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A chilling silence settled within the classroom.

No one could have expected Osnia to act this way.

It had only been a few days, yet the girl who had been expressionless and uninterested suddenly exhibited such violent behavior.

Saladin, almost electrocuted, wore a completely dazed expression.

He glanced at the charred wall, then turned back to Osnia.

“Ha, ha…! Ha!”

Lightning Arrow. It’s a lower-tier spell, but if it hits properly, it certainly won’t end without pain. Depending on the target, it could even lead to death.

“…What did you just do?”

If he had almost been hit by such magic, it would be understandable for him to be terrified, yet anger was evident in Saladin’s gaze. It seemed his reason had snapped at the realization that someone had tried to kill him.

“Who are you to just sit there and go mad? Ah, your master was one of the Seven Heroes of the Continent, right? So, you’re feeling all high and mighty?”

Marian frowned in thought.

Did Osnia feel insulted by being called the ‘Sage of Crimson’?

Well, she did seem a bit put off when the Seven Heroes of the Continent were mentioned, but that wasn’t the turning point. It was when Saladin brought up ‘The Faceless Hero’ that her reaction intensified.

Osnia glared with a cold, piercing gaze as she spoke.

“Keep talking. Next time, I won’t miss.”

“Ha! Go ahead and try. Am I just supposed to stand still?”

The greatest weakness of magic is its casting time. While casting, one is vulnerable, so if you get close during that time, the magician can do nothing.

This is a well-known fact, especially in this cramped classroom.

The distance between the two was just a few meters. That was enough to give Saladin confidence.

“Stop, just stop!”

“Osnia! Calm down!”

The voices attempting to intervene fell on deaf ears. One was losing their mind because their idol was insulted, while the other was fraying at the edges with life-threatening danger.

“……”

A purplish electric current crackled at the tips of Osnia’s fingers. At the same moment, Saladin lunged at her.

Saladin was startled as soon as he jumped in. A bolt of current, ready to burst from Osnia’s fingertips. The casting was much faster than he anticipated. However, it was already too late to retreat. He had to subdue her quickly and cancel that magic at all costs.

Saladin’s hand shot out like a beast’s claw toward Osnia’s neck.

Osnia’s spell precisely targeted Saladin’s body.

Several classmates jumped in to intervene, but the space between them was already too close. In the blink of an eye, someone charged in from outside the classroom like a bolt of lightning.

It was truly in the blink of an eye.

Osnia cast her magic, and Saladin lunged.

“What. Are you doing?”

Instructor Ion blocked the two.

In an instant, Ion deflected Saladin’s arm and caught Osnia’s magic with his bare hands.

Even after catching magic with his bare body, his expression remained largely unaffected. He merely surveyed the classroom with cold, settled eyes.

He wasn’t angry or scolding them. Just with his chilly gaze and heavy voice alone, Saladin felt an unspoken pressure and couldn’t meet Ion’s eyes directly.

Ion quickly grasped the abnormal atmosphere in the classroom, the soot-stained wall, and what had just occurred between the two.

“Saladin al Kamil. Osnia Hebring. Follow me to the Teacher’s Office.”

“…Yes.”

“…….”

The brief commotion ended almost too easily with Ion’s arrival.

Gwen shivered as she watched Ion’s figure leave the classroom.

‘I couldn’t even follow him with my eyes….’

Everyone in the classroom looked stunned. This was not only due to the aftermath of the fight just now but also because of Ion’s amazing speed.

Titania and Schurz muttered in a daze.

“Wow, Instructor was really fast…”

“Right? I thought he’d be strong, but this is something else.”

Hearing their words, Gwen thought to herself.

Ion outside the classroom was much faster than she, who was right next to him. She hadn’t even noticed when he entered. In the mere blink of an eye, Ion had already been in that spot.

She, who experienced the movements of her master, known as the Sword Saint, every day, could usually follow normal movements with her eyes. She thought it would be no different for the academy instructors. Gwen had even tracked the examiner’s sword during entrance exams.

But this time was different. This signified that Ion’s speed equaled the seriousness of her master.

Only Gwen in this classroom could accurately glimpse the shards of strength Ion possessed.

*

“Why did you do that?”

Osnia maintained her silence at Ion’s question.

Explaining why she’d acted that way would involve referencing what Saladin had said in the classroom. She would also have to reveal which part of those words had angered her to the point of using magic.

Osnia didn’t want to hear that again, nor did she want to explain herself to others. It was too personal to share so openly with anyone.

So, she simply chose to say nothing at all.

“Osnia, keeping your mouth shut will only work against you.”

“…….”

“Ah. So you don’t want to talk.”

Instead of pressing Osnia for a response, Ion turned to Saladin with a question.

“Saladin, do you admit to attacking Osnia in the classroom?”

