A Month in the Academy
It had been exactly one month since I entered the academy. Long, if it felt long. Short, if it felt short. That single month had been a lifetime of both. Every dawn, before the sun even rose, we began our training. The sun might have set, but the hellish drills never stopped. I shattered Yustia’s auxiliary magic and her Wind Whisper’s interference, only to be shattered again. Memorize one pattern, and a new one came flying at me. Adapt, and fresh variables rained down.
The hellish training I endured at the American camp before my very first fight in the world’s largest fighting organization flashed back into my mind. Wake at five in the morning. Run ten kilometers. Five rounds of sparring. Then, at night, video analysis. My body used to think it was about to break. Those memories were crystal clear now. But honestly? This was even more intense. The reason was simple. One thing. The treatment magic.
On Earth, if you collapsed from exhaustion, that day’s workout ended there. The trainer would run over and shout “Today ends here!” and the day was over. Torn muscles? Days of rest. Strained ligaments? Weeks of rehab. But here? “Heal!” Green light bloomed from the tips of Yustia’s fingers, and torn fibers sealed themselves instantly. Bruised flesh healed in the blink of an eye. I collapsed, I collapsed again, and I had to stand back up. No escape. No hole to crawl through. I was dying.
“Haaah… haaaah…” I lay sprawled on the training hall floor, breathing raggedly. Yustia’s treatment magic was already emitting a faint glow, washing away the fatigue. ‘Again? She’s actually healing me this time.’ My body was whole, but my mind was in tatters. I remembered that cruel smile from the camp coach yelling “One more round!” at least he stopped when my ribs cracked. But today, Yustia’s mood was different. She hadn’t hummed a single tune all morning. The Wind Whisper hadn’t spun in the air once. Her lips stayed curled in a smile that never faded.
“Ahhh… I’m dead…” I somehow raised my upper body and asked, “Why are you so happy today?” “Huh? Really don’t know?” Her eyes widened in disbelief. Stars glittered in her pupils. “Tomorrow’s the entrance ceremony!” “Already?” I stared at her blankly. One month had slipped through my fingers like sand. Every day had been training, recovery, training again. My sense of time had gone completely numb. “It’s not already! I’ve been waiting for this day my whole life!” Yustia clasped both hands together and beamed. I saw her from that day I received the rejection letter from the academy, staring at the next plan in the café, restless and anxious. ‘Her eyes back then were completely different.’ One month ago, lips clenched, desperately flipping through the academy list. Now her eyes overflowed with confidence and expectation.
“Since the dean’s recommendation for the special admission passed unanimously, I have to show an activity worthy of that!” Her fists tightened, eyes shining. Unanimous. The dean’s recommendation opened the special admission door, and before long, the acceptance notice arrived at the Rosenhart family with not a single objection. Yustia’s eyes welled with tears, but she didn’t shed a single one. Instead, she smiled brightly. That smile from that day still lingered clearly in my memory.
“And Kim Taesan-ssi is already famous at the academy!” She added excitedly. “The professors can’t wait to meet the academy’s only human summoner. Students are buzzing about it too!” “….” I stared at her blankly. Famous? Far from the fame of my fighting days. But in this world, being a human summoner made me famous? “That’s famous in a good way, right?” “Of course! The professors are extremely interested academically!” Academically interested. That word felt strangely prickly. Would I be treated as a research subject? Would I be dragged to a lab and poked and prodded? “I feel like I’ve become an exhibit in the zoo.” I laughed hollowly and shook my head. Yustia giggled at my reaction and reached out a hand. “Today we rest early for tomorrow. Let’s get packed. Don’t forget anything. Once you enter the academy, you won’t have time to go home for a whole semester.” “What else is there to pack? See you tomorrow.” *** Aethernoa Academy. Morning sunlight poured over the massive arched entrance. The campus of ivory marble pillars entwined with ivy looked like an entire medieval European castle had been transplanted here. Colorful summons flew through the sky, and in the square in front of the gate, new students, their summons, and parents mixed into a bustling sea.
