The Squad Shuffle
Sunlight streamed through the window, painting the early-morning room in soft golden rays. Zeroa had risen before dawn, the mana cultivation method Rai had taught him now complete. He exhaled slowly, letting the last traces of focus slip away.
Kneeling on the paper marked with the magic circle, he rubbed his aching knees and began to pack up. Rai had once teased him, calling the posture foolish for choosing to kneel instead of lying down, yet Zeroa preferred the upright stance—something about it helped him concentrate. In the old days, before the word “pure” was even attached to magic, mages had gathered mana through meditation, and the method had never left the land.
By sitting straight and reaching for the state of nothingness, they absorbed the mana of nature itself. Just listening to the explanation had sounded breathtakingly invigorating. Zeroa had copied the image exactly as he had pictured it. Lying down might have felt easier, but the faint sting of discomfort sharpened his focus.
*Since you said the image matters, I’ll stick with it.*
The memory of Rai’s laughing face surfaced, but he pushed it away and stood.
Today was the marching training.
Five days in the forest—brutal, exhausting, yet to Zeroa it felt like heaven itself. The academy’s greatest beauty, honestly, calling her merely the academy’s top beauty was an insult to her. He would have to search the entire empire, maybe even the whole continent, to find someone with the same level of beauty.
Five days with Aria. Zeroa felt like he had already burned through his entire lifetime of luck.
He tightened his grip on his heart as he prepared to leave for training, as if heading out to play. The lightweight armor issued by the academy sat snug on his frame. He gave his cheeks a light slap to center himself.
Focus. He could not afford to look embarrassing for five days. Not for her. Not even for the rest of the squad.
Zeroa drew a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and stepped out of the room.
“Opba, you’re leaving now?”
“Yeah, I’ll be right back.”
His sleepy-eyed sister was still half-asleep in the kitchen and only gave a slow, clumsy nod.
To Zeroa, she was the most precious person in the world. It was because of her secret submission of his entrance application that he had ever been able to attend the academy.
When she had begged him to take one day off, he had wondered what was going on—until he remembered it was the day of the academy entrance exam. She had slipped the application into the pile without him noticing. Panicked and desperate, he had taken the test anyway. Thanks to sheer luck and a razor-thin passing margin, he had scraped through.
She was the kind of sister who teased him endlessly and ignored him most days, yet when it mattered, she was the one who had made everything possible.
“Take care. When you come back, bring some raspberry bread from Blanc’s Bakery—”
“I know, I’ll get it.”
Zeroa turned and flashed her a brilliant smile before stepping out the door.
Kara, who had looked uninterested moments ago, found herself staring at his back as he walked away. Her drowsy eyes narrowed in quiet delight.
*How did he even pass?*
Her gaze was soft, but her thoughts were pure shock. She had only submitted his application as a joke. Yet the test itself was free and the details had been deliberately vague. Watching him panic and laugh it off with a “Haha, I got in…” had been hilarious. Now he was actually at the academy, and the Le gandia Academy—supposedly the place where only elites gathered—was suddenly home to the weakest student.
She would have to watch closely to make sure he didn’t get bullied, that he didn’t struggle with the curriculum.
Zeroa returned that first day with a face brimming with satisfaction, as if he had won the lottery. Kara had nearly jumped out of her skin, but he had simply ignored her and spent the entire day scowling at his books before finally heading to bed. The moment he fell asleep, she had crept in to check and found the same terrifying expression on his face. A demon? She had bolted.
The longer the days went by, the happier Zeroa’s mood became. At home he trained with a passion no one had ever seen. Some teachers even said they liked the “idiotic” boy so much they wanted to give him private lessons. Their mother had glowed with pride, but Kara could never quite believe it.
The Zeroa she knew had always been average—mediocre at everything, never great at any one thing. Yet he had somehow been accepted into the academy and now had a teacher personally grooming him as a prodigy?
*Maybe the academy really is supposed to gather only elites…*
Kara frowned, her thin eyebrows drawing together.
***
Zeroa had arrived at the academy with his heart set, but the moment Leila delivered the news, his eyes went wide and he blinked in slow motion. Next to him, Cesset did the same—mouth agape—before her face twisted in fury and she grabbed her own hair.
“Abi gail! You rotten, backstabbing—!”
