The Freshman Orientation
“That concludes the address. Next, we will have the oath from the representative student. Yuri Grace, step forward.”
“Yes.”
As the silver-haired girl ascended the stage, every eye in the hall turned toward her. Yuri paid the attention no mind and began reciting the oath exactly as they had rehearsed.
“We, the new students, as honorable cadets of Dairos Academy, solemnly pledge to uphold its standards. Representative cadet, Yuri Grace.”
Yuri Grace, the representative cadet, and the other 330 new students recited the oath in unison. There was something undeniably majestic about hundreds of voices speaking the exact same words at the same time.
Once the oath ended, the cadets dispersed to their respective departments—Knight, Magic, Art, Military, and Administration. Kyle followed the Knight Department instructor toward their classroom. From afar, Yuri’s sharp gaze stabbed into him like needles.
Why’s she looking at me like that?
Maybe she had seen him talking to Aria and jumped to some misunderstanding. Kyle shook off the ominous feeling and kept walking.
The instructor guiding them wore an unwavering smile as he stood at the front of the classroom.
“New students of the Knight Department, please wait a moment. The professor will arrive shortly.”
His tone was far more courteous than Kyle had expected—courteous enough to make someone who had attended a Korean physical education college feel something was off. It didn’t take long to understand why. Several cadets who looked like nobles were already seated inside.
Well, the academy claims everyone is equal, but that’s easier said than done…
Unless you had both a good family and overwhelming skill like Kyle, preaching equality inside the academy was impossible. If this instructor failed to become a professor and got cut, he would have to enter someone’s household. Antagonizing nobles by enforcing pointless discipline would not only ruin his chances of promotion—it would close every door to employment. An Expert might still find work somewhere, but a talent of that level would never be dismissed from the academy in the first place.
“Why isn’t the professor here yet…?”
On their very first day, cadets who had yet to shed their noble airs began grumbling about a professor who dared to keep them waiting. Their complaints died the moment heavy footsteps echoed from beyond the door.
Creaaak—!
The door opened and an elderly man stepped inside. No one present failed to recognize that face, noble or commoner alike.
“Why so quiet?”
When Gawain, the Knight Department professor, spoke, the cadets finally realized what they were seeing and let out gasps of awe. The empire’s hero. A living legend. One of the empire’s few Masters. Though old injuries kept him from the battlefield, he now devoted himself to nurturing the next generation—a true legend.
“You all look like you’ve seen something you shouldn’t have. What, want me replaced with someone else?”
“N-no, sir!”
“Eh? My ears aren’t what they used to be…”
“Professor Gawain is perfect for us!”
After half-forcing their enthusiastic response, Gawain chuckled and began explaining why he was there.
“Some of you may know this, some may not—the academy values freedom. We don’t care what classes you take or skip, as long as you earn the required credits and graduate.”
“O-ohhh…”
“However—if we gave that kind of freedom to brand-new cadets, most of you would be clutching your heads wondering what to do. That’s why first-years can’t choose their own subjects.”
The cadets who had rejoiced at the word “freedom” despaired, while those who hadn’t yet thought about what to do felt relieved. Gawain observed their reactions, then had the instructor distribute timetables.
“This is the Knight Department timetable. It’s packed with dull, rigid courses like Basic Swordsmanship, Aura Training, and Physical Conditioning.”
A few liberal arts courses from other departments were also included. Some might call it substantial; others might think they had come to the academy only to learn more useless things. As if reading their thoughts, Gawain grinned.
“There is a way to skip all these boring classes.”
“What is it…?”
“Simple. Beat me in a match.”
Gawain said this while staring straight at Kyle. Meeting his eyes, Kyle realized the rule had been made with him in mind—an unspoken invitation to reveal his strength and skip class whenever he grew bored. Kyle smirked back at him. The other cadets assumed it was a joke and sighed in dismay. Challenging a Master was beyond harsh; it was impossible for mere cadets.
“Right, that ends orientation. Kyle Meyer.”
“Yes, old man.”
“Come with me.”
Kyle stood and walked to the front. Envious and curious stares followed him. Just who is this guy that the professor called him out? Ignoring them, Kyle left the classroom with Gawain.
The moment they stepped into the hallway, Kyle spoke to the back of Gawain’s head.
“Old man, wasn’t that a bit much? If you draw that much aggro, how am I supposed to live a normal school life?”
