Chapter 49

‘W-What kind of kid’s eyes are these…’

Jake clenched his teeth. He wanted to get up, but not even a finger could move. When he was at a loss, light footsteps approached.

“You came from the Magic Tower, right? Oh, you’re early.”

The lightness of the footsteps matched the lightness of the voice, and the stiffened head moved. A red-haired elf was smiling.

“Ri, Rimer, Chief Instructor?”

“Yes. Come this way. I have something to say before the training.”

Rimer patted his arm and pointed to the Chief Instructor’s office.

“Um, I understand.”

As he answered, he turned his head back to where Raon was. He was swinging his sword as if he didn’t care.

“Phew…”

Jake exhaled and got up. If he had been a little slower, he might have wet his pants.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I’m fine. Let’s go.”

“Sure!”

Following Rimer, who nodded lightly, he entered the Chief Instructor’s office. The room was messy, unlike his clean face, with no place to sit.

“Sit down.”

“There’s no place to sit….”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Rimer laughed lightly and got up from the rocking chair.

“Well, it won’t take long. Let’s do it like this. You know that you need to cast an enhancement spell on the orc that the trainees will face, right?”

“Of course.”

“My teaching has been so excellent that the trainees’ combat skills have surpassed their age. A regular orc won’t even be enough for training.”

“Uh….”

His head went blank at the sudden boasting.

“I’ll tell you the level of the children’s combat skills, and please cast the enhancement spell on the monster accordingly. Is that possible?”

“It’s not a difficult task. My main expertise is in monster summoning and control.”

“Well, even Deputy Tower Master Berwin praised you, Mr. Mage.”

“Ah….”

Rimer’s expression twisted ambiguously when he mentioned the Deputy Tower Master.

“Just one more thing, the illusion spell to make the monster look human….”

“Oh, that can be solved with this.”

Jake raised his right hand and showed the ring on his middle finger.

“It’s an illusion-type artifact given by the Deputy Tower Master. Using this ring, it’s easy to cast illusions on the trainees.”

“Oh, perfect.”

Rimer whistled, pleased.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. If it goes well, I’ll buy you a drink with the Deputy Tower Master later.”

He said that and left the office.

‘This will be easier.’

Rimer had entrusted all the monster-related tasks to him. With this, it wouldn’t be difficult to summon the orc and inflict a fatal wound on Raon, or to make an excuse and run away.

“That kid….”

Jake recalled Raon he had seen earlier. At first, he felt a bit sorry for having to injure a child he didn’t know, but not anymore.

He would give a more severe injury to that brat who had humiliated him.

* * *

Raon’s eyes darkened as he saw the middle-aged mage following Rimer into the office.

For a moment, he sensed a murderous intent from that mage. It was more like a desire to harm rather than to kill. No one else would have detected it if it weren’t for him.

-At your age, you have so much grudge. What kind of life have you lived? When I was in the Demon Realm, all demons revered me….

‘Shut up.’

Raon pushed away Las, who was sneering.

‘It’s probably that guy.’

The mage was likely the trick prepared by Carun, as Judiel had mentioned.

-Not even able to properly hide his own aura, he’s worse than a kitten.

‘At least kittens are cute. A guy like him is useless.’

Raon ran his hand through his hair as he looked at the office.

‘He’ll enhance the monster.’

That mage would undoubtedly follow Carun’s instructions to specially enhance the monster he would face.

‘He’ll either try to kill me or inflict serious injuries.’

The plan was so pathetic that it made him laugh. He was an overqualified father compared to his son.

‘Pathetic.’

He clicked his tongue and turned his head, meeting Lunan’s eyes as she entered the training ground. Her eyes were the same as usual after two days, but it made his heart ache for some reason.

“Dad said today’s training will be a battle with a monster.”

She spoke about today’s training, seemingly not wanting to think about what happened then.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Lunan nodded vigorously. It was clear she was pretending to be normal, but it seemed she was trying to forget about it, so he didn’t say anything.

She said she would prepare for the training and entered the lounge.

