The Entrance Ceremony, Part 3

A man with long, gray-streaked hair tied back in a ponytail stepped up to the podium. He swept his gaze across the students before speaking.

"Welcome. I am Raoul, the principal of the Imperial Academy."

Whether he was using some kind of magic or not, his low, resonant voice carried perfectly to everyone's ears. Instantly, a wave of applause erupted.

"Whoa..."

The cheering broke out right next to me as well. Upon hearing his name, Merchi let out an awed gasp and began clapping like a seal.

"What, do you know who that is?"

"...Yeong-sik, you're joking, right?"

"Huh? I'm dead serious."

"..."

Merchi stared at me, dumbfounded.

"You don't know Lord Raoul? The greatest mage in the empire, who was the Knight Commander until just two years ago? How could you possibly not know him?"

"Oh, I-I see."

As Merchi explained, I noticed the Rosemary members behind us listening in, casting sidelong glances.

"He's a commoner who rose to that position purely through his magical prowess. He's still the greatest mage in the empire! To put it simply, Lord Raoul is my role model! My role model!"

"Wait, what? Merchi, are you a mage?"

"No, I'm a knight."

"...Right. Of course."

This guy was just confusing me. Frowning slightly, I turned my gaze back to the principal. Well, whatever the case, he was clearly a big deal.

"I know you all worked hard to get here. You have all done your best in your respective positions."

His tone was low and somewhat stiff. He didn't seem like the warm, nurturing type.

"...But surely you aren't satisfied with just that? Now that you have entered the academy, keep one thing in mind: to graduate from this place, you will have to work several times harder than you ever have before."

The auditorium fell dead silent in an instant. Call it an aura of intimidation. His blunt words instantly chilled the room, which had been buzzing with the excitement of the freshmen.

Why is he trying to scare us right off the bat? Just how amazing is this guy?

There was an easy way to satisfy my curiosity. I looked at the principal standing on the stage and activated his status window.

Flash.

Huh...?

My jaw dropped without me even realizing it.

What was that last sentence?

Black Magic...?

This was definitely not normal. It was a description I had never seen on anyone else. Thinking I might have misread it, I rubbed my eyes and looked at the status window again. At that exact moment—

Flinch!

The principal's gaze locked onto me. Not anyone near me, but directly at me.

For a moment, it felt as if time had stopped. His pitch-black eyes were of unfathomable depth. It felt as though he was peering straight into my mind.

What is this...? My mind froze under his scrutinizing gaze. And for some reason, a single thought flashed through my head.

One wrong move, and I'm dead.

It wasn't a rational judgment, but a purely animalistic instinct. I had to show him something to survive. That was the desperate thought that crossed my mind.

I scratched my neck with a nonchalant expression. I met his gaze while maintaining as bored a look as possible. My heart was pounding furiously. I couldn't let even a hint of panic show.

In just a few seconds, countless thoughts raced through my mind. Why was he suddenly doing this? Did he realize I looked at his status window? Or was he one of the people in the palace targeting me?

Naturally, there was no way to know.

Gulp.

Just as I swallowed hard from the tension, he averted his eyes as if nothing had happened.

"As you know, the academy's instructors are provided by the Imperial Knights. They are resources who will surely take responsibility for your safety and the improvement of your skills..."

A cold sweat trickled down my back. It seemed like no one else but me had noticed what just happened.

Whew. What was that just now? Did he really notice me looking at his status window?

It might have been a stretch. But I couldn't shake the eerie feeling. Especially that message on the status window about Black Magic.

I quickly summoned Mercury.

Mercury, are you there?

- Speak.

That principal, Raoul. His status says he's under the influence of Black Magic. What kind of state is he in?

- Hm? That is...

Mercury spoke in a voice that was uncharacteristically flustered.

- It is no ordinary black magic. The spells capable of boosting stats ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to that extent are few and far between.

What is it?

- A spell that belongs to the highest tier of black magic. An ability that only demons can use.

What...?

- But it is certainly strange. Demons do not exist on the planet Ruesellon. They have been extinct for over a century. Could he have acquired black magic on his own?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Mercury's analysis was limited to that. As I already knew, she couldn't peer into the past or read minds.

In any case, it was clear he was no ordinary man. The principal of the Imperial Academy being under the influence of black magic was beyond suspicious.

Maybe he's the one...

The mastermind behind the attack on the Russell family. The person Chloe's note pointed to. The enemy hidden within the Imperial Knights.

"Now, we shall begin the class assignments. This old man will take his leave."

Once the principal finished speaking, the host took over the microphone. Only when I saw him slip out the back of the auditorium did I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yeong-sik, what's wrong all of a sudden?"

Hearing my sigh, Merchi asked in a worried tone.

"Ah, it's nothing."

"Are you worried about the class assignments? Don't worry too much. The heroes will naturally be assigned to the Special Class."

"...Huh?"

I hadn't really cared, but they had a system like that?

"Of course, whether you can actually survive there until graduation is another story. Ah, since I entered as the top student, we'll be in the same class. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Y-Yeah. Wonderful."

