The Academy's Sole Dunce

The Academy's Sole Dunce. Despite bearing such a humiliating moniker, Seril Lever had managed to survive a whole year at the academy in her own way. Her secret weapon was her information-gathering ability. Armed with a smile so bright it almost looked foolish, Seril had built a network of connections even amidst the contemptuous glares of her peers. She was well-connected enough to be called the Magic Department's social butterfly. By finding out the contents of upcoming classes faster than anyone else, she had barely avoided expulsion and endured for a year. And today, that information-gathering prowess was about to shine.

"Kanteil, second-year in the Swordplay Department." She busily scribbled down the information she had gathered about Kanteil into her notebook.

For a moment, she wondered if she should really refer to herself as a "civilian." But with a sigh, she kept writing. After all, back then, she might as well have been a civilian to anyone watching. A mage who couldn't use magic, reduced to being carried on a swordsman's back. She had been nothing but dead weight.

"I used to be so good at magic when I was little." She wore a bitter smile as she reminisced about a past that now felt entirely out of reach. Clara Endrosi, the granddaughter of the Ice Magic Tower Master and the next in line, was currently hailed as the genius of the century. But the 4-circle realm that the "genius magic girl" Clara had reached was a level Seril had already attained ten years ago.

Whirrrr. Eight circles resonated around her heart. She was an 8-circle Archmage, easily one of the strongest mages in the world, yet she was nothing more than a half-wit who couldn't even cast a simple Magic Missile—a spell even a novice mage could use with ease.

"...Alright! Let's do this! I can't let myself get depressed and end up late!" Her father had never given up on her, even supporting her enrollment in the academy. Even if she lacked the practical talent now, she was absolutely going to graduate. To do that, first...

"I have to recruit Kanteil." His name wasn't widely known yet, but his strength didn't pale in comparison to even the top-tier third-year seniors. Seril's eyes flashed with a fierce determination to graduate no matter what.

The next day. After asking around, she finally located Kanteil. He was sitting alone, his hand resting on his hilt as if he were ready to draw his sword at any given second.

I knew it, he's no ordinary person! This was the freshman welcoming ceremony, an event directly guarded by the head of the Disciplinary Committee herself. Yet, even in this safe environment, he kept his hand on his sword to protect the freshmen just in case. Seril couldn't have possibly imagined that every single one of her assumptions was a complete misunderstanding.

Should I find a way to discreetly block Irelia? In reality, Kanteil was only thinking of how to keep Irelia Leonhart out of the way. The ones who needed to shine during the upcoming raid were Idrian Goldenroad and the four geniuses. He couldn't let Irelia's shadow eclipse their achievements.

Completely oblivious to his thoughts, she crept up on Kanteil. It was like an assassin stalking their target from behind. Though she didn't realize how obvious she was being, Kanteil sensed her presence and turned his head. The sudden movement ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠startled Seril, who had been trying so hard to sneak up on him.

"Eek! You scared me!" Startled, Seril ended up plumping right down onto the floor. Her face flushed red under Kanteil's gaze, which seemed to look down at her with pity.

I hope she didn't hurt herself. In truth, Kanteil was actually worried about her. But hiding his true thoughts, he put on a sly smirk.

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠don't think someone who sneaked up on me so suspiciously has any right to say that."

"S-Suspicious?! I just wanted to say thank you...!" She waved her arms frantically in denial, but it didn't convince him in the slightest. Her face grew even hotter under Kanteil's gaze, which seemed to find her flustered reaction rather amusing.

I was planning to offer him information on the next exam to get him to team up with me...! She had panicked, and now her entire plan was in shambles. Ever since she entered the academy, reality had never once gone her way, and she felt a surge of self-pity.

Aaargh! I just wanted to ask him to join my party! How could I show him such a pathetic side of me! And right in front of the freshmen, no less! Senior pride? She had thrown that away a long time ago, but her basic dignity as a human being had taken a massive hit. The loud thud of her fall drew the attention of the nearby freshmen.

"Did she just trip over nothing? Pfft!" "How much did she drink to be stumbling like that? The welcoming party only started ten minutes ago." Listening to the whispering freshmen, she had already been branded as a hopeless drunkard who had chugged alcohol the moment the party started and could no longer walk straight.

Should I just run away...? Someone, please help me... All eyes were locked onto her. It felt just like the resentful glares that had showered down on her eight years ago, when she had lost her memories in that mysterious accident and knew absolutely nothing. The context was different, but the weight of a crowd's gaze pressing down on her felt exactly the same.