“Waaaa! Kim Taesan-ssi, look! That fountain! How does it go up without mana? It’s made with science! The academy’s mascot!” Yustia grabbed my arm and pointed everywhere. The gloom from the day I received the rejection letter had vanished. Pure joy now filled her face. “Miss! Miss! Look at that griffin in the sky! Real griffins flying around!” Yurika was jumping up and down beside me. The title of summon-management maid couldn’t hide how excited she was, like a child on a field trip.
“Yurika.” I pointed at the Wind Whisper perched on my shoulder. “You’re supposed to watch over me and Whisper, right?” “I don’t know! Kim Taesan-ssi will take care of it!” Yurika waved her hands and turned away. “With so many things to look at, you have to just watch over the summons? This is the once-in-a-lifetime entrance ceremony!” “But that’s your job.” I folded my arms, puzzled. Yurika glanced around nervously, then whispered in my ear. “Shh! This is a secret from Miss Yustia.” She stuck her tongue out and dashed into the crowd in the blink of an eye. “Look over there! Summon display booth! I’ll go first—!” I sighed as I watched her small back shrink into the distance. The Wind Whisper on my shoulder let out a pitiful “Bwoo-woo.” “…So we’re abandoned, you and me.” I patted its head with a wry smile.
The entrance ceremony hall resembled a giant circular theater. Magic flags fluttered in the wind between towering stone pillars. The tiered seating was already packed with parents and guests. On the front stage, the dean and professors sat in dignified rows. In front of them, in the square’s center, the new students stood in line. The moment I saw that line, I frowned. ‘…Cruel.’ At the front: top new student. Behind him: second. Then in order of entrance scores. The earlier you stood, the better you were. The later, the worse. Was there any more blatant hierarchy? Even on the fighting circuit, ranks existed, but they never publicly humiliated you by lining you up like this. And the very back. After the regular new students’ line, far away, a small sign read ‘Special Admission.’ Yustia stopped right in front of it. I naturally stood beside her. Looking ahead, dozens of backs stretched into the distance like the end of the world. “….” The regular new students moved to find their places and crossed in front of us. Some openly whispered while glancing back. “Look at the kids in the back. They’re special admission.” “No talent, just sneaking into the back line, right?” “Probably using family connections. That girl over there? Said she’s from a noble family. Predictable.” Laughs rippled on the wind, loud and mocking. Openly scrutinizing gazes pinned Yustia’s back. Her shoulders twitched slightly. I didn’t miss it. But she didn’t turn her head. Her lips curled into a smile, embarrassed yet completely at ease. Only I, standing right beside her, could see how fragile that smile was. Her jaw trembled faintly, and her tightly clenched fingers had turned white.
“It’s fine?” “Of course.” Yustia answered, staring straight ahead. Her voice was steady, but the firm resolve hidden deep in her eyes told me everything. “After this semester ends and the graduation ceremony at the end of finals… I’ll stand at the very front.” It wasn’t boasting. I, who had trained with her through blood and sweat for a month, could vouch for it. This woman would do it. I nodded silently. At that moment, a familiar student carrying a guideboard approached. “Excuse me, Father. Parents have separate seating on the upper tier. I’ll guide you this way—” “It’s a summon.” Yustia cut in quickly, sounding natural as she peeked at me. “This is my summon.” The student’s eyes swept over me, top to bottom. Once. Twice. When they reached me the third time, his eyes widened. “Ah… so you’re the Rosenhart one.” His tone changed. The honorific vanished. Curiosity and caution mixed in his voice. His gaze shifted from Yustia back to me. “And this… the human summoner.” He looked up at me. The hand gripping the guideboard trembled faintly. It wasn’t fear so much as the expression of a zookeeper facing a rare creature for the first time. “I only heard the rumors. It’s really a human.” “Yes, I’m human.” My calm reply made him cough awkwardly and look away. “Ah, then… since you’re a summon, stand beside your summoner. You have the registration bracelet, right?” I held up my silver bracelet. “Yes, confirmed. Then… enjoy your entrance ceremony.” The student left with an awkward smile. A few steps away, he whispered something to a fellow student. Two, three gazes flicked over to me. The feeling of being the zoo monkey returned. “I’ll get used to it, I guess.” I swallowed my sigh and stared at the stage. The dean stood up from his seat. The ceremony was about to begin.