This Seems Too Fast-Paced, Professor
Triam Academy is vast. Insanely vast. The title of the continent's premier educational institution wasn't just empty hype—the academy alone took up nearly twenty to thirty percent of the capital, Eisenach, in Elumhult. No wonder the rumor circulated among students that a first-year would need to wander nonstop until graduation just to see the whole place.
Anyway, I'd been reminded of this fact all over again thanks to a certain rumor I'd heard from Sionel that very morning.
After my duel with Evan, I'd stopped by the dorm we'd been assigned to spend the night, then donned the academy uniform they'd issued and headed down to the dorm cafeteria for breakfast. That's where I ran into Sionel.
"Lerven! Hey!"
"There's a garden here! Have you seen it?"
"There's all sorts of fun stuff everywhere!"
Our light greeting kicked off a conversation that, true to form for her, dragged on all through breakfast. Just as we finished eating, she finally dropped the rumor that plunged me into a pit of shock and horror.
"Lerven! I heard a rumor that you beat up an unarmed little girl one-sidedly—is that true?"
"Sh— Wait. What? Beat up who?"
The rumor was that I'd mercilessly and brutally beaten an unarmed girl in a one-sided thrashing.
"How the hell did a rumor like that even start...?"
"Beats me! Something about the Colosseum? But is it true?"
"As if! Do I look like some trash to you?!"
"Hmm... Honestly, just going by your face?"
From what I gathered, the rumor had started with spectators who'd witnessed my duel with Evan in the Colosseum. The fact that the second- and third-place entrants from orientation had dueled right away would've drawn every student's attention, and the gossip would've spread from there.
Of course, among the idiots, there'd be those spreading it without knowing the facts, and others with malice toward me twisting it deliberately. And with the academy's massive grounds came a student body to match, creating this perfect storm that turned the rumor into the monstrosity it was now.
Whenever there were too many people around, this kind of bullshit always happened.
"Tch... No wonder no one but Sionel came near me at breakfast..."
A lie takes just a few words to fabricate, but debunking it requires dozens of times the effort. Even if I tried explaining, with my reputation already in the gutter, no one would buy it.
So, in the end, the only way to clear this false accusation was to prove the truth with actions, not words.
"Evan... I'll probably see her in class."
And at the center of those actions had to be Evan herself—the one tied to me by this rumor. I needed her help.
Luckily, the academy's curriculum had all first-years taking the same classes in the first semester, so there was no chance I wouldn't run into her.
"Whoever started this rumor... I'm gonna kill 'em."
Burning with murderous intent toward the faceless masses who'd spread it, I flung open the door to the lecture hall where class was scheduled.
Rumble.
The room was a tiered lecture hall with a clear view of the blackboard—a sight you rarely saw even in universities back in my old world. Seeing it here felt oddly different.
"First class at the academy. Aren't you excited? I was so nervous yesterday..."
"Yeah, yeah? That third-place guy..."
"Hey, over there..."
The moment I stepped through the door, I felt countless eyes slyly turning my way. The boisterous, semester-start chatter that had filled the room suddenly died down into an awkward hush.
Everyone was watching me warily now that I'd entered.
Among those giving me the side-eye, some were extra skittish—and nine times out of ten, those were the rumor-mongers.
"...Tch."
Their shoulders twitched like aspen leaves as I clicked my tongue and brushed past. How were they so bold gossiping behind my back but trembling like this to my face? Unbelievable.
Thud.
I plopped down in an empty seat, and the students nearby who'd been sitting around me started subtly shifting away.
I knew this was all a misunderstanding, but being shunned like this still stung a little. Where else would you find someone as kind and considerate as me?
Whatever. Minor stuff like that can wait.
The students avoiding me would sort itself out with time, but there was another issue.
"......"
Sidus, glaring daggers at the back of my head from across the room. She was the biggest problem right now.
Her interest in me outstripped anyone else's in this room—she was a bomb waiting to go off.
I turned to check if she had something to say, but the moment I did, she averted her gaze. Instead, the students around her—looking like her lackeys—glared at me with open hostility and whispered fawningly in her ear.
