Inferior Student

Ellie, who met Roel after a long time, was chatting with Roel with such a joyful expression that it was obvious from the side that she was excited.

I acted like I didn’t care, but even while picking up bread, my ears were focused on their conversation.

I had shady expectations that they might be talking about me, and I was thinking of joining the conversation… but Ellie seemed to have so much to say to Roel after meeting him for the first time in months, so she just took the seat next to Roel and continued the conversation.

As I glanced at them, I bit my lip without realizing it, seeing the two of them looking so good together that they deserved to be called a handsome man and a beautiful woman. It felt strange for the person who brought them together to be jealous of that sight, but I couldn’t bear this feeling.

Realizing how painful Ross’s inferiority complex must be, having to just watch from the side as Roel gains favor and love from everyone, I just wished for the entrance ceremony to end quickly. But suddenly, a face with obsidian-like eyes appeared in my view.

“That’s right, Ross. Why were you late today? I was worried!”

I reflexively flinched and pulled my upper body back at Ellie’s action of suddenly leaning in and getting her face close to mine.

“…I got lost.”

“You should have just left with me!”

At Ellie’s words, which sounded like she was disappointed, I unconsciously opened my mouth to make an excuse, but barely came to my senses and forcibly closed my mouth.

If I didn’t do that, I felt like I would thoughtlessly say that I left early to get the magic book of Patoullga in my current state.

I guess it can’t be helped that even with high intelligence, you act like an idiot in front of the person you have a crush on.

Fortunately, Ellie was more interested in talking to Roel than talking to me. After a brief conversation, I couldn’t talk to Ellie anymore.

After a long time, the students who filled the tables of the banquet hall gradually began to leave. Unlike the current students, the freshmen who didn’t know what to do decided to stay in their seats.

After a while, Professor Leora finally called the combat department freshmen together separately and headed to the dormitory. Just getting out of the banquet hall made me feel that the pressure and headache that had been weighing on my chest were much better.

Following Professor Leora, I headed to the combat department dormitory built on the hill with the freshmen. After entering the huge dormitory building, I was assigned to a six-person room with the other freshmen under the guidance of Professor Leora.

Avoiding the eyes of others, I secretly took out my luggage from the space warehouse and organized my belongings in the drawer next to the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, pressing my temples where the headache hadn’t gone away, I had to reorganize what I had to do in the future. After meeting Ellie, my plans were all messed up.

The feelings that Ross felt for Ellie were so strong that they were out of control. Just being in front of her made me feel dizzy and happy… it was clear that this would be a big problem in the future.

If I really couldn’t stand it, I had to consider leaving the academy. If I saw Roel and Ellie kissing, I didn’t know what I would do if I lost my mind. I had to avoid repeating what happened in the novel and dying no matter what.

I sighed without realizing it. To be possessed with no innate talent and only personality penalties… this is too much. As I was wiping my face, someone opened the door and came in without knocking.

The man who came into the room turned his head with an angry face and met my eyes. As if his purpose in coming was me, he came closer to me as he was. I could tell that he was a second-year senior by the color of the ribbon on his chest.

The senior’s eyes, looking straight at me, were full of contempt. As if reacting to that, something began to rise from within my chest. An emotion that cannot be defined as something other than anger. Yes, this is Ross’s old inferiority complex.

Looking at him with a hardened face without avoiding his gaze, the senior, who had come close enough to grab my collar, said with a dumbfounded expression.

“Hey, you’re Roel’s younger brother, right?”

“…I’m Ross.”

When I got up from the bed and revealed my name, the senior looked at my face with an observing gaze and then made a ‘pfft’ sound.

“If it wasn’t for Roel’s request, you would have been half dead by me. But I came to warn you anyway. Roel can’t take care of you forever.”

At the words of the unknown senior, inferiority exploded and filled my head. I clearly understand it in my head. It was entirely my greed that I was late for the entrance ceremony because I was looking for Patoullga’s magic book, causing harm to others, and I had nothing to say even if I was cursed at.

Having served in the military and worked in society, I was not afraid of being cursed at for doing something wrong. Because getting cursed at unfairly even for things you didn’t do wrong is part of social life.

But even so, I felt resentment towards Roel, who helped me, feeling rebellious to the man’s words. Is this what they call inferiority complex? I wanted to blame others for my mistakes. Suddenly, something flashed through my mind. Could it be that nervous breakdown and inferiority complex are combined to create such a powerful effect?

The senior, mistaking my downcast gaze and serious expression as being frightened by his warning, put his hand on my shoulder.

“But since you’re Roel’s close friend, I’ll let it slide this once. A freshman can make a mistake once in a while. Just once.”

At the senior’s voice emphasizing “once,” I came to my senses and suppressed the sense of inferiority rising in my chest, and answered with difficulty.

“Th-thank you.”

