293 – Growing Supporting Characters -1-

[Academy Senior Director – Histania Malik]

Sitting at a desk with a neat nameplate, Malik gazed at the professor who was glaring at him.

“I’ve already received the Chancellor’s approval.”

In response to Malik’s unilateral announcement, the Healing Department professor raised his hand and spoke.

“This is a one-sided notification! We need to have a meeting with the faculty…!”

“My decision remains unchanged. Professor Eleanor of the Healing Department.”

“Hey! Histania Malik! Are you saying this because I gave you low scores back in your student days?”

“Call me Senior Director. Professor.”

Malik smiled slightly and reiterated his opinion to the Healing Department professor. It seemed like he hadn’t understood.

“I plan to teach self-defense to the Healing Department students starting this afternoon.”

“Do you really think you can teach without any knowledge of healing magic?”

“Is healing magic that impressive?”

Malik conjured a greenish magical aura in one hand as he spoke.

“Students from the Swordsmanship Department also start by learning basic first aid magic. What’s so impressive about it?”

“…”

“When someone is seriously injured, they need a healer’s touch. What’s so great about magic that does nothing for minor injuries?”

“What’s the big deal about that? It’s magic that can save lives!”

“Literally. I will teach the healing department students basic self-defense. That’s what I mean.”

The elderly professor clutched his throbbing forehead and spoke to Malik.

“Do you think that makes sense? Healers are supposed to support from the rear…!”

“Who said that?”

“What?”

“I asked who told the healers to just sit back and do nothing on the battlefield.”

Malik let out a scoff and replied to the professor.

“Is it that the frontline will lose if the vanguard dies, so the previous professor said to just sit back and die? Or is that your personal judgment?”

“…”

“Where did you hear such nonsense and come back to argue? As a senior director, it’s hard to just sit and listen.”

“Hey! Senior director! Isn’t that a bit too harsh?! I’ve seen more battlefields than you! I’ve saved many lives too!”

“Are you saying that the person who does that hasn’t tried to improve the biggest flaw of a healer? That’s laughable.”

Malik said with a cold expression.

“At the very least, you should build the strength to run away. I don’t think someone who can’t protect themselves can save others.”

“Ugh…”

“Since I’m already speaking with approval, I hope Professor Eleanor can spare some time.”

“…”

“If you can’t accept that, then as the senior director of this academy, I will have no choice but to make a decision to provide better education for the students.”

With a ‘clack,’ Malik opened a drawer and placed a white envelope on the desk, looking at the professor. It was a warning to leave if he couldn’t accept it.

“There are plenty of talented individuals.”

“…”

“But the positions are limited.”

Professor Eleanor nodded at Malik’s words.

Thinking that things seemed to be getting complicated.

*

Three weeks ago.

While discussing the convenience store issue with Ricardo, Malik sought advice from the unusually clever man.

“Hey, Ricardo.”

“Yes, Water Lord.”

“Not Water Lord, but boss… no, Malik.”

“Then, boss.”

“Ha… right. There’s one thing I want to ask you… What do you think about this academy?”

“All of a sudden?”

“It’s been one of my concerns for a while now. I feel like there’s something lacking in what we learn at the academy.”

“Um…”

“Should I say it’s meager? The royal academy certainly has the best resources and luxurious faculty, but I feel the results are ambiguous compared to the resources poured into the students.”

“Isn’t that just because you live too intensely, boss?”

“Um… I can’t say you’re entirely wrong.”

“You’re not denying it?”

“While others were drinking, I was swinging my sword. At your age, I was out there hunting elite orcs on my own.”

“That’s impressive.”

“That’s an exaggeration. But listening to you, it seems you have a point… still, something feels lacking. Someone like you, a monster, at least…”

Ricardo let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.

“I’m out of the ordinary. So are you, boss.”

“…I can’t deny that.”

“But this cohort has a lot of talent, doesn’t it? There’s Hannah, Mikhail, and Yuria. I think this cohort is a good opportunity.”

“…Still lacking.”

“Um… then…”

That day, Ricardo asked himself this: Did he want to improve not just a few, but the overall picture?

Malik nodded vigorously at Ricardo’s question. The disappointment he felt was echoed in Ricardo’s words.

Not just a talented few.

He wanted to elevate the level of the ordinary. Since he had taken on this position, Malik wanted to produce proper results, so he listened closely to Ricardo’s opinions.

“Then how about raising the level of those who are treated poorly at the academy?”

“Treated poorly…? Does such discrimination exist at the academy?”

“No. Let’s just think about the distant future.”

Ricardo placed three pens on the table, moving them one by one as he continued speaking.

“The swordsmanship department should be a knight order.”

-Drurrrk.

“The magic department should be a magic tower.”

