The Martial Arts lecture held at dawn the next day proceeded almost identically to the one on Tuesday.
The only differences were that Hailga and Risi participated in the class, and Fjodra announced the opening of a new dessert corner in the cafeteria while providing energy bars made by a patissier.
Today’s morning lecture was Skadi’s Dagger Arts.
Since it wasn’t exclusive to the Awakened Special Class, I took it alongside the regular second-year students, but…
‘Why did Nidhr sign up for this lecture?’
Not only did he refrain from using daggers in the recent Bimu Tournament, but the same was true in the original work before the remake.
Furthermore, Nidhr looked down on others as much as he thought highly of himself.
Therefore, my opinion was that he wasn’t the type of person to accept the teachings of someone he considered a mere criminal.
‘Is the original author intervening after all?’
This Dagger Arts lecture was attended by all the second-year members of the Special Class, and the professor, Skadi, was also a major character.
There was no better lecture to slot in a named villain like Nidhr.
‘Author Senna must be intending for Reysir and Nidhr to clash periodically. And she’ll probably have Nidhr fall into darkness during their time at the Academy!’
Thinking about it that way made me feel more than just a little complicated.
The life of a supporting character, no different from that of a fly, was tragic, but the life of a protagonist who had to suffer while watching their deaths every time was even more so.
And the villain, falling into ruin because of the twisted personality bestowed upon him by the original author, was in a pitiful position as well.
If I kept following these thoughts, my heart felt like it would weaken.
Just as I was trying to clear my head to avoid failing to stay properly on guard against Nidhr and Svein, the original protagonist spoke.
“Don’t worry about it.”
I flinched and widened my eyes involuntarily at that remark, which felt as if he had read my mind.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
“Aren’t you worried that Nidhr might try to do something to me?”
“…Why would you think that?”
“Well, Nidhr is glaring at me with hostile eyes, and you’re staring blankly at him with an uncomfortable expression.”
The idea that Reysir had seen through my thoughts was nothing more than my own delusion.
This protagonist of another novel simply believed without a doubt that I was worried about him and was feeling quite pleased about it.
If my thought was a mere misunderstanding, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Reysir was indulging in an utterly absurd fantasy.
It was truly dumbfounding, but I couldn’t bring myself to deny it.
If I did, I would be hit with the question, ‘Then why were you looking at Nidhr with that face?’
Left with no choice, I let out a “Hmph!” and turned my head away, feigning indifference.
The protagonist of another novel smirked as he watched me, but fortunately, I didn’t have to endure that gaze for long.
Less than one minute later, Skadi opened the classroom door and appeared.
“Nice to meet you all~! I see some students I didn’t see last year, right~? Since you’re all second-years, you probably signed up for the class knowing that I’m a criminal, right~? So, I’ll skip the explanations and the guidance on changing courses~.”
After speaking those words in a tone that didn’t match her bubbly voice, Skadi called out the students’ names to check attendance.
Only ten students, including myself, had taken the Dagger Arts lecture last semester.
But now, in addition to Reysir, Liolikin, Vigdis, Hailga, and Nidhr, five more extra students had joined, perhaps because the emergence of the Demonic Realm had highlighted the need for self-defense.
The headcount had doubled.
“Oh, right! Until last year, my lectures focused on throwing techniques, but starting this year, I plan to teach close-quarters combat as well~. So that you can use it as a secondary weapon when the enemy is too close and it’s hard to use your main weapon, okay~?”
After finishing the attendance check, Skadi closed the attendance book, tossed it into her [Inventory], and began explaining the upcoming lecture content.
“You know, monsters often don’t use weapons, right~? Only a few of you have to enter the Demonic Realm, but… there might be cases where you get caught up in the creation of a Demonic Realm unexpectedly. Actually, I think some students signed up for my lecture out of anxiety, keeping those situations in mind… That’s why I made this decision, so please understand if the training is tougher than last year, okay~?”
Was she worried about the students’ safety?
Although she soon regained her usual tone, Skadi’s voice sank briefly while she spoke, and the complexity lingering on her face took a little longer to fade.
“First, since it’s the first day, I’ll show you a demonstration to set the learning goals!”
Last semester, she had told us how to hold a dagger and then immediately told us to try throwing them.
It seemed she had put some thought into establishing an efficient learning system during the break.
Or so I speculated—until Skadi looked at me and spoke.
“Now then, experienced assistant, come forward~!!”
I suspected that Skadi just really wanted to say that line.
Or perhaps Author Senna wanted to write it.
“Karbaldr~? Come forward quickly~.”
“…Why exactly am I your assistant, Professor Skadi?”
