Chapter 126
(Kyle
Calendar Year 508: Age 15)
Academy Life
Translator : PolterGlast
Two months had passed
in the blink of an eye since I enrolled at the academy. Frankly, I felt like I
stood out there. Most of the noble children attending the academy, though
noble, were not heads of their families.
Some families, like
the Solis household, held multiple titles within the family, meaning some
members, like my brother and I, held noble titles but were not ruling nobles.
However, these were typically exceptions, mostly concerning great noble
families.
Because of this,
despite being a Baron of a lower noble rank, I was the head of my house, had
achieved military distinction, and had even been granted an audience with the
King. Many students seemed to be reserved around me. Of course, the children of
high-ranking nobles were not reserved at all, but they didn't pay any attention
to me, a lower-ranking noble. Thus, due to the social hierarchy, I was often
left alone, neither acknowledged by those above me nor approached by those
below. Consequently, I spent my days in an unglamorous academy life.
Regarding classes,
there were various issues as well. Students took both general and specialized
courses. In the first year, the proportion was half and half, but from the
second year onwards, the proportion of specialized courses seemed to gradually
increase. However, general courses assumed a foundation in basic education,
requiring a certain level of cultural and prior knowledge; those without it
simply couldn't keep up.
Mary and Sasha didn't
struggle much, as they had opportunities for education during their time in Est
and also in Teigun. However, Sigurd and Carla faced this challenge. They had
about six months of preparation time before enrollment, but they spent most of
that precious time on combat training with the Knight Order led by Commander
(demon). Due to their official cover and the purpose of their infiltration,
they were presented as coming from other territories, unrelated to me, making
it difficult to directly assist them. Reluctantly, despite their different
specializations, I asked Mary and Sasha to become close friends with them
immediately upon enrollment. Under this pretext, they would help Sigurd and
Carla with their studies.
Incidentally, everyone
was performing excellently in their specialized courses, receiving high
evaluations without any issues. Mary and Sasha had already received
professional education close to the level required for study in the Royal
Capital, and furthermore, they had practical experience in urban development in
Teigun. Although it was only their first year, they were sometimes at a level
where they could trouble their instructors with questions.
Sigurd and Carla also
had no problems during their first year, which primarily focused on combat
training. In fact, they were excellent and highly regarded. However, as they
progressed to military tactics and strategy, there was a high possibility they
would fall behind, similar to the general courses. Well, by then, perhaps I
could assist them as a "good friend" and classmate...
※
This is how our
academy life began.
"What is that
display?! You'll never be able to face your brother like that!" How many
times had I heard these words from the instructor in the Knight Training
Course's practical drills? I had already stopped counting. I tried to adjust my
performance to be on par with my classmates, making sure to be careful each
time, but I was still constantly compared to my brother.
Well, of course...
compared to my brother, who is said to be Commander Weiss's top disciple in
military strategy, the top Sword Saint in the entire Kingdom in swordsmanship,
and possesses innate talent in military tactics...
I deliberately
concealed my abilities in swordsmanship classes and mock battles, pretending to
be mediocre, which only made the criticism harsher. In truth, although I lacked
experience in man-to-man combat, I had been rigorously trained in fighting
monsters, and had received Commander's (demon's) instruction since childhood.
Honestly, I think that if I went all out right now, I would be at a level where
no other student, except Sigurd and Carla, could even contend with me.
In the Royal Capital
Knights, swordsmanship skill is mainly centered around the [Master] or at best
[Sword Master] class. There are only a few [Sword Demons], and no one other
than Commander Gouras holds the title of [Sword Saint]. Most of my classmates
in the Knight Training Course haven't experienced real combat yet and are only
at the [Swordsman] or [Warrior] level, with the most advanced being at most
[Master] level. If I went all out, I could easily defeat them (my classmates),
so I deliberately pretended to be at the [Warrior] level in class.
"What, the
younger brother is all show?"
"His military
achievements were just luck after all."
"I was kind of
expecting more..."
Such ridicule and
rumors were apparently spreading. It was as expected, but I couldn't bring
myself to smile. Somehow... I felt a vague sense of unease. However, I was
determined to remain as a background character in the academy, so I comforted
myself by thinking it couldn't be helped.
Incidentally, although
I was initially pampered, especially by older students, due to my brother's
influence, people gradually drifted away. Compared to my brother, who is
handsome, friendly, and possesses innate charisma, I lack flashiness, other than
my position as a Baron.
Outside of classes, I
also heard comments like "The younger brother is a disappointment." I
had been careful, but it was just as the Headmaster had pointed out. People
didn't gather around me.
And there was one more
reason why I was particularly unpopular with my male classmates. In general
courses, and often during lunch and breaks, Sasha and Mary were by my side.
"You two, I wish
you'd interact more with your classmates," I said many times, but whenever
they saw me alone in the classroom, looking out of place, they would come over
to my side.
"Hmph! Baron,
you've got it good, bringing women from your territory to the academy with
you!"
"How envious!
Explode!"
"You harem
bastard!"
Such whispers were
apparently being spread. It was true that male students were jealous. Honestly,
not just them, but all of my Mage comrades were good-looking. Especially the
female Mages. My mother had previously worried that they would be targeted by
nobles not only for their Mage skills but also for their appearance. And since
I, with my ordinary appearance, was the one leading them (or so it seemed to
others). Of course, compared to my brother, who charmed many women with his
looks alone, it was understandable if people wondered, "Are they really
brothers?"
