Pairing (3): Winning Solo
After the first period ended, we stayed right where we were and greeted the instructors who arrived one after another for the next classes. Cadelis Academy teaches all sorts of subjects, but at its core, the entire curriculum is built on human education. That was exactly why Bastet had shoved me into this place.
For example, one instructor would say, “While much of the culture humans left behind is incomprehensible, we must still understand the emotions preserved in their literature. Over the course of this semester, you will read the novels they left us…” That was the humanities class.
Another would announce, “You all know basic arithmetic, yes? To gauge your current mathematical knowledge, we’ll begin with some light problem-solving. Oh, it’s perfectly fine if you don’t know something—just say so. I only want to see how much you’ve already learned. By the time you graduate… you’ll even be able to handle differential and integral calculus!” That was mathematics.
And then there was history: “Humans had a saying—‘A people who forget their history have no future!’ The same applies to beastmen! Many claim our history is only a hundred years long, but the earlier era when we suffered under human oppression is also our history! We must learn about the future by studying the past!”
The reason the academy felt less like a university and more like a high school was simple: the students’ actual academic level left much to be desired.
“Sevius!”
“Yes!”
“You mean to tell me you haven’t even properly learned the four basic operations?!”
“There is no problem becoming king without knowing the four operations! I was taught that I simply need to appoint a clever prime minister who does know them!”
Beastmen might look as intelligent as humans on the surface, but they still carried the natural limits of their kind. Common attitudes included:
Why study? Better to spend that time building muscle.
What could possibly be more important than strength!
Magic? Instead of wasting time studying and researching that headache, I’d rather do hunting drills.
They simply didn’t feel the need to expand their knowledge or develop their intellect. If your head is bad, your body suffers? When the body in question was already a beastman’s, a slightly slow brain didn’t seem like much of a problem.
Still, the students gathered at Cadelis Academy were all aiming to become kings. They weren’t foolish enough to pour everything into a single subject. Just like digging multiple escape tunnels, life was unpredictable. You never knew what might happen.
And right at that moment—
“Incredible, simply incredible! Could it be that Class 13 is composed entirely of students who find genuine joy in acquiring knowledge?!”
“U-um, Instructor…?”
“I nearly clutched my chest when I saw Class 10 still struggling with addition and multiplication! It seems Class 13 has gathered only those with intelligence far beyond the other classes! Wahahaha!”
All we had said was that we would “try our best to learn,” yet the instructor clapped his hands in delight.
“Then shall we check the test results in real time? Let’s see just how well you all have grasped this subject called mathematics… hm?”
Though they were beastmen, the syllable “in” was still attached to their names. They were still people.
“Th-this…! Wait, Sapiens Goth! You…!”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“After class, would you come to my laboratory? I’d like to hear more about how you arrived at these answers!”
“I must decline.”
In a place that somehow felt both like high school and university, I was undeniably the crane standing among chickens. How could a human who’s already tasted college pretend not to know high-school level material?
This was why both Bastet and Silmarion had gone so far as to disguise me and force my enrollment at Cadelis Academy.
“Ah, I see. Still, if you ever change your mind, please come find me. I don’t know who taught you, but… your knowledge is already at a third-year level—or possibly beyond!”
Intelligence. Bastet had originally chosen me because my senses and comprehension were quick. Silmarion had suggested moving up the schedule after talking with me and deciding I seemed better than expected. Through the tests the two of them gave me and by studying human knowledge, I had rapidly absorbed everything from the basics upward to match this world’s standards.
I may have had the regressor cheat, but I was originally quick-witted. On top of that, my newly born body possessed excellent memory. As a result, no matter what anyone in this world said, my abilities had sufficient plausibility.
“Frankly, you could probably take over teaching the academic subjects yourself! Heh heh heh!”
“It is only natural.”
In fields such as literature, mathematics, and history—at least in any subject that required using your head and a pen—I could confidently claim to stand at the very peak.
That was why, when Instructor Anju had announced the “pairing” assignment that morning, I had been able to reach a swift conclusion while the other students were still fretting.
There was no need to form the pair strictly inside Class 13.
And just because there was a penalty, there was no need to be afraid.
The answer was simple. Two versus one.
If I win by myself, that’s enough.
After classes ended.
“H-hey!”
Before the Class 13 students chasing after me could catch up, I slipped out of the classroom. I quickly turned the corner and quietly vanished into the men’s bathroom.
“Ah…! He disappeared!”
“Zeepie, did you attach any threads?”
