LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8 - A mess from the first day. (1)
‘Did I betray my country in my past life or something?’
No. I didn’t betray any country and died lonely and diligently as a single person.
‘Then how do you explain this?’
That’s life. It’s not supposed to be explainable.
‘Don’t talk nonsense.’
Don’t deny reality.
An auditory hallucination rings in my head as if reason and emotion are sparring.
‘It’s not a hallucination.’
It’s not a hallucination.
Anyway, it’s a hallucination.
I seem to have lost my mind to that extent.
‘Why is that person appearing here?’
It’s already giving me a headache that Sephir, a villainess with a 0% chance of appearing, came to the Academy. Now, the person who became the homeroom professor is the one who tactlessly shouted to the nobles at the entrance, “Here’s the emotional trash can to use at the Academy!”
‘Was there such a homeroom professor?’
No matter how much I try to recall, I’ve never seen such a professor.
Even though the selection of the homeroom professor is said to be random, it’s unexpected to see an unknown professor.
‘I’m doomed.’
Enormously so.
—–
“Let me introduce myself again. I am Hector Hecter. I’ll be your homeroom professor.”
-Clap clap clap
Most students give a polite applause.
“Let me say this first, this is the Academy. Remember that your status in your own country is not recognized here.”
“”Yes.””
“You will be treated solely as students, and discrimination based on status or race among students will be severely punished, so keep that in mind.”
“”Yes.””
They answer for now, but is there any chance those words will be kept?
When it’s confirmed that they’ll return to their predetermined hierarchical relationships after three years, how could these nobles, with their abnormally high self-awareness, listen to those words?
“Before announcing the Academy rules, I’ll call the roll first. Aslan Reinhardt!”
The professor calls the students one by one.
“Here!”
“Arthur Arcana!”
“Yes.”
The roll call continues, and eventually…
“Goris Garmun!”
“Here!”
“Aaron Dight!”
“Y…”
-Pause
When the homeroom teacher calls my name, most of the students in the classroom turn their heads.
They just stare at me intently.
With a disgusting gaze as if they’ve found a useful toy.
“Aaron Dight! Answer clearly!”
Does this professor dislike me? He’s emphasizing my name again even though the atmosphere among the students is like this.
“…Yes.”
He seemed satisfied only after I answered again, checking the attendance book and calling the next student.
“So it’s him.”
“I hope he’s useful.”
‘I can hear everything, you damn high nobles.’
They probably meant for me to hear it.
Thanks to the homeroom professor calling me twice, even the nobles who had only heard rumors and didn’t know exactly who I was now all know.
‘What an inadequate homeroom teacher.’
I decided to think of it that way.
“That’s not bad…”
“This time’s…”
As the roll call nears its end, the voices of nobles gathering in small groups gradually grow louder, and soon, most of the students are engaged in chatter.
The nobles’ chatter doesn’t end even after the roll call is finished.
At that moment
-Clap
A clap sound with a wave that shakes the air of the classroom rings in my ears.
“Focus.”
A voice different from before, sharp enough to feel like it has an edge.
A slight chill.
A high-level technique that makes you feel the pressure without showing any mana or aura.
It instantly focused the students’ attention, which had become disorderly during the roll call.
‘Wasn’t he an inadequate professor?’
I wonder why a professor who can quickly settle the atmosphere like this would…
I felt a bit resentful.
“Well then, now that the roll call is over, I’ll explain the rules.”
He loosened his voice again and naturally proceeded with the explanation of the rules in the focused atmosphere.
And so, after explaining the rules, which was less eventful than expected…
“This concludes the explanation of the rules. Any questions?”
-Swoosh
When the professor finished speaking, a male student in the front row raised his hand.
“Student Goris. What’s your question?”
“I’d like to hear about the overall schedule for today’s entrance ceremony.”
“Hmm… That’s certainly a necessary question. Good.”
Such a normal question reminds me this is an educational institution.
‘Right. There should be some normal people, too.’
I’ll make sure to choose you as the vice class president later.
By the way, Arcana will be the class president.
“For now, you’ll move to the main hall soon for a basic ability assessment. After the assessment, students can return to their assigned dormitories and unpack. Is that answer sufficient?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
‘What a formal conversation.’
It reminds me of conversations between privates and officers in the military.
“Everyone heard that! Now that the explanation is over, let’s move right away!”
-Slide
All the students in the class stand up and follow the homeroom teacher out of the classroom.
-Thud thud
I carefully follow them, keeping a slight distance behind the students.
‘So it finally begins.’
The main hall of the Academy we’re heading to now.
That’s where the first event occurs.
‘Let’s just watch the dukes comfortably.’
It’s going to be a battle of nerves between the ducal families. What could possibly happen to me?
—–
‘Wow.’
The main hall in the basement of the Academy.
Befitting the size of the Academy facility, the main hall also boasts an enormous size true to its name.
Even the main gate we can see now is several meters tall.
