Selecting the Class Representative (1)
Every time a member of Rosemary was called, the grand auditorium erupted in deafening cheers. It felt like... what should I call it?
Is this a Rosemary fan signing event?
The scene was identical to the one back on Earth. The Rosemary members walked up to the stage with such practiced, graceful strides that one might have mistaken the platform for a red carpet photo zone.
The male students, in particular, were practically screaming. It was no different from when Lee Cheri had gone up earlier. They shouted their favorite members' names at the top of their lungs.
Get a grip, you idiots.
My stomach churned, feeling as though I were looking at a mirror of my past self. The love of their fans? As if those girls actually gave a damn.
Then, the final member of the Special Class was called.
Finally, my turn.
I stood up and walked forward, trying to look as dignified as possible. Instantly, the roaring cheers died down.
Naturally, no one here knew who I was. Only a few scattered, awkward claps echoed through the hall.
...Damn it. Merchi and I are in the exact same boat.
It couldn't be helped. I wasn't famous like Rosemary, nor was I exceptionally handsome. Even though I had lost a lot of weight, I still waddled slightly as I climbed the steps. It was only natural for the crowd to look disappointed.
Sorry for failing to meet your expectations, you bastards.
Once the awkward applause fizzled out, I made my way over to stand next to Merchi among the Special Class group.
"You looked amazing, Lord Yeong-sik. As expected, hero candidates receive a completely different level of treatment."
"...Right. Thanks."
Was this punk mocking me?
At the announcer's words, Eden, who had been waiting below the stage, stepped up. Unlike the students, he wore light defensive armor.
The Special Class students flushed with excitement at his appearance. Their sparkling eyes were filled with admiration and anticipation for the commander.
Eden shook hands with each student one by one, eventually stopping in front of me. He extended his hand with a smirk.
"I heard from Grace. She said you helped her out."
"...No, it was my family that received help."
"Haha. I like that humility. A hero candidate who isn't arrogant. You're the spitting image of Oliver."
He was just as boisterous as I remembered. And he even used formal speech with me here. He might seem lighthearted, but he possessed decent manners.
"I don't expect special treatment just because I'm a hero candidate. You can speak comfortably with me."
"Oh, don't worry. You'll be wishing you were dead starting tomorrow anyway."
"...Excuse me?"
What was with this sudden shift in attitude? Keeping a sly grin on his face, Eden gripped my hand and shook it.
"Just so you know, Oliver actually cried during my training once."
"...I-is that so?"
"Yep. Looking forward to working with you."
"..."
Son of a bitch. I felt like I'd been conned.
The sweet persuasion to join the academy was a thing of yesterday. From this moment on, I was nothing but a student.
A sudden realization flashed through my mind: I am absolutely fucked.
"Is something bothering you, Lord Yeong-sik?"
We were back in our dormitory. Merchi asked as he watched me sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. The source of my anxiety was simple.
The status window of the headmaster I had seen earlier.
And the gaze that had been locked directly onto me.
After turning it over in my mind for a moment, I answered Merchi.
"Merchi, I have a question."
"Yes? What is it?"
Merchi spun his chair around to face me.
"Do you happen to know anything about black magic?"
"Huh? Black magic? What brought this on all of a sudden? D-don't tell me you've developed an interest in..."
"It's nothing like that, so don't worry."
I let out a soft sigh as I watched Merchi nervously push up his glasses.
"You know why I came to the academy, right? It's related to the total lunar eclipse."
"O-of course I know."
"I'm just asking out of curiosity. Do you think black magic could be linked to the total lunar eclipse?"
I threw out a slightly roundabout question. During the total lunar eclipse, Chloe—the mother of this body's original owner—had died. And the Imperial Knights were involved in it.
If that headmaster is the mastermind behind it all, there might be a connection between black magic and the total lunar eclipse.
I hadn't received a clear answer to this from Mercury either. The reason I was asking Merchi anyway was to gauge how the people of Ruesellon perceived black magic.
"I see. Black magic... Well, that might not be an entirely incorrect guess."
"Oh? Why is that?"
"As you know, black magic originated from the demons. A long time ago, demons used black magic to control monsters as their minions. Though the chances of that happening now are slim, since the demons have vanished."
It was similar to the brief explanation I had heard from Mercury during the entrance ceremony.
"But what if some demons survived?"
"What are you talking about? You do know that a hundred years ago, a hero chosen by the Goddess Mercury—just like you—defeated the demons, right?"
"Huh...?"
This was news to me.
There had been someone else chosen as a hero before.
"Since then, it has been accepted as fact that both the demons and black magic were completely eradicated."
Eradicated? If what Merchi said was true, then something was off. The headmaster, Raoul, was definitely under the influence of black magic.
"But couldn't there be texts or records passed down in secret?"
"No, that's impossible. Black magic cannot be recorded in human language. It can only be learned directly from a demon."
Hmm. I nodded silently.
"Did you really not know? And here you are, the Hero of Knowledge..."
"Sorry for not knowing, you jerk."
"A-ah, no, it's fine."
Seriously, he always had to get the last word in.
In any case, common knowledge in this world dictated that black magic was extinct. Since I couldn't exactly go around spreading rumors that the headmaster was corrupted by black magic, I had no choice but to watch and wait.
"Anyway, tomorrow is our first class! Having class in the same room as the ladies of Rosemary... Ah, I might not be able to sleep tonight."
This fucking otaku. Here I was, agonizing over serious matters, and all he could do was babble about Rosemary at every opportunity.
