Chapter 4

The Academy, true to its name, serves as a place for students to learn, but let’s be honest, it’s not your average school at all.

For most commoners born without magic, the usual school suffices, while the Academy is a special establishment designed to educate noble families endowed with magic and a handful of talented commoners.

Magic and wizardry are not just flashy tricks; they defy the laws of physics and serve as the very lifeblood of society, a necessary power utilized throughout the development of civilization.

Thus, the Academy can be considered a crucial institution for cultivating those children endowed with that power, training them to be talents that the nation can employ effectively.

However, there’s another, more hidden reason for its existence.

All Academies under the nation have received a common directive:

Teach the students with magical powers how to fight using magic and swordsmanship.

While it’s often said that new magical theories emerge during the process of developing combat skills—and that’s frequently the case—the unspoken role of fostering magic soldiers to be drafted in emergencies is also a crucial component.

In short, education at the Academy can be largely classified into two categories: academia and combat.

And today’s class was a mock battle among wizards using wooden swords.

*

“Haah!”

Clang! Crash!

As I dodged the two erratically thrown dagger attacks, my wooden longsword moved restlessly to meet them.

“Kya ha ha ♡ so slow~ too slow~ ♡ I thought a turtle was taking a break~ ♡”

“Guh!”

Clang! Clash!

I barely blocked an attack with my longsword while constantly stepping back.

The opponent wielded twin daggers.

To utilize the longsword’s longer reach, I had to create some distance.

But my opponent swiftly exploited that exact opening, darting in to close the gap.

“Slowpoke ♡ it’s too easy to catch you ♡”

“What?!”

Clang!

The upward swing of my sword was blocked by the crossing twin daggers.

“Foolish ♡”

“?!”

Receiving my force, my opponent used it to spin through the air—

“Hey!”

Thud!

A crisp foot landed squarely on my chest.

“Ugh!”

The impact sent me tumbling backward, and I found myself staring up at the bright sun.

The match was over.

“Ow, ow…”

Getting up, I brushed away the imprints of the foot etched on my uniform.

“Ah, I can’t concentrate…”

As I sat there like a person who just lost everything at the gambling table, the owner of the shoeprints approached with a bounce in her step.

“You’re looking extra pathetic today, aren’t you? Huh, Pathetic-chan ♡”

“Geez, are you seriously going to roast me like that? If I hadn’t defended with magic, I’d probably be missing a limb somewhere.”

She shrugged off my digs, seemingly unconcerned, as she acted all nonchalant.

“C’mon~ seeing that pathetic face makes me mad for no reason ♡”

“What’s your deal with getting mad over someone else’s face…”

“No clue ♡”

“Sigh… let’s just stop talking.”

As I sighed and scratched my bangs, the girl with the mischievous grin squatted down in front of me.

Every time she snickered, her cherry blossom-colored twin tails danced in the air.

“Looks like another win for our Lu-ci today ♡”

“Yeah, yeah, you really are impressive.”

“Hehe ♡ put a little more spirit into that compliment, it sounds so pathetic ♡”

“Ugh…”

“Yay, yay—♡” That’s the cute little thing pinching my cheek. Her name is Rusika Rafisle.

She’s the precious daughter of a minor noble family, and my classmate, infamous for her silly antics and her knack for messing with everyone, even though her noble upbringing is questionable.

In the Academy, she’s a notorious troublemaker, always looking for my flaws and stealing the top spot in raising my temper. But in truth, I can’t really hate her.

Being from a minor noble background—or maybe just because of her nature—she doesn’t care much about the distinctions between nobles and commoners, treating everyone equally.

Because of that, some snobby noble brats look down on her free spirit, while some common students get intimidated just because she’s a noble. So she’s a figure who splits opinions in both camps.

But honestly, that stuff doesn’t matter so much to me.

To me, Rusika Rafisle is just a friend I’ve known longer than Tirisia, who keeps calling me Pathetic ♡, but I have no intention of hating her; she’s just an average friend, that’s all.