"Haaah, I was
prepared for this, but three years of this is going to be tough..." I
involuntarily sighed. My academy life had started with many difficulties.
※
By the way, I had
instructed Mars, Lilia, and Astor in the Mage Combat Training Course to
deliberately conceal their true abilities in class. To appear only slightly
above average. If they displayed their true potential, it would unnecessarily
provoke caution from the surrounding nobles.
And then, one day,
what I expected happened.
After class, when I
returned to our residence in the Royal Capital, Lilia immediately prostrated
herself before me.
"I'm so sorry, I
messed up!"
Apparently, during
Mage combat training, when constructing a defensive barrier with Wind Magic,
she had achieved more results than necessary. Lilia, and the other Mages who
accompanied me to the Royal Capital, had already experienced life-threatening
magic use in real combat. With insufficient power, arrows would hit themselves
or their allies, so they were accustomed to always responding at full power
during defense. Furthermore, Lilia is extremely talented even among our Wind
Mages. Commander Weiss, who saw her training when she had just become a Mage,
immediately praised her as a gem he wanted for the mercenary corps.
This Lilia, during the
defensive barrier deployment using Wind Magic in class, revealed a glimpse of
her talent. Apparently, she effortlessly knocked down all the arrows with her
magic—arrows that were supposed to be handled by the surrounding trainees (wind
Mages).
During the Commander's
training, she expose herself to the arrow fire, secure her vision, and then
activate the defensive wind barrier. However, such extreme training isn't
conducted in regular classes. It seems she misjudged the range and strength
needed for the wind magic, as she was deploying it from the safety of a
defensive position with poor visibility.
Originally, the
instructors intended to teach the trainees the harsh reality of arrow battles
on the battlefield, showing them that their immature and insufficient wind
magic couldn't possibly defend against all the arrows raining down. The
training was designed to be challenging for the student Wind Mages, to serve as
a lesson. Yet she (Lilia) alone perfectly blocked all the arrows. As a result,
not only the teacher but also the other students were dumbfounded and
speechless.
"I tried to cover
it up by saying it was a coincidence, but I might have given rise to
unnecessary suspicion... I'm so sorry, especially after being warned so many
times."
Lilia was deeply
dejected as she said this.
"Well, it can't
be helped. It might get a bit noisy around Lilia with unnecessary recruitment
(scouting), though. I'm more worried about that from now on."
My biggest concern was
that these capable and battle-ready individuals would be taken away through 【politics】.
I gathered all the
Mages again and had them share information about the class content and
participants. I was also interested in the information on the approximately 100
Mages who had gathered in the newly established course.
However, most of those
who sent Mages, except for some high-ranking nobles, seemed to share my
concerns. No noble would want their Mages, who were symbols of their limited authority,
to be taken away through politics. Therefore, most nobles, other than the
high-ranking ones, apparently sent only the minimum number of Mages. Thus,
there was also the reality that this course had to literally scrape together
enough students to fill its quota before enrollment.
About half of the
Mages sent were those who wielded bloodline magic, a unique skill, meaning they
were blood relatives of various nobles.
"How are the
abilities of the other Mages?"
"Yes, for Wind
Mages, they are all specialized in simply wielding wind as a force. Their
primary focus is on generating gusts of wind to support offense and defense,
and their effectiveness is limited to individuals or small groups. Furthermore,
none of them had undergone detailed magical training such as adjusting output,
wind direction, or guiding arrows. This is merely my personal estimation, but
they are roughly at the same level as I was before undergoing full-scale combat
training."
Lilia's report made it
clear that, at present, other Wind Mages were far from being able to coordinate
with archers, for example.
"I will report on
the Earth Mages. Overall, I think many of them are quite proficient in using
Earth Magic, perhaps because many have experience in civil engineering. In
terms of manipulating Earth Magic as part of construction, I think they are
excellent. However, applying it on the battlefield, such as quickly
constructing fortifications or flexibly adjusting to dig, cut, solidify, or
raise terrain, would be difficult in their current state."
Astor himself had
experienced using Earth Magic on the battlefield during the Southern Gate
campaign. From his perspective, to put it harshly, the others were clumsy,
unskilled, and slow.
"For Fire Mages,
their skills tend to be more focused on individual techniques. For one-on-one
combat, there are quite a few who I believe could demonstrate more power than
me. However, their effectiveness is limited to individual combat or small group
(party) battles, and they seem to think of nothing else. They would probably be
completely useless on a battlefield where large armies clash."
Yes, Mars's statement
accurately pointed out the current challenge facing the Kingdom. If the power
of magic cannot be utilized in group combat, it will not significantly impact
large-scale battles. Furthermore, many of the Kingdom's Mages are originally
high-ranking nobles, and they rarely go to the front lines. Earth Mages are an
exception, but even their duties were logistical work behind the front lines.
The purpose of this
course was to change that concept and train Mages who could fight on the front
lines. But listening to the discussion, it seemed their future would be fraught
with difficulties.
And then, as expected,
something happened, and I was left racking my brains over how to deal with it.
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