Mock Battles Begin
After wrapping up everything in the dungeon, I only just managed to reach the dorms last night.
And yet here I was, without so much as a moment to shake off the travel fatigue, dressed in my uniform and sitting in an Academy lecture hall.
Elizabeth and Enri were in their usual seats beside me, and the other students looked full of energy — no doubt thanks to the unexpected break they'd been given.
Never thought I'd get a text telling me to report for class while I was still on the way back from Karep.
Was I supposed to call that lucky?
Or was I supposed to mourn the complete absence of rest?
Either way, the timing had lined up so perfectly that the moment I finished my business in Karep, I was dropped straight back into everyday life.
And into that everyday scene walked a face that was anything but everyday.
"Good morning, Young Master. Are you feeling all right?"
Angela Schutzbury settled into the seat beside me as if it were the most natural thing in the world and offered a greeting.
I'd messaged Elizabeth and Enri that I had personal business taking me to Karep for a while, but this was the first time I'd spoken with Angela since the incident in the dungeon.
"Witch. Isn't your seat over there?"
I indicated the front row by the window with a glance. Angela only smiled faintly.
"Starting today, I'll be sitting here. We're on the same team, after all."
Once a team, always a team — was that how this worked?
What is this, the Marines?
"You'll allow it, won't you?"
"Do as you like."
Once she realized I wasn't going to make a fuss about it, she wasted no time blending in with the rest of the party.
"Lady Spencer, you really went through so much last time. Of all places for something like that to happen — right where we were. It was a disaster."
"I'm simply glad to see you're unharmed as well, Miss Schutzbury."
"Please, just call me Angela — the way Enri does."
"Then I hope you'll address me comfortably as well."
Having partied together in the dungeon seemed to have done the trick; the three of them hit it off in no time.
It had been the same with William. Maybe that was just how social creatures worked — they made friends this easily.
An introvert like me will never understand it as long as I live…
The only one I could treat without any pretenses was Beatrix, who no one else could even see.
Like a voice-chat friend I'd made while gaming, maybe?
Why are you getting angry? It just means I'm that comfortable with you.
She could talk all she wanted — give it a little time and her temper would cool as if nothing had happened. That much I was sure of.
One of the things I'd learned from sharing space with Beatrix was that she wasn't the type to hold a grudge.
Well. That's part of what makes her easy to be around, too.
"Anyway, Angela, I'm so happy you're sitting with us! You turned me down so hard when I asked before — what changed your mind?"
"Enri, last time I didn't know the Young Master or the Young Lady at all."
"Hehe. Either way, I'm really glad we get to sit together."
"So am I."
Watching the two girls smile, Elizabeth spoke with genuine envy.
"You two are truly close, aren't you?"
"Probably because we're always together after school!"
Right — Enri and Angela were roommates.
"I'm a little jealous. I don't share a room with anyone."
Students of higher rank like Elizabeth and me each had private rooms, given our standing.
"Oh my — then would you like to come to Tirhi with us this weekend? And you as well, Young Master?"
"That's a great idea! Come with us, Young Master!"
Suddenly the sparks flew my way, even though I'd been sitting there quietly the whole time.
"…I'll pass."
"Ehh?! Why? Come with us!"
Why, she asked.
Because it's a hassle.
More than that, go shopping with three girls and I was guaranteed pack mule duty. Honestly, I'd rather spend that time swinging a spear even once more.
"You came with me and Lady Elizabeth last time!"
Elizabeth was one thing — but Enri too?
Could you even call that "coming along"?
"…We just happened to run into each other on the street."
"Hiiing, Young Master, you're so mean!"
"Hiiing," she says.
Spending that much time together must have made her comfortable enough around me to pull that.
Once it was clear I was out, the three of them launched into an animated discussion of weekend plans among themselves, laughing all the while.
Stuck in the middle and forced to listen to every detail, I was starting to get tired.
If you're having that much fun, go sit somewhere else by yourselves…
No, really — there were plenty of empty seats. Why they insisted on sitting right next to me to do this was beyond me.
Rrrring.
While they were still chattering away, the bell for the start of class finally rang, and the lecture hall door opened.
The moment Alaster, Class A's homeroom professor, stepped inside, the noisy room fell silent at once.
Click. Click.
His shoes sounded against the quiet floor as he walked to the lectern. He looked over the seated students, then offered a gentle smile.
"First, as a member of the Academy faculty, I must apologize. I am deeply sorry that the recent incident has disrupted your studies."
He bowed toward us with the polished courtesy of a gentleman.
What a load of crap.
Just looking at him made me feel like I was going to be sick.
Honestly, I wanted to spit in that shameless face.
"Going forward, I expect we will have fewer opportunities to meet in this classroom. It may feel sudden, but an imperial decree has been issued: all instruction is to shift toward practical, combat-focused training."
"Professor, I have a question."
Angela, seated to my left, raised her hand.
"Yes, Miss Schutzbury. What is it?"
"You said combat-focused training — what form will that take, exactly?"
Mock battles, maybe?
"After discussion among the faculty, first-years will proceed with training centered on mock battles."
Whether I'd expected it or not — mock battles it was.
The Academy shifting to practical combat training was something that happened in the game as well, so it wasn't a complete surprise. It had always been on the schedule.
But the timing was far too early.
Content that wasn't supposed to appear until the second semester was already here.
