And so... here I am in a sports field as wide as Tokyo dome. Thought not THAT wide but anyone would get the sensation of having too much space to waste for. And yet... it did not look like it when a hundred or more students were scattered everywhere.
"Sure is crowded~ I wonder what we are going to do here." Anise asked a critical point.
"Maybe there will be a test or something? That man from earlier looked like he would even throw a magic beast into the crowds in order to measure who would be strong enough to survive for an appropriate duration." Leon surmised but the three of us were not fully convinced.
In fact... I have a feeling that it could be more ridiculous or less nonsensical than what I thought. If not for my experience then I would have disagreed with Leon's hypothesis but once we saw Instructor with several other teachers lining up next to him, the dark clouds on my head vanished.
"Show them your skill, Bernard!" Instructor Galahad shouted with a hand raised like a commanding officer.
"Aye, sire!!" The man next to him, who was dressed in a fancy gray robe responded.
He brought his hands forward, mumbling quickly and a magic circle appeared in front of him. Light burst forth, blinding our eyes. The moment we recovered, crates full of wooden weapons surrounded us as a magical ward in the form of transparent veil of light covered the entire field.
"Take those weapons and defeat your enemies! No murder is allowed and the time limit is one hour!! Begin!"
...oh, wow. We're going for elimination tournament after all. Should I laugh now that what I thought as mere joke turned real?
After that kind of nonsensical challenge, everyone scrambled in action. Be it the girls and the boys, everyone took weapons randomly for a free-for-all rumble.
"Seriously? Is this reality?" I hung down my head in dejection.
"Not even one of them complained... looks like they're all idiots. Oh, but the weaker and slower ones are failing first so at least they know how to be cowardly." Leon commented.
"A brawl! My turn has arrived!!" Anise shouted in mad excitement.
Ah... another idiot took a dash off. I saw Anise kicking a boy's head and he fell with loud sound. However, the boy instantly vanished and reappeared outside the ward!
"Yep, you're disqualified. Now you're free to drop out from my class." Instructor Galahad beamed a smile.
"No way!? It can't be...!!" The boy choked.
Ah... when he said that, all movements ceased and everyone stared at the grinning Instructor.
"What? Got any problem? As long as you got hit at the vitals then you're coming out defeated. As if war can be so kind that a strike on the head won't kill you!"
"Uwah. He's really putting live combat rules in his teaching."
"He's got a good point though."
"No no. If it's like this then aren't we already in Royal Knight Course...?"
Eh? Why are you glaring at me now, Instructor?
"What are you saying, lass!? This is just a fraction of the true lessons you will face should you enter Royal Knight Course! And obviously there's no corpse in the making here!!"
Uwah! So there could be casualties in everyday lessons!? And how come his voice reached all the way here!? Did he use magic to amplify his voice and pinpoint me!? What a frightening Instructor!!
"Nice. I'd like to see him trying." Leon muttered but that mindset is wrong!
Bantering with Leon for a while, the two of us were then approached by a group of students. All of them were boys with either chubby faces or freckles and they harbored sinister smiles. Ah, ahh… those eyes.
"A hit is more than enough right...?" I inquired my little brother as I discovered the meaning of their smiles.
These guys possibly intended to make it as an accident by saying 'taking out the strong using quantity' but they were just trying to bully those who enrolled through Special Entrance Exam. Because most teachers favored the talented and experienced but not the money, they were probably annoyed.
"Oh well, weaklings can only do this much," Leon said. His tone was indifferent but a savage grin showed up.
"At least don't kill them, Leon." I replied to his true intention.
"Got it. Half-dead is enough... RIGHT!?"
*BOOM!* My little brother took off with an explosive leap and he grabbed two heads of the opponents and threw them to the sky. Two fighters were instantly dropped out once they flew off the arena by breaking the ward.
However, I saw the cracks on the ward restoring itself in a monstrous speed. Hm... What an interesting magic but I don't have the capability to do it. My disease isn’t something that can be taken lightly.
Alia is a really lucky person to discover the secret in becoming like Rudeus... well, I'm fine the way I am so let's move on to my enemies.