Though I still couldn't believe he was the top student. Anyway, class assignments... this was definitely an important event.

Since there was no way to uncover the principal's identity right now, I let out another sigh and focused on the situation at hand.

"Merchi, what is this 'Special Class' you just mentioned?"

"...Yeong-sik, you really know nothing about the academy, do you?"

"Sorry for not knowing, dude."

"No need to apologize. I shall guide you well from now on. Hehe."

Damn it. For some reason, his chuckle rubbed me the wrong way.

"The Imperial Academy is divided into six classes. Excluding the Special Class, they range from Class A to Class E. They say the assignments are based on the entrance exam rankings."

"...And you're the top student among them?"

"Indeed. I ranked first in both the written and practical exams. Hehe."

The words How on earth? rose to the tip of my tongue, but I held them back, knowing it would be a pain if he got sulky again.

"Every year, students are reassigned based on their performance tests. The Special Class is reserved only for the absolute elite. In other words, you and I are very, very special talents."

"Hmm..."

So it was like the elite of the elite, even within a top-tier university.

Was it really okay for me to be there? Even if I had been selected as a hero, the gap in our abilities was bound to be massive. In fact, most of the students I had glanced at in the auditorium had stats that surpassed mine.

"Hehe. The Special Class is a place where only the strong survive. Do not let your guard down."

...Except for this guy, of course. Out of all the students I had scanned so far, not a single one had lower stats than Merchi.

"Thank you for waiting! We will now begin the class assignments for the incoming freshmen of the Imperial Academy!"

Just as my conversation with Merchi was dragging on, the host's voice boomed. Was it finally starting?

"First, we will call the students assigned to the Special Class. When your name is called, please step up to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the stage one by one."

At the host's words, all the students' eyes focused on the front row where we sat. Just as Merchi had said, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that we were in the Special Class.

"Special Class. Top of the class, Merchi Redford. Please step forward."

At the host's call, the freshmen in the back began to murmur.

"Whoa, the top student! But who is Merchi Redford?"

"Oh, he's the freshman representative!"

"I've never heard that name before."

"Huh? It's not one of the Rosemary members?"

Even with his name called out loud, I still couldn't believe this guy was the top student. Judging by the reactions around us, the other students didn't know who Merchi was either.

"Ahem."

Looking awkward, Merchi scratched his head and stood up. Being in the very front row of the auditorium, he was in plain sight of every single freshman.

"Huh...?"

A sudden silence fell over the room.

The chattering students instantly lost their voices. The same went for the Rosemary members sitting behind us.

"That person is the top student...?"

"Holy... That commoner?"

"Are they seriously joking?"

The Rosemary members stared at the standing Merchi with expressions of utter disbelief. At that, Merchi turned around with a broad grin.

"...Hehe. That is correct, ladies of Rosemary. I am the top freshman, Merchi Redford. I shall go up and wait for you."

Merchi pushed up his glasses with his index finger and smiled. It was a gummy grin that made even me feel slightly annoyed.

Rosemary was too shocked to say a word. And it wasn't just them. The students, looking at Merchi who seemed like he might collapse from malnutrition at any moment, all wore expressions of sheer bewilderment.

"Merchi Redford! Please step up to the stage immediately!"

The host's irritated voice rang out.

"Ah, y-yes! Coming right away!"

His pathetic tone, his awkward smile, and the way he scrambled up to the stage... he was a creature devoid of even an ounce of dignity.

What on earth are you?

I didn't know how many times I had repeated that same question to myself. Even though it had been hours since we met, I still couldn't figure him out.

Before the freshmen could recover from their shock, the host called the next student.

"Second place, the esteemed Princess Cheri von Astria. We would be honored if you stepped forward."

...What?

It was one surprise after another. First Merchi as the top student, and now Lee Cheri was second? Since she had been staying in the imperial palace, it seemed she had taken the entrance exam, unlike me.

At the host's announcement, Lee Cheri, who was sitting behind me, swept her hair back and stood up. However, her eyes looked somewhat displeased.

What's wrong with her...?

"Whoa, it's Princess Cheri!"

"We love you, Princess!"

"Kyaaa! You're so pretty! I want to call you big sister!"

Cheers and applause erupted from both male and female students alike. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was a complete 180-degree turn from the reaction Merchi had received. Praises of her beauty and elegance echoed from all directions.

Idiots. They really think she's a proper princess.

As Lee Cheri stepped onto the stage, the nearby knights bowed deeply to show their respect. With a practiced expression, she waved her hand and took her place right in the center of the stage.

"Next, Evelyn Brooke, Maverick Taylor, Siena Hart..."

One by one, the students sitting relatively close to the front stood up and walked to the stage. Looking at it now, the seating arrangement seemed to have factored in the class assignments to some extent.

After about fifteen students had gone up as their names were called...

"That concludes the list of students selected for the Special Class through the entrance exam. And as you all know, we have students who have entered through special admission this year."

The host spoke slowly and clearly.

...Talk about putting on the pressure.

Finally, my turn was coming.

No, to be precise, it was the turn of myself and the remaining members of Rosemary.