"You were practically fighting with them earlier, and you're still obsessed?"
Merchi scratched the back of his head at my scolding.
Right, let's put black magic and the total lunar eclipse aside for now. The class tomorrow was indeed the more pressing matter.
"I-I'm sorry. I just got too excited. Aren't you excited for the first day, Lord Yeong-sik?"
"Not particularly."
"But it's the first day of the academy. We'll meet our classmates, and they'll select the class representative."
"Ah, that!"
I cut Merchi off, intrigued by the topic. Oliver and Grace had explained this to me before.
The class representative selection match.
There was a reason I remembered this so clearly.
"Merchi. Can you tell me more about the class representative selection you just mentioned?"
"Huh? Are you interested in becoming the representative?"
"No, not really... I'm just curious about the method."
"Hmm."
Merchi rested his chin in his hand and stared at me. There was a hint of suspicion in his eyes, but he answered nonetheless.
"The method is simple. The students who want to be the representative fight each other, and the winner takes the position! That's basically it."
...This was it!
Fortunately, my prediction was correct. A duel between students—something bound to happen at an academy. The opportunity had arrived much sooner than expected.
The reason for my interest was obvious. Rosemary. Who were they? Even back on Earth, they were notorious attention seekers. There was no way they would pass up an important position like class representative.
Especially their leader, Lee Cheri. She was the type who couldn't stand not showing off how superior she was to everyone else.
"Heh..."
A chuckle escaped my lips before I could stop it. How long had I endured? I had already drawn up a vivid picture of my revenge in my mind. All that was left was execution.
"L-Lord Yeong-sik. I'm sorry to say this, but..."
"Yeah?"
"If you smile like that, it's going to be hard for our classmates to approach you tomorrow. I-I strongly advise you to be careful."
...This bastard, seriously.
The next morning. I followed Merchi to the lecture hall inside the academy.
It was a fortress-like building constructed of red brick. Its height was grand enough to almost touch the domed ceiling.
"This is the lecture hall. Ah, I'm so excited."
"R-right."
It was the first day of the semester. Students dressed in uniforms just like ours swarmed into the building.
Slide—
Opening the door labeled 'Special Class,' I saw rows of tiered desks. Most of the students were already seated.
Every eye in the room locked onto us. We were a conspicuous duo by any standard. The fat-and-skinny combination was one thing, but it was mostly because we had both drawn attention during yesterday's entrance ceremony. Honestly, I wanted to distance myself from this guy immediately.
"Where would you like to sit, Lord Yeong-sik?"
"I don't care. Just not the very back."
"Oh, I-I see..."
Merchi sounded somewhat disappointed.
Sitting side-by-side at the very back of the lecture hall were the three members of Rosemary. Lee Cheri and Ok-ja, in particular, were glaring at us with their arms crossed.
"I-I think they're glaring at us."
"Just ignore them."
"R-right? Should I go over and ask if something is wrong?"
"...Do you not know what the word 'ignore' means?"
I walked over to a corner of the classroom and sat down first, and Merchi reluctantly followed.
Did they say there were twenty-one of us?
None of the students looked ordinary. Some had hulking, muscular builds, others looked gloomy and suspicious, and some were decked out in flashy accessories.
I didn't want to judge, but strictly in terms of appearance, anyone could see that the guy next to me and I were at the bottom of the barrel.
God damn it...
Once again, I felt a surge of resentment toward Mercury.
A moment later.
The classroom door swung wide open.
"Welcome, class!"
A familiar voice rang out. Eden, sporting a robust build, bright blonde hair, and a sly grin, slammed a textbook down onto the podium.
"Good to see you again after a day. I assume you all know who I am?"
The students, myself included, had no idea why he was here.
"Starting today, I will be concurrently serving as your homeroom professor. Consider it an honor."
Say what?
"Whoa!!!"
"It's an honor! This is crazy!"
"Oh my god, Commander Eden? Is this for real?"
The kids immediately erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
"...Whoa. Even I didn't know about this, Lord Yeong-sik," Merchi whispered, looking just as shocked.
Merchi, sitting beside me, spoke with wide eyes.
Seriously, doesn't the commander of the knights have better things to do? The warning he had given me yesterday left a bad taste in my mouth. The advice to prepare myself.
...Well, he won't kill me, right?
Unlike my anxious thoughts, most of the students seemed thrilled at the prospect of being taught by the commander of the knights.
"Don't get too excited. I won't be doing anything special just because I'm your homeroom teacher. Your actual classes will be taught by the professors of each subject."
Despite Eden's words, the students' faces remained bright. Then, one student raised their hand to ask a question.
"Um, Commander Eden...?"
"Call me Professor."
"Ah, yes! Can we not receive swordsmanship lessons from you, Professor Eden?"
"Swordsmanship will be taught by Vice Commander Grace. Well, I might drop in occasionally if needed."
"Vice Commander Grace...!"
The students gasped in admiration once again at the mention of Grace's name.
Oh. I welcomed this part. Having witnessed Grace's swordsmanship firsthand, I knew her skills better than anyone. Besides, in terms of personality, she was a hundred times better than this guy. Absolutely.
Eden's explanation continued.
To summarize, the Special Class curriculum consisted of two days of theory and three days of practical training. On top of that, there were midterms, finals, and even vacations.
Aside from the actual subjects, it was practically identical to Earth's school system.
"Of course, I know this isn't what you're all interested in."
Having finished his explanation, Eden made eye contact with the students.
"In two days, we will select the class representative for the Special Class. Is anyone interested?"
He got straight to the point.