How had she already gathered followers when the semester had barely started? A princess from a whole nation really was on another level.
Which just stacks the bad luck against me even more.
If that many people teamed up against me, how was I supposed to fend them off? My future already looked bleak.
Rumble.
As I racked my brain over these looming disasters, the back door opened, and three people entered at once.
Two female students carrying large loads, and one adult man hauling something even bigger. Unless this was some adult game, it was an odd trio that naturally drew all eyes.
Blue hair, golden hair, and... a bald head. Two of those heads belonged to people I knew.
"Evan? Sionel?"
I'd never imagined they'd enter together, so I blurted out their names in surprise. They both headed straight for my seat.
"Oh, Lerven. Hi."
"Hey! Saw you this morning and now again!"
"What's with all the luggage?"
I asked about the stuff they were carrying as they approached.
"This? The professor dropped it on the way to the front of the hall, so we helped carry it."
"I happened to see it with Sionel, so I pitched in too."
"Good kids, both of you. Thanks. Just set it on the podium here."
As they answered, the bald man I assumed was the professor came over, took all the luggage, and hauled it up to the front.
With their hands free, Evan and Sionel naturally took the seats on either side of me.
Thud.
Moments later, the professor on the podium slammed down his load with a bang, deliberately grabbing everyone's attention. The rowdy room fell silent in an instant, all eyes on him.
"Welcome, new students, to Triam Academy. I'm Marcus Eindle, in charge of your glorious first-semester class. The subject is Basic Physical Fitness. Get ready to ache every single day from here on out."
His introduction was as short and booming as the few hairs left on his head. He got a smattering of applause in response.
Even sparse claps from over a hundred people made my ears ring for a bit. By the time they cleared, Marcus shoved the luggage forward on the podium.
"Since it's the first class, we'll skip conditioning today and instead use these to gauge your individual capabilities lightly."
For a debut lesson, sizing up our aptitudes was an interesting choice. He pulled out a dark, round orb from the pile.
"This is a magic tool crafted by the academy: a compressed golem for repelling major intruders. As the name suggests, it's usually thrown at trespassers to subdue them. But with some restrictions and tweaks, it can summon golems calibrated to the target's level for training. Of course, showing beats telling."
Chattering like a salesman hawking wares, Marcus scanned the seated students and nodded at one.
"Everyone, to the arena."
*
We arrived at the academy's internal arena under Marcus's lead. True to the grounds' scale, the arena was ridiculously spacious—practically a baseball field.
How they'd secured such a flat expanse was still beyond me. All I could do was marvel.
"I could demo it myself, but it'd be better to hear firsthand impressions from someone experiencing it."
Standing at the arena's entrance, Marcus eyed us in line and picked his mark.
"You there—navy-blue-haired guy."
And that mark was, of course, me. Always picking on the easy target.
"...Me?"
"Yeah, you with the navy hair. Anyone else match?"
"Regrettably, no."
"Then hustle out here."
I'd tested the waters half-hoping, but no dice. At his brisk order, I quick-stepped out of line to stand beside him.
"What's your name?"
"Lerven."
"Lerven... Ah, you're the one from all those rumors."
Marcus nodded knowingly once I gave my name. Was my notoriety spreading to the faculty now too? Just how far had it gone?
"Alright, student Lerven here will assist with the demo. Watch and learn, everyone."
As I sighed inwardly, Marcus pressed on with his task. He had me fetch a training weapon, then stand facing him.
"Ready?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Stay sharp."
Whoosh.
With that, he lightly tossed the magic tool at my feet.
Thump.
The orb hit the ground and wobbled side to side like a monster ball—
Pop!
—then exploded in volume dozens of times over, transforming in seconds into a colossal golem three times my height.
"...Huh?"
I couldn't help blurting out something dumb at the sheer size, way beyond expectations.
"Oho, that's a pretty massive golem! But it's calibrated to your level, so you should manage."
Marcus insisted it was tuned to my capability despite my reaction, and the golem rumbled in agreement...
...but this still felt way too fast-paced, Professor.