Ch.27First Class

At the center of Remnant Academy stands the main building where actual lectures are held.

The main building consists of three main lecture halls arranged in a ” shape and a vast outdoor training ground. Each main lecture hall conducts theoretical education on magic, knight combat, and common subjects, while practical training and sparring take place on the outdoor training ground in front.

Today being the first day of admission, I heard that the morning would include a simple free sparring session doubling as a skill assessment for new students. In the afternoon, we would be divided by departments to begin basic lectures for each faculty.

I headed to the training ground, making small talk with Nigel along the way.

In the distance, before the reviewing stand on the vast training ground, new students in uniforms of various sizes were lined up in three groups.

Sixty Knight Department students wearing light protective gear over black uniforms, carrying spears, axes, or swords.

Sixty Magic Department students with purple short capes over the same black uniforms, holding daggers or small staffs.

Thirty Religious Department students wearing white ceremonial robes with the emblems of their respective churches.

A total of 150 people gathered in the middle of the vast training ground, engaged in various conversations.

I headed to the very back row where the Knight Department students were gathered, with Asha beside me.

The chattering new students noticed us and simultaneously turned their gazes toward us.

The same looks from the entrance exam pierced through me.

Hatred, contempt, disgust, rejection, suspicion, fear.

…It’s more bearable than I expected.

Perhaps because I was already prepared, the gazes were somewhat tolerable.

Does this mean I’ve grown, or just become numb?

Either way, it was a necessary change.

At least now I didn’t experience shortness of breath, trembling hands, or frozen feet.

Rather, it was more difficult to suppress the mental urge to reach for my sword at my left hip, as if wanting to crush those arrogant eyes.

The whispers of the new students flowed into my ears.

‘Is that the one? That barbarian… they say she eats people.’

‘Dane Killer, Ka’har’s whore… I can’t believe the rumors about special admission were true…!’

‘What was the Margrave of Landenburg thinking, bringing in a Ka’har…’

‘Look at that face. Are those really human eyes…?’

‘That dwarf girl next to her is quite nice though.’

‘They say even the knights of Dane couldn’t stop her, is that true?’

I ignored most of these trivial comments.

I just made mental notes of the one who called me a whore and the one eyeing Asha.

Calling a girl half his height “quite nice.”

That’s a rather disturbing comment in many ways.

“You’re quite popular, aren’t you, Haschal?”

“I wouldn’t call this popularity. It’s infamy.”

“Infamy is still fame, isn’t it? At least it proves you’re strong. We’re so isolated that we rarely get known at all.”

Asha shook her head regretfully.

“Asha, did you want to become famous?”

“Yes. If my name spreads throughout the Empire, my potential customers will increase too. It would be a good opportunity to showcase the technological prowess of the Red Copper clan.”

Potential customers? Is she planning to do business with the Imperial people?

“By technological prowess, do you mean selling proper goods? Is it okay to sell such things to Imperial people?”

I thought dwarves kept their advanced technology to themselves and didn’t spread it outside.

Even in trade with Panam, I heard they never export advanced products, only selling simple items like swords, armor, and crafts.

“These days, there’s been talk about this in Himmel too. I’ll tell you the details if you come visit my room later.”

Asha stopped talking as we reached the group of Knight Department freshmen.

I guess she’s saying I should visit if I’m curious.

…Maybe I’ll go take a look when I have time.

Standing in the back row, I glared sharply at the new students who kept glancing in our direction.

If you have something to say, say it openly and proudly.

For aspiring knights, whispering and giving unpleasant looks is quite unbecoming.

It’s not very knightly, is it?

The new students who met my eyes flinched and quickly turned their heads forward.

Right. They’re just freshmen after all. Nothing more than young sprouts.

It would be foolish to pay attention to each of their reactions.

Ah, I made eye contact with Knut.

…So he is here.

Knut stared at me intently with deeply sunken eyes and tightly pressed lips, stroking the handle of his hatchet.

His expressionless face was heavy with fighting spirit.

It seemed like he might raise his axe and charge at me at any moment.

Is he going to attack? Surely not here?

I unconsciously placed my hand on my sword hilt.

My fingers tensed, slowly wrapping around the hilt one by one.

Tension flowed down my spine.

Suddenly Knut turned his head away.

As if he had no intention of fighting now.

My tension dissipated, and my right arm went limp.

I unconsciously let out a sigh.

Right. No matter what, he wouldn’t start a blade fight with me in this situation.

Asha, who had been quietly glancing at me, turned her head again and began looking at the new students with interest.

She really doesn’t miss moments when a fight might break out.

Letting it go for now, I also carefully examined the new students.

Most are just random people, but there should be some important characters in the story.

Let’s see…

Edgar with his brown bowl cut from the Religious Department. A character who could later be used as a decent paladin.

