Chapter 12: The Lionheart Academy and New Beginnings

Anyway, now that things have turned out this way, it’s important to make the best of the given situation.

In Hupijip novels, the heroines inevitably grow up splendidly—it’s the standard.

The key is that this growth happens with the protagonist’s assistance.

Moreover, Siwoo has the ability to help in this regard.

His power to help recover from fatigue, reduce stress, and stabilize the mind will certainly be a great help in our growth.

Just as I don’t plan on betraying him, I also need to make sure the others don’t betray him either.

We’re still in the very early stages, and such a major crisis hasn’t happened yet, but I must be vigilant.

“…….”

“Just as I heard! It’s an excellent building!”

“Kuung!”

Hmm.

The academy building was something I had never seen before, so it was quite fascinating.

If I hadn’t known it was the academy building from the start, I would have thought it was a royal castle.

There were many students gathered at the academy, including humans, various beastmen with different ears, and a few elves, though they were in the minority.

Most of them were dressed very well.

“Didn’t they say the equipment would be provided?”

“Yes, like the uniforms.”

“Is that true?”

Sasha’s eyes sparkled as she asked, her sharp cat ears standing up.

“Don’t we have to buy them?”

What kind of life have they lived?

At least in regions where humans are the majority, they certainly haven’t been treated kindly.

“I heard the dormitories are free.”

At Chloe’s kind explanation, both Sasha and Narya opened their mouths in shock.

I guess they were right to be surprised.

It’s not every day that you hear about free tuition.

‘Anyone who gets accepted to our academy should be able to enjoy this much,’ seems to be the prevailing atmosphere.

However, meals are paid for.

I wonder why.

Well, I won’t dwell on it.

The creators probably thought there needed to be at least one character struggling with meal expenses.

I heard that on weekends, you can work at the Adventurers’ Guild to make money.

If you run short on living expenses, that’s one way to earn it.

“Shall we go, then?”

“Yes, let’s go!”

“I’m starting to feel a bit nervous.”

“Kuung!”

It wasn’t like we’d officially formed a party, but somehow, the party members who had gathered looked around, and I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

I glanced at Siwoo, who gave me a cheerful shrug.

Anyway, being kind alone isn’t enough.

As soon as we entered the academy, we went to the admissions office and handed over the introduction letters from Lord Cloren and the bishop.

In truth, the position of the Saintess candidate isn’t something that can only be decided by one bishop, but as a Hero candidate, I could testify in her favor, which helped smooth things over.

Although Chloe was given a ‘temporary’ label, she was able to attend the academy as an official student for now.

Afterward, we left our horses in a ridiculously large stable and headed toward the main building where the entrance ceremony was being held.

When I say ‘main building,’ it might sound like just a school building, but as I mentioned earlier, if you were seeing it for the first time, you might think it was a royal palace where kings or emperors lived.

The entrance had massive stone pillars, like the Parthenon, and through the open doors, instead of a typical school hallway, there was a grand hall that looked almost like a palace.

The floor was made of marble, smoothly polished to a shine.

This hall seemed to also be used as an auditorium, with a high stage at the far end where people could stand.

In front of the stage were chairs, already prepared.

There weren’t enough chairs for the students, so it looked like they were meant for the distinguished guests attending the entrance ceremony.

Indeed, most of the people already seated looked to be middle-aged or older, with those around middle age being the youngest.

I thought we had arrived early, but the hall was already fairly crowded with students.

They were all standing in even lines, so we awkwardly joined the very last row.

It was somewhat reassuring that other students kept joining the line behind us.

While we were standing there, I heard voices from the group standing beside us.

“Kuung……”

“Narya, don’t say things like that. If others hear, they’ll think we’re country folk…”

Well, we didn’t need to draw attention to it with words—just the clothes we were wearing made it clear we weren’t from the city.

There were others dressed like us, though not many. Some even wore clothes that looked more worn-out than ours.

But the numbers didn’t matter.

