Chapter 343
The heads of the noble houses all nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I’m looking forward to it. I wonder how that so-called hero will fare in front of our Aiden.”
“Still, we shouldn’t let Aiden humiliate him too much.”
“Haha, I’ll tell him to take it easy.”
With those cheerful words, their conversation came to a close.
All except one.
Throughout the discussion, one man wore a heavy expression.
William, head of the prestigious Jeonwang family.
In his previous life, he had been a companion of the hero’s party—and the only one to have met Chris in person.
‘…Will this really be okay?’
He knew Aiden’s skills well.
Aiden was the young tiger of the Round Table, a warrior who had reached the upper echelon of 7-star mastery, a level comparable to William himself.
Though he wasn’t sure of the hero’s current achievements, Aiden was certainly no slouch.
But William couldn’t shake the memory of the mocking smile Chris had given him the last time they met.
—“The so-called tiger of the Round Table? Is this all you’ve got? Pathetic.”
William’s face darkened.
It wasn’t just about levels or accomplishments.
Chris was someone unworthy of association.
That was the impression William had of him.
And yet, here was Chris baring his teeth against such a man.
It was frustrating, but as a member of a relatively minor house within the Round Table, William had no power to stop the others.
‘…Feels like a storm is brewing.’
He sighed.
But what William didn’t realize was that what was coming wasn’t just a storm cloud.
A calamity named Chris was beginning to cast its shadow over the Round Table.
The city of Kainfer, home to the training academy, buzzed with excitement.
Today marked the first day of the academy’s session.
People had flocked from all corners of the continent, and the citizens murmured in awe.
“Wow. There seem to be more dazzling figures than usual this time.”
“I heard some truly remarkable people were coming.”
The academy wasn’t held every year.
Only once every five years.
During that time, the continent’s most outstanding talents were carefully selected and invited.
So, every attendee was a formidable individual—and this year’s batch was especially impressive.
Evan from the renowned swordsmanship family.
Lanya from the Sky Magic Tower.
Even the famed hero himself.
“I heard the hero is coming as a professor?”
“That’s what they say. But there are rumors he’s not the real hero.”
“Yeah, the real hero is supposed to be Aiden.”
The citizens exchanged puzzled looks.
The noble houses of the Round Table had been quietly spreading rumors to undermine Chris.
Though, it hadn’t been very effective.
“Aiden the hero? That’s laughable.”
The crowd scoffed.
Aiden was undeniably talented, but his character left much to be desired.
He was arrogant to the extreme.
A typical great man drunk on his own talent, looking down on others.
“Knowing Aiden’s temper, he probably won’t stay quiet. I bet he’ll cause trouble again.”
“Exactly.”
The citizens spoke with a hint of worry, as if this was a familiar story.
But surprisingly, the first troublemaker wasn’t Aiden.
Before the academy officially began, Chris stepped onto the grounds whistling.
‘First time at Kainfer Academy.’
Of course, in his previous life, he’d never had the chance to come here.
Turning his gaze, he saw those who had come to greet him.
“Your Highness, Prince of the Karn Empire.”
The academy’s faculty.
Chris was no longer just a hero; he was disguised as a royal of the Karn Empire, so they had come to pay their respects.
At the front of the group was a familiar face.
William, the Tiger.
One of the heads of the Round Table houses, and the lead professor responsible for this session.
“Sir William, it’s been a while.”
Chris tilted his chin up and sneered at William.
“Looks like your core’s finally healed up a bit.”
William scowled deeply.
After their last duel, William’s core had been badly damaged, causing him great suffering.
And now Chris was mocking him about it.
“…It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
“Yes, good to see you again. I have something to discuss with you privately. Can you spare a moment?”
“…Follow me.”
The feeling was ominous.
Facing Chris, William’s unease only grew.
His instincts were right.
No sooner had they been alone than Chris launched into a wild proposal.
“Aren’t you grateful to me?”
“…What do you mean?”
“I’m the hero, and I’ve come here as a professor. This should be an honor for the academy, right?”
It was absurd, but William nodded anyway.
“…Yes. We have high expectations for you, Your Highness.”
“Good. Then hand over the authority of lead professor to me.”
“…What did you say? Are you insane?”
William blinked in disbelief at the ridiculous demand.
“There’s no reason why not. Isn’t it standard that the best professor takes the lead?”
Chris smirked.
“Frankly, I’m far more qualified than you.”
William bristled, but it was true.
Since their reunion, William had been shocked.
‘Impossible. How could he have grown so much in such a short time?’
The last time they met, Chris had just reached 7-star mastery.
By achievement alone, William was superior.
