The Academy Admission Ceremony
The golden grip, the scarlet crossguard, and the mirror-like blade that reflected the scenery around it.
Aria stared down at the sword in her hand as she stepped out of the tent. It was the very weapon she had wanted but failed to claim for herself during the auction. At the same time, it was the sword the woman with rose-red hair had tossed to her with an indifferent expression before walking away.
“Just who was that woman…?”
At the time she had been too flustered to speak properly, but now that she had calmed down considerably, Arin carefully recalled the words the woman had spoken to her.
The answer she had given right after handing over the sword and turning to leave.
“She said I would understand once I came to the academy, didn’t she?”
When Arin had asked why she was doing this much, the woman had simply replied that she would find out once she arrived at the academy. If that was the case, did that mean the woman was also a student here?
She had looked two or three years older than Arin, so if she really was a student, she was most likely a senior.
In that case, they would probably meet during the entrance ceremony. Once she calmly organized her thoughts, it really did feel like she would see her again soon—just as the woman had said. After all, the academy’s entrance ceremony was the day after tomorrow.
As she continued staring at the sword, the image of the sword strike the woman had displayed inside the tent flashed through Arin’s mind. Her fist tightened with a soft clench.
“It was… incredible.”
She had seen the woman draw both blades. The memory of her crossing the two beautiful swords that hung at her waist and pulling them free into both hands remained vivid in Arin’s mind.
But the next instant—when the woman had swung her blades, severed the mithril that held the weapon, and sheathed them again—Arin’s memory held nothing.
Because she simply hadn’t been able to see it.
“I couldn’t see even the slightest movement.”
Arin had always believed her own skill was second to none, yet even though she had been watching from right in front of her, she had failed to perceive a single motion.
Could it be that every senior at the academy possessed that level of ability? The mere hypothesis made Arin’s resolve waver for a moment, her body trembling, but she quickly shook her head. That was impossible.
She had seen several graduates of Lua Academy before, and she had personally confirmed that none of them possessed the same level of skill as that woman. Concluding that such a thing could never be true, Arin returned to the main topic and muttered under her breath.
“How could someone be that strong…?”
She had no idea what kind of training could produce such power, but if it was something she could catch up to, she wanted to chase after it with everything she had.
If they met as senior and junior, she would ask the woman to teach her swordsmanship. With that determination firmly set in her heart, Arin fastened the sword the woman had given her to her waist.
She still needed to commission a proper scabbard, but even so, this blade was dozens of times better than the practice sword she had been using. Spending money on a custom scabbard didn’t feel like a waste at all.
She would enter the academy wearing this sword, express the gratitude she hadn’t been able to convey earlier, and receive instruction.
“Good.”
Arin repeated the words several times, engraving her newly established goal clearly into her mind.
It was only two days later that she realized the plan had been completely and utterly useless.
No one. Not a single person had been found.
“Haaa……”
That was the reason I was still sitting blankly on this bench even after the two-day festival—including yesterday—had come to an end.
Shockingly, after spotting Arin on the very first day, I had not encountered a single familiar face from the game’s cast.
At this point, it was either a miracle that I had seen Arin at all on the first day, or the other characters had noticed me and were deliberately avoiding me.
Of course, I had claimed out loud that I wasn’t going out of my way to meet anyone—if we ran into each other while enjoying the festival, that would be fine—but I had still hoped to meet at least one or two more.
Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined I would meet absolutely none.
“Sigh… Well, it can’t be helped. It’s about time to head to the academy.”
I pulled my wandering mind back together and rose from the bench. The clock tower beside the fountain read 8:30. Since the entrance ceremony was scheduled for noon, I needed to meet the dean first and greet her before then.
During yesterday’s festival, the priest sent by the pope had secured me a teaching position and told me I should meet the dean, so it was only proper that I did.
I assumed I would simply receive a few pieces of advice regarding my new role as a professor.
In any case, I loosened my stiff body and walked briskly toward the academy. After about ten minutes, I arrived at Lua Academy.
