Academy Entrance Ceremony (2)
The monsters that erupted from the ground were, just as they'd been in the game, the Earth Dragon and the lesser fiends under its command.
In Soul Academy, this event had served as a stand-in for the tutorial, which meant I couldn't fight the Earth Dragon itself.
It wasn't simply a matter of a level-one character being unable to win — the system had been deliberately designed to make intervention impossible.
Instead, we were meant to learn how the game worked by grinding through the lesser mobs around it.
And in the meantime, all the major characters of the story would band together and bring the Earth Dragon down.
I'd replayed that tutorial over and over, thinking each time how badly I wanted to land just one hit on the thing myself — and now the chance to do exactly that had been handed to me.
With specs incomparably better than anything the tutorial ever offered, no less.
If I weren't living inside one of the game's characters, I'd be purely overjoyed right now.
As I pushed forward past the students fleeing in confusion, I spotted one of them sprawled on the ground, too panicked to do anything at all, with an earthen golem winding up to strike them.
They won't actually get hurt if I leave it alone.
Every monster moving right now was being controlled by the Academy, after all.
But the reason I was drawing my weapon here was my reputation.
Better to show off as impressive a display as possible while I had the chance.
If I fail to fix my reputation and end up treated like a cockroach for my entire school career, my fragile little heart will simply give out and die!
I picked up speed, planted myself in front of the student, and caught the golem's fist with a shield conjured from divinity.
Light.
Compared to Carl's blade work in our usual sparring sessions, this was nothing more than a kitten's love tap.
I put some weight into shoving the fist aside, then brought my mace crashing down onto the golem's head.
Once its skull shattered, the golem lost its power source and crumbled — I confirmed it, then turned my gaze back toward the Earth Dragon.
Run. Run already.
"Trash. If you can't run on two legs, crawl away on all fours."
At my words, the student scrambled to their feet and bolted off with the rest of them.
I did just save their life, so you'd think a single word of thanks wouldn't be out of the question.
Was my tone really that foul?
Still, if that kid isn't the shameless type, they'll be grateful I stepped in and say something nice about me behind my back... right?
With that hopeful thought, I charged at the Earth Dragon again.
Several students were already gathered around it.
Brave souls, all of them, buying time for the others to escape — but sadly, their skill hadn't caught up with their courage.
Granted, this Earth Dragon was no adult specimen, but it was still dragonkind.
Its base specs were a class apart from any ordinary monster.
This was far beyond what kids who'd just enrolled at the Academy could handle.
The only reason they were holding on was that the Earth Dragon was being cautious, pulling its strikes. If it had come out at full force from the start, they'd have gone down long ago.
Steeling myself for the fall, I cut in front of the student standing before the foreleg the Earth Dragon had raised.
The moment that foreleg came slamming down, my Iron Wall sang out.
Block it.
I answered by moving my shield to meet it.
BOOM. The instant the foreleg struck my shield, my feet skidded back a step.
Okay, that actually had some decent power behind it.
About on par with one of Forsell's casual punches, maybe?
But here's the thing.
How many times do you think I've sparred against Forsell by now?
Do you have any idea how many times I've eaten dirt fighting that man, who doesn't know the meaning of going easy?!
This much is nothing.
Grandfather. Do you really think I don't know that?
I'm a certified veteran of Soul Academy — you think I don't know this thing's traits?
That's just insulting at this point.
I pushed the foreleg away and reset my stance.
The Earth Dragon was famous even among the many breeds of dragons for its exceptional defense.
If I set my mind to it, I could deal it damage — but doing so would mean letting my guard slip on defense.
If I were the only one able to fight here, I'd have swung my mace and accepted the risk. But right now, I had DPS to spare, so there was no need.
The moment the Earth Dragon raised its foreleg again, a bolt of flame struck home against its skull.
Ooh. Stronger than the last time I saw it, isn't it?
"Lady Arln! Hold the line!"
You've grown a lot since the entrance exam, haven't you, Joy?
The moment the singed Earth Dragon glared in Joy's direction, a new figure came sprinting in from the distance, diving for its tail.
The blade swung by Frey — future Sword Saint — bit into the dragon's scales and split its hide, but failed to cleave through in a single stroke.
As the Earth Dragon shrieked and lashed its tail, Frey clicked her tongue and fell back.
"Tough one."
The enraged Earth Dragon began flailing wildly.
Nope. That won't do.
You've got an enemy right in front of you — what do you think you're doing taking your eyes off me?
Fine, fine. What a scattered little brat you are.
I'll help you focus on your opponent.
"Hey there, baby lizard♡"
The instant I called out, the Earth Dragon's eyes swung toward me.
"Living underground your whole life rotted your brain down to worm-size?♡ I get that you're dumb, but could you at least read the room?♡ Taking your eyes off me — how unbearably rude♡"
Look at me. Look at me, you pathetic lizard.
Had the taunt landed?
With a rush of power flooding through my body, the Earth Dragon let out a roar and swung its tail at me.
Even as that massive, whip-cracking mass of weight came crashing down, I didn't so much as flinch.
Because I knew, with certainty, that something like this wasn't going to break me.
'A seed of God shall never crumble before the advance of evil.'
Solid Divinity
A prayer-buffed enhancement exclusive to holy knights, raising physical capabilities only while defending.
The prayer ended, the blessing settled into my body, and in that same breath the tail came down.
KUWUM!
The instant the tail hit my shield, my teeth clenched before I could stop them.
Fine, you're angry, but isn't this a bit much?!
If that had been anyone but me — anyone ordinary — they'd have flattened from 3D into 2D!
Bracing both arms against the weight crushing down on me, I suddenly felt power surge through my limbs.
It was different from the buff effect of my Mesugaki skill.
There's exactly one student at Soul Academy right now who can cast a proper buff like this.
