Chapter 4: Academy Heroine’s Right Diagonal Back Seat

*The Holy Sword of the Academy* is set in a terrifying world where witches almost destroyed half of it in the past. Numerous heroes from around the globe banded together to somehow eradicate the witches, but due to their remnants, demonic beasts still appear everywhere. This frightening world is described in history textbooks.

Aegis Academy was established as an institution to train superhumans to become heroes who would protect humanity from such threats, including those fearsome demonic beasts.

This means the academy's curriculum naturally includes classes related to superhuman abilities to enhance combat power.

"Originally, after the test we just had, we were supposed to have a brief introduction time, but since there were some latecomers, the schedule got a bit delayed. So, we'll skip introductions and move straight to ability measurement time!"

Eve, standing at the teacher's desk, snapped her fingers.

The classroom, which was full of students, suddenly transformed into a meadow.

Sylvia and Yoon Si-woo, who had been in front of me, vanished, leaving just Eve and me in the meadow.

Probably, the other students were also facing Eve one-on-one like I was.

Simultaneously casting illusion magic and dealing with thirty students required an incredible level of split-second thinking, truly befitting her title as the world's best.

"First, let me introduce myself. I'm Eve, and I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next year. Our 200-point student, what's your name?"

"Scarlet... Evande."

"Alright, Evande."

"Please call me Scarlet."

"No, Evande sounds better."

200-point student... What a dreadful title.

Not only was I uncomfortable being referred to as "student" instead of "guy" considering my inner self is still male, but adding the 200 points made it 200% burdensome.

It felt like getting a perfect score on an entrance exam and unnecessarily raising the teacher's expectations.

Besides, every time I said my name, I felt embarrassed.

How could a person's name be...

Singing Evande's name like a little ditty, Eve snapped her fingers again.

With a pop, a scarecrow with an annoying face appeared out of thin air.

"Ta-da! This is a special scarecrow made to measure abilities. It might look like this, but it's quite sturdy. Attack it with all your might, Evande! Since you scored 200 points, I have high expectations!"

Seriously, what does she expect from someone who can't even burn their own clothes?

Anyway, only someone like Yoon Si-woo or Sylvia could destroy this thing.

With a sigh, I decided to ignite myself.

Based on previous experiences, it seemed that strong emotions triggered the flames.

Perhaps the trigger was either anger or excitement.

Given that my hair only slightly caught fire when Sylvia smiled earlier, anger seemed a more reliable trigger than excitement.

Thinking of what would make me angry, Yoon Si-woo came to mind.

What a cursed guy. He's going to have several top-tier heroines with him in the future.

He might even reach out to me, just because I'm a girl now.

But no matter how perfect you are, Yoon Si-woo, you'll never have me, Scarlet Evande, the 32nd descendant of Kangrung Evande...

A surge of inner anger flared into flames.

However, these flames were more like glowing rather than burning.

What's the point of flames that can't burn anything?

I didn't know... I was just a firefly...

The scarecrow seemed to mock me too.

Frustrated by the scarecrow's mockery, I found myself punching it with all my might.

With a whoosh, my punch hit the scarecrow's face.

Impressed by my punch strength, which was on a different level than a regular person's due to being a superhuman, I wasn't surprised that the scarecrow remained unscathed.

After all, it was just a normal punch.

"Evande, are you sure your ability isn't physical enhancement rather than fire?"

Eve's eyes, looking at me like a drunk hitting a street punch machine, made me shake my head in shame.

I wondered if there was a way to increase the firepower enough to burn something.

Typically, to increase firepower, you need more fuel.

If my flames' fuel was anger, maybe I just wasn't angry enough.

I thought about what made me the angriest.

The absurd ending of *The Holy Sword of the Academy*?

Or the entity that turned me into this?

Suddenly, I recalled a dear friend I lost when I became a girl.

My precious friend, who cried with joy when I was happy and shared my sorrow when I was sad, Sojung...

As the indescribable sense of loss fueled my anger, I felt the heat of the flames surrounding my body grow significantly stronger.

I was now confident I could burn something.

In most novels and comics, fire ability users could control their flames as if they were their limbs.

Imagining flames flying toward the scarecrow's face, I shouted in my mind.

Fireball!

But the flames didn't budge.

Hellfire! Flame Emperor! Breath of Flame!

Still, the flames didn't move.

Then I realized something.

If I can't control the flames like my limbs, I'll have to use my limbs to control the flames.

Wham!

A punch wreathed in flames struck the scarecrow's face.

I called it Fire Punch.

Though it looked powerful, all it did was leave a little soot on the scarecrow's face.

Still, figuring out how to use flames that could burn was a significant achievement.

"Evande, you should be more mindful of your surroundings when using your abilities..."

Eve suddenly said in a flustered voice.

Her eyes were staring directly at my body.

I looked down to see what she was staring at and was greeted by the sight of a stark white, naked girl's body.

In my shock, my mind went blank.

It made sense that burning flames all over my body would also burn my clothes.

If a naked girl suddenly appeared in the classroom, it would cause a massive commotion.

Horrific futures of being blackmailed by the male students at school flashed before my eyes.

Within a day of becoming a girl, I was facing a life-or-death crisis.

If I'm not careful, I'll refuse to go to school from tomorrow.

"Evande, you're a girl now, so be more careful! I'll cast a spell to make it look like you're wearing your uniform. I hope there's a spare outfit in the faculty room..."

Eve snapped her fingers, and an identical uniform to the one I wore earlier appeared on my body.

I was incredibly relieved that Eve was my homeroom teacher.

Otherwise, I might have faced something straight out of an erotic comic...

With a clap of her hands, Eve dispelled the illusion, revealing the classroom once more.

The other students weren't back yet, suggesting their measurements weren't finished.

Though the students hadn't moved from here, what kind of trick was the illusion magic?

"I'm heading to the faculty room. Behave yourself, Evande."

Eve sighed slightly and walked out of the classroom.

As soon as she left, Yoon Si-woo, whose measurement seemed to be finished, was suddenly sitting in a chair.

Sensing my presence, Yoon Si-woo turned to me and gasped.

His face turned bright red, and he quickly looked away, leaving me puzzled.

What had happened inside the illusion magic?

.

..

...

Ah, illusion magic.

Flames burst from my body.

In the next moment, I landed a Fire Punch on Yoon Si-woo's jaw.

*

After hitting Yoon Si-woo with a Fire Punch, I fled to the bathroom and changed into a spare uniform Eve had brought from the faculty room, roughly resolving the awkward situation.

When Eve returned to the classroom and saw Yoon Si-woo holding his jaw with a bewildered look, she quickly figured out the situation and burst into laughter.

'Hahaha... Sorry, Evande. I've never seen an ability like Si-woo's before, so I made a mistake... Haha... Sorry...'

If you want to apologize, please try not to laugh...