rushed in and launched a sideways kick as-is with that speed. Aster blocked with his arm, but he was driven back again. Veins stood out on Aster’s face.
Frondier poured fuel on it.
“When you switch from defense to offense, it’s all over your face, Aster.”
A point Monty had once made to Frondier. He was saying to Aster exactly what he’d been told back when his offensive proficiency was lacking.
Of course, it only applied when Aster was doing high-speed movement, but it was more than enough to make Aster blow his top.
Aster, just as Frondier intended, concentrated his aura to the limit.
Tap,
Boom!
Aster, using Ilseom’s subtlety, struck through Frondier as he passed. But again, the proficiency was lacking, so it wasn’t a proper punch. It was closer to wildly flailing his arm. The result ended up similar to a cross-line.
Even so, this time the speed was close to Ilseom. It wasn’t something you reacted to with the naked eye.
But Frondier had provoked him to induce this attack.
So he could block with both arms.
Blocking, he toppled onto the floor.
“......Trash game.”
He muttered so no one could hear.
Seeing Frondier sprawled backward, Aster, his heat still not cooled, said,
“Did you see that, Frondier? Now you know. I’m—”
“Yeah. You’re stronger.”
“H—huh.”
“I told you from the start, you idiot.”
Frondier raised his upper body and let out a sigh.
‘I’ve never beaten him once in a spar.’
In fact, because of this, Frondier thinks Aster is stronger than he is. There’s a difference in class that psychology, traps, and deception don’t get through.
Frondier stood and looked at the students.
“Right, that’s roughly the feel of it. Teacher Aster’s skill.”
“.......”
“He’s strong, isn’t he?”
“.......”
The students, like dumb folks with honeyed tongues, stared at Frondier. It was as if he’d robbed them of their wits.
Was he asking if Aster was strong just now? They didn’t even know what had happened.
‘......Amazing.’
Only, one among them.
Like the other students, he said nothing, but he was clearly thinking something different.
Ias.
Ias had feared someone stronger than himself. If they were obviously older people like pros or knights, that was fine, but he couldn’t accept someone his age being stronger than him. The feeling of being pushed off the stage was hard to endure.
However now, Ias’s eyes only sparkled.
‘How does he do that? Can I respond to it? If I make use of the spear’s advantage—no, would the spear just snap?’
Ias could see no way to attack Aster.. If he’s like that barehanded, then with a weapon, how strong would he be,
Thump.
Thump, thump.
Ias was now doing his best to hide his pounding heart and excitement.
He thought Aster resembled Frondier. In that the end of their strength couldn’t be seen.
But seeing them actually fight changed his mind. Unlike Frondier, Aster had less intention of hiding his strength. Because of that, you could try to see that strength. By analogy, he was like a tower standing so tall it seemed to touch the sky.
Because he’s a tower, even if you can’t see the end, you can make the effort to try to see it.
By contrast, Frondier was like fog. From the start, you can’t tell how tall it is. It could be lower than Ias thinks, or it could be absurdly high.
You can climb a tower. The more you climb, the closer you get to that strength. If you devote a lifetime, you might see the end. Reaching it is another matter, though.
But you can’t climb fog.
Unlike Frondier, who only left him at a loss as to how to follow, Aster, to him, was a—
‘Hero.’
And that sight, Frondier saw.
With a wry smile, and at the same time with a face that seemed relieved, Frondier looked at Ias.
‘That’s the road I should be walking.’
