That Mercenary Bastard is the Top Student?!
The hall buzzed with murmurs. Everyone turned to stare at the Hero and the Saintess, their faces filled with admiration. Some even stepped forward to greet them personally.
“Greetings. I am Ube Langnick, eldest son of Marquis Langnick. May I escort the two of you to your seats?”
“Oh my, thank you.”
“Ahem, thank you.”
The pair followed Ube to a pair of empty seats at the very front—clearly reserved on purpose.
Even the archmage reacted to the Hero and Saintess. He paused his reading and glanced their way, his gaze lingering especially on the Hero.
Rivalry?
The archmage’s expression was openly competitive. It seemed he already considered the Hero his greatest rival.
Tsk.
I frowned slightly, an unpleasant feeling stirring in my chest. It lasted only a moment. I quickly smoothed my expression. My life had been far too rough to be shaken by something so trivial.
Eventually, all the new students had entered. The entrance ceremony began shortly after.
The ceremony itself was nothing special—almost identical to the ones I’d attended back on Earth. Opening remarks, a moment of silence, an introduction to the Academy, the official declaration of enrollment, and the dean’s speech. Everything felt familiar.
Well, up until the middle, at least. The second half was completely different.
For one thing, the king himself attended the ceremony.
Young.
The king was a handsome young man with a neatly trimmed short brown beard. Of course, appearances were deceiving—he was actually in his late thirties. The moment he arrived, he took the stage and began his speech.
I had assumed a young king would keep things brief. I’d momentarily forgotten this was the medieval era.
“……And so, as the anecdote illustrates, if each of you strives to do your best in your respective fields…”
The speech dragged on far longer than I’d expected. Over an hour had passed, yet there was no sign of it ending.
No, this isn’t just because it’s the medieval period. The king himself might be the odd one here…
It was excessive even by medieval standards. Everyone looked like they were forcing themselves to listen. Constantine, seated beside me, was barely keeping his eyes open, clearly struggling to stay awake.
Even an archmage has to endure this because it’s the king?
The young king also had an oddly preachy streak.
“By the way, the Academy… It brings back fond memories. Back in my day, there weren’t even chairs like these for new students. Ah! No need to stand. Sit back down. Haha!”
I couldn’t fathom how someone like him had come up with the idea for the Special Class. His speech finally concluded after nearly two full hours.
“Well then, as much as it pains me, I shall end here. Haha!”
Just as everyone thought the ceremony was over—
“Phew.”
“Finally.”
People exhaled quietly and stretched. I did the same.
It’s finally over. Haah, I thought I was going to die.
It had been more grueling than any battle. But then something unexpected happened.
The king suddenly spoke again.
“Ah, come to think of it… What was that fellow’s name again?”
He turned to the dean standing nearby and asked something. The dean’s reply made my blood run cold.
“Ah! That would be… Jace Allen.”
That’s my name!
“Ah, right. The Mercenary King, Jace Allen. He’s been making quite a name for himself lately.”
The king had apparently heard of my reputation. But that wasn’t the important part.
“Mercenary King Jace Allen. Step forward.”
The king had called for me out of nowhere. I rose from my seat in a daze and walked toward the stage.
Hiss, what now?
Countless eyes followed me, all filled with confusion.
“What? Why the Mercenary King?”
“If it’s about fame, the Hero should be more famous, right?”
“Or maybe the archmage…”
“What about Elf Princess Lucien?”
Then I felt a strange gaze on me. Turning my head, I saw a woman whose beauty surpassed even that of any celebrity.
Lucien.
The Elf Princess. Or rather, the Divine Archer Lucien’s gaze. She knew me. I knew her too. We had both been part of the Hero’s party, after all.
Unlike the Saintess, however, she didn’t harbor any affection for me. We weren’t particularly close, nor did we dislike each other.
After passing her curious stare, I finally faced the king. The young monarch regarded me with clear interest. I stepped onto the stage and offered a respectful bow.
Thud.
“Raise your head.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
He approached me and patted my shoulder.
Thud. Thud.
“Haha! Magnificent!”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, you don’t know? Jace Allen. You achieved first place in this year’s Special Class entrance exam!”
“Ah…”
I had known I did well. I’d passed every stage, and my English test had been overwhelmingly strong. I’d even suspected I might be the top scorer…
But I never expected such a grand announcement.
This was bad. It would ruin my plans. I had intended to stay quietly in the shadows of the top students during the early stages. Now that plan had gone up in smoke.