And in Kanteil's gaze, Seril caught a glimpse of her younger brother, Rio Lever. She remembered the day she had first woken up in a hospital bed eight years ago—the sight of Rio, his legs gone, confined to a wheelchair, casting glares of pure hatred and resentment at her.

Kanteil stepped closer to Seril. Instinctively, she braced herself with her hands on the floor behind her and squeezed her eyes shut. But instead of a harsh word, Kanteil's gentle voice reached her ears.

"Are you okay? Can you get up?" His voice sounded genuinely concerned. Peeking her eyes open, she saw Kanteil leaning down, offering his hand. He looked just like Rio had, when he woke up by her hospital bed and told her how worried he had been.

"If it's hard to get up on your own, do you want to take my hand?" Before her brain could even process the thought, Seril reached out and grabbed Kanteil's hand. His palm was covered in thick, rough calluses, yet it felt warmer than any hand she had ever held.

With Kanteil's help, Seril managed to pull herself up. Countless eyes were still fixed on them, but as she looked at him, the surrounding crowd seemed to fade into the background like a painted screen.

"Hmm. We're drawing quite a crowd. Shall we head out if it's uncomfortable?" "Y-Yeah, let's." She nodded without even thinking. Kanteil placed his hand on the sword at his waist, and suddenly, the world seemed to slow down. No one noticed his movement—or rather, only Irelia managed to catch a glimpse of Kanteil's afterimage—by the time the two of them had already vanished from the freshman welcoming ceremony.

Kanteil watched Seril as she looked around. Standing straight and scanning her surroundings like a wary meerkat in a nature documentary, she looked so adorable he almost wanted to crack open an almond and pop it into her mouth.

"I assume you had a reason for seeking me out. Why did you come find me?" Shifting her trembling gaze to Kanteil, Seril clenched her fists tightly and spoke.

"Would you... be willing to form a party with me for the Dungeon Subjugation Battle?" "The Dungeon Subjugation Battle?" Ah... she meant the Antalles Subjugation Battle. Right, since Seril didn't know the original game's plot, she would naturally refer to it as the Dungeon Subjugation Battle.

In essence, the point system was practically telling them not to even try fighting B-rank monsters. After all, with the exception of a tiny handful of second-years, the only students capable of subjugating B-rank monsters were the third-years.

In the original game, the protagonist used his past-life experience and party play to defeat a B-rank monster, surpassing all the other second-year parties to break into the Top 10 point rankings. And she wants to go into a battle like that with me? From my perspective, receiving such an offer was something to be grateful for. After all, having witnessed Seril's potential firsthand, there was no way I could just leave her to her own devices.

But let's look at the current Seril. Unless she went into a Magic Rampage, she couldn't cast a single spell, and her physical strength and stamina were worse than an ordinary civilian's. Her value as a combat asset was practically zero. If anything, she would be dead weight. I wanted to party with her to help trigger her awakening, but... I can't just assume her intentions are entirely pure. How did she even find out about me? It was because I saw her running around the entire campus yesterday, digging up dirt on me. The moment she woke up in the infirmary, she went around asking the Swordplay Department students all sorts of questions about me while actively avoiding me. If I just readily accepted her offer, wouldn't she find it suspicious? That was why I put on an obnoxious expression and scoffed.

"Why should I team up with you? You can't even cast magic properly." She couldn't deny it. If her full potential were unlocked, her strength would make even me, with my sword drawn, break a sweat. But the current Seril was far from that. The "Academy's Sole Dunce"—in this dog-eat-dog academy where might makes right, being a powerless dunce was a title far worse than Idrian's "good-for-nothing" label.

But just as she had investigated me, I had also looked into her. I wanted to know exactly how she had managed to survive a year despite carrying the humiliating title of the Academy's Sole Dunce. Seril reached into her coat and pulled out a thick notebook. The Monster Subjugation Battle Strategy Guide. Her survival was all thanks to her vast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠theoretical knowledge, which even the professors acknowledged, and her extensive network.

"This is a strategy guide I compiled by researching every single monster subjugation battle held over ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the last twenty years. I've written down the dungeons most likely to appear in this exam, the monsters that inhabit them, and all of their weaknesses. I might not be of much help when it comes to physical strength, but..." She tapped her temple with her finger. "My brain is quite useful. I can easily pull my own weight!" The Academy's Sole Dunce, yet a genius of monster strategy acknowledged even by the professors. Seril Lever. She looked up at me with a supremely confident expression.