CHAPTER 3
SCHOOL LIFE IN ANOTHER WORLD
“Good morning, sir!”
“Good morning, sir!”
Voices ring out beneath the blue sky.
On one of the School District’s main streets, paved with white stone.
A human and a dwarf carry book bags and some books.
An animal person and an Amazon wear their uniforms in a casual style.
A prum rushes to finish breakfast at a sidewalk café while an elf scolds them for it.
The one thing they all have in common is the uniform they wear and their matching, burgundy neckties.
Even though I’ve never seen one before, I’m sure this is a classic going-to-school scene. The morning sun shines down on the academic city that boasts a different sort of liveliness from Orario’s.
“Good morning, Nym, Intha. Don’t be late to lessons today.”
““Yes, sir!””
Mr. Verdenberg’s greeting makes two girls passing by very happy. I can hear the excitement in their voices.
I’ve seen a similar sort of scene several times now since leaving Lord Balder’s office in the central tower.
Boys and girls, humans and demi-humans, everyone calls out to him. Even without asking, I can tell the man beside me is popular.
“Hey, who is that kid? He has a Balder Class badge.”
“I’ve never seen him before. The entrance exam hasn’t started in Meren, so he shouldn’t be a new student.”
…And I can also tell perfectly well the girls we passed just now are glancing back and whispering about me.
First-tier adventurer problems. Or maybe they’re perks? I’m already very sensitive to people’s gazes, but with my senses so enhanced from leveling up, I can hear people perfectly clearly even when they whisper quietly behind me.
It isn’t just those girls, either. The students around us are curiously watching the person—the hume-bunny student—walking next to Mr. Verdenberg.
It’s a pure and earnest curiosity, not like the support and cheers I felt in Orario when I became an upper-class adventurer.
I think I remember Gramps mentioning that the cute new transfer student being the center of attention is a classic school moment, but…i-is this what he meant?
Since the incident with Wiene and the Xenos, a lot of people have commented about my expression changing or how I’ve grown, but outside of my role as an adventurer and outside the realm of the Dungeon, I feel this surge of natural timidity, or nervousness, or bashfulness, or something like that, and even I feel kind of disappointed in myself.
I mean, I’m definitely also really nervous about people possibly seeing through my disguise, but…
That plus being thrown into an unknown environment…maybe everyone would feel the same way? More or less?
Anyway, I can’t quite calm down, and as my shoulders tense up…
“Nervous?”
“…! Y-yes. Sorry, Mr. Verdenberg…”
I reflexively apologize, but Mr. Verdenberg stops, his gold hair swaying as he looks at me.
“That’s a little stiff, Rapi. You’re a student now, aren’t you?”
I am a little startled by the man in front of me who carefully addresses me by my name.
“As a new student, let me give you your first pop quiz. ‘How does the teacher Leon Verdenberg want to be addressed right now?’ Let’s hear your best answer.”
My cheeks flush at his gentle question.
Feeling a ticklish sensation near my neck…I gather my courage and attempt to answer my first school question.
“…Professor Leon.”
“Correct. You have the makings of a model student, Rapi,” he says with a warm smile.
Blinking a few times, my face still red, I break into a little chuckle. My shoulders have loosened up. Mr. Verdenberg doesn’t fail to see this, and his smile deepens.
I think I understand a little bit of the reason why so many students look up to him.
“Look, Professor Leon’s charmed that new kid already!”
“That’s the Ultra Page for you…!”
“Professor Leon and a bashful rabbit boy…I could ship that!”
…I think I heard something concerning there, but I do my best to pretend I didn’t hear anything. I can feel the Lilly in the back of my mind shouting not to pay it any attention, so I just play along. I’m sure that’s the right choice.
“You’ve received a book bag from Lord Balder, correct?”
“Ah, yes, sir. Along with my uniform.”
“Then go through the contents, please. There is a handbook outlining school life. If there is anything you don’t understand, including your choices for classes, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
I keep up as he starts moving again, slipping my book bag over my shoulders. It’s thin and square. It’s similar to the backpack I used when Lilly wasn’t around, and it can fit a lot more inside than it looks like.
