I took my stance. One hand on the dagger at my waist, the other ready to counter Azier.

Drawing the weapon, swinging it, defending—all of these movements had to be done in the shortest time possible. To not be caught by the opponent, and to complete the action before being detected.

I had learned this throughout my training with Azier, to engrave it into my body.

As a result,

I managed to draw my dagger before Azier's hand could reach me.

Whoosh-

The diagonal slash of the dagger cut through the air. Azier dodged my strike and advanced.

And then the difference with Aster’s case,

Fwook, Azier’s left hook flew like the wind. The process from the preliminary stage to the blow’s landing was almost invisible.

I lowered my head with a half-hearted feeling of resignation and narrowly dodged it. My muscles tensed up slightly from the sensation that brushed past my head.

There was no rule like ‘don’t attack’ in a fight with him. I heard the sound of the students holding their breath as they watched.

There were several more exchanges after that. My movements and Azier’s were as natural as a set procedure.

But there was no such thing as a set procedure. This was just a series of processes that I had barely learned after getting beaten up and rolling around countless times.

It felt like I was given numerous choices each time and I quickly chose the options that avoided the worst-case scenarios.

Azier was the one posing the questions, and I was just dealing with them.

So even if I lasted a bit longer, the outcome was the same for Aster and me.

Bam!

“Keuk!”

I was hit in the abdomen and staggered back. Azier briskly walked closer.

Damn, every time I see something like that, I feel like I’m facing some evil spirit. It wouldn’t be that different anyway.

I swung my dagger as I backed away, and Azier came inside my arm and blocked the attack.

My attacks had no power as I backed away and responded, and Azier showed no mercy when he saw sloppy attacks.

I was hit in the shoulder, abdomen, and arms. That was the result of my moderate defense.

Then,

Thud, I was knocked down with a rough sound. Azier grabbed the collar of my clothes and used a judo technique to trip me and pin me down. There was no mercy or consideration whatsoever.

“Frondier, your movements are bigger than before. Be careful.”

Azier said.

It was a fact I was feeling myself. I had been dealing with a Chimera until recently.

“Aster, how was the sparring just now?”

Azier asked.

Aster looked at me lying in a mess for a moment and said, "Clearly, you fought better than I did."

"Is Frondier faster than you?"

"At least in the sparring just now, speed didn't seem important."

"Right. So, what's different?"

Aster thought deeply. Meanwhile, I dusted myself off and stood up.

The students looked embarrassed at my battered appearance. They probably wouldn't suspect favoritism anymore.

After some thought, Aster came up with an answer.

"Prediction?"

"Exactly. That's the 'basic' of combat."

Azier then looked around at the students.

"The basics of combat are about prediction. It's about inferring what move is coming next based on the shifting of shoulders, waist, or the center of gravity of the body."

The reason Azier could easily overpower Aster was because it was visible what he was about to do.

"In that sense, Aster's movements are still large and simple. The same goes for you all."

The students felt a bit sour at Azier's words, but no one argued. After all, Aster was the best among them.

"While I'm lecturing, you'll learn this. No matter how great your talent or divine power, in actual combat, you're often defeated before you even get a chance to use it. Just like Aster just now. It's not a matter of mindset. It's a matter of skill."

In fact, Aster hadn't been able to use his divine power from the beginning to the end, even though he knew Azier would try to block it.

"Any questions?"

At Azier's words, someone raised their hand. The student who raised their hand had a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

"What is it?"

"Well, that method, how should I put it, it feels like it's meant for fighting humans."

Echoing this, another student spoke up.

"Right. We came to Constel to deal with monsters."

Graduating from Constel to become a Pro, or a court knight or mage, involves dealing with monsters.

They eventually advance, fight and triumph against 'outside monsters', expanding the boundaries of mankind by a step.

That is the dream of Constel students and the earthly mission of humanity.

To students harboring such dreams, the previous practice seemed rather meaningless.

Azier spoke.

"Remember the recent incident where your seniors were defeated by 'outside monsters'? The incident in Tyburn where eleven died." [T/N: Tyburn -> Tyburn, Territory of Urfa family]

... The story I had previously told Quinie.

The students gulped at Azier's words. The surroundings became solemn.

"One of your seniors predicted with astonishing insight that the monster from the outside would invade. He was an outcast who couldn't blend into the group. Yet, eleven died. Why do you think that happened? Because the beast was big and powerful? Because it was a creature with a body as large as a house?"

No one answered. Some dropped their gaze.

"It was merely a wolf walking on two legs. However, lurking in the darkness, anticipating the path of humans, it bit off the necks of each individual from a blind spot. Sometimes, it instantly killed them with its claws. After hunting, it washed off the blood in a river or lake, making tracking difficult, and its gait made it hard for traces to be left in the first place."

Disgust filled the students' faces. Although it's a werewolf, its actions are no different from those of a human.

"Outside, there are numerous beings who surpass human intelligence."

Only then did the students realize.

Why Azier became an instructor at Constel so quickly.

"What I teach you is a battle strategy assuming monsters. The reason you don't understand this is simple."

That there was no one more suited for Constel than Azier.

"You've only fought unintelligent monsters so far."