Chapter 210 – My Little Classroom (2)

Lunchtime. I took refuge in the principal’s office to escape the crowd.

“So, how was it today, Geom-Ma? How does it feel to be back at the academy as one of the Seven Stars?”

Media asked with a wide grin as I slumped on the couch.

She looked like she was enjoying herself.

Asking that, fully aware of how chaotic my morning was she was just teasing me. I forced myself upright and sat properly.

“…I expected it, but it hit harder than I imagined. Honestly, it was so hectic I could barely attend class like a normal student.”

“Of course. Judging by your face, if this keeps up, we’ll need to start calming students down or crowd-controlling before every class.”

“Isn’t there some solution?”

“At the moment, it’s tough to implement anything. The succession ceremony just wrapped up, and both the staff and admin are buried in work. But… there is a temporary solution I can think of. Though I’m not sure you’ll like it.”

“It’s not about liking it. I literally can’t live normally.”

“If you say so, Geom-Ma!”

Media’s eyes sparkled with mischief. She walked over to her desk and flung a sheet of paper into the air.

It floated gently down, landing on my thigh. As she motioned for me to look, she started to explain.

“While preparing for the ceremony, we figured this would happen. So the old man and I came up with a solution. We’re calling it Creation of a New Class!”

She added a dramatic bam for effect.

“Put simply, it’s a special class to isolate you from your fans. You and they still need to attend school, right? But if you stay in Wolf Class, this chaos will just keep repeating every day, won’t it?”

“I guess so.”

“It doesn’t matter which class you join—Wolf, Tiger, Dragon, Star—everywhere would be a madhouse. So…”

I nodded. Media continued.

“We’ll make a new class just for you! Well, since this is an academy, not literally just you. It’ll be about ten students, and you get to choose them. That should solve the crowding problem, right?”

“A class I pick…? That might stir complaints about favoritism. To students and parents, it’ll look like some ‘elite’ class invented out of nowhere.”

Media shook her head gently with a smile.

“I don’t think you fully understand your position yet, Geom-Ma. It’s time you did. You’re no longer an ordinary student. You’re a Hero of the Seven Stars.”

“Ah.”

“And if I, as principal and fellow Seven Star, submit the proposal officially and you accept, who’s going to object?”

Media was reminding me of the power I now held.

How difficult it would be for others to question the authority of a Seven Star—and how I could use that psychological pressure.

Anyone hearing that would say, “What kind of educator thinks like this?” And they’d have a point.

In short, she was saying “Two Seven Stars approve this. Do you dare object?”

A completely feudal mindset. But unfortunately, this world resembled a feudal society far more than a democratic one.

Here, class and rank were strictly defined. And Heroes of the Seven Stars stood at the top of the pyramid.

When they say jump, you jump. That’s how it works here. With threats like demons out there, a rigid hierarchy was necessary to ensure swift response during emergencies.

“Remember this, Geom-Ma. If you have power, you can act even with little backing. Worried about parents complaining? I assure you—none will dare.”

Maybe this was her true face—not just as an educator, but as someone in power.

Perhaps this was a lesson, too. After all, education isn’t limited to academic knowledge. Teaching power dynamics is part of it too.

Seeing this side of Media was a revealing surprise.

She had reached her position by surviving countless battles. Principal of Joaquin Academy and one of the Seven Stars. If she were merely kind, she’d never have made it this far.

She plopped down on the sofa to my right. Her lips looked dry from talking so much. I handed her a bottle of green tea, and she smiled as she accepted, moistening her lips.

“Kyaa~!” she exaggerated after her first sip. Then she fiddled with the bottle cap and said,

“I doubt students or parents will complain if you form the class from your own connections. Honestly, they all used to discriminate against you. They had plenty of time to befriend you and didn’t. That’s their loss. Harsh as it sounds, it’s a life lesson they need to learn too.”

Like the green tea—refreshing, but sharp. She was clearly set on inflating my ego today.

“I don’t care about family or regional ties, but academic bonds do matter. I met fools like the old man and the gorilla here, didn’t I? The connections you make at school stay with you in life.”

“I see…”

“In any case, our Geom-Ma is too impressive. Top of the class, a genius among elites, and now a Seven Star Hero at seventeen! Hey, hey, Heavenly Sword! You gonna fly to space with that sashimi knife?”

Media chattered with overflowing affection, even using teen slang she normally wouldn’t.

‘Has the principal always talked like this?’

