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Chapter 85: The Butterfly Effect For The Author (5)

* * *Two days after the academy raid incident, early in the morning.Principal Himena was sitting in her office, battling a thick pile of documents titled ‘Damage Report.’Medical expenses and compensation for almost hundreds of casualties along with the enormous damage costs and restoration fees left in the aftermath of the battle.Complaints and appeasements kept pouring in from all directions.And no matter how much they were processed, the complex material and political issues seemed never-ending.Setting the documents aside for a moment, the principal massaged her temples.She hadn’t slept for the past two days, her head was throbbing, and the accumulated fatigue was making her eyes dry… But the thought of rest did not pass her mind.The real problems hadn’t even started yet.…Those damned unscrupulous reporters.Even at this very moment, reporters from all over the world were flocking to the scene.The Australian and U.S. Navy forces stationed on the island were doing their best to control access and prevent information from leaking.However, as the Academy was not a military facility, it was impossible to censor every single communication.Stalling by telling parents and faculty member’s families, ‘We’re still assessing the situation’ had reached its limit long ago.And by the time the sun rose, the media would have roughly grasped the situation and started publishing articles.I expected this, but… it’s still exhausting.The principal massaged her temples, thinking about the criticism that would be directed at the Academy.The fact that the attack coincidentally took place during a season with no major news didn’t help either.Although Manchuria was still drawing some attention, even that seemed like it would be wrapping up soon.For the hyena-like media companies, the tragedy at the Academy was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.And once public opinion got worse… those who have been eyeing the Academy would tear it apart.And France in particular, as they had been desperately trying for over 10 years to make the Superhuman Department in Grandes Écoles surpass Lord Howe’s Superhuman School. They would undoubtedly keep bringing up this incident over and over again to undermine Lord Howe.Three months until the Superhuman Olympia… it’s going to be a nightmare.The principal sighed as she picked up another report.This report was titled ‘Analysis of the Relationship Between the Transfer Student and the Holy Sword and Countermeasures.’She began reading the report slowly, meticulously, without missing a single word.The report written by the dwarf teacher who had gone all the way to Manchuria… wasn’t long. However, it wasn’t substantial either.How did the Holy Sword and the transfer student meet, what led to their connection, and what was the exact nature of their current relationship…Not a single thing was identified properly. They were all conjectures followed by more conjectures.To be honest, the report fell short of the standard.However, the principal didn’t throw or tear it up.Even though it didn’t meet the standards, it provided the information she had hoped for.Just as she grabbed the receiver…“Ahem.”A soft cough came from behind.The principal gathered her mana as she checked the mirror on the desk. And as soon as she confirmed the identity of the person reflected in the mirror, she sighed.“…What are you doing here at this hour?”“Your request has been completed.”It was a woman with a blue mask covering the upper half of her face and a long blue coat reaching down to her calves.“…I didn’t expect President Moryne to deliver the report personally.”“You are an important client. I couldn’t just send an ordinary employee.”As they continued their brief conversation, the principal tried hard to not be conscious of the report in her hand.She slowly set the report down as naturally as possible. Then, she deliberately shifted her body to completely hide the report from the other’s view.It might have seemed like an exaggerated measure, but the principal still felt it was insufficient.After all, the report was related to the ‘Holy Sword’ and it was a document that should never be shown to outsiders, not even its title.Especially since the person in front of her was the head of a comprehensive information management company… or simply called the Information Guild.Had the principal’s act worked? Fortunately, it didn’t seem like the other person had noticed the report.Without even glancing at the report on the desk, the woman extended her hand toward the principal.“First, please verify the information.”In the hand of the Blue Rat President were two sheets of paper, each slightly smaller than the size of a palm.Although there was no explanation, the principal understood that these were spell sheets containing a memory transfer spell, something the Blue Rat Company prided themselves on.“…You could have just given me a report.”“It’s safer this way.”The principal didn’t bother arguing and just accepted the spell sheets.The two spell sheets had the titles ‘Status of Academy Internal Spies’ and ‘List of Potential External Teachers and Conciliatory Measures for Special Training’ respectively.The principal stared at the titles of the spell sheets for a moment before waving her hand dismissively.“The payment will be deposited into the usual account. Thank you for your hard work.”Though it was a clear dismissal, the Blue Rat President did not leave the room and kept staring at her in silence.“…Anything else?”“There’s one thing… I need your permission.”“Permission… what kind of permission?”The word ‘permission’ made the principal feel an inexplicable sense of unease. What was she planning to do that would require permission?“I wish to converse with a certain student. Unofficially, of course.”“…”Unofficially? That was a rather elegant way of saying that she wanted to sneak into the Academy.Anyway, it wasn’t as big of a request as she expected. The principal nodded with a sigh.“Do as you please. If a parent wishes to meet their child, who am I to stop them?”“…”“Now, go ahead. Have a good time with your daughter.”Yet again, the Blue Rat President didn’t leave.Instead, she even smiled awkwardly under her mask and looked at the principal’s back.“…It’s not your daughter you wish to meet, right?”The Blue Rat President nodded silently. It was an unspoken confirmation.“…Sigh.”The principal didn’t ask who the Blue Rat President was going to meet. There was no way she would give her a straight answer either.“…Alright, I’ll allow it as long as you don’t harm the student in any way. And though it won’t happen, try not to get caught by the military.”As soon as she obtained permission, the Blue Rat President disappeared from the room in the same manner she entered it.The principal stared at the spot where the Blue Rat President had been just a moment ago before turning back and sitting down at her desk again, only after confirming that there was no other presence in the room.“The problems keep creeping up, it feels like climbing mountain after mountain…”The principal gazed at the spell paper titled ‘Status of Academy Internal Spies’ with a bitter expression.However, she didn’t use the spell sheets right away. There was something more important to handle at the moment.

