Chapter 13: Gilbert/Controversy and Incidents

Orion Academy was vast.

The buildings alone were spacious, almost excessively so.

So as Juyeon and Rohan walked back to their class after the interview, conversation became an inevitable consequence of the distance.

“Rohan.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

“Have you exchanged names with your friends, with whom you’ll be spending the next two years?”

“Thanks to the sociable Gilbert sitting next to me, I’ve managed to make some headway.”

As for the rest, he could get to know them gradually.

Juyeon nodded at his words and continued with advice born from experience.

“Make friends you can trust with your back during your time at the Academy.”

“Yes!”

“These are faces you’ll keep seeing even after graduation. The world of those who live by strength is much smaller than you think.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The advice Juyeon offered, while seemingly cliché, wasn’t taken lightly by Rohan.

The mere fact that someone genuinely cared about his well-being and wished for his success…

That in itself was a joyous and special moment.

“Grades are important, of course. However, in this world, there are things more important than visible scores…”

Juyeon continued advising him without a breath until they were near the classroom.

Rohan was learning a lot from his conversation with Juyeon.

Even words that might seem cold on paper were imbued with the Instructor’s feelings as a mentor and guide.

“And… if there’s anything you wish to discuss besides part-time jobs, feel free to come to me anytime.”

Those words marked the end of her advice.

Before Rohan could reply, Juyeon opened the front door with a Creaking! and entered the classroom first.

Following behind, Rohan scurried to Gilbert’s side, placed his bag down, and took his seat.

“Let’s begin the morning roll call.”

Juyeon’s method was quite simple.

Checking for absences, confirming the cadets’ physical condition, and relaying any announcements.

Once the roll call was concluded swiftly, she gave them a break.

“The first class will be an introduction to the facilities of Orion Academy. Remain silent and wait until then. Understood?”

“““Yes!”””

Juyeon strode out of the classroom after finishing with the roll call.

As her footsteps faded, Gilbert sprang from his seat.

“No time to waste─!!!”

Startled, Rohan stared at him with a ‘what the hell is wrong with this guy?’ look.

Having been compelled to skip the usual greetings due to the roll call, Gilbert finally offered them.

“Rohan. A strong and powerful morning to you. A figure of my caliber forgot to greet a friend.”

“…Right. Your face seems more shaded today?”

“I appreciate the highest praise. Now, I have some urgent business to attend to.”

Wherever he was off to, Gilbert quickly disappeared out of the classroom.

Then, a voice came from behind Rohan.

“As expected of Gilbert Kaniart. Displaying his usual eccentricities.”

A male Cadet muttered, fiddling with his horn-rimmed glasses.

Next to him, a Beastkin Cadet taking advantage of the short break was fast asleep.

Who is that?

Rohan asked the bespectacled Cadet, whom he hadn’t seen in the game, for his name.

He, adjusting his glasses, introduced himself.

“Dick Wikitree. I, Dick Wikitree, am already aware of the name ‘Rohan’.”

“Dick?”

“Yes. Dick Wikitree. The friend sleeping next to me is the bear Beastkin, Lu Fei. He dislikes being mistaken for anything other than a bear, so be careful.”

The sleeping Beastkin’s name didn’t even register in Rohan’s ears.

How can someone’s name be Dick?

Barely swallowing those words, Rohan asked about his earlier muttering.

“What about Gilbert?”

“Isn’t he famous? Those familiar with him are already aware, hence their lack of reaction to his antics.”

“I’m not in the know. Since we have time, tell me.”

“Sigh, you don’t know this?”

Dick shook his head, as if truly exasperated, and began to explain.

“Gilbert Kaniart Controversy and Incident Number 1: The Will-o’-the-Wisp Ingestion Incident.”

This guy’s way of speaking was really weird.

Rohan decided to just watch the spectacle unfold.

“He swallowed the Wisp’s Core, a monster hypothesized to be born from high-density Mana, and nearly died. He was saved due to a family member’s emergency treatment, and when asked why he did it, he replied that he was curious to see if it would strengthen his Mana.”

“…”

“Gilbert Kaniart Controversy and Incident Number 2: The Chroma Flight School Confession Incident.”

“That flight school in the Sepia Archipelago?”

Dick nodded.

Rohan knew of the school’s existence.

