The Ghost That Eats Iron (2)
Sigmund Academy took its name from its founder, the first emperor, Sigmund.
And that very Sigmund once declared:
“Equal opportunity in learning, regardless of status or birth. My school shall be a place that grants such opportunity to all.”
In that sense, Sigmund Academy had two distinct admission processes.
One was a preliminary screening system, similar to early admission in my previous world.
The other was an on-site evaluation system, practically identical to regular admission.
The entrance exam Roban was about to take referred to the latter.
Of course, if we’re talking pure numbers, the preliminary route is far more popular…
Because you could submit your application in advance and were practically guaranteed acceptance.
Though you did have to spend about ten times more money than the on-site route.
Come to think of it, the young lady belongs to that category. Even if she took the regular exam, she’d probably kick the door down and walk right in.
The support His Grace Rexas had promised the young lady was exactly this kind of backing.
I hadn’t even considered enrolling in the academy in the first place.
Since I didn’t receive the same kind of support as the young lady from my family, applying through preliminary screening had been out of the question.
But the on-site exam still had time left before the deadline.
And the eligibility age ranged from fourteen to eighteen.
My age fell right around that borderline.
I didn’t know my exact age, but when I’d used emotion-reading magic, it had registered me as the same age as the young lady.
There was no reason I couldn’t apply.
“See? The age matches, doesn’t it?”
That’s why I’m taking the exam, you idiot.
“Y-yes, it does fall exactly within the eligibility range. But still, how can you suddenly change your mind like this? I’m not stupid. I can tell you never intended to enroll in the first place!”
Yeah, you hit the nail on the head.
What mattered to me wasn’t taking the entrance exam itself.
I was only doing this to pass and stay by the young lady’s side.
So I couldn’t care less about what I might learn at the academy or what kind of life I’d lead here.
Still, it wasn’t exactly a lie that I had come to take the entrance exam, was it?
They could just let me take the stupid test.
“Even if I wasn’t interested before, I might have changed my mind just now.”
Therefore, in my opinion, there was only one thing the gate officer could do.
Accept it gracefully and stamp the pass.
I simply stared at him with a sly glint in my eyes.
The officer let out a reluctant sigh.
“…Damn it. I’ve got nothing to say to that. I’ll issue you a two-week visitor’s pass.”
“Good.”
“But that’s it! If you wish to stay longer, either wait until the admission period ends or come back after you’ve been accepted into Sigmund!”
Fair enough.
His lack of flexibility might seem frustrating, but a gate officer needed at least that much backbone.
I actually rather liked the guy.
It seemed I had caught the very last train for the entrance exam.
After finishing the registration paperwork, they handed me a numbered ticket.
On it was written ‘516/516’, indicating the final participant.
I almost missed it. Good job, Roban.
Not that I was grateful.
The moment I stepped onto the massive training field where the exam would be held, I was greeted by a sea of people.
At a glance, the actual number of participants seemed to match that figure.
Glance—
Anyway, all 516 of them were busy sneaking looks at one another.
They looked like meerkats.
They were probably trying to scout out the most advantageous opponents for the upcoming test.
While everyone stood around awkwardly, four professors strode onto the central platform with imposing dignity.
“Heh heh.”
Then the elderly professor at the front spoke. Thanks to the magic amplifier, his voice boomed across the entire field, reaching even the students in the back.
“Welcome, prospective students. I am Babalk ban Gidus, who has taught at Sigmund Academy for fifty-two years.”
Professor Babalk…
Another familiar face.
“We will now begin the entrance evaluation. The format will be observed sparring. Prospective students, please choose a suitable partner, form pairs of two, and line up on the marked lines below your feet.”
The content of the entrance evaluation the old professor described was three minutes of observed sparring.
It was simple.
The professors would divide the assembled pairs into four groups and have them fight one-on-one.
They would then observe the fights and assign internal ranks.
It was a crude method.
But an effective one.
Sigmund Academy was not an ordinary school.
It was a military academy that scouted and trained talented individuals to serve as military officers.
In a world where swords, magic, and war were commonplace, this kind of straightforward test was a necessary process to gauge whether someone had the basic qualities to become an officer.
