I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

“Crush the enemy, Ice Fang.”

A massive icicle came crashing down above the head of the tall man. On either side of him stood Camellia and Ricardo. If he dodged, he would face their attacks; if he stayed, he would be crushed by the enormous icicle. A classic pincer strategy, one the internet might have once described as “The Ultimate Annihilation Formation.”

“I don’t particularly enjoy such trivial tactics or mind games…”

Suddenly, a glint of deep blue steel flashed, and his robe billowed. The colossal icicle shattered into fine, snow-like fragments, falling to the ground like hail. The scene was incomprehensible. Did that massive ice construct just disintegrate with one swing?

“Couldn’t you at least entertain me a little, dear heroes?”

“Shut it, you monstrous bastard…”

Ricardo, who had been on defense, was already bloodied. He had taken every blow directed at Camellia and me, leaving him in his current state.

“Perhaps it’s time you ‘gave it your all.’ As you can see, I’m not the kind of opponent you can fight while holding back.”

The mention of going all out changed the expressions on both Ricardo and Camellia’s faces.

“How much does this bastard know…?”

“Ah, let me rephrase. I mean you should use your ‘Heroic Relics.'”

How did this guy know about that? “Heroic Relics” were a core mechanic in Dragnity Fantasy 1. Essentially, they were tools that grew alongside their wielders, though in reality, they functioned as skill trees that determined play styles.

But after the events of the first game, most of the relics had been lost. As a result, most heroes couldn’t perform at the same level in the sequel. Many players found the system frustrating, and some sent lengthy, 5,700-character complaint emails to the developers. Most of those players never came back, likely due to disappointment with the game.

“…We don’t need to use our relics against the likes of you.”

“Hmph… so arrogant to the end. I suppose I’ll just have to push you to the point where you have no choice but to use them.”

The tall man’s aura of killing intent grew even more intense. Had he been holding back all this time? Like some cliché villain, was he only using “10% of his power”? I absolutely hated opponents who tested the waters like this.

“Arondight, First Seal Release.”

The deep blue blade he wielded began to glow with an azure energy that then exploded outward, a force so intense that it pushed me, Camellia, and Ricardo back slightly.

“Now that I’ve taken the trouble to release a seal, it would be wise to fight me seriously.”

“Seals, my ass…”

What was this? Some kind of BDSM gimmick with his sword? What kind of nonsense was this?

“The First Seal of Arondight restricts the user to horizontal swings. I’ve now lifted that restriction. Do you know what that means?”

It was true that his sword strikes had seemed unnaturally constrained. So, this bastard had been fighting us with his attack patterns restricted? Against all three of us?

The tall man closed in on me with terrifying speed. As I stepped back, I lost my balance slightly, slipping on the blood spilled by Meragius. Even in death, that useless bastard was a liability. I’d never encountered a more worthless ally in my life.

I was prepared to sacrifice an arm to counterattack, but then Ricardo’s shield collided with the tall man’s sword.

Boom!

The sound was like an explosion.

“Your shield skills are impressive, but with allies like this, you’re the only one overexerting yourself, aren’t you?”

The clash had clearly taken a toll on Ricardo, as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

“Shut up, you bastard… You’re going to die here…”

“Oh?”

“The number of missing children is 357. Confirmed deaths stand at 39. Do you understand the weight of those numbers?”

“This is a battlefield, not the place for philosophical debates or number games.”

“Once, I was just like you… a complete bastard who didn’t understand how precious family was… spouting bullshit about how ‘compensation was enough.’ But then I had a family of my own, and I finally understood… just how precious they are, and how much I don’t want to lose them.”

Ricardo’s shield began to push back against the tall man’s sword.