“—You don’t seem like the type who’d care about something like that.”
“There’s such a thing as moderation.”
When Kyle answered curtly, Gawain looked at him with genuine surprise. Masters tended to drift away from worldly concerns; after all, a single individual could wipe out entire armies. Yet Kyle was different. Even after reaching Master rank, he still tried to blend in with ordinary people. Was it because he had become a Master at such a young age that he didn’t understand how the world worked, or was it precisely because of that personality that he had reached Master rank so early…?
“If you’ve got complaints, come at me right here.”
“Trying to turn me into an old-man assaulter? Just tell me what you want already.”
“—The headmaster called for you.”
“The headmaster?”
Kyle tilted his head. The only time he had met the headmaster was during the entrance ceremony, and he barely remembered the speech. Why would the headmaster summon him now, when they had never spoken privately before?
“What’s it about?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me either. Probably something about your identity.”
“I’m still trying to keep that hidden, though.”
“Why?”
“My father-in-law told me to.”
“Hmm… That’s a serious matter.”
Already wearing a pitying look at the sight of Kyle being henpecked by his in-laws before even entering the prime of his life, Gawain watched Kyle walk past him and arrive at the headmaster’s office.
Knock, knock.
After Gawain knocked, the headmaster’s voice—the same one they had heard during the ceremony—came from inside. When they opened the door, the bearded headmaster greeted Kyle with a warm smile.
“Hoho, welcome. Ah, Sir Gawain. Thank you. You may return now.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Once Gawain departed, leaving Kyle alone with the headmaster, Kyle plopped down on the sofa and looked at him. The headmaster stroked his beard, chuckled, and sat across from him.
“Cadet Kyle Meyer. I’ve heard the story from His Grace the Duke.”
“What story?”
“That you are a Master. And that you’re keeping it hidden.”
“Oh, I was told that was supposed to be a secret.”
When Kyle questioned why the Duke had revealed it, the headmaster laughed and explained that it wasn’t only him who knew.
“Not just me—His Imperial Majesty the Emperor has also been informed.”
“Wow—our Duke really gets around with the gossip.”
“Because they’re people who need to know. His Imperial Majesty must prepare to welcome a new Master, and as the academy’s head, I have both the duty and the right to know and manage everything.”
The headmaster’s eyes gleamed as he spoke. Inside those eyes, brilliantly blue mana swirled. The moment their gazes met, Kyle felt mana trying to probe his body and instinctively raised his aura. Two pairs of eyes—one filled with aura, the other with mana—clashed in the air before vanishing like melting snow.
“…You’ve got the skill to be headmaster, all right.”
“I would have preferred it if that had been a joke. Throwing this burden on an old man in his twilight years…”
“A burden, huh…”
Kyle gave a wry smile at being treated like a burden the Duke had dumped on the headmaster. The headmaster stopped stroking his beard and looked Kyle straight in the eye.
“—If a Master causes trouble, only another Master can stop them. So yes, a burden.”
“I have no intention of causing trouble.”
“Haa… Please understand. When you get old, you tend to worry about many things.”
With that, the headmaster met Kyle’s gaze once more and issued a warning.
“I would prefer you not reveal to others that you are a Master.”
“And if I do?”
“Then, naturally—I will have no choice but to expel you.”
The headmaster recited the threat with a sharp glint in his eyes. Kyle responded as if the idea were absurd.
“No, how can you expel a cadet who wants to attend the academy?”
“Realistically speaking—what could we possibly teach a Master? Having a Master enrolled as a cadet is no different from a professor enrolling as a student.”
“……When you put it that way, I don’t have much to say.”
Still, the headmaster was right. Even if Kyle were expelled, he wouldn’t have a valid argument against it. If word spread that a Master was attending the academy as a cadet instead of a professor, it would cause an uproar. Nobles from across the empire would swarm him with every means at their disposal, making academy life unbearable. In the end, it would be no different from expulsion.
Despite the harsh words, the headmaster was ultimately looking out for him.
“Understood. I’ll do my best to keep the fact that I’m a Master hidden.”
“I appreciate it.”
Kyle left the headmaster’s office determined to keep his promise—no matter what, he would protect the secret.
* * *
There had been a time when he thought that.
“N-no way……”
Staring at the trembling officer cadet, I realized I had made a mistake. Scattered across the table in front of him were the wargame pieces.
Ah…… I should have gone easy on him.