“Forgive me, but I’m afraid I’ll have to explain things as we move. First of all, your student ID is 4646B3333, and your major is Combat Studies. And, like myself, you are a part of Balder Class.”
“St-student ID? Combat Studies? Balder Class…?”
I listen carefully to his explanation, but half the words don’t really mean much to me. Feeling extraordinarily awkward, I make up my mind and ask about the things I don’t know.
“Umm, I’m sorry for not understanding a lot of that, but…first of all, what do you mean by Balder Class?”
“That is an excellent question. The School District uses a unique system of organization broken into what we call classes.”
He doesn’t betray any disdain for my utter lack of knowledge despite wanting to enter the School District, and patiently explains the terms he used.
“The students of the School District are here to study, and they will all someday leave this place. The recruiting system is a fine example. Students who have decided the path they will follow go on to join other familias or organizations such as the Guild. Classes are a term of art we use to avoid burdening students with a prior familia on their résumé.”
“Ah, I see…”
It’s easy to forget as a member of a familia, but most people consider it a very serious choice. Followers who wield physical abilities significantly greater than the average person’s are often considered dangerous by the common people, who aren’t a part of any familia themselves (though Orario has always been dangerous from its inception, so its residents are used to it, in a way). There are some people who have an extreme reaction to seeing the word familia in a résumé. And when it comes to conversion between familias, there have supposedly even been cases where the transferees are suspected of being spies.
So the School District used the idea of classes instead of familias out of concern for their students’ futures.
And also, it might be a bit of an emotional point. For other familias, being able to think of someone as a member of their familia from the start, who just happened to learn a bunch at school first instead of as a convert from a previous familia, makes them feel less like an outsider. It’s something small that helps their patron deity and fellow familia members feel closer to them.
So the School District is careful about just being an institution of education and instruction…
As I come to my own sort of conclusion, the professor adds, “The School District is managed through the efforts of a small number of deities, teachers like myself, and many, many students. The gift of Falna is necessary for the sake of that management. Teachers and students alike receive it without exception.”
“Not just from Lord Balder, but from the other deities, too?”
“Yes. This sort of system is similar to a nation-level familia. As the representative of the School District, Lord Balder is headmaster, but the various classes are all equal.”
That makes it easier for me to grasp the situation.
From what I have seen, there are probably well over a thousand students, so for a single god to manage it all…I briefly imagine the sheer amount of work involved in updating statuses for a thousand people. It would definitely be impossible. So it makes sense that a system like country-level familias with their subordinate deities to divide up the workload would be mandatory, but something like the link Lady Hestia and Ms. Syr have now creates a lingering differential in authority. However, from what he said, each deity and each class has equal rank.
Incidentally, there are ten classes, apparently. Balder Class, of course, but also Idun Class and Bragi Class, among others.
The badge on the right breast of the student uniforms is the sign for which class a student belongs to. It is similar to familia emblems, and the light-and-ship badge on my chest is the emblem for Balder Class.
“If it is hard to grasp the class system, you can think of them like familias. Teachers such as myself form the core leaders of each class, and students are much like standard familia members.”
I murmur an “oh” as everything falls into place.
And along those lines, that is also probably the difference in strength between teachers and students. If they are entrusted to guide others as instructors, then the teachers must surely be expected to have strength in addition to wisdom and dignity.
“Student IDs exist for the sake of managing the information of students who attend the School District. And your major of Combat Studies…that, I shall explain later.”
A chime comes from the central tower that seems to be a warning signal, and the students around us suddenly start to thin out as he enters a nearby building—one of the schoolhouses.
Like other buildings, it is made of white stone with a blue roof, and the interior is perfectly clean. And like a yokel, I of course stare around in wonder.
Walking down a white hall that is different from the castle-like interior of Folkvangr, he stops in front of a door.
“Here we are. The students who will be your classmates are waiting.”
Huh?
As my eyes widen, he smiles and encourages me to come in with him. He opens the door and I follow him inside, a step behind—and it is without a doubt a classroom.
“!”
A wide, open space. It almost feels a bit like a theater. Farther into the room are long, mahogany desks set out in a semicircle, as if gathered around the podium and blackboard. The seats are set in ascending circles, creating a bowl with the podium at the bottom. I wouldn’t be surprised if this actually is used as a small theater sometimes.