More precisely, they’re evaluating the ‘potential’ that new students admitted through the general track might display once they enter the school.
And if there were any ambiguous cases, they would be grouped separately and made to spar again.
Spar again. And again. And again…
Those who stood out from the very beginning would receive favorable evaluations and pass immediately.
But that was difficult for most.
So the professors would keep repeating the process until the standout qualities became clear, then assign passing scores.
They hadn’t eaten their experience for nothing.
They were quite good at spotting promising raw gems.
In the end, out of these 516 people, only about a hundred would remain.
Recalling this system was incredibly easy.
Forgetting it would make me an idiot.
Because this entrance exam was the very first episode of Eternal Eclipse.
It was the prologue that the protagonist, who had come up from the countryside, would play.
“Ah, there she is.”
And right around then, I finally spotted her.
Far off in the distance stood a girl with a strikingly unique appearance.
Long, fluffy golden curls that looked soft enough to sink into at a glance, and burning orange eyes.
Eclipse Larima.
The country bumpkin who had come to the capital with the admission fee scraped together by her entire rural village.
And the protagonist of Eternal Eclipse, the world I had reincarnated into.
My first impression of her was truly…
Wow, she really does look like a total airhead.
I was simply amazed that she looked exactly like her description in the game.
The same went for Lady Karalin, Roban, Professor Babalk, and the rest.
It didn’t feel particularly unnatural.
“…That concludes the explanation. Now, everyone, please begin.”
As soon as the command was given, the students hurriedly approached the partners they had already scouted.
“U-uh, ummm…. Oh no, there are way too many people! Aaaah!”
Eclipse was no exception.
She was wandering around in plain sight, looking utterly lost. It was honestly kind of adorable.
True to her airheaded nature, she would end up fighting a total of five matches during this exam.
Five whole times.
If that number sounds like a lot, that’s because it is.
In fact, she would become famous throughout the academy as the student who fought the most matches in the 65th class and barely scraped by with a passing grade.
Why?
Because she was a girl born with the destiny to become a Hero.
Yet she couldn’t swing her sword because she hated seeing others get hurt or in pain!
Is she an idiot?
She was.
Even when I played the game, she carried the debuff “U-uuu… I can’t hit…” until a certain point.
I’m not joking. That was its actual name.
It was a debuff that completely sealed normal attacks and offensive skills until an ally was attacked.
So the standard way to play her was to place a tanky butcher guy in the front line, let him take a hit on purpose, and only then unleash her full potential.
It had seemed like such a bizarre setting back then.
But seeing her in person, it actually felt perfectly natural. She really did look that much like an airhead.
To think I only understood the setting after seeing her face… What a strange world.
Still, she would only receive her passing grade on her fifth match.
And her opponent for that match would be none other than Roban von Sorbe.
After defeating Roban, she would enroll in this academy.
That was why I approached Eclipse and spoke to her.
“Hey.”
“Y-yes?!”
A giant of a man who was two whole heads taller than her had suddenly appeared. She jumped in visible fright.
But her high-pitched squeak was swallowed by the noisy crowd.
“If you run out of people to fight later, or if it gets too difficult because you’ve fought too many times, pick me. I’ll make sure you pass.”
“S-suddenly?”
“I don’t mind. It’d actually be better for you. I’m someone who can cure that chronic illness of yours.”
“E-eh? Chronic illness? W-wait, is this the school corruption I’ve only heard about…?”
I left her with those words and strode away without looking back.
Why had I said that?
Because right now, I was…
“Hey, you. You there. Would you like to spar with me? I am Roban von Sorbe, heir to the Sorbe barony and—”
Here to crush the bastard who had insulted me.
The obnoxious noble who was still busily challenging anyone who looked weak.
If I chose him as my opponent right from the start and gave him such a humiliating defeat that he couldn’t even stand up afterward, kicking him out of the exam—
Then Eclipse wouldn’t be able to fight him according to the original timeline.
And I was certain that if that happened, she would never be accepted into Sigmund.
I would find out later, but the reason Eclipse received her passing grade from fighting him was because Roban had thoroughly provoked her.
He definitely called her something like ‘backwoods potato-field lowlife idiot country bumpkin who smells like dirt and has no education’… or whatever it was. I can’t even remember anymore.
