Lesson in Compassion and Power

"But it's barking like that!"

"That's probably because..."

The dog let out a low growl, but instead of attacking, it hesitated and backed away.

Seizing the moment, Shirone locked eyes with the animal and slowly pushed forward, guiding it back into the forest. Just as he expected, a small puppy, still too young to fend for itself, lay trembling in the grass, whimpering in distress.

"Its leg is injured. Poor thing."

"Oh? You're right! Hey, everyone! There's a puppy over here!"

Shirone quickly stopped Mark from calling the others over.

"Not yet. Even a domesticated dog can become unpredictable when its young are in danger."

"Oh, I see. Hey! Stay back, everyone!"

"Instead, can you find someone who knows healing magic? Look in Class Five."

Ideally, Seriel would come, but even though they were friends, Shirone couldn't just call on an upperclassman so casually.

"No need for that—Maria can handle it. Hold on, I'll go get her."

After her probation ended and she began receiving guidance from Thad, Maria had become noticeably more cheerful.

"Oh my! How did this happen?"

"Looks like it got caught in a territorial fight and was bitten. Can you heal it?"

"Yes, of course, senpai. This is simple."

Maria had been studying at the academy since childhood, so she had a broad range of magical expertise.

With the healing complete, the puppy regained its strength, yapping excitedly as it bounded around.

The students watched warmly as the mother dog gathered her pup and trotted back into the forest. One of the younger students turned to Shirone in awe.

"That was amazing, senpai! How did you know?"

"I lived in the mountains for a long time."

"Wait, really? You did?"

Only a handful of students knew about Shirone's origins.

"Yeah. The cries of an animal change when they have young. There's a sadness to it. When I was little, I once went hunting with my father. We found a massive red bear—one of the most dangerous creatures out there—caught in a trap. It was struggling but strong enough to break free at any moment. My father quickly drew his bow, but then…"

Shirone's voice grew softer as he recalled the memory.

"He lowered his bow. I thought it was strange, so I asked him why."

"Dad, why aren't you taking the shot?"

Vincent crouched down and pointed to the underbrush.

"Look there."

Squinting, Shirone spotted a tiny bear cub whimpering beside its trapped mother.

"No matter the species, we don't take an animal when it has young. Humans or beasts, love for family is the same."

"But that means we wasted the hunt! That bear is a huge catch!"

Vincent ruffled his son's hair.

"That bear has its cub, just as I have you. As a parent, how could I ignore that? Fighting to survive is the same for both man and beast. But you must never take a life in front of its child. That is an unspoken rule shared by all living things."

Shirone couldn't put it into words at the time, but something deep and powerful settled in his heart—a lesson that would never fade.

His classmates were moved by the story.

"Wow…"

Even the noble-born students, who were accustomed to hunting, had never imagined such a perspective.

"Your father was an incredible man."

"Yeah. Now I see why Shirone is so kind."

As his classmates murmured in admiration, Iluki suddenly cut through the mood like a cold wind.

"What a foolish sentiment. No hunter would spare an animal out of pity."

The harsh statement drew irritated looks from the younger students, but Iluki remained unfazed.

"Hunters don't spare mothers out of kindness. They do it to prevent the cub from growing up with a hatred for humans. It's called imprinting. If a young animal harbors resentment toward humans, it will pass that trait to its offspring, making them harder to hunt over generations. But if they kill both mother and cub, they risk wiping out their own future prey."

Shirone clenched his fists. Whether Iluki's reasoning was logical or not, that wasn't the point. He wasn't trying to teach animal behavior—he was talking about something deeper.

"How can you say that? Sure, there might be hunters who think that way, but most let them go out of genuine compassion."

"Compassion? Feelings are just convenient excuses. I deal in reality. Unlike you, I won't mislead people with naïve idealism."

"What?! Mislead? You little—"

Shirone stepped forward, eyes burning. Their clash echoed a past argument from the Supernatural Psychic Science Society.

The other students exchanged glances, bewildered.

"What's going on? They act like they've been rivals forever."

"It's probably competition. Both of them are top candidates for advancement."

Shirone's glare sharpened, but Iluki simply cast his gaze downward, pretending to be uninterested.

"Hey, hey! Cut it out! The teacher's coming. Let's head back."

Thanks to Nate's intervention, the situation didn't escalate into a full-blown fight, but Shirone was still irritated.

'What's with that guy?'

Whether it was hunting or magical research, he seemed to completely miss what truly mattered.

'Ugh, I should just ignore him from now on.'

As class time approached, Etella arrived at the training grounds. Given that evaluations were underway, her attire was noticeably different today. She wore a fitted training uniform with short sleeves and exposed legs, and more strikingly—her glasses were gone.

'Wow… She looks completely different!'

She was always attractive, but now, she was almost intimidatingly stunning.

"Alright, everyone. You all know we're starting special training today, right? Due to scheduling, Class Five's Speed Gun Test will be conducted first. Starting tomorrow, each class will have its own time slot. But before we begin, we have a special demonstration. Samuel, please step forward."

A handsome, golden-haired young man stood beside Etella. He appeared to be in his early twenties and, unusually for a man, had hair that reached his waist.

"This is Samuel, a graduate preparing for his final exams. His specialty is Incantation Magic, and he's here today for a demonstration. Since this is closely tied to Spirit Zone enhancement training, pay close attention."

The students burst into applause, especially the female students, who were visibly delighted.

"Nice to meet you all. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting where you are. I'm honored to share what I know. I'll do my best."

'Graduates…'

Shirone's eyes gleamed.

This was a chance to see the level of skill that students like Amy were competing against.

Samuel spread his Spirit Zone, and the sheer size of it—42 meters in diameter, the same as Shirone's—drew gasps from the crowd.

'Incredible…'

Shirone clenched his fists, determination blazing in his chest.

'I have to rise to that level. No matter what.'