Forming My First Party
The auditorium curved like a vast fan. Exactly one week after the entrance ceremony, the entire first-year cohort had gathered in one place again.
“As I mentioned beforehand, today you’ll form your own parties and head to Moonlight Hill for an overnight camping trip before returning.”
Professor Evelyn stood on the dais, speaking as the representative for all the first-year instructors. I sat tucked away in a back-corner seat with the rest of the Lower Class students, listening quietly.
“We will be releasing monsters in the area. Each party will receive a magical flare capable of sending a rescue signal. However, the moment you use it, that group will automatically receive the lowest score for this assignment. As proud cadets of Golden Academy, you are expected to protect yourselves alongside your classmates.”
Her words, heavy with intimidation, sent a ripple of uneasy murmuring through the crowd. On easier difficulties it would have been nothing but bluster, but hell difficulty was an entirely different beast. Even in the original game, reckless mistakes here could easily lead to a game over. That was why I had emptied every last coin earned from hunting small fry on Bingryong Mountain to stock up heavily on mana potions and several scrolls.
“Hey… this is gonna be a disaster, isn’t it?”
The dark-skinned boy beside me muttered in a voice thick with nerves. His name was Dane—one of the five selectable protagonists from the game. Being placed in the same Lower Class as me marked him as the weakest of the main cast at the starting line. After I’d responded to his friendly overtures a few times, he started sitting next to me in our shared classes and chatting nonstop. He was doing it again now.
“Aren’t you worried?”
“Well… a little.”
It wasn’t so much worry as strategic concern. This would be the first chance to face a boss monster. I had no way of knowing which candidate would appear, but I was hoping for something big and slow. That way I could drop a clean one-hit kill without any messy misses.
“Each party must consist of five members. You are free to discuss and form groups as you like, but there is one rule. In the spirit of fostering friendships across classes, every group will be mixed. The required composition is one Upper Class student, three Middle Class students, and one Lower Class student.”
At Professor Evelyn’s next announcement, sighs and groans erupted from every corner of the auditorium.
“What? I already had everything planned!”
“So one of us is getting left out?”
The camping task on Moonlight Hill had been announced in advance, but the specific mixing rule was brand new. The reason for three Middle Class spots was simple: they made up the bulk of the student body.
“Guess we can’t be together. Still better than an all-Lower-Class party, though. Damn… I hope nobody turns me down.”
Dane kept rattling off his worries. For someone with such a muscular build, he sure talked—and fretted—a lot.
“With a rule like that, they’ll need bodies to fill the slots. Someone will take you.”
“Ugh, I don’t know anyone in the Middle Class. You got any friends in other classes?”
“Even if I don’t, I’ll make some.”
I gave Dane a half-hearted reply while my gaze drifted to a figure seated far up front. Even among the sea of brightly colored hair, that silver mane seemed to glow with its own light.
“You may begin forming parties immediately. Please finish by lunchtime at the latest. Once your group is set, inform the appropriate professor. That is all.”
With those final words, Professor Evelyn stepped down from the platform. The already buzzing auditorium exploded into chaos. Everyone scrambled to secure a strong team. The numerous Middle Class students immediately clumped together in threes, eyes burning with determination as they hunted for an Upper Class member to recruit.
“Guess I should start randomly asking around… Hey, where are you going?”
I left Dane behind—he couldn’t be in my group anyway—and rose from my seat.
“Gotta form a party.”
“Look at you move when it actually matters. Alright, good luck out there.”
“You too.”
He was one of the five lazy protagonists, but not a bad guy, so I silently wished him a bit of fortune.
I walked straight toward the girl I had already chosen. She was already surrounded by three squealing Middle Class girls.
“Ophelia.”
At the sound of my voice she slowly turned her head in my direction.
“……Once your group is decided, please inform the appropriate professor. That is all.”
The moment Professor Evelyn finished speaking, Ophelia stood up to begin forming her own party.
“My lady. Are you truly certain you wish to be in a different group from me?”