"Hm? Are you going to attack me with sword?" I asked the remaining ruffians.
Leon took off all alone because he wanted to vent out his frustration. It couldn't be helped as he frowned as of lately and I didn't want to interrupt my little brother's fun. Well, we just knew that we have to settle our private business with our own hands.
"Haah? Isn't that obvious?"
"Or do you want us to shove our 'sword' in you, commoner....? Kekekee...!"
A nice pun but my lips curved like a crescent moon and I said.
"Well then, allow me to teach you gentlemen in wielding sword properly."
"Huh—"
I dashed forward and arrived in front of the person who was in the middle. Touching the hand which was holding a long sword clumsily, I gazed at the boy's eyes.
"First, grasp firmly the ground as if clawing it with your feet. You won't be pushed back easily as long as you are still holding your ground."
I gripped the wrist then I knocked off the boy's footing by sweeping his legs with a kick, then I pulled the wrist and his entire body rotated in midair.
"Next, a long sword isn't meant for one hand to hold in. You shouldn't compare it with a rapier or the usual swords used by guards."
*THUD! * The boy fell to the ground helplessly before he vanished from the spot.
Damn, I forgot that the loser would be teleported without fail. As if they will understand my teaching then. By that point, I heard various roars from many sides and I turned around. Facing me were the students which had intended to commit atrocity, but for having lost one of their friends, they attacked in pure rage.
"Hmhm. That's right... blocking the enemy's path with Intimidation and numbers can be considered as a way to win a battle. However—there is a clear difference between recklessness and bravery."
Displaying a smile full of excitement, I dove into the world of conflicts.
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"Alright! One hour is up so cease your weapons from moving! Any who don't do what I say will be kicked out!!"
Instructor Galahad clapped and as the magical ward vanished, he congratulated the survivors of the Battle Royale. Most, if not all, were exhausted to the point of barely standing straight and I exhaled.
"Whew, that really tested my stamina. I thought I wouldn't last."
"Nah... Big sister enjoyed it halfway through right?"
"Well, it's because I am disappointed by how uneducated those people were. Swords aren't toys and wielding them isn't something that can be treated so lightly."
To be honest, are they even nobles? They were supposed to hail from wealthy houses with privileges for being educated from childhood. Heck, they should have a brain to use. Just what did they even do before they enrolled in this Academy?
Fei isn't like them at all so at least that’s a plus in my journal.
"Come to think of it, where is Anise?" I looked around, finding nobody with a familiar pink hair.
"She's over there... befriending her opponents like no other." Leon pointed out.
We observed how a girl with maroon hair and extremely long side bangs laughing together with those she had fought. Among the circle of friends were martial artists and the majority were male though females were also present in odd number. Seeing Anise who talked with fists, I ended up feeling exhausted more than usual.
"And there she goes creating a new page in her legendary trails."
"I don't think exaggeration will convince her from stopping what she's doing. The girl has a spirit of freedom like Helios."
Yeah... If you're talking about a god who roamed around obstructing evil then might as well becoming an Ally of Justice. I was thrilled but Leon unnecessarily added.
"Well, big sister will probably be the dark horse. Most men would definitely want to be stepped on by you after that show."
"Oh? And what does that mean, my dear little brother...?"
"Argh?! W-wait! I was just joking! A choke-hold?! Wait, stop! It's going to snap... my neck is going to snap—*crack*—Gaaaaaaah?!!"
Oho ho ho ho hooo~ the infamous CQC of a Snake cannot be underestimated, you know...? After I was done reprimanding Leon, I heard a footstep and when I turned...
"Good day to you, mademoiselle. What a beautiful display of skill you have earlier."
Huh... who is this guy with funny hairstyle and exaggerated handsomeness? Somehow, it made me suspicious but if anything, he fell short against Fei a lot. I don't know why but even his polite gesture somehow annoyed me.
"My fair lady, would you mind to tell me your name is?"
"...Is it not right for you to not name yourself before asking who I am?"
