This Isn't It
The grip looked awkward at first glance, but the fundamentals were solid. There was no forced tension in his hands, and his wrists didn't bend at unnatural angles. The tip of the sword trembled faintly, yet its center remained perfectly balanced. Above all, his footwork. The spacing was just right. He didn't carry the overwhelming pressure that geniuses exuded, nor the relaxed ease of veteran swordsmen. But one look at his posture told me everything. This was a stance created through endless repetition. At least he's not completely worthless.
A stance alone couldn't reveal everything, but balanced forms like this were rare even at the Academy. If he'd taken the normal entrance exam, this level of skill would have been more than enough to pass. All of it overshadowed by one reason: his little sister was a genius. Perhaps the rumor that he had no talent was simply because her brilliance had buried whatever ability he possessed. Ophelia's words flashed through Aurora's mind.
Am I being too stubborn?
Looking into Lumian's eyes brought back her own past. The days she'd been ignored, overshadowed by her older brother, the Sword Saint. Aurora had talent too, but no matter how large the flame, beside the sun it was nothing more than a small candle. Lumian must have crumbled under that same experience. If he truly had no talent, then reaching this level was actually impressive. It was proof of how much he'd trained.
Aurora saw herself in Lumian. But he was different from her. When she had gradually been swallowed by that sun, Lumian had refused to be consumed. Instead, he had embraced it. How hot it must have been.
Even in that situation, he didn't lose his warm heart. Unlike you, Aurora.
Ha. The passionate speech he'd given during the interview hadn't been for himself. He'd poured his heart out for others. The reason Aurora had gotten angry at him was because she'd felt ashamed of herself. The memory of how she'd lived selfishly, trapped by that sun, had made her oppose his admission. Perhaps their vessels had been different from the start.
Staring into his eyes, the ice around her heart began to melt, little by little.
At that moment, a storm-like wind surged forward as if to block her path. Lumian's sword rose into the air and pointed straight at Aurora. It was simply floating in midair, yet it felt as though a massive swordsman stood behind it. A seasoned warrior. No, far more than that. An invisible veteran, a hero who'd survived countless wars, was standing at Lumian's back.
I didn't expect this much.
Aurora had faced spirit users before. They were extremely rare, but she'd seen a few. She'd even taught Arcien at the Academy. But never had she crossed blades with a spirit of this caliber.
Most spirits simply assisted their contractors. The extent of that assistance varied wildly depending on the spirit. Some could only produce cute little flames, while others could summon massive fireballs. Until now, their low numbers had kept the exact source of their power a mystery. Was it the bond between contractor and spirit? The achievements of their soul? Or did it require a separate talent?
Many speculated that the greater the soul's accomplishments, the stronger the power manifested. Perhaps this was a gift from the world, a torch offered to a child who carried light through darkness. If this had been the Aurora of her youth, she might have felt jealous of Lumian. But after witnessing that passionate speech earlier, everything felt meaningless.
Yes. Someone like him deserved a chance.
Aurora lowered her sword to the ground.
"I surrender."
A storm raged behind me, and the special admission test ended in the blink of an eye.
"Huh?"
"You've passed. This isn't just my decision."
Aurora picked up the sword she'd dropped and walked toward me.
"Do you even realize how much power you just used?"
I looked around. The room was in complete chaos from the recent gale. The people who'd been watching us were either sprawled on the floor or frantically fixing their wind-tousled hair.
"A spirit user of your level would have no trouble enrolling in the Academy. Honestly, we should be begging you to join us."
Aurora approached and patted my shoulder.
"I saw your stance. The way you held the sword showed me how hard you've worked."
She looked at me with a bittersweet expression.
"A new opportunity. Make sure you seize it properly."
With those words, Aurora descended from the stage.
Is this for real? Do I actually have to enroll? And why the hell is Anemoi so strong? I thought she was just supposed to add a wind attribute to my sword. I tried calling for her, but for some reason she didn't respond to my summons.
In a panic, I shouted at Aurora's retreating back.
"Professor! This isn't right! This isn't—"
"Lumian."
Aurora stopped walking and turned to look at me with pity in her eyes.
"There's no need to run away anymore."
What is she talking about? Run away where?
"You've worked hard enough."
You crazy woman, that's not what I meant. I just want to go home.
After she left, I stood there staring blankly into space for a long time. My enrollment proceeded at lightning speed. Ophelia dragged me through the admission procedures and I was assigned a dormitory.
"You can live here from now on."
It was a modest single room. The interior combined wood tones and white tones, creating a comfortable, easy-on-the-eyes atmosphere. To me, though, it just looked like a cozy prison.
Ophelia set down the luggage she'd been carrying.
"All the test results are out, and your name has been added to the list of accepted students."
"...Yes."
"Get a good night's sleep and come to your first class tomorrow."
"...Yes."
"It's the first day, so there won't be much to it. Still, don't stay up too late."
Ophelia smiled and placed her hand on my head.
"Don't worry too much. You'll do fine."
But none of her words reached me.
Thud.
Even after she closed the door and left, I remained standing motionless for a full five minutes. I don't know how much time passed after that. Eventually I started unpacking my bag, pulling out clothes, daily necessities, my sword, and various other items.
In a daze, I collapsed onto the bed. The moment my body touched the mattress, the reality of having to attend the Academy tomorrow finally hit me.
"Ha..."
I can't even sleep. I'd been planning to somehow get the admission canceled and go home to rest. Instead, I'd ended up in this prison called school. What crime did I even commit?
