Chapter 5
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Entrance Ceremony -1-
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"I see... So you'll be working as an adventurer on the side as well. I recognize that anything more would be a burden. An assistant instructor position suits you perfectly. Though 'assistant' feels a bit lowly, so let's just call you an instructor."
"And if you're truly aiming for practical combat, we could get the Church's cooperation to assign priests, then go all out..."
"No, wait! Knights deal with monsters more often than not..."
"If we're talking real substance, personal items might be..."
Three men from completely different fields gathered, pulling out sheets of paper again and scribbling notes.
A veteran knight who had rolled through the front lines for decades.
A mage who figured physical training just needed to be as grueling as possible.
An adventurer who had eliminated anything from humans to monsters without regard for method, as long as it died.
These three polar opposites debated, and somehow... something was taking shape.
"Phew... We've finally got a draft of the training program."
Doran clenched and unclenched his tired left hand after writing page after page.
He was a master calligrapher even with his left.
"It looks too simple. But this should snap those bloody brats into shape. If they can't even pass this, they don't deserve to stand on the front lines!!!"
Roland nodded repeatedly, satisfied, as he reread the text.
"But these are noble kids raised like flowers in a greenhouse. You think their parents will just sit back and let this happen?"
Doran chuckled darkly, his eyes gleaming with madness at my words.
The emotions he harbored didn't look particularly pure.
"In the end, this all falls under the Emperor's decree to the Academy. Refusing would be defying His Majesty's orders. So before the training starts, we'll get consent forms from the cadets and their parents."
We'd been drinking and talking through the night, so even Doran was speaking casually enough now—not quite like Roland, but close.
He seemed strict, but as long as you followed the rules, he was more reasonable than the unpredictable Roland.
"It's worth spending a bit on mana-based contracts."
"Naturally. We'll start with the 100th class enrollees and compare them to the 99th. The 99th... well, they're done for. Sorry, but nothing else shows results like that."
As an 'assistant'-labeled instructor, my contract was for one year.
(I can only guess at your strength; I don't know precisely. I'm a mage more devoted to scholarship than battlefields. I'm truly sorry to you, who offered help out of goodwill, but I don't believe strength alone makes for great teaching.)
Doran made perfect sense.
Being the world's strongest doesn't automatically make you the world's best teacher.
I just needed to prove it with results over the year.
Freely coming and going in the Academy for a year was valuable enough, and I liked the training draft these three had created.
Legally see the protagonist and heroine under the guise of education?
Sign me up.
The day before the entrance ceremony.
To me, it felt more like the day before meeting the protagonist and heroine than the ceremony itself.
If I'd possessed here 25 years ago instead of now, I'd have been too excited to sit still.
Now, there was anticipation and thrill, but my mind felt heavier, more grounded.
I didn't have to attend the ceremony anyway, and Doran said if I did, he'd introduce me to the instructors—so I opted to just observe.
With time to spare, I sat in the courtyard on a chair, munching dried fruit.
Staring at the star-filled night sky made time fly.
"Whoa, a shooting star!"
Rare sight.
Shooting stars began falling one by one.
Too old for wishes, I just thought it was a nice view.
"Huh?"
But their numbers grew, until meteors poured from the night sky like a downpour.
Each meteor a different color.
From red to blue.
Golden gleams and lights blacker than the night sky.
Cheers echoed from the capital.
People seemed to attach great meaning to it; I even heard singing.
"Don't tell me this is..."
I pulled a sword from my Inventory.
[Half Shadow]
▷ Darkness does not blind the eyes.
▷ Does not succumb to any fear.
"Darkness is a transcendent, primal fear to living beings. I found this in a meteor engulfed in black flames—perhaps that's why darkness now ravages the world."
A blade like charred wood, pitch-black from tip to hilt.
Left in a dark alley, it'd be invisible.
This sword wasn't for me; I kept it to prevent handing it off to others.
This sword right here.
And the martial arts skills and Breathing Technique I used were from another dimension.
Even the protagonist's soul had unintentionally crossed from Korea.
By the game's nature, over half the hidden pieces weren't native to this world.
'Akarite' was set up with dimensional problems galore.
That was the game's core hook and feature.
That's why the protagonist could open a path back to impossible Korea.
Playing the game, I didn't overthink using martial arts in fantasy or era-mismatched weapons.
It was just fun, a unique gimmick—nothing more.
'These falling meteors...'
They could be hidden pieces.
Many hidden pieces stayed untouched despite no one visiting.
No rhyme or reason to why some appeared and others didn't.
Who, with my knowledge, could watch this meteor shower without suspicion?
"The protagonist is the protagonist, alright..."
The colorful meteor shower, through a convenience-loving human lens, looked like fireworks celebrating the Academy's 100th ceremony.
But to me, it signaled massive change coming to this world.
Having grasped a clue to the puzzle that had stumped me, I popped the last fruit into my mouth.
The entrance ceremony started at the unusually late 2 p.m., but the Academy buzzed from dawn.
Lofty Academy's 100th entrance ceremony.
100 held no special power, but it was monumental, noteworthy for sure.
Coincidence aside, it drew an absurd number of prodigies who'd shone since childhood—and yesterday's freak natural phenomenon didn't hurt.
Church zealots and mages were out in force.
'Game starts post-enrollment, so I never knew about stuff like this.'
I grabbed breakfast-slash-lunch passing vendor stalls set up for the day.
Not just for nobles; tents sold affordable fare for common Empire folk too.
I liked rough food with spicy sauce, so midday ale and meat for me.
"Roman~ Drinking this early?"
"This is normal, no? What about Rak?"
Liliane wore neat formalwear, not her usual adventurer gear.
Fitting for the youngest's guardian role.
"Heh heh—I'm flying solo today. Worried it'd hurt my image~ No need."
"He said that? Did he eat something bad?"
"Oh? Rak's surprisingly thoughtful despite his size, once you live with him."
"Live... urk... Never needed to know that..."
She burst into loud laughter at my face, bought fruit juice from a tent, and returned.
I got the no-alcohol restraint for the ceremony, but ignoring tasty food?
"You ate already?"
"No, but... belly sticking out here would be embarrassing."
My eyes went to Liliane's flat stomach at her words.
She noticed, hastily covering it with both hands.
"...Say that elsewhere, women'll foam at the mouth and charge."
"What're you..."
"Oh, forgot to mention. Got hired as Academy instructor for a year."
"...?"
Liliane froze, drink in hand.
Hadn't processed it yet.
"Adventuring on the side too."
"...!"
She machine-gunned scoldings like 'Have you lost it?! What kind of Platinum nonsense is this?!'
I calmed her, refilled my ale, and sat back.
She looked faintly exhausted now.
"Sigh... Even for you, unpredictable as you are, this is too much..."
"Wasn't my call this time. Repaying an old debt."
"Sensitive to favors is good, but you overdo it."
"Me? Name one saner guy."
Liliane exaggerated sometimes, so I played up my disbelief.
"No one around to call you out... Not knowing you're the weird one is the weirdest."
"Why so spicy today? Even I feel the sting."
"If I don't say it like this—"
—Esteemed guests visiting Lofty Academy, the entrance ceremony will soon begin in the First Grand Hall.
A mana-infused voice echoed through the air.
Liliane's near-endless nagging cut off awkwardly.
'Phew—'
"Shouldn't you hurry?"
"...And you?"
Her eyes narrowed, unsatisfied at not finishing.
"Going later. Got a quick stop."
"Alright... I'll head on first."