Chapter 347
Chapter Title: A House Divided
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The training grounds of the Castle of Beginnings were packed with nearly the entire student body.
From her seat in the stands overlooking the field, Lunia was watching the first-years with her arms crossed.
“Lunia El Lundua.”
At the voice from behind, Lunia turned, uncrossing her arms and rising to her feet.
“Senior Marven.”
The one who had called her was none other than Marven, the top student of the fifth year and number one in the entire academy.
A bright expression on her face, Lunia spoke as if intrigued.
“It’s a surprise to see you at an official school event.”
“I may be graduating this year, but even I’m curious about what kind of first-year juniors have enrolled.”
Marven let out a laugh, pulling up a chair to sit beside Lunia.
“So? Any juniors among the first-years catch your eye?”
“If we’re talking about the most eye-catching student, it would have to be her over there.”
In response to Marven’s question, Lunia pointed toward Leah.
“Leah Tingel. She’s certainly the best of this year’s freshmen, but…”
Marven rested his chin on his hand.
“She has that diligent, honor-student image, so I bet she’s no fun. Just the Hardin type.”
Seeing Marven’s slightly bored expression, Lunia smiled faintly.
“You might find her interesting once you get to know her.”
“Hm?”
“She’s not exactly sane either, you know?”
Recalling the incident in Leo’s room, Lunia’s expression soured.
“You mean she’s the Senior Lienia type, like you?”
“...That wasn't a compliment, was it, calling me the ‘Senior Lienia type’?”
“Of course not.”
“This guy…!”
Marven chuckled.
Lunia, who had been on the verge of snapping, let out a sigh and asked.
“What about Senior Evertun?”
“Our young master was summoned by the acting principal.”
Marven smirked, thinking of the second-ranked fifth-year, Evertun.
“He’s from a prestigious family, so the Pureblood Society is coveting him.”
“Senior Evertun’s leanings are close to the Pureblood Society. Aren’t you worried about being close to him?”
When Lunia asked cautiously, Marven just smirked.
“It’s true that guy has a strong pride in being a Seirun student, but his leanings are a little different from the Pureblood Society. He has strong pride as a student of Seirun, not the type to think elves are the best just for being elves.”
‘Aren’t they pretty much the same thing?’
Lunia tilted her head in confusion.
“Oh, by the way, Senior Marven. The Hero Record of Seirun that was recently discovered, is it really Seirun’s Hero Record?”
“Well, the records themselves were definitely Seirun’s. But who knows? There are so many fake Hero Records out there.”
Marven had retrieved the Hero Record on his last mission.
“If the vice principal were here, we’d be able to verify its authenticity much faster… but she just had to be away.”
Seirun’s vice principal, Nerzia, had actively encouraged the students to conquer the World of Heroes.
She was currently attending the Elven Council for the selection of the next principal.
Thanks to that, she had been absent from the academy since the start of the semester.
“Do you think the school would have been a little better if the vice principal were here?”
“Who knows. The vice principal never participated in school operations or personnel matters. Still, the acting principal and the Pureblood Society probably wouldn't be running rampant like they are now.”
Marven clicked his tongue as he looked at the first-years, then suddenly spotted someone.
“Wait. That first-year…”
Just as Marven narrowed his eyes, a look of surprise on his face.
“Lunia! Lunia!”
Someone was urgently calling for Lunia.
It was the fraternal twins, Garin and Aris, running breathlessly toward her.
“Leo Flove was among the first-years!”
“How on earth did he get here? Could he have secretly infiltrated the school to uncover our secrets?”
“He’s here as an exchange student.”
“Huh?”
“It seems the Pureblood Society teachers arbitrarily assigned him to the first-year lower class.”
At Lunia’s answer, Aris looked embarrassed.
On her way over, she had been spouting all sorts of wild speculations to Garin, claiming Leo was a spy who had secretly infiltrated Seirun.
“A spy, my foot.”
As Garin gave his sister a pathetic look, Aris flared up.
“You were intrigued too, saying it sounded plausible!”
“I never said that! I should have known when you started writing that delusional novel about the forbidden love between a Seirun student and a Lumerne student…”
“Die!”
Aris slammed her elbow into Garin’s temple with genuine force.
As Aris dragged the unconscious Garin away, Marven let out a choked laugh.
“They’re an interesting pair.”
He then turned his gaze toward Leo.
“I’ve never heard of an exchange student program, and of all people, Leo Flove is in the first-year lower class… They’ve lost their minds.”
Marven narrowed his eyes, looking at the area where the Seirun teachers were gathered.
Watching her senior, Lunia spoke.
