You've Grown? I Won't Acknowledge That
You've Grown? I Won't Acknowledge That
— Everyone, assemble!
After lunch.
A booming voice filled the area around the Second Training Ground.
Magic, Reconnaissance, Priest, and Knight Departments.
One class had been pulled from each department, so the training ground was bustling. A typical class had thirty students, meaning roughly a hundred and twenty had gathered.
Amid that crowd, Ian stood alone.
'I'm used to it by now.'
Where was Danya? He glanced around but couldn't spot her, probably because of how short she was.
This was a familiar kind of solitude in many ways.
It actually made him feel more at ease.
One thing he'd learned from his recent streak of getting lost was that the girls here seemed genuinely pleased simply because he didn't approach them first. Apparently, Pongpongi's infamy ran deeper than he'd thought.
His solitude made them happy, too, which gave Ian the feeling he was controlling their emotions... or so he told himself.
'Fuck.'
Anyway.
The instructor in charge of combat training showed up at the perfect moment.
"I trust everyone is sufficiently aware of what combat training entails. We are now past the halfway point of the semester. Through various theoretical and practical classes, you should have acquired the fundamentals by now."
'...Not me, though.'
He'd been dumped into this body out of nowhere and was dealing with the consequences.
Still, he had some magic and an Authority he'd picked up.
Plus, he had extensive knowledge of the monster species they'd be fighting. He felt confident he could handle himself.
The instructor, a man in his late thirties, continued.
"Therefore, I won't belabor the point. The reason I've summoned you all here today is to form teams. Organizing a team is itself a critical task before combat."
Tank, melee damage dealer, ranged damage dealer, priest (healer), mage, support, scout.
That was the standard formation.
However, a four-person team typically compressed it like this:
Knight (tank + melee damage), Paladin (tank + healer), Mage (main damage), Scout (+ ranged damage).
Since the roles were strictly divided by field, this configuration was theoretically the most orthodox.
But Ian's role here was ambiguous.
He lacked the explosive elemental burst damage to be classified as a mage.
That was because the original Pongpongi had focused on heavy-equipment skills rather than the burst damage that was a mage's basic foundation. The "earth mage (physical)" style he'd developed to use those skills offensively was... exactly what it sounded like: physical damage. Mana was only used to maximize physical force.
Even with physical power, if he specialized in ranged damage, he could minimize position overlap. But his fighting style was practically hand-to-hand combat.
"To prevent confusion, I've split you into six groups. Within your group, freely form teams of four. Dismissed."
[ Group 5 Mages — Rina Rosewell, Ain Gran, Gustaf Yan, Danya Catsnesia, Ian Blackangus ]
Naturally, he was classified as a mage and had to team up with twenty other students.
The situation could have been tricky, but the solution was simple.
'I can control your emotions.'
Mental victory and watching from the sidelines.
He still needed a little more time to clear Pongpongi's karmic debts. And since he'd already resolved to focus on his growth for now, he had no intention of caring about the reactions around him.
'Anyway, as for Rina...'
This time, Rina Rosewell wasn't staring at him so intently.
He briefly met her green eyes. Her delicate brow furrowed for a moment. But she quickly shifted her gaze to the other students.
From the looks of it, she was diligently seeking out students from other departments to form a textbook team. Ian couldn't have been more grateful for that.
As he stood there watching the students form teams, someone quietly slipped up next to him.
"Ian, if you really want, I could be on your team."
It was Danya.
"You do know the official team setup is one knight, one priest, one mage, and one scout, right?"
"Ah, I know! Two mages on the same team is just ridiculous! I only came over because you looked pathetic standing here alone! Hmph!"
As she said that, Danya's ears and tail drooped.
Her tail shimmered in the sunlight, glossier than usual.
"Doesn't your tail look different today?"
"What... eek?"
Danya made a strange noise and hid her tail away.
The truth was, Danya had woken up early this morning and spent a long time carefully grooming her tail. The reason was...
"I-I didn't do it to show it off or anything!"
"Right, figured as much."
Ian mulled it over for a moment.
Danya also had her shortcomings as a mage. Because her mana sensitivity was lacking, she was practically a ranged attacker who used a grass-attribute bow.
'No, wait.'
This team composition felt familiar.
When you played a game like Fanta X Aca, you couldn't always assemble the ideal textbook team.
Sometimes the most broken combos came from the most unexpected places.
Ian spoke up, facing Danya, whose face had turned slightly red.
"Let's team up."
"...Huh? What? You want to be on a team with me?"
"I called you a comrade. During the last field exercise."
"Ah..."
Danya froze in place.
It was the first time she'd heard the word "comrade" since enrolling in the academy. Unlike in Danya's clan, here... the very concept of camaraderie was taboo.
