Chapter 5: -the new principal (5)

Chapter 5 – New Headmaster (5)

The ancient tradition of knights, in truth, was nothing special.

It was literally just an old tradition where they settled the right and wrong of an argument through a duel.

While military might remained an excellent means of dialogue, duels between knights were now merely a type of sport.

Moreover, his opponent wasn’t even a knight.

Despite that, he accepted this insane proposal because he had something significant to gain.

‘The chances of not winning are high.

But you never know.’

Roman Grave bit his lip and watched Eve quietly rise from her seat.

He was a powerful knight who wouldn’t yield to anyone, but his opponent was even more formidable.

After the current Emperor privately appointed her, having built a friendship since his days as Crown Prince, she was now a pillar of the Empire and the one who immediately joined the six Imperial Swords, known as the strongest military force of the current era, thus making them the Seven Swords.

Furthermore, she was the creator and sole user of the new magic-based technique, Bingnyeongi, whose limits had yet to be revealed.

Just by comparing their reputations, she was an opponent he dared not contend with.

‘Not all mages are skilled in combat.’

Of course, hope was not absent.

No matter how brilliant a mage, if they were a scholar type, they might be lacking in combat using magic.

Moreover, if the opponent was a knight, a mage would need to learn combat techniques specifically for fighting knights.

That potential opening was the move he was aiming for.

“Headmaster, please reconsider.

This isn’t right!

What is this, in the sacred school grounds!”

“Silence!

The Headmaster wishes to change the traditions and rules of this academy, so shouldn’t you comply!”

He snapped at the professors who tried to stop him even as they handed him a sword.

‘Even if I lose, it doesn’t matter.

We won’t be easily swayed.

Indeed, that’s right.’

Gritting his teeth, he glared at Eve as she slowly walked forward, the skirt of her one-piece uniform fluttering.

In the end, he was aiming for one thing.

To make it clear that if she wanted to change something here, she would face their fierce resistance.

“Do you really think this will end with just one time, Professor Grave?”

However, what he hadn’t considered was that the girl standing before him was a being beyond imagination from her very existence.

‘The best way to resist the restrictions placed on this headmaster position, which I can’t even quit on my own terms, is to completely shake this whole game before it solidifies.’

Roman Grave wasn’t the only one with an agenda.

Eve also needed to push her plans forward as much as possible for her own goals.

That plan was to twist the story from the very beginning, shattering all futures.

If that happened, the probability of events she couldn’t intervene in not occurring would sharply increase.

This, conversely, meant she could increase the number of events she ‘could intervene in’.

It was also her will to never sit idly by and be played by the entity that possessed her into this place.

“The current academy must change.

It’s stagnant and rotten.

I won’t stop for that.”

“Deciding everything on your own is not governance!

It’s tyranny!

Take up your weapon, I, insufficient as I am, will go first!”

Shouting at her words, he drew his sword, took a stance, and aimed it at her.

Everyone around them raised their tension, ready to move at any moment, creating a volatile situation.

However, Eve merely curled the corners of her lips into a faint smile and did not draw a staff or a wand, a mage’s weapon.

“It seems everyone is mistaken.

Bingnyeongi isn’t magic.”

“!!!”

And at that moment.

From Eve’s body, whose eyes had begun to gleam, a chilling blue aura burst forth and began to flow like cold air.

“You can come.”

“Ugh, Aaaah!”

Immediately after, his act of drawing up mana, wrapping it tightly around his body, and charging forward was, in fact, closer to a reflex action.

****

[Bingnyeongi: Ice Shattering Skill (氷破碎功)]

Bingnyeongi, the power I gained as the price for having this short, squat body with a frozen heart, was not magic.

It was closer to a strange hybrid, similar to a martial art or a martial skill found in wuxia novels.

“Kuaaaagh!!”

From my outstretched hand, a powerful wave of mana erupted, scattering shattering ice fragments everywhere as it shot forth as a single blue beam cannon.

Roman Grave, startled, raised his sword and blocked it with all his might, but a normal iron sword could not withstand the concentration of mana and froze solid, shattering at the same time.

Even with power control, it was quite impressive in its destructive force.

“Heok!”

I kicked off the ground and charged at him, startled.