And inside the classroom are tons of students in their seats.
Humans and animal people, elves and dwarves, prums and Amazons. People of every race in their teens and preteens. At least fifty of them, and they’re all in the school uniform.
Every single one of them looks at Professor Leon, and at me.
My body starts to tremble, and in a fluster, I follow him to the podium in the front of the classroom.
“Today we will cover the guidance regarding your excursions in Orario. However, before that, allow me to introduce your new classmate. Rapi.”
He gently calls me by my new name again, and I realize what’s going on.
This is an introduction. Right now, this is the beginning of my life as a student. As I realize that, my nervousness swells again. Every pair of eyes in the classroom is looking at me with interest.
It feels like I might be hearing someone saying, ‘We’ve got a weirdo here.’ Or is that just my imagination?
I don’t know, but my legs are starting to feel wobbly. In the grips of a heart-racing experience completely different from the Dungeon, I steel my resolve.
Breathing in desperately through my nose while making sure not to make a sound, I take a step forward from the podium.
“………………Ummm…”
The intense scrutiny almost feels like it’ll crush me. Is it just my nerves?
If nothing else, it makes me respect the professor and the other instructors who stand here every day to teach.
With that stupid attempt to escape reality, I finally open my mouth.
“I’m Bel…I’m from Bella! My name is Rapi Flemish! P-please take care of me!”
A sheen of cold sweat drenches the back of my neck as I almost ruin everything by saying my real name, but I somehow manage to get past it and then vigorously lower my head.
That would have been really dangerous if I hadn’t heard my fake background from Lord Balder!!!
I can feel the wry chuckle from Professor Leon as I nervously look up—
“Nice to meet you, bud!” An animal boy waves.
“You don’t need to be so nervous,” a human girl calls out.
“You’re a man, right? Act like it!” a red-haired Amazon jokes.
The other students all smile cheerfully as their warm voices fill the air.
I—I guess this is okay…
It was definitely embarrassing, but at the very least, I haven’t revealed myself as the trespasser from the other day…
“Rapi passed his entrance exam in Bella when we were there earlier, but due to personal matters was delayed in enrolling. He traveled here to Meren on his own to meet us. As his classmates, I would appreciate it if you would help him, since he is in an unfamiliar place, just like you were when you first enrolled.”
“““Yes, Professor!”””
As Professor Leon finishes my introduction, everyone in class answers right away.
“Very well then, Rapi, please take an open seat,” he gently encourages me as relief wells inside me.
“Y-Yes, sir!” I respond, my voice cracking a bit.
There are chuckles around the room and my cheeks burn as I move away from the podium. Going up the stairs, I look for a seat as fascinated gazes continue following me.
It’s a good thing the wig’s hair covers my eyes…I think.
I can feel my eyes darting around desperately, and I’m sure it looks suspicious.
Umm, an open seat…an open seat…
Since I was looking down in embarrassment, I didn’t really notice where all the students are sitting. As I wander through the rows of full seats…
“There’s a seat over here!”
A girl holds up her hand.
Right in the middle of the classroom. One of the seats right next to the stairs is open.
Grateful for her help, I start moving—but I’m stunned when I stand in front of her.
“You’re…”
Slightly pointed ears and long brown hair tied back with a ribbon.
A single jade tuft of hair. And more than anything, those emerald eyes that remind me of her.
I remember this girl.
She’s the half-elf girl I saw when I first broke into the School District!
“My name is Nina Tulle. Nice to meet you, Rapi.”
Tulle?
So then, is she really Miss Eina’s…?
“…Was that too presumptuous?”
“Huh? Ah, no, not at all! I-It’s nice to meet you, Miss Tulle!”
I manage to stammer a response. Not knowing what to do at the sudden encounter, I frantically sit down in order to cover how flustered I’m feeling.
“Professor Leon said it too, but just say the word if there’s something you don’t know. I’ll be happy to help if I can.”
“Th-thank you very much…”
Maybe she’s being kind because of how obviously nervous I am, but even after I sit down, she talks to me with a friendly ease.
The badge on her chest is the light and ship. Balder Class, just like me.
