Thud.
It was Dwener’s hidden pond and sanctuary, where carps slurped up the breadcrumbs he tossed into the water.
“Go on, eat up. Thanks for welcoming me again today.”
But that appreciation was short-lived.
As soon as the breadcrumbs were gone, all the carps turned their backs on him.
“Full and off to sleep, huh? Won’t you play a bit longer…”
Dwener wanted to talk about everything that happened today: getting scolded by Student Council President Aywin, his documents piling up and spilling out the door, and his botched escape attempt that ended with Rodelin chasing him down.
Dwener had no friends, not even a teacher to mingle with.
Perhaps that’s why he often came to the pond to talk to the carps.
Of course, it was hardly a conversation—Dwener spoke, and the carps listened.
“It’d be nice if Caron came back soon…”
In the teachers’ circle, Dwener was a symbol of incompetence.
No one followed his commands, let alone conversed with him. Caron was the only one who ever listened to him.
“He looks fierce, but he does what I ask quite well. Truly a good friend.”
That’s why he had permitted him to take a leave, even during the semester.
Dwener recalled that day.
Caron had come to his office, with Elester standing behind him.
“I need a vacation.”
“Uh, what? During the semester…”
“A vacation.”
“Well, how long will you be gone…”
“I don’t know.”
“Alright then. Take care.”
It was unheard of—a teacher taking a leave during the semester without even specifying the duration.
Dwener had no choice but to allow it, especially after seeing Elester’s sly smile.
‘That cranky old man…’
In his younger days, as he hopped from one party to another building connections, Dwener had seen Elester beating nobles with his cane.
‘He may look like a kind old man now, but I’m not fooled!’
Dwener shivered.
Anyway, Dwener hoped for Caron’s quick return.
He had so much he wanted to talk about.
‘Sigh… I keep thinking of that kid…’
Zero.
Not the facade, but the person within.
Zero recognized not only his competence but was also kind, cool, and adorable.
An utterly lovely student.
He wanted to call Zero over to talk right now.
After all, Zero would always answer his call.
But.
‘I’m the Principal, and Zero is a student!’
There must be a clear boundary between personal and professional.
He couldn’t afford to waste Zero’s time just to satisfy his own desires.
‘What a truly virtuous teacher I am…!’
It was during such self-absorbed thoughts that…
“Principal!”
From afar, Zero was running towards him, waving his hand.
Was it his longing that conjured up a vision?
“Principal! There you are.”
“Z-Zero? Is that really you?”
“Keke, have you met another Zero lately? If so, I might feel a bit sad.”
“Sad? Don’t speak of such sorrow.”
To think he’d come looking for Dwener, who everyone else ignored.
Dwener fought back tears that threatened to spill.
Swoosh.
Checking his surroundings, Zero pulled something out.
“What’s that?”
“I made this special juice for you, Principal. You’re always tirelessly helping the students, filled with nothing but their welfare in mind. It’s packed with healthy ginseng and honey.”
Ginseng and honey! Such a precious gift for him!
Overwhelmed, Dwener hugged the special juice.
“Of course, I only steeped the ginseng root for a second…”
“What was that?”
“Keke, I didn’t say anything. You must be hearing things… You seem a bit drained.”
“Hmm, true enough. Today I worked a whole two hours.”
“To think you managed two hours of the grueling work a Principal endures! An ordinary person couldn’t possibly have done it.”
“Hmm! If it weren’t for me, there could’ve been a catastrophe.”
Dwener stood taller, his self-esteem soaring with each word.
It was curious how a brief conversation could be so delightful.
However.
“Zero.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t get the wrong idea, but we must be cautious. This kind of meeting could draw unfavorable attention toward you from others.”
A secret meeting between a principal and a student could spark rumors of clandestine deals.
‘I don’t mind, but Zero is a promising young man. I can’t sacrifice him just for my happiness.’
It was a dilemma Dwener had long contemplated.
He had to let Zero go, tearfully, as he was meant for greater things.
Just then, Dwener had his head bowed.
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
“What…?”
“Let them stare all they want.”
As Dwener looked up, he saw Zero’s smile—somber, yet filled with resolute will.
“I value the time I spend with you more than I fear any disdainful glances. I can handle much more than that.”
“Why… why are you so good to me? What have I done to deserve this…”
“Well…”
Zero scratched the back of his head, appearing slightly embarrassed, then said:
“It’s just what men do—stay loyal to those who recognize their worth.”
“!”
Dwener was profoundly moved.
Someone who recognized his value.
He had longed for someone who would see his true worth despite being labeled incompetent.
‘So I was that person for Zero…!’
And to think he had been about to end their relationship.
He had unintentionally wounded Zero’s heart.
“I apologize. I won’t say such things again. From now on, I won’t care about societal views!”
“Principal…!”
“Zero…!”
With that, Dwener embraced Zero tightly, resolving:
To ensure Zero graduated safely.
Even if others mistreated him or spread malicious rumors, he would always believe in Zero and stay by his side.
It was a firm resolve.
“Haah…”
A sigh escaped from Zero’s lips.
It was a sigh laden with resignation.
“Zero, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Is it?”
“Haah…”
But Zero’s sighs continued.
Dwener sensed something was troubling his precious student.
‘No choice then. As the Principal, I must solve it!’
‘The Ordinary Student Who Became an SSS-Ranked Knight with the Principal’s Help!’ What a perfect title for a memoir.
With that chapter in mind, Dwener took a bold step forward.
“Zero, do you know? Sharing your troubles can lighten their load.”
“Principal…”
“Go on, tell me. There might be something I can do to help.”
After a moment of thought, Zero spoke up.
“Ha… I happened to discover a good training method.”
“A training method?”
“Yes. It’s very beneficial for the body, and it even makes everything bigger.”
