The Hero Academy, Part 1
Gwen...
Unlike Elsie, who had clearly grown, Gwen looked exactly the same as she had two years ago. Since Elsie wasn't by her side, I had reflexively acknowledged her without thinking. I had worried for a moment that she might try to hold onto me, but fortunately, she seemed to understand my situation. Once I entered the school, the entrance ceremony began. As expected, it was incredibly boring. Still, seeing the principal, Heinz Armanus, made it somewhat worthwhile. He was a former high-grade hero and the very man who had created countless replicated swords. The Gravitus Replicant, which Gwen had given me and which I had used so reliably until now, was also a replica he had crafted from the original Gravitus. Of course, I didn't have it on me right now.
Anyway...
I looked around the campus. Considering the overall size of Hailyen, the academy occupied a remarkably vast plot of land. Though, of course, it still paled in comparison to the Holy Church headquarters.
So this is a school.
The lawn was a vibrant, deep green, welcoming the arrival of spring. The buildings possessed that distinct architectural style unique to educational institutions. Students bustling between them were already chatting amiably, having quickly befriended one another. It felt strange. Being at the Hero Academy despite my actual status as a high-grade hero was part of it, but there was another reason entirely. It was likely because Sung Yu-rang's memories still lingered within me as if they were my own.
I've never really experienced a proper school life.
Back when I was in the track and field club, I had been too focused on training to care about school. After injuring my leg, the fear of people's pitying stares drove me to refuse to go to school altogether. Naturally, I never went to college either. In a way, this place felt a lot like a university. After wandering alone for so long, I was suddenly thrown into a place filled with peers my age. Of course, having inherited Sung Yu-rang's memories and spent an eternity in the second trial, I doubted our mental ages were anywhere near the same.
Come to think of it, did Sung Yu-rang end up going to college?
The God of Chains had said that Sung Yu-rang had changed because of me. A change, presumably, for the better. I wanted to believe that. And if he really had changed, perhaps he had gone on to university.
I hope things go well for him.
I believed a part of me was still made of Sung Yu-rang. That was an inevitable consequence from the moment I absorbed his memories through the skill of the Inheritance Crest. So, even if the 'me' here and the 'Sung Yu-rang' on Earth were entirely separate entities, I couldn't help but root for him.
But enough of that.
Right now, I needed to focus on myself rather than a guy whose recent whereabouts I couldn't even track. Specifically, I needed to focus on the Hero Academy cadet, "Sung Yu-rang." As the principal had emphasized in his tedious speech, I had absolutely no intention of wasting a single year of my school life.
First up is archery class, then.
Since I wasn't familiar with the campus layout yet, it seemed wise to head to the classroom ahead of time.
With that in mind, I made my way to the archery range. Perhaps because it required shooting lanes for practice, the facility was quite elongated.
One, two, three... nine lanes in total.
The number matched up perfectly if you counted the archery cadets and the instructor. Judging by the fact that the doors weren't even locked, it seemed students were free to come and practice whenever they pleased.
Since I don't know which lane is mine yet, I'd better not touch anything.
Just as I thought that, the sharp sound of tearing wind echoed through the range. An arrow thudded directly into the dead center of a target.
Was someone already here?
I hadn't noticed because my eyes had immediately drawn to the targets when I walked in. Or perhaps his presence was just that faint. He was highly skilled. This wasn't mere speculation; he was someone I already knew.
Wilhelm.
He was a playable character. Which meant he might also have a Constellation. Of course, unlike Elsie, who couldn't have reached Vasilium without a Constellation, Wilhelm's admission to the Hero Academy was practically guaranteed from the start. Thus, I had no solid proof yet to conclude that he possessed one.
Though, based on my experience so far, it's safer to assume he does.
Both playable characters I had encountered in this Crossover Encounter possessed Constellations. It was only logical to assume he did too. However, since I still didn't fully understand whether this truly was a Crossover Encounter, nor did I know the exact nature of the Constellation mechanism, I couldn't be absolutely certain.
For now...
It seemed wise to remain cautious until I had a better grasp of his situation. I walked over to the lane furthest from him and began to shoot. Fortunately, Wilhelm was entirely absorbed in his own practice and didn't spare me a word. After I had been shooting for a while, the other students began to trickle in one by one. Around that time, both Wilhelm and I stopped. Shortly after, the instructor entered. It was Kyle, the head instructor of the archery class. And following right behind him was a woman.
...Why is she here?
It was Ryutmila. The Hero Academy was strictly off-limits to outsiders, no matter how high-grade a hero they might be. Her presence here could only mean one thing...
Is she planning to groom a successor herself?
Such a system did exist. While the standard practice was to designate a successor during the graduation tournament, a hero could undergo school screening to be appointed as a temporary professor, allowing them to teach and select a disciple directly. This method offered the advantage of securing a candidate early and molding them to one's liking. Of course, this system was restricted to high-grade heroes and came with various penalties. But that wasn't what mattered right now. What mattered was that she was someone who had recently seen me in my true form as Alan Flake. And as a top-tier archer, her sensory perception was exceptionally sharp.
Still, as long as I don't give her a reason to doubt me, I'll be fine.
