Chapter 17
Crescent Academy had numerous unspoken rules, things close to urban legends or traditions: “Commoners cannot enter Class S,” “Never enter the Training Forest alone,” and “If you mess with the statue in the annex, you’ll disappear without a trace.” Some of these evolved into official regulations, but most remained as traditional, invisible “rules.”
For instance, despite the saying, “Never enter the Training Forest alone,” no staff actively monitored students to ensure they followed it.
“Ahem. A commoner in Class S.”
“This is unprecedented.”
“But placing the top entrance exam scorer in Class S is only natural.”
The term had barely started, yet the faculty gathered at the unexpectedly urgent professors’ meeting already understood the reason.
Despite the president’s approval, the incident of a commoner being placed in Class S had become the hottest issue on campus.
Rumors spread among both new and returning students that the commoner had cheated, had connections with the admissions examiners, or perhaps even a special relationship with the Academy president.
Moreover, during the student council meeting on the first day, Ryu, the commoner in question, appeared briefly before excusing himself with an urgent matter.
This hastened departure only deepened suspicions, as he missed an opportunity to clear up rumors in front of the student council leaders.
Elaine Sinclair, from the Sinclair family, had thankfully stepped in to control the situation, allowing it to pass at that time. However, the growing issue made this faculty meeting inevitable.
“Perhaps if we released footage of Ryu’s entrance exam, it might dispel some of the doubts. The footage shows no signs of cheating, after all.”
“Hm. Even if we release the footage, they’ll likely say it was doctored.”
Amilion suggested this idea to deflect the hostile stares aimed at him, but the suggestion was dismissed right away.
After all, if rumors suggested Ryu had ties to the Academy’s leadership, why would anyone believe a video provided by the Academy? And it wasn’t just the students—the Empire’s noble families standing behind them would refuse to believe it, even on principle.
Attaining the title of “Academy’s Top Scorer,” even once, held significant meaning within the Empire.
Ranking first among the nation’s most promising talents was an accomplishment recognized anywhere.
And Ryu wasn’t just any “top student”; he entered as the “top freshman” at Crescent Academy. That alone made him eligible for an invitation to “The Crescent,” a prestigious club of Crescent Academy’s top freshmen, whose connections could shape the Empire and even the entire continent.
A commoner being part of such a group was bound to draw noble opposition.
Many nobles were thus looking for any excuse to disparage this instance of a commoner becoming the top student.
Given that Ryu was a commoner, they felt free to make even the most groundless accusations.
Clank—
“Thank you for gathering here so early.”
“Ah, Vice-Principal, you’re here.”
The last person to enter the room, instantly quieting the noisy meeting, was Crescent Academy’s Vice-Principal, Professor Randgar.
With an uncharacteristically stern expression, he entered swiftly, and the professors stood to greet him.
“Everyone, please take a seat. We’re aware of the issue, so let’s address it swiftly. A commoner in Class S, and as top student no less. No matter the president’s approval, it is an unusual situation, isn’t it, Professor Amilion?”
“Ah…”
Amilion bowed his head, thinking about how everything seemed to come back to him. He was both frustrated and resentful. What could he have done? The rules stated that the top seven entrants were to be placed in Class S, with no written rule barring commoners.
“I understand the dilemma. That’s why I’ve thought of a solution.”
As soon as he spoke, Professor Randgar drew the room’s attention. It was clear he had come with an idea already prepared, and the faculty focused intently on him.
“Why don’t we arrange a setting to demonstrate the student’s skills? The issue has grown because no one has ‘personally’ witnessed this student’s abilities.”
“Oh.”
“Ah.”
Positive murmurs rose in response to the vice-principal’s proposal.
“Of course, we must be mindful of fairness. We can’t just create a new event from thin air, as it might seem like discrimination against a commoner.”
There was an undertone to the vice-principal’s words, but no one disputed it.
