Chapter 7
Crescent Academy.
As suggested by its name, this is an academy run directly by the Crescent Empire, and the only one of its kind in the entire empire. Given that it’s the sole academy in such a vast empire, it’s natural for countless talents across the nation to flock here.
Children from renowned families, like “Sinclair,” whose names alone command recognition, as well as those from unknown local families, all gather at Crescent Academy.
Amilion, now in her tenth year as a professor at Crescent Academy, had seen various types of students and experienced countless events, enough to think she’d encountered almost everything the academy had to offer.
From students vowing to kill each other over family feuds, accidents causing injuries during competitions, invasions by the Black Shadow Corps, to even maniacs threatening terror during the entrance exam — Amilion thought she’d seen it all.
“Ughhh.”
Tap, tap, tap—
Amilion rested her head in her hand, drumming her fingers on the table faster than ever. After a decade, she’d thought there’d be nothing left that would make her agonize this much, but she was mistaken.
Almost as if to celebrate her ten years, this year’s top student in the 158th class was a brand-new conundrum: the commoner Ryu.
A boy with black hair as unique as his unusual name.
A boy who set the record high score in ‘Golem Hit,’ astounding not only the freshmen but also the supervisors and professors.
“An unprecedented talent, certainly…”
Watching the footage of Ryu that her assistant, Kain, had provided, Amilion couldn’t hide her surprise.
Known as “The All-Seeing,” Amilion immediately recognized Ryu’s potential just by watching the test footage.
Not only did the boy show remarkable physical prowess, but he also displayed exceptional talent in magic. As a professor and a mage, Amilion could see that Ryu’s casting speed was beyond reason compared to others his age.
Not only did he cast spells without incantations, but although it wasn’t an attack spell, his casting speed was remarkable.
“Haaaa.”
However, Ryu’s potential was Ryu’s potential, and work was work.
Amilion stared at the paper with “Top Student: Ryu” written in bold letters, wondering how she should proceed.
She’d replayed the entrance exam footage multiple times, confirming that the commoner Ryu hadn’t resorted to any tricks.
“If only he had used some kind of trick…”
That fact complicated matters even more for Amilion.
Crescent Academy has certain unwritten rules.
Some of these are written in the academy’s regulations, while others aren’t but have become traditional expectations everyone follows.
One such rule is, “The top incoming student is assigned to Class S.”
This rule is formally written in the academy regulations, promoted by the academy to maintain the prestige of Class S.
Another unwritten rule is, “A commoner can never be assigned to Class S.”
It’s not stated in the regulations, but since most students and professors are nobles, and the academy is a state-run organization, it’s similarly enforced to preserve the symbolic meaning of Class S.
With a bit of consideration, one can see that these two rules could conflict, yet no one had ever questioned or commented on it.
No one had ever imagined a commoner would become the top incoming student.
It wasn’t unusual for commoners to enter the academy. Many nobles would sponsor talented commoners to nurture talent that might serve their family.
However, for a commoner to outshine numerous aristocratic candidates and rank first in the entrance exam — it was as improbable as dragons, rumored to live in the northern continent, uniting to launch a full-scale attack on the empire.
After all, the depth of talent and the level of education received before academy entrance were often worlds apart.
“Good grief. What am I supposed to do here?”
Amilion reflected on the recent meeting where they’d discussed which class to assign the top incoming student, Ryu, a commoner.
Opinions were split between assigning him to Class S, per regulations, and others saying it would be improper to place a commoner in Class S.
In the end, the decision was handed over to Amilion, who was in charge of this year’s entrance exam and class assignments.
Of course, nobody wanted the responsibility of violating either of these established rules.
As a result, Amilion couldn’t leave her desk, even though it was far past office hours.
The final class assignment report was due tomorrow morning.
And it would be presented directly to the headmaster.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake…”
Amilion groaned in frustration.
Of all times, why did this have to happen when she was in charge of the entrance exam?
***
“Ah, this is nice.”
“This is the dormitory building. Every freshman has been assigned a single room, so you may use the dormitory if you wish.”
“Wait, so I don’t have to use it if I don’t want to?”
“Of course. The room assigned to you can be used for an entire year, so you’re welcome to go back and forth from home as you please.”
“Oh, I see.”
On the first day at the Academy.
Contrary to my expectations of a solemn professor’s scolding and a room full of nervous, unfamiliar students, my first day felt more like a guided tour.
To be fair, I’d actually been to Crescent Academy once before.
At that time, however, I’d only come to “borrow” a magical stone or a gem stored here, so I hadn’t had the leisure to explore the place thoroughly.
It had been late at night, so my only impression was that there were a lot of buildings, and the interior looked quite luxurious.
Crescent Academy was vast, to the extent that it would take hours to tour the entire campus.
After passing through the lecture halls, research building, faculty wing, dining hall, and shopping district, we arrived at the dormitory.
