Chapter 38: Chapter 38

It took less than a minute for the surrender to be declared. Even though it was just an illusion, the way they came out in a panic made me think they really were just children.

“Aaaack! I-it’s coming at me!”

“Go away! I said go away!”

“Arnold, damn it! Do something!”

Was it because they lacked experience? Or because they didn’t even imagine that they would be attacked?

I leisurely watched as the people who burst through the door were chased by the illusionary Eterarch I had summoned.

“Newbie! Newbie! Do something about that!”

“Arnold! Undo it!”

“I don’t know how either!”

About five minutes passed. I didn’t want to see my living space become more of a mess, so I channeled my magic into the trap to dismantle the illusion.

“I-it disappeared!”

“I survived!”

The ones who were making a mess and sighing in relief were the ones I would have to live with from now on here on the ninth floor.

It felt a bit awkward. Was it because they were scared when I was the one who should be going through the hazing?

“Hmmm. Ahem.”

One of them got up as if nothing had happened, approached me, and stretched out a hand for a handshake.

“Hello. Newbie, ahem. The hazing was ruined. I am Drojan Valentine, a fifth-year student in the Alchemy Department. I am the only direct descendant of Marquess Valentine.”

The glasses of the guy who introduced himself as Drojan were cracked and chipped.

“Oh, just in case, don’t worry about it. An alchemist has dozens of spare glasses to prepare for the explosions that follow a failed experiment.”

The boy seemed to be quite talkative.

“You’re quite well built and very handsome. It’s only natural since your sisters are very beautiful.”

I quickly introduced myself before he could continue.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Dane Sogres. I am the youngest son of Count Sogres.”

“I don’t think you need to introduce yourself to the people of this floor at the very least. Your sisters have given us a good idea of what kind of place House Sogres is during their stay here.”

I wondered what kind of impression they had left. I was curious but decided it was better not to ask.

“Hmm, by the way… you’re very skilled.”

Drojan pointed at their surroundings.

Everyone got up one by one and acted as if nothing had just happened. Perhaps they were ashamed of having been chased by an illusion.

“I heard you’re talented in spearmanship, magic, and summoning? But to think the initiation ceremony we prepared would be completely useless.”

At those words, I shrugged my shoulders.

“Arnold is very disappointed.”

I could tell right away who Arnold was.

“Damn it!”

It was the boy over there stamping his feet and exclaiming in anger.

“He is the heir to House Cullard, famous for hunting.”

If you were a hunter, you probably knew a lot about traps. However, the person who taught me about traps was a legendary assassin who was well-versed in all traps and assassination techniques.

“He’ll be gloomy for a while. Don’t worry about it too much, hahaha.”

Drojan then introduced the others.

“This is Priscilla, a fourth-year student of the Theology Department. It’s best not to bother her. For someone dreaming of becoming a cleric…”

Then Priscilla suddenly interrupted, “I’m good and beautiful. Nice to meet you. Priscilla Neriel. I’m the abandoned child of House Neriel. Once you enter the Theology Department, you can’t even dream of marriage, you see.”

I had heard that if you entered the Theology Department and became a priest, you would never be able to get married, regardless of your gender.

However, I heard that everyone was having a good time with their significant others. I didn’t really need to mention it here though.

“Anyway, I look forward to getting to know you, Dane Sogres.”

Priscilla held out her hand. I shook her hand lightly without thinking.

“Oh!”

Priscilla let go in surprise, then asked me with wide eyes, “Wh-why is your magic so strong?”

Well, because it was Ancient Magic.

“What is it?”

“His magic is too strong!” Priscilla muttered quickly while wringing her hands.

“Is this how it feels when you shake hands with a mage? No, it wasn’t like that with the mage I met before…”

Magic and divine power were conflicting powers. So, they could never be mixed. Of course, it didn’t mean that anything would happen if a mage and cleric met. The same went for shaking hands.

It was just that my magic power was a bit concentrated.

“Was that lover of yours a mage?”

“I-it wasn’t like that!”

“If you keep doing that and get caught by the church one day, you’ll be in big trouble. Be careful.”

Priscilla protested desperately, but Drojan ignored her as if he were used to it and introduced the other two.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Schaal Hasbro, a second-year Martial Arts student.”

He was a bit smaller than the others from the martial arts department I saw before. Of course, that was just compared to them. He was already bigger than the average male.

