Coloring (4)
Frondier, sensing the gazes around him, decided to move.
At first, he thought people were staring because of Pielott's outburst, but the reason was himself.
‘I lost control without realizing it.’
Frondier shook his head.
It was never easy to remain calm when the subject of Satan came up.
It had been that way since he first met Satan.
The power of wrath that Satan possessed. He must have infused Frondier with it the moment they met.
Frondier wasn't vulnerable to it, but he wasn't immune either. Satan's wrath would occasionally provoke him like this. Especially when the topic was about Satan himself.
‘That bastard interferes with everything I do, so he’s annoying even without that power.’
Anyway, Frondier decided to change his thinking since things had already turned out this way.
It was also the Golden Apple acting on its own, but Pielott had finally recalled the memory from his dream.
He decided to gather everyone and hear him out.
“Then come to my place after class.”
“Yes, sir.”
Pielott bowed his head and left the staff room.
Only then did the atmosphere settle, and everyone inside returned to their work.
No one spoke to Frondier. No, no one wanted to.
Except for one person.
“Teacher Frondier.”
There was one who wasn't fazed by his pressure.
“Let's talk.”
“……Teacher Elodie.”
Frondier looked up at Elodie as she approached.
Elodie's tone was still cold, but her eyes held concern.
Frondier nodded.
***
“That was a close one.”
Elodie warned, raising a finger.
“This is Atlas, and almost all the teachers here are skilled in combat. They too have unintentionally released their spirit before, and they've all experienced the killing intent of others. So, incidents like what just happened are quite frequent. However...”
“……It was a bit excessive.”
Frondier honestly admitted, and Elodie nodded.
“You’re still a new teacher here. Most teachers wouldn’t want to admit that they were intimidated by a new teacher's spirit. It's fortunate it was just for a moment; otherwise, it could have been dangerous.”
“Right. I want to keep a low profile at Atlas.”
It was fine to stand out in theory and administrative tasks, like with the 3D map, test questions, and the Machia event. It would build his reputation as a teacher and strengthen his position.
However, he couldn't do the same with force. If it were the students, it might be different, but trying something like that among the teachers would only make him a target.
“It's a worry I couldn't even dream of having in the past.”
Frondier realized it every time. That he had become stronger.
And he knew that becoming stronger wasn't just a good thing; it also came with a corresponding weight.
Elodie laughed playfully.
“Hehe, but isn’t it better than the past? Better than being ridiculed.”
“Well, that's true. I used to be busy just looking after myself, but now I can protect others.”
Frondier's strength was undoubtedly among the top among humans.
He couldn't be certain before coming to this continent, but it became even clearer after arriving.
He was nearing the peak of human potential in terms of pure strength. He was confident that he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Zodiacs, or rather, defeat most of them.
Now, when Frondier looked up, there weren't many humans above him.
Instead, there were devils and Gods.
‘……The peak of humanity.’
Frondier had felt it when he met Hercules. The vast gap between humans and Gods.
Hercules was a demigod. In other words, half of his physical body was divine. Hercules didn't need the conditions for descent, so he could fully utilize his divine power. Of course, just because the other half was human didn't mean it was weak. There were surely aspects in which Hercules was stronger because he was half-human.
……However, even if Hercules' power was close to the strongest among the Gods, there were bound to be other Gods of comparable might.
If even a few of the fully descended Gods possessed power equal to Hercules, Frondier's heart would only grow heavy.
‘There’s only one way.’
He had to find the Giants. He had to borrow their power, or their wisdom.
Although they were defeated, they had sent numerous Gods to the world of salvation and bound many more to this land. He had to find them, still trapped within Pandemonium somewhere in this world.
His search for artifacts related to them at Zenita's mansion had been fruitless, but he had obtained another clue: Misstilteinn.
“……It's been a while,”
Frondier raised his head.
“Shall we have a meeting.”
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