“Yeah, everyone, since it’s the first night at the academy, if you don’t sleep late, tomorrow’s training will be very tough. That’s advice from a senior who experienced the first night a year ago.”

“””Thank you!”””

At the roommates’ energetic response, the unknown senior casually waved his hand on my shoulder and left the room. Only then did the roommates in the room let out a sigh of relief.

Unlike the noisy next room, the atmosphere in our room was heavy. It’s all because of me. I pretended not to notice the awkward gazes of my roommates and let out a deep sigh.

***

Thanks to the support of the Empire, the Transcendence Academy, which boasts the best facilities in the capital after the Imperial Palace, was located on the outskirts of the capital.

The continent, which had been divided into several kingdoms, was unified under the name of the Empire, but now, in order to protect the Empire against various enemies such as monsters and demons, the Transcendence Academy is a place where the most talented people on the continent are gathered in one place to teach and develop competition.

Although it was a vast continent, there were only four academies in total. Among them, the Transcendence Academy, which receives support from the Imperial Family and is said to be the most outstanding on the continent, is divided into four departments: Combat Department, Magic Department, Magic Engineering Department, and Alchemy Department.

The Magic Department and the Combat Department, which were talking about my mistakes in the banquet hall, were kind of rivals, and the Magic Engineering Department and the Alchemy Department were also said to be on bad terms with each other.

I was in the Combat Department among them. Ross, who was specially admitted with Roel’s help, was admitted as a junior in the Combat Department, but it was set that he would fall into even more inferiority complex because he was burdened by the expectations of being the top student of the year and the younger brother of the top student of the Combat Department.

Thinking about what would happen to me today, I sighed and opened the door of the classroom marked [107].

Unusually for the words “medieval fantasy,” the classroom had a modern appearance. If it were really medieval, I would hear creaking sounds from the wooden floor, and the chairs would be made of straw brought from somewhere… but this was a fantasy novel. Strictly speaking, it’s more similar to the Victorian era than the Middle Ages.

Inside the classroom decorated with pure white marble, long desks were lined up in four rows. Some of them were already getting along, forming groups and occupying one desk.

I sat at the very end of the front row. Because I wanted to stay out of people’s sight as much as possible.

Because I was Roel’s younger brother, everyone had some kind of expectation of me despite my appearance as a defective soldier at the entrance ceremony.

And that expectation would be completely shattered today, and everyone would clearly know whether Roel’s younger brother was trash that couldn’t even be compared, and why he was admitted to the academy through special admission.

I got the magic book of Patoullga, but there was no way I could use it right away. Even excluding the fact that I didn’t have time to check the magic book, it was because I was born with little magic power.

That’s also why I didn’t transfer to the Magic Department even though I have high intelligence.

Of course, intelligence was closer to an abstract concept of having a high understanding of a specific area than simply being smart. If Ross was really a genius, he would have already overcome his inferiority complex. Ross only understood the gap with Roel that could not be narrowed. That’s why he fell into even more inferiority complex.

While I was thinking about that in my head, the door suddenly burst open.

“Good morning!!!”

Someone appeared with a noisy shout. The professor who stood on the podium with a confident gait, clearly revealing his imposing muscles under his clothes, was someone who could be guessed just by his appearance.

“I’m Lykan, the survival law professor who will be your dad for a year.”

The moment my guess became a certainty, I sighed without realizing it. Lykan was the protagonist’s first professor in charge, created for the purpose of tormenting the protagonist in the novel.

Of course, he was skilled enough to teach a hero, but he was a professor famous for conducting inhumane training to the point that even Roel felt like giving up several times.

Like a protagonist, Roel never gave up on Lykan’s training no matter how difficult it was. In the end, Roel became the only student recognized by Lykan.

“If you ask what is the most outstanding department in Transcendence, nine out of ten will answer that it is the Combat Department. The seniors who have passed through this place are still shedding blood and fighting for the Empire at the Northern Wall and the Eastern Border.”

Some students nodded in agreement with Lykan’s voice, which sounded proud.

“The reason why our Combat Department is superior to other departments is because we are backed by strong physical strength. How to survive in the North? You must have physical strength. How to survive at the Eastern Border? That’s also physical strength. So, I will increase your physical strength to the limit for a year.”

Is that the expression a beast would make when it smiles? The faces of the students who were smiling became serious, and I also felt uneasy and hardened my face.

“Well, since it’s the first day. Shall we lightly run around the campus instead of class?”

And the anxiety soon turned into despair.

*

As soon as the running was over, we followed Professor Lykan straight to the training ground.

“We will divide into groups after checking each other’s skills. Bring your own weapons.”

Unlike the students who ran to get even a slightly better sword while looking at the weapons displayed in the training ground, I headed to a secluded place with a leisurely pace where there was no competition at all. I stopped in front of the oak barrel with spears stuck in it.

