In the end, Ihan and Odwal were summoned to the dean's office and reprimanded.

In Ihan’s case, it was because he had twisted Odwal's wrist. But since Odwal had grabbed Ihan's collar first, and the incident was a somewhat accidental reaction while he tried to push Odwal away, he received some leniency.

Odwal, on the other hand, faced the dean’s full wrath. Not only had he intruded into another department's territory, but he had also caused a disturbance, a behavior that was inexcusable. Consequently, Odwal was docked six months of pay.

‘Not that a fine will mean much to someone with his level of financial backing,’ Ihan thought.

He had heard long ago that Odwal received substantial financial support on a weekly basis, sums that would dwarf the average monthly salary of a regular teacher. The dean probably knew this too. Yet, for the dean to impose such a light penalty…

‘Did this old man take some bribe, too?’

It was a suspicion Ihan couldn’t shake.

However, he quickly learned that he was mistaken.

“The dean isn’t the type to be swayed by the nobles.”

“The dean’s family is quite wealthy. They’re among the top five in the kingdom. No amount of pressure from even five of the largest merchant guilds would faze them.”

“If anything, the dean would probably have those offering bribes sent to the guillotine by tomorrow, haha.”

…So, the dean was even more extreme than Ihan had imagined?

Ihan blinked, absorbing this new information from his colleagues.

“Then why did he give such a lenient punishment?”

“He did it to protect you, Sir Turtle.”

“Protect me?”

“Yes. I’m sure you’re not afraid of Odwal himself, but dealing with the nobles who support him would be a real headache, wouldn’t it?”

“…?”

Me?

The idea almost made Ihan choke, but he decided to hear them out.

“I think the dean was trying to prevent you from suffering any backlash from the nobles.”

“Even for someone as strong as you, dealing with nobles can be a real problem, can’t it?”

“Nobles are a troublesome bunch.”

His colleagues looked somewhat bitter, probably from their own experiences with nobility. As commoners or fallen nobility who had proven themselves capable, they’d likely faced their share of trouble.

“Well, the dean made a wise decision. Let it go, Sir Turtle. Challenging someone like Odwal without strong backing is a fool’s errand, isn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

They patted him on the shoulder, and Ihan slowly nodded. They smiled, remarking that although he’d seemed a bit rough around the edges during the entrance ceremony, he wasn’t just some reckless brute, but rather a thoughtful knight.

……But.

‘Backing, huh?’

That night, Ihan did something rare. He took out a piece of stationery, wrote a single sentence on the blank sheet, sealed it, and handed it to a very simple-minded maid.

And a few days later.

“It’s you! It has to be you…! There’s no one else it could be…!!”

Odwal returned to disrupt the swordsmanship class, and Ihan simply shrugged in response to the enraged magician.

“Say what?”

His expression was as nonchalant as could be, as if he had no idea what was going on.

He was only…

‘Consulting an old friend about a [small concern], so why is he freaking out?’

Ihan looked at Odwal as if he were crazy. Finally, Odwal clutched his chest and collapsed.

Within half a day, rumors were flying around the academy. Apparently, the nobles who had been backing Odwal had suddenly withdrawn their support.

Poison against poison.

Just as poison is subdued by poison, so too must a powerful figure be subdued by a powerful figure.

…Though it might have been a bit much.

 

Recently, the academy had been far from boring. To be precise, it was buzzing with gossip about the latest events.

—Apparently, Professor Odwal picked a fight with a knight from the swordsmanship department.

—The knight twisted Odwal’s wrist.

—Some say they’re fighting over Lady Galahad’s adopted daughter.

—Rumor has it that the knight is actually favored by a grand noble.

Rumors spread regardless of the era, and for the energetic young cadets, the conflict between a magician and a knight was incredibly entertaining. They were eager to see who would come out on top.

Meanwhile, a certain gray-haired cadet was deep in thought, but not for the same reasons as the others who were placing bets on the fight between the magician and the knight.

It was about the “story” changing drastically.

‘Odwal is supposed to be one of the main villains who supports the antagonist noblewoman against the protagonist. Why is he appearing so soon?’

In the original storyline, there were still six months before the [main plot] was supposed to kick off. But things were already going off-script, and the gray-haired cadet’s head was spinning, realizing that what he knew might become irrelevant.

‘If this keeps up, everything I know might lose its meaning.’

