Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Open Class (2)

At last, Innocence Academy’s “open class” began.

“Combat will proceed in a randomly selected order regardless of grade. In particular, I believe you may have great expectations for this year’s first-year students.”

The academy’s headmaster, Juliut, turned his head back and said this to those sitting in the VIP seats.

At Juliut’s words, specifically mentioning the first-years, the heads of the four elemental families smiled.

Among them, there was exactly one person who could not smile.

“Ahem, ahem...”

Sicily Windless, head of the Windless family, cleared her throat. She was... worrying about Lucia.

After Juliut’s brief explanation, the event quickly began.

There were many students.

It was said that monsters suited as much as possible to the students’ levels would be sent out so that the process of defeating them could proceed quickly.

Depending on the situation, students could also choose the monster.

“The monsters for this open class were prepared by the Association Head.”

Juliut politely indicated the Adventurer Guild’s association head over there with his palm and smiled with his eyes.

Soon, the association head laughed heartily.

Then the voice of the instructor hosting from below the Colosseum rang throughout the entire Colosseum through a necklace imbued with amplification magic.

“The first student! Wow~ To think this student comes out from the start! He is... from one of the continent’s four elemental families! The Caligus family of earth magic... Student Amon Caligus of first-year Class A—!!”

Following the instructor’s call, cheers spread through the Colosseum.

But perhaps because they felt the instructor’s tone while hosting was a little frivolous.

The atmosphere in the VIP seats turned slightly cold.

Soon, Juliut took off his glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and gestured to the instructor over there.

Then he spoke with the instructor, who quietly approached him.

In the VIP seats, where only silence lingered amid the cheers, Sword Saint Chris scratched his head and opened his mouth.

“What is wrong, everyone? It feels like a festival and is pleasant. Juliut, who is the instructor hosting this? I rather like him.”

At Chris’s question, Juliut turned his head.

“...He is my son. Edward.”

“Edward...? Edward is an instructor?”

“That... happened somehow.”

“I did not know Edward was a fellow with such an atmosphere, haha!”

“In your case, that could be so. It must be nearly ten years since you last saw Edward...”

The conversation between Juliut and Chris continued quietly.

At the words that the instructor who had been hosting frivolously just now was Juliut’s son, Edward, the others in the VIP seats also reacted with surprise.

When one mentioned Edward Klaus, the first thing that came to mind would be the Three of Black Blood, but those sitting in the VIP seats were not ordinary people.

To those who had personally experienced the war, Edward had one other nickname.

“Black Horn Hunter.”

Information about Edward was especially not well known even to ordinary people.

The reason was clear.

Because many demons had been targeting him, the vice-captain of a special assassination unit against demons.

The assassination unit belonging to the Allied Forces had used the special nature of Edward’s “illusion magic” to assassinate one after another of the strong and notorious demons who possessed “black horns.”

The black-horned demon heads they brought back easily exceeded five.

Chris recalled Edward, whom he had encountered on the battlefield.

At the time, Kaen had been ten years old.

Chris had entrusted her to an acquaintance for a while and gone to the battlefield.

During the war, Edward, whom he had encountered, had been on his way back to the encampment carrying the tied-up heads of demons he had carved off.

“He was a brat from whom I could feel not a single emotion back then, but he has become interesting. Did he undergo some inner change?”

Chris briefly wondered whether he should meet Edward later and have a conversation with him. If he learned that Edward had married, he would be quite surprised.

Soon, one man walked into the center of the Colosseum.

It was Amon Caligus.

After confirming this, Zeras Clementine cleared his throat once and spoke to Maxim Caligus beside him.

“Ahem... I heard that Amon had a rather hard time during the class placement exam. Is that true?”

Zeras already knew that Zeto, who was said to be his daughter Yuri’s friend, had defeated Amon.

Zeto was not yet his son-in-law, but he had felt an inexplicable urge to boast.

At this, the giant man who had his arms crossed.