Her well-proportioned face is eye-catching, but…the way she reminds me of Miss Eina is nagging at the back of my mind.
Even though there is a trace of the elven tendency for propriety, she seems flexible and easygoing more than anything. An affable, adult sort of demeanor. She isn’t wearing glasses, but she really seems just like Miss Eina.
I can’t just keep staring at her, but she looks a little confused when I keep glancing at her. Even so, she just smiles.
I’m in disguise, our eyes only met the one time, and she doesn’t seem to have realized my true identity, but…to think we would meet again like this.
“Don’t get the wrong idea just because she’s nice, new guy. Nina’s a model student and she’s like that with everyone.”
“Milly! Please don’t say strange things like that! Also, Professor Leon’s about to start!”
The girl in front of me with blond, braided hair—an elf—smiles back at me, I guess misunderstanding my reaction, but Miss Tulle directs my attention forward.
I—I should be careful. I can’t help being curious, but I should focus on the lesson!
“Now then, we touched on it at the all-school meeting the other day, but we have safely made port in Meren. These next few weeks are going to be very important for everyone, but especially for all of you in the Combat Studies Department.”
A clear, piercing voice rings out from the podium. When he speaks, I can sense the excited air of the classroom suddenly changing.
“As the name implies, Combat Studies is dedicated to both the practice of martial arts and the attendant mindset and philosophy. Most of you here in this room have expressed a desire for future roles involving combat.”
He is addressing the classroom as if rekindling their original resolve, but it also serves as an explanation for me.
Was it Lord Hermes who had me placed in this Department?
Either way, it seems about right. If I was asked what I wanted to learn, what I wanted to improve, my first answer would definitely be combat knowledge and strategy, things with a strong link to exploring the Dungeon.
“Imperial knights, Dizaran marines, court mages of Altena…and adventurers in Orario. There are any number of such routes, and experience in the Dungeon—one of the three great frontiers of the world—is precious for all of them. You may be sure that we instructors also value it greatly.”
His words give the impression that visiting Orario is a big event for the School District as well, especially for the Combat Studies Department. I sit up in my seat, inspired by the earnest looks on the students’ faces.
“Starting three days from today, students will be given permission to enter Orario. Internships will also be allowed to commence starting that day. But the first task asked of you in the Combat Studies Department is hands-on study in the Dungeon.”
Professor Leon pulls a piece of chalk from the holster at his right hip and begins writing on the blackboard.
“Each squad will be asked to explore to a depth appropriate to your status and return with specified drop items of monsters. You will be graded relative to your results in the Dungeon.”
The words squad and graded caught my ear, but for now I set them aside.
A neat Koine that doesn’t look handwritten fills the board and a big diagram takes shape, all while the professor continues talking.
“Of course, you will also be expected to present daily reports. I am confident none of you would do so, but you may be sure that the use of drop items purchased from adventurers or any other falsification of your efforts in exploring will be uncovered immediately. As such, I would not recommend attempting it.”
“Professor! If someone did do that, what would happen?”
“A good question. There was a student who tried it before, and they underwent three straight days and nights of makeup studies in the Dungeon under my supervision. Upon returning aboveground, they cried tears of joy at how beautiful the sun could look.”
There are a few titters around the room as he turns to face us. On the board behind him is a diagram of the floors of the Dungeon and a basic chart of limitations. The ability norms for various floors are set precisely.
Those who are Level 1 with lower abilities can only go down to the fifth floor, while those with higher abilities are progressively allowed down to the ninth floor. Only Level 2 parties are allowed to proceed to the tenth floor, and even then, the deepest anyone is allowed to proceed is the fifteenth floor.
It’s set much stricter than the Guild’s standards…
I heard from Lord Hermes that the students of the School District are skilled, and most have leveled up at least once. Relatively speaking, this is a fairly strict line. Some might even call it a bit overprotective, but…none of the people in this classroom are adventurers.
Status numbers are crucial in the Dungeon, but experience matters even more. Just how much of the unknown you’ve experienced, how much you’ve already been through, could quite literally be the line between life and death.
The way Lilly, a Level 1 supporter, was able to help out even around the tenth floor is a good example, and the opposite is true, too. From what I’ve heard, it’s not exactly rare for an upper-class adventurer who theoretically met the standards to wind up dead in the middle floors.