The gray-haired cadet was quick-witted and incredibly perceptive. He considered all the events so far, assessing each roadblock, and came to a conclusion.

‘…The swordsmanship instructor.’

Ihan Turtle.

The central figure of the recent rumors and the only character he hadn’t anticipated.

As he mulled over this familiar-sounding instructor, he wondered if it was worth meeting him. If he could talk to Ihan, maybe he could resolve some of his questions.

…The problem was.

“Hey.”

“!!?”

“Oh my, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. I just… got startled.”

The boy had extreme difficulty communicating with others.

Not only that.

“Are you sure you’re not coming down with something? Your face is awfully red.”

“Well, it’s just…”

“Oh dear.”

The beautiful noble girl’s approach made his face flush even more, and she smiled mischievously, clearly aware of his discomfort.

It seemed she had picked up on his nervousness, and he squeezed his eyes shut, mentally chanting a mantra.

‘As long as the East Sea and Mount Baekdu endure…’

Not only did he have trouble communicating, but he also had zero immunity to the opposite sex.

His entire life had been spent in a boys-only school system—from an all-boys village elementary school to an all-boys middle school, high school, an engineering college, military service, and a male-dominated gaming company. He had never once had a proper conversation with a girl.

So he chanted his mantra, trying to calm himself, but—

“What’s your name?”

“…!!”

The mischievous girl didn’t seem inclined to let him go.

The heady scent of lilacs overwhelmed him, and he turned and bolted.

“Oh, hey…, he, he’s already that far away?”

The gray-haired boy ran incredibly fast, and the girl blinked, surprised.

It wasn’t his speed that amazed her.

It was the fact that her sharp ears had picked up his muttering as he ran.

“Did he just say… [Accelerate]?”

Unfortunately, the boy who could answer her question was already long gone.

 

Thwack!

“Pick it up, swordsman!”

“…You’ve really lost it, haven’t you?”

For the past four days, the relationship between Odwal and Ihan had grown increasingly hostile, even worse than that of a cat and a dog. The atmosphere became more tense with each passing day.

Most of the time, Odwal would pick a fight, only to be humiliated by Ihan.

Yet, even a worm will writhe when stepped on, and Odwal’s pride couldn’t tolerate his repeated humiliations at the hands of a knight.

After losing his funding, suffering numerous insults, and enduring the humiliation, the magician seemed to have lost his mind and now came to challenge Ihan, throwing down a glove.

It was a custom popular among nobles. Throwing a glove was a way of requesting a ‘duel’ or a ‘challenge.’

Ihan glanced at the glove lying on the ground and then back at the magician, a smirk on his lips.

“Have you given up on life?”

Swish.

Instead of picking up the glove, Ihan drew his wooden training sword. It wasn’t an intimidating weapon, but for a moment, Odwal felt a chill.

It was just an old, battered training sword. Yet, as it pointed at him, he felt as if a sharp spearhead were poised to pierce him.

Odwal, sweating slightly, waved his hand in denial.

“There must have been a misunderstanding. I’m not suggesting we fight.”

“What nonsense is this? You’re babbling…”

“I mean a duel between your student and mine!”

“…What?”

For a moment, Ihan thought he was hearing nonsense. But the magician quickly continued, as if trying to explain himself.

“Much as I regret it, fights between teachers are not permitted at the academy. That is a decree from the royal family.”

“……”

“Hrm.”

As Ihan finally lowered his wooden sword and listened silently, Odwal went on.

“What I’m proposing is this: while duels between instructors are forbidden, there’s no significant barrier to student duels. In fact, competition is encouraged.”

“Hm.”

Unrestricted competition.

The academy’s philosophy was that people grew through competition. There was nothing strange about it. There were numerous instances of cadets competing in wisdom, skill, and sometimes even strength.

However.

“So, you’re suggesting a ‘proxy duel’?”

“Exactly.”

“…What a coward. Are you pawning off your students because you know you can’t win?”

It was obvious to Ihan that Odwal was reluctant to fight him directly. He clicked his tongue in disbelief, and Odwal, clearly offended, snapped back.

…Although he didn’t get far.

“You brat!”

“You said you’re younger than me. Where do you get off calling me a brat? You insolent kid.”

“……”

He quickly shut Odwal down.

“Impudent little brat.”

“You’re a little brat…”

“Watch your mouth when speaking to your elder!”

“……”

“You little…”

“……”

The power of Ihan’s old-school upbringing overpowered the magician completely.