Problem Children - 1
The lantern illuminating the small inn room flickered once, then died with a soft sigh. Darkness swallowed everything. In the pitch-black space, Elen Norvel lowered herself onto the crude bed.
This was the same room she had used every night since crossing over from the North to the Empire. Normally she would be maintaining her sword or preparing for the next day at this hour. But tonight was different. Nothing felt right in her hands.
She forced her eyes shut, yet sleep refused to come. She tossed and turned, unable to shake the memory. The moment she had been surrounded by countless people, her victory denounced. The axe hurtling toward her back. The way her body had frozen solid. Everything after that was a blur—because someone else had stolen the spotlight.
…Are you okay?
That unnecessarily kind stranger’s voice kept echoing in her head. Her heart beat a little faster. Elen yanked the blanket over her head in a panic.
“No.”
She had simply been saved in a dangerous situation. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less. She told herself that firmly.
Yet the voice returned anyway.
…Are you okay?
By the time the rooster crowed, she still hadn’t slept a wink.
And now, on her first day of school—a day laced with both fear and nervous excitement—the person who had saved her was suddenly in trouble because of her.
A red-haired man stood pointing a real sword at Dojin. Words like chivalry and “discarding one’s weapon” poured from his mouth. But Elen could tell. They were all excuses. At least, that was how it felt to her.
If he hadn’t saved her, if he hadn’t gotten involved with her, that man probably wouldn’t be glaring at Dojin like this.
“I challenge you to a duel.”
A duel. Elen knew exactly what that word meant in the Empire. It was the most sacred tradition among its knights—an oath to risk one’s life for honor.
She swallowed hard. Surely he won’t accept…
Right as she thought that, Dojin blinked slowly.
“Sorry, who are you again?”
His face looked like he genuinely hadn’t understood a single word.
“Kyle von Leonhardt.”
“Ah…”
Dojin’s idiot expression remained firmly in place.
The surrounding students, however, reacted quite differently.
“Leonhardt? As in the Leonhardts?”
“One of the great noble houses, right?”
“That Kyle von Leonhardt?”
“I heard he was the top-ranked freshman…”
Knock, knock.
“A duel on the very first day of school. How lively our students are.”
The examiner from yesterday—now late—broke the chaotic atmosphere as he entered the room.
“Everyone, please take your seats. I am Edgar Bertram, homeroom professor for Class 3.”
What the hell is this mess on day one? My school life already feels completely screwed…
Kyle seemed to be somewhat famous. From the murmurs, he was the top entrance student. Funny—I didn’t notice him during the exam. And who would’ve guessed the mild-looking examiner uncle was actually a professor? Ugh, my head hurts.
Thanks to the professor’s timely arrival, the classroom atmosphere calmed down. The other students quietly found their seats. Kyle and Elen headed for empty desks as well.
“That student over there? Why aren’t you sitting?”
Professor Edgar pointed with his chin.
“Ebony wood.”
“Pardon?”
“Itchy.”
The girl who looked like a ghost delivered the words in the shortest possible sentences.
“Professor, she says she’s allergic to ebony wood.”
The blunt girl gave a few satisfied nods, as if her representative had spoken correctly.
“Good grief…”
The professor’s reaction was about the same as mine.
Then the girl looked around, spotted something, and walked straight toward me with heavy steps.
“This will do.”
“Huh?”
She sat down without hesitation. The problem was, she sat on my lap.
“What… what are you doing?”
“Doesn’t touch.”
“What?”
“The chair.”
What the hell is this situation? It happened so fast I couldn’t stop it. Now every student in the room was staring at me.
Fighting on the first day, and now a girl on my lap… I’ve become a superstar. In the worst possible way.
“What kind of disgraceful behavior is this in our sacred academy?! Get off him at once!”
Kyle, of course, was the one shouting with veins bulging in his neck.
“No.”
“You little—!”
The large boy was clearly furious, but the girl answered calmly, enunciating every syllable.
“Sigh… After this class, I’ll request a different desk. Dojin, please endure it for now.”
“Wait, you’re really just letting this happen?”
“Is there a problem?”
“None.”
The question had clearly been aimed at me, but the girl on my lap answered instead. Just get through this one class… Yeah. Just endure it. Endure…
All eyes were definitely on me. But two gazes in particular stood out.
One was Kyle’s—brow furrowed, openly glaring. I didn’t even put her here, so why are you looking at me like that?
The other was Elen’s. She had both hands over her mouth, ears burning bright red. Why are you embarrassed?
And since she was sitting right next to me, her stare felt especially sharp.
