The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 57

The students first went to see Amon.

At the very least, they needed to know his preferences to decide on a suitable gift.

Of course, they had no intention of asking directly.

As a teacher, Amon wouldn’t likely be forthcoming about his tastes when asked by students trying to give him a gift.

This was their assumption, though, and if it were Amon, he’d likely say, “Ahem, I’ve been hearing good things about this recently,” prioritizing the bond between teacher and student.

Regardless, when they arrived at Amon’s quarters, they found Marion being shoved out of Amon’s room, almost as if she’d been chased away.

“Whew, that Amon guy is really something…”

“Sir Marion?”

“Oh, what brings you all here?”

“We heard teacher Amon wasn’t feeling well, so we came to visit him.”

Marion waved his hand dismissively.

“Phew, you should avoid going in for now. I teased him a bit about failing the teacher certification exam, and now he’s flipping out whenever he sees anyone.”

Marion sighed and recalled how he had “teased Amon a bit.”

“Hahaha! Even the kobold next door managed to pass the certification exam!”
“Grr! Gnash!”
“Oh, look at this! You actually passed all the other sections, huh? But you completely bombed the teacher suitability test!”

The suitability test included a question like:

“Question 1: When a student makes a significant mistake, what should a teacher do?”
Amon’s answer: “Scold them thoroughly!”

Sloth, who saw Amon’s answer sheet, tried to reason with him calmly.

“At least write something more politically correct for the test.”
“But… but…”
“Even I became a model teacher just for the exam.”

This was possible because Sloth recognized her own shortcomings as a teacher. However, Amon, confident that his methods were flawless, wrote down his true thoughts.

If students ever made serious mistakes, Amon would surely scold them until they cried. The only reason it hadn’t happened yet was that none had made such mistakes under his watch.

“If they mess up, they should be firmly scolded! That way, they’ll never repeat the mistake!”
“You’re not wrong, but this is an exam. The right answer is: Calm the startled students, resolve the situation, and later teach them about their errors.”
“How can such a soft approach make anyone reflect on their mistakes?”
“…Well, you have a point there.”

Before long, even Sloth was convinced by Amon’s reasoning.

Afterward, Marion and Sloth teased Amon relentlessly.

But Amon endured all of it—up to a point. What he couldn’t endure was this:

“Did you call for me, Headmaster?”
“Ah, Amon. I heard you failed the teacher certification exam?”
“…Yes, I did.”
“Then, I suppose the head of academics position is off the table.”

Amon swallowed his tears and nodded. Since passing the certification exam was a condition for the position, there was nothing he could do.

“I’ll aim for it next time…”
“Hmm, it’s not an urgent position. But you know…”

The headmaster chuckled before delivering the final blow.

“You always called me a blockhead. So, who’s the blockhead now?”

At that, Amon finally broke down.

To be humiliated and mocked as a blockhead by someone he’d always deemed one—it was a crushing blow.

And so, Amon was currently bedridden, sick with rage and humiliation.

“That’s how things are, so it’s best to leave Amon alone for now.”

“Oh, I see. Then do you have any suggestions for a good get-well gift?”

“A gift?”

Marion stroked his chin.

“Well, naturally, alcohol…”

No, gifting alcohol to someone sick with anger would only create another alcoholic like Marion himself.

“And it’d look odd for students to gift their teacher alcohol in the first place.”

After a moment’s thought, Marion chuckled.

“But it’s sweet of you to think about that. Young ones worrying about their teacher’s recovery.”

Marion ruffled Boris’s hair as he spoke.

“Would you visit me too if I fell sick?”

“Uh… yes, of course.”

“What’s with that pause?”

Marion laughed, half-jokingly disappointed, and nodded.

“Anyway, listen carefully. Let’s go together to find a gift for Amon. But remember this one thing.”

Smiling warmly, Marion said,

“Amon wouldn’t expect an expensive gift.”

He would.

“So think of something heartfelt that will truly convey your feelings. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Uh, kids? I’m pretty sure I said something quite profound…”

Marion frowned as he looked around.

“…So why are we here?”

They were at an arena tavern.

A place utterly unsuited to the kind-hearted advice Marion had given as a teacher.

When Marion asked, Boris pointed at Chloe.

“Chloe said she wanted to make a little extra money to buy teacher Amon a better gift.”

“…I see.”

It seemed Marion’s heartfelt advice hadn’t resonated with Chloe. Still, she wasn’t ready to give up.

“But Chloe, think carefully.”

“Yes?”

“If you earn money in a place like this and buy a gift for Amon, do you think he’ll truly appreciate it?”

Chloe imagined Amon receiving the gift.

“Thank you, Chloe!”

Marion also imagined Amon.

“I’m so grateful, Chloe!”

Both Chloe and Marion nodded in unison.

“He’ll be grateful.”

“That seems likely.”

Clicking his tongue, Marion crossed his arms and said,

“But kids, as a teacher, I can’t condone this behavior…”

“Here’s your drink.”

“Gasp! Amur’s third-best brew, All-Day Amur!”

Marion licked his lips as he stared at the bottle.

Seeing this, Chloe nodded in satisfaction.

“Just as I expected.”

She had brought Marion here before, so she knew he wouldn’t refuse to enter.

However, she also knew he would oppose students earning money in a place like this.

“That’s why I ordered this expensive drink to keep her quiet. Looks like it worked.”

Marion ended up being no more than a reluctant guardian for the students in the tavern.

As Marion eagerly downed the bottle, Boris glanced nervously at Chloe.

His eyes betrayed an unmistakable fear of her.

“S-So, Chloe, what’s the plan now?”

