After signing a bizarre document—written in Latin mixed with English—called the Abraham Bloodline Covenant, they sat through Manstein's lecture.
Listening to lectures was always agonizing.
Especially when the speaker was a leader type.
Dry. Serious. Endless.
Manstein was exactly that kind of professor.
At first, the four of them stared with bright, eager faces.
Over time, their smiles started cramping.
He was explaining dragons and Cassell's curriculum.
None of them cared.
They weren't here to slay dragons.
They were here to speed-run a diploma.
And—
College Student: "I've got a bad feeling. Is he stalling?"
Programmer: "Ah! We're exposed!"
College Student: "Not sure. I just… feel uneasy."
Firebearer: "We might need to hurry him up."
Stellaron Girl: "Wait, do we have to be enrolled with their consent?"
College Student: "…?!"
College Student: "You mean—"
Stellaron Girl: "Kidnap him. Force him to enroll us. Then we bail."
Firebearer: "Genius!"
Programmer: "Literal genius!"
College Student: "Right! The quest only says 'join the academy.' It doesn't say it has to be normal!"
Stellaron Girl: "Heh. There's only him in here. Take him down and leave."
Just as evil-planning bubbled up in all four hearts, Manstein finished.
Gazing at their obedient faces, he even felt a little emotional.
See? It's not me who's boring. Those brats on campus are just rude.
He took out four sheets of paper.
"These are Cassell's enrollment documents. Once you sign, you're officially part of the academy."
Their eyes locked onto the papers like starving wolves spotting meat.
Manstein sensed their eagerness and decided to add a little extra.
"These documents are rarely used these days. We've had more advanced enrollment methods for years…"
He was about to hand them over—
The door slammed open.
Leo and several people fully geared in black combat uniforms rushed in, shouting:
"Professor Manstein, get away from those guys!"
Manstein didn't understand.
But his trust in his students and his instincts moved his body.
Too slow.
"Close enough."
Kevin's eyes changed.
In an instant, his body accelerated.
Before anyone could react, Manstein felt his hand yanked.
He looked down.
The documents were gone.
Kevin was holding all four.
Manstein's eyes widened in shock.
"Word Spirit?!"
Impossible.
This was Cassell.
Inside the Night Watchman's domain.
Commandment could suppress any Word Spirit below the user's bloodline.
And the Night Watchman was S-Rank.
Only another S-Rank—or higher—could break Commandment and cast within its range.
Leo stared sternly at the four.
"Juniors… we need to talk. About your identities."
The "dragon" theory was still only a theory.
They'd seen dragons. They knew how dragons behaved.
None of them would ever act like these four—grinning, acting pitiful, and strolling into a dragon-slaying academy.
But they needed an explanation.
"Prejudice is like a mountain," Yu Jin said calmly. "Even if we say we aren't, would you believe us, Senior?"
He pulled out a pen and signed his name.
Then he looked at the quest panel hopefully.
No completion.
"That old bastard lied!" Stelle's eyes went wide. "I'm sending him flying!"
She lifted her bat and charged the doorway.
"Hold on—if this is your choice then—" Leo started.
The bat was already on his face.
"Wha—?!"
Leo didn't even have time to react.
In the next second he flew backward and slammed into the wall, unconscious.
Everyone else lunged forward, but Stelle's bat moved faster.
Within thirty seconds, every person who'd barged in was out cold on the floor.
Yu Jin grabbed the only one still conscious by the collar.
"Old man, I listened to your boring ass lecture for half a day, and you give me fake documents? Tell me how we enroll for real!"
Manstein was about to roar that these spies would get nothing from him.
But after hearing Yu Jin's words, he froze.
It was still about enrollment?
"…You're still stuck on joining the academy?"
Yu Jin pointed at Stelle, who had her bat planted on some student's butt like a menace.
Manstein fell silent for a moment.
"…You need the principal's seal," he said finally. "Stamp these in the principal's office. Then you're officially enrolled."
"You think we'll trust you now?" the Doctor jabbed accusatory fingers. "Scamming students like a trash human."
"…The school forum has the info."
A minute later, they stared at a forum post.
There was a stamp requirement.
And the post even included photos of where it was kept.
"…Holy crap."
"We're already in too deep. No turning back," Stelle said, raising her bat. "Let's go!"
"Yeah. At this point, we have to." Yu Jin closed the laptop.
"How do we deal with him?" the Doctor pointed at Manstein.
"Like this." Yu Jin punched him clean into nap time.
As emergency broadcasts started blaring across campus, Yu Jin shrugged.
"Guess we're going loud."
Then Stelle leapt through the window.
Yu Jin dashed to the sill.
Outside, a crowd had already surrounded the building.
Stelle planted her bat in front of her, hands on it like a sword hilt, and yelled arrogantly at the hybrids:
"Compared to the Doomsday Beast, you're all just a bunch of adorable little cuties!"
Nobody knew what a "Doomsday Beast" was.
But everyone knew they were being insulted.
The fight erupted.