External Training (2)
The massive academy city known as Eldron City, built around the central pillar of Eldron Academy, was governed by an overarching board of directors.
Today, the members of that very board had gathered in one place.
“Why did that old chairman of ours call us together?”
Among the ten directors—including the chairman himself—was a petite woman with deep blue twin tails. Maple Hades, president of the continent’s largest trading company, the Hades Corporation, had postponed even urgent business deals to attend. Her expression made her displeasure abundantly clear.
“Maple. Have you forgotten that the chairman’s summons are absolute?”
The woman with the red ponytail scolded her with a hint of rebuke.
“Yeah, yeah~ You’re absolutely right, you rigid old Master Blade.”
“I actually agree with President Maple.”
A middle-aged man with silver-white hair and golden eyes entered the conference room, nodding in sympathy with Maple’s complaint.
“It’s been a while, Your Grace.”
The red-haired woman—Marcia—bowed respectfully to the middle-aged man.
“I should be keeping an eye on my prospective son-in-law so he doesn’t do anything untoward to my daughter, yet here I am dragged into a meeting in the middle of the night. I truly cannot fathom what he’s thinking.”
“Duke Curbis. Did you just say prospective son-in-law? You have one too?”
Another person entered the room, cutting into the silver-haired man—Rice’s—words.
It was a middle-aged man with striking sky-blue hair.
“What do you mean, ‘too’? Sword Saint, do you have a prospective son-in-law as well?”
“I mentioned before that I would soon bring home a man to be my daughter’s live-in husband.”
“That daughter of yours—Esil, who has no interest in anyone else? He must be quite the catch for her to approve.”
The two middle-aged men began chatting, completely unaware they were talking about the same person.
“What are you two gossiping about so happily?”
“Your Majesty.”
“You’ve arrived, Your Majesty.”
The moment a man with radiant golden hair and an exceptionally handsome face entered the conference room, everyone except Maple offered him a deep, respectful bow.
He looked younger than both Sword Saint Marquis Louvre and Demon Duke Curbis, yet they treated him with such deference. The reason was simple.
This man was the most noble and exalted being on the continent.
Rankins Elraine Argano, the 38th emperor of the Argano Empire, known as the Tyrant Emperor.
Despite his youthful appearance, if one excluded the demons active across the continent and limited the count to humans, only the Great Sage Fluros was older than him.
“There’s no need for such formalities. I, too, am merely one of the board members who was summoned.”
Even the emperor was not the chairman of the overarching board.
“Oh my, everyone’s already here.”
A woman with black hair and dark eyes entered the meeting hall.
As soon as she stepped inside, Maple spoke up.
“Seriously. I still don’t understand how a demon became a director. And making her the dean of Eldron Academy? That’s just ridiculous.”
“Oh dear, little President. Aren’t you tired of saying that every time you see me?”
“Who are you calling little?! I’m in my thirties!”
“Age isn’t what matters. When your outward appearance and your behavior match that of a child, then you’re a child.”
“Ugh…”
While Maple and Liv bickered, the rest of the attendees gradually filed into the conference room.
The heads of the empire’s five great families, Master Blade, the president of the Hades Corporation, the dean of Eldron Academy, and—
“Sorry to keep you all waiting.”
The last to enter was an old man.
At first glance he looked shabby, but every person present could feel the intense mana swirling around him—mana that made it impossible to guess his true age.
Great Sage Fluros.
The only archmage in human history to reach the 7th circle.
And the chairman of this overarching board of directors.
“Then let us begin the meeting.”
“I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors about a certain drug being distributed in secret throughout Eldron City recently.”
Fluros brought up the illegal substance that had been circulating covertly in the city.
“I heard it not only amplifies mana but also dramatically improves the quality of one’s mana operation.”
“But it’s highly addictive. Once you’ve taken it, you crave it constantly. If you can’t get more, you quickly become a wreck. I’ve also heard it’s essentially a narcotic.”
“You are both correct. What matters most is that the primary targets of this drug are the students of Eldron Academy.”
The drug was being sold exclusively to a specific group, as if it had chosen its victims in advance.
That group was none other than the students of Eldron Academy.
The moment those words left Fluros’s mouth, every director turned to stare at Liv.
The implication was clear: You’re the dean. Why aren’t you controlling your students?
