Chapter 96: What I Want to Be

The light barrier vanished. We all rushed to Emily’s side.

"Are you okay!? Emily!"

"Are you hurt?"

"Noah, what the hell did he do?"

I didn’t understand what had just happened—just for a second. But that move I just used… wasn’t that Freyja’s ultimate magic from the Sanctuary Knights (Sanctuary Knights)? How the hell could I use it!?

And that light shield that blocked us earlier… wasn’t that the “Barrier Art” of the Holy Warrior…?

It wasn’t just that Emily lost. This guy is insane. Why is someone with this kind of ability even here? I don’t know the reason—but maybe there’s something we don’t know?

"Emily, you don’t need to fear your power so much. With training, you’ll learn to control it."

Gojo said that, gently stroking Emily’s head as she cried. He’s not someone we could ever fight.

"Hey, Noah. Why’d you want to kick me out so badly?"

"...You noticed, huh?"

"Yeah, I figured it out."

Gojo said that, smiling.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

"I’m not saying I hate Teacher Gojo or anything... We just wanted to push out the new teacher we got. It’s for our future goal."

"Goal?"

"We want to join the Sanctuary Knights (Sanctuary Knights) when we grow up."

"The Sanctuary Knights? But what does kicking me out have to do with that?"

"Sometimes former members or people connected to the Sanctuary Knights end up becoming teachers at schools like this. I mean, I saw on TV that Freyja Cross actually went to teach at an overseas supernatural school."

"Freyja?"

Yeah. I had no idea… not at all…

"The students here all came from schools or homes where they were discriminated against, bullied... just because they’re gifted. Everyone, even family and friends, looked at them weird just for being different... it’s exhausting, honestly."

Yeah, I can imagine... must’ve been tough, even if they’re small.

"Back then, I saw the Sanctuary Knights on TV. They’re fellow gifted people, yet instead of being hated, they’re praised by everyone. They’ve defeated leaders from all over the world and brought peace to the planet!"

Noah’s eyes are shining. He really likes them. Other students were listening with bright smiles.

"You know, right? The dragon in England? Leo Garcia from the Sanctuary Knights took it down! They say only Leo could’ve done it!"

"Yeah, I’ve heard of that... sorta."

"I don’t know the exact way to join the Sanctuary Knights, but if a teacher like you came here, maybe our abilities would catch their eye. This convent’s the biggest school in France, so you might come visit."

He says that, head down. A kid thinking hard about things, huh.

"Sorry, Teacher..."

"It’s fine. I’m not actually a member of the Sanctuary Knights, but I do know someone."

"“““Wait—what!?”””"

"R-really?"

"You’re not kidding, are you? Any proof?!"

"Proof? What proof?"

Proof?...Hmm, what kinda proof is there...? Wait—now that I think about it, Carlo kept bugging me to take a photo together... I told him I didn’t want one, but he still sent it to my phone... I think I’ve got it somewhere...

I showed the photo to the kids.

“Ah—Carlo! Carlo Bandis!! He’s actually in the picture with us!”

Carlo... Carlo Bandis... That name’s kinda cool.

“Where’d you meet him?”

“Why’d you get to know him? When was it?”

“What was Carlo like? He really does look cool in person!?”

I got grilled with questions all day.

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The next day—

“Starting today, we begin serious training. Are you ready?”

““Yes, Teacher!””

The seven kids answered back energetically. Emily’s still a bit shy, but she’s come a long way, I think.

After hearing them talk, I realized it’s not enough just to learn how to use power. They want to become strong, real-powered people. I can’t promise they’ll ever become Sanctuary Knights, but I’ll do everything I can to help.

“First, Lewis and Sara. You’re a Monk and a Great Sorcerer, but you can’t use Qigong Martial Arts or Composite Magic, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s been… how many times now? We’ve tried over and over, but it just won’t work.”

Both look downcast. But those two skills are tough—can’t really learn them on your own. That’s okay. I can teach them. No problem.

Viktor and Arthur have unique skills, so I’ll just level them up.

“Chloe can summon something special. Let’s test if she can call other specific creatures. Once we get stronger, we’ll go out and tame real monsters!”

“Yes, Teacher. Please, teach me!”

Chloe answers brightly. Her cheerful attitude and eagerness are a good sign. Next is Noah’s ability…

Noah, who’s manifested the high-tier job “Sage,” isn’t a combat class, so I’ll have to think carefully about what to teach him.

“Noah, can you bring out the ‘Occult Codex’?”

“Yeah, I can… but…”

Noah materializes a thick book-like object on his palm. I check it—still mostly blank pages… No surprise, given his job rank is “D.”

I summon my own “Occult Codex” on my palm.

“Teacher, you can use the Sage job skill too!?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Seriously? I’m just gonna stop being shocked now.”

Noah says, shaking his head in disbelief. But the Occult Codex is useless on its own—just a job skill with no practical use. Noah’s clearly a natural leader, but figuring out how to grow him is tricky.

I’ve got the Sage job too, so we’re stuck doing trial and error together…

Finally, Emily. She’s definitely got issues. “Demon King” as a job is bad enough—but what really throws me is her unique skill.

I examined her closely. She has a unique skill called “Black Sun.” I tried to dig deeper with my鉴定, but it was… unidentifiable.

Probably an extremely powerful skill.

Maybe it boosts magic attacks, or increases magic power itself? Honestly, I have no idea. Just having the “Demon King” job is already a headache—now with this unique skill on top of it? My head’s splitting. But she’s the one most afraid of her own power.

Gotta figure this out somehow… can’t just leave things like this. Ah! Right, there’s Greis. I’ll ask her to check it out next time.

Emily also had the “Stealth (VII)” skill. That’s why she’s always so damn shadowy—probably activating it without even realizing it. Gotta fix that too.

“Emily… you don’t have to rush. Let’s work on controlling your power, little by little.”

“…Yes… Teacher…”

From that day on, me and my students were in for a real grind.

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【Abbess’s Office――】

“Mr. Gojo seems to be getting along well with the students.”

I said that, and Sister nodded deeply, smiling.

“Yes… the院长. We’ve truly been blessed with such a kind teacher. I just hope the students keep moving in the right direction… but…”

“But tomorrow’s the once-a-month day when the students get to go out.”

Sister’s expression darkened. It was the one day the children locked away in the convent were allowed outside—but also the one day that filled her with dread.

“Hope nothing goes wrong…”