I tried to think of a good response, but I just stayed silent in embarrassment. Between the two of us, we were over a hundred years old. The “hey, hey” alone was mortifying.

The retroactive shame I’d feel after sleeping that night clammed me up.

That’s when my gaze landed on the paper Media had given me.

“Principal… this list already has a name written under mine.”

“Oh, that… hehe.”

At my comment, Media scratched her cheek with a sheepish smile. I recognized that look—she wanted to brush it off like nothing. And sure enough…

『1: Kang Geom-Ma, 2: Media Poison.』

Why was the principal’s name listed as a student?

If it were as supervisor or teacher-in-charge, sure. But listed next to mine, I thought maybe I’d misread it.

But judging by her reaction—I hadn’t. Her name really was enrolled as a student.

‘I should’ve guessed the moment she started talking like a cringey teenager.’

When I narrowed my eyes, Media began twirling a lock of hair absentmindedly. As I kept staring, she finally gave in and spoke.

“W-well, the ink probably smudged during printing… or maybe there was a mistake when I filled out the form. I didn’t notice before, but thanks to you, I caught it now.”

“Really?”

Media nodded rapidly.

“Of course! Otherwise, how would my name end up on a student list?”

“Then I’ll go ahead and erase your name so we can start fresh.”

“……”

She didn’t respond. So I pushed a bit more.

“Principal?”

“Uuh…”

I scratched her name off with my pen.

Media, removed.

***

Media couldn’t hide her look of disappointment. I left her behind and exited the principal’s office.

There were ten minutes left until lunch break ended. Wolf Class would still be packed, so it was better to arrive right when the next class started.

I walked through a quiet hallway in the main building, thinking about how to carry out Media’s proposal.

“She said she’d already filed the paperwork in secret to speed up the process.”

My task was to gather the members. The limit was ten. I could choose them from any class, as long as I didn’t go over that number. Simple enough.

Including myself, there were already five of us in the exploration club. If I excluded upperclassman Ha-na, who was in her second year, that left four. That already covered almost half the group.

And the remaining six? As soon as I heard the proposal, a few people came to mind.

A special class just for me. I planned to make the most of it. Specifically, I intended to use it as a specialized base for preparing against the second Human-Demon War.

All the attention had turned to me. But originally, that spotlight should have fallen on Leon van Reinhardt.

Although, for some reason, I was the one who received the title of Heavenly Sword—in the end, the one who would defeat the Demon King was the Hero.

As I mentioned before, only his unique blessing, the “Blessing of the Miracle,” holds the key to annihilating the Demon King.

No matter how hard other heroes fight, without that blessing, it’s pointless. That’s how the system of this world was designed.

Can the Demon King be slain using the Blessing of the Sword God? I’ve considered it, but there’s no certainty.

If I could do it, then Leon wouldn’t need to exist.

But he not only possesses the Miracle Blessing—he was also chosen by “The Goddess,” which proves his legitimacy as the true Hero.

Think about it. It’s clear. Defeating the Demon King is Leon’s job.

Even now, though I’ve altered the course of destiny, that fact hasn’t changed.

Leon must grow just as much as I have—no, even more.

That’s why I want to keep him close and observe his progress. To see how far he’s come and how I might support him.

During the student council elections, he didn’t seem hostile toward me.

In fact, he was the one who took the first step to approach me.

So even if I propose this special class to him, I doubt he’ll flat-out refuse.

“So with Leon and the club members, I have five. If I add Abel and Rachel, that makes seven.”

Their development is just as crucial—almost as much as Leon’s.

Especially since the Abel-Leon duo will be pivotal in turning the tide of the second Demon War. I remember seeing that somewhere in a fan community.

In other words, Leon can’t carry the fight alone.

With Abel supporting him, humanity can win. Rachel is equally essential. Ryozo is more like the hidden heroine—so who knows.

With that, I already had seven selected. I wasn’t hitting the ten-person cap, but it wasn’t mandatory to fill every spot.

Still, the more I thought about it, the more it felt like something was missing.

Like it was just a bit incomplete. That’s when a spark flashed through my mind.

‘Of course… them.’

One person I needed to watch closely. And another who wasn’t even a student—not even human—but whom I wanted to include in this special class.

Ding–dong–dang–

The bell for fifth period rang. I quickened my pace.

The framework was in place. Now I just had to gather them.

I didn’t need to convince anyone.

This wasn’t for my own whim.

And besides, I’m one of the Seven Stars.

If I say do it, they’ll do it.