Cesset howled, fists waving. Abigail, who had started the training uncooperative, had ultimately quit outright. She had chosen to quit before the others, but when Zeroa and Cesset had been handed the message right before classes began, the shock had been total.
“I’m going to burn that woman alive!”
“Training will begin shortly. Please take your seats.”
Cesset rose with her jeweled staff, but Leila’s words made her pout.
“Instructor Leila, what are we supposed to do…? No, more importantly, how are we going to cheat our way through it?”
“Abigail’s evaluation will go into her personal record. You will also take a replacement test.”
“Is that all? Too light of a punishment, isn’t it? We carried the whole weight ourselves.”
“The record will be read by many people. Wherever Abigail goes, the title ‘irresponsible’ will follow her. Unless she demonstrates clear growth later, the penalty will be severe.”
Leila spoke calmly. Cesset sat down obediently and straightened her posture.
“I’ll write that I’m a diligent and excellent student in the record. Feel free to add ‘outstanding’ if you want.”
“The contents of the record are treated as strictly confidential for the student.”
Leila scanned the list and frowned.
“Incidentally, it’s become a bit ambiguous. We will have to disband Squad 7 and reassign one member to each group.”
“Ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-ye-!!”
“Abi gail!!! Abi gail!!! Abi gail!!!”
The announcement that Squad 7 was dissolving sent the other groups into a frenzy. Whoever ended up in Squad 7 would now have a real shot at joining the Aria squad.
Aria remained expressionless, but Zeroa’s face showed the exact moment he realized the scale of the calamity. Watching the chaotic students, Leila walked among them, met each pair of eyes, and scribbled something on her clipboard.
As the number of students she looked at grew, the noise gradually died. Everyone sat in perfect silence.
“Blackmailing us with records is too low, isn’t it?”
“Stay out of this and back off.”
“Yeah~.”
A playful voice whispered from behind. Leila’s eyebrows shot up as she turned. When Rai stepped back, she went back to the list and muttered.
“Cesset, you’re going to Squad 3. Zeroa, you’re joining Squad 1. Aria—”
The remaining Squads 1 and 3 collapsed in dismay. The luckiest group, which had drawn one in five, glared at Leila’s lips in open outrage. After a beat, someone unexpected stepped forward.
“Excuse me for a moment?”
“Of course, it’s fine. Headmistress.”
The students tensed the instant Celenas appeared. She was kind and graceful, yet the distance between headmistress and students could never be fully bridged.
“Abigail’s absence was my approval. That’s why Leila and Squad 7 of Class B… is that correct? I’m sorry you all had to bear the inconvenience.”
“It’s fine. We can adjust as needed.”
Cesset looked displeased. She had carried the heaviest pack the entire time and was still expected to be “fine” with it. She knew perfectly well she was being treated as an afterthought.
The squad that had to accept her would be disappointed—not because she was a goddess, but because they had drawn a dud among the remaining members.
That was why she had fought so hard to lead from the beginning. Since there was no actual training to do, she had spent every spare moment making sure the squad flowed smoothly. She had listened to the goddess’s ideas instead of her own, and she had stubbornly tried to drag Abigail into the group despite the death threats.
Now that they were in Squad 3, however, she would be the one doing nothing for the squad. Worse, her stamina would be the anchor dragging them down. No matter how hard she tried, she would never get stronger.
“Still… it’s a shame the squad that put in all the effort is being disbanded. So I came up with another solution.”
“What kind of solution…?”
“Over there, this splendid instructor will be joining as one of your members in Abigail’s place. Agreed?”
“Eh?”
From behind, Rai was quietly nibbling a cookie and looked up in surprise when he heard the question.
“You’ll have to work a little harder for the students.”
“Work? It’s five whole days!”
“Yes, a little. It’s nothing.”
Celenas smiled as she answered. Rai’s face twisted in displeasure, but he stood anyway, saying, “If the headmistress wishes it…”
When he joined Squad 7, one student raised a hand.
“But if an instructor who already knows everything about the training joins, won’t it be way too easy?”
“I don’t know anything about the contents.”
“Eh?”
“Exactly. I only got in because I was the cleaning staff when they held the briefing.”
The entrance was swept spotlessly.”
Rai flashed a thumbs-up. Celenas covered her mouth and giggled. When the students looked at her in disbelief, Leila stepped in.
“The headmistress is correct. Instructor Rai is only here for emergency backup. He does not know the training contents.”
