Joint Training
"Hmm…."
"Something on your mind?"
As I let out a short sigh while walking across the academy grounds, Helena, who was strolling beside me, asked.
"No, it's nothing…."
I scratched the back of my head and forced an awkward smile. It was just another peaceful day like any other. I'd finished sword training, eaten a late lunch to avoid running into Silvia as much as possible, and then bumped into Helena for a walk around the grounds.
"It's a little too quiet, isn't it?"
"……Huh?"
I'd heard the news that Cain had temporarily left the academy due to family matters. Because of that, I'd half-expected Leonhardt to show up soon and start picking fights in earnest, but the silence had caught me off guard.
……Saying it like that made it sound like I was actually waiting for Leonhardt to cause trouble, but that wasn't the case. I simply knew his personality well enough to expect it. The fact that I was constantly at Silvia's side must have been grating on his nerves, yet he'd managed to hold back so far. It seemed Silvia was keeping him on a tight leash.
Of course, if Leonhardt did decide to pick a fight, I could handle it, but the best outcome was for him not to start one at all. Up until now, I'd been far too quick to take his provocations, and there was nothing more inefficient than getting into a war of words with Leonhardt.
"You sound like you're hoping something will happen."
"That's not it."
I gave Helena an awkward smile as she poked my side in reproach and denied her words. More accurately, I was simply surprised by Leonhardt's patience.
Anyway, if things stayed peaceful, that was all that mattered.
I hadn't assumed the future would remain completely unchanged. At the same time, I hadn't thought it would shift dramatically either. I'd believed only minor, subtle changes might occur. That was probably why I'd unconsciously accepted the current situation. Silvia was holding Leonhardt's leash tighter than in the original story, so he hadn't come looking for trouble with me.
After all, not only was I constantly at Silvia's side, but I'd also thoroughly provoked him during our last conversation. Yet there had been no sign of him seeking me out.
However, I soon realized that assumption had been a mistake.
The academy had several mandatory subjects. In addition to one's main courses, there were required classes, and among them was a subject called Joint Training, which all students had to take.
Unlike the original novel, where the threat of magic beasts wasn't properly depicted, the academy itself focused primarily on preparing students for battles against magic beasts they would face after entering society.
Anyway, as a member of Class 1-A, I attended the Joint Training class and finally understood why Leonhardt hadn't come looking for me when I saw him and Silvia.
Leonhardt had no time to spare worrying about me right now. Because……
'Looks like they're still fighting.'
Silvia and Leonhardt weren't even looking at each other, and their seats were far apart. Silvia, who had a few friends in the class, was sitting with them, while Leonhardt was surrounded by his usual noble followers. Normally, Leonhardt would have refused to be separated from Silvia even for a moment, but now neither of them so much as glanced at the other.
It seemed the argument Silvia had mentioned earlier still hadn't been resolved.
Well, I didn't particularly like Leonhardt, and I had no reason to try to mend things between him and Silvia. After watching them for a moment, I looked away.
"Who was the instructor for the magic beast combat class again?"
"…I don't know either."
Magic beast combat. For the first two weeks after the new semester began, there had been no Joint Training classes. Which meant today was the first day of Joint Training.
I'd heard that some less sensible schools threw first-years straight into Joint Training without considering how awkward they might feel around each other, but the academy at least showed some consideration. The fact that they gave students time to get to know one another before starting the class was proof of that.
Resting my chin on my hand as I stared ahead, I shrugged at Helena's question. The original novel hadn't gone into much detail about this class, and I had no idea where the academy's course introduction pamphlets had gone. Naturally, I didn't know which instructor would be teaching it either.
"Why don't you try showing a little interest?"
"……You're not exactly in a position to lecture me when you don't know either."
At my dumbfounded mutter in response to Helena's scolding, she turned her head as if she hadn't heard me. I let out a small laugh at the sight and turned away, only to find myself locking eyes with Silvia.
Silvia, who had been glancing between me and Helena, smiled brightly when our eyes met and gave a small wave. I returned the greeting with a half-hearted wave of my own and clicked my tongue.
'I hope she doesn't stir things up unnecessarily.'
As I looked away after watching Silvia turn her head, I caught Leonhardt's followers glancing in my direction and let out a quiet sigh inwardly. It wasn't something I should be saying at this point, but even I could tell this was just rubbing salt in Leonhardt's wounds. Still, there didn't seem to be any reason to ignore it from the start either.
In the slightly noisy atmosphere, I did my best to avoid meeting Leonhardt's or Silvia's eyes. There was no need to go out of my way to create trouble.
Creak.
Even though it was the same break time as usual, it somehow felt like more time had passed when the classroom door opened and a man stepped inside.
He had ordinary brown hair and brown eyes, with a long scar running from his left eye down to his cheek. Combined with his bulky build and fierce expression, he looked more like a back-alley thug than a teacher. But by every cliché in the book, he was clearly the type of instructor who genuinely cared for his students.
However, the sheer pressure radiating from his massive frame was no joke, and every student who had been chattering fell silent at once.
The instructor strode up to the podium and swept his gaze over the students before speaking.
"Good to meet you. Starting today, I'll be teaching your Joint Training class for the entire year. The name's Selenda."
"Selenda…?"
"Isn't that the leader of the Jibril Mercenary Group?"
I'd thought the name and face were unfamiliar, but apparently I was the only one. The moment they heard his name, a quiet ripple spread through the students. Selenda looked at them with indifferent eyes and gave a silent nod.
"That's right. That Selenda."
I'd wondered if some students might object to a mercenary teaching at an academy attended by nobles, but his name apparently carried enough weight. The moment he acknowledged the students' thoughts, no one questioned him further.
Of course, people like Leonhardt might not think much of his abilities, but even they remained silent, swept up in the atmosphere.
"As you all know, Joint Training is conducted in groups of four students."
The name alone had sounded ominous, and now it turned out to be a group project. Well, group assignments were a familiar cliché at the academy by now. If my memory was correct, nothing particularly eventful happened in this class, so I could probably get through it without much worry.
That said, this wasn't a game or a novel—it was reality. If I wanted a good grade, I'd still have to put in the effort. I just hoped I'd been assigned decent teammates.
"I've already prepared the groups in advance, so go ahead and check them."
At Selenda's words, I frowned slightly and scratched the back of my head. It would've been nice if we could have chosen our own groups, but apparently they'd been concerned about fairness between groups.
"I arranged the groups based on your grades. If you have any objections, come see me directly."
Beep.
When Selenda pressed the remote, a holographic chart appeared behind him. Let's see, where was my name……
"Felice! We're in the same group!"
As I scanned the chart for my name, I followed Helena's excited finger and couldn't help but let out a dry laugh when I found it.
Group C: Felice van Astria, Helena fel Deigrefy, Silvia, Conan Jigar.
Looking at the composition—two vanguards, one rearguard, and one healer—I couldn't help but have a gut feeling.
This was a group where something was bound to happen, no matter what.