“I’m telling you this because I’m afraid you’ll misunderstand, but I’m different from those disgusting people. I’m talking about the ones from the Physical Beauty club.”

“Just so you know, he really is different. A true martial artist…” Drojan added.

“Muscles are important, but they aren’t everything. Those who only build up their muscles are building muscles, not training their bodies.”

He was very firm about his opinions. Then there was only one left.

“…I’m Arnold Cullard.”

He stretched out his hand with a very saddened expression. Drojan added that he was a third year Archery student from the side. So, he was the one who made the traps.

“I’m Dane Sogres. Nice to meet you.”

“Yeaaahh…”

It seemed that Arnold had lost all his confidence. So, I told him exactly what I thought of the traps.

“The traps were pretty good. You seem to know trap mechanics and how to set triggers very well.”

“Huh?”

“But they were a bit noticeable. It seemed to be a paint problem. Next time, instead of F6 Black, try mixing F3 Silver and D6 Black in a 4:6 ratio. It should be barely noticeable at this level of brightness.”

Arnold’s eyes widened and he asked, “Would it really be less noticeable that way?”

“At least in this environment. Other than that, the traps were very well-made. Anyone could have fallen for them.”

It was just a shame I was their opponent.

Anyway, Arnold immediately became happier at my words and held out his hand again.

“I am the eldest son of Baron Cullard. I have heard of the famous House Sogres. It is an honor to meet you, Dane Sogres.”

What a quick turnaround. Was it because he was from the Archery Department?

“Now now. Let’s end the introductions here. Dane Sogres? I’ll show you to your room.”

After entering the Academy, I was finally able to head to my dormitory. My room was at the end of the ninth floor of the Dantère Hall.

“Just so you know, the seventh, eighth, and ninth floors of the Dantère Hall have private single rooms. The best rooms are here on the ninth floor. Oh, and your room used to belong to a senior who graduated not long ago. It’s been cleaned, so you don’t have to worry.”

While I was following Drojan, I heard various things about the Dantère Hall.

“Here, register your magic power. No one can come in or out without your say-so. If you don’t have magic power, you can still use the key, but it doesn’t look like you’ll ever run out of magic power.”

As I registered my magic, the door opened with a tingling sensation. What I saw was a room that was as big as the one I used at home.

A wide space spread out before us. The first thing I saw was my luggage.

My eldest sister had said she would take care of bringing my things over from home, and it seemed that she brought them over the moment my dorm was confirmed.

“You’ll get used to it, so take a look inside. I’ll be leaving now. Oh, dinner is at seven. Don’t be late and come down to the cafeteria. If anything happens, contact me through the crystal ball installed in the room. Bye.”

Drojan, who relayed the information like a machine gun, left after that. I looked around the room and smiled.

Was this where I would be staying from now on?

The bedroom, reading room, and bathroom were all separated, and there was enough space to store clothes and other items.

The interior also looked great.

Actually, I didn’t particularly feel anything.

In my previous life, I spent over twenty years living in a tent. So, as long as there wasn’t a hole somewhere that let wind in, it was fine.

Still, a good thing was a good thing. I lay down on the bed and felt its soft texture enveloping my body, making me feel drowsy.

“Oh, I should call Mom and Dad.”

I woke up with a start, thinking about all the things I had to do. I had to contact my parents, I had to tidy up the room, and I had to prepare for my classes, which started tomorrow.

“Oh.”

Then I checked that two packages had been sent in addition to my luggage.

Dane! Our youngest! Congratulations on your admission!

It seemed like my eldest sister had prepared it, but upon looking inside the package, I saw that it was full of things that seemed to be books and supplies for the classes I would be taking in the future.

“Are these formal clothes?”

There were also a few sets of clothes.

One of them looked like formal clothes, and I thought it was something one would wear at a ball-like event at the Academy.

“I told her I’d prepare them myself.”

I felt gratitude while chuckling to myself.

Anyway, it looked like it was going to be a very busy day.

Students could choose their own majors and classes at the academy.

Usually, you took two to three classes related to your major, one mandatory elective class, and one liberal arts class that you could take regardless of your major, so about four to five classes in a semester.

Of course, if you wanted, you could also take additional classes according to your schedule.

However, that was usually not the case for first years, as they had a set number of acknowledged credits.