-Not going to say anything?

‘I don’t know what to say. And it’s a family matter.’

He didn’t even understand his own feelings, so how could he give advice on someone else’s family matters?

However, he knew what Sylia had done to Lunan. If given the chance, he could resolve it.

“M-Master. Do you know about this?”

Dorian, looking uneasy, approached, touching his stomach.

“What?”

“Today’s practical training. It’s not just fighting a monster.”

“Then what?”

“You have to kill the monster! You have to see real blood! What, what do we do?”

He bit his nails and rolled his eyes.

“See real blood….”

“Yes! The goal of the training is to cut off the monster’s breath! It’s crazy!”

“Well, that’s good.”

“Eek!”

Raon looked at the lounge where Lunan had gone, ignoring Dorian’s scream.

Maybe it’s time to lift the curse.

* * *

“Attention!”

Rimer, who had entered the office, was now on the platform. He clapped his hands to gather everyone’s attention.

“We’ll have a practical training session today, so I told you to prepare mentally, right?”

“Yes!”

The trainees gathered in the center of the training ground and answered. Their faces were filled with anticipation.

“You seem to trust me a bit more now. Your eyes are sparkling.”

The trainees chuckled at Rimer’s joke. After spending a lot of time together, they seemed to understand his sincerity to some extent.

“Thanks to hints and some instructors spreading information, most of you probably know, but I’ll explain. Today’s training is a real battle with a monster.”

His voice, which had been playful a moment ago, lowered. The atmosphere in the training ground became heavy.

“The monster’s axe shows no mercy. Unlike when you fight each other or with the training knights, it won’t stop. Don’t be complacent or tense. Approach the battle calmly as you usually do.”

“Yes!”

The trainees clenched their fists and shouted.

“This is Mr. Jake, a mage from the Magic Tower, who will assist us today. Please greet him.”

“Thank you!”

“I, I also thank you.”

Jake bowed and quickly looked around for Raon.

‘He seems fine now?’

The strange gaze that had gripped his heart earlier was gone. His eyes were as ordinary as someone you might pass on the street.

‘But….’

The aura from earlier couldn’t have been a hallucination. Given what Carun is targeting, there must be something special about that child.

“Then, Mr. Mage, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

Jake nodded to Rimer, who waved his hand, and stepped forward.

“Summon Monster.”

As Jake chanted and tapped his staff on the ground, a magic circle appeared on the training ground floor. Green light rose from the blue letters that formed a circle.

Rumble!

The light slowly faded, and a giant figure appeared.

Over 2 meters tall, bulging muscles, protruding tusks, and green skin. It was an orc, the most common and dangerous monster.

“Grrr!”

“Suck!”

“Ugh!”

The orc raised the axe in his hand and gnashed his teeth. The sudden surge of wild killing intent and ferocity made the trainees swallow hard.

“Don’t worry; it’s under my control now.”

As Jake twirled his finger, the orc turned in that direction.

“The monster you’ll face today is this orc.”

“Of course, it’s an orc!”

“Finally, a real battle….”

“Phew.”

The trainees looked up at Jake with faces mixed with tension and excitement.

“Don’t be complacent just because it’s an orc, as the instructor said. There will be moments when I can’t stop it, so always stay focused. And….”

Jake pointed at the orc with the ring on his right hand.

Rumble.

The magic circle that enveloped the orc twisted like vines and emitted a brilliant multicolored light. The orc’s appearance began to change.

The protruding tusks retracted, and the green skin turned pale. In a few seconds, the orc transformed into an ordinary middle-aged man with brown hair and an axe.

“H-Human?”

“What is this?”

“Why is it suddenly a human….”

“You’ll be facing not just an orc, but an orc that has been transformed into a human by magic.”

Jake moved the orc’s axe to point at the trainees.

“Gasp!”

“Ugh!”

“That’s just a human!”

The trainees were startled by the sudden change and stared at the orc that had become human with wide eyes.

“Let me add one more thing.”