Naturally, I hadn’t planned on staying in the dormitory, but after hearing the staff member’s explanation, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to move some belongings here since I had a room assigned to me for the year anyway.
Besides, the elegance exuded by the dormitory’s exterior tempted me to go inside at least once.
“They really spent a lot of money on this place. I couldn’t fully appreciate the exterior last time I was here at night, but wow, it’s impressive.”
“…At night? The entrance exam took place during the day.”
“Ah, well, I mean… It was a bit darker when I left? I was so nervous when I arrived that I didn’t really look around…sniff.”
The Academy tour I was on was surprisingly a one-on-one.
I didn’t know how many freshmen there were, but considering that each of them had a personal guide, it really made me wonder just how much money the Academy had.
“These are the main facilities, and you’ll be able to find any other locations you need by following the campus map we provided. Though you probably won’t need to go anywhere beyond what we’ve seen today for a while.”
“Got it. So, is that all for the first day? Do I not get to meet my classmates yet?”
“…No, we’re headed back to the lecture hall now so I can take you to your class.”
“Oh, nice.”
When I first heard I’d be attending the Academy, I really didn’t want to come, but after some self-persuasion and mental gymnastics, I was fully prepared to enjoy Academy life.
Might as well have fun and make it interesting since I have to do it anyway.
“So, which class am I in? And how many classes are there?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
“Wait… You’re not saying we’re walking all the way back, are you?”
“…Yes, we’ll have to walk. You haven’t been granted portal access yet.”
“Sigh.”
I couldn’t help but sigh.
Could there be anything more inefficient than walking a distance you could cover in the blink of an eye?
First Year Class S.
They could have come up with a better name, but it felt like they named it quickly and didn’t put much thought into it.
When I first heard I was in Class S, I’d asked the staff if that meant there were also Classes A to F, and there were.
The staff explained that the meaning of Class S at Crescent Academy was unique, and that it was unprecedented for a commoner like me to be assigned to it. He explained all of this with great enthusiasm, but I half-listened, letting it go in one ear and out the other.
I was too occupied with despair at having to re-walk a route I’d already covered, realizing that inefficiencies like this would probably be part of daily life at the Academy.
“Thanks for your help. I’ll head in now.”
“…Alright. Take care.”
The staff member who had guided me looked somewhat dissatisfied, but he still nodded politely before heading off somewhere in a hurry.
Starting with the luxurious and splendid exterior of the building, I took in the surroundings carefully and went inside.
The eight-story building was dedicated solely to freshmen, with the first floor as a common area, and the floors from second to eighth designated for Classes S through F in descending order.
“So, since I’m in Class S, that means the second floor?”
Though I wasn’t expecting to see my classmates right away, I’d hoped to at least greet anyone I might share Academy life with, but the building was completely empty.
“Hmm.”
I headed straight up to the second floor via the central staircase.
Apparently, the entire floor was designated as “Class S,” yet there were several doors on this floor.
‘So… which one’s the classroom…?’
Just as I was looking around, an unexpectedly familiar voice called out to me.
“Oh, Ryu!”
“Huh?”
It was Elaine, the girl from the Sinclair family who I’d ended up rescuing on entrance day.
Elaine Sinclair, the third daughter of the Sinclair family, appeared exactly as she had then. She called out to me with a barely visible hint of warmth on her face, probably something only I would have noticed.
“Seeing you here must mean you’re in Class S as well.”
“Uh, yeah, that’s right. But, hey, feel free to talk casually. We’re both freshmen, right?”
“I actually prefer formal speech.”
“Ah, um…”
I’d only suggested casual speech, not outright informal language, so I didn’t have much to say in response. As I’d sensed before, Elaine seemed to have a conservative and formal way of speaking, likely from her upbringing in a strictly knightly family. She somewhat reminded me of Addy.
“So, you’re in Class S too?”
“Yes, the top seven students based on entrance exam scores are all in Class S.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, for now.”
“For now?”
“You didn’t know? There’s a ranking exam every six months. If you don’t maintain a high rank, your class can be changed at any time. Someone from Class A could move up to Class S, or vice versa.”
“Wow, that’s intense.”
“It’s the Empire’s way of nurturing top talents through competition.”
Elaine’s expression looked somewhat bitter as she spoke.
Regardless, I was happy to know there was someone I was acquainted with in the same class.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes. I think the others should be… oh, here they come.”
At Elaine’s words, I looked down to see a group of students noisily entering the building on the first floor.
“How did they all come together? I thought it was a one-on-one tour?”
“Oh, you must not have known. The one-on-one tour is a special privilege given only to the top two students.”
“I see.”
It seemed this Academy operated strictly on merit.
“This way, please.”
“Oh, right.”
As we headed up from the bustling first floor, I could feel several unfriendly gazes directed at me. However, with so many people on the floor, it was impossible to pinpoint exactly who it was coming from.
That hostile energy followed me as I continued with Elaine to somewhere on the second floor.
‘Sigh…’
It was irritating.
—
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