“Do you think a spider beastman just sticks threads on random people? Besides, doing that carelessly is straight-up stalking.”
I could hear the voices of Class 13 students out in the hallway. They were clearly watching each other, but soon they sighed and wandered off.
The reason they were chasing me? Simple.
“You don’t plan to pair with a woman? Then pair with me.”
“What kind of misleading thing is that to say?”
Just like Corvalt, who had now found me—they all wanted to form a pair.
“Misleading, you say. I see. Truly befitting someone acknowledged by the instructors. So you are a schemer?”
“Not a schemer. I simply think a little faster than others.”
“Then that is even better.”
Corvalt stepped in front of me.
“Would you not form a pair with me? Should any situation require force, I shall sweep everything away.”
“I refuse.”
“…Why? Do you have no need for a partner? Or is there some trap hidden in this pairing assignment?”
“Explaining would be a hassle.”
“…That is no explanation at all.”
Corvalt folded his arms and blocked my path. It seemed he had no intention of stepping aside until he heard the reason.
“I never imagined the successor of the Blue Dragon would take such interest in an ordinary golden sheep like myself.”
“You have already proven your intelligence. Moreover, you possess both the strength and the means to protect yourself.”
“Well… I did resolve the entrance trial with Princess Bleber’s help.”
“Bleber said nothing to me.”
I had tried to brush it off, but Corvalt lightly tapped his own chest.
“I heard what happened the night before the entrance ceremony.”
“………”
“I did not see it myself. I was told about it yesterday.”
“Who told—actually, never mind. Fine. As you said, I have the power to protect myself. Even if you tried to force a pairing through violence, it wouldn’t work.”
“I have no intention of forcing anything. At least, not against someone who can match my level.”
Corvalt held up three fingers.
“I originally thought there were two such people in Class 13. But in just one night, I learned there is one more. That would be you.”
“…Hmm.”
Well, I might as well listen. Call it an information exchange.
“One is Princess Bleber. Who’s the other?”
“Will you answer me if I tell you?”
“Sure. I’ll answer first. The reason I won’t pair with you… is because you’re male.”
“Ah.”
Corvalt nodded deeply.
“That is unfortunate. If that is the case, it cannot be helped.”
“You’re accepting that surprisingly easily?”
“Because I can feel your sincerity.”
Corvalt gently stroked the horn on his head. I wasn’t sure whether it had some lie-detecting function or if his senses were simply sharp in that regard.
“Still, I shall look forward to the future. If the assignment changes from pairs to larger teams, I will gladly borrow your wisdom then.”
“Wait. You didn’t tell me who the third person is.”
“Hane.”
Corvalt formed a butterfly shape with his hands.
“Be cautious of the butterfly girl. I am especially wary of her—more so than even Princess Bleber.”
I had gained some decent information.
A short while later, after leaving the men’s bathroom, I tried to head straight back to the dormitory—
“You said you were returning to the dormitory, right? Wouldn’t it be fine if we just keep waiting here?”
“Anelisse. Are you really that desperate to team up with that golden sheep?”
“I-it’s not like that! I just thought we should at least ask his opinion…! A-and it’s definitely not because I want to see Princess Bleber and me end up as a pair or anything!”
I couldn’t actually reach the dormitory. On the path to the boys’ dorm, the rabbit, jellyfish, spider, and butterfly had already claimed a bench and were clearly waiting for someone.
Just form a group of four among yourselves.
I quietly turned around and followed the signs toward a different destination. It wasn’t exactly a tour of the academy, but it was a place many students would likely visit frequently in their quest to become king.
The library.
“Cadelis Academy is scheduled to stock a massive collection of books from the former empire as well as texts from a hundred years ago. If you want to study human history, that’s the best place.” That was what Bastet had said.
Since Cadelis Academy existed to select the future leaders of the new era, it naturally specialized in “human texts” that would normally be considered forbidden. This was especially true for novels. Romance stories where humans fell in love, put collars on dogs, and went for walks only to catch feelings were banned for the specific detail of “the dog wearing a collar.”
I hadn’t come specifically to read novels, but I figured I could learn more about this world. The origin of beastmen and other such topics—
“Hm?”
“Ah.”
While wandering the library, I ran into a familiar face.
“What the—what are you doing here?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.”
It was a student wearing a black hood pulled low.
“Orca.”
The killer whale.
“…Hey.”
Orca kept her hands in her hoodie pocket and tapped the ground with her foot.
“Wanna pair up with me?”