It was obvious that the majority of the people were either nobles or from the city.

I could even spot people dressed in flawless armor or clothes decorated with fine gold thread.

The number of such people was significant, so it was clear to see the social divide in the hall.

Now I understood why they provided school uniforms and armor.

Without them, the difference would have been far too obvious during class.

“By the way, Sasha. Can you understand what Narya is saying?”

“Of course, I can.”

When Chloe couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked, Sasha nodded and answered.

“What Narya says is in Beastkin language! Of course, anyone from the Beastkin can understand it!”

“Then, is the ‘nyang~’ that Sasha adds to the end of her sentences some sort of dialect?”

“What do you mean by that, nyang? This is Beastkin language, nyang!”

No, it’s completely different.

What you’re saying is just adding ‘nyang’ to the Empire language, but what she’s making is just a meow, right?

Can these two really be the same language?

Actually, is the latter even considered a language?

“Is that so?”

But seeing Sasha’s eyes widen as if it was completely obvious, and sensing that asking more would only lead to trouble, Chloe just accepted the answer as it was.

I was about to ask more but hesitated when I noticed that the murmurs from the students in the front row suddenly stopped.

The silence spread rapidly through the audience, and soon the entire hall was quiet.

Has the time arrived?

Or had all the new students gathered?

[Ah, ah.]

That sound echoed,

[Now, the Lionheart Academy entrance ceremony will begin. All new students, please look towards the stage.]

Following the announcement, someone stepped onto the stage, which was so high that all the students could see.

An elf with golden hair and blue eyes so bright that they were visible from this far away, as if drawn from a picture.

A green cloak draped over their shoulders, and the robe underneath gave off the impression that they were hiding their body.

They were the only surviving members of the hero party from 200 years ago.

Didn’t they say they lost one of their legs in the final battle?

Their face was mostly fine except for a large scar on their cheek, but their body was reportedly covered in scars.

This wasn’t just something I heard from Siwoo.

It was a well-known story in this world.

At some point, someone began clapping, and the hall quickly filled with applause.

200 years might be a long time for humans, who make up the majority of the hall’s audience, but everyone knew that their lives were spared because of the hero party’s sacrifices.

If they made it here, they probably knew better.

In fact, even Chloe, who had been rushed into the academy, and Sasha and Narya, whom we met along the way, were clapping fervently.

Everyone had surprised expressions.

They had heard that the principal had changed this year, but they didn’t expect it to be the hero from 200 years ago.

I knew this from Siwoo, though.

The principal waited for the applause to die down before speaking.

[Welcome to all students who are entering Lionheart Academy. I am Zenira, and I will be taking on the role of principal starting this year.]

Her voice echoed through the large hall as if it were amplified by a loudspeaker.

Not needing to introduce herself in detail, she paused again to let the enthusiastic applause fade before continuing slowly.

[There are certainly other academies in the world, and this is not the first time this title has been used, but when people in the Empire hear the word ‘academy,’ the first place that comes to mind is this Lionheart Academy. That’s because this academy has produced countless talents and heroes.]

After saying this, Zenira slowly looked around at us.

[I heard that the number of hero candidates selected this year is the highest in history. It’s even more than the year when that hero graduated 200 years ago. I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.]

This was also the reason why she, who had been distant from power, suddenly took up the role of principal.

She was probably suspicious that some of the candidates might not be legitimate.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she scanned the room.

[And, of course, the number of saint candidates is also the highest in history. Perhaps this year will be the most blessed year in 200 years.]

This year, there’s no problem.

The problem is in a few years when the Demon Lord’s army comes.

[It would be a grave offense to pass by without introducing the great protectors of humanity. Please, the five hero candidates and four saint candidates, please step forward.]

It’s time.

I turned my head slightly to look at Siwoo standing next to me.

“Do well.”

With a bright smile, Siwoo said that, and I could only nod in response.

“Okay.”

I’m just glad I was able to answer.

It would be a disaster if I couldn’t say a word after going up there.