Group Project
Group Project
The members of our group, as listed on the group project roster posted at the entrance to the second-year building, were as follows.
First were the two high-and-mighty individuals who were undoubtedly behind this: Princess Aisha and Grand Archduchess Frida, who were, of course, included.
Balea, who was close to the two of them, was included as well, followed by Mirisa, Piar's cousin from the Department of Administration.
I could understand why Balea was included, but I couldn't figure out why Mirisa was.
I wondered if a commoner could even survive in this terrifying lineup...
Besides, in my lost life, Mirisa had been the bomber who blew up the entrance ceremony hall along with Piar.
Mirisa had merely been a victim, of course, but I couldn't help feeling strange about it.
No, considering the next person on the list, even Mirisa's inclusion made sense.
Joachim.
It was only natural that I tilted my head when I saw that name.
Why had an imperial exchange student been included in our group? Was there some massive imperial conspiracy, or perhaps a political deal?
Such suspicions naturally arose.
Anyway, looking at our group members, the lineup was truly spectacular.
The Princess and the Grand Archduchess, Balea and Mirisa, and then me and Joachim.
I hadn't called it the best and worst group project team in history for nothing.
Although the other groups were also made up of nobles connected in one way or another, it was only natural that everyone was keeping an eye on ours.
There seemed to be plenty of jealousy and envy mixed in, but I was already immune to those kinds of stares.
The problem was that, with a group like this, there was no way we'd get a normal assignment.
Besides, no matter how much influence the Princess and the Grand Archduchess wielded, I still couldn't quite understand how a group like this had been formed.
The second-year group project had two purposes.
The first was to address the isolation from other departments caused by the deepening focus on major classes, and the second was a grandiose goal: to bring together members with various abilities and personalities to solve problems hidden throughout the Kingdom, thereby fostering cooperation and developing the group's skills.
Contrary to what one might expect, the group project had been created by the founding king, the Hero Carlos.
"For the growth of students, nothing is better than retracing the very path the heroes walked!"
With that shout, the founding king ordered that the group project be incorporated into the academy's official curriculum.
Since we, who sealed the Demon King, had also grown this way, the vassals couldn't object to his command to follow suit without complaint. And so, apparently, the group project was created.
Perhaps because of that, the group project initially bore the outdated yet grandiose name 'Path of the Hero.'
It was clear that interaction among undergraduates hadn't even been among the founding king's reasons for creating the group project.
That long, grandiose second reason must have been the true purpose behind its creation.
But as always, over the course of hundreds of years, only remnants of the founding king's intentions remained in the group project.
No one cared about the founding king's wish for them to walk the path of heroes and grow into adventurers who helped people.
Our group's first project meeting was held after classes the day after the notice was posted.
Our group gathered in one of the reception rooms at the academy.
Although it was a place for receiving external guests, we rented it for the day at the Grand Archduchess's request.
Once everyone had gathered, the Grand Archduchess's maids served refreshments and tea.
After taking the first sip of her tea, the Grand Archduchess looked at the students gathered in the reception room and spoke.
"I heard there might be various issues if Princess Aisha and I were to carry out a year-long project with people we don't know."
The Princess nodded in agreement.
I thought it had been decided quietly behind the scenes, but unexpectedly, it seemed the matter had been raised formally.
"I heard that those assigning the groups might be misunderstood, and that problems could arise among the students."
Indeed, doing a group project with the Grand Archduchess and the Princess in these turbulent times meant taking sides.
It could be seen as aligning oneself with the Princess or standing with the Grand Prince.
Whether they were the child of an ordinary noble or the heir to a great noble house, it could put them in a difficult position. It was a perfectly understandable concern.
"That is why we have gathered people we know. In any case, since the two of us played a major role in making this request, I offer my apologies to everyone gathered here."
It seemed the group members had been chosen for reasons slightly different from what I had thought.
Thinking about it that way, both Balea and Joachim made sense.
Balea had never had any interest in such matters.
Her father, the Baron, had died, but thanks to what had happened in her territory recently, she had even less reason to worry about such things.
Joachim, being an imperial citizen, had no such concerns either, and in that case, Mirisa must have ended up in the same group simply because she was a commoner.
No, wait.
If we were going by that logic, I was actually the problem.
I was the child of the Duke of Gracia, which was more than enough to invite misunderstandings.
"If it's because of misunderstandings, then what about me?"
At my question, everyone stared at me.
They all looked utterly disbelieving.
No, why?
"There's nothing to misunderstand. Everyone already thinks that way—that Alex is the Princess's guard and the Grand Archduchess's protector."
At Balea's words, the Princess, sitting beside her, asked me with a gloomy expression.
"Could it be that what I've believed all this time was a misunderstanding?"
I hurriedly waved my hands.
"It's not a misunderstanding, but..."
It wasn't a misunderstanding, but I still felt somewhat wronged.
"Then, is there anyone who is dissatisfied with being in the same group?"
At the Grand Archduchess's question, no one raised a hand.