“I was the one who delivered the death notices for those children. But when I told the families, they didn’t care that I was a noble. They grabbed me by the collar and screamed, ‘Bring my child back!’ But I’m a knight. I can’t bring the dead back…”

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“A knight can’t bring back the dead… but they can deliver justice to the bastard who killed them. And they can tell their friend, ‘I’m sorry.’ It just took me too damn long to realize that…”

For reasons I couldn’t explain, Ricardo’s emotions surged into me. His determination to protect me and Camellia, his seething anger at the tall man who had caused the children’s deaths, and his guilt toward Melchior, a family enemy with whom relations had been strained. These emotions swirled together violently.

But the tall man remained utterly unfazed by this storm of emotion. Instead, in a flat voice, he replied:

“Everyone dies eventually. The only difference is when.”

“Then you can go ahead and die now.”

“I’m afraid I have no intention of accepting death so easily from a weakling.”

“And yet, you’ve got a remarkable talent for running your mouth.”

Ricardo forcefully shoved the tall man back with just one hand, not even using both.

“How foolish. Pushing me back with a shield wouldn’t even kill a kitten.”

“Of course not. You’re not a kitten—you’re going to die like the cockroach you are.”

“What…?”

Ricardo pulled a glove out of his cloak.

“Ricardo! That’s…”

“Brother, is that…?”

It was one of the Heroic Relics thought to be lost—a relic perfectly suited to Ricardo, the Giant’s Glove. This legendary item significantly enhanced the user’s strength, along with proportional boosts to physical durability and regeneration. It was a top-tier relic favored by players who focused on Ricardo as their main character, earning it the nickname “Stat Beast.”

“You should be grateful to His Majesty the Emperor, who discovered this at auction and bestowed it upon me. Though, given how long it’s been lost, it’ll take time to recover its full power.”

Ah, come to think of it, His Majesty did ask Ricardo to stay behind earlier. Was it to bestow that relic on him?

“What about ours, brother?”

“Unfortunately, the only relic His Majesty found was this one for me.”

What kind of nonsensical logic was this? A relic, of all things, and they couldn’t sell them as a set? Even hamburgers are sold in sets; why couldn’t relics be? It was disappointing. If I had my own relic, I could have wielded advanced magic to some extent.

Camellia, seeing Ricardo ready to use his relic, seemed to steel herself and prepare for a proper fight.

“I can’t just stand by, either. Even if I’ve lost my relic, I can at least fight with my life on the line.”

Her gaze burned with determination. The always-calm and collected Camellia now had a fire in her eyes. I couldn’t sit idly by either.

“Lightning, become my armor.”

Stronger currents of electricity surged through and around me. I shifted into a proper battle stance—not a chaotic one but the fundamental form of Jeet Kune Do. If the tall man approached, I was ready to deliver a shocking counter with an electric jab.

As we got serious, the tall man finally smirked, a satisfied “Hmph” escaping his lips. This bastard was the epitome of a cringe-worthy edgelord, with every word and action making me squirm.

“At least now it feels like unsealing the First Restriction was worth it. Come, then.”

Before his words fully left his mouth, Ricardo charged. Given his speed and weight, it was like a train barreling toward the tall man. He sidestepped the blow, seemingly finding it challenging to deal with that momentum.

But of course, we anticipated that. As he evaded Ricardo, I closed in from the side. He noticed my approach and hastily moved to block, but my electric kick reached him first. The shock caused him to lose balance slightly, and Ricardo and Camellia seized the opening.

A spear and a sword flew toward him, forcing him to make a choice between two inevitable strikes.

Slash!

The spear missed, but the sword managed to cut something. Unfortunately, what it severed wasn’t the tall man’s neck but the hood of his robe.

With the hood gone, his glossy black hair and pointed ears were revealed. Camellia’s pupils trembled as she took in his appearance.

“You… you are…”

The tall man, now exposed, spoke with a resigned tone.

“I am Lancelot, the First Seat of the Black Round Table, and the wielder of the Holy Sword Arondight. Regrettably, the fun ends here.”

His figure began to dissolve into shadows.

But Camellia shouted after him.

“Wait!”

Lancelot, unperturbed by her cry, coldly interrupted.

“There’s nothing I wish to discuss with you.”