The Sepia Archipelago was a nation comprising numerous floating islands.And the only way to travel between them was using either Airships or special bridges.

And from what Rohan could recall, the NPCs who piloted those airships were all graduates of Chroma Flight School.

“He received a public confession from a woman known as the idol of the flight school. It was a shocking incident for many male students.”

“Oh!”

“However, after flatly rejecting her confession, Gilbert suddenly proposed to a classmate watching the scene. After graduating from flight school, he and his fiancée enrolled in Orion Academy.”

“So he probably went to see his girlfriend?”

At Rohan’s question, Dick nodded, then added a footnote with an utterly serious look.

“This led to the hypothesis that Gilbert Kaniart is in possession of a hypnosis app. Personally, I believe it’s the most plausible of the many hypotheses.”

“You attended the same flight school as Gilbert, right?”

Dick blinked, confirming it, and Rohan chuckled.

It seemed like he was one of the shocked male students.

“There are numerous other controversies and incidents surrounding him as well. That’s why those who know Gilbert Kaniart aren’t really surprised by his usual eccentricities.”

“Understood.”

Rohan was pleased to have found such an entertaining friend.

“However, I heard that even Gilbert Kaniart has one person he fears.”

“Who? His parents?”

Rohan began to realize something.

Despite his strange manner of talking, this guy was quite eloquent.

The bait he’d laid out was thick, making it impossible not to ask.

“Gilbert is the youngest in the Kaniat Family. And according to the information I’ve gathered, there’s a rumor that he fears the eldest daughter of the family… in other words, his older sister.”

“He just returned, should we ask him directly?”

“What?”

Just as Wikitree was about to finish his explanation, saying it was still a rumor, Gilbert returned to the classroom.

Rohan’s gaze shifted towards him, and the corners of his mouth turned upwards.

“Gilbert.”

“What’s up?”

“Dick here was singing your praises until his mouth went dry.”

The large, athletic-build man with a sports cut, crossed his arms and sat down. He then turned his gaze towards Wikitree in the back and extended his massive hand as if in greeting.

“A new friend! Nice to meet you! What’s your name?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me… We were in the same class for three years at flight school, remember?”

“Oh, we attended the same school! I’m Gilbert Kaniart!”

Dick looked like he was about to say something, but then gave up and shut his mouth, shaking Gilbert’s hand with a tired expression.

Satisfied with the scene, Rohan called out to Gilbert.

“Gilbert.”

“Hmm?”

When asked directly if he had a sister, Gilbert’s face turned dark.

“A sister… I have a gorilla older than me who just happens to be female.”

“Gorilla?”

“Imagine my face, but with long hair.”

It was a cruel statement, dripping with sincerity.

Then, including Wikitree in the back, they continued chatting for a while until Juyeon returned.

“Attention.”

After gathering the cadets’ attention…

“Wake up any cadets sleeping next to you and form two lines in the hallway.”

The Orion Academy tour began.

The first place Class 1 headed to was the Physical Training Room.

It boasted an enormous space and was equipped with numerous devices designed for Mana-enhanced training.

Just the very sight of it made one want to jump in and start exercising right away.

“This Physical Training Room is accessible 24/7 with your student ID. There’s also an AI, so you can ask for help with any equipment you haven’t seen before. There are shower facilities inside, and if you happen to get injured during training…”

Rohan’s heart pounded as he listened to her explanation.

It would be perfect to exercise here every morning, shower, and then head to the Academy.

“Let’s move on.”

After that, they visited the affordable Cadet cafeteria, the library located within the Academy, the audiovisual room, and other places.

They gradually familiarized themselves with the locations they would need to know as cadets over the next two years.

And…

Every time Juyeon introduced a new location, she concluded with the same words.

“Use them with respect for each other and without conflict.”

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“Hmm.”

Rohan lay on a bench in the Academy, chewing on a piece of jerky.

The morning had passed with facilities introduction, theoretical curriculum, and a brief introduction to each subject.

However, he heard that proper training would begin in the afternoon, so he didn’t feel like eating a full meal as it might make him sluggish.

Part-time job…

So, he was currently in the midst of searching for a job.

There are more openings than I thought.

However, various conditions made it difficult to meet the requirements.

Swipe. Swipe.

As he scrolled through the job postings for a while…

“!?”

Rohan abruptly sprang up from his reclined position the moment he saw a store name that was all too familiar.