Perfect timing, Saintess.
Buoyed by the blessing, I shoved the Earth Dragon's tail away — and the beast, its balance broken, staggered.
"Are you alright, Lady Arln?"
I waved off Phoebe as she drew near to heal me.
I'm perfectly fine, so please see to everyone else.
"Sham Saintess. How about you heal your own eyes first? I don't need your help, so why not try somewhere else?"
I could see Phoebe's smile stiffen, just slightly.
Even the Saintess is powerless against the Mesugaki skill's taunts?!
"Lady Arln..."
- KUOOOOO!
Saintess, please focus on support from the back!
"Sham Saintess can stick to buffing from the rear, right?!"
Any more of this conversation and I was going to watch the Saintess's smile shatter completely, so I threw myself at the Earth Dragon in a hurry.
Am I about to become the first human being Phoebe has ever genuinely hated?!
Watching Lucy shove aside the Earth Dragon's tail and send the beast toppling, Joy felt relief and admiration wash over her at the same time.
How could a body that small produce that kind of strength?
Granted, she'd received Phoebe's blessing — but a blessing only amplified the power its bearer already possessed.
If the strength Lucy had been born with hadn't been extraordinary in its own right, no such result would have been possible.
She'd thought the same thing back in that hellish dungeon, when Lucy had fought at full power — but how on earth had that girl become that strong?
Barely a year ago, the woman couldn't even climb a flight of stairs.
And she was supposed to be the daughter of House Arln — the heroic line that had sent countless legends into the world's history books?
The moment the Earth Dragon lost its footing and toppled, the heir of House Burrow charged at it.
Mace in hand — spear in hand — he clung to the dragon's head and hammered away, and in his every movement she could read a desperate will to earn glory no matter the cost.
Whatever the young lord's intentions, his charge was nothing but a nuisance from where Joy stood.
She'd had to hastily cancel the spell she'd been weaving, terrified he'd get swept into it.
Fighting alongside Lady Arln had never required this kind of worry.
Just as Joy began sketching out a new spell with that thought in mind, the Kingdom's Third Prince, Arthur Soladin, sauntered up beside her with all the leisure in the world.
"Your magic has improved considerably, Joy."
"Your Highness. Is now really the time for quality assessments?"
At Joy's sharp prodding, Arthur chuckled.
The two of them had been close since childhood.
And Arthur knew perfectly well that Joy's scolding tone wasn't genuine anger — just complaining for the sake of it.
"Rather, it's I who should ask, Joy. Is there some reason to rush?"
"The Earth Dragon and its underlings are attacking the students, in case you hadn't noticed."
"Joy. That, right there, is why they call you the Airhead Lady."
Joy frowned at Arthur's teasing.
"Excuse me?"
Her expression blazed with the kind of murderous intensity of someone swearing vengeance on the spot, but Arthur answered without a hint of fear.
"Look around you, Airhead Lady. Despite the sudden incident, there isn't a single injured person, is there?"
"Why is even Your Highness calling me... huh?"
Only then did Joy realize that not one person was groaning in pain from a wound.
Which was, unmistakably, strange.
Even if the incoming class was reasonably skilled, their opponent was an Earth Dragon.
There should have been a mountain of casualties by now, the scene a screaming chaos — and yet everything was oddly calm.
"That's not the only strange thing, Airhead Lady. Look around again. The Earth Dragon's underlings are just standing there, watching the fight."
He was right. The lesser fiends that had seemed ready to swarm the students when they first emerged were now rooted in place, doing nothing but spectating.
Why on earth would they just watch their master fight?
"And above all — not a single professor has joined the battle."
At Arthur's words, Joy shifted her gaze toward the professors.
The very people who should have been the first to rush into the fray when an accident broke out at the Academy's entrance ceremony were instead observing it from a distance.
Their only actions were guiding the fleeing students and keeping order.
They were well within range to intervene — and yet they didn't.
"Why?"
"The answer is obvious. Obvious enough that even an Airhead Lady could reach it without much effort."
Just as Arthur said, the answer came easily once she calmed down and thought it through.
"Because the Academy is the one orchestrating this attack."
"And the Academy's aim?"
"Testing the abilities of the incoming class."
"Exactly, Joy. Calm Joy really is a pleasure to talk to."
"...And when I'm not calm, I suppose I sound like a fool?"
"Correct. Because when you're not calm, you're the Airhead Lady."
When Joy made a show of being openly offended, Arthur finally broke and laughed out loud.
The more he laughed, the darker Joy's expression grew, but Arthur wasn't worried in the slightest.
This timid young lady was incapable of pulling any real scheme.
Leaving the sulking Joy behind, Arthur studied Lucy as she absorbed the Earth Dragon's attacks.
She was the daughter of House Arln, after all — her skill was undeniable.
Her footwork went without saying, and her split-second judgment was exceptional too.
Even searching for a flaw, there wasn't a single one to find.
"It's no wonder, really. With skill like that, of course she took first place in the entrance exam."
"...Eh?!"
At Arthur's murmured remark, Joy let out a sound most unbefitting a duke's daughter.
"Joy? What's the matter?"
"Your Highness. Is what you just said true?"
Tilting his head at Joy's trembling voice, Arthur nodded.
"That Lady Arln took first in the entrance exam? It's true."
"Impossible. You're lying. You're lying, right? Your Highness, please, tell me it's a lie."
"I wish it were a lie myself."
If it had been, he'd have been spared the indignity of being fooled himself.
When Arthur answered with firm finality, Joy simply stared blankly at his face.
Seeing that expression, Arthur couldn't help but smile.
He still didn't quite know what sort of person Lady Arln was — but her talent for nicknames was undeniable.
Airhead Lady. Could a name possibly fit anyone better?