But now, there was no way to gauge Chris’s true level.
There was only one conclusion.
‘He must have reached 8-star in that short time.’
8-star!
If true, it would shock the entire alliance.
No one, not even the prodigy Mahwi of the Dark Mage Empire, had ever reached 8-star at such a young age.
Still, even if the hero before him had truly reached 8-star, William couldn’t accept handing over the lead professor role.
“That’s still too much.”
“Because I’m an outsider? So Kainfer Academy is rotten too.”
“!!”
Chris laughed scornfully.
“Aren’t you ashamed to call this the cradle of the alliance?”
William had no answer.
In truth, Kainfer Academy, once the continent’s premier training institution, had long since become a hollow shell.
Originally, it had sought to recruit the best professors from across the land.
There were times when 9-star masters were invited to teach.
But now, it was just a stage for the Round Table nobles to show off.
The students came for the prestige of being alumni, not for true achievement.
“It’s not just the academy. The Round Table is the same.”
“……”
“Drunk on their own arrogance, rotting from within. Just frogs in a well, the lot of them.”
Calling the elite Round Table frogs in a well was harsh—but true.
William knew this painfully well.
He had seen the schemes behind the scenes to undermine the hero.
“Don’t you want to change the Round Table?”
“!!”
William’s face stiffened.
“…What do you mean?”
“You know as well as I do that the Round Table won’t survive the coming calamity as it is.”
Chris spoke firmly.
“If you give me the lead professor’s authority, I’ll not only revive Kainfer Academy but also reshape the Round Table.”
William looked confused.
Even if he became lead professor, how could he possibly change the Round Table?
It seemed impossible.
But looking at the hero’s face, William fell silent.
Chris twisted the corner of his mouth as if it were a simple task—and yet, a chill ran down William’s spine.
In that moment, a vision flashed through his mind: the Round Table completely overturned.
“Besides, don’t you owe me a debt?”
“…What debt?”
“Thanks to me, you’ve achieved great progress. When someone does you a favor, you should repay it.”
William frowned deeply.
After their last duel, Chris had insulted him like this:
—“Is that all? Boring enough to yawn. Try to be more like me.”
Ridiculous as it was, that humiliating fight had inspired William to improve his mana control, solving a chronic problem and making him much stronger than before.
He hated to admit it, but he had benefited from that annoying brat.
“Trust me, the hero.”
Chris smiled slyly.
“It’s part of a hero’s duty to reform those who have rotted.”
That cold smile made William swallow hard.
In the end, William agreed to Chris’s demand.
But only halfway.
He would grant Chris the lead professor’s authority for just one week, on a trial basis.
After that, he would decide based on Chris’s performance.
‘That should be enough.’
Chris whistled as he stepped into the grand hall.
One hundred.
One hundred carefully selected talents from across the alliance looked up at him.
“Glad to see you all. No need for introductions—I’m sure you’ve heard enough about me.”
Chris raised his chin and surveyed the group.
His gaze was like that of a critic, causing the students to frown slightly.
“You’re all pathetic.”
“!!”
“Is this the best the alliance has to offer? What a joke.”
The atmosphere in the hall turned icy.
But Chris was serious.
‘I expected this, but it’s even worse than I thought.’
He had said it before: this academy wasn’t a place to nurture sprouts.
It was for the most outstanding newcomers from the past five years.
Yet, few had reached 6-star mastery.
Most were 5-star.
Some even 4-star.
‘Worse than our Dark League.’
A bitter laugh escaped him.
The trainees bristled at Chris’s bitter, half-hearted laugh.
“That’s a harsh thing to say.”
“Shut your mouth. You really think you have the right to talk big with skills like that?”
“!!”
“If it were me, I’d be too ashamed to say a word, even if I had ten mouths.”
The remarks grew increasingly harsh, but the trainees dared not respond further.
Chris exuded a quiet but undeniable pressure.
‘What’s with that attitude?’
The trainees swallowed hard.
He hadn’t even raised his energy level.
Still, no one could bring themselves to speak.
It was as if they were standing before someone on a completely different plane.
Meanwhile, Chris frowned inwardly, genuinely irritated.
It wasn’t just that the trainees were lacking in skill.
There were people here who simply shouldn’t be.
Chris sighed and raised a finger.
“You.”
“…Yes?”
“And you, you, and you.”
He kept pointing at one candidate after another.
Not just one or two—nearly thirty in total.
“Pack your things and leave. Now.”
“!!”
Those singled out shouted in shock.
“What do you mean? Why us?”
“Why?” Chris asked, staring them down.
“Do you really have to ask? You know damn well you don’t belong here.”