“That was…! She used magic first, so that’s why.”

“Is that true? Osnia?”

“…….”

“Osnia.”

“……Yes.”

Factually speaking, Osnia, who had cast the spell first, was at a considerable disadvantage.

Fights between students happen more often than you’d think. With people gathered, conflict is inevitable.

However, using magic against someone is a far different matter. Normally, one can lash out in anger, but few would unleash magic. If casting requires time and she used it first, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to face suspension or even expulsion.

Ion briefly paused before speaking.

“Saladin, you go ahead and tell me. Why did you two fight?”

“…I spoke a bit aggressively in the classroom. It seems that made her angry.”

“Aggressive words?”

“Yes. I asked Gwen and Schurz to be quiet because they were being noisy. But it seemed she didn’t appreciate that.”

Saladin left out the most critical detail—that he had insulted the Seven Heroes of the Continent.

Clearly, having insulted a hero in front of royals, he wanted to avoid raising any alarms within Ion’s ears. Osnia did not add anything in response.

Osnia felt indifferent. It was undeniable that she had used magic against someone. She didn’t want to lie, nor did she think she had done anything wrong, so she didn’t feel the need to explain herself.

Even if it led to her expulsion, she didn’t care. If she were to be expelled the day after, the mages’ tower people might find it amusing, but even if she could turn back time, she would have acted the same.

“Hmm….”

Ion slightly furrowed his brow as he tapped his fingers on the desk.

Saladin had spoken aggressively, provoking Osnia to respond sensitively with magic. There were even indications that she was about to use it again. Saladin had merely reacted to that….

Considering the clarity of these facts, it could be concluded that the discussion regarding punishment could end here. Osnia thought it would conclude around this point. From an objective standpoint, anyone would see that she was clearly in the wrong.

But Ion didn’t stop there.

“Saladin, exactly what did you say?”

“Huh? Um, it was just nothing important.”

“Whether it was important or not is for me to decide. There are already plenty of witnesses; do you want me to bring any of them?”

Saladin’s pupils trembled slightly.

What he had blurted about the Seven Heroes of the Continent was heard by everyone in the classroom. And Saladin knew that no one in the class would cover for him or support him if he brought anyone. It would be better to be honest rather than desperately trying to hide it.

And if Instructor Ion were to bring Elizabeth to formalize the charge of insulting royalty, that would leave him in an inescapable predicament. It would be better to confess to it himself right now.

“Um, Gwen and Schurz were chatting about the Seven Heroes of the Continent, and I told them that since they had never come to Al Kamil Kingdom, it was incorrect to attach the title of ‘Continental Heroes.’”

“Is that really all?”

His voice remained calm and even. He was simply asking a normal question.

Yet Saladin couldn’t resist Ion’s gaze, as if it could see through him, and he tightly shut his eyes to speak.

“Ugh…! And… they also said some insulting things that they’re not heroes….”

“I see.”

Ion nodded in acknowledgment.

“As far as I know, the mages’ tower head, Osnia’s master, is included among the Seven Heroes of the Continent, isn’t he?”

“Yes…?”

“It’s hard for anyone to stomach insults against their master. Still, it is a clear violation of school rules to have used magic, but you, Saladin, also bear some responsibility for igniting this incident.”

Osnia, who had been listening quietly, felt uneasy.

Is he defending me right now?

Why?

Is there a reason for that? The very person involved doesn’t even want to make an excuse.

It wouldn’t have mattered if a punishment was handed down; no one would have complained about cutting things short.

She thought Ion wasn’t particularly interested in students.

Or was he not?

Osnia looked at Ion with a perplexed expression. It was hard to grasp the instructor’s intentions.

“Saladin will receive one demerit and will spend a week cleaning the dormitory. Osnia will receive two demerits and will assist me with instructor duties for the next week. Let this be the end of the punishment.”

Two demerits. And working alongside the instructor for a week.

It was neither suspension nor expulsion. Compared to the gravity of using magic against someone, it was an incredibly light punishment.

“Now, let’s return to the classroom.”

“…Yes. Understood.”

Saladin left the Teacher’s Office with a disgruntled expression.

But Osnia did not rise from her seat and remained there, simply staring at the instructor’s face.

Ion looked at Osnia and asked.

“Do you have something you’re curious about?”

“Why?”

A sudden question without any context.

Despite the out-of-the-blue inquiry, Ion answered nonchalantly, as if he understood what Osnia was wondering.

“One side seems to show guilt as a victim, while the other seems confidently defiant as an aggressor.”

“…….”

“If the matter is settled, you may leave now.”

As soon as Osnia heard that, she stood up and exited the Teacher’s Office. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned back.

And she bowed slightly at the waist in a gesture of thanks towards Ion.

Though Ion did not look this way, Osnia felt as if he accepted her greeting.

 

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