The Joint Class, Part 1
"Groups that are already finished, move along quickly!"
"It's not dangerous. Instructors are stationed all over, so if you feel even the slightest bit of danger, fire your signal flare immediately—"
It was chaotic. Countless students bustled back and forth, preparing for the upcoming joint class.
"At this rate, they must have gone through a lot of trouble just to capture the monsters..."
Although the Academy was a place where many students learned a wide variety of subjects, in the end, the only 'learning' that truly mattered was combat.
Some studied history, liberal arts, governance, or politics, but those were subjects better suited for private tutors back at their family estates rather than here.
Swordsmanship, magic, divine arts, and dark magic. The subjects that ambitious youths came all the way to the Academy to learn were heavily focused on battle.
Yet, this was an academy built on the ideals of harmony and peace.
Everyone knew the truth. Their violence was meant to protect people—to suppress rebels and bandits on a small scale, and to deter conflicts with enemy nations on a larger one.
But on the surface, at least, all this training and martial might had to be packaged as a noble endeavor to 'protect innocent citizens from the threat of monsters.'
We stood before a massive mountain. Monsters had been released into it, though their dangerous claws and fangs had likely been pulled beforehand.
Even so, that did not mean this was a safe exercise.
People who had never fought before often cowered at the movements of dogs or insects much smaller than themselves.
Spoiled nobles had rarely, if ever, encountered creatures harboring pure malice toward them. This kind of practical experience would prove invaluable.
"Do... do we have to go up further?"
Claire whispered in my ear, keeping her voice low so the others wouldn't hear.
Though considering who we were walking with, it would have been impossible to escape their sharp ears no matter how quietly she whispered.
"My apologies. It seems I have placed too heavy a burden on you."
The Princess's gentle voice reached Claire's ears.
"O-Oh, not at all!"
Yurisia tilted her head in mild confusion. Every time she moved, her golden hair shimmered in the wind.
...Well, she wouldn't understand.
The imperial bloodline and the blessings they received granted the imperial family a level of power qualitatively different from that of ordinary humans.
Naturally, those who served the Princess operated under the assumption that every word they spoke would reach her ears.
They wouldn't flinch in surprise just because she heard them, the way Claire did.
"It's fine. You were dragged into this because of our circumstances anyway. Though, I suppose there would have been plenty of others willing to join if not for you."
"Most of them had already formed their groups. While some might have joined my group out of personal ambition, it would have left their original teammates stranded."
"True. Who could have guessed... that Stella would collapse so suddenly?"
Under normal circumstances, their party would have consisted of members matching their elite status.
Yurisia, the descendant of the imperial family and a knight among knights; Zenia, the successor to the Mage Tower and a genius wizard hailed to lead the next generation.
The remaining slots should have been filled by Stella, the Saint candidate, and Katarin, the top student among the dark mages.
However, Yurisia had chosen me instead of Katarin. And on the very day of the joint class, Stella had collapsed from a mysterious illness.
With a sudden vacancy, they had graciously recruited a dark mage who 'hadn't found a group yet.'
Priests were always rare, and those prepared for actual combat were rarer still.
The instructors didn't look pleased, but they couldn't easily answer Yurisia when she asked, "Are you telling me to find another priest at this hour?"
They could have found one if they really tried, but it would have forced another party—which had built its composition around having a priest—to disband.
"Still, I really like you! You're the only one who ever appreciated my wand!"
The purple-haired mage tapped Claire gently with her staff.
"R-Really? But it looks so... artistic..."
"Right? It's avant-garde! Can't you feel the energy radiating from these carvings?"
From any conventional standpoint, the wand was far from beautiful. It was carved with metaphysical patterns that felt strangely unsettling.
"Zenia. While it is your freedom to decorate your belongings as you wish, forcing your tastes on others is hardly exemplary—"
"I-I'm not forcing her! Seriously! I only met her today! Right, Claire?"
"Y-Yes..."
"See? We're friends! You can speak casually with me, Claire!"
"Okay... thank you."