Rimer stepped forward and raised his finger.

“Today’s battle is not just about defeating or neutralizing the orc. You must cut off its head to finish.”

He pointed at the orc that looked human.

“Ah….”

“T-That’s….”

The trainees were flustered and looked at each other, unable to step forward.

“Most of the orcs captured by mages have killed humans. There’s no need for mercy, so fight with all your strength and win.”

Rimer, speaking in a heavy tone unlike his usual self, stepped back.

‘Dorian’s information was accurate.’

Raon nodded.

‘It’s a good training session.’

Most swordsmen can’t bring their swords down fully in their first real battle against a human.

Many talented individuals have died in their first real battle, despite having excellent combat skills.

Today’s battle is a dual training session, not just to face a monster but to prepare for future real battles against humans.

‘And….’

Raon looked at Lunan, who was trembling at the mention of cutting off the head.

‘This is perfect for lifting her curse.’

Rimer might not know, but this training could help remove the brainwashing Sylia implanted in Lunan’s mind.

-You’re not even paying attention to that trash mage?

‘Of course not.’

Raon nodded. It’s obvious he’ll just enhance a somewhat fierce orc he got from somewhere. There’s no need to be tense.

What’s important now is to remove the fear of blood from Lunan’s mind.

“Then let’s start. The first to fight is….”

“I’ll do it.”

Before Jake could finish, Barran raised his hand.

“You know, right? I’m the son of the Heavy Weapon Master. Please enhance the orc’s physical abilities a lot.”

“Understood.”

Jake licked his lips, remembering Rimer’s words. He knew it was the son of the person who gave him this task.

“Rup Agility, Rup Strength.”

As he chanted the spells for enhancing agility and strength, a blue light enveloped the orc. The orc’s yellow eyes took on a more ferocious look.

“Go.”

As Jake pointed his finger forward, the orc, now looking like a middle-aged man, walked forward with heavy steps.

Thud.

Barran clenched and unclenched his fists a few times, then drew the real sword he had been given. He nodded to Jake, indicating he was ready.

“Then let’s begin.”

As Jake flicked his finger, the letters that had been enveloping the orc’s body disappeared.

“Roar!”

The orc let out a roar and kicked the ground. It charged at Barran like a beast, raising its axe.

“I can see everything.”

Barran raised his sword, using aura.

Clang!

The rusty axe and the polished sword clashed, sending sparks flying.

“Gasp!”

Barran’s eyes widened. His hand, holding the sword, shook as if it were creaking.

‘What is this weight….’

Although he had never seen or faced an orc before, he thought he could easily cut it down with his current abilities.

However, the weight of the orc’s axe was not something he could easily handle. It was no less than the training knights he had faced in the Owen Kingdom.

“Hyaah!”

Barran forcefully turned his wrist, deflecting the orc’s axe.

“Grrr!”

The orc was pushed back two steps but charged again at a faster speed. Its eyes, glowing yellow, were filled with the intent to tear Barran apart.

The trainees behind him were startled by the killing intent, but Barran didn’t flinch.

“Dare you!”

Instead, he was enraged and slashed his sword.

Clang! Clang!

As the orc swung its axe like it was facing a mortal enemy, Barran’s sword found its opening.

Squish!

Red blood spurted from the orc’s shoulder and thigh.

“Gaaaah!”

But it let out a more intense roar and charged. It now felt like facing a beast.

“I’ll finish you!”

Barran charged under the orc and swung his sword upward.

Swoosh!

As he tried to behead the orc by pushing away its axe, Barran’s sword veered to the right. The orc’s arm was torn halfway.

“Ugh….”

Barran bit his lip, unable to finish the orc despite having the chance.

“Grrr!”

The orc, with its shoulder and elbow torn, charged like a bull. Its strength was waning, but its ferocity remained.

Swish!

Barran used his footwork to charge behind the orc, which had slowed down. As he swung his sword horizontally to aim for the orc’s neck, his sword stopped again.

“Damn!”

Barran cursed and stepped back. The