There was no way Eclipse wouldn’t get triggered by something like that.
In that sense, honestly, there was no one here other than Roban who could draw out her true strength.
For me, it would be troublesome if that didn’t happen.
If Eclipse failed to enroll in the academy, the entire world would twist from its very foundation.
And then I would lose the chance to create the connections that would guide her while her talents were still undeveloped.
She would never grow and would simply return to her village and disappear into obscurity.
In that case, stopping the Demon King’s imminent uprising would become nearly impossible.
No.
For the sake of the world where the young lady would exist, I would have to save the world myself.
That sounded exhausting.
The only thing I cared about was Lady Karalin’s happiness.
Not saving the world.
I had no desire to step forward and personally control such variables.
Therefore, instead of the doomed Roban, I would become her final sparring partner and ensure she passed.
Though neither Roban nor Eclipse had any idea about any of this.
Step. Step.
So I walked up to Roban, who was still enthusiastically recruiting sparring partners, and greeted him with a friendly tone.
“Hey, purple-head.”
“…Hah? Are you talking to me? Who the hell are you?”
“You know me.”
A blatantly mocking smile spread across my face.
Roban frowned as if he had seen something disgusting.
“Of course I know you. You’re that rude northern savage I ran into earlier. Wait, don’t tell me you’re also…”
“I came here for you. Let’s spar, you and me.”
He snapped at me in anger.
“Ha! How utterly vulgar and brainless. If you’re going to challenge someone, at least pick the right target!”
“So, you’re saying you’ll do it?”
Yet the confidence behind that angry outburst seemed to vanish. Roban hesitated, staring at my face.
Even though I wasn’t backing down at all, he still couldn’t seem to read my intentions.
But it looked like he realized there was nowhere left to run.
Roban accepted my proposal.
“…Fine. Very well. But I have a condition.”
“A condition?”
He was still trying to twist things with that silver tongue of his until the very end.
“Hmph. Practice swords are boring. So let’s both use real blades. I will be using this family heirloom, the treasured sword Azero.”
Oh? He wanted to use real swords…?
“In front of me…?”
“…Ha! Yes, in front of you, you muscle-brained oaf.”
Haha…
Azero, Azero…
I knew it very well.
“Weren’t real weapons prohibited by the rules? Everyone here was issued practice weapons.”
“Heh, scared already? As long as both parties consent, there’s no problem. What, are you getting cold feet now?”
“So there was a rule like that.”
“If you’re scared, you can run away anytime, coward.”
“Fine. I accept.”
“W-what?! You really—?”
I accepted his proposal without the slightest hesitation.
With a sneer full of contempt.
From his perspective, suggesting real blades had probably been his final card to scare me off.
But what did I have to lose?
…If anything, this was a gain.
“However, if either of our weapons breaks, neither of us will be held responsible.”
“…What an ominous thing to say. Azero will not break!”
It was then.
My old friend inside me began to stir, writhing and creeping upward.
“Sword…? Sweeeord…? SWOOOOORD…!! Kkik, kihihik, kehehe…. Delicious sword right in front. Burga wants to eat it…. Uhehehe—!!”
Stay quiet. I’ll feed you as much as you want today.
“Master, master, master…. Hurry…. Uhehe!”
Every weapon made of iron possessed a soul within it.
More precisely, a spirit.
The epic skill Ghost That Eats Iron was a being that devoured such spirits.
And once a spirit was torn away, the iron weapon would lose its internal structure, crumble into ash, and scatter.
The devoured spirit would become part of the Ghost That Eats Iron, bound to it for eternity, forced to offer its power.
The downside was that you had to constantly listen to the ghost’s cries, but I had lived my entire previous life together with that ghost—Burga.
Even before removing the barbed wire from around the young lady’s neck.
And every time I went out to the battlefield to fight.
Every single time.
But there weren’t many occasions when Burga let out such an ecstatic voice.
“You fool. You pathetic, ignorant fool… You must be crazy to want to die.”
“Just shut up and fight.”
Still, I could understand why Burga was so delighted.
The treasured sword that bastard was holding—
Azero was quite a fine weapon.
Well then. Today’s feast was going to be magnificent.