He probably didn’t expect me to engage in close combat with my fists.

Although his sword was broken, he couldn’t even properly get into a stance.

“Keok.”

I dodged his clumsy punch with a tilt of my head and then repeatedly slammed my fists into his body.

The sturdy body of a strong knight was like a solid block of metal, and my bare fists unleashed roars and shockwaves that were hard to imagine coming from a mere body.

“What if it is tyranny?”

“Kueeuk!”

“You can curse me as reckless, or a power-hungry old-timer, I don’t care.

But at least in this matter, I will not tolerate defiance against me.”

I dodged the kick he barely managed to swing while regaining his balance on trembling legs, then leaped from the ground, extended my leg, wrapped it around his neck, and pulled him towards my body.

At the same time, his eyes widened in his face, trapped between my thigh and knee.

[Bingnyeongi: Glacier Projection (氷河投影)]

Just like that, his body began to be sealed and sink.

And when he slammed both knees to the ground and knelt.

I, who had been on top of his body, released my leg and landed on the floor.

“It’ll release in a few minutes, so don’t exert yourself needlessly and get hurt.”

Frozen in a kneeling position, flailing his arms, he grunted so much that veins popped on his face, but an opponent suppressed by Glacier Projection could not move with just that much strength.

“…”

Naturally, the atmosphere at the scene was a mess.

Gazes of shock and horror were directed at me.

Their eyes were like those looking at a ferocious beast.

But it was fine.

For a true happy ending, I would be a villain, an extra, anything.

“Headmaster.

I have a question.”

Then someone broke the silence and spoke to me.

“I understand well what the Headmaster desires.

But I would like to know in detail why the revised version proposed by our department also failed to pass.”

“Professor Griezmann of the Magic Circuit.”

I recognized his name too.

An old professor with a benevolent impression and a long white beard.

‘He was definitely a strange eccentric.’

It wasn’t just because I’d briefly seen him in passing yesterday.

He was clearly a minor character whose name was mentioned in the story.

I remembered him as a kind but somewhat eccentric person with a screw loose.

“It’s not a big problem.

I merely rejected the revised version because it didn’t fully capture what I desire.”

“It seems you should inform the professors what that desired point is, so they can revise it.”

“…I was about to say.”

I clicked my tongue slightly at his calm question.

He beat me to it.

Still, was it an advantage that it could change this hopeless atmosphere?

“The current educational courses are too theory-oriented, with almost no practical application.

I desire rigorous education with harsh and merciless training and instruction, so that students can act without hesitation even when deployed in real situations.”

“W-what do you mean by that?”

“It means find a way to make them work harder.”

I saw them gasp in surprise, but I didn’t care.

This was Phase 1 of the plan I had decided upon, for everyone.

The protagonist, as well as the other characters.

They, who would be rolling in battlefields, needed to become stronger.

To do so, harsh and rigorous training was necessary.

If that happened, their overflowing hot-bloodedness would also be suppressed, leading to fewer incidents.

In the original history, fresh harem-style love stories and squabbles between the protagonist and rivals all occurred, but as long as I was here, there would be no time or leisure for such games.

This was all for their sake.

“No, what on earth!”

“Headmaster?! This is not the era of fighting a great war against demon forces from the past!”

Of course, the professors reacted with surprise and vehemence, just as they had when I brought up the topic of reform.

Watching them, I brought a single raised index finger to my lips.

Amazingly, at that moment, it became completely silent.

Roman Grave, still frozen in the middle of the conference room, seemed to be quite a shock.

“It’s my will.”

Letting out a hollow laugh at their expressions, I decided to just push forward.

As I had already resolved, I wouldn’t care what insults I received or what hostility I faced.

Now that I thought about it, the power and status given to me seemed to be for times like these.

“Today’s general meeting ends here.

By the end of this week, which is the students’ adaptation period, each department is to report their newly established curriculum to me again.

If you have any complaints, you are welcome to come to me anytime.

If you can convince me through a thorough one-on-one conversation with me, I will accept your opinion.”

After saying this to those who couldn’t escape their shock, I simply walked out of the conference room.

Even I found it difficult to predict how far-reaching the ripple effects of the stone I had just cast would be.