A Refreshing Beer Makes Soldiers Dance
The grand announcement swept through the crowd like a spark to dry tinder.
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Welcome, everyone, to the magnificent Legandia Academy! I am Jovian Croft, the MC personally selected by Headmistress Celenas herself!
Smartly dressed, the host raised his voice with fiery enthusiasm, eager to ignite the spectators’ excitement.
The 1st Regional Commercial Street of the academy had been packed to the brim, the heat so thick that the audience cheered wildly in response to his words.
Soltane, who usually only served academy students, was now frantically mixing drinks to handle the sudden flood of civilians.
Aslan and Zeroa had anticipated this scene and claimed a prime spot early, watching the crowded plaza teeming with people.
“Wow, it’s really packed.”
“This is a great day to meet new connections.”
Seiban, sitting with them, stood up, clearly bored with sitting still.
“You’ll get stabbed by Senior Jona one day.”
“If I don’t get stabbed, there’s nothing to get angry about.”
He mentioned his girlfriend Senior Jona, but Seiban flashed a bright smile, gave a thumbs-up, and disappeared into the sea of people. Aslan, who was also bored, didn’t feel like chasing girls like Seiban.
“If you’re the leftover because of me, you can come with me.”
“Huh? No way. I’d get the women scared if I approached them.”
Aslan pointed at his own eyes and laughed. He was used to it now and didn’t mind, but Zeroa still looked startled at first. Hearing Zeroa say it casually, Aslan shrugged and ordered a new drink. They’d been here since morning, so this was already the fourth one.
“By the way, this really feels like a festival.”
Aslan looked around as he spoke.
The vast plaza was packed with people. The academy normally didn’t open to civilians unless something special happened. Among the residents of Legandia, few had actually entered the academy properly.
So people wouldn’t miss the chance to see the academy. And this time there was something else to watch.
It was just training, but it was like watching a real war. The Bernies Empire worshipped warriors and strong armies, yet few inside had actually experienced war.
As a great power, they had little experience of being invaded. Any “invasion” was just border skirmishes; inside the empire, ordinary citizens had never seen real combat unless they served in the military.
Now the academy had opened tactical training to the public. More entertaining than any theater, music, or circus, people flocked to the academy. Not just Legandia residents, but people from nearby territories who had heard the rumors also came, and the city’s hospitality industry unexpectedly boomed.
The training ground was huge enough for maneuvers, but it was now controlled by academy personnel to keep the crowd in check.
“I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Zeroa pointed at the large translucent illusion floating in the center and spoke.
It was the illusion magic that projected the exact view from the familiars. Zeroa had seen it in class with small crystal orbs, but never something this huge that everyone in the plaza could see at once.
“That’s military equipment, right? How did they bring it?”
“Military, yes?”
“Yeah, my grandfather taught me once. I’ve only seen it actually now.”
Aslan searched his memory of his grandfather who served in the military telling him about this sight. It was a miraculous sight, but the mana and magical tools required were immense.
Even if every visitor paid an entrance fee, it wouldn’t cover even half the cost of maintaining that image.
‘Is this really worth this much capital?’
It was just entertainment and a little boost in popularity for the academy, but that was the limit. Aslan had only been thinking for a moment when he dismissed the idea as nothing special.
The voice from the image was even more interesting than the visuals.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, I’ve been selected to represent the academy’s instructors and face the students. Please give me your spirit.”
The sound lagged behind the image because the familiars handled both visual projection and audio recording separately.
In the image, Rai listened to the woman’s question for a moment, then broke into his usual sarcastic smile.
“Do I have spirit? As an instructor, I’m here to teach students. It’s quite mismatched to be playing with inexperienced kids who’ve never even seen war.”
The obvious provocation made Aslan burst out laughing. That was definitely Rai’s answer.
The woman looked flustered by Rai’s reply, but the atmosphere in the venue was blazing hot. Some people called Rai arrogant, while others cheered him on as right.
“Exactly~!!! The instructors of the academy are all powerhouses, and their confidence is off the charts!”
The host responded to the crowd’s reactions and egged them on. No matter what anyone thought individually, Rai’s presence had made the mood lively.
‘Does that mean he has no intention of losing?’
“Eeeh~ It’s just training, training. I’m not going to bully them honestly. As an instructor, I’ll teach everyone so they can win or lose and still be happy.”
Everyone at the academy knew that creating the Student Union was just a way to dodge the impossible gap in power. Since defeat was certain, the words were a clever evasion.
Aslan shook his head, thinking this man was impossible to deal with.
* * *
“Yes, then let’s bring in the next participant.”
The woman’s words made Rai give a polite bow and leave the room.
Philia, waiting outside, looked at him sharply.
When she was nominated as his assistant, Philia had refused, but the instructor’s authority had forced her to come. She was clearly unhappy, her face full of complaints.
“Can I provoke the others too? Everyone’s watching.”
“I’m provoking them because they’re watching.”
Enjoying the sharp gazes from the students, Rai answered.
Still thinking he was a bad person, Philia followed him to the place where the soldiers were gathered.
Before deployment, one part of the training was meeting the soldiers and giving a speech. There were many things to do here: capturing people, briefly explaining tactics, and more.
Philia thought this was the most important part of the training.
The first meeting between commander and soldier. Here they decided whether the soldiers would trust and follow their commander. Even though the command was only for a day, if they couldn’t win their trust here, it would be hellish training the whole time.
Philia was busy and had grumbled about being dragged here, but she knew how valuable it was to experience training in advance.