That didn't mean no one had any complaints, though.
I was the one with a heart full of complaints!
No matter how I looked at it, our group's path seemed paved with hardships.
Up until now, trouble had never stopped wherever I went.
I didn't know if it was just bad luck or because of my ability, but with this lineup, the trouble we ran into was sure to be no joke.
But there was no need to worry needlessly about this group.
Since I had no intention of giving up my connections with the Grand Archduchess and the Princess, I decided to keep my complaints to myself.
"Since there seem to be no complaints, shall we introduce ourselves? First, I am Frida. I came from the Duchy to study abroad."
As expected of a master of high society, the Grand Archduchess guided the conversation with effortless ease.
Since the Grand Archduchess had started, it was the Princess's turn.
"I am Aisha. I look forward to working with you."
Princess Aisha, now eleven years old, had changed quite a bit since a year ago.
Although she hadn't grown much taller over the past year and her childish appearance hadn't changed much, her personality and expressions were vastly different from before.
When I first saw her, she had hidden behind an expressionless mask, but before long, it had become easy to tell that she was frightened and tense.
Now, though only around certain people, her expressionless mask had softened a little compared to before.
The fading of her mask wasn't due to exhaustion or giving up, but to confidence.
Over the past year, the Princess had grown significantly, both mentally and physically.
As I watched the Princess with a warm smile, Joachim spoke next.
"I am Joachim von Schirach. I still do not quite understand how classes are conducted at the Carlos Kingdom Academy. Even so, since I will be able to cross swords with Alex, I am satisfied."
I knew not all imperial citizens were bad guys.
Although Joachim was an imperial citizen filled with imperial pride, he was still a pretty decent guy on a human level.
He was just as troublesome, though.
I decided to stop worrying about his face, which resembled that of a man named Vid.
Since he never talked about his family, there was no way to know, and even if Vid were Joachim's relative, it didn't matter much to me right now.
Was it my turn next?
"I am Alex."
When I stopped after saying only my name, Balea jeered from the side.
"What is that? You have to say more."
Balea had returned to her usual self before I knew it.
She seemed to have completely forgotten bowing to me with a serious expression and stammering over her mother's changed words.
"After the boring Young Lord Alex, it's my turn, Balea. Since my noble status is in a precarious position, please introduce me to a good noble man if you know any."
It was an introduction completely unbefitting of a noble lady, but perhaps because it was Balea, everyone let it slide.
But it seemed Joachim might end up with the wrong impression of the Kingdom's noble ladies.
Seeing Balea's lively greeting, I resolved once again:
I had to secure a new contract, no matter what.
And finally, it was Mirisa's turn. She spoke with a frightened expression.
"I-I will do my b-best as I am told."
After stammering several times, she barely managed to finish her answer.
It was only natural. The people present were the sort she could hardly even strike up a conversation with.
Joachim, being an imperial citizen, would be too scary, and approaching the Princess and the Grand Archduchess was out of the question.
Though she seemed to manage talking to Balea somehow.
But why did she seem so terrified of me?
When our eyes met, Mirisa hurriedly lowered her head.
Once the introductions were over, the Grand Archduchess guided the conversation again.
"As you all know, the group project runs throughout the second year. You can skip classes or even bypass events for the sake of the group project."
Although no one skipped that many classes, I had heard that some seniors assigned grandiose group projects had skipped half their classes.
But seeing the Grand Archduchess continue to lead the discussion, it looked like she would be our group leader no matter how you looked at it.
That would look better to others and make it easier to get things done.
But the Grand Archduchess certainly wasn't the type to enjoy stepping forward to lead things like this.
There must have been some other reason...
"I think our group will also have to skip a lot of classes. The assignment is quite extraordinary."
The Grand Archduchess subtly avoided my gaze. She definitely looked apologetic.
Just what kind of assignment was it?
The Grand Archduchess turned over the paper that had been sitting on the desk.
I had thought it was a blank sheet, but it was the group project document.
"They said they couldn't give a normal assignment to a group made up of people like us. So, the assignment they gave us is..."
She read through the contents of the paper.
"'In accordance with the Grand Archduchess's wish to return to the group project's original plan, this group is assigned to trace the paths walked by the heroes, verify their descendants, abilities, and relics, and visit ruins to compare them with history. The method of execution is...'"
There was a long description afterward about the method of execution and how grades would be assigned, but it wasn't very important.
In short, the assignment was to travel around the Kingdom, meet the heroes' descendants, and verify their relics.
"Did you say this was an assignment given by a professor...?"
When I said that, the Grand Archduchess turned her head even farther away.
"What is the name of the assignment?"
In the awkward atmosphere, Balea asked something else.
"The Artifact Investigation Squad... it is."
At the Grand Archduchess's answer, the atmosphere grew even more awkward.
'Should I be glad it's not the Fellowship of the Ring—no, the Fellowship of the Relic?'
That was the first thought that came to mind when I heard the name of the assignment.