The “Shield of the Empire,” Maxim Caligus, glanced at Zeras.

“...He needed to be broken once. If he is my son, if he is a Caligus, then he must have become even sturdier.”

“I certainly hope so.”

Zeras’s laughter followed, and the monster Amon had to face entered the Colosseum.

Listening to Edward’s continued hosting, it seemed Amon had chosen the monster himself.

“An ogre... It seems like a good opponent to display the earth magic of Caligus.”

At the Adventurer Guild association head’s words, those in the VIP seats nodded in agreement.

It was twice as large as an orc, which could be called similar in appearance, and naturally, its strength could not even be compared to an orc’s.

Unlike an orc, an ogre had one horn on its head, and its skin was white.

Of course, it was no different from an orc in being horribly ugly.

The weaknesses of an ogre were movements slow enough to match its large build, and the fact that it was rather stupid and not intelligent.

However, its destructive power was tremendous.

Maxim also nodded silently.

Amon enjoyed close combat, so he thought it was an opponent against which Amon could freely show off his skill.

The ogre that entered the Colosseum held a massive axe with a blunt edge.

Soon, Edward snapped his fingers, and as the illusion magic cast on it was released...

—Roooooar!!!

...the ogre roared, and the audience’s cheers grew even fiercer.

The battle between the ogre and Amon began immediately.

—Klaaang!!

The ogre could not easily break through Amon’s sturdy gauntlets.

It was different from the time when they had been scratched by the lycanthrope’s chain of attacks.

Amon too had grown another step before anyone knew it.

Then Amon planted a spear made of stone into the ogre’s shoulder blade and landed a heavy blow.

Applause poured through the Colosseum.

“As expected of my son.”

Maxim Caligus clapped and smiled proudly.

“He has become calmer than usual.”

Sicily’s evaluation came as she observed Amon’s battle.

At this, Chairman Hubert, who had kept his mouth shut until now, raised his index finger and opened his mouth.

“Haha, Innocence Academy always finds a way to bring out a student’s growth. I am confident this open class will be an interesting experience for the family heads as well.”

Amon becoming calmer than before was purely because he had experienced the extraordinary strength called “Zeto,” but since this too was tied to the place called the academy, it could also be considered the academy’s merit.

—Thoooom!!

At last, Amon caved in the ogre’s skull with his Earth Gauntlet, and the battle ended.

With a triumphant expression, Amon raised the gauntlet stained with ogre blood and fully displayed the might of the Caligus family.

Applause poured toward Amon once again.

Those in the VIP seats also spoke with those around them.

Evaluations continued, saying, “Caligus is Caligus.”

On the other hand, Chris was quietly resting his chin in his hand.

He was the Sword Saint.

He was mad for the sword.

If one was not a swordsman, he did not have much interest.

After Amon’s battle ended, battles by other students immediately continued.

Most battles tended to end quickly.

At most, one third-year student, perhaps feeling burdened by the fact that Amon, a first-year, had defeated an ogre, chose the same ogre and made a mess of things.

Swordsmen appeared from time to time as well.

When one holy knight, who could be considered rather rare, appeared, the vice-captain of the Silver Wings Knights in the VIP seats took an interest.

The holy knight held a massive two-handed sword.

What he chose was a group of undead ghouls.

Chris, who had been resting his chin in his hand, lowered his eyes and quietly watched him as well.

The battle ended rather blandly.

The ghouls could not withstand divine power.

The vice-captain of the Silver Wings Knights discussed something with a member.

Chris clicked his tongue softly.

In the end, the boy was still a student, and even though Chris had lowered his standards in his own way, he had not been satisfied.

Rather, his expectations for the “blind swordsman” who had defeated Kaen were rising.

If he too displayed something that failed to satisfy him... it might be somewhat disappointing.

“At that time, I shall simply think I came to see Kaen’s face.”

And perhaps scold Kaen for suffering defeat to such a fellow.