Fortunately, most of my powers, including my Wind Authority, were undetectable unless actively used. If I avoided doing anything suspicious in the first place, I would be safe. To my relief, the first class seemed to be a simple assessment of our basic archery skills. The shooting began from the first lane where Wilhelm stood, and eventually, my turn arrived. Swallowing my nervousness, I released the drawn bowstring.
The time granted to cadets at the Hero Academy was one year. In truth, "one year" was a generous term for what was actually a little over nine months, spanning from spring to late autumn. Such a brief period was only possible because the academy's curriculum was strictly focused on real combat. In the case of the Magic Department, most students had already learned the basics of magic at the Magic Tower before enrolling. The Martial Arts Department also evaluated basic skills during the entrance exam. Thanks to this, the academy could focus entirely on practical, real-world training for the duration of the year.
p>However, there were occasionally cadets who managed to slip through the cracks despite lacking fundamental skills, or those whose established basics clashed with the realities of actual combat. To rectify this, lectures on basic martial arts were scheduled at the beginning of the curriculum. These lectures were handled by the head instructors of each class. For the archery class, Kyle was tasked with leading the lessons alongside the temporary professor, Ryutmila.
"With you here, the overall standard of the kids is definitely higher."
This was the first class. Kyle made the remark to Ryutmila after assessing the skills of the eight archery cadets. Although they had already verified their abilities to some extent during the entrance exam, seeing them perform in person made it even more obvious. Yet, compared to last year, they still felt somewhat lacking. That was because all the talented archers imaginable had flocked to the academy the previous year. Compared to them, this year's cadets felt like the B-team.
It's a bit too early to judge, though.
While last year's selection had favored those who were already near-complete packages, this year's focus was on candidates who, despite lacking some basics, showed immense potential. It remained to be seen, but Kyle silently hoped that at least one of them would satisfy Ryutmila. Only when Ryutmila successfully secured a successor and retired could Kyle finally step down from his position at the Hero Academy.
He had been in charge of the archery class for so long that he could barely remember when he started. Ryutmila herself had once been his student, after all. Countless mediocrities and geniuses had passed through his doors, and most of them had gone on to become official heroes, only to vanish beyond the barrier.
I still remember when I first saw Ryutmila.
Back then, Ryutmila didn't possess a single holy relic, and her archery skills were hopelessly inferior compared to the other cadets. Yet, she possessed a brilliant, raw talent. And she worked harder than anyone else. Ultimately, upon graduation, she had claimed a masterless 4-star bow. But despite having been in their shoes once...
They say a frog forgets its days as a tadpole...
The moment Kyle mentioned that this batch was high-quality, Ryutmila immediately began tearing the cadets apart. She criticized everything from their basic form to, when she couldn't find any technical faults, their "obnoxious attitudes." Not a single one of the eight cadets had escaped her sharp tongue.
At this rate, she's probably badmouthing me to others too.
In fact, she might actually be doing just that. He made a mental note to ask the other professors about it sometime.
Wait, come to think of it, there's still one left.
He hadn't heard Ryutmila mention his name yet.
"Ryutmila, what about him? Cadet Sung Yu-rang."
Cadet Sung Yu-rang. He was a cadet with acceleration and enchantment-type Stigmas. Though his basics still felt lacking, Ryutmila had seemed somewhat intrigued by him. Even during the entrance exam, she had offered an unexpectedly positive evaluation of the boy.
"Do you see some kind of potential in him? You were practically the one who passed him, after all."
Even without her intervention, they likely would have admitted him, but it was true that Ryutmila had strongly advocated for his acceptance. Kyle had been curious about her reasoning ever since. Thus, he eagerly anticipated her assessment. Having been active on the front lines until recently, she would surely notice things that he, with his lack of recent combat experience, might miss.
"Sung Yu-rang?" Ryutmila finally spoke.
"He's just glossing over his flaws with his acceleration ability. His basic archery form—no, his overall proficiency is completely abysmal. I'd believe it if someone told me he only picked up a bow a few months ago."
Kyle was well aware of that. But that wasn't the kind of insight he was hoping to get from her.
"What about his potential?"
"Huh?" Ryutmila looked genuinely puzzled by the question. "He doesn't have any. Take away his acceleration and enchantment abilities, and he's practically a corpse. He has zero talent for the bow, and his physical stats aren't anything to write home about either."
Kyle began to feel a bit flustered. Still, this was within the realm of expectations. He pressed her for more specific details. "What about what you said last time? You mentioned he seemed unusually composed. Did you notice anything related to that?"
"I'm telling you, there's nothing. What you see is what you get. He has a certain confidence—or maybe ease—as if he's rolled around in the dirt somewhere before, but that's it."
If she said so, it was highly likely to be true. She was one of the few high-grade heroes who specialized in archery, and her ability to read others was second to none.
So there's no hidden wild card after all.
Still, it didn't particularly matter. Even if he couldn't satisfy Ryutmila, he seemed more than capable of graduating from the academy. Kyle was just slightly disappointed that a promising candidate to satisfy Ryutmila had been ruled out.
"But now that I think about it, something is a bit strange," Ryutmila suddenly muttered.
"What is?"
"That kid. I feel this strange sense of déjà vu... It's almost like he gives off a vibe similar to those Reim royals... No, that's not it. I've definitely seen him somewhere..." Ryutmila pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "Damn it, I don't know. Must be my imagination."