I didn’t have any of Ross’s memories right now. I don’t even know how to hold a sword. Of course, if I choose a sword, I can get help from Roel, but… I was sure that Ross’s personality would accept that as a sense of inferiority, not help.

So, I was thinking of using the space magic and spear I got this time. I can’t do it right now due to lack of magic power, but I thought it would be good to practice with the spear from now on, so I chose the spear. I liked spears more than swords even in games. Because it had a longer range than swords and looked cool.

As I was returning to my seat, checking the plan in my head, I felt a strange gaze and turned my head to see Lykan looking at me with a strange expression. No, the gaze is slightly off. Lykan was looking at the spear, not my face.

“You there, student. What’s your name?”

“…I’m Ross.”

At my answer, Lykan stroked his chin and asked.

“If you’re Ross… are you perhaps Roel’s younger brother?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

Lykan scratched his chin with an expression as if he was uncomfortable with something and said.

“If you’re Roel’s younger brother, I thought you would naturally know how to use a sword… to hold a spear, this is unexpected? May I ask why you held a spear?”

I was embarrassed by Lykan’s sudden words. I couldn’t reveal the plan in my head, so I had to come up with a plausible excuse for choosing the spear.

“I don’t seem to have any talent for swords, so I was going to try holding a spear.”

At my answer, Lykan made a snorting sound and shook his head.

“Spears are weapons used by ordinary soldiers. The low point is higher than swords, but the high point is low. There are very few people who aim to be knights who use spears. There are no professors in the academy who will give you professional training related to spear techniques. Most artifacts are also related to swords, not spears.”

In the novel’s setting, sword masters exist, but there are no spear masters. At best, the characters who mainly use spears are executives on the Demon King’s side. But what I’m planning is not flashy spear techniques. In a way, it’s a cowardly and vile way of fighting.

But Lykan, who doesn’t know my plan, tried to persuade me.

“Holding a spear may be a temporary advantage now, but if you reach the stage where you can skillfully use magic and artifacts, you can’t beat a sword with a spear. So, if you want to be a knight, hold a sword.”

I could feel the gazes around me focusing on me at Lykan’s words. Even with the gazes as if looking at a protruding stone, I answered while holding the spear.

“…But I like spears.”

In the setting, no matter what I choose, I can’t catch up with Roel’s talent. No, it will be difficult for even the students here to catch up with effort. Because it is a place where the talents of the continent are gathered, excluding Roel.

But that doesn’t mean I want to give up. If it was a simple possession, I would have dropped out of the academy right away and lived a life of luxury by finding hidden treasures, but Ross’s personality was having a huge impact on me in real time.

I don’t have any talent or ability, but because of the setting or personality… I had a goal in my heart to resolve my inferiority complex at the academy and be recognized as a man by Ellie.

Lykan picked his ear with a nonchalant expression.

“Well, I respect your choice. A professor can’t force a student to make a choice.”

Whether he was interested in my appearance of not giving up the spear despite his advice, or whether he thought it was annoying… Lykan immediately pointed out my sparring partner.

“Since he’s Roel’s younger brother, I should put him up against a decent opponent. Lacar!”

A first-year student with red hair called Lacar came forward with a sword. It was a face I had never seen before.

“It’s a sparring match. Roel, the top student of the second-year Combat Department, and Ross, the younger brother of Lamine, the top student of the third-year Combat Department, should be similar.”

I stood facing Lacar as if confronting him. Lykan waved his hand to signal the start of the sparring match.

I gripped the spear shaft tightly with both hands and carefully pointed the spear forward, aiming the tip. Before I could even swallow my saliva, I lost my balance due to a strong blow hitting the tip of the spear, and my body tilted.

Peok―!

I lost consciousness for a moment due to the pain I felt in my head. When I barely came to my senses and struggled to lift my head, contemptuous gazes poured down on me, who was rolling on the floor.

“Wh-what is it… don’t tell me you’ve never had a sparring match before?”

Lykan, who noticed that I had no sparring experience, let out a deep sigh.

“Haa, did he just get special admission thanks to Roel? What was the headmaster thinking….”

As if agreeing with Lykan’s words, I felt a sense of oppression as shame and inferiority mixed together, pressing down on my chest due to the contemptuous gazes gathered on me, who had fallen to the floor.

I felt dizzy from being hit in the head, but I forced myself to get up due to the gazes around me. It was obvious how I would look in the eyes of the students who entered the academy through competition based purely on effort and talent.

Just a piece of trash who was lucky enough to get in because he met a good brother.

Since it was an undeniable fact, I silently wiped the blood flowing from my torn forehead with my sleeve and picked up the spear that had fallen on the floor.

“There’s a reason why you chose the spear. Okay, you’ll have to learn from the basics. Move to the side and do basic training.”

I could hear mocking laughter from around me at Lykan’s words. It was a fair mockery directed at someone who obtained their efforts without any effort.

I smiled bitterly and moved to a secluded place where no one was.