A Death Row Convict Teaches at a School of Magic

gainst Rain was more astounding than a disgrace.

Indeed, defeat is an invaluable experience as well.
But there will be no next time.

As much as Karen despised the aristocracy, a race whose only characteristic was pride, the lady in question herself was also prideful without even being conscious of it.

Since then, rumors have been circulating about the Princess running around the city at the crack of dawn every day in frustration over losing to Rain, and Fina knew that Karen was actually planning to set up a revenge match against Rain in the near future.

―And when he caught wind of the rumor, there was no way the opportunity would go unseized.

“―Oh, what a coincidence at this early hour of the morning.”

Both of them, who were engaged in the running course near the riverbed, each reacted when they spotted the person who had called out to them.

“G-Good morning.”

“Good morning… you are very early, Teacher Kanaki.”

“Hahaha… I woke up early today.”

Fina gave a light bow as she ran, and Karen returned the greeting too, but with obvious displeasure in her eyes.

And Kanaki was not so insensitive that he failed to recognize it.
Even so, with a bitter smile on his face, Kanaki still ran next to Karen and Fina.

“The two of you are running this early daily? I am impressed.”

“Oh, thank you very much.
Now then, we want to devote ourselves to running, so we’ll see you back at school.”

“…”

Kanaki’s mouth almost shut at Karen’s nonchalant demeanor.
From the events of the morning of the entrance ceremony, Karen assumed that he was a foolish teacher, but apparently he has recently been attempting to cajole Fina.
Even Fina, who has been with Karen for many years, must have been influenced by Karen’s mindset, but to her surprise, this man has apparently earned somewhat of Fina’s trust.
He may not excel at magic, but he seemed to own a triple-tongued[i] that could work wonders.
The realization of this led Karen to be more or less wary and uncomfortable with the man in charge of her class.

“But it’s kind of mysterious.
A magician of both of your caliber would have more than enough physical ability with body enhancement magic, right? But why do you two train your body so meticulously?”

Karen was blatantly disappointed and disturbed by Kanaki’s words, which sounded like he was attempting to press out a response.

How could he not even understand such a thing? That’s why this man is so incompetent.
In any case, he must not even have undergone much training in magic.

“T-That’s a matter of being well-prepared for battle at all costs; if you suddenly rush into battle without preparation, your physical abilities will be affected to no small degree.”

Fina was the first to catch on to Karen’s fury.

On behalf of the master she served, she gave Kanaki a thorough explanation.

“A well-trained knight can close the distance of about ten meters in an instant when facing a magician.
Even if it is rudimentary magic, it takes only a short time to be activated, and that split second can be the deciding factor on the battlefield.
Needless to say, if we consistently practice, even we magicians are effective against them.”

“I see.
Does that mean it’s effective in our academy’s mock battles, which start with the process of generating magical power?”

As Kanaki nodded his head with a triumphant expression, Karen shot him a sideways, icy glare.

“That’s what I meant.
If you understand, may I ask you to leave now? You are an ‘ordinary’ magician, and running at this speed would be too much for you to bear for today’s work, Teacher.”

“No, well, that’s all right, but, yeah…”

The cynicism of Karen’s remarks was softly washed away, and Kanaki next to her raised his gaze in contemplation.
The cool expression on his face evoked a tinge of unease in Karen.

Now that I think about it, how can this man keep up with us so effortlessly when he doesn’t appear to be using his magical power…

“―Yeah, well, this is about right.
Do you two have some time now?”

“What?”

As her attention was jolted back and Karen reflexively turned to look next to her, Kanaki offered a strangely reassuring smile.

“Would you like to practice martial arts a little with me from now on?”

——————

T/N:

[i] Triple-tongued is double-tongued but with a stronger emphasis in Japanese