"Where is this last remaining sword?"

"It's at the Altar of Gravy Wood . . . Since I couldn't bring myself to destroy that sword, I agreed to leave it alone under the condition that it would be put under a strict seal . "

Altar of Gravy Wood, if I'm not mistaken . . . It was the grave of a man who used [Man-eating Blade] to save a town sacrificing his life in the process, a story from before the past me was even born .

That particular [Man-eating Blade] was treasured as a memoriam of a hero rather than a weapon .

You could even say that it was the most famous [Man-eating Blade] of that era .

"Got it . I know that place . "

Altar of Gravy Wood is situated on the border between Eis Kingdom and Raginia Union .

Since the altar is in Eis Kingdom's side, going there should be a simple matter .

It's a bit far . . . But we've got 30 days till deadline, traveling time should be negligible .

"Will you depart now?"

Grevil asked me .

But . . .

"No, that'll be in two days . That's how long it takes until all doc.u.ments are here . "

Information is important . It's no exaggeration to say that information controls the flow of battle .

Since there's still some more information coming, we should wait two days .

. . . Thus our strategy is decided .

Never thought that I would end up using a [Man-eating Blade] after reincarnating . . . I can only hope it all goes well .

◇

The next day .

Princ.i.p.al summoned me to come to the Second Academy again .

Looks like he's got something to talk about .

" . . . This place has changed a lot . "

I gaze at the Second Academy's building .

When I was still here, the building looked like that of a common schoolhouse . . . Now it's a bit like a fortress .

The rooftops are furnished with many anti-demon raid magic tools, protecting the Capital Great Barrier .

The educational environment has seen a major s.h.i.+ft as well .

Magic tools for training have been laid out everywhere, with students making use of them to practice .

It should be after school now though . . . Guess it's independent self-improvements for them .

. . . The facilities may have changed, but it's the students who have undergone the biggest change .

When I left the Second Academy, these students had only started to learn how to chantless magic . . . Or somewhere around the part .

Second Academy students are strong because they can use chantless magic . . . was the general impression of them back then .

However, now chantless magic comes as second nature to these students .

Chantless magic is no longer just a prerequisite now, they're exploring its use to strengthen themselves, brush up combat art, and solidify coordinations . . . .

It's a whole completely different level of education .

"Everyone's gotten really good with magic . . . !"

"And I see a whole lot of archers! They were nonexistent when I was here!"

When Alma first enrolled here, bows were seen with great disdains .

Because effective enchants weren't known, long range attacks meant chanted magic . . . such was the general consensus back then .

Such [Past Common Sense] exist no more in Second Academy .

Battle knowledge of Second Academy is about 100 years more advanced compared to other part of Eis Kingdom .

As we walked while I thought that, one of the students practicing in the distant pointed at me .

And soon after . . . Those students rushed up toward us .

"Mathias-sensei!?"

"You were at the capital!?"

"Mathias-sensei, I need to ask you something regarding demon fighting . . . "

The students who drew closer began speaking all at once .

Every one of them have beaming eyes .

. . . But I can't hear what they're saying at all like this .

What should I do, right when I thought that . . . One of the students spoke out loudly .

Looks like he used Amplification magic .

"Quiet down! They can't hear with all of you talking at once!"

The one who spoke with that loud voice was . . . The second year Meirad .

Meirad was the guy who led the campaign during the monster outbreak close to Second Academy and picked the optimal timing to retreat .

From the looks of things . . . Apparently, he's the commander now .

The students who were chattering on their own immediately quieted down when they heard Meirad .

"Long time no see, Meirad . "

"I'm so glad to see you again, Mathias-sensei . . . You remember me!"

"Yeah . I thought you were a good commander . . . Which still holds true even now it seems . "

I look at the students around .

Must be a pain to lead this many people .

Commanding people possesses a different kind of difficulty compared to fighting on the front line .

However . . . These students have been through some really nice training .

Even without seeing them in real combat, I can tell from the way their muscles formed and their flow of mana .

You won't get to be this way with some weird training .

Not just quality, the quant.i.ty of their training appears to be significant as well .

Looks like they've been training all this time, be it after school or otherwise, even before I came here .