Lena, a girl with light pink curly hair. A solid healer specialized in recovery rather than buffs.

No one notable in the Magic Department except Ophelia.

Well, she ranked 4th in the entrance exam just by casting a few spells, so maybe there’s nothing worth seeing below her.

In the Knight Department, Demian is obviously the key figure.

I turned my head to look at the bright blonde hair standing at the front of the group.

Too sturdy to be called a boy, yet still with traces of youth that prevent him from being a mature young man—a sixteen-year-old youth.

He was a handsome young man with a stylish black uniform that fit him perfectly.

The female students around him were looking at him with slightly flushed cheeks, as if enchanted by his gentle smile.

I looked at the scene with slight distaste.

As expected of a protagonist. Charming nobles and commoners alike.

If there were a charm stat, he’d probably score around 90.

Of course, there are no status windows or stats in this world.

Demian was talking with a green-haired girl of similar age standing next to him.

The girl was doing most of the talking, while Demian just smiled and responded briefly.

That must be Millia, right?

The protagonist’s childhood friend who followed him to the academy out of admiration.

I remember her performance was just mediocre.

A dull talent who couldn’t reach even the level of an ordinary knight no matter how much she trained.

And despite that, she even had a bad ending event.

In the end, she realizes she’s nowhere near good enough to be with Demian, wanders in frustration, and ultimately falls into corruption—a truly troublesome character.

After her corruption, she becomes a Mana and appears as an enemy with a bow.

I should keep an eye on her too.

—-

Not long after, a man walked up onto the reviewing stand.

A sturdy build in an Imperial officer’s uniform, with a face that looked to be in his late 30s.

His neatly combed-back hair was speckled with gray, and thick eyebrows as wide as index fingers formed straight lines under his flat, marble-like forehead.

His left eyebrow was interrupted by a small scar cutting diagonally, and deep wrinkles under his eyes extended almost to his cheeks.

He wore an officer’s longsword at his waist.

The man who stepped onto the reviewing stand looked down at the new students and spoke.

“Silence.”

His voice was low and quiet, yet carried strong authority.

The new students immediately stopped murmuring and held their breath as they looked at him.

After confirming the noise had subsided, the man continued.

“Welcome to Remnant Academy. I am Carlain Fernandez, the professor who will be in charge of your person-to-person combat course.”

Carlain, huh.

Seeing that he’s wearing an officer’s uniform rather than a knight’s, he’s probably not an Imperial Knight but some kind of officer in the Imperial Army?

Carlain turned his head to survey the new students before speaking again.

“As you are currently arranged, there are various types of combat professions in the world. Frontline, mage, priest, paladin, archer, and so on. The person-to-person combat course is designed to understand the combat characteristics of these various professions and learn appropriate response methods for each.”

In other words, it’s a class that teaches warriors how to deal with mages, and mages how to deal with priests.

Since even within the same profession, combat styles differ, that aspect will also be included in the lecture content.

“I understand that you all have relaxed minds due to the joy of passing and meeting your peers for the first time. However, you are aware that Remnant Academy’s goal is to train you into knight-level forces capable of independent deployment within a year, correct? Right now, you are all just chicks at the pre-knight level at best. During my lectures, there will be almost no time for laughing and enjoying yourselves.”

His attitude was consistently rigid, befitting a soldier.

The expressions of the new students hardened slightly, perhaps tense from Carlain’s demeanor.

“If you understand, we will begin practical learning immediately. If you want time for self-introductions, postpone it until after the lecture.”

Carlain, satisfied with the students’ reaction, stepped forward with a pleased smile.

“As previously announced, this morning will proceed with free sparring between new students. It will be an opportunity for you to face your own level and also check the skills of your peers. That is all. Any questions?”

“I have a question! You mentioned free sparring, but can we choose any opponent?”

A frivolous-looking male student raised his hand high.

Looking at him, he seemed to be the one who was talking about how nice Asha looked earlier.

The male student glanced slightly in our direction, mainly toward Asha.

“As long as your opponent agrees, anyone is fine. I recommend sparring with unfamiliar opponents to physically understand their characteristics.”

With Carlain’s permission, the male student nodded with a smile.

Is he planning to spar with Asha?

He’ll probably regret it.

I silently prayed for his soul, thinking about what would happen soon.

“Well then, I’ll give you 20 minutes. During that time, talk to each other and find suitable sparring partners. Since this is the first lecture, I’ll specially allow those who lack confidence in their skills or can’t find suitable opponents to observe instead of participating. That is all, dismissed.”

At Carlain’s words, the new students who had been looking around at each other soon dispersed into small groups.

Who should I spar with?

Asha might be a bit much, should I go find Demian?

…Let’s avoid Knut for now. It probably wouldn’t end with just sparring.