The hall erupted into whispers. People were already murmuring about me.
“No way! A mercenary got first place?!”
“Not the Hero?!”
“I thought Archmage Constantine would be the top scorer…!”
Among them were the Hero and Saintess. Their voices carried clearly from the front row.
“Ha…! Jace Allen is first place?! Not me?! Grhh.”
I could hear the Hero grinding his teeth.
“Oh my…! As expected of Sir Jace! How can he be so brilliant…!”
The Saintess’s voice carried a strangely fervent tone.
Surprisingly, I remained calm. There was no helping it now.
The king won’t just let this slide.
I might as well accept whatever reward he offered. For the sake of his dignity, he wouldn’t let it end with mere words.
I hope it’s money…
The Steel Mercenary Group’s operating funds were running dangerously low. Even with Jerome’s excellent management skills as vice-captain, there were limits. A royal reward would give us some breathing room.
“Hoho, you’re not surprised?”
“No, Your Majesty. I was simply so shocked that my face froze.”
I didn’t try to act arrogant in front of the king. After seeing his preachy side, humility seemed the safer choice.
And my instincts were correct.
“Even humble, I see. I never imagined the Mercenary King would be such a man. Haha!”
His hearty laugh suggested he rather liked me.
Stop laughing and just hand over the money already.
Soon, the moment I’d been waiting for arrived.
“We can’t let a first-place admission go unrewarded.”
The king reached into his robes, clearly about to pull something out.
Good. At least a thousand gold, right?
He was known for his generosity. The fact that he’d promised a grand estate to the Academy’s top graduate was proof enough. One gold coin was worth about a million won on Earth, so a thousand gold would be around a billion won.
Then something golden began to gleam in his hand.
That’s it!
Unfortunately, I’d made too good an impression. Instead of money, he pulled out a long object.
“That is…”
“Ah, it’s nothing much. Just a gift.”
What emerged from his robes was no ordinary item. A long sword entirely encased in gold, its scabbard gleaming with gold leaf. It looked incredibly expensive—my estimate put it at nearly ten thousand gold. A hundred billion won in Earth currency.
My expression didn’t brighten. In fact, I even tried to refuse it.
“Your Majesty… Isn’t this too extravagant a gift…?”
There was a reason for my reluctance.
No, I don’t need some decorative sword like that!
It was clearly not meant for actual combat—more of an ornamental piece. And since it was a direct gift from the king, I couldn’t even sell it. In short, it was a useless luxury.
But refusing a royal gift wasn’t an option.
“Haha! No need to be so humble! Take it quickly. Your hands must be getting tired.”
I had no choice but to extend my hands. They trembled slightly.
“Haha, even the Mercenary King can’t contain his emotions over my gift? Your hands are shaking.”
“Th-that’s right.”
I clenched my teeth and accepted the sword. It was heavier than expected, likely due to the abundance of jewels and gold. After receiving it, I turned around.
Countless jealous gazes met me. The prince’s eyes were especially hostile.
Glare.
Haah, seriously.
His eyes refused to leave the sword.
I heard the prince was quite the jealous type…
He probably resented me for receiving the king’s recognition in his place. It was obvious.
I sighed inwardly and returned to my seat. From the very beginning, I’d drawn an enormous amount of attention.
At this rate, I’ll have to revise my plans.
There was no helping it. I’d have to activate Plan B.
Plan B was simple. While Plan A involved staying quiet until the latter half and then surging ahead, Plan B meant discarding all restraint and going all out from the start. I’d have to use every means available.
Tsk, no choice then?
Graduating honorably was no longer an option.
Well, I’m a mercenary after all. The king of mercenaries who’ll do anything to survive.
Maybe this was for the best. If I wasn’t going to be number one, there was no point. I might as well go all out from the beginning.
Still, receiving the sword wasn’t entirely negative. When I sat down, I noticed Archmage Constantine looking at me with newfound interest—completely different from his earlier dismissive gaze.
“Hmm…”
Of course, I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing. Even if he acknowledged me, he would definitely see me as a rival from now on.
“Why?”
“Nothing. Your name was Jace Allen, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll remember it. Jace Allen.”
“Hah, sure.”
Thus ended the tumultuous entrance ceremony—one that had firmly etched my name into everyone’s minds. And I had completely revised my original plan.
Haah, I guess I’ll have to go all out from now on.