“Everything…?”
“Muscles, I mean.”
Zero handed over a few sheets of paper.
They contained five different exercises, each accompanied by detailed descriptions.
“I hope it can help the other students, but it’s not easy to spread the word.”
It couldn’t be helped. The nobility believed their family’s training methods were superior.
Students from commoner or serf backgrounds craved effective training methods, but wouldn’t highly regard those offered by a fellow student.
Once again, Dwener was deeply touched.
‘To think of his fellow students in such a competitive society…!’
What a generous-hearted child he is.
Indeed, our Zero is so innocent it’s almost a fault.
‘A serious issue.’
The image of Zero, screaming as he was attacked by beasts wearing human masks, filled Dwener’s mind.
Clearly, Zero was someone he had to protect.
But.
“I can’t officially include it in the curriculum yet. It’s an unverified training method, and such things shouldn’t be distributed carelessly.”
“That’s exactly what I mean. It really is a great training method, though. Haah…”
Zero’s deep sigh was met with a chuckle from Dwener.
“Well, if it’s just warm-up exercises, that should be fine.”
“What?”
“Exercises for before and after class, or during free time. We could promote it that way.”
“What a brilliant idea…!”
“If it truly has benefits, students will start doing it whenever they have time. By then, it won’t even need promotion.”
Zero’s face lit up with excitement.
However, his smile soon faltered.
“But… I don’t have any influence.”
“…”
“My classmates don’t even pretend to listen to me… How could I possibly promote it?”
“…I’ll handle it.”
“What?”
“That’s right. Anyway, don’t worry about it, Zero. I’ll figure something out.”
“Principal…”
Zero clamped his mouth shut, clearly moved.
He bowed deeply and then left the pond.
Left alone, Dwener’s eyes gleamed.
‘The five exercises are detailed with illustrations.’
But.
‘The format is a mess.’
In this state, it couldn’t possibly pass the scrutiny of the ‘Student Council.’
A report needed to be written.
‘Oh dear, no help for it. It seems I must employ my skills.’
Of course, to do that, he needed first to tackle the mountain of paperwork that had begun to invade even the student council room.
Dwener was about to step towards his office when—
Ouch!
“Ah! The stiff shoulder I got from facing a demon!”
From that pain, Dwener shivered uncontrollably.
Then, something caught his eye.
The paper Zero had given him. The five exercises depicted on it.
‘Hmm… like this?’
The moment Dwener completed the five movements—
Crack!
“Hmm?”
His shoulder wasn’t hurting.
The chronic pain that had plagued him daily had suddenly vanished.
“Could it be…”
Was it the power of Zero’s training method?
No, that couldn’t be it. No matter how good a training method, it couldn’t work miracles.
“Is it because I met Zero… I feel lighter.”
Dwener was blissfully unaware.
His stats had just increased.
Twice.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!!
Swoosh!
Papers flew around the Principal’s office like cherry blossoms.
Principal Dwener was madly stamping them.
The sight astonished the student council members.
‘…the Principal is actually working?’
‘Is this a dream?’
‘What’s with that speed?’
Rodelin, the vice president, was equally shocked.
She snatched one of the swirling documents.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Can’t you see? I’m working.”
Work?
Naturally, that’s good. But—
“Are you actually looking at what you’re stamping?”
One document stamped per second.
It was too fast. He was just stamping without reading.
‘Approving without reviewing the content. That’s unbelievable.’
Rodelin couldn’t help frowning.
She had thought Principal Dwener, though incompetent, wasn’t a bad person.
But now her opinion was changing.
Incompetent and irresponsible.
She seriously considered whether to propose a motion for his dismissal.
Just as Rodelin was about to deliver an ultimatum—
“Are you referring to Yuridia’s application for creating the ‘Love Support Club’? Of course, I’ve seen it.”
“…Yes?”
What an unthinkable scenario!
Rodelin couldn’t believe it.
The document she held had precisely the content Dwener had described.
‘But I hadn’t noted down the reason for its approval…’
This meant that he had inferred that reason while stamping the documents.
It was a conclusion reached by the student council after a long discussion, and he had figured it out in just a second.
“Well, that is true but…”
“That’s good. I thought I had made a mistake. It was the 125th document I processed. And this is the 126th, concerning the ‘Request for Athletics Field Repair Costs’.”
Thump!
“…!!”
Dwener stamped another document, again in just a second.
Such an incredible speed of processing documents was unthinkable for the supposedly incompetent Dwener.
There was a secret behind it.
‘No need to think.’
This was considered one of the best student councils in the academy’s history.
‘They even argue fiercely over issues.’
Not only were they capable, but they were also passionate.
Such students wouldn’t lightly submit documents for approval.
Proposals that were nonsensical had already been ‘cut’ off long ago.
So, his job was merely to apply the principal’s seal on the approval documents they submitted. That was all he had to do.
And even that was too bothersome for Dwener, who often tried to escape from it.
Ah, so how does he know what’s in the documents?
‘Because I read them.’
Incredible speed-reading ability. It was Dwener’s hidden talent.
In just one second, he could grasp the gist of a document, the reason it should be approved, and even summarize it.
He ignored redundant words like conjunctions and adverbs from the start.
That’s what speed-reading is all about.
Right now, Dwener’s speed-reading abilities were being pushed to their limits.
Because.
‘I have to solve Zero’s worries!’
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump-thump-thump!
Dwener’s stamping speed began to accelerate even more.
Rodelin and the student council members were left in shock.
As Dwener looked at them, he shook his head.
‘Too slow. Even their astonishment is slow.’
Dwener’s first original secret technique.
Flutter, Document Blossom. (TL Note: Here it is! Dwener’s EX Rank Skill!)
A storm of documents swirled through the student council like cherry blossoms.
–TL Notes–
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