I wonder why they made a door for people to pass through so large.
-Rumble
The door of the main hall opens with a sound loud enough to make our ears ring.
‘Now that I look closely, the thickness is incredible too.’
The scene that appeared when the door opened gave me a strange feeling in many ways.
A super-large hall is wider than a soccer field despite being underground.
-Boom
“Not bad. Next!”
-Swoosh
“Clean swordplay. I look forward to seeing you in class.”
The skill tests of mana and aura users unfolding inside
“It really is amazing.”
Since my memories returned and I’ve only stayed in the mansion, seeing such a huge hall gathered with people casually displaying magic and swords is quite fascinating.
“Wait until the scoring for the previous class is finished. Stand by over there.”
The students, overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the supervising professor, quickly move and sit on nearby benches, becoming as docile as lambs.
However, I didn’t sit down and instead stood in a corner a bit away, observing the students dueling.
As the test involves duels between students, it’s a good opportunity to understand how students move their mana or aura.
Normally, one learns how to move mana or aura from their teachers, but since I have no one to learn from, this is the best I can do.
This is the best I can do, trying to imitate by watching dozens of times like this.
-Clang
In the duel unfolding in front, swords clash, scattering auras of different colors.
-Whoosh
Not missing that gap, one student aimed for the opponent’s arm using the rebound force from the clash.
“Stop.”
The duel ends, stopped by the professor, who determined that the attack would have decided the match.
“The level is certainly high. Well, it is the Academy…”
Neither of them is an Expert, but their speed is quite fast.
-Swish
I quickly bent my waist.
“Can I barely dodge it?”
I tried bending my body to match the speed of the sword I just saw, but I’m not sure if I can definitely avoid it.
“Next!”
The two who finished their duel come down, and the next students to duel come up.
-Thud
Footsteps that echo through the hall.
-Tingle
A pressure that not only I, but everyone in the hall must have felt.
-Thud thud
For some reason, all other sounds in this vast main hall disappear, and only footsteps can be heard.
The noise ringing in our ears until just now, with numerous chats and duel sounds, disappeared instantly.
Because the one walking out now is one of the Empire’s five ducal families.
The villainess said to be obsessed with swords.
Gwen Cabala
‘Indeed, her aura is no joke.’
The gap is immediately noticeable even seeing her from afar, without her sword drawn.
-Bow
They bow their heads to each other before entering the duel.
“Begin!”
-Dash
As soon as it starts, the opponent begins to run.
Apparently intending for a short, decisive battle, they start frantically imbuing their aura into their sword.
-Kagagaga
The aura flowing from the sword rotates, making a sound like a chainsaw.
-Whoosh
The distance is closed instantly, and the opponent swings their sword quickly.
However, for some reason, she remains still without even drawing her sword until the opponent approaches.
-Ting
The sound of drawing the sword is heard only when the sword approaches her neck.
It was visible for a moment.
The pattern of aura-like frost flickering on her sword.
“[Pagitonas]” (Glacier)
-Slice
The duel is over.
-Crack
“I froze it lightly, so it will melt soon.”
Just once.
That’s all it took – her sword imbued with aura, lightly sliced the opponent.
With just that, the opponent is trapped in ice, unable to fight.
-Thud thud
The sound of her footsteps leaving the dueling area filled the hall.
Like before the duel started, but shocked by her ability, the students couldn’t open their mouths.
And I, watching from afar…
‘Is that a swordsman?’
I was dumbfounded.
Looking at it again, freezing people seems more like a mage’s job. I wonder if she’s really a swordsman.
I know that when you become a Sword Expert, your aura gains a certain characteristic, but creating ice that can trap a person with one sword swing – how is that different from magic…
Of course, Arcana’s magic swordsman ability is different, so I might acknowledge it as different if I see it once.
-Thud thud
After the duel, she heads towards our side, not her class.
‘It’s about to start.’
It seems it’s about to begin.
“Tch.”
A male student stands up from the bench, clicking his tongue.
Another of the Empire’s five ducal families and a future Sword Master.
Aslan Reinhardt.
The two facing each other like this will exchange a few blows, confirming each other’s skills while simultaneously announcing to the Academy that they are rivals.
-Thud thud
‘Oh!’
The two finally face each other.
‘Let’s appreciate the rarely seen abilities of the ducal families…’
-Thud thud
Huh?
Did she pass by Aslan?
“Hey, hey! Gwen!”
Even Aslan seems bewildered, calling out to Gwen in confusion, but she doesn’t even glance at him.
“Where are you going!”
-Thud thud
Is she passing by our class students, too?
And the place she arrived at is… right in front of me?
“…Aaron?”
‘?’
“…?”
Why is my name coming out of your mouth?
Translator’s Corner
The author changed the cover to one with a black background and red text. This was because the contest rules stated that AI images couldn’t be used as the cover. I’ll just keep the current one because I like it more. Also the cover image is Gwen.
-Ruminas