LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 11
Witch’s Forest.
In addition to the legend that a witch lives here, it was called the Witch’s Forest because it was filled with herbs that would drive any witch crazy.
The forest was divided into four areas: north, south, east, and west, each with its own climate.
There was a frigid polar climate with blizzards, a hot and humid tropical climate, a cool temperate climate filled with coniferous trees, and a warm and refreshing temperate climate.
This fantastic landscape encompassed all these diverse environments.
With such different ecosystems, herbs from all over the world grew here, which is why you could only say it drove witches wild.
To put it simply, you can think of it as a giant gift set from nature packed into a single forest.
At the entrance of this mystical forest.
I gathered the special class kids for a quick briefing before the practical exercise and let them know the rules.
“You can roam freely anywhere except the center of the forest. But since it’s a forest, using any fire magic above level 2 is prohibited.”
“What if we’re in a life-threatening situation?”
“Well, if your life is on the line, can you really hold back?”
“If it seems too risky, I won’t say anything. But do you really think the Empire will forgive you?”
The Witch’s Forest was a national asset of the Arungarde Empire.
It was a place you absolutely couldn’t enter without the Emperor’s permission, so Kia del Academy had barely gotten an approval from the Empire for talent cultivation.
The principal had passionately argued that surviving in diverse environments would enhance their survival skills, securing this opportunity.
But if they burned down the forest severely?
They would get a real taste of a fiery hell.
“Anyone who thinks they’re tough, come challenge me.”
“Tch!”
No matter how many misfits made up the special class, none had the guts to pick a fight with the Empire or the Academy.
“Just follow the rules, and have fun for three days. If you can’t handle something, feel free to call for me.”
Even though I said it nicely, the special class kids acted like they weren’t even listening.
I had given up on establishing discipline from the start, so I would just have to endure being ignored throughout the semester.
‘Honestly, if I can break their spirit rather than getting my own crushed, I’d prefer that.’
Kia del Academy had a total of eight classes.
S, A, B, C, D, E, F, and the special class.
There was one entrance to the Witch’s Forest in the north, south, east, and west, perfectly splitting it into two classes each.
The north, where survival would be toughest due to heavy snowfall, was for S and A classes.
The south, forming a jungle that felt like a sauna, was for B and C classes.
The west, where failure to prepare could mean disaster, was for D and E classes.
And the east, the most manageable and easiest, was assigned to F class and the special class.
In other words, besides us, there were also F class and Professor Pernelson here.
“I’ll say it again, you all are worthless trash who don’t even deserve advice.”
“Ow….”
As expected, Professor Pernelson spewed his usual harsh words.
The students from F class, who were caught in his glare, all looked down.
“You’re just garbage on the level of cockroaches. Don’t think about anything ridiculous and just survive like bugs for three days.”
Professor Pernelson didn’t brief them at all; he just spat out insults.
Feeling sorry for them, I turned towards F class and locked eyes with Professor Pernelson.
“Hmph!”
As we exchanged a glance, he frowned as if displeased and stepped away.
Like we agreed beforehand, the F class students were supposed to handle things on their own, right?
Taking the baton, I approached the F class students with a smile.
“Hey, can you all pay attention here for a sec?”
The students who hadn’t been able to lift their heads started to look up at me one by one.
Just like I had done for the special class, I conveyed the rules and also lifted their spirits.
“You’re not trash, you are students who can do it if you try. Your talents are absolutely not worthless!” and so on.
I threw all kinds of encouraging words to comfort their spirits.
Fortunately, the effect seemed to show as their expressions brightened a little.
“If anything happens, don’t hesitate to call for me, so don’t worry!”
““““Yes!””””
The F class students energetically responded to me.
With their bright eyes, they were looking at me expectantly.
‘Damn, now this is what teaching should feel like!’
This is how it should’ve been, but I got stuck with this bunch of troublemakers…!
Though I wanted to vent my frustrations, I held back and sent the students off into the forest.
“Professor Daniel!”
“Nina? Why haven’t you left yet?”
“I wanted to thank you on behalf of F class before we left!”