Almost as soon as Ophelia rose, a black-haired Middle Class girl approached her side. It was Blair—Ophelia’s personal guard knight, personally trained by House Lanchester. A girl who had lived solely as a blade to protect her young charge since childhood. The fact that she was the same age and had enrolled alongside Ophelia was no coincidence. Though her magic power was lower than her lady’s—placing her in the Middle Class—her swordsmanship was unmatched among her peers.
Ophelia had been unhappy that Blair had entered the academy only for her sake, but she had been unable to overcome Duke Lanchester’s stubborn insistence.
“As the professor said, this task is also meant to help us build friendships with students from other classes. So this time, I would like to work with others.”
“I understand your wish, my lady, but I am also your classmate from another class.”
“Yet you don’t treat me like one.”
“That is because I am your guard—”
“Blair.”
Ophelia had no idea how many times they had repeated this same exchange, but she patiently offered the same advice once more.
“I’m not unaware of your feelings, but this is not Lanchester Manor. This is Golden Academy. Since we belong here, we must follow its rules. Here, we are both simply first-year students. I would appreciate it if you treated me accordingly.”
“Yes, my lady. I understand.”
She said the words, but Blair’s rigid demeanor was far from what Ophelia desired. The constant use of “my lady” alone placed them worlds apart from equal classmates.
“Since you’ve entered the academy too, I hope you’ll grow close to other students besides me. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
“I do, my lady. However, should any danger arise—”
“You know my ability better than anyone.”
“……I have spoken out of turn. I shall await you after you safely complete this task.”
Blair bowed with the stiff formality of a knight and withdrew. Ophelia knew the girl would feel hurt even if she didn’t show it, but there was nothing to be done. She refused to receive special treatment for any reason other than her own merit.
“Um… Lady Ophelia.”
The instant Blair stepped away, three Middle Class girls approached as though they had been waiting for the chance. They appeared to be young ladies from lesser noble houses with whom Ophelia had never interacted. All three gazed at her with eyes brimming with admiration.
It would have been preferable if that admiration were aimed at the academy’s top entrance student rather than the Lanchester name. The looks weren’t exactly welcome, but they were painfully familiar. Over the past week she had grown sick of how the weight of her family name kept her from blending in with the others.
“If you have not yet chosen a party, would you kindly give us the opportunity?”
The girl in the center asked carefully, her voice trembling. It was disappointing that they couldn’t treat her as an equal, but they had still mustered the courage to approach first. Setting aside the regret, Ophelia chose to appreciate that small bravery.
“Of course. Thank you for speaking up.”
There was no reason to be selective. Ophelia was confident she could handle the task well no matter who she partnered with. Since she had never interacted with these girls before, they were also perfect for the assignment’s intended purpose.
“Kyaa—! She said yes!”
“See? What did I tell you?”
Ophelia watched the trio quietly squealing among themselves. It was the reaction she had expected, yet the scene still drew a wry smile. Still, none of this was their fault.
“Lady Ophelia, we actually know a decent Lower Class student. If it’s all right with you……”
The girl in the middle had just composed her expression and continued when a small boy suddenly appeared beside them.
“Ophelia.”
She turned toward the voice.
“Kael……”
It was the boy she had met at the training grounds.
“Wanna be in the same group?”
His tone was just as casual as it had been that day.
“Who’s this kid?”
“Do you even know who she is?”
When Ophelia simply stared at him, the girls beside her jumped in.
“I know. She’s Ophelia.”
Kael’s answer was straightforward, as if to say why ask something so obvious?
“Looks like there’s still a Lower Class spot open. Can I join?”
He looked straight at Ophelia again.
“I saw him during the mana measurement. You’re E-grade, aren’t you?”
“E-grade? Even for Lower Class that’s basically last place, right?”
“Have some shame. You really think someone like you belongs in Lady Ophelia’s party?”
The girls grumbled, but Kael kept his eyes only on Ophelia.
“I won’t be a burden.”
So saying, he extended his right hand. Ophelia understood he was offering a handshake. Instead of nodding, she reached out naturally. It was an utterly ordinary gesture—just like the casual wave he had given her last time.
“Shall we?”
Ophelia’s hand moved. She didn’t dislike the way he treated her without the slightest reservation.