‘List of Potential External Teachers and Conciliatory Measures for Special Training’

The principal held the spell sheets that contained information that could potentially change the fate of the academy and every student attending before falling into deep thought for a moment.

Her deliberation didn’t last long.“If there’s no path, you have to cross the mountain.”And the next moment, she infused the spell sheets with mana.

* * *Five days after the large-scale terrorist attack.

The academy was struggling to return to everyday life.The principal had prioritized the repair of the students’ dormitories and the main building above all else.Fortunately, the construction didn’t take long.Because unlike the other places, where they were having a hard time clearing away thousands of zombie corpses, the area around the dormitory and main building was completely cleared up by the Holy Sword, who turned all the zombies to dust.Anyway, they managed to repair the main building in just three days.Although they could have resumed classes immediately, the principal did not force them to do so.Instead, she categorized all classes as ‘temporary classes’ and allowed students to attend as they wished.Some students were puzzled by this decision.However, the staff, especially those with military backgrounds, agreed with it wholeheartedly.They felt it was too soon to resume classes right away, given the significant events the students had just experienced.The sudden terrorist attack, the hordes of zombies swarming all around…Just one of these events could result in lifelong trauma, but they faced both in quick succession.Even the second-year students, who were safely hidden in the shelters, reported mild stress, while among the third-year students, who had suffered direct casualties, there was a surge of students looking into withdrawing from the academy.Of course, not all students were traumatized. After all, the students of Lord Howe were different from the average student.They were Superhumans who could wield mana, and each one striving to overcome the trauma in their own way.A priest-in-training created a memorial for the deceased staff and held prayer meetings to console their sorrow.While some students locked themselves in the training room, focusing on intense training.The first-year students, who had witnessed the battle firsthand in particular, were determined to improve their skills.Some of them even skipped classes to seek guidance from upper-grade combat instructors, causing trouble for the teachers.As a result… the academy was yet to return to normal.In particular, the ‘temporary classes’ also had an atmosphere that was very different from usual.Attendance in subjects like Ethics and World History was low, and most students struggled to focus even in subjects like Magic and Faith Education.The only exception was the combat class.

* * *First-year Academy Main Building, Outdoor Training Ground.

“It’s been a while, students.”In the vast space, where nearly a hundred students could move simultaneously, the dwarf instructor addressed the students.“I am Margan, the instructor will be taking the hand-to-hand combat class today. Since your regular instructor, Mr. Antoine, is currently hospitalized, I will be covering this class temporarily.”While it might have seemed strange for Margan, who usually taught Ethics, to teach hand-to-hand combat, none of the students complained.That was because they remembered seeing him drenched in the blood and flesh of countless zombies outside the shelter on the day of the terror attack.Unaware of this, Margan sighed in relief on seeing the students’ reactions.“Since this is a temporary class, we will be paying more attention to the basics rather than following the usual curriculum. I hope you understand.”As an experienced teacher, he proceeded with the class smoothly.“As you all know, hand-to-hand combat includes battles between Superhumans, as well as Superhumans and civilians. So you first need to learn how to control your strength properly to become functional members of society….”It was a typical lesson, starting with an explanation about the theory behind using mana and martial arts as Superhumans, followed by a brief demonstration to teach the students how to utilize the combat techniques.As the lesson progressed for a while, one of the students interrupted.- Instead of the basics, is there anything useful for actual combat?It wasn’t clear whether the lesson seemed too simple to the students specializing in martial arts or if it was because they had just gone through a terror incident, but every student present in the training ground shared similar thoughts.- Is there a way to counter guns?- What about strategies for fighting zombies?- This so-called hand-to-hand combat is really just about controlling our strength to avoid killing civilians, isn’t it?Margan didn’t ignore the gazes and questions directed at him. After listening to the students for a moment, he responded in a serious tone.“I understand that, given the recent series of events, you all wish to learn practical combat techniques.”The dwarf instructor made eye contact with each student as he continued speaking.“But at times like this, the basics are even more important. Teaching a child who has just learned to walk how to run is no different from making them trip deliberately.”His words were logical. While not everyone agreed, they couldn’t refute him easily.The students fell silent, and a brief moment of stillness filled the training ground before disappearing.“Ahem. Now, let’s get back to the lesson….”Just as Margan cleared his throat and was about to continue with the class…- How about a sparring match, then?This time, a voice that was different from the student who had spoken earlier interrupted Margan.It was a gentle voice from a boy.A voice that Margan… no, everyone else gathered here knew very well.“…Jeon Yunseong, what do you mean by a sparring match?”Margan and the students turned their gazes towards Jeon Yunseong, who was standing at the edge of the training ground.Though he flinched slightly, possibly uncomfortable due to the sudden attention, he soon spoke with determination.“Isn’t sparring between students and observing those matches also part of hand-to-hand combat? Especially in a temporary class like this.”“…Student Jeon Yunseong.”“And, we happen to have a student who can share actual combat experience with us.”With those words, Jeon Yunseong turned towards the other side.At the end of his gaze, standing at the back of the student group, was a student with golden eyes.Cheon Yeomyeong, the transfer student who had saved all the first-year students.With a determined voice, Jeon Yunseong addressed the student who had been quietly listening to the class.“Cheon Yeomyeong.”“…?”“…Let’s spar.”As Margan sighed and massaged his forehead, murmurs of anticipation spread among the students.