“We are enforcing control, but it’s impossible to block everything completely.”
Liv responded to their glares with the nuance that while she was doing her best, it was impossible to completely stop even a small trickle from leaking through.
“The brokers selling the drug are operating with extreme secrecy. We haven’t been able to locate them.”
“If they’re selling it that way, it’s probably a cell-based organization. Classic method.”
“President Hades is right. No matter how many tails you catch, if you can’t grab the body—and beyond that, the head—you’ll never be able to cut it off.”
“Master… I mean, Chairman. You wouldn’t have brought this up unless you had a plan, correct?”
At Rankins’s question, Fluros nodded and began explaining the method he had in mind.
“If Actors—whether knights from the orders or mages from the towers—move directly, the organization will notice. Therefore, I believe we need to form a pursuit team made up of people they would never suspect or guard against.”
“And who did you have in mind for such a team, Chairman?”
“The students of Eldron Academy would be able to avoid drawing the organization’s attention. Who would ever imagine that students are hunting them?”
The directors fell silent for a moment.
Fluros’s suggestion wasn’t without merit. Just as one must make the opponent let down their guard to strike at their blind spot, it was highly likely that the criminals would never even consider the possibility that students were pursuing them.
“The dean’s opinion will be important here. What do you think?”
“It’s not bad. If we organize ten teams centered around the top rankers and have them conduct scattered pursuit operations, we might be able to sketch out the outline of the drug distribution network.”
Liv didn’t just approve the idea—she even offered a concrete direction.
“Then this shall be our decision. Does everyone agree?”
“Well, I don’t mind agreeing.”
“I agree.”
“I agree as well.”
The agenda passed unanimously.
And so, a new special course called External Training was established. Ten teams were formed, each composed of pre-selected individuals chosen by the board.
“External training?”
I tilted my head at the new notice that had just arrived.
This was the first time I’d heard of an event called external training.
“It says it’s a newly established special course, so not all students will participate. Instead, ten teams will be formed around top rankers. Each team will consist of three members, including the team leader who is a top ranker. These teams will carry out the external training…”
The training area would cover the entirety of Eldron City.
Each team would be given a mission, and completing it would grant a fairly large amount of academic credit.
“Now I get why the kids were praying so desperately to the heavens.”
I’d seen students tossing coins into a pond earlier today, begging, “Oh heavenly gods, please, please,” and thought they’d lost their minds. Apparently they’d been praying to get picked for one of these external training teams.
After all, academic credits at Eldron Academy were practically a direct indicator of one’s future prospects.
“Well, it has nothing to do with me.”
Since I had lost the ranking match against Zen last time, my rank was still at the very bottom. On top of that, I’d deliberately kept my grades at a perfectly average level so I wouldn’t stand out. There was no way I’d get chosen for something like this.
Thinking it was someone else’s problem, I continued walking down the path when my device suddenly rang with a Designated Message alert.
“What the…?”
Designated Message
Title: You have been designated as an External Training team member via Team Leader Authority.
You have been assigned to External Training Team 3.
Team 3 Members: Team Leader Zeld Lubran Lastaria Argano, Esil Louvre, Han Ijun
“What the hell is this!!!”
I couldn’t help but shout out loud.
After reading the message saying I’d been designated as an external training team member, it was only natural.
“Via team leader authority?”
I checked the name of the team leader who had forcibly added me to his team.
Zeld Lubran Lastaria Argano.
The undisputed number one student at Eldron Academy and the crown prince of the Argano Empire.
“Why the hell did this guy pick me as a team member? And Esil’s on the team too?”
The lineup felt exactly like the group that had been at the auction before.
Don’t tell me he figured out who I was back then?
I’d even been wearing a mask. There was no way he could have known…
“Ah… damn it… that’s right.”
I had completely forgotten about Zeld’s Abl.
Zeld’s Act was Observation and his Abl was ESP (Extrasensory Perception).
Using that extrasensory ability, he could see through the true nature of things.
In other words, he had already seen through both me and Esil at the auction.
“I really hate doing annoying things…”
If that sly crown prince was the one behind this, refusing would probably mean he’d leak the fact that I went to the auction, wouldn’t it?
…The moment I realized I had no choice but to go along with it even though it was a pain in the ass.