“Because the Academy told me to take charge of and guide Karbaldr~! Since I’ve become Karbaldr’s academic advisor, that makes Karbaldr my assistant, doesn’t it~?”
“That is not how academic advisors and assistants are determined.”
“……It’s not~?”
“No, it’s not.”
At my blunt denial, Skadi’s face fell, and her shoulders slumped.
However, perhaps it was too awkward to change her mind after saying she would show a demonstration and then claiming she couldn’t because she didn’t have an assistant.
“Then, the only perfect scorer from last semester, honors student Karbaldr, come forward~!”
Words that made me regret not just going forward when she called me an assistant tumbled out of Skadi’s mouth.
The rank of the [Dagger Arts] registered in my skill window was only ‘E.’
‘The only reason I was able to get good grades in the Dagger Arts lecture last semester was that the exam difficulty was extremely low. The other students never practiced dagger arts outside of class, so the level was set for them…’
My brow furrowed involuntarily.
I could feel my face heating up from the rushing embarrassment.
“As expected of Master Karbaldr! The only perfect scorer! That’s truly amazing!”
“I agree. Daggers aren’t even Kar’s main weapon…”
As if the situation wasn’t embarrassing enough, Liolikin and Vigdis added their comments, putting me in an even more difficult spot.
‘I’ve been thinking this since yesterday’s Practical Combat Techniques lecture, but why do these two get along so well?’
Had Author Senna designated these two as reaction bots?
Or were they doing it of their own free will?
There was no way to know the truth.
“Good luck, Karbaldr!”
I didn’t know why the original protagonist was acting like this either.
And I didn’t want to know.
Meow, meow, meow.
Yor shook his head and patted my shoulder.
Although I couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying, I could infer from the situation and his gestures that he was telling me to just go and do a good job since there was no other choice.
The students’ eyes were fixed on me, and Skadi showed no intention of backing down.
If I continued to hesitate like this, I would only draw unnecessary resentment.
Thus, I had no choice but to reluctantly step forward.
“Karbaldr’s main weapon is a whip, which isn’t a commonly used weapon, right~? But since it’s a mid-range weapon, I think it will be a good example of how to utilize a dagger as a secondary weapon. He uses daggers at both long and short ranges! And students who don’t have a separate main weapon, please take note of how I fight with only a dagger~.”
Skadi spoke to the students while handing me a belt with ten practice daggers tucked into it.
I took it and put it on without a word.
Although using daggers directly from the [Inventory] would be more efficient, it was a maneuver that regular students who hadn’t Awakened couldn’t replicate.
‘And there’s no benefit in showing off the privileges granted only to the Awakened in front of Nidhr, making him feel a sense of deprivation!’
While pulling out my whip, I stole a glance at Nidhr.
His hostile gaze was still fixed on the original protagonist.
Even considering that the demonstration duel hadn’t started yet, it wasn’t a normal attitude.
Just as in the original work before the remake, he had probably decided for himself that Reysir had become strong easily by enjoying the privileges of an Awakened, allowing him to defeat Nidhr and win the Bimu Tournament.
He was likely sharpening the blade of resentment in his heart.
‘No. To be precise, Author Senna planted those emotions in Nidhr’s heart, and he is being swayed by them.’
After letting out a deep sigh, I deactivated the [Character Analysis] skill.
I would have to use it again soon since the duel was about to start, but I couldn’t afford to be lost in thought during the fight.
“Since the goal is to demonstrate dagger arts, I won’t use Aether skills~. But Karbaldr, you can use buff skills. Since they just boost physical abilities, right~?”
That wasn’t all; I also possessed a skill that accelerated my thought process.
However, since I didn’t want to be helplessly defeated and look pathetic in a demonstration duel, I decided to set my conscience aside.
I planned to use [Character Analysis] and activated the [Encourage] skill.
‘Since I’m doing this, I should do my best…!’
After using [Encourage] and [Elation], I met Skadi’s eyes and gave a light nod, signaling that I was ready.
“Then, here I come~!”
Unlike Caldrun, who had yielded the first move, Skadi shouted and charged at me while throwing a dagger simultaneously.
Since Skadi was also equipped with only ten daggers, she didn’t seem to have any intention of wasting them recklessly; only a single dagger flew toward me.
As soon as I drew a dagger with my left hand to parry it, I swung the whip in my right hand to check Skadi’s approach.
Skadi also parried my weapon with her dagger.
‘Since it was a probing attack, it would have been easier to dodge than to parry it with a short dagger.’
Since the purpose of the duel was what it was, she likely wanted to show the various ways a dagger could be used.
Because [Character Analysis] had been activated by my previous thought, I controlled the flow of the sky-blue Aether to adjust my thought speed.
Then, I saw Skadi taking a step forward in an extremely slow motion.