If I hadn't come, Serian probably wouldn't have enrolled either. If I'd just lived as a good-for-nothing and let her hate me, maybe I could've avoided the Academy. But that wouldn't have worked. If she'd graduated and become a full-fledged archmage, my future would've been even more uncertain. The ideal future was living peacefully in the shadow of Archmage Serian. That was the plan.
Even if my admission had been canceled, she might have stormed out of the Academy after me. Yeah. Let's just believe that. Since things have turned out this way, I'll live as quietly as possible at school. What would an old man like me accomplish by making noise among these fresh-faced students? I'll just stay quiet, graduate, and go home.
When I thought about it, I only had to endure for about three years. After that, I could live peacefully in the family estate again. I should just think of it as a slightly extended pension contribution period. Serian, you'd better pay me back everything I'm suffering now. How much happiness are you planning to give me in return?
"Guess I should sleep..."
At least there wasn't an entrance ceremony. That was a relief.
Anemoi never appeared, not even after I fell asleep.
The path to the Academy. I walked along wearing the school uniform. To think I'd be wearing a school uniform at this age. Adding my previous life, how old was I exactly?
"Nothing big will happen since it's the first day, right?"
"Probably not."
"Please!"
Walking alongside the other Academy students felt utterly pathetic. How should I describe the other kids? They had that fresh, dewy scent of new students. Their eyes sparkled with anticipation for Academy life. And me? I was radiating the aura of a jaded corporate employee. If they were all wearing their school uniforms properly, I looked like an adult who'd rented one at an amusement park.
I finally arrived in front of the classroom door.
The chatter died down.
Swordsmanship A-Class. The very class where the female protagonist and other main characters from the novel would appear. I'd asked Ophelia why I was placed in Swordsmanship A-Class.
'Then what else could you do?'
'Hmm...'
'Magic? You have no mana. Alchemy? Do you even know how to identify herbs? Divinity? You don't have any religion.'
I had nothing to say. I really didn't know how to do anything. If I'd been competent in any of those areas, I would've tried to pivot to a different track. But of all places, it had to be A-Class.
Creak.
The moment I opened the door and entered, the previously noisy classroom fell silent. Weren't they being too obvious? Even if an older-looking person had shown up, this was excessive. If they showed their dislike so blatantly, even I would notice. Couldn't they at least be subtle about it?
I broke the silence and took a seat by the window at the very back. Might as well stare at the sky from here. Besides, nothing special ever happened on the first day.
Creak.
While I was blankly staring out the window, the door opened again.
"Hello...!"
A familiar voice rang through the classroom. Another silence fell. Even for kids, wasn't this too much?
The person who'd just entered was Eloa. The female protagonist of this novel. Even before contracting with Anemoi in the original story, Eloa had been treated like a ghost in class. The reason was obvious. She was a commoner. And not just any commoner—a poor one.
The Academy accepted both commoners and nobles. But most commoners couldn't even attempt the entrance exam. They had to spend money that would take a lifetime to save just on the test fee. There was no guarantee of passing, and even if they did, they wouldn't have the means to pay tuition. Therefore, the commoners who attended were mostly wealthy ones who weren't strapped for cash.
Why would those rich commoner students want to associate with someone like Eloa? Their goal in coming to the Academy wasn't just academics or graduation. Connections with nobles were far more important. Nobles had no reason to befriend poor commoners, and wealthy commoners had no reason to befriend poor ones either.
So why had Eloa enrolled? Because her mother was obsessed with success. Since Eloa had decent talent, her mother probably thought that just graduating would be beneficial. Even without her spirit, she would've ranked in the middle to lower tier of the Academy. Graduation wouldn't have been a problem.
Of course, thanks to that, Eloa had to worry about money the entire time she attended. And so she lived in loneliness until she formed her contract.
"Ah...!"
At that moment, my eyes met Eloa's. Come to think of it, the only person she knew here was me. She approached hesitantly and tried to sit next to me.
"Um... may I sit here...?"
It's not like anyone reserved the seat. Irritation boiled up inside me, but I didn't let it show.
"Of course."
"Thank you!"
I would've preferred she didn't sit here, but I couldn't exactly tell her to get lost. Just being acquaintances should be fine. When I turned back to the window, Eloa didn't try to strike up a conversation either. The classroom grew lively once more.
How much time had passed?
Creak!
Silence fell over the classroom again. This time it was different from when Eloa and I had entered. This wasn't wariness. It was tension.
"Looks like everyone arrived safely on the first day."
Aurora Mason, the dedicated professor for Swordsmanship A-Class. The same professor who'd overseen my admission test and a character who appeared frequently in the novel.
"My name is Aurora Mason. Remember it."
She swept her gaze across the students.
"Since today is the first day, there isn't much to cover. I'll just explain what you'll need to do going forward."
There wasn't anything particularly noteworthy. She went over the upcoming class schedule and some precautions. I let Aurora's words go in one ear and out the other. None of it was important anyway. The required courses would be automatically registered, and we only needed to sign up for elective liberal arts classes we wanted. Everything else would be handled individually.
"Right. That should cover everything..."
Finally, it was over. I should hurry back to the dormitory and sleep. I was busy thinking about the fastest way to return to my room when—
"Lumian."
"..."
"Lumian!"
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
Why was she suddenly calling me? The moment I answered, every student in the classroom turned to stare at me.
"Since it's the first day, let's do some self-introductions. You go first. Come on out."
"What?"
Why are you doing this to me? This isn't right.