“Come on, no need to thank me for something so trivial.”
“It’s not trivial! Everyone was in despair, but after hearing your encouragement, they were able to set off confidently!”
Nina clenched her fists, praising me excitedly.
Her eyes were sparkling, but then they drooped down.
“I’m worried, though. You’ve cheered me on, but I’ve never camped or spent a night in the forest before.”
“Scared?”
“Well, if I said I wasn’t scared, that would be a lie.”
“Sorry, I wish I could go with you to help, but I can’t.”
“No need to apologize! I feel guilty for complaining like this before leaving…”
Nina made a sad face, saying she felt pathetic.
How can I reassure her?
Without any hesitation, the words came out of my mouth.
“It’s best if that doesn’t happen, but if you do find yourself in trouble, don’t worry too much. I’ll definitely show up to help you no matter the situation.”
“Professor…”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes…!”
At my promise to help, Nina smiled, shaking off all her worries.
Even though it might just be bravado to reassure her, she was unusually trusting of me.
Anyway, now that Nina had regained her confidence and set off, I felt relieved.
‘I hope Nina successfully saves the prince.’
After sending off all the students, I headed to the operations room where I could check on the situation in the eastern forest.
There, Professor Pernelson, who had left earlier, was sipping coffee.
“There’s no need to coddle those bugs, but you treat them like your own children.”
“They’re students.”
“If they’re students, you should be even harsher. Pumping false hope into mediocre talent will only lead them to ruin.”
“Well, I don’t think you should stomp on even the seeds of real talent.”
“There’s not a single student in F class who can be called a talent. Are you really willing to risk the lives of other kids for a handful of uncertain abilities?”
“Anyone hearing you would think I’m trying to sacrifice the students.”
“Half-baked hope would only poison them.”
“Educating students with unfounded despair won’t help. In the future, when they need to bloom their true talents, it will only hinder them. The important thing is that when they face a wall and feel frustrated, they can think they’ve done their best!”
“What you’re saying is mere superficial theory.”
“We’ll find out whose ideology is right later.”
I had dropped by the operations room out of courtesy, but ended up only arguing with Professor Pernelson before leaving.
It was obvious that there was no point in staying with someone as stubborn as him.
Besides, I had originally planned not to watch the situation from the crystal but to patrol the Witch’s Forest directly.
Even if I witnessed a crisis through the crystal and took action, it would be too late.
‘They probably think that since there’s nothing that poses a major threat in the forest, it’s enough to just watch it through the crystal.’
However, unlike others, I couldn’t let my guard down for a second.
Assassins crossing the border from other countries to kill the prince.
A witch who had lived for over a thousand years deep in the forest.
And the butterfly effect that was causing me undue distress.
No one could predict what kind of situation these elements could create, so I had to stay vigilant.
“Haah…! Alright.”
The curtain rises on Chapter 1.
*
The entrance to the northern forest, where blizzards raged.
The snow-covered ground was stained bright red with blood.
A man dressed in white perched on a soldier’s corpse whose head had been severed, as a group in similar attire appeared before him.
“This is the final check. Everyone made sure they’re prepared, right?”
The group nodded in silence.
“Alright, let’s begin the hunt for the baby lion.”
The leader of the group drew a dagger and plunged it into the corpse.
The dagger burrowed into the armor, which bore the emblem of a lion, symbolizing the Arungarde royal family.
“Everyone, move out.”
With the leader’s command, the assassins moved swiftly and scattered.
Except for one.
“Skarl…”
“Let’s reconfirm. The primary target is the prince; what do we do about the others?”
“If they become an obstacle to our plans, feel free to kill them. But refrain from unnecessary bloodshed.”
“I’ll make sure to kill the prince’s guards and aides.”
“Do as you wish.”
The only distinctive one, wrapped in black cloth, was a man named Skarl.
He was not part of the group but an employed assassin.
Dressed in black in the snow-covered forest meant he was confident in his skills.
A veteran assassin said to have killed nearly a hundred capable knights.
He was only mentioned by name among assassins in the original work, and now he was hunting the prince.