The boy smiled radiantly and he bowed his head. Offering an aristocratic greeting, he said that he was Spatwhatever his name was. He flaunted his beauty like an idiot and he praised me in an exaggerated manner I became sick of it. At any rate, I didn't want anything to do with him so I made it quick.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"I'm Charlotte Augmund. So what do you want?" I asked.
"Well, if you don't mind... would you like to partake a cup of tea with me?" He replied while brushing his hair with a wave of hand.
"Not interested." I turned my heels and walked away.
Joining with my friend and sibling, I would rather not have any relation with nobles and father demanded me to raise my guards when meeting a noble from Silverash household. Also, if I were not mistaken, mother was also a noble from Raumia so I may have relatives here.
The idea of having someone who broke off blood ties only to return by sending in her descendant would be considered as blasphemy. I better watch out and it's not like I can trust those who still valued class society dearly.
"P-please wait! Why—"
"You will have to choose a better pickup line if you want to 'partake a cup of tea' with me. Well then, excuse me and have a nice day."
I left the Spatuwhatnot in the dust and dragged Leon by the collar. But for some reasons... I sensed the air around me changing. Was it my imagination or am I truly being watched?
Not even five minutes have passed and I heard Instructor's roaring voice. Ordering the survivors to gather in front of him. Everyone now stood in lines and rows then waited for further instructions.
"Good job for passing the preliminary. Now you're going to fight in a one-on-one match and your opponent will be chosen randomly!"
Eeehh... again with the randomness. Does he even get tired, this Instructor...? Well, if it's not troublesome then as if it can be called as a lesson. Considering that almost half of us survived, then that meant we would be separated in groups supervised by teachers in order to save up times.
The grouping was done via lottery. A teacher brought up a crystal ball at the size of yoga ball and once touched, the ball would absorb our mana a little before displaying where we would be placed in.
"I'm in group A... damn, I know no one in that group." I commented dejectedly.
"Yikes. Looks like we're all separated. Did Instructor anticipated people such as us?" Anise inquired as if she had lost an opportunity and Leon once again surmised.
"...judging by how the crystal ball worked on, I'd say we're all separated depending on our mana pool. But then again, I should have been in the same group with big sis so..." Leon exhaled.
It's an invalid theory huh...? Maybe it's no fun to round up all of the Special Initiates. If there was anything that I could think of, the teachers in Knight Course wanted to test everyone's ability with their own eyes.
However, this did nothing good with commoners barely passing by luck or hard struggle. In fact, there were people who allied themselves to ensure survival and a few could do nothing if they fought alone.
There are different kind of people after all.
“Oh well. See you guys soon!” I parted ways with Anise and Leon and joined in with the group I was assigned at.
The teacher in charge of my group was a man with sleek brown hair and blue eyes. He was possibly around twenties or something but looks can fool you in this fantasy world.
Before the match started, the teacher who introduced himself as Edwin Holocaust gave a small speech… Wait, what? Is that last name for real?
"Listen up. Only the best of the best is allowed to be taught under my guidance. In short, I don't need any commoners in my class and what I want is a display of power as a noble we are."
...oh... what a heartless and direct speech. His mindset was the same as all nobles around and did he just shot a deathly glare on me? I have a bad feeling about this...
"It is obvious that we nobles are people gifted by the gods. Our bloodline produced strong descendants and you are one of us. But it seemed that some fools have different thought despite knowing commoners could do nothing except being peasants they were. Therefore. If they think they can do more than us, how about we see their fight closely? Starting with you, Charlotte Augmund."
...Haiz. Now everyone's staring at me. And almost everyone showed hostility. I would have protested in my previous life but going against nobles with upright manner would just turn the table against me. Hm... Come to think of it, Fei despised nobility.
If I were Fei... what would I do? That would be—
"Alright. If you insisted that much, then allow me to display what I can do." I put a hand on my hip.
"Hmph. Your arrogance will cost you a lot today." Edwin-sensei snorted.
"Yes yes. Now who is my opponent?"
I saw a hand raised. Someone emerged from the crowd and I leaked an annoyed gasp.
"Please let me do the honor of battling her, teacher."
Geh... it's that Spatuwhatnot. How come he's in the same group as me...? And why did he even grin like that? I sensed imminent danger but now I couldn't back down...