Thinking of it that way, it’s kind of obvious that students who are overwhelmingly lacking experience with the Dungeon shouldn’t really be judged by the same standard as adventurers who make their living in it.
The standard is strict, but it is out of concern for the students’ safety.
“Instructors will be deployed at every floor during your practical studies. We will of course be watching your movements, but…the Dungeon is big. Remember that we cannot see everything.”
“““…!”””
“Irregularities go without saying, but there will likely be trouble with adventurers as well as monsters. If you allow yourselves to be distracted, something unexpected can easily put you into a dangerous situation.”
Tension fills the room.
Miss Tulle beside me and the other students all gulp as the professor looks around the room.
“You students of the Combat Studies Department have trained yourselves in body and mind through fieldwork and volunteer combat opportunities. Many of you have leveled up. However, I will be frank with you. For all the various battlefields you have experienced—the Dungeon is different.”
The room falls completely silent.
The students’ tension and their brimming determination are both clear.
After a moment’s silence, Professor Leon smiles.
“Remember what I said and embark on your studies in Orario. It will be okay. If you abandon your pride and prepare yourself, you will absolutely be able to do it. You are students of the School District.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
What bubbles up after is a faint fervor.
It isn’t exactly an esprit de corps, and it’s not quite curiosity…I guess you’d call this a determination to learn.
It’s a feeling that makes my body tense up.
I want to learn something, to experience something I didn’t know before. That sort of vague feeling is why I came to the School District, but since I’ve been placed in Combat Studies, I will also be participating in the Dungeon practical. I should make sure to remember what I’m hearing. Taking on the Dungeon while hiding that I’m an adventurer is more than a little unusual.
Professor Leon explains the schedule in more detail and writes it all out on the blackboard.
“That is all for the guidance. Ordinarily, this is where I would take questions, but…today we have a new comrade joining us. Let’s change tack for today and ask for his thoughts.”
…Huh?
Things seem to be shifting…?
“Rapi, do you have anything to share?”
“…Y-yes, sir?! Uh…um?”
Still not used to the name, it takes me some time to realize it’s me he’s calling out to before I reflexively stand up.
He is looking at me from the podium. Everyone’s eyes are on me.
My heart just stopped hammering before, but now it’s off to the races again!
“If I recall correctly, you were hoping to become an adventurer. So please share your thoughts with us on how to make this Dungeon Practical a more fruitful learning experience.”
I-I’m more of an actual adventurer than a hopeful, but…
Well, basically, that’s the setting they gave me.
I don’t have the confidence to convincingly pull off any complex backstories they could have given me, so this was definitely the safest choice. I’m sure that’s Professor Leon and Lord Balder’s thoughtfulness.
I’m sure that’s all it is, but…wh-what should I say?!
“Rapi, here at the School District, it is important to express your thoughts. There is nothing wrong with being mistaken or even entirely off-base. We want you to always be thinking and never stop questioning your own thoughts or those of others.”
“…!”
“By doing so repeatedly, we come to know what it means to learn.”
I’m shocked by the gaze of a teacher—something altogether different from the gaze of a deity.
He is probably trying to teach me even now. These are the School District’s rules, or rather, its way of life. He is holding this first lesson for my sake.
“Something that you consider important is enough. As someone who has set his sights on becoming an adventurer, could you share your thoughts with us?”
He asks in a kind, gentle voice. Standing frozen there, I glance to the side and see Miss Tulle smiling too, silently urging me on.
The students’ gazes are still piercing me, but…I clench my fist and my lips move.
“An adventurer must not risk adventure.”
That’s what I say as I fight back the tremors in my voice that even I can’t help but think are pathetic.
The professor’s eyes widen a bit. I can tell that Miss Tulle is stunned, too.
Just as it feels like my voice fades away and the room starts to fall silent, all of a sudden, the students start murmuring.
“What do you mean…?”
“An adventurer shouldn’t adventure?”
“Isn’t that weird? What are you trying to say?”
