“I sure hope you misfits didn’t cause any trouble while I was gone,” Lupin said as he opened the door of the inn.

  The students in question were stuffing their faces with food. They froze the moment he appeared.

  “The hell?! Cinder Twig! Why aren’t you teaching them what I asked you?”

  “I did, sir,” Raven replied, standing straight.

  “I taught them the basics, but only Wolfton and Jin were willing to put it into practice.”

  “Huh?!”

  Lupin’s golden aura flared.

  “Such effrontery, from lesser worms no less, to disobey my orders. Seems I’ve been far too lenient as a Sergeant Major.”

  “Gray Loner (Fenrir), Arrogant Butt-Color (Aurelia), Chaotic Sprinkler (Camila), Bright Unsettler (Lysandra), and Loud Brawn-Head (Edric), you’re all in serious soup.”

  The five gulped, swallowing hard.

  …

  Outside the inn, the five aforementioned students stood in the unforgiving cold, grunting as they lifted a massive block of ice the size of a truck tire, infused with Lupin’s aura to make it even heavier.

  Inside, Lupin addressed the remaining five.

  “I’ll give you the details of the mission and our feedback from the Adventurers’ Guild.”

  “According to military intelligence, the squad was sent to Nyxarion Cavern, located in a remote part of the Vtiopia Region.”

  “The cave is a dungeon of classified origin. They were dispatched to retrieve an item, which, for some reason, they refuse to disclose. Even to me.”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Anyway, we move as soon as the juice gets sucked dry out of those idiots outside. It’ll take at least a day to reach our destination.”

  “Until then, I’ll enjoy the show as those reprobates get wrecked.”

  “Erm, sir,” Jin said, “what exactly did you go to do at the Adventurers’ Guild?”

  “Well,” Lupin replied, “the Adventurers’ Guild and the Army have a cooperative relationship. Even though the Guild doesn’t belong to any nation, when they lack manpower for a mission, they request military support.”

  “And it just so happens that the area we’re heading to is… special.”

  “In recent months, a Mystic Beast has appeared there, one that attacks indiscriminately every full moon.”

  “A Mystic Beast?!” Jin, Raven, and Wolfton exclaimed.

  “Sir,” Jin pressed, “do you really think we can take on a Mystic Beast? We’ve barely reached the second stage of our Champion titles.”

  “Stale Color,” Lupin snapped, “what more do you need? You’ve got me, James, and the gothic princess.”

  “Besides, you’re cadets. This is the perfect opportunity to gain experience and become elite forces for our great nation.”

  “So you are fighting that thing, and you are winning. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  …

  A few hours later, Edric, Fenrir, Aurelia, Lysandra, and Camila lay sprawled on the ground, utterly exhausted. Ghostly breath oozed from their mouths as if they were corpses.

  “Cheer up, scum worms,” Lupin thundered. “I’m sure you learned a thing or two about Aura.”

  “What I did wasn’t just punishment, it was a lesson.”

  “Aura is a projection of mana. But to manifest it, you must attune to the correct frequency, its resonance.”

  “Right now, none of you are even close. Mainly because you barely use mana at all.”

  “So I took the liberty of assisting you gremlins, along with those other two.”

  “I’ll give you a few minutes to rest. Until then, enjoy your pathetic lives.”

  Raven was stunned.

  This was the first time he had ever seen someone help others project mana into Aura, using his own Aura to guide them toward the correct frequency.

  Even at this point in time, Lupin wasn’t just another army officer. He was one of the strongest.

  At least Spirit Stage. Possibly Mystic.

  No wonder he had risen to the top of the military within five years and become an instructor to Champions despite not being one himself.

  If Lupin ever went rogue, stopping him would be nearly impossible.

  Raven had always admired him.

  But now… something unlocked inside him.

  Since his regression, he had sought power to confront the Archmage. Even though he had been allowed to live, Lupin had become a threshold Raven had to surpass.

  “Gather up, you reprobates. We’re moving out.”

  Lupin’s golden aura radiated elegantly, flaring outward and forming five massive catapults. Aura-hands seized Jin, Edric, Lysandra, Fenrir, and Camila, placing them onto the constructs.

  “Erm, sir,” Fenrir asked nervously, “shouldn’t we take a carriage?”

  “Huh?! A carriage in a land of snow?” Lupin scoffed. “Even with magic, that’d take too long.”

  “Why crawl when you can fly?”

  “You’re Champions. You have abilities. Brace for impact, because the landing will be rough.”

  “We’re heading north-northeast. Heads up, gremlins.”

  The catapults pulled back.

  Then released.

  All five were launched into the sky at terrifying speed.

  Raven, Wolfton and Aurelia stared, mouths agape. Without hesitation, they climbed onto the remaining catapults, anything to avoid being grabbed.

  James and Saeyeon walked up calmly, almost majestically.

  The catapults fired again, sending them soaring.

  Lupin smirked as all ten shrank into the distant horizon.

  Then, behind him, a pair of golden, feathered wings erupted from his back.

  With a single beat, he launched himself into the air.