“We bet and fight. I saw Amon do it before, so I can handle it.”

“…When did you see that?”

Chloe never took her eyes off Amon as he left to place his bet on Boris.

“Well, that’s how it is. Anyway, how should we decide the order?”

“Hmm…”

Boris glanced at Raymond.

“Ray, want to give it a try? It’s your first time here, right?”

However, Raymond didn’t seem eager to step forward just yet. He was busy wolfing down the snacks that came with the drinks they had ordered.

“I, I’ll go after I finish this.”

“Sure…Take your time, I won’t steal it from you…”

Having lived with Reinbelt, where they foraged every edible herb from the mountains, leaving wild animals starving, Raymond now found himself indulging in luxury at the academy. Every meal was a feast, and the greasy bar snacks were a delicious treat he couldn’t afford to miss.

With a sigh, Boris finally said:

“Fine, Chloe, you go first.”

“…You’re not doing it?”

“I mean, I haven’t been keeping up with sword training lately…”

“…Alright, got it.”

Chloe rose from her seat, seemingly accepting the situation, and said:

“Just admit you’re scared.”

“…What?!”

An indignant Boris snapped:

“You think I’m scared of this? I’m not scared!”

“Then want to do it?”

“…”

“If not, never mind.”

At this point, Boris realized something was going wrong. But seeing the concern in Chloe’s eyes as she told him he didn’t have to do it if he didn’t want to, Boris couldn’t back down. After all, he was a man!

“I’ll do it!”

“Okay, got it.”

Chloe walked toward the reception desk, thinking to herself:

‘I’m worried about Boris, he’s such an easy mark!’

When Chloe handed her pouch of coins to the receptionist, she said:

“I’d like to bet 1 gold on Boris.”

“Uh?”

The receptionist was taken aback by the sight of a girl, who seemed completely out of place in this kind of establishment, approaching to place a bet.

“You, you came alone?”

“No, I’m with that table over there. My guardian is too drunk, so he sent me instead.”

The receptionist glanced over at the table Chloe had pointed to, where a middle-aged man appeared to be passed out drunk.

“Ah, I see. Alright, 1 gold on Boris.”

As Chloe returned to her seat, the receptionist, writing down names, suddenly frowned.

“Hmm, Boris? That name seems familiar somehow…”

The receptionist’s thoughts were interrupted by a jolt of realization, prompting him to pull out a file.

[High-Risk Clients]

[Boris – Brown-haired boy]

[Chloe Aran – Blonde-haired girl]

[Marion Rumdom – High-risk individual. Chronic drunkard.]

[Scammed winnings and fled. Must report immediately upon re-entry.]

Squinting his eyes, the receptionist thought:

“As I suspected… That girl must be Chloe.”

He smirked as he hurried off.

On the second floor of the arena pub, a man seated at a premium spot overlooking the arena furrowed his brow.

“Oh? Those brats are back?”

“Yes, master.”

“Heh, so they didn’t learn their lesson last time and crawled back again…”

Sipping from his wine glass, the man ordered:

“Summon the enforcer, Dexon.”

“Yes, master. But the match has already started…”

“Hmph, no matter. Those two brats—Boris and Chloe—entered the match last time too, didn’t they? If they’re here again, they’ll surely join two rounds.”

With a smirk, the man added:

“Just make sure they’re thoroughly crushed in the next match.”

“But master, last time, they escaped because of that approach.”

“…”

The man drained his wine and muttered:

“Then make sure they don’t leave this time.”

“…Understood.”

“And summon Dexon!”

“He’s already here, sir.”

“…”

The man awkwardly cleared his throat and turned his attention to the arena below. Just in time, Boris’s match was beginning.

Outside the arena, a man with a large scar on his face—Dexon, the enforcer—sneered as he watched Boris’ match.

The master of the arena had instructed him to crush the boy thoroughly, but from what Dexon could see, there was nothing special about the boy’s skills.

“Hyaah!”

“Hah! Too slow, kid!”

“Take this!”

“Ha! Is that all you’ve got? Wait, what the—GAAH!”

Boris landed a decisive blow to his opponent’s most vulnerable area, sending the man sprawling. The audience cringed and crossed their legs in sympathy.

Even Dexon instinctively clamped his legs together and muttered:

“Hmph, the kid’s got solid fundamentals, but that’s about it.”

After all, how skilled could a child really be?

The man beside Dexon said:

“Sir Dexon, you’re up next.”

“Hm. Got it.”

Moments later, Dexon’s name was called, and he stepped into the cage. Eyeing his young opponent, he sneered:

“Hey, kid.”

“…Yes?”

“You lot have been causing too much trouble. Should’ve known when to stop playing around.”

“…?”

“I’ll make sure you understand what happens when you mess with adults.”

Grinning menacingly, Dexon drew his sword. The boy’s eyes widened.

“Oh? We’re allowed to use swords?”

“Haha, of course. Normally, it’s barehanded, but this match is special.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Yeah.”

Dexon’s sword began to glow with a blue aura—the hallmark of a Sword Expert’s skill, Sword Aura.

“Feel free to use a sword if you’ve got one.”

“Alright.”

The boy nodded, and as he stretched out his hand—

Whoosh!

Out of nowhere, a sword from a nearby table flew into his hand as if drawn by a magnetic pull. At that moment—

Kwooosh!

The blade erupted with the radiant energy of a Sword Master’s signature ability: Aura Blade.

Biting into an apple he had saved for dessert, the boy, Raymond, smiled and said:

“Well then, let’s get started.”

At the sight of the Aura Blade, Dexon’s legs gave out, and he collapsed, wetting himself in terror.