As a smile bloomed on Claire's face, the petite mage burst into delighted laughter.
Yurisia watched them, a warm smile gracing her lips.
"Bear with it for a little while. Since they have assigned us such a difficult task, the instructors will reward us accordingly. If you happen to need a scholarship..."
"R-Really?"
Claire looked up, startled.
"Why so surprised? We are hunting a manticore, after all. It wouldn't be fair if the reward didn't match the danger."
"A... a manticore?"
It was a true magic beast. A creature an ordinary person might never see in their lifetime, capable of laying waste to a small village or two all on its own.
Those who couldn't manipulate mana would be slaughtered instantly, and even a party of skilled mana-users couldn't guarantee victory against such a terrifying monster.
"There is no need to worry. Its wings have been clipped, so it can do nothing but crawl on the ground."
No matter how strong the beast was, it stood no chance against this party—or rather, against Yurisia and Zenia.
"But still, releasing a magic beast on the mountain seems a bit..."
"The instructors are tracking its location. They have set up control devices throughout the area to keep it from running wild."
"I... I see..."
"That is why we must climb higher. We cannot allow our exam to put the other cadets in danger."
"So that's... why!"
Claire's mind seemed to understand why we had to climb the mountain, but her ragged breathing suggested her body wasn't quite as cooperative.
The hike was grueling enough to strain even my relatively fit body, so there was no way Claire could keep up easily.
If only I could reinforce my body with dark mana... it would be much easier.
It was a shame, but there was nothing I could do about it now.
Although I had learned a few decent dark spells besides Dark Arrow, there were still far more spells I had yet to acquire.
"Do not be tense. Just think of it as a stroll. This will not be over quickly."
The instructors who designed the exam knew full well that a mere manticore was no match for them.
"Our search area is vast. We will need to lay down bait and prepare to lure it out."
The faculty probably thought that forcing the students to suffer together would somehow improve their relationships.
If things went exactly as they did in the game, that plan would fail spectacularly, and the relationship between Katarin and Yurisia would cross a point of no return.
"Think of it as a trip."
This was a relief. The Princess was the type of person who grew stronger when she had something to protect.
As long as Claire remained under her protection, I would be free to move as I pleased, at least for the time being.
Still, I can't let my guard down.
Stella, the Saint candidate, wouldn't fall ill without a reason.
She was a healer. A priestess. She possessed divine power so immense that she could cure most ailments with a single smile.
A saintly figure capable of regenerating lost limbs would never skip a joint class simply because she felt slightly under the weather.
Has she started to make her move...?
Katarin had undoubtedly pulled some strings. If she wanted me dead, she wouldn't let an opportunity like this slip by.
Getting the Princess to pull me into her group was a better outcome than I expected...
I had only done it to avoid dancing to Katarin's tune, but Yurisia seemed far more pleased with the arrangement than I had anticipated.
But what method does she plan to use...?
If I were wandering this mountain alone—or with a party of nobodies—Katarin would have countless options.
She could set a massive trap or hire assassins.
She could bribe or threaten a few cadets or instructors to kill me, or in the worst-case scenario, she could slip away from her own party and do the deed herself.
But with the Princess here, the situation was different.
As long as I was with her, any attempt on my life could be perceived as an attempt on the Princess's life.
Besides, finding an assassin capable of defeating the Princess was a logistical nightmare in itself. Even for Katarin, some things were simply impossible.
Yet, knowing Katarin's personality, she wouldn't give up on this opportunity.
A death during a joint class could be written off as an accident. A cadet dying during normal school hours, however, would leave behind the messy trail of a heinous crime.
The level of scrutiny from investigators would be entirely different. The resulting chaos within the Academy would spiral out of her control.
Katarin was a talented dark mage, but she was not the head of the Ernst family. She couldn't mobilize the family's entire web of conspiracies just to save face.
She would try to take me down here, one way or another—
"Are you okay, Wade?"
Claire's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Shaking them off, I resumed my trek up the mountain path.
For now, all I could do was wait for Katarin to make her move.