Time flowed and flowed, and before long, it was afternoon.

The Colosseum too was clearly showing signs of exhaustion.

There were countless students.

Among them, those who stood out were inevitably few.

“...Everyone, you must be tired by now, yes? Once this battle ends, you will be given break time, and I am sure you are all having useless worries about where to eat because you are hungry. But! At this moment, you must open your eyes and focus. If you do not want to miss her, that is.”

At just the right moment, Edward, who was hosting, suddenly raised the atmosphere.

“This student is not especially well known. However, I, Edward Klaus, am confident that from now on, her name will spread widely across the continent. When I saw her, I was curious. Why on earth had she come to the academy...? At least in my eyes, it seemed there was nothing for her to learn here.”

Edward hosted quite well.

Those in the VIP seats may have thought him frivolous at first, but his eloquence had a knack for drawing interest.

Just when everyone, even Chris, was curious who she was, what her identity might be.

“She is a rising supernova in Innocence Academy, and one who can be evaluated as one of the strongest students even in Class A. Please welcome her with great applause. Student Eisel Ludwig of first-year Class A.”

Following Edward’s grand introduction, she appeared in the Colosseum.

The girl walking heavily into the Colosseum had a somewhat small frame and long platinum-blonde hair that gave off a mysterious atmosphere.

All eyes in the Colosseum gathered on her, who wore a cynical expression.

Among those in the VIP seats, one could say that only Headmaster Juliut and Chairman Hubert knew her.

Most were outsiders, so her face was literally a new face.

Just how strong was this girl, whose name they had never even heard, for Edward to give such an evaluation?

Those in the VIP seats all wondered this.

Then the monster she had to face appeared.

After seeing the monster crawling into the Colosseum, Izard Aisin, head of the Aisin family, opened his mouth “for the first time” in this place.

The identity of the monster that made even the coldness of the Aisin family slip was...

“...A wyvern?”

It was a “wyvern,” also called a lesser species of dragon.

Of course, if one said such a thing before a “true” dragon, they would not even be able to keep their bones intact.

The only resemblance to a dragon was that it was a winged lizard... but even so, it was not an opponent to be taken lightly.

It could not breathe out breath like a dragon, but among many monsters, it was famous for being quite troublesome and ferocious.

The wyvern’s enormous body filled the Colosseum.

It was the largest among all monsters that had appeared so far, and in terms of strength, it could be considered the greatest.

In particular, since the wyvern could fly into the air, a barrier in the shape of a circle immediately spread smoothly around the Colosseum.

It was Instructor Reina’s barrier.

“At last... this is one Chairman Hubert specially requested. For us as well, capturing a wyvern alive was a first, so Instructor Edward personally helped with the capture process. A total of two wyverns were captured. Of the two, the smaller one is what that first-year student will face. In any case, I am looking forward to this. Hahaha!”

The Adventurer Guild association head’s hearty explanation followed.

Those sitting in the VIP seats felt slight bewilderment.

Even putting aside Edward’s skill in so naturally casting illusion magic on a wyvern, which had a certain level of resistance to magic, they were surprised by Eisel’s spirit as she stood before that wyvern without the slightest sign of concern.

However, Eisel was merely thinking about something else.

Even at this moment, Eisel’s mind was filled with thoughts about “the curse that might have been placed on Zeto.”

She had ended up finding a demon’s curse extremely similar to the curse that appeared in the fairy tale she had read last night.

Curses could generally be released through “curse removal,” or erased forcefully with an enormous amount of divine power.

Fortunately, the book also contained the process for curse removal.

However, that method of curse removal... was offending Eisel’s feelings.

“The curse removal process is a kiss with the one he loves...?”

Eisel repeated those words inwardly.

Why was a mere demon’s curse able to involve itself with human emotion...? She found it absurd.

She could not know whether it was because it was a curse from a fairy tale, or whether the author of the fairy tale had borrowed it because it was such a curse.

