A week had passed since my encounter with that traumatic woman, Levia, in the grand library.

It seemed the initial intimidation had been effective, as there had been no direct contact from her since then, and I was enjoying a peaceful academy life—

“I want to go home...”

—or so I should have been.

No, compared to when I first enrolled, my life now had improved considerably in terms of relationships and various other things. But just when I thought things were getting better, new problems kept surfacing one after another, leaving me feeling far from content. The recent case with that traumatic woman was a prime example.

—What a joke.

As I was grumbling internally, a sharp thrust came toward me. I evaded it effortlessly and let out a deep sigh.

“That was close...”

Looking at my seemingly disheartened state, the source of that sharp thrust—none other than Mr. Volt—continued speaking.

“Hey, feeling homesick already? It’s only been a month.”

“A month is more than enough time.”

“...When you put it that way, I guess so?”

Mr. Volt tilted his head at my response, but his relentless strikes didn’t let up. The relentless barrage of attacks continued without mercy.

“Exactly.”

Dodging and parrying the blows with ease, I even threw in some counterattacks. Seeing this, Mr. Volt seemed amused and increased the pace of his strikes even further.

“A... monster?”

“How can he keep up with that...?”

“You’re amazing, bro...”

The members of the Special Advancement class, watching from the sidelines, were lying on the ground, utterly dumbfounded. It was now the afternoon practical lesson following the morning lectures. Until recently, Mr. Volt’s practical classes had been relatively laid-back, but over the past few days, they had gradually returned to their usual intensity.

His lessons became so extreme that even the elite students of the Special Advancement class were almost entirely wiped out. While I found the level of challenge engaging and rewarding, it seemed the others didn’t share my enthusiasm.

“I-I won’t lose...!!”

Even Freesia, the battle maniac, had been taken down. The sheer intensity of Mr. Volt’s lessons was evident. With all the others out, the lesson had naturally turned into an endless one-on-one mock battle between me and Mr. Volt.

—To think there’d come a day when I could handle Mr. Volt’s lessons normally...

Reflecting on this unthinkable development, Mr. Volt raised the intensity of the battle once again.

With twice the number of attacks and even spells mixed in, he was genuinely trying to crush me. It made me wonder if he’d forgotten that this was supposed to be a mock battle for a class. Then again, if he’d truly lost his mind, the collateral damage would be far worse, so it seemed he was still somewhat in control.

Proof of this was his casual small talk during the fight.

“Well, thanks to you, the class I thought was doomed has come together. You’ve made my job a lot easier. Keep it up, make me look good, and help me get promoted.”

“That’s an unbelievably unteacherlike thing to say... I haven’t done anything. The others are just making noise on their own... Also, if the principal hears you, won’t you get scolded again?”

Mr. Volt’s complete lack of pretense left me at a loss for words. He laughed heartily while swinging his blade.

“Don’t worry about it. Just keep making things easier for me... Oh, and by the way, I didn’t like what you just said, so take a hit quietly. Don’t say things that upset people.”

“What a hopeless adult...”

Seriously, don’t make such selfish requests to a student. Also, don’t try to hit me out of personal grudges. I could report this as corporal punishment—times have changed, you know.

As I evaded another supposedly mock-battle strike, Mr. Volt changed the topic as if he’d just remembered something.

“Speaking of which, the first Promotion Duel is coming up. What’s your plan, Bradley?”

“...I’ll participate, though I’m not exactly thrilled about it.”

“Why do you sound so reluctant???”

Seeing my grim expression, Mr. Volt tilted his head again. His reaction was understandable. At this academy, it was rare for students not to participate in this event. Most students eagerly anticipated the Promotion Duel.

Win, and you gain honor; lose, and you taste defeat.

This academy tradition, deeply tied to the Academy Ranks, was the fastest way to climb the hierarchy.

Advancing through the Promotion Duel meant gaining various perks. The most coveted of these was the recommendation for entry into the Refined Magic Sword Corps, a special unit of the Knights’ Order, known as the gateway to becoming one of the Seven Peerless Swords. Most students at this academy had their eyes set on this recommendation as their ultimate goal. So Mr. Volt’s question was entirely reasonable.

“So, you’re aiming to join the Refined Magic Sword Corps too, right?”

“Not at all. I just want to borrow a book, so I need to raise my Academy Rank.”

“...What?”

Hearing my answer, Mr. Volt was so stunned that he momentarily stopped attacking. My reason for participating in the Promotion Duel seemed completely unexpected. It was rare for someone to join just to borrow a book, but it wasn’t unheard of. Every student had their own reasons.

—And thus, I continued my mock battle with Mr. Volt until the afternoon practical lesson concluded uneventfully (?).