The First Class (1)
Dirt poured into the trench. I cupped my hands over my head.
Rough clumps battered the backs of my hands. A slightly larger stone must have hit me—my hand throbbed with pain.
My vision blurred. The noise from all sides grew muffled. A piercing ache rang from my eardrums, twisting my face in agony.
Someone grabbed my face. My sight was too hazy to make them out clearly. The one holding my face shook my head back and forth, shouting something.
“…Snap out of it! You wanna die…! Not yet…!”
I blinked vacantly. Instead of looking at the face gripping my head, I stared blankly at the empty air over their shoulder. Gazing at the distant mountains somehow calmed my mind.
No thoughts came. No feelings stirred. Just like this, simply….
…Rat-tat-tat! Bang! Boom!
“Gah!”
My senses snapped back. The sudden crack of rifle fire and artillery piercing my ears stung fiercely. The acrid stench of mana circuits burning out assaulted my nose.
“Father Antonelli! Can you hear me? Pull yourself together! Hey!”
Only then did the face shaking my head come into sharp focus.
It was Mayhem Colonel. Two gleaming eagle emblems shone at the center of his crooked mustache, striking as ever.
Good. I’m still alive.
I hacked and coughed, spitting out the dirt that had lodged deep in my throat. The relentless barrage left my mind reeling.
“I… I hear you. I’m fine, Colonel. What… what happened?”
“Artillery hit the battalion HQ! They’ve got our position! We need to evac now!”
“What the….”
“Hey! You there! Help Father Antonelli evacuate! Hurry! We can’t lose him here!”
Someone hooked their hands under my armpits and dragged me off somewhere in a rush. My limp arms dangled uselessly. Blood streamed from my shoulder—I must have caught some unlucky shrapnel.
“Artillery… on battalion HQ….”
“Father! Don’t talk! At least staunch the bleeding!”
The soldier dragging me yelled. But they needed me. I had to heal them.
I stared blankly at the receding Mayhem Colonel. Veins bulged in his neck as he bellowed orders.
“Fuck! The crystal ball’s dead! Spotter! Enemy barrage?!”
“Mana surge detected! Enemy batteries cooling down—high-explosive rounds loading now!”
“When the hell’s our artillery support coming?! Comms sergeant!”
“Comms sergeant’s KIA!”
“Goddamn it! There’s gotta be at least one comms guy left! Get a comms magic circle up now!”
Rumble—!
“Smoke from enemy lines! Impact in 20 seconds—!”
The spotter flung his binoculars aside with a scream. Mayhem Colonel, braver than anyone, roared.
“Fuck this—if you wanna live, hit the deck!!”
“Impact in 10 seconds—!”
The spotter dove into the trench, shrieking.
As everyone flattened themselves, I saw her. The wounded screaming outside the trench, and her desperately trying to drag them in.
“N-no…!”
“Everyone down! If you value your life, get down!”
The soldier’s grip on me felt cruel. I needed to help her, but I couldn’t. I screamed until my throat tore.
“Helena! Leave them and get in here! Fuck! Crawl in and hit the deck now! Helena—!”
“Impact in 5 seconds! 4… 3…!”
Mayhem Colonel, a 5th-circle mage, unleashed a magic shield with all his might. But he’d used too much mana—it was a pathetically thin barrier.
The enemy shells were closing in.
“Enemy rounds inbound—!”
High-explosive! Fuck! It’s gonna blow! We’re all dead!
And then the barrage hit. Right in the middle of the trench. Right in front of my nose. Into the collapsed dirt pile.
Right above her head.
“Helena! No—!!”
“Gasp…!”
Ragged breaths burst from me. Agonizing pain stabbed my left chest. My face contorted involuntarily.
My heart pounded wildly, like I’d run a nonstop marathon. The thumping echoed sharply through the dark room. My lips trembled.
“Hah, haa… Fuck… this, shit….”
I fumbled for water. My hand found the glass on the bedside table. It slipped a few times before I gripped it, then I tilted it back and drained it in one go.
“Hoo….”
The empty glass slipped from my hand and rolled across the floor. It clattered against the wall and stopped.
I dragged my hands down my face. Cold sweat slicked my skin. Leaning back, I felt the sweat-soaked pillow stick to my hand.
I didn’t even have the energy to be annoyed. My body slumped against the wall. I barely lifted my head to check the clock on the wall.
6:47 a.m. The hour and minute hands stabbed toward me more sharply than ever. My mind screamed in utter exhaustion. Waking like this every hour made proper sleep impossible.
“…Gotta go to work.”
Academy start time was 8 a.m. sharp. Lectures needed prepping by 9. It was about time to get up anyway.