Catching the exact contents of their murmurs, the sweat starts pouring down my neck—
“—Fantastic.” Professor Leon smiles. “Rapi’s statement may sound contradictory, but I believe there is a truth to it.” The students’ gazes leave me and turn back to the podium. “In the Dungeon, recklessness is not a virtue. Quite the opposite. To avoid unnecessary risk is to protect your own life and the lives of your comrades.”
“““!”””
“For an adventurer exploring an environment as dangerous as the Dungeon, the judgment to know when to retreat and when to avoid taking unnecessary risks is the most crucial of skills.”
The surprised students all begin to have a look of understanding. Everyone in the room is hanging on to the professor’s every word.
“If you are going to set foot in the Dungeon, there will be much to learn from adventurers’ perspectives in the coming weeks. Thanks to Rapi, we have all gotten a little bit wiser— Ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause!”
The thunderous roar of applause instantly fills the room.
The sound of praise from the other students surrounds me as I stand there in a daze.
The first three students from before, the animal boy, the human girl, and the red-haired Amazon, look at me a little differently from before. Miss Tulle breaks into a gleaming smile and is more enthusiastic with her applause than anyone else.
…This is the School District.
Candid, unreserved opinions, and an indiscriminate, unreserved welcome for thoughtful words.
My chest fills with embarrassment but also with a sense of exaltation I can’t really explain. It isn’t because what I said was particularly amazing. It’s because the professor broke it down for the class, putting it into words that allowed the true meaning to reach them. And with far more skill than I could ever manage.
More than anything, he intentionally set up this opportunity to give the new student a chance to settle into the School District.
I’ve only just met him, but…I really can’t hold a candle to the professor.
People like him are what you call a fine adult.
As the applause dies down…
“Rapi, out of curiosity, are those words something you came up with yourself?” he asks.
I answer honestly, this time actually holding my head high.
“No. It was taught to me by someone special to me.”
An adventurer must not risk adventure.
Those are Miss Eina’s words. An admonition and a teaching that saved me as a fledgling adventurer when I was prone to getting carried away.
“Is that so? I see…”
Miss Eina was originally a student here, apparently, and the teaching that has taken root in me might very well be the legacy of what she learned here. As I’m thinking that, Professor Leon puts a hand to his chin and nods slightly a few times.
“I would like to expand on this discussion a bit further, but…there is the next course to consider. We should call it here for now. If there is anything that you do not understand, come to me individually.”
Taking a pocket watch out of his black instructor’s uniform, he then looks at me again.
Or more precisely, at the person next to me.
“Nina, if you don’t mind, could I ask you to show Rapi around the school?”
“Of course! I don’t have any classes today after this, so it won’t be a problem.”
“Thank you. Rapi, I will come see you again after classes are over. Please meet me in this classroom.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
After neatly clearing the blackboard, Professor Leon dismisses us and leaves the room.
I can’t help feeling a little abandoned, but I’m sure he has lessons to teach after this…and I can sort of guess what he was trying to say.
Get involved, make some friends, and do what students do.
“Hey, new kid, what did you do before you came here?”
“U-umm…helping out around the house, working in the fields…”
“A farmer in a big city like Bella? You want to be an adventurer, so do you have any combat experience?”
“U-um, a bit, I guess…?”
“What level are you?”
“…………L-Level One?”
“Why are you saying it like a question? You received a blessing from Lord Balder, didn’t you?”
I awkwardly muddle my way through the barrage of questions.
Right after the professor left, five or six students instantly gathered around me.
I appreciate them being curious, but what should I do? I haven’t thought at all about Rapi’s background…
In order to hide my actual identity, I immediately say the exact opposite of Level 5 and then do my best to blend the truth with some lies as I squirm under the impromptu interrogation.
This unsurprisingly gets a laugh as someone mentions I seem like a weird guy.
I don’t disagree…
“But that was amazing, Rapi. Professor Leon was really impressed!”
Miss Tulle praises me cheerfully.
“The moderation not to venture risk…the self-control not to get greedy? I was startled as well.”
“Ah, no, that was really just me repeating someone else’s…Uh, I mean, I was taught it, too…!”
I hurriedly wave my hands, but even the students who were laughing start nodding along with Miss Tulle.
She probably changed the topic because she saw I was starting to feel cornered.