Around the time Eisel was thinking such things, Edward, who stood beside her, whispered, “Shall we begin?” and snapped his fingers.

Soon, the illusion magic on the wyvern was released.

—Kieeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!

The wyvern’s ferocious cry rang through the Colosseum.

However, no cheers came from the Colosseum.

Because an extremely natural emotion for humans had rushed over the audience.

Even though the barrier was in place, even though they knew they were safe, they felt “fear.”

Students and the students’ families alike were all worried.

Could that slender girl truly defeat the wyvern?

“Instructor Edward is there, so it will be safe. How about everyone stop making such faces and enjoy it?”

In the quiet VIP seats, Hubert’s low voice followed.

Soon, Eisel, who stood before the wyvern, took out a short rod from her clothes.

When she infused mana into it, the rod began clicking and changing shape.

In an instant, the rod transformed into a stylish golden spear.

At the sight, which no one had ever seen before, the eyes of those in the Colosseum gathered.

“The Thunder Emperor’s Spear...”

Hubert, watching this, gave the weapon a bitter smile of farewell.

“Oho...?”

Chris thought that he too would like to have a sword that clicked and transformed in such a way.

He was serious.

He was even thinking of seeking out a famous dwarven blacksmith.

Meanwhile, Eisel, who had unfolded the Thunder Emperor’s Spear, was growing irritated.

A kiss with the one he loves.

For a curse that gnawed at the heart, the curse removal was extremely simple. This had to be considered a good thing for her as well.

If kissing Zeto was not her greed, but merely the process of removing Zeto’s curse, then it was a gain for her.

But that was only if the one Zeto loved was “Eisel” herself.

“If... truly if... I kiss him and the curse does not lift...”

Eisel muttered inwardly.

Soon, the wyvern’s tail whipped roughly toward Eisel, and Eisel’s form shot instantly into the air with crackling sparks.

Just in time, there was a good target before her eyes for pouring out her irritation.

Eisel, who had flown into the air above the Colosseum in an instant, gathered lightning into the spear.

—Crackle!!!

Sparks flashed along the golden spear, and then she fell.

Immediately, Eisel dropped the spear straight toward the wyvern’s head...

—Craaaash!!!!!!!!

...and with a massive roar, the wyvern’s head, struck by the spear, was driven into the ground.

—Keeeeeeen!!!!!

Then lightning burst from the spear.

The brilliance was so dazzling that even in broad daylight, it created the illusion that the surroundings had gone dark.

The fierce current streaming down from the wyvern’s head overflowed, eventually bursting out from inside the creature’s body, forcing Edward standing nearby to lightly leap backward.

—Craaaaackle!!!

—Crack!!

Electric current flowed along the Colosseum floor.

Fortunately, it did not spread very far.

—Hiss...

Soon, smoke rose from the wyvern’s body, burned down to its bones by the lightning, and the smell of burning began spreading through the Colosseum.

—Clap... clap... clap...

In the quiet Colosseum, someone’s applause rang out.

It awakened the dazed audience.

Before long, an extremely loud roar erupted, and applause poured toward Eisel as the Colosseum shook.

—Waaaaaaaah!!!!!

Eisel defeated the ferocious wyvern with one blow, a single attack.

Students and outsiders alike admired her martial strength, her one strike.

However, Eisel’s expression was not very good.

“If the curse does not lift, it means Zeto loves another woman... and to save Zeto, he has to kiss that woman...?”

Whether what she felt in Zeto’s chest truly was a curse, whether it really would not lift even if he kissed Eisel.

Not one thing had been confirmed, but that alone was enough to shake Eisel’s mind.

As Eisel fiercely turned her back on the wyvern and left the Colosseum, her cold gaze was aimed at Zeto in the audience seats.

He is my Zeto.

Only my Zeto.

So how could he possibly love someone else? Of course the curse will be lifted.

Right, Zeto?