Defeat was certain, and she didn’t know how much they could train, but she had to learn everything she could.
The door opened and the second assistant, Abigail, entered with a scowl, staring at Rai. She had also been forced here.
“I brought you what you asked for.”
Abigail kicked the cart irritably. While she was waiting to interview Rai, she had to fetch things, and her mood had soured. The cart was half-destroyed, but luckily the contents were still intact.
Rai checked the cart, then turned to the soldiers waiting behind. Their tense faces showed they were nervous because they were under an instructor’s command instead of students.
“Hello, everyone. Now, sit down. Sit. Why are you standing?”
When he said to sit, the soldiers exchanged glances and first watched Rai sit on the ground. Then they hesitated before sitting one by one.
Everyone was seated, but the tension remained. Rai asked Philia and Abigail to bring out the items from the cart.
There was a large barrel that could hold one person. While carrying the barrel filled with mana to strengthen the body, Philia wondered what was inside.
The training could only use provided items, so this was the weapon for face-to-face combat. Thinking about what would be useful in a duel, Philia frowned.
“Wait….”
“I’ve been through a lot of training with those brats. I brought some beer. Everyone take a sip and let’s start the training.”
That was the thing she had been thinking about. Philia and Abigail’s faces scrunched up at the same time.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and bring it.”
Rai reached into the barrel the two of them were hurrying and froze the barrel with magic.
“Beer should be ice-cold to taste right.”
No one answered Rai’s words. Philia and Abigail, and even the soldiers, stared at him blankly, unable to accept the situation.
“We don’t have much time. If we don’t finish this quickly, we’ll be rolling in the sun with nothing to drink. It’s a waste.”
As he poured the beer, Rai downed the overflowing glass in one go.
“Kyaa~ The price of mana stones has gone up, so even the shops don’t sell this cool beer. Come quick and take a sip each.”
A few people who liked beer, a few with backbone, and the ones in front started moving. The three hundred soldiers gathered around the barrel to receive beer.
“Since we have to start training, no more than two glasses. And go to the bathroom before that. If anyone gets drunk during training, I’ll punish them.”
Rai spoke casually, and the soldiers, feeling the alcohol, answered cheerfully.
The soldiers who drank the cool beer naturally sat down in any way, surrounding Rai who was sitting in front of the barrel.
“You guys want some too?”
“No thanks.”
Philia refused, but Abigail silently accepted the beer, drank it in one gulp, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The soldiers cheered at her bold way of drinking.
“Drink while you listen.”
Rai sat on the empty barrel and continued when he saw the soldiers listening.
“I read the training reports so far and there are quite a few complaints from the students. Actually, that’s why I’m participating in the training.”
The soldiers who had been lively fell silent the moment they heard Rai’s words.
There had been a lot of conflict between the new student commanders and the soldiers. They had often made unreasonable demands, and when the troops didn’t move as they wished, the student commanders blamed the soldiers.
Some soldiers ignored the new student commanders and others deliberately caused trouble.
With completely different mindsets and no effort to understand each other, the emotional gulf had widened and only complaints remained.
The soldiers who had predicted this avoided each other’s eyes, feeling the bitter aftertaste of the beer still in their mouths.
“You’ve been through a lot taking care of those brats.”
“… …”
The soldiers lifted their heads to look at Rai. Philia and Abigail also stared silently. Rai drank another glass of beer and spoke.
“War is something those inexperienced brats order you to do or do that. Ridiculous requests. If they were enemies, I would have smashed their heads. Right?”
“… …”
There were complaints, but not to that extent. The soldiers closed their mouths, exchanging glances.
“Arrogant bastards. Let’s teach them how stupid they are. Wouldn’t that give a little relief from this miserable training? It’s tough, right? Are there any Legandia soldiers here? Ah, there are a few. Do you go home sometimes?”
When Rai asked, the soldiers who raised their hands shook their heads and said no.
“What kind of training is this? They’re dragged in without knowing and throw stupid orders. They don’t get angry? They’re just like that.”
Listening quietly, Philia realized what Rai was doing.
He was creating a common enemy.
When there is a common enemy, the relationship becomes stronger. By exploiting the soldiers’ complaints, he was turning the students into enemies and boosting morale.
This was a method that couldn’t be learned from books. The books only taught how to boost morale through speeches. Rai was giving a speech, but his method of persuasion was different.
Unlike the students who would only participate once, the soldiers would be commanded by the academy throughout the semester. They were tired and worn out.
They had come to another land, unable to meet their families, and were only hearing complaints while suffering. Rai was treating them to beer and making them feel respected.
Philia didn’t know the atmosphere of the other student commanders’ troops, but there was probably no troop with higher morale than this one.
She had heard that troops with high morale could exert more power than their abilities, and she looked at Rai, who had easily controlled the troop.
“Who is the strongest person here?”
“I am! I’m the strongest. I’m also called the strongest bear in the unit I was in.”
“Uwa, I’m here. I’m the strongest. Look at this arm. The muscles don’t lie. Strongest bear? Not the strongest pig? That kind of flabby skin can’t use any strength.”
“Hahahaha, then let’s do arm wrestling.”
Rai had somehow started chatting with the soldiers. Whether it was because he naturally liked to mingle with others or because he wanted to unite the troop, it was confusing.
But from everything Rai had done so far, Philia had realized one thing.
He did not accept defeat calmly. He had boosted morale and defined the other student commanders as enemies. Maybe the provocation of the students earlier was also calculated.
‘This guy has no intention of giving up.’
For Philia, who hated giving up and sitting still, this was a joyful sight.