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The establishment of the Opal Black Class Student Council didn’t immediately bring about any changes.

For now, the Opal Black Class Student Council was just a name on paper, lacking any proper structure or system, so it would be a while before there were any duties for me as an advisor.

I didn’t know how things would unfold later, but for the time being, it meant my responsibilities didn’t change much.

Another day passed, and the Combat Practice Class was upon us once more.

About twenty students gathered at the outdoor training grounds, looking at me with expressions mixed with worry, fear, and curiosity.

It seemed the last class had made quite an impression on them.

“The goal of today’s class is group combat against a formidable foe.”

Marian, who wore a face full of concern and fear among the students, spoke up.

“Group combat, you say?”

“Simply put, it’s wheel tactics.”

Marian, who had the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army as her grandfather, along with a few students versed in military strategy, nodded as if they understood right away, but the students from humble origins looked puzzled at the unfamiliar term.

“Wheel tactics are effective when a weaker majority must face a strong minority. Rather than explaining in detail, it’s quicker to experience it yourself. Form teams of up to four right now.”

Most students turned pale at the phrase “experience it yourself,” perhaps recalling memories from the last class.

However, they couldn’t refuse an instructor’s orders during the class. The students began to form groups, sticking together with their classmates or those they resonated with.

“Gwen. Batar. Come here.”

“Huh? Got it.”

“Hmph. Only weaklings make a fuss.”

“Want to keep talking nonsense? We’re weak, just as they said. Since it’s a group of up to four, we can stick together without adding anyone else. Elizabeth, is that okay?”

“I’m fine with it.”

As it turned out, the Opal Black Class had just the right number, and I saw them forming a group centered around Marian.

It seemed Marian wasn’t just gathering friends from the same class; rather, it appeared she was making a calculated choice by selecting the three strongest-looking students available.

Thus, a total of six groups were formed.

“From my perspective, the first group is on the left. Let the first group come at me in order.”

The first group consisted of the three brothers from the Diamond Class: Cornelius, Lucius, and Zaius. Cornelius, one of the brothers, pointed at himself with a bewildered expression.

“Excuse me? Who? Us? The instructor?”

I nodded briefly.

Cornelius looked pale. He nervously swallowed and said in a trembling voice, “I-Is it because of my earlier slip of the tongue…?”

At those words, some students glared at the three brothers with disapproving looks.

Thinking back, had those guys annoyed the instructor with their rude comments? They messed up, so why did we all have to suffer? Their gazes seemed to convey such thoughts.

I let out a short sigh. Did I look like such a petty adult?

If this continued, rumors would spread that the demon instructor was so unsatisfied he’d beat the students. I immediately dismissed Cornelius’s words before any unnecessary rumors could spread.

“That’s a ridiculous thought. Focus on the class instead of saying useless things. Or should I step in?”

“Wha! N-No! We’ll pay attention!”

“Don’t worry; I’ll take it easier than last time.”

I slipped my hands into my pockets as I spoke.

“I won’t use my hands during this class. If you land even one valid hit on me, or if I use my hands just once, I’ll consider you the winners and award each of you one point.”

If I pushed too hard, the students would lose motivation. Sometimes, a carrot is just as necessary as a stick.

Indeed, at the mention of gaining one point, the faces of some students who had previously been filled with fear began to show enthusiasm. The three brothers, including Cornelius, were no exception.

“We just have to land one hit… just one… the instructor can’t use his arms, right? I can do this.”

Cornelius muttered to himself as if making a pledge. The idea of merely needing to land a single valid hit without using hands seemed to ignite a spark of determination in him.

Of course, the combat was overwhelmingly one-sided, rendering any penalties meaningless.

“Gah!”

“Ugh!”

“Kyah!”

Cornelius, Lucius, and Zaius lost their swords in a single blow and rolled onto the floor.

Since I had held back my strength compared to last time, they didn’t faint immediately. However, they felt enough pain that they clutched their stomachs and trembled all over.

“Next, group two. Don’t stop—come in!”

“Yes, sir!”

At my command, three students rushed toward me without hesitation.

Theo Bailey from Garnet Red Class.

A stable type of warrior using a sword and shield, he aimed to tank my attack head-on.

Windy Schwartz from Emerald Green Class.

Utilizing the traits of her canine kin, she used agile movements and unarmed combat to sneak up behind me.

Kiara Omen from Sapphire Blue Class.

A typical support priest, she conjured magical shields to protect Theo and Windy.

With all three attacking at once, they formed a well-balanced party composition.

However…

“Ugh!”

“Yikes!”

“Oof!”

All three ended up getting a knee to the gut at once and rolling on the floor. To top it off, their magical shields shattered in a single blow.

As soon as group two went down, group three moved in immediately. I dodged all their attacks effortlessly with just my legs while also ensuring to teach them something in the process.

“The goal of wheel tactics is to exhaust the enemy’s strength as much as possible. Any time a small number faces a large group, the larger group will inevitably tire out. Don’t give your opponents a moment of rest. The more tired they become, the higher your chances of survival. Next, group four.”

