novelraw Chapter 113 : Chapter 113
Chapter 113 : Chapter 113
113
Jerome, an advanced swordsmanship instructor at the Imperial Royal Academy, sat in his office polishing his sword.
Of course, maintaining a real sword was an important task, but it wasn't something that necessarily had to be done in a hurry right now.
No, rather, there wasn't time to leisurely polish a real sword at a time like this.
That was because now was the time for the first meeting with the country bumpkins from Akarind, a third-rate academy, or whatever it was called.
‘I can't go first.’
There was nothing more degrading than arriving first at such a place and waiting for the other party.
Historically, the higher one's status and rank, the more one had to make the other party wait, directing the center of the event towards oneself.
Above all, wasn't the opponent merely an instructor from a rural third-rate academy?
Of course, Jerome wasn't a fool who didn't know who Cassian was or why Akarind Academy was invited here now.
‘That damn Aura.’
Certainly, Aura was a practical and powerful technique.
But that was all.
How was the technique called Aura different from a high-quality, sharp magic sword?
Historically, swordsmanship had to be an art blooming from a person's fingertips using a sword.
A swordsman standing before a sword always had to be solitary and should be ashamed if their swordsmanship was the same as any swordsmanship that already existed in this world.
He didn't learn the sword to be hit by monster fluids on the streets like a hyena.
Nor did he learn the sword to become a serial killer who slices up humans.
Swordsmanship had to be a philosophical means for a human thrown into this society to explore and seek themselves.
Something that must be elegant and marvelous.
That was swordsmanship.
“This is why rootless third-rate academies are…….”
Wasn't that Cassian fellow someone who even studied in the administrative department at the Imperial Academy?
Someone who should know about nobility better than anyone else became corrupted probably because he compromised with reality.
‘This is why lowly bastards are…….’
As he organized his thoughts and cleaned his sword, quite a bit of time passed.
Seeing that the sunlight outside had grown stronger, he got up from his seat.
Sure enough, his assistant, who knew his personality well, had just arrived outside the office to pick him up.
Then now, he should teach the instructors and students, who must have become impatient waiting for a long time, how great a place the Imperial Royal Academy is…….
“P, P, Professor Jerome! We have a big problem!”
“Why such a fuss. Historically, a swordsman must have tranquility in their heart. Do not raise your voice recklessly.”
Such scolding lasted only a moment.
“Professor Hollians is……!”
Hearing the assistant's explanation, Jerome ran helter-skelter to the auditorium.
This wasn't a scene unfolding only in Professor Jerome's office.
When Professor Jerome just arrived in front of the auditorium, swordsmanship instructors who seemed to have run helter-skelter like him were looking at each other, gauging the situation.
Why aren't they going in?
Just in case, Jerome approached the entrance and peeked inside the lecture hall.
“……So I told those arrogant bastards! You trash-like bastards! While you chatter about ideals or whatever here and recite nonsensical sentences, do you know how many people are dying outside! Like that.”
“Just like you, Professor.”
“Tsk, these days, fellows occupy seats calling themselves professors and just act pompous.”
“Haha, you hated things like that.”
“If someone sees, they'd think you treated professors normally! Who was the guy who smashed liquor bottles, liquor barrels, liquor cups, everything with liquor in it on the back of professors' heads when he was a student!”
“I don't remember well. Was there such a senior?”
Who is Professor Hollians?
A person who seemed about to cross the wall of 90 years, which even the Emperor cannot reach, and there were four Emperors alone who learned from him and took the throne.
Not only Emperors, but scholars and heroes from all over the world learned from him, and his theories became the indicator dividing right and wrong in this world.
Above all, his greatness lay in his wisdom itself.
Professor Hollians demonstrated a broad understanding and intuition about all knowledge in the world, including martial arts, spirits, shamanism, and magic, by acquiring all the secret books in the library, not to mention administration, politics, and the socio-cultural context of the world.
It was evaluated that during the 70 years he devoted to academics out of his 87 years of life, the world's knowledge accelerated by more than 200 years.
Because of that, let alone the academy's chairman or president, even the Emperor couldn't treat him carelessly.
It was inevitable that a mere swordsmanship instructor like himself would find it even more difficult to deal with him.
‘Why is such Professor Hollians……?’
Certainly, Professor Hollians was the supervising professor for this gathering.
However, Professor Hollians not only didn't step forward directly in such academic exchange conferences, but when his name was occasionally listed as a participating member, he mostly crushed the opponent with his crotchety personality.
He thought it would be the same this time, but what is this? Isn't he happily chatting with that guy named Cassian or whatever with a bright expression he had never shown them?
It even seemed like the content of the chat was sarcastic remarks about themselves, the instructors of the Imperial Academy.
“Ahem.”
Instructors including Jerome cleared their throats and quietly entered the entrance.
People's gazes were fixed on them all at once.
Not to mention the students and instructors of Akarind Academy, even the gazes of the students belonging to the Imperial Academy were not kind.
However, the biggest problem was Professor Hollians.
He glared at them as if displeased and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk tsk. Bastards who can't even distinguish between gems and stones. That's why you hear talk about a shortage of students this year.”
“Elder……!”
“Sit down. It's embarrassing in front of the students. We used up a lot of time on our side. If you have any shame, you should be ashamed of the students' gazes, not angry at my rebuke.”
It was a preliminary action to seize the initiative.
It ended up naturally handing over the initiative to the other party.