After a few deep breaths, I slowly rose from bed. The trembling had subsided. My now-quiet heart mocked me.
I tossed the damp sheets into the laundry and started filling the tub. My whole body felt sticky; I needed a bath or I’d go mad from the grime. I grimaced.
“…Fucking hell. For real.”
Another filthy morning. Same as always.
Chloe was in a great mood from the morning. She hummed cheerfully nonstop.
Today was finally her first class at Caldea Imperial Academy.
“Me, taking classes at Caldea Academy… I’m so excited….”
Her eyes sparkled as she crossed the academy grounds. Beside her shuffled Eirin, dark circles under her eyes making her look drained.
“Couldn’t sleep a wink because of you… Aren’t you tired?”
“Hehe… I’m too excited to sleep! What can I do?”
“Excited for what? Commoners like us are just extras.”
“What’re you talking about? Everyone’s equal at the academy!”
“Right. A revolutionary, huh….”
Eirin shook her head at her innocent friend. Chloe still hadn’t grasped reality, it seemed.
“You think nobles just waltzed in for fun? They’ve had private tutors, training, family secrets—elite support since childhood. We’re the lucky ones who passed the exam. We’re here to lay the groundwork. That’s it.”
“…N-no, that’s not true! I’m confident I can work hard too! I’ve got so much magic talent.”
“Yeah. Give it your all.”
As Chloe’s lips puffed out, Eirin ended the chat with perfect timing. Seeing her friend’s sullen face made her chuckle.
Chatting away, they entered the academy’s main building. Faint coffee scent wafted from the entrance.
“First class is theology, right? We’re in Class A?”
“Hehe. Yeah. All that studying paid off.”
Both had crammed until their eyes bled. Good scores were secondary; landing in Class A was huge.
Chloe pulled out yesterday’s pamphlet. Amid the dense first-class details, one name caught her eye.
- 1st Year Class A Theology Instructor: Professor Lucio Antonelli.
“Professor Antonelli… He’s our teacher. Wonder how he’ll lecture?”
“He looked kinda sickly.”
“Eirin! That’s no way to talk about a professor…!”
Excited Chloe and nonchalant Eirin walked on slowly.
How long had they walked? Their steps halted before the lecture hall. Eirin checked her wristwatch: 9:20 a.m.
Class started at 9:30. They were early, but opening the door changed her mind.
Chloe wasn’t the only eager one. Over half the seats were filled. Eirin inwardly admired it.
“They’re all so diligent….”
Chloe and Eirin entered quietly. Students scribbled in notebooks, greeted strangers, built bonds.
“Saw it yesterday, but the room’s so clean.”
“Must be a pain to clean….”
They sat mid-row, with a clear view of the podium. Chloe felt she’d snagged prime seats.
Smaller than the auditorium stage. A chest-high lectern stood center, backed by a massive blackboard.
Chloe’s eyes darted around. They widened upon spotting her target.
“Eirin! Look! Front row!”
“…Lady Adelaide. Even sitting straight, her posture’s perfect.”
“Wanna be friends… But no chance….”
Chloe’s eyes dripped regret, like gazing at an ex. Eirin looked disgusted.
“Seriously… That’s terminal. Terminal.”
“Eirin, don’t you wanna be friends? I’ll talk to her someday.”
“Good luck.”
Eirin slumped over her desk and glanced at her watch.
9:29 a.m. The second hand ticked: 57, 58, 59….
Creak—thud!
The door flew open roughly. The buzz died instantly.
A man stepped in through the front door.
Click. Click.
Immaculately pressed black priestly robes to his ankles, like a coat.
Messy black hair. Pale skin. Thick dark circles, glasses perched mid-nose. His eyes behind them lacked life.
Reaching the podium center, he set books on the lectern. His gaze swept the filled room.
“…Greetings, everyone. Pleasure to meet you.”
His eyes scanned slowly, lingering on the front row.
For some reason, Laura von Adelaide flinched at eye contact—Chloe caught it.
“I am Lucio Antonelli, your 1st Year Class A theology professor. I also serve as head priest of the Academy Cathedral. Looking forward to our time together.”
Professor Antonelli offered a faint smile. Scattered claps swelled into thunderous applause.
Clap clap clap!
His body twitched under the ovation, brows furrowing slightly—like barely suppressing irritation.
Lips working silently, he snapped open irritably.
“…In my classes henceforth, clapping is forbidden. Understood?”
The applause cut off dead.
“Student. Understood?”
His lifeless eyes fixed on the first clapper.
“…Y-yes?”
“…Is my instruction unclear?”
“N-no. Yes… Understood.”
“Good.”
His unexpected demeanor blanketed the room in icy silence.
“…Hic.”
Chloe’s hiccup echoed softly.