With incidents stacking up one after another, even the Imperial Family must be getting nervous.
Come to think of it, even I hadn't seen the dungeon incident coming.
At this rate, I won't be able to keep up with a future that keeps changing.
Now that it was clear the future I knew would keep going off-script, having the Imperial Family on alert against the Light of Dawn alongside me was genuinely good news.
While I was piecing the situation together, Alaster continued explaining the mock battles to the class.
"As you all know, professional Heroes operate in teams of four. Accordingly, the mock battles will be conducted as team-based training under designated team leaders."
Talent alone was never enough. Heroes who operated solo in real combat were virtually nonexistent.
So forming teams and learning to work together — just as we had during the dungeon expedition — was only natural for training that was meant to simulate the real thing.
"Since all first-years will share the same curriculum, we are also preparing schedules that bring every class together. You may look forward to it."
A murmur ran through the students at Alaster's words.
"If you do not wish to see Class A reduced to a weak class, then the active participation of everyone here will be essential."
Damn it. So this is how it ends up…
The fallout of not ending up in the same class as William was finally rolling in.
The Academy would gradually shift into a class-versus-class atmosphere from here on, which meant I was supposed to have been in the same class as the protagonist.
But there was no undoing it now. From this point forward, I was going to keep running into the protagonist as an opponent.
"We will begin by forming teams. Students who wish to run for team leader, please stand."
A handful of students rose from their seats.
For the most part, they were the ones with the stronger mana in this lecture hall.
Even in college I never volunteered for anything as annoying as being a group leader…
Honestly, I had zero desire to be a team leader. But if I wanted a firm grip on how things were going to unfold, I had to take the role myself.
Alaster looked over the faces of those who had stood, then nodded.
"Then we will form the teams. Students who wish to join a team, please consult with the provisional leaders currently standing and arrange your groups."
Anyone left without a team would be assigned at random that same day, so it was best to form groups according to talent, he advised — then stepped out of the lecture hall to give us room to organize freely.
The moment the professor left, the students who had been sitting quietly all rose at once and began seeking out friends or people they'd teamed with during the dungeon expedition.
Watching the noisy hall in silence, I turned to the girls beside me.
"What about you three?"
Of course, I'd known the answer from the moment they sat next to me.
"I'll be with you, Young Master."
"Obviously we're all one party!"
"I already told you, didn't I? Of course we're the same team."
I nodded at the answers I'd expected from Elizabeth, Enri, and Angela.
"All right."
Recruiting teammates was over in an instant.
Everyone else seemed to have their members decided in advance as well; groups of four were forming and settling into seats at a rapid clip.
Then I felt someone approaching us.
The heat of a stare fixed on me made it impossible not to notice.
Now what…?
"It's been a while, Winchester. Looking sharp, aren't you?"
The guy acted like he and Taylor Winchester went way back, throwing out a familiar greeting out of nowhere.
Of course, I had no idea who he was.
But I can make an educated guess.
Blue hair, blue eyes — that almost certainly made him a scion of House Richmond, the Marquisate.
In the Empire, black was the color of House Winchester, and blue was the color of House Richmond. That much was well known.
But if he were a Richmond, I should have known him — and I'd never seen this face before.
Someone who was originally supposed to die at the entrance ceremony, same as me, then.
"What business does a Richmond have with me?"
I gave him a sidelong look. He answered as if looking down on me.
"What did you just say to me? To me? A D-Rank talking like that — you've really changed, haven't you?"
I was too speechless to answer, and he took that as an invitation to keep going, clearly enjoying himself.
"You used to be such a pathetic little coward you couldn't even meet my eyes. Now you're putting on a tough act just because there are girls around? Huh?"
What the hell is this guy even trying to do…?
Walking up out of nowhere just to pick a fight — was he seriously looking for a brawl?
The provocation was so sudden that bewilderment hit me before anger did.
That was when Elizabeth, unable to listen any longer, stepped forward.
"Young Master Richmond, your words go too far."
"Ohhh, Liz. Don't tell me you're still trailing after this piece of trash?"
He looked at Elizabeth with open disdain, then let his eyes rake over her body.
"I can't understand why someone with an S-Rank talent like mine would waste her time with these worms. How about it? Dump that garbage and switch to me right now — I'll treat you so well."
"I decline. And I must ask you to retract your insults toward Young Master Taylor."
"The girls behind you aren't bad-looking either. Bring them along. I'll take good care of them too — ahahaha!"
The entire exchange was a one-way street.
Even faced with her firm refusal, he had no intention of listening — he just kept spitting out whatever he felt like saying.
At his blatant stare, Enri and Angela, who had been watching quietly from behind, started to step in — but I shook my head at them.
There was no need for them to get involved.
…Hah. I was going to let it slide, but you just had to cross the line.
This was something I needed to handle myself.
Protecting your teammates was a team leader's duty, and I had no intention of turning my back on mine.
I guided the furious Elizabeth back behind me, stepped forward to block his line of sight with my own body, and faced him head-on.
"Richmond. That's enough."
"Haaah? I must've misheard that. Because it almost sounded like you just gave me an order."
He dug a finger in his ear and swaggered like a common street thug.
"There's really no talking to you, is there."
"A piece of D-Rank trash like you — if you don't want to die, get the hell out of my way!"
If I didn't want to die, was it?
That was really something.
"…How pathetic."