‘Damn it, if it's like this…… I'll have to flatten this guy's nose completely with talk strictly about swordsmanship!’
* * *
‘He has aged, but he hasn't changed a bit.’
Professor Hollians was the person I served as a lifelong mentor during my academy days.
The Imperial Royal Academy, which I entered as if fleeing while being persecuted by people due to my status as an illegitimate child.
However, the Imperial Royal Academy was a space even more tightly blocked by prejudice and stereotypes than the outside world.
The person who properly grasped my ability and essence in such a space and cherished me was Professor Hollians.
He taught me various knowledge so that I could spread my wings.
But what I learned greatly from him above all was the method itself of observing and interpreting objects and people.
‘ The person who made my eyes.’
He could teach abilities he didn't possess.
He didn't know swordsmanship but could cultivate a swordsman better than anyone else, and couldn't feel mana but raised a 6th-circle magician.
A person who raised people outside his academic field and taught how to converse with them.
‘But the true value lies elsewhere.’
Decisively, the reason I like the professor was because of his educational philosophy.
Not revering the Imperial Royal Academy, but revering learning.
The position of professor wasn't important, but he valued the action of meeting and educating students.
A person who focused on raising correct and good people, not efficient education, but right education.
Because he is such a person, those instructors are probably frozen and just walking on eggshells right now.
It worked out well.
“Please don't scold them too much. Still, isn't this the Imperial Academy? It is something to be grateful for just inviting a place like our academy.”
“Tsk tsk…….”
Professor Hollians leaned back deeply into the backrest, clicking his tongue without saying much else.
Although the swordsmanship professors showed signs of discomfort seeing that, it was only for a moment.
Perhaps realizing the essence of the Academic Exchange Conference, they abruptly started throwing various questions about the method of teaching students and the theory of swordsmanship.
“Why do you think humans wield swords?”
“When you say you cut a person with a sword, was the killed person killed by the sword or by the person?”
“What role does the front foot play when stepping forward with the sword?”
“What difference do you think there is between the grip crossing both hands and the grip covering one hand with the other when holding a sword?”
The moment I received the questions, I received a shock enough to make my heart pound.
Ah, as expected of the Imperial Academy!
The swordsmen I met while traveling the world all seemed like barbarians who only pursued the senses they realized themselves.
They didn't know how to handle language to organize the knowledge they gained, and as a result, they were merely stamping out swordsmanship in an apprenticeship style, like blacksmiths teaching their skills.
I hated such a trend, so I devoted myself to studying theory and tried to explain swordsmanship.
However, sure enough, as if the name of the space called the Imperial Academy was not in vain, the professors here organized the theory about the sword well and knew how to throw questions penetrating the essence.
While realizing myself that I was very excited, I started answering the questions one by one.
“Just in time, a good question! Aura is ultimately sending outside energy through the path called 'me', and since the person called 'me' is at the center, subjectivity stands! At this time, if we call the concept outside nature and what resides in the human mind and body reason, wouldn't a fusion called naturalization of reason, or rationalization of nature, take place? At this time, it would be fun to discuss whether my will comes first, or if I accept the will of the world and write in my will!”
“Can you separate the sword and the person? I think the existence called 'person holding a sword' can be created! Just as when a person holds farming tools, they don't become a person holding farming tools but a farmer, a person holding a sword doesn't separate into a sword and a person but becomes a swordsman, so this would be seen as the sword and person cutting together!”
“Of course, in this concept, naturalization of reason, rationalization of nature is……!”
Real contemplations that couldn't be unraveled in the basic theory book made for teaching students flowed out smoothly.
I couldn't find the answer because my ability was lacking, but I will be able to gain great enlightenment here!
With such expectation, when it felt like I had been rambling on for about 30 minutes.
“Haha, stop now.”
“Yes?”
Professor Hollians stopped me.
At that moment, I noticed the surrounding gazes as if I was suddenly dragged out from a dream to reality.
Not to mention our academy's students, the instructors who came with us, the Imperial Royal Academy students, and the swordsmanship professors were all looking at me with dumbfounded expressions.
Uh-oh, did I just say something strange?
Don't tell me I rambled on about theories where my self-consciousness was too strong, like I wrote in my diary last time?
What did I say?
The moment I was pondering like that.
“……It, It was a good perspective.”
The professors avoided my gaze while saying words that seemed to acknowledge me from over there.
What, what on earth did I say?
I glanced at Rozalin or Jessie to ask for help, but they were also just showing similar reactions to the opposing professors.
“Tsk tsk, still doesn't know his own talent properly.”
Only Professor Hollians was raising one corner of his mouth with a leisurely smile as if he knew everything.
“Right. Since your contemplation is like that, let's try sharing our stories. Since you said you want to know about Mana Road.”
At that moment, everyone from our academy corrected their posture and focused on the professor's mouth.
The students and instructors from the Imperial Academy side had their eyes wide open as if our reaction was surprising, feeling like they were trying to grasp what was happening.
Do they not yet know well what kind of method the concept called Mana Road is, or how important it is?
“Mana Road is a path flowing through the human body. Then let me ask. What is a path?”
It was a Zen dialogue peculiar to the professor.
There must be an answer at the end of this question.
I fell into contemplation.
* * *
‘That bastard is a real pervert.’
‘Crazy, I can't understand a single thing he's saying.’
‘Let's not touch him. He is, well, how should I say it, a very genuine, uh, so he's the real deal.’
The swordsmanship professors of the Imperial Academy all lowered their heads and avoided Cassian's gaze.