“This exam will probably be quite entertaining.”
Lunia smiled faintly.
“The test is about to begin.”
The homeroom teacher of Upper Class 1, Geras, bowed his head to the acting principal, Rhagen.
Looking at Geras, Rhagen narrowed his eyes.
“Are the preparations perfect?”
“Of course.”
Geras smiled broadly.
“Looking at the list, the class representative was placed in the same group as the dropouts from the lower class. How did this happen?”
“Because student Eclair is not qualified to be in Upper Class 1.”
“Hmm?”
“With the exam just around the corner, she was seen associating with the lower-class dropouts. I judged it as an act that lowers the dignity of the upper class and placed her in the same group. Well, since she was hanging out with such failures, she was destined to be kicked out of Upper Class 1 sooner or later anyway.”
Geras clicked his tongue.
“Student Eclair was outstanding upon admission, but she has barely grown since. Her mana capacity is almost unchanged from when she enrolled. Furthermore, her incantation speed is the same as it was at the start. It's currently below the upper-class average.”
“Hmm.”
“This test will clearly determine whether she is qualified as a hero candidate and a student of Seirun.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Rhagen’s face.
“Good. Shall we begin the test then?”
“Yes.”
Geras ascended the platform.
- We will now begin the first-year, first-semester midterm practical exam. The called groups, please come forward.
The entire first year tensed up.
“Yoinia’s group from Upper Class 1, please come forward.”
At Geras’s call, a group of ten, led by a female student from Upper Class 1, walked onto the training grounds.
- And Verus’s group from the lower class.
At that call, Verus looked startled.
“Teacher Geras! Why is our group being called?”
- Did you not hear the announcement?
Geras clicked his tongue.
- This test is a competition between groups to see who can subjugate the monsters faster. The winner is the one who finishes first.
“What?”
Not only the lower class, but also the middle and upper classes looked surprised.
The content of the test had completely changed.
All the students had practiced effective tactics, strategies, and teamwork to hunt monsters efficiently.
But adding a competitive element changed the story entirely.
The moment they had to subjugate monsters faster than their opponents, their strategies had to be completely different.
The lower-class students were flustered, but the eyes of the upper and middle-class students gleamed.
The students in Yoinia’s group from Upper Class 1, in particular, were grinning from ear to ear.
If they had to defeat more monsters faster than their opponents…
‘Then it’s obviously advantageous to face the weakest, the lower class, right?’
Watching the Upper Class 1 students staring at them with gleaming eyes, Verus looked tense.
“Verus, what do we do?”
“Can we really win against Upper Class 1?”
Seeing his concerned group members, Verus took a deep breath.
“Let’s do our best. You all know it too. We’ve improved a lot.”
“Still… our opponents are from Upper Class 1.”
Seeing a female student’s ears droop, Verus said.
“We worked hard, even risking expulsion. Wouldn’t it be unfair if we couldn’t even show our skills because we’re intimidated?”
Verus’s expression was resolute.
“Even if we can’t win, let’s show them we’re not to be taken lightly!”
At his cry, laughter erupted from the first-year middle and upper-class students.
Just as the lower-class students were gritting their teeth.
“What kind of nonsense is he spouting now?”
Leo looked on, dumbfounded.
“Don’t you get how Verus feels, Reil? We have to compete with the upper class. So Verus is bracing for defeat and steeling his heart! *Sob*!”
As the lower-class male student looked resentful, Leo spoke calmly.
“So why are you assuming defeat?”
“Huh?”
The male student looked blank.
“This is perfect.”
Leo grinned.
“We get to show our seniors the upper class getting utterly crushed by the lower class, don’t we?”
***
At opposite ends of the training grounds.
The two groups took their positions and faced each other.
*Vwooom-!*
A magic circle formed in the center of the grounds.
*Kigigigigik-!*
At the same time, monsters poured out.
They were monsters captured by Seirun for the exam.
“Hmph, goblins. This is simple.”
Yoinia scoffed, pulling out her staff.
As the one with the most powerful magic in the group, Yoinia began her incantation.
‘A horde of goblins can be wiped out with one big spell…’
Just as Yoinia was preparing her magic.
*Flash! KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-BOOM!*
A dazzling spell rained down.
Seeing this, Yoinia’s face hardened.
“What is the meaning of…!”
Her eyes wide with surprise at the unexpected situation, Yoinia turned her head.
“You all! What do you think you’re doing! You’re supposed to be on defense!”
The ones who had launched the offensive spells and wiped out the goblins in an instant were none other than Yoinia’s own group members.