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-Fei's POV-
...how boring. Even though a year have passed, I didn't think school could be so boring. The lessons were too easy and the exams were not challenging. All I needed was a little memorization and calculation to get scores enough to skip Ranks.
In my year as a Guard Rank, nothing interesting happened and I realized that a bunch of nobles were equal with a bunch of pigs ready to be slaughtered. They had their egos and useless pride in their bloodline as if they were direct descendants of the gods.
What foolishness. Even if one were to have mana enough to outclass the Great Demon King, it didn't mean they would win against him. Much less living through to tell the tale.
Again, I wanted to have nothing to do with this Kingdom and everything in it. Renleina bothered me all day long more than the usual and Chloe turned a blind eye. Not even Rolando helped me and Herbert went off to take his sweet break by indulging himself with women in his bed.
...Hm... as I thought, this place isn't for someone like me. I knew that people adored me as a Hero and I knew the nobles were trying to pull me into their silly schemes. They educated their daughters to be tools for political marriages and they didn't even hesitate to ignore their feelings as long as the household could benefit from gaining an excellent heir.
"What disappointed me is how they didn't even mind as long as they could marry a handsome man. Haa..."
Stepping out of the school building, I saw the new students battling each other. There were teachers present and I saw some upperclassmen who had already prepared stretcher and healing mages for emergencies.
"Well... it's already that time again huh?" I mumbled after taking a detour around the sports field.
"Oh, if it's not the black lad. Got anything to do with the student council?" Instructor said. His crossed arms changed position and he glanced at me before monitoring the battlefield again. "Or are you skipping class again?"
"There's no need to answer right...?"
"Ga ha ha haaaaaaa! Doing what you want is always the best course of action, isn't it?"
...nothing left to say here. I remarked and I stared at the students who were decent enough to wield swords to a degree. However, I could see the clear difference between the experienced and the inexperienced from here.
"...Why is there an increase of female students?"
"Well, maybe their parents instructed them to learn martial arts or swordsmanship. You know why right?"
"Marriage partner... have they gone mad? Men are supposed to protect women. Not the other way around."
“Oh come on! Everyone is born with a chance to be equal, kid!!” Instructor laughed once again. His spirited expressions were showing how excited he was to have a large number of weapon practitioner under his teaching but I knew his desire.
This man is a warrior before a retired Knight. He's got the ambition of fighting strong people and he would stop at nothing to force the talents from the weakest to be exposed fully.
At least he was honest and showed fairness in his teaching. I didn't call him Instructor only because he ordered me to do so. I have a respect for his unyielding lifestyle. Just like the Old Man who forged swords even though his eyes were blind, I never saw those kind of people as fools unlike the children swinging around their toys here.
"By the way, lad. I've got some interesting pupils here."
"Pupils..? You're still calling them as pupils? Just how eager are you to teach these fools?"
"No, as if I would take one as my pupil. Not even I am crazy enough to take spoiled rotten kids as apprentices. I mean the one over there."
Hm...? When I followed his gaze, I saw a circle of students surrounding someone... not only that, I caught a streak of golden I recognized very well dancing in the middle of entrapment with infamous elusiveness.
The flash of brown struck the hand of a student holding a practice sword. It then proceeded to reach three people behind her as she evaded the swords thrusts by stepping to the side in a nick of time. Carving a shallow cut on the skins of their necks, it caused them to falter and be knocked out in the next moment.
The group of nobles shuddered in the face of a powerful opponent. Then I heard her words which sounded as if it was the most obvious thing in Magnis.
"Hm. you should have started with an all-out brawl from the beginning, teacher Edwin. This way, we can shorten the lesson and teach the students all at once."
Charlotte Augmund was standing with a fearless smile I never saw. It was dazzling it mesmerized me until she readied a stance I knew very well.
"...hold on... I never taught her my stance so how could she pull it off with ease!?" I yelled in disbelief.
"Haha! That's not the only thing she can do. Take a closer look, lad!"
Obeying his words, I observed Charlotte who displayed something which shocked me more and more.