-Drurrrk.

“Then the Healing Department is….”

Ricardo looked at Malik with an awkward smile.

“There’s nowhere to go.”

Malik disagreed with Ricardo’s opinion. He was thinking too narrowly.

“If you have high grades in the Healing track, you get scouted from various places. The Royal Knights, of course, and the Mage Tower as well. Perhaps you have more options compared to other departments.”

Ricardo awkwardly laughed and said,

“Are there many openings for healers?”

“…”

“Of course, there are fewer people with talent in the Healing track, but still, do smaller houses hire healers as much as the high nobility?”

Ricardo asked with a dry expression.

“Don’t you know better, sir? How to manage people to avoid unnecessary expenses.”

“…”

“When the frontline is dying, it’s better to have a mage who can cast simple spells than a healer who gestures for them to run closer.”

Ricardo’s words were correct.

It was true that hiring just one or two competent healers could avoid unnecessary spending.

“The current healing mages are too passive.”

“…”

“Strategically, it makes sense to protect the healers first, but… well.”

“…”

“Honestly, if it were me, I’d buy another potion with that money instead of hiring someone.”

*Clap!* Ricardo said, applauding.

“So, if we strengthen the Healing Department, won’t the other departments be spurred on like a pack of wolves… I think so.”

“…”

“They wouldn’t settle for ‘This is enough.’ They’d think, ‘Am I falling behind those who just study at their desks?'”

And thus, the idea conceived was this very situation.

A class on creating ‘healers who don’t die in ambushes.’

And then.

—Ah, and stay away from the Healing Department professor.

—Hmm? Professor Eleanor, you mean?

—Yes, that person seems a bit suspicious.

I kept the person I would cut down in my mind.

*

“Ahem.”

Malik stood in front of the dusty training ground, holding a wooden sword. The ones before him were students from the Healing Department. They were the ones who received less than favorable treatment at the academy.

Less efficient than the combat department.

Most wizards had basic healing spells, after all. They were called nobles, yet they were treated poorly as cadets.

The Healing Department students could be quite finicky, too.

As Malik watched the irritated students in the dust-filled training ground, he swallowed lightly and announced the start of the class in a booming voice.

“Nice to meet you. I am Histania Malik, the senior instructor at the academy, and from today, I will be teaching you self-defense.”

“””Wow…”””

Negative murmurs flowed from the Healing Department students. They didn’t understand why they had to learn self-defense, questioning when they would be done.

– What the…

– Self-defense?

– Why do we have to learn self-defense…

– Seriously? The front line will handle everything.

Malik smiled slightly as he observed the grumbling students. He thought that if he made them hungry, the convenience store sales would naturally rise.

“…If you’re hungry, there’s a convenience store on the second floor… Ahem.”

Not yet. It wasn’t time for promotions. Malik kept silent, timing his words.

“First, today I will show you how to use a dagger lightly held in your hand.”

Malik nodded and spoke to the Healing Department students.

“From now on, anyone who tries to stab me will have their dormitory rank raised by one level.”

“”…What?””

“I have received permission from the principal, so participate in the class diligently.”

“”This is insane…””

Malik smiled at the murmuring students.

He believed he could correct the biggest flaw of healers.

The most challenging aspect for healers who had just joined the knight order was building their basic physical strength.

Their martial arts were woefully inadequate.

They had eyes that couldn’t see the corners.

And it was a challenge to break the habit of being oblivious to the dangers surrounding them.

So.

I intended to raise them harshly.

As a life mentor.

“Um…”

Malik nodded at the girl in the corner who confidently raised her hand, thinking that if she said she didn’t want to, he would be the first to practice gender equality.

“What’s up, pink-haired student?”

Yuria wiggled her fingers as she spoke.

“Is it okay if I do it barehanded? And if I could get support for the dormitory fees instead of the dormitory grade….”

“Ah.”

Malik nodded, acknowledging that this was a problem he could easily resolve on his own.

“I’ll give you a thousand gold.”

“Excuse me…?”

“If you can hit me even once, I will provide you with a thousand gold and a year’s worth of dormitory fees for free. And….”

Malik casually pulled out a ticket from his pocket as if it were a matter of course.

“I’ll also give you a week’s pass for the academy convenience store and a meal voucher for the Forest Friends.”

The students began to react to the outrageous proposal with mixed feelings.

“What the… Forest Friends?”

“Hey… is this for real?”

“I can go with my boyfriend.”

Yuria clenched her fist, determined.

‘With Ricardo…!’

Malik smiled and nodded.

‘This is what the academy feels like.’

He thought it would be nice to invite Ricardo as a guest professor later on and signaled the start.

“Let’s begin.”

And then.

– Gwaaah!

The unending screams began to echo through the training grounds.