To the Academy! (3)
The capital was the heart of the empire.
That meant all information from across the empire inevitably flowed here.
The news from the north was no exception.
"Hey, have you heard the rumors?"
"What rumors?"
"There was a war up north."
"A war?"
"Yeah. They say barbarians came crawling down from the snowy plains."
A man opened his mouth upon hearing the news of the northern war.
War was a big deal anywhere, a hot topic everywhere, so it naturally drew attention.
"Did they win the war?"
"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course the north won."
A man turned his head, drawn in by the other's words.
In response to his question, the storyteller raised his voice proudly.
"The Steel Diamond lives up to her name, after all."
"Yeah, when you think of the north, it's always the Steel Diamond."
The man chimed in, praising Lia.
But as he laughed and brushed it off, he suddenly cut his smile short, shook his head, and said,
"But not this time."
The other man looked flustered at the headshake.
When his companion still didn't get it, he explained more plainly.
"They say it wasn't the Steel Diamond who ended the war. Word is she didn't even swing her sword once."
"Then who the hell stopped them?"
The man was stunned to hear the Steel Diamond hadn't stepped up.
And understandably so—she was the empire's symbol for the north, a swordsman of unmatched strength.
As far as he knew, no one in the north came close to her, so of course he was thrown.
The other man summed up his confusion in a single word.
"Swordmaster."
A short, crisp answer.
His companion tilted his head, puzzled.
"A Swordmaster... but not the Steel Diamond? Then who?"
"You really haven't heard? A new Swordmaster appeared in the north and drove them off."
"Whoa... that's impressive."
He could only let out a sigh of awe.
Even he knew how extraordinary a Swordmaster was.
Then, struck by another curiosity, he turned to the man and tossed out one more question.
"What was the guy's name?"
"I don't quite remember the exact name..."
The man stroked his chin, deep in thought.
He'd only caught the rampant rumors, nothing solid like a name.
But one thing stuck with him.
The epithet given to the one who appeared out of nowhere, vanished just as suddenly, known to no one.
"The Nameless Swordmaster."
This is the academy...
A fortress staggeringly massive.
Even after signing the recommendation letter and spending a few days here, its scale still left her awestruck.
As guided, she entered the hall, greeted by its grand, imposing interior.
Scanning the unfamiliar sights, she began examining her surroundings closely.
"Looks like assigned seats..."
The nameplate someone had handed her before entering.
The number on it suggested fixed seating.
She walked forward, searching for her spot, and when she finally reached it, someone called out to her.
"Oh? Hi there?"
A girl with a striking green ponytail.
Sitting in the next seat, she flashed bright blue eyes and greeted first.
Carmen returned the awkward greeting, and the girl beckoned her to sit.
The moment she did, the girl launched into chatter like she'd been waiting.
"Which department are you in?"
"...The swordsmanship department."
"Whoa, me too! Nice to meet you."
Ludia beamed, clapping lightly.
Not hiding her excitement, she scooted closer, offered a casual handshake, and introduced herself.
"I'm Ludia from the Medici family. From the west."
"...I'm Carmen. No family name."
"Huh? So you're not nobility?"
"Yes. That's correct."
She could guess the response without hearing it.
She'd seen plenty of nobles, all too busy looking down on others despite being the same flesh and blood.
"You're amazing, aren't you?"
But Ludia's reaction was the opposite of what she'd expected.
No disdain or scorn—just pure praise and admiration.
And not just words; her eyes sparkled with genuine awe.
"Us nobles all get tons of support from our families, right? But you? Nothing like that? That's seriously impressive."
Ludia kept gushing.
Carmen hesitated on how to respond to the praise when Ludia suddenly paused, lost in thought.
"Oh, wait... does that mean...?"
As Ludia seemed to recall something and opened her mouth to continue, the hall lights dimmed, and someone ascended the podium.
Ludia sat up straight with a regretful look.
Soon after, the emcee on stage spoke.
"Quiet, everyone, please. We will now begin the entrance ceremony."
The emcee started with the usual spiel: a new year dawns, the academy welcomes freshmen, and so on.
Then came speeches from the chancellor, chief professor, and various dignitaries.
After sitting through it for a while, Ludia, who'd been visibly bored beside her, leaned in and whispered,
"These speeches drag on, huh?"
Carmen nodded silently.
Ludia giggled.
She soon turned fully toward Carmen, launching into idle chit-chat.
"Oh, right. Did you hear? There's a new professor in the swordsmanship department."
"A new professor?"
"Yeah. And that professor is that famous Swordma—"
As Ludia tried to say more, the emcee raised his voice again, drowning her out.
"Next, introductions for the newly appointed professors."
With that, professors emerged one by one from behind the podium, offering brief greetings to the cadets before stepping back.
"Professor Sindra Kirmston from the magic department, formerly a researcher at the Magic Tower..."
The academy's many departments were called in turn, new faces appearing.
Even to Carmen, who knew little, the names sounded impressive.
Clapping along with the others while awaiting the swordsmanship department mention, she finally heard it.
"Finally, the new professor for the swordsmanship department. Many of you have likely heard the rumors alrea—"
"I'll handle it myself. That might be better, no?"
"Ah, would you prefer that? If it's more comfortable... then please do."
A low voice cut off the emcee from behind the podium.
Visibly flustered, the emcee nodded awkwardly and stepped aside for the voice's owner.
Then, from the shadows behind, a man slowly stepped forward into view.
"...Huh?"
Face hidden by a pitch-black mask, sword at his waist.
Face, name, everything unknown—clearly a stranger.
Yet his gait felt familiar, that plain black sword tugging at her memory of one man she knew.
But he should have left by now...
"Greetings, young potentials of the empire."
The masked man spoke.
A low, deliberate voice, heavy with weight.
As it echoed through the hall, all eyes focused on him.
"Lately, tales of me have spread across the empire, so I doubt anyone here is unaware. Still, it's only polite to introduce myself."
A voice she'd heard before.
Not the soft tone from the capital who handed her the recommendation.
The voice from that day she shattered her shackles and tore off Gillion's arm—the one that made her oppressors tremble.
"I will be joining you as a professor in the swordsmanship department."
She couldn't see his expression under the black mask.
But those black eyes peeking from beneath gleamed sharply.
"The world calls me the Nameless Swordmaster."
He slowly turned his head, scanning her and the cadets.
His gaze met hers briefly, then moved on casually.
But she felt it clearly.
"Looking forward to working with you."
For a fleeting moment, his eyes had lingered on her before departing.
