〈 Chapter 73 〉 Hero Academy (2)

*

‘Did I somehow manage to get through this?’

The first archery class.

I tried my best to conceal my presence while taking aim with the bow.

As a result, my accuracy was atrocious.

‘Still, it’s better to raise suspicion right from the first class.’

From now on, I planned to slowly use abilities like Wind’s Power just enough to avoid raising suspicion.

A year feels oddly long, yet it’s definitely a short time.

If I just work hard, I should be able to pass quietly.

‘Quietly it is.’

I picked up my spoon and glanced at the cadets chatting in the distance.

Groups were already forming all over the cafeteria.

It wasn’t just the Magic Department clustering together with those from the Magic Tower.

Just like there is a Magic Tower for magic, there were many educational institutions related to martial arts in Hailen.

Though I didn’t go through any because of Libero’s presence and my urgent need to master archery, most of the students from the Martial Arts Department had likely come from those institutions.

That’s why they could already be gathered like that from day one.

‘How pitiful.’

Of course, there were other students in similar situations as mine.

I could spot Wilhelm, who was eating at a distance, among a few others.

After having grown accustomed to eating alone for a long time, I didn’t mind it much.

‘The food is quite good too.’

I thought it might be around a 4-star rating according to the Elshling Guide.

I guess since it’s a metropolitan city, the food culture is well developed.

For the record, the 1-star food is from the innkeeper, the 2-star food is what I made, the 3-star food is what I had at Basilium’s restaurant, and the 5-star food is from Miss Weiss.

As I diligently shoveled food into my mouth, a shadow suddenly loomed over the table.

I looked up and saw a girl with short black hair standing there.

‘Elsie?’

It was Elsie.

She had grown taller and seemed to have learned Optical Modulation to change her appearance. After all, Optical Modulation was originally her skill.

However, she couldn’t fool me.

No, more than that, it felt like she hadn’t deviated too much from the image I remembered of her.

Carrying a bowl of food, she sat down in front of me.

Thinking back, she must have trained under Gwen, so she was one of the cadets who didn’t quite fit in with the crowd.

Yet I still couldn’t understand why it was right in front of me.

‘Is there no other seat?’

Not really.

Then it’s best to assume it’s a coincidence.

If it wasn’t, that could be a problem.

I tried to ignore her and continued eating.

Or so I thought…

‘She’s really distracting me.’

Elsie was just staring at me without even touching her utensils.

What on earth was her problem?

In the end, I stopped eating and lifted my head to ask her.

“Is there something you want to say?”

Then Elsie finally spoke up.

“What’s your name?”

“Sung Yoo-rang.”

“Sung Yoo-rang? Sung Yoo-rang… Sung Yoo-rang…”

She repeated my fake name several times.

“It just feels like you resemble someone I used to know.”

For the record, my original face and my current face didn’t resemble each other at all.

What on earth did she think resembled?

I figured it was worth uncovering that.

I might need it to hide my identity from Ludmilla.

“What do I resemble?”

“Well, you know… I’m not really sure. Maybe the vibe?”

“The vibe.” I thought it could make sense since I was indeed the same person.

I should consider if there’s a way to change that vibe dramatically.

But if it’s just the vibe, that’s a relief.

That wouldn’t be solid evidence anyway.

Just then, she spoke again.

“Do you happen to lie well, Mr. Sung Yoo-rang?”

“Excuse me?”

“No, I mean, do you lie often? The person I used to know did.”

What on earth was she trying to say?

I felt guilty for some reason but decided to play clueless.

“That person promised me we would meet again soon. Does that mean it was a lie too?”

I did keep that promise.

She might not know, but I was indeed meeting her now.

But I couldn’t say that.

“What do you think?”

I replied with a nervous smile.

“I don’t know who that is, but they sound like a real bad person. Still, I think they’re probably trying to keep that promise. There must just be some circumstances.”

Upon hearing that, Elsie smiled.

It was a heart-wrenching smile.

“That does sound right, doesn’t it? I’ve thought the same way.”

Seemingly relieved, she finally picked up her spoon.

Then she scooped some risotto into her mouth.

