Iron Blooded Hound

The midterm exam period, which felt long, is already halfway over.

And one quiet afternoon, on the sunny terrace of a cafe.

"I hear you've been very busy lately."

"It's kind of like that."

Dolores, the student council president, and Vikir, a first-year student, were having a conversation.

As the head of the newspaper club, Dolores took advantage of this opportunity to honestly say things she had not been able to say before.

"I'm really sorry about the pissing incident, and I didn't explain it in time, and it got out of hand. And I'm so grateful that you stood up for me."

"We can make mistakes; that's what makes us human."

Vikir nodded without thinking.

Just then.

"...!"

Dolores froze for a moment when she heard Vikir's response.

Suddenly, a voice echoed in her ears.

'We can make mistakes. That's what makes us human.'

To her surprise, it was the comforting voice of the night hound she had heard that night.

The same comfort for the same worry, but from a different person. Could this be a coincidence?

'...Sure, it's a coincidence.'

Dolores laughed a little at the ridiculousness of her own fleeting thought.

It's a comforting thought. It could happen to anyone, she thought.

Whatever.

Dolores had organized this to help the juniors in the club before their upcoming attack test.

Vikir tilted his head.

"The genealogy you passed on to me through Piggy the other day has helped me prepare well for the written test. Thank you."

Since strategies for 'killer ants' often come up in the notes and studying them can be used as a secondary skill in defense games, it's a good idea to research killer ants when choosing a topic for free research in the first place.

It saves you from having to study them twice.

But Dolores shook her head with a faint smile.

"Genealogy. Every other third year has one. Mine is just a little more organized than the others, nothing special, and I admire you for doing legendary research with it."

"Yeah. You're like that too."

" ... You're being honest, too."

Dolores smirked at Vikir's casual admission.

It was starting to look like this new kid's cockiness was coming into its own.

"Anyway, I called you here because I wanted to give you some advice for your upcoming attack test. I don't think you'll need it, seeing as how you're shooting a bow in your defense test, but just in case."

Once again, Dolores explained the structure of the midterm.

"Like I said, the midterm is 10% written, 50% defense, and 40% attack."

As of yesterday, the 10% written portion of the midterm and the 50% defense portion of the midterm were completed, leaving only the 40% attack portion of the midterm.

The written portion of the exam is actually not that important—only about 10% of the total score—but the defense and attack portions are 50% and 40%, respectively.

While the defense test is played in teams of four, the attack test is solely a solo performance.

The structure of the attack test is very simple.

It's a one-on-one, "professor vs. student" match.

The rules of the test are also much simpler than the defense test: you fight a golem controlled by a professor and win.

The test golem is a typical entry-level stone golem with one head, one body, two large arms, and two legs.

What makes it special is that the professors, who are experts in combat, control the golems with their own bodies.

The golem mimics the movements of the professor from a distance.

When a student faces a golem that moves in exactly the same way, at the same speed, and with the same combat style as the professor, they can't help but feel like they're fighting the professor directly.

However, since the opponent is a golem, the student is able to deploy the best kills he or she can, and the significance of this is that the student's true combat power can be measured.

Students have to fight against the professor, who is a master of combat, but they can feel the realism of real life through a confrontation with a strong opponent.

The rules were designed to minimize the number of casualties, as the professors would be unable to respond to the many variables created by so many students.

Dolores held up her index and middle fingers in a serious manner.

"First of all, there are two problems with your attack test."

Dolores folded her index finger.

"First, archers are at a disadvantage when facing a golem one-on-one."

In the defense game, archers have an advantage.

They can stand at a distance and score points while their teammates' tanks either catch most of them or only occasionally miss.

But in attack, it's different.

Since it's a 1v1 match, there are no tanks to line up in front of you, so you're on your own.

The moment you give the golem any distance, it's over.

Furthermore, the professor controlling the golem won't be hurting himself, so he'll just charge at you, and you won't be able to inflict any pain, so there's no point in hitting him.

This means that the only way for the archer to deal a fatal blow to the golem is to run here and there, creating distance and unleashing powerful arrows from time to time, which is impossible if they can't keep up with the professor's speed.

So what archers gain on the defense test, they lose on the attack test, and that's how the whole thing balances out.

... But Dolores wasn't done worrying yet.

She raised her middle finger, still looking serious.

"Second, the professor who will be in charge of you is... that 'Professor Sady'."

Vikir's eyes narrowed at that.

Professor Sady.

His full name was Donatien Alphonse Fran?ois Sady de Sade.

"You mean the pathetic professor who disappeared with the B-key to the Magic Wall and was found high and dry?"

"...Yes."