“At least he looked at the surrounding map or heard a few details, right?”
“That’s the normal case. This new… instructor, however, proudly skipped every single briefing. If he hadn’t shown up this morning, he would know exactly what you do.”
“… …”
The students exchanged bewildered glances.
“I don’t even know where the briefing room is.”
Rai munched on another cookie and answered without a trace of shame. The students laughed hollowly at the sheer audacity.
Rai’s brazenness was one thing, but the weight of the headmistress’s words silenced them completely.
“Wah— Instructor Rai, thank you so much!”
“What, why are you suddenly acting like this?”
“Hehe hehe—”
Cesset ran over with a bright smile. Rai dodged, but she kept laughing and chased after him. Watching the pair with fond eyes, Celenas turned to the students.
“No matter how we adjust to the situation, having an instructor among you will raise complaints. That’s why Squad 7 will receive extra difficult assignments from the vice headmistress. I hope the rest of the academy can learn from how Instructor Rai solves them.”
“Eh… the vice headmistress?”
“Yes, he said he was joining and his passion was overflowing. It’s nice to see the two of you get along so well.”
“… Yeah. I’m glad you two are close…”
Rai smiled awkwardly. The other students chuckled lightly.
“Still, Squad 7 is clearly at an advantage. I’ll give you one hint. This evaluation is entirely individual.”
“Not group evaluation?”
“Yes. Everyone will be scored separately. Even if the squad fails, some members will still receive good scores, and vice versa. With this setup, the gap between Squad 7 and the others shouldn’t be too wide.”
More students nodded along.
*Then we’re the ones at a disadvantage.*
Cesset, however, simply thought quietly.
Individual evaluation. Even with Rai participating, he was an instructor. He would not actively command the squad.
Cesset was deep in thought when Zeroa, grinning beside Aria, simply laughed. After everything that had happened, they had somehow ended up in the same squad.
Aria met Zeroa’s eyes and gave a tiny nod. Good luck.
Zeroa nodded back. Cesset leaned close to Rai and whispered.
“So we’re in Squad 3, huh?”
“Not Squad 3, more like the ultimate express train of success. You’re riding with me as the conductor.”
“The conductor is the vice headmistress?”
“… … Then I’ll send you to Squad 3 instead?”
“Ah, no! I trust you, Instructor! Please don’t kick me out!”
Cesset clung desperately. Rai laughed and dodged again.
After Leila left, Rai took the scenario plans he had submitted before training and began reading. The academy had deliberately given no details so students would think creatively.
The students had submitted their own contingency plans and roles. Rai, now in the same group, ate cookies with the new members and read through the stacks in silence.
The three of them sat quietly, undisturbed. When he finally set the papers down, Rai spoke.
“Hmm, I get the vibe. You were all really diligent. You even covered every possible scenario.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
“Then tell me— what role do you think I should take? Instead of Abigail?”
Their eyes met. Rai’s question hung in the air. After a long silence, Cesset finally answered.
“Abigail’s role should be Zeroa, and the instructor should handle scouting.”
“Why?”
Rai glanced at Zeroa. The unexpected question made him stammer.
“Th-that’s because the instructor finds the way better…?”
“That’s part of it, but there’s a bigger reason.”
He looked at Aria. She pondered for a moment, then spoke calmly.
“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because there’s no actual combat?”
“Correct. Explain, Cesset.”
“The gap in combat power between the instructor and us is too great. If this had been a training that included real combat, they never would have added the instructor in the first place. If we designed the opponents around the instructor, the training would be meaningless. If we designed them around us, the instructor would solo the entire exercise. This training is for us, not for him.”
Cesset praised the quick insight, then pulled the combat contingency documents from the stack. Zeroa lowered his head, embarrassed. Rai tapped the tip of his chin with one finger.
“Both of you are from noble houses. You learned how to read those kinds of tricks at home. You’re not lacking—you’re just in a different environment. No shame in it.”
“Ooh— you can give great compliments too.”
Zeroa’s shoulders slumped at first, but the moment Rai spoke, a spark of energy returned. Cesset teased him until the mood brightened, and Aria gave him a small nod. The weight on his chest eased.
It wasn’t just Aria. The entire squad was wonderful and full of care. Zeroa smiled to himself, thinking he had found the right group. From now on, he would do everything in his power to prove his worth.
He stood a little straighter, ready for whatever came next.