“It’s enormous.”
That was probably the only word that could describe my first impression of Lua Academy.
The excessively grand school gate and the main building that stretched endlessly behind it, so vast that its full size and width were impossible to grasp. Beyond what I could see must lie auxiliary facilities such as gymnasiums and training grounds.
I paused for a moment beyond the gate, then began moving again while observing my surroundings. A few people who appeared to be teachers, along with several diligent students, were also heading into the academy.
Of course, there wasn’t a single familiar face among them. Well, there were a couple of faces that felt vaguely familiar, but none of the main cast were among the students, and the teachers seemed to belong to professions I had never raised, so their faces weren’t familiar either.
“Well, there’s no need to worry about it.”
If they were teachers I didn’t know, we would naturally become acquainted when the time came. There was no reason to approach them first right now.
For the moment… I had to go endure a bothersome interview.
Thanks to the pamphlet conveniently placed at the main building’s entrance, I reached the dean’s office surprisingly quickly.
Honestly, I could have found it from memory even without the pamphlet, but still.
The dean’s office was located on the seventh floor—the top floor of the main building. Since the only room on the seventh floor was the dean’s office, I climbed the stairs and knocked on the luxurious black door that obviously belonged to her.
Knock, knock—
[Come in.]
The moment I heard the voice granting permission, I opened the door without hesitation and stepped inside.
What greeted me were bookshelves that filled one side of my vision, a lacquered wooden desk commonly seen in such offices, and the dean herself standing behind it, striking a pose as she gazed out the window.
A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, with light brown hair tied up in a braid and wearing a robe that gave off a pious impression. She looked exactly like the dean I had seen so often in the game.
However, I made sure not to show any sign of recognition. Right now I was still in the form of Aria from two days ago, so I approached the dean’s desk with her characteristic expressionless face.
Since she currently held the superior position, I waited for her to speak first. The dean turned away from the window and gave a slight bow.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve already heard about you from the Pope. You are Miss Aria, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. My name is Aria.”
I returned the bow as I answered. Fortunately, Aria’s filter seemed to recognize when polite speech was required; instead of her usual arrogant tone, I spoke with refined dignity.
The dean seemed slightly awkward, as if my manner of speech differed from what she had expected, but she quickly composed herself and offered me the seat in front of her desk.
“Would you mind sitting for a moment? There are quite a few things I’d like to ask, so I’d like to have a chat before the entrance ceremony begins.”
“If it’s alright with you, I have no objection.”
I hated long conversations, but there was nothing I could do about it. I plopped down in the seat the dean had offered, unfastened the bothersome sword that had been hanging from the chair, and placed it across my lap.
As if she had been waiting for me to finish arranging the sword, the dean immediately pulled several sheets of paper from the stack of documents beside her the moment I set it down.
“As I mentioned earlier, there are several things I’d like to ask, but first I’ll start with a question regarding our academy.”
“What is it?”
“The Pope recommended a total of four individuals—including yourself—to serve as professors at our academy, and one additional person to work as a chef in the cafeteria.”
The papers the dean had taken from the stack were documents listing the rest of my avatars who were scheduled to take up positions as professors and a cook at the academy, along with Aria.
The moment an ominous premonition struck me and I held my breath, our dear dean delivered a question that struck me right in the solar plexus, all while smiling brightly.
“No matter how I look at it, they don’t appear to be unrelated. If it’s not too much trouble, Miss Aria, may I ask what your relationship is with the other four individuals?”
It was quite literally a question I could never answer in my current situation.
Or rather, since she was the dean, should I trust her to keep the secret and simply tell the truth? But the only reason I had revealed it to the Pope was because those who served the Goddess Iriel—
A thousand different thoughts raced through my mind in an instant, sealing my lips shut. But just as I opened my mouth to say something—anything—Aria’s filter came up with an excellent solution and presented it.
“We… are sisters.”
Though it seemed that excellent solution was, in fact, an excellent way to screw me over.