"Sounds like you're not thrilled."
At Ian's words, she jumped.
"No! It's not that I don't want to team up with you! I mean! It's not like I do want to, either!"
"Try calming down."
"Ugh... it's just, I thought two mages on the same team might be a burden! It throws the whole formation off and..."
She had a point. Monster raids, especially against tougher opponents, benefited from standardized team compositions.
But Ian shook his head.
"That's strictly textbook team building."
Textbooks never contained the real pro strats.
The corner of Ian's mouth lifted.
◆
"Ah! Hi. Long time no see, Raphael."
Even as she talked to other students, Rina kept stealing sidelong glances at Ian.
He was on her mind, sure, but this time she had no intention of being in the same group as him.
'In the training exercise, I have to make up for my grades.'
Her grades were currently in a dire state.
She needed to form the absolute best team possible.
Sure, Ian had shown some different behavior lately. And his teamwork with Danya during the last scouting exercise... well, it wasn't bad.
'...That was probably a coincidence.'
Forest scouting could be like that.
If you got lucky and searched a mana-bead-rich area first, you could clean up all at once.
But combat training was different.
They'd be facing monsters replicated by mana dolls that mimicked the real thing. Knowledge of the monsters, practical experience, split-second judgment... it wasn't the kind of class where you could get good grades by pure luck.
— You want to be on a team with me...?
— Sure. I called you a comrade, didn't I?
So, watching Danya and Ian act out a scene straight from a shonen manga, Rina let a small smirk cross her lips. It wasn't out of malice so much as confidence.
'I can do better than them in this class. No, I absolutely will.'
She knew the kind of person Ian had been until now. Disinterested in classes or his own growth, just following girls around like a lost puppy. You couldn't put in zero effort and suddenly become a prodigy overnight, could you?
Rina did not trust Ian's growth.
Quite the opposite.
"Miss Rina, if it's agreeable, would you like to join my team?"
"Get lost, Elise. We elites have already called dibs on Rina Rosewell."
Students from various departments crowded around her.
She would scrutinize them all and build the perfect team.
One warrior, one support priest, one mage, and one scout-slash-archer.
'A bit unfortunate that the knight candidates are... lacking anyone particularly great, but...'
It was the most classic team composition.
For Rina Rosewell, who boasted top-class grades in the Mezai class, it was hardly a difficult task.
◆
"...But we're two mages. Think we can fill the rest of the slots?"
Danya looked at Ian with worry in her eyes.
Ian shrugged.
"We'll just take whoever's left over."
"......"
Truly magnificent self-awareness.
That was Ian's strong suit.
In reality, Ian and Danya together were the two lowest-ranked students in the Mezai class.
A lunatic who'd join this team?
He could be certain there wasn't one.
'If someone does join, that's suspicious.'
For instance... a cult trying to sabotage this combat training.
Namely, the Blood Rock Sect.
The Blood Rock Sect. One of the Thirteen Evils, a prominent villain group in Fanta X Aca, and a religious cult.
In the game scenario revealed just before his possession, it was the Blood Rock Sect that turned Pongpongi to the dark side.
They'd start becoming actively involved around this combat training episode, so he needed to keep a sharp eye on...
"Brother. This team's composition is rather unique, isn't it?"
Shit, that scared me.
Ian flinched violently at the voice that had come out of nowhere.
He turned his head. A pleasant-looking young man with blond hair stood there.
"Ah, my apologies. Haha. I spoke too abruptly. I couldn't find a team, so might I join yours?"
Judging by his attire, he seemed to be from the Priest Department.
He wore a serene smile, as if he'd transcended all worldly concerns.
Ian narrowed his eyes.
"As you can see, we're two mages. Why would you want to join a team like this?"
"Hardship is a trial that those who walk the priest's path must overcome."
"I'm Ian Blackangus. You must be plenty aware of my reputation?"
The priest just beamed at those words.
"Our brother Ian seems to struggle a bit with managing his desires. But don't be too troubled. All mortals are destined to have their earthly attachments, after all."
While he was rambling on—
— Group 5! It appears all but one team have finished forming! The remaining members are now automatically a team!
Ian sighed at the instructor's announcement.
This good-natured priest was still chattering away. On closer inspection, his face was familiar. He felt like he even knew the guy's name.
He hadn't expected a ticking time bomb like this to be among the leftovers...
"Don't be so distressed. If you ever get the chance, please visit the Order. This team we've become is surely a blessing from God. The Lord must be granting us an opportunity to share good counsel, wouldn't you agree, brother?"
"Thank you, priest."
Ian smiled back and bowed his head.
But his inner thoughts were the exact opposite.
'Load of crap.'
And there was good reason for that.
This guy was a villain, after all.