episode_0024
by fnovelpia“Is that okay?”
“I was also looted, so it’s retribution.”
“···Are those glasses necessary for the test?”
Huh. Ignoring Revan’s doubt-filled question, El sighed.
“Junior, what image comes to mind when you hear the word Geoff Academy?”
“···Is it an image?”
“Yes.”
Revan quietly thought about the word Xeorp Academy in his head.
Geoff Academy. The first academy on the continent, boasting 300 years of history.
It was a place that was common knowledge to everyone, even in the back alley days when people didn’t know anything about the world. I couldn’t get out the delusion of going there in person.
Revan captured the memories that came to his mind. As expected, one thing came to mind.
“Isn’t it the best academy on the continent?”
“Um.”
After hearing Revan’s answer, El sighed and crossed his arms.
“Why is it the best academy?”
“···Because it is the first academy on the continent?”
“That is correct. Geoff created the academy’s basic framework of education without distinction of status. This is the achievement of Sarvan, who earned the title of best on the continent even though he was a commoner.”
El said, uncrossing his arms and bringing his face closer to Revan’s gas mask.
“However, being the first is a necessary condition for the title of best, not a sufficient condition.”
***
“My mother and father are both commoners. And you both graduated from Geoff Academy.”
“You are great people.”
“That’s right. He also held a high position in the empire.”
L’s shoulders rose as she talked about her parents. He seemed proud.
“This is what my mother told me when I set my goal of going to Geoff Academy. Probably not many academy students know about this.”
After hearing El’s words, Revan turned his head around. I saw Werner shaking and Sonia stuck in the corner.
“Can I listen to those two too?”
“···Um.”
L swallowed for a moment and shook his head from side to side. It didn’t seem like an appropriate story to talk about here.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Tsk tsk. El stood up, patting her knees.
“It’s getting better.”
In fact, Revan’s mana core was still empty. A strong feeling of weakness enveloped my body, but it was better than before and not to the point where I couldn’t move.
“Are you not going?”
“Ugh, yes! You two go first.”
I invited Werner, who was sitting still and shaking, to go with him, but Werner quickly waved his hands and refused.
“···Woe, fighting!”
While sending the two away, Werner narrowed one eye at Revan. Why is it like that? Revan was worried.
“Let’s go. Junior.”
“Ah, yes.”
With that, the two left the safe zone and returned to the academy, holding the A-rank flag in one hand, leaving Sonia and Werner behind.
***
I returned the basic supplies I had been provided with and received my original belongings back.
Both Revan and El received their inventories, which were subspace pockets. Two commoners naturally returned expensive items that many nobles could not purchase with any amount of money.
“You carry good things with you.”
“Senior too.”
But we never asked each other such questions. Because we already had a general sense that each other was not normal.
Revan wanted to hear straight away about the level of Xeorp Academy. However, El shook her head furiously.
-Let’s meet after washing up.
-Can’t we just talk quickly and end it…
-Wash. Let’s meet.
El, with a very decisive attitude, declared that she would take a bath. It’s not that I have a strange body odor, and I wash my body in a stream or river from time to time, but I can’t do anything that doesn’t work.
And eventually, after some time had passed, El and Revan were reunited. As time passed, I met L and came out wearing a pure white dress that looked like civilian clothes. It matched her shiny white hair and showed off her elegance.
“The atmosphere is very quiet and nice. Isn’t that right?”
As L said, the academy was quieter than usual due to students being away for exams. This was especially true of the vacant lot where El and Revan first met.
“So, why is the academy level like this?”
But Revan cut El off. In Revan’s opinion, El had a tendency to change his mind somewhere.
Phew. El let out a small sigh and sat down next to Revan. The distance was closer than where we sat before.
“How much did I say?”
“First is not the best sufficient condition. My parents are Geoff graduates. There is a story that even academy students are not familiar with. You said this much.”
“Aha.”
Nod. El shook his head slightly and asked Revan.
“Your junior, how many commoners do you think there are among the entire student body?”
Number of commoners. Revan thought to himself. The ones that immediately came to mind were Revan, L, and Benny.
“First of all, three come to mind.”
“Those three are all the commoners attending Xeorp Academy.”
“···Yes?”
There are only three commoners in the entire grade. This means there are 3 people in the first year alone. This was completely contradictory to what Geoff had previously said about creating an equal framework between commoners and nobles.
“As Revan said, Geoff Academy literally maintained equal education for 200 years after its establishment.”
“No, in a way, it actually discriminated against nobles. Even if their immediate skills were superior, students who were ordinary people were often selected because they showed growth potential.”
“However, many academies began to open up, including Geoff, and a subtle trend began to appear in Geoff as well.”
match. El clapped his hands and looked at Revan.
“The current trend was, is there a need to give preferential treatment to common students? ”
“···Hmm.”
“Even if students were selected based on potential, on average, students from noble backgrounds performed better. This may be due to the connections and environment gained through social status, but in the end, it is the same.”
gulp. L seemed to be thirsty from talking so much and drank the bottle of water he had brought with him.
“In such a situation, something like hope appears for teachers who still maintain the claim that preferential treatment for commoners should be implemented. It was a commoner woman named ‘Sophia’.”
‘Sophia’. Revan let out a sigh mixed with doubt. It was a name I had never heard of.
El, seeing Revan’s reaction, nodded.