Originally, there was no such rule, but it was said that it was changed at the strong suggestion of a senior student who had been unable to enjoy academy life due to suffering from murderous homework since their first year.

That senior was my eldest sister.

Additionally, I was unable to receive the benefits my eldest sister fought for because I had to take all classes for the three majors I chose during the autonomous major exam.

“Wow, then… you have six classes in a semester?”

Leila looked at my schedule and looked confused.

“Usually, first year students would have four at most… Do you really plan on only studying? Think carefully. You can cancel the first class.”

“I think it should be fine.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I chose one major class for each major, two liberal arts classes, and finally military science.

“Military Science… if only it wasn’t for this…”

Leila, who had lost points in the first test because of military science, gnashed her teeth and shook her hand in anger at the mere sight of it.

“Fuu. Anyway, I’ll see you later at the swordsmanship class. I have to go to my liberal arts class.”

“Yeah. What are you taking?”

“‘Understanding Cosmetics and Skin’. What do you think? If you don’t like the liberal arts class you chose, do you want to join me?”

“No, I’ll pass.”

“Aaaaalright…”

Leila looked sullen, as if she had been expecting me to agree with her.

“You, well… I guess you don’t need to wear makeup or anything like that since your skin is clear…”

What was she talking about?

“I’m leaving. Let’s meet at the central fountain square after class. Your next class is the same as mine!”

Oh right.

The magic major class. It looked like Leila had chosen it, too.

So I parted ways with Leila and headed to the ‘100th Anniversary Memorial Building’, where my first class was held.

The academy had several buildings with different purposes, and the 100th Anniversary Memorial Building, where I was currently headed, was where classes on theoretical subjects were mainly held.

The class I was taking now was Military Science.

The so-called ‘Introduction to Military Science’.

“Is that Dane Sogres?”

“Why did he come to our department?”

“It’s a class even we don’t want to take…”

“He’s really handsome. Should we talk to him later? Would he be a bit cold since he’s from House Sogres?”

“He looks cold at first glance.”

As I entered the classroom and took my seat, I naturally heard everything. I just let them pass by and opened up my thick ‘Introduction to Military Science’ textbook.

From what I read yesterday, there were some things I already knew, and some things that were directly at odds with reality.

After all, if theory and practice always matched, which country would lose a war?

However, the fact that a theory called military science was necessary meant that the basis of theory was that important in academics.

“Hello, gentle people. My name is Francisco Gavius, and I will be your professor in military theory. Feel free to call me Professor Gavius,” the professor who just appeared in the classroom said.

“No matter how much you study military theories, they won’t work on the battlefield. Soldiers are self-willed, officers have difficulty commanding and controlling said soldiers, and commanders always have to balance the lives of their soldiers against victory. However, theory is still important. Only when you have the theory as your foundation can you understand the field, correct your mistakes, and see the true usefulness of Military Science.”

Professor Gavius had a long vertical scar on his face, but unlike his eerie appearance, he spoke in a very calm and composed tone.

“It has not even been twenty years since the war ended. We are not learning military science for a war that could break out at any time. However, the more excellent people who have learned military science there are, the higher the level of knowledge we have to win in future wars.”

“In that sense, I wonder how many people in this lecture will grow into elite military scientists in the future. Let me ask you one thing. What do you think is the most important thing in war?” he suddenly asked as he emphasized the importance of the subject he was teaching.

I immediately raised my hand.

Professor Gavius pointed to me.

“There, the silver-haired student with his hand raised.”

“Supply lines.”

The corners of Professor Gavius’ mouth curled up.

“Excellent answer. Victory and a triumphant return are only possible if supply lines are secured.”

He stroked his chin as if he found something interesting.

“At least in this class, the correct answer came from the first student. That’s good.”

Supply lines.

In my previous life, I went through all sorts of things because of those damn supply lines. It was a common occurrence that the promised food didn’t arrive, and there was even a time when the supply line was cut off and I had to hunt to survive.

It wasn’t just food.

In cases where clothing and armor were not properly supplied, weapons were worn out and couldn’t be replaced, there was no choice but to use those taken from dead soldiers or enemies.

You could win a battle without supplies, but you couldn’t win a war without them.

But the questions did not end there, perhaps because he liked my first answer.

“Then, can you tell me the three most important things regarding supply lines?”

Another question came flying.

I smiled at the expectant gaze.

I couldn’t let him down, so I answered without hesitation once more.