“Hmph, how pathetic.”
…Gale always has to say something unnecessary. What if Melia gets discouraged because of him?
“You’re one to talk. You were a mess when you first came at me.”
“W-what did you just say, you insolent—!”
“Everyone has things they don’t want to hear, so watch your mouth. And Melia, there’s no need to feel down. Let me tell you something in advance: no one needs to be discouraged just because they didn’t perform well in their first real battle. When I first fought a monster, I was a complete wreck. I was so scared I couldn’t fight properly at all.”
“Wait, what!?”
“T-that’s hard to believe…”
“It’s one of those memories I’d rather forget. Sure, I’ve gotten stronger since then, but back then, I lived a peaceful life, far removed from combat. When I first faced a wolf-like monster slightly stronger than a goblin, I was terrified out of my mind.”
That happened when I was a child, after reincarnating into this world. At the time, thanks to my talent for magic and the memories from my previous life, I was far stronger than other kids my age. But even so, when I faced that wolf-like monster in my first real fight, I was paralyzed with fear.
Until then, I’d only used magic from the safety of secure locations. Including my experiences from my past life, I’d never faced anyone or anything with real intent to kill me. The sharp fangs and piercing eyes of that monster froze me completely.
“That’s why, even if it’s scary, it’s important to get used to real combat. If not, your body might freeze up when it really matters. Also, remember this: your magic can be extremely dangerous when directed at people. Training grounds reduce the pain felt by magic to a tenth, but don’t forget that your spells can cause real harm.”
Magic, like what Galiel uses, can easily hurt others. It’s crucial to understand the danger of what you wield.
And on top of that, you must also learn to finish off monsters properly. While taking a life may cause hesitation, in this world, such hesitation can cost you your life. Worse, letting a monster escape could lead to it attacking others, damaging fields, or causing harm elsewhere.
To prevent such consequences, you need to ensure that creatures like goblins are properly finished off. Handling the remains is another important task. For example, burying corpses deep in the ground using earth magic helps prevent the spread of disease—things the academy doesn’t always teach.
“Now then, let’s move on.”
We continued, allowing each student to fight a monster once or twice. By the time we finished, our allotted time was up.
Gale still seemed unsatisfied, but with so many participants, it was impossible to continue longer.
Thanks to search magic, we found the monsters fairly quickly. Since this experience is so different from training at the practice grounds, we’ll schedule monster battles about once a month.
Once they’ve gained more experience, we might explore areas with stronger monsters or form parties within the class to handle searches and combat together.
“It was so scary…”
“Yeah, it’s nothing like practicing magic in the training grounds…”
“It had been a while since I fought monsters, but I felt much more in control this time!”
“Hmm, everyone managed to defeat their targets, so there’s no problem. Real combat experience with monsters provides lessons you can’t get in practice alone.”
With that, today’s B- and C-Class lessons concluded, and we returned to the academy.
“Ugh, I’m so envious. I couldn’t get permission to join. I told them Professor Geek would be supervising and nothing would go wrong, but…”
“I feel the same… it’s such a shame.”
Tomorrow is S-Class’s field combat lesson, but Eliza couldn’t participate due to her family’s refusal to grant permission.
Well, considering what happened recently, it’s understandable that they’re cautious about outdoor lessons. Her bodyguard, Sophia, also won’t attend to stay with Eliza.
Of course, it’s not just Eliza—students who don’t wish to participate or can’t get parental permission are assigned self-study instead. Real combat exercises are inherently far more dangerous than regular training. Even in today’s B- and C-Class lessons, some students stayed back for similar reasons.
“Eliza and Sophia probably don’t need real combat training, but if you get permission, feel free to join. In the meantime, I’ve booked the training grounds for the day after tomorrow. Other students will also be invited, but if you’re interested, you should come.”
“Yes, I’ll definitely participate to make up for missing the outdoor lesson!”
“Thank you. I’ll join as well.”
The after-school combat exercises will involve all classes together. Considering S-Class hasn’t had much interaction with other classes, I just hope there won’t be any issues…