“It’s delicious. Though not as good as what I had the day it was pouring rain.”

I couldn’t handle that smile any longer.

It kept overlapping with the face of the girl I saw the day I was leaving Elsie behind.

I finally stood up, leaving my food untouched.

“I’m busy, so I’ll take my leave.”

Staying close to Elsie seemed dangerous in many ways.

It looked like I needed to keep my distance, even if intentionally.

*

After lunch, the afternoon class was Tactics Class.

More specifically, just like the archery class, it was an overview of the curriculum, and temporary group formation was being established.

What differentiated it from the archery class was that it involved not only archery students.

The Tactics Class assigned one swordsmanship class, two archery students, two spear students, and four from the Magic Department to create groups.

Within that single group, there would be four swordsmanship students, one from the archery class, one from the spear class, and two from the Magic Department.

The key focus of this session was on forming those groups, with the entire student body gathering in one place.

I had felt it during the entrance ceremony, but 64 students, dubbed an elite group, wasn’t exactly a small number.

Especially since, unlike the entrance ceremony, everyone was armed for this class, it felt even more packed.

The cadets gathered in one place mostly wore tense expressions.

‘That’s because this group formation is quite important.’

Tactics Class was the most crucial among all the courses.

Since the Hero Academy emphasized teamwork among candidates, most evaluations were based on the groups from this class.

Of course, the first groups would change several times throughout evaluations, but if one found a good group from the start, they might stick together.

And moving forward, being part of the same group even once during their time at the Hero Academy would make it easier to recruit them into a party after graduation.

Because they would already know each other well.

Of course, this applied only if they held each other in high regard.

‘Well, I should at least contribute my share.’

Performing well in archery, not swordsmanship, won’t be as easy as it sounds.

However, it wouldn’t be impossible either.

Group formation began to be announced one by one.

It was simply assigning swordsmanship class students followed by the spear, archery, and Magic department students, since they would eventually split into two groups.

First, the spear students were called, followed by the archery students.

Honestly, it didn’t matter to me which group I got assigned to.

Except for one.

The swordsmanship class 4, where Elsie was.

I initially thought it wouldn’t matter if I got assigned there, but after realizing during lunch, I definitely knew:

I absolutely could not be in the same group.

In no time, two archery students were called for the swordsmanship 1 group, and then it began with the swordsmanship 2 group.

“Wilhelm Schultzmond, Swordsmanship Class 2.”

Wilhelm, whose name was called, turned toward the students of Swordsmanship Class 2.

And in the next moment, my name was called.

“Sung Yoo-rang, Swordsmanship Class 2.”

Thank goodness.

On the surface, the students of Swordsmanship Class 2 didn’t look too bad.

Compared to the first class, which almost always secured priority positions, the lineup was somewhat lacking, but still a solid group.

‘By the way, was Setia the instructor for Swordsmanship Class 2?’

In the case of swordsmanship classes, it’s likely that strong candidates are filled based on professors with priority, but that might not be the case.

To begin with, the definition of ‘strong’ isn’t clear and professors each have different preferences.

“Sigritt,” who selects generally strong candidates based on potential for Swordsmanship Class 1.

“Setia,” who strategically selects candidates for the Hero Academy’s evaluations in Swordsmanship Class 2.

“Huff,” who picks students based on family background and connections for Swordsmanship Class 3.

And lastly, “Freira” for Swordsmanship Class 4, where it’s hard to tell their selection criteria.

In terms of evaluations, Swordsmanship Class 2 under Setia wasn’t bad at all.

Naturally, the assigned groups could change based on evaluations since they were only formed temporarily.

‘But…’

My gaze lingered on one student among the Swordsmanship Class 2.

‘Was that guy from Swordsmanship Class 2?’

A girl with long black hair and a cold impression.

At the same time, she was the owner of the third Stigma that I inherited.

‘Yusera.’

I walked toward Swordsmanship Class 2 and stood next to Wilhelm.

I could feel the stares of the students in Class 2 evaluating me.

And at the same time, I spotted Elsie glaring at me from a distance.

‘Great, it’s not like I wanted to be in that group anyway.’

I decided to think positively for now.

*