In moments, group three was down. Group four hesitated before charging in as if they were berserk.

“The reason you were taken out so easily in the last lesson wasn’t merely because you were weak. Watch out for being picked off one by one. Humans can act as a group, and the weaker you are, the more you must stick together to survive. Attack as if every member is one body. Group five, in you go.”

Screaming, group four fell down in defeat, and without resting, group five stormed in.

“Having more people doesn’t mean everyone should charge in at once. The more chaotic it gets, the higher the chances of accidentally hitting an ally. Combination attacks are most effective with up to four people. The rest should reserve their strength from the back.”

At last, group five fell swiftly.

The only ones left were group six, which was just the four from Black Opal Class.

“Wooooo!!”

From the start, Batar charged in wildly on his own.

A two-meter giant charging full speed was quite a sight to behold. Attacking such a muscular figure would be like punching a wall of rock.

If he weren’t facing me, that might have been true.

This time, instead of dodging Batar’s charge like last time, I decided to confront him head-on.

I unleashed a simple spinning kick with no finesse and Batar didn’t dodge it. It was clear he intended to absorb the hit and counterattack.

Boom! Batar flew across the training grounds and crashed against a wall. He wore an expression of disbelief as he realized he had been knocked away so easily by a simple kick without using any body enhancement.

But Batar’s charge wasn’t the end.

“Haah!”

As soon as Batar flew away, Gwen attacked with a thrust of her sword. Utilizing her relatively smaller stature, she snuck around Batar’s body and approached me.

But for someone who already knew there were two footsteps, I considered her attack insignificant.

The tip of Gwen’s sword aimed for my torso. I attempted to dodge by slightly twisting my shoulder, but my body froze like stone at the sudden voice that cut through the air.

“Stop.”

Elizabeth’s eyes turned snake-like, elongated, and glowing red.

That was a power anyone born into the royal family of Galatea had from birth.

A force derived from the bloodline of the White Dragon Albnisis, a dragon’s authority over the feeble minds of mere mortals.

For an ordinary person, the moment they fell under this effect, resistance would be impossible.

But I…

Had experienced this before.

“It’s been a while.”

Just before Gwen’s sword reached me, I shattered the spell with my mental strength and leaned back significantly.

Gwen’s sword barely grazed past my body.

“…!?”

I had never seen that look of shock on Elizabeth’s face, but instead of worrying about it, I kicked into Gwen’s unguarded side.

“Gah!”

Gwen screamed in surprise as she rolled across the floor like a toy.

Elizabeth tried to cast another spell, but my leg moved faster than her mouth could open.

“Ugh…!”

Elizabeth, struck in the abdomen, weakly collapsed to the ground.

Everyone was down, leaving Marian gazing at me in stunned silence.

“Don’t you have anything?”

“…Actually, I’m responsible for strategy.”

“Right. That was quite a good combination attack.”

“Ah, wait! I just surrender—!”

This time, there was no such thing. I equally delivered a knee to Marian’s abdomen.

Marian clutched her stomach and writhed on the floor as she spoke weakly.

“Instructor… this doesn’t seem like the wheel tactics I know…”

“I told you to come at me in turn, not to fight until you drop.”

“But you took us all out in one blow…”

“You should have held on.”

Or at the very least, you could have tried dodging.

Of course, that wouldn’t be easy, but for me, given the penalty of not using my hands, it wasn’t impossible.

If it had been an impossible task, I wouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place. Given the restriction of only using my legs, it was inevitable that my movements would be larger than usual.

If they had focused solely on dodging instead of facing me directly and had drawn the match out into a long-term struggle, they might have had a chance at winning. Of course, that would be pointless to ponder now that it was all over.

I explained these thoughts to the students.

At that, Theo Bailey from Garnet Red Class, who had been lying on the floor in defeat, cautiously raised his hand after somewhat recovering.

“Um, Instructor.”

“What is it?”

“I understand what you’re saying, but the class is too difficult. Is this really the only way to teach? Isn’t there a more comfortable and simpler method?”

“A simpler method, you say?”

“When facing a strong opponent, how to survive. Like exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses or, do you have any secret techniques usable on the battlefield?”

I nodded as I replied,

“Of course, I do.”

“Oh. Then I would appreciate you teaching those.”

“Spit on them.”

“Huh?”

“Throw sand in their face. Disrupting their sight will confuse the opponent. Suddenly shout loudly to startle them. Take advantage of that opening.”

“Uh, no, that seems… doesn’t that mean…?”

Theo Bailey looked incredulously.

“Do you think that’s petty?”

“Yes, a bit…”

“The strong have the privilege to choose how they fight. You all are weak. The weak must use every means at their disposal. In that sense…”

I exhaled deeply and calmly opened my mouth.

“Gwen Tris.”

“Yes!”

“If you plan to do those kinds of things, get out of my class right now.”

The atmosphere in the room instantly chilled.

 

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