“Ugh, stop.”

I slapped her hand away as she kept poking my cheeks, and Rusika, chuckling, rested her chin on her palm and asked.

“So, what were you thinking so hard about that you went all Pathetic on me?”

“I dunno… maybe I’m still half asleep.”

“Didn’t you just sleep for four whole days?”

“Being sick doesn’t count as sleep!”

“Haha ♡ Am I sensing some lonely vibes here? Were you missing my glorious presence while you were sick? ♡”

“If I had to deal with you nursing me, I’d probably be bedridden for another week; my blood pressure would skyrocket.”

“Aren’t you feeling better now? Didn’t you have a cold?”

“Yeah, I’m fine now so don’t worry about it. If I felt sick, I would have forfeited the match and just chilled in the corner.”

“Well~ if that’s the case, it’s all good~ let’s see who’s around to mess with!”

Crash—!

At that moment, a loud bang and high-pitched laughter echoed from the podium.

“Ohhhh! It’s a victory for you, my lady—!”

Rusika chuckled at that voice.

“Oh look, seems like a perfect opponent has appeared.”

“What a timing…”

“I’m off over there; you just keep being a creep and staring at the models in the corner ♡”

“Is staring at my girlfriend’s figure considered creepy…? But she is my girlfriend…”

Wait, does it not count because we’re not a couple anymore?

Well, whatever.

“Thanks for the heads up, I’m going to relax a bit. Appreciate it.”

“Kyaah ♡ ‘Heads up’! You mean ‘orders’, don’t you, Pathetic ♡?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

As Rusika continued to flap her arms and tease me, I waved goodbye and made my way to the resting area on the edge of the podium.

Next to the shaded bench, there was always a bottle of drinking water ready to quench thirst, so I grabbed one and plopped down on the bench.

After some basic stamina training and then a mock battle, my whole body was drenched in sweat. Seriously, Rusika didn’t mind getting that gross on her.

Gulp—gulp—

“Ahh…”

Moistening my burnt throat, I leaned back, looking at the stage.

The vast space designed for three-digit students to duel at the same time was covered with vibrant green grass.

Along the border of the podium were tiered seats for inviting guests during Academy events, which gave it a strong impression of a grass floor arena rather than just a large gymnasium.

As my eyes wandered over the students casting spells and dueling all around, they stopped at a female student in the center of the stage.

One hand was hidden behind her back while she pointed a slender rapier forward—an enchanting beauty with silvery hair and turquoise eyes.

The top-ranked student in the Academy, the ‘Silver Lake’ Tirisia Bruerd. My ex-girlfriend.

On the opposite side stood an ordinary commoner student, ranked somewhere in the mid-tier.

By skill level, this duel should have been decided a long time ago; the reason why they still stood there was obvious.

Tirisia had little interest in winning; she devoted herself solely to defense until her opponent poured everything they had and recognized their defeat.

“—”

In front of the opponent who was now on one knee from exhaustion after relentless attacks, Tirisia could be seen saying something.

Though the words didn’t reach me, it was clear what she was saying.

‘You can do better; that’s not all you’ve got.’

Hearing that, the opponent rose once more, gathering their magic to charge at Tirisia.

Of course, it was futile, but the opponent continued their assault without giving up.

“Beautiful.”

“Wha?!”

“Eek?!”

Startled by the sudden whisper in my ear, I jumped like a frightened cat.

What was absurd was that my opponent was equally shocked by my reaction.

“D-Don’t scare me like that!”

“Who’s the one to talk?!”

I glared at the silent figure that had approached without me noticing.

Before me sat a girl with long, flowing black hair partially obscuring her face, exuding an eerie aura overall.

“Wow… Haidiera, are you seriously a ghost?”

“I-I am a living person…”

Letting out a sigh, I sat back down on the bench, and the girl with the gloomy presence moved in closer to me.

Her name was Haidiera Aisidel. A classmate who looked nothing like a noble.