The academy's practice field was nothing like the classroom. Though Darian had imagined what it would have looked like outside the pages of the novel, it exceeded his expectations; the ground stretched with lush green grass, with a few human-shaped mannequins for training swords and other melee weapons, archery targets made of hay, and racks of various weapons made of wood and blunt metal.
As always, chatter followed Darian. A few students looked at him, and immediately looked away when they saw Darian staring at them. He could hear some of the audible murmuring. It was about the incident in which he tried to burn down the classroom.
Damn!.. I hate this, Darian thought to himself. His face became bored and annoyed. Don't these kids have anything better to do? He took a deep sigh. If I were back on earth, I would have scrolled on my mobile through some toxic Reddit or argued with strangers about their taste in fictional works, or even would have watched the most random things on the internet, like how to do this and that. Instead, I am stuck in a fantasy world as the most despised person alive, hated even more than many of the worst politicians in my world, and my only form of entertainment is listening to high society teenagers spreading rumors about me.
In the distance, Darian spotted Elaine. She waved her hand at him, with her usual awkward, frantic protagonist energy, yet Darian didn't react to her greeting. The next person who fell into the gaze was Seris, who was standing close to a wall, arms crossed, isolated from the group. If it were Seris of the novel, she would have been in the centre of attention, surrounded by nobles like a queen bee surrounded by drones, yet now she is acting not like in the novel before.
The murmuring died down instantly as a new presence entered the field. A woman walked into the centre of the practice field, her messy flame-red hair tied in a practical knot and scars along her body and one or two on her face, her tanned, muscular body, and her barbaric dressing reminding that she wasn't some fancy noble. Darian straightened up, recognizing her face instantly from the novel.
Shery Rowen.
In the novel, she was the first arc's primary antagonist, the mercenary captain who was hired as the temporary instructor who died because of the major arcs starting it was kind of tragic, remembering how it all happened, but it was kind of necessary to awaken Elaine's power, I guess.
"Listen up, you whiny bastard," her voice barked across the field, making several students flinch. "My name is Shery Rowen. I don't care about your titles or your lineage, and more importantly, your feelings. To me, you all are just sheltered kids who are all just pampered little pricks who never left your mother's lap and wouldn't last a day in the real world."
Darian recalled a certain elf who had the same personality as hers, but more terrifying. Ugh.... thinking about her makes my spine chill, Darian thought to himself as he moved towards the new instructor, to his left, Elaine stood with her usual cheerfulness and curiosity. Darian ignored her as usual; he fixated his eyes on the woman who stood in front of fellow students.
"Listen up," she again raised her voice. "Since I am not accustomed to teaching or anything. I have brought two assistants, meet Floraine Blayland, second year, and Collin Berk, third year."
Collin Berk… I almost forgot about that bastard. Darian studied his charming face. Only he knew the kind of trouble Collin would bring to the protagonists. Since he couldn't interfere with the duo's growth, he had no choice but to let things unfold as planned.
No, perhaps a little surveillance on him wouldn't be bad as long as it's not interfering with his plans.
"Floraine and Collin will allocate your sparring partners," Shery announced, "begin!"
students began to pair up under the surveillance of the assistants, Daraian, who was uninterested, glanced at the partner to whom he was assigned, a low noble who was trying too hard to hide his fears and even harder not to provoke him.
Without a single word, Darian turned away from his sparing partner and returned to his rest spot. He leaned back, draped his arms over his eyes, and ignored everything happening around him.
"It seems you are enjoying your time here more than I thought." A familiar sharp voice spoke from above him. It was Floraine looking down at him with her usual cold personality.
Darian didn't move or flinch. "Is that a problem? Smacking and swinging a sword is something you barbaric aura users are good at; mine is different."
Rather than wasting time on swinging like a maniac, I would choose studying enemies and allies alike.
Shery's voice thundered across the training yard. "What are you doing there?" she demanded, her words echoing as her blunt sword cut through the air with a sharp whistle, striking toward Darian's neck in a deadly blur of motion.
Darian didn't flinch. He stood perfectly still, even as the sword stopped a mere hair's breadth from his skin. The force of Shery's swing sent a gust of wind past him, making his hair dance around his face. In that suspended moment, the tension between them was electric.
"Interesting," she remarked, with a smirk at Darian, "I thought the spoiled brat of the prince was annoying, but I never thought enough to get under my skin."
Darian shifted his arm slightly to look at her, his expression one of pure indifference."Why do you care? I don't use swords. No rule says I have to. And swordsmanship isn't superior; if anything, it's at a disadvantage compared to ranged combat. It's only praised because nobles are obsessed with its aesthetics rather than its practicality."
Shery burst into laughter; she couldn't hold back the stupidity. "Ah, highness, I am sorry you were being serious for a second. Your jokes are more funny than your reputation."
"I wasn't joking for a second, instructor," Darian replied, his face confident and never flinching for a second, "Chivalry is an aesthetic relic; it's inefficient and slow."
These people don't know it, he thought to himself, his mind flicked back to earth, metallic weapons, back on earth are already a thing of the past. Swords replaced with pistols, AKs, bombs, and nukes are more terrifying than magic and aura. A bullet doesn't care about your stance.
Shery's facial expression shifted, becoming a mix of amusement and anger ." A bold claim from someone who has never seen the monsters roaming around the world, fine prince, if your methods are superior, prove it to me."
She tilted and slammed her sword to the ground, impaling it in the grass. "Next month's monster extermination: Five students to a party, hunting a high-grade monster in the arena for the mid-term grade. If you can complete the evaluation without a single swordsman in your party, I'll do whatever you ask. Anything."
She continued, "If you fail... quit the academy permanently, pack your bags with leave for the capital before the sun sets on that day, deal?"
Darian Smirked. This is perfect. I am already planning to win the tournament; the reward was something I couldn't ignore.
"Deal," he stood up and dusted off his uniform. He looked at the shery with a smirky, confident smile, "I will put up a show that you would be disappointed."
Everyone stood there looking at what was happening. Some people were confused, others shocked; others smiled at what happened, others looked stunned, more over the prince of the empire denying the root of the royal family, and it spread like wildfire after the class. Darian, who was sitting in a place where he was resting under a tree in the evening.
"What are you planning to do, Your Highness?" It was Floraine. "Why would you say such a thing? Do you realize every word you spoke could be taken as treason against the imperial family?"
"Could you stop screaming? I am neither a fool nor deaf, and I am not backing down from what I said. Just watch, I am going to do Floraine and you too, brother."
Darian, who used the mana gaze, had already seen Kayle, who was hiding behind the wall, closely observing him. He rose without a word, already moving toward the place he'd chosen long before this moment.
In front of that peculiar location, he saw his personal knight, Edger, "You are earlier than expected. Did you bring what I told you?"
He extended a bag that was full of gold coins and jewels.
Edger, who was eagerly waiting for a while, couldn't hold back his curiosity asked Darian, "Why did you ask me to bring this much money, your highness?"
Darian smirked and answered, " We are gonna catch a greedy leech."