The first day’s class was basically an orientation—self-introductions and general explanations. That was how I learned the girl currently occupying my lap was named Lunaria von Astrain.
“The Imperial Academy exists to train knights. What you will be learning from now on…”
Tap, tap, tap. The chalk danced cheerfully across the blackboard.
Weapons. Magic. Academics. Tactics.
“These are the four major subjects you will study.”
Classes at the academy were simply divided into morning and afternoon. Mornings covered the required subjects—academics and tactics. Afternoons allowed students to choose between weapons or magic courses. Each of those was further divided into specializations, so there were actually quite a lot of options.
But was there anything here for me to learn?
People already gave me grief for throwing away my sword, and even Elen had looked at my shadow boxing in the training ground like she’d never seen anything like it. Maybe unarmed combat really was that unfamiliar here?
I knew martial arts had existed since ancient times, though.
“Hey, Lunaria? Can I ask you something?”
I whispered near the ear of the girl on my lap.
No response. Just the soft sound of her breathing. She was boldly sleeping on the very first day of class.
Guess I have no choice.
“Um, Elen? Can I ask you something?”
Her head snapped toward me so fast I thought she’d get whiplash.
Was asking about martial arts classes really this difficult?
“Dojin? Did you have a question?”
“Ah… yes. Will subjects related to unarmed combat be included under the weapons category?”
The professor rested his chin on his hand, thinking.
The other students reacted first. They started mocking me, throwing jokes back and forth.
“Have you ever even faced a demonic beast, Dojin?”
“What’s that?”
“Hmm… Do you think you could beat a dragon with your fists, Dojin?”
…They weren’t even making sense. Oh. I get it now.
“Yes, that seems to answer it.”
Professor Edgar continued the orientation as if nothing had happened.
This wasn’t Seoul. This wasn’t a normal university. This place trained knights—basically a military academy. These people weren’t just exercising for sport. They were mastering real martial techniques for killing other human beings.
Punching someone to death wasn’t easy. Especially if your opponent was a knight wrapped in layers of armor. You’d have to strike dozens of times what a single sword slash could accomplish. After all, they could kill from a distance with arrows or blow you away with magic.
And then there were the demonic beasts… and dragons. From the sound of it, absurdly powerful monsters really existed in this world.
In a place like this, no sane person would rely on their fists alone. I was apparently the only idiot here.
“All right, one last important announcement before we finish.”
Professor Edgar set down the chalk. Everyone’s eyes naturally turned forward.
“Next week, we will hold the Freshman Evaluation.”
The mood in the classroom shifted instantly.
“Your performance in the evaluation will directly affect recommendations to knight orders.”
The students’ expressions grew serious. Kyle sat with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Lunaria was still sound asleep on my lap, snoring softly.
“And,” Professor Edgar continued, slowly scanning the room, “the student with the lowest score will be expelled.”
Murmurs erupted everywhere. Elen’s face hardened as she lowered her head.
Expelled, huh…
Suddenly I remembered the message that had appeared when I first arrived in this world. The one that had floated before my eyes with no warning.
Main Quest
Safely graduate from the Imperial Academy.
The word “safely” had always bothered me. Now I finally understood what it meant.
“That concludes orientation. Today’s schedule ends here.”
Professor Edgar leaned against the podium.
“From now on, head to the administrative office and apply for dormitories. Assignments will be made on a first-come, first-served basis, taking entrance rankings into account.”
Oh. Dorms. That finally sounded like something an academy would say. I couldn’t stay at the inn forever, so I should probably apply. The other students were already getting up. First-come, first-served meant I should hurry.
…
“Hey, Lunaria?”
“Zzz…”
Damn it, she’s still sleeping.
“Mmm…?”
The moment I grabbed her under the arms to lift her off, Professor Edgar clapped his hands as if he’d just remembered something.
“It would be best if I told you the format of the evaluation in advance.”
All eyes returned to the podium.
“The Freshman Evaluation will consist of mock battles.”
Mock battles?
“You will be divided into small teams and engage in combat under set rules.”
The classroom stirred again.
“The exact rules will be revealed on the day of the event.”
Professor Edgar gave a meaningful smile.
“You should be prepared for injuries.”
Oof. Is a professor allowed to say something like that with a straight face?
Rules, huh… Maybe it’s like the urban warfare drills we did during reserve training?
The professor smiled brightly and pointed at the classroom door.
“Class dismissed.”
Students began rising one by one. Each time, the metallic clatter of weapons echoed. That was the sound of their gear knocking against desks.
Only then did I truly realize it.
Everyone in this world trained and studied with real combat in mind. The only idiot here relying solely on his fists was me.
This… might actually be dangerous.