Dolores nodded with a deep sigh at Vikir's question.

Professor Sady. She's technically a 'parachute' figure.

The last lineage of the Marquis de Sade, who fell due to an unpleasant incident in the distant past, is now almost extinct.

Unable to watch the descendants of a once noble nobleman become miserable, she was transferred from a lowly position in the imperial palace to a professorship at the academy, which is probably similar to the practice of giving honorary honors to nobles.

Dolores shook her head.

"She's got a weird personality and a terrible work ethic, which makes her the number one professor to avoid among students. In fact, most of her classes are canceled for lack of interest. I've been in a few of her classes, and nine times out of ten she cancels them without warning, and that's first period in the morning. Oh, and the one time she did cancel, she did it with notice, so I never got to attend."

When the good and gentle Dolores says something like this, it really says it all.

In fact, Vikir also occasionally heard Professor Banshee and other professors badmouth Professor Sady.

She didn't seem to have a very good reputation, even among the professors themselves.

But Dolores, being the nice person that she is, had a few nice things to say about Professor Sady.

"But one thing is for sure: she's good at what she does. In addition to teaching at the academy, she's an advisor to the Imperial Guard on arrests and torture, and I hear she's recently been helping the military track down criminals."

"Tracking criminals?"

"Who else?"

At Dolores' words, Vikir nodded.

"A criminal of extraordinary proportions who has shaken the entire empire. A villain so vicious that even the Empire's military was mobilized.

I speak of the Night Hound.

'... ... I guess there's a tracer who looks like an idiot.'

Vikir thought for a moment, then shook his head.

From the sounds of it, Professor Sady was a lazy person who was very dissatisfied with life.

Why would a drunkard like that, who lives her life by getting drunk and letting things slide, be so eager to capture the Night Hound?

Vikir quickly pushed the thought of Professor Sady out of his mind.

Dolores, however, was not to be deterred and continued her warning.

"Professor Sady has one nasty habit: whenever she sees a talented student, she tries to ruin their path."

"In what way?"

"Well, she beats them so badly in the name of dueling that they become crippled... or she leaves them with severe 'post-traumatic stress disorder'... This is a rumor, but there are also rumors that she sexually traumatizes them, male or female. You should be careful."

"Sexually?"

"Well, not the scores. Sexual stuff."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know. They say it's because she's the last of a fallen marquise, so she has an inferiority complex about the descendants of the now successful family, but only she knows if that's true."

Professor Sadi is notorious for bullying students who are talented, come from noble families, are pretty, handsome, or just plain good.

Now that Vikir had performed so well in his defense and written exams, it was likely that Professor Sady would target him.

That worried Dolores to no end.

Just then.

"Good morning; it's a beautiful day, isn't it? Here's your parfait and espresso!"

A cheerful voice broke in between Vikir and Dolores.

...Clink!

Cold and hot cups were placed on the table.

And the part-time worker who brought them smiled broadly at Vikir and Dolores.

She was Sinclair.

Dolores's eyes widened, and she asked.

"Sinclair, do you work here?"

"Yes, Ms. President, only on weekend mornings! I was a replacement last night and this afternoon."

Beside Sinclair, who answered cheerfully, was Bianca, who looked pale.

Dolores asked them both.

"Why are you two working here?"

"Because tuition is coming up soon! I need to earn money for school, hehe. The first-year scholarship doesn't cover 100%, and I wanted to get some part-time cafe experience while I'm in school."

Sinclair was still a cheerful high school student (苦学生).

Bianca, on the other hand, had a simple reason.

"I like their uniforms."

Vikir scratched his head at that, but Dolores nodded in understanding.

Meanwhile, Sinclair set down the unordered biscuits and pies on the table.

"This is a service under my authority! Hyung, do you like sweets?"

"No, I don't."

"I'll keep that in mind next time!"

Sinclair was still cheerful.

She turned to Vikir as if she'd just remembered something.

"Oh, by the way. Did Hyung-ah pay his school fees this time?"

"No."

"When are you going to pay it?"

"Hmm."

Vikir stroked his chin.

He'd been so busy lately that he hadn't thought about tuition.

I've decided not to seek assistance from the Baskervilles, and it'll be a while before I can contact the Sindiwendi, who have entered the Red and Black Depth to trade with the Balak.

Much of the cost would be covered by the scholarship anyway, so the immediate out-of-pocket expenses weren't too great.

So Vikir asked Sinclair a question.

"I have a question about this cafe."

Vikir rarely asks a question first, so not only Sinclair but also Dolores and Bianca turn to look at him.

Finally, under the three women's gaze, Vikir spoke briefly.

"Do you have any men's jobs?"

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