“It’s natural that you haven’t heard of it. Because he has had his record expunged.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know about the invasion of demons that took place 100 years ago and wiped out half of the empire’s territory?”
Of course Revan also knew this. The basic background knowledge that Sonia received during her time as a worker came from the training she received on the grounds that it was necessary.
“Sophia’s talent was enormous. It was said to be the best in the history of the Academy.”
“However, he was a person with broken ethics. However, those who said that even if the line was crossed should continue to give preferential treatment to commoners, they continued to cover for her. This is because they thought Sophia’s success would strengthen their claims.”
“But she was a twisted person who did not know good, and in the end…”
Even Revan could guess what happened after that.
“So, that woman named Sophia is the culprit of that war?”
El looked at Revan’s face.
“Yes. you’re right. The woman opened the door to the other world in order to become stronger, and by accepting the power of the devil, she devastated the empire.”
“So many people died and were injured. The land has become untouchable due to their curse, and the remaining by-products, the tainted demonic beasts, still roam beyond the castle walls. There are many people who have not even recovered the remains of their ancestors.”
“Recently, there are many people who talk about taking back the beyond, but to be honest, I am skeptical. Because it doesn’t seem like it will be that easy.”
Revan felt a subtle discomfort at El’s negative words. Because he was the result of Faust’s goal of reclaiming the area beyond the castle walls.
However, because his face was covered with a gas mask, L did not seem to notice and continued talking.
“Back at the Academy, Geoff faced a major crisis. Because the first academy raised the worst and worst people.”
“···I guess there was nothing to say since the evil deeds that had been committed were covered up.”
“Yes. It is said that there were even calls to close Geoff.”
“Well, it looks like the school was fortunately avoided being closed.”
Then there would be no way for Geoff to exist now. Revan swallowed his natural remark.
“That’s right. The measure against Xeorp Academy was decided to expel all the humans surrounding Sophia and erase them without leaving any records of her.”
Revan nodded and opened his mouth. Now it seemed like he had a general idea of how things were going.
“Now that all the people who supported the commoners have left, the atmosphere must have naturally changed to be more noble-friendly.”
“That’s right. And, Geoff started to accumulate.”
“It’s obvious even if you don’t look at it. At first, it would have been like this when we only accepted people with clear origins, but as time went by, the scale would have tilted to one side.”
Even if there is a well-founded intention, if no one occasionally stands in the way, the organization is bound to rot. Geoff seemed to have walked that path too.
“For Geoff, commoner students were a kind of bump in the road. It prevents nobles from gathering too much among themselves.”
“However, as only nobles began to gather, people who knew everyone gathered together, and as the commoners who were competitors and a source of alarm disappeared, building connections among them eventually became more important.”
“It did not stop there, but in the selection process, it became natural to eliminate commoners and select nobles if they had the same skills.”
Phew. ha. L took a deep breath and continued speaking again.
“I remember the applicants from the common people who competed with me during the entrance exam. Some of them were definitely worthy of joining the academy.”
L’s expression was expressionless, not much different from usual. However, the voice was subdued and seemed somewhat depressed.
It was a remark that seemed to break the mood, but Revan quietly asked El.
“Then, you must have heard from your parents that Geoff is an academy that blatantly favors nobles, so why did you enroll?”
“······.”
It was a direct question. As bad as it may sound.
“It seems like our junior speaks very directly.”
ha. L sighed and opened his mouth.
“First of all, my parents’ explanation was not like this. Discrimination seems to have become more severe in recent years.”
“And ironically, after it began to be received primarily by nobles, the status of Xeorp Academy’s diplomas rose several times compared to before. The level has actually lowered.”
“Geoff’s diploma is no longer an ordinary academy diploma. Has it become a kind of status?”
Hwaeak- A white, clean, cleansing energy began to flow from El’s hand.
“Sophia. The curse she left with the demons remains intact throughout the empire.”
“The world is overflowing with people who have lost their families and homes. The scars that that woman left behind were not enough to be healed in 100 years.”
“I think I have some responsibility for being born with this ability. Duty to recover the remains of those who lost their families and return them to their hometowns.”
L clenched his fists. It seemed to show his firmness.
“For that, you need Geoff’s diploma. As a commoner, I plan to hold out for the remaining time and graduate so that I can belong to an organization and work without being swayed.”
El looked at Revan with determination. Those straight eyes felt like they were saying to Revan, ‘So what is your purpose?’
***
“···Goal.”
After parting ways with El and returning to the dormitory, Revan quietly sat on the bed and thought. What is your goal? Actually, something popped into my head.
“Revenge.”
Revan muttered with his eyes down on the floor.
Revenge for selling him into slavery. And… the owner of the necklace. Revenge for Vivian.
But neither of them could achieve it as soon as they made their resolution. Because he lacked the courage to reveal his identity and didn’t know who he should kill for Vivian’s sake.
“Haa···.”
Revan sighed deeply. He felt so shabby compared to L, who looked at him with determined eyes.
While Revan was lost in thought, there was a knock on the door.
“···What is it?”
“Well, a letter came to you.”
Guided by the sound, I opened the door and the middle-aged man in charge of the dormitory held out a wrapped letter.
thank you After greeting the manager, Revan closed the door and immediately opened the letter.
The contents of the letter were as follows:
———————
I. Goes. To Geoff. at las.
-Faust-
P.s. What happens if you don’t prepare a gift?
———————
“······Chew.”
It was a notice that the previous owner was coming.
0 Comments