Yoinia was an orthodox-style mage who could freely wield powerful, large-scale magic.
She was renowned among the teachers as a promising mage, and in terms of mana alone, she was one of the top three students in the upper class.
She had, in fact, placed fourth in the entrance exam.
That was why she had been assigned to offense for this test.
But the nine students in her group who were supposed to be on defense had started firing off spells indiscriminately.
At Yoinia’s shout, a Seirun student who wielded fire magic laughed.
“This test is about who can subjugate monsters faster, right? What if those guys finish off all the monsters while you’re busy with your incantation?”
“There’s no way the lower-class kids can deal with that many goblins quickly! Stick to the plan!”
When Yoinia shouted angrily, another female student giggled.
“That’s not going to work. Don’t you get it, Yoinia?”
“What?”
“There’s no way we’d lose to the lower-class kids in the first place. This isn’t a fight between us and them. It’s a competition among ourselves.”
Sparks flew from Yoinia’s eyes.
“You’re trying to compete with me in magic? Know your place.”
“Yeah. I admit you can cast more powerful spells than us. But… don’t you only know a bunch of high-level offensive spells?”
“...!”
Since her admission, Teacher Yotren had made Yoinia focus her studies on high-level magic.
She had been trained as a star mage specialized in casting powerful spells.
Of course, Yoinia wasn’t ignorant of low-level offensive magic.
But in her pursuit of results, she hadn't researched or practiced low-level offensive spells even once since enrolling.
“You… you people…”
Yoinia’s shoulders trembled.
She looked up at the sky.
A scoreboard displaying the number of subjugations was floating above.
Seeing the numbers, Yoinia’s eyes widened.
‘Wait…?’
Only a few minutes had passed since the test began.
Even so, mere low-level monsters like goblins posed no threat to the first-years.
As such, over a hundred goblins were subjugated in an instant by the hands of the upper-class students.
But what made Yoinia’s eyes widen was not the upper class’s score.
The lower class had also subjugated goblins at a similar pace.
‘No… are they actually slightly faster?’
Just as Yoinia looked toward the lower class with a flustered expression.
*ROOOOOOAR!*
A roar echoed out.
An ogre had appeared from the summoning circle.
Seeing it, the upper-class students faltered.
“Yoinia! It’s an ogre!”
“What do you want me to do about it?”
Yoinia shot back with a malicious expression.
“What?”
“Why don’t you handle it with your oh-so-great magic!”
“Hey! You…!”
“Hmph! You think we can’t?”
The upper-class students bristled.
Even as they argued, Yoinia looked up at the sky again.
Goblins were one thing, but with the appearance of a powerful, high-level monster, the lower class’s momentum was sure to falter.
‘...They’re still faster than us!’
With a desperate look, Yoinia began her incantation.
She realized this was no time for infighting.
Yoinia blasted the ogre away with her magic.
“Everyone! From now on, follow my lead…”
“The ogre is down!”
“Attack!”
“Don’t let Yoinia get the points!”
“I never liked her from the start!”
Fueled by the competitive desire to climb to the top, the upper-class students once again began to act on their own.
“Just listen to me!”
Watching them, Yoinia clutched her head in frustration.
***
Lunia’s jaw dropped.
And she wasn't the only one.
The entire second year…
No, students from every year wore expressions of disbelief.
Everyone watched the test in silence.
The faculty also stared at the test results with grim faces.
“Hmph.”
A sigh tinged with annoyance escaped someone’s lips.
The second-ranked fifth-year, Evertun Lev-eum.
He was a student brimming with pride and authority in being a student of Seirun.
He was also the son of the Elven Grand Council Chairman, Ebratin.
He was one of the most authoritative elves in elven society.
A devout follower of Luna and Seirun, he was also a prized target of the Pureblood Society.
That was why he was observing the test from a seat near Rhagen.
He spoke coolly.
“Acting Principal.”
Evertun crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand.
“You told me to look forward to the new face of Seirun, so I had high expectations for the first-years’ skills.”
Evertun smiled coldly.
“Are this year’s first-years just of a lower caliber? Or is there a problem with the new system you’ve introduced, Acting Principal?”
“Student Evertun… this is…”
“This isn’t worth watching.”
Evertun spat out coldly and was about to stand up.
“Now, now, what’s got our young master so displeased?”
A hand shot out and pressed down on Evertun’s shoulder.
“Get off me, Marven.”
Evertun glared irritably at Marven, who had forced him back into his seat.
As Marven followed Evertun, Lunia, who had come with him, spoke.
“Senior Evertun, watch until the end. The real fun is about to begin.”