“That’s why…”
While Amilion found the vice-principal’s idea somewhat radical, she acknowledged that it might resolve the situation smoothly, nodding in agreement.
***
Crescent Academy had several traditional events.
There were promotion evaluations at the end of each term, northern hunting expeditions as field practice, and a semester festival that was essentially a social gathering disguised as a celebration.
Events like the “Class Competition,” which sounded disadvantageous for lower-year students, were among the Academy’s traditions.
Officially, the Class Competition aimed to encourage camaraderie. Juniors would learn by observing seniors, while seniors demonstrated their abilities, ultimately motivating everyone involved.
At least, the description sounded well-intentioned.
“The student council didn’t mention this during the meeting, so it seems the decision came from higher up.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I just don’t understand why. Normally, this event is held at least two months after the start of the term.”
“Well, I’m sure they have their reasons.”
“True, but… sigh. Only three weeks to prepare? That’s way too short.”
“Huh? Elaine, are you participating too?”
“…”
“…Hmm?”
“I must have been worrying needlessly. I forgot that the representative hasn’t asked me yet.”
That “representative” must be referring to me.
Elaine gave a faint, bitter smile and lowered her head slightly. My questions about the Class Competition were finally answered when I met with her.
She seemed to have read the announcement already, and she brought up the topic before I even asked. I seized the opportunity to ask her about the details.
After all, this was an event I had to win at all costs for the sake of my skill acquisition.
By now, Elaine was sitting next to me as if it were her designated seat, and Cynthia was seated right in front of us. Cynthia kept twitching as if she wanted to join the conversation but was holding herself back.
“Oh, you joining would be awesome! With both first and second place on our team, we’d be unstoppable, right?”
“I will do my utmost.”
Elaine responded with an expression more fitting for a hero preparing to save a village in peril than a participant in a school event.
“Alright, so I get the gist of the event, but do you know how it’s structured?”
“Um… I’ve heard it varies each year. Last year, the event was a dungeon exploration designed by the Academy.”
This Academy sure loves “in-house productions.”
Not only had they created magical artifacts like crystal orbs and golems, but they’d even managed to design a “dungeon,” one of the mystical anomalies of Arkaria.
“A dungeon exploration sounds fun.”
“They change the competition type every year, so it probably won’t be dungeon exploration this time.”
“Ah, too bad.”
An in-house dungeon designed by the Academy would likely have safety measures, and a dungeon environment would make it easy to use my abilities without being noticed. Too bad indeed.
“I think team formation should be our first priority, though.”
“Team formation? Oh, right, the representative doesn’t compete alone.”
“Correct. It depends on the type of event, but as far as I know, freshmen usually form a team of around ten members.”
“Wait, ten members?”
I generally preferred working in small groups with the Black Shadow Corps, even for missions requiring numerous people. Unless the mission required a large-scale operation like the recent hourglass mission, I’d always assembled the smallest possible teams, usually no more than four people.
But now, we’d have to work as a ten-member team.
“Yes. Usually, the freshmen report their team size first, and then the sophomores and juniors select their representatives based on the freshmen numbers. It’s a form of consideration from the upperclassmen due to the skill gap.”
“Oh?”
Elaine seemed surprisingly well-informed for a fellow freshman.
“So, ten members? How do we decide who joins the team?”
“Normally, all Class S members participate automatically in the competition. The seven members of Class S can then collaborate with the representative to recruit additional students from other classes.”
“Got it. So, we start with our seven?”
“Well… usually, yes.”
Elaine hesitated and looked around.
The lecture hall was silent, with only our conversation breaking the quiet. Apparently, everyone had been listening. Noticing this, Elaine glanced around, and Kane approached us with a smug grin, seemingly ready to jump in.
Just watching him walk over made me want to punch him.
“I’m not planning to join the representative team.”
“…”
Of course.
With his arms crossed, Kane smirked, clearly pleased with himself, raising one corner of his mouth.
—
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