It’s rude to compare them like this…but she’s a nice person, just like Miss Eina.
It would be weird if a student suddenly asked if she had a relative who works for the Guild, and I can’t be sure, but…seeing her sure brings back memories of when I first came to Orario. The kindness Miss Eina showed me, helping me so many times before I knew the first thing about being an adventurer.
“It wasn’t amazing at all. Professor Leon can turn any stupid opinion into the ultimate teaching material is all.”
Just then, I hear a laughing voice behind me. Turning around, I get startled.
“Iglin.”
At a seat a few rows back from us is a dwarf brushing back his hair just so.
A boy wearing a perfectly fitted and neatly kept uniform. Naturally, since he’s a dwarf, he’s short and broad-shouldered. He has a bushy, dwarven beard. And there is a rose on his chest…What’s that about?
The boy Miss Tulle called Iglin is sneering at me.
“Not only is he unsightly, he’s a Level One to boot? I have to wonder what you were thinking, coming to Combat Studies.”
“The prerequisites are the same for any new student at the School District, aren’t they? Why are you saying that?”
“Because he looks so weak, obviously. Having a complete amateur with us in the Dungeon is just going to be a burden.”
Miss Tulle’s eyes flare as she gets angry for my sake even as Iglin’s sneer never drops, but I can’t do anything but stare open-mouthed.
A handsome, unpleasant boy—with a shaggy dwarven beard. This is also probably pretty rude, but his fancy, aristocrat tone doesn’t really match his dwarven appearance!
“I feel sorry for whichever squad gets saddled with him. Don’t slow us down too much, hume bunny.”
“Ah, right, I’ll be careful…”
Iglin gracefully stands up from his seat and I just reflexively lower my head like normal, still reeling from the shock. Brushing back his hair elegantly again, he leaves the room.
“D-don’t pay attention to him, Rapi! Iglin is always like that with new people.”
“I-is that so…”
Miss Tulle hurriedly encourages me, but honestly, more than being hurt by it, I feel weirdly back in my element as an adventurer flustered by an encounter with something entirely unknown.
This is the School District…a melting pot of all sorts of people I’ve never met…!
As that silly, idle thought crosses my mind, a bell rings. The other students start moving, leaving just me and Miss Tulle.
“…Shall we also get going?”
Quickly changing tack, she flashes a bit of a wry smile. Now that I’ve finally calmed down, I nod with a bit of a smile of my own.
Leaving the schoolhouse, the sun fills my eyes.
A field of white buildings and blue roofs spreads before me, intersected by wide streets that make it hard to believe we are on the water. With a bit of help from the faint scent of the sea wafting up, the scenery of the School District, framed by gorgeous blue skies above and blue water below, feels almost like a holiday resort.
“One day isn’t enough to see all of the School District, so today I’ll introduce you to the academic layer.”
“Academic layer?”
Drawn in by the beautiful blue-and-white scenery, I parrot what she said.
“Mhmm.” She smiles. “The School District can be broadly split into three layers. The control layer, the residential layer, and the academic layer.”
“Layer, is it? Is that, umm…sort of like the floors in the Dungeon?”
“Hee-hee. It’s a little different, but it’s fine to think of them that way in a general sense.”
She explains things in an easy-to-grasp way, smiling like a mature older sister.
Apparently, the School District is divided up into three massive discs set atop each other called layers. The control layer, the lowest level, holds the mechanisms and structures that could be called the heart of the ship, along with several laboratories and many large-scale magic-stone devices—including things similar to the elevator in Babel. In the middle is the residential layer where students and teachers live.
And finally…
“The highest of the three layers is the academic layer. That’s where we are now. As you can see, there are many schoolhouses and seminar halls and all sorts of places for lessons.”
Each layer having its own role is a feature of the School District…or rather, they are all crucial to the Hringhorni being able to continue sailing all around the world and performing its mission. Apparently, there are more than ten thousand people on board, counting the sailors responsible for handling the ship itself, so it makes sense to organize the ship into sections. When I looked out at it from the land, it was undoubtedly a long vessel, but it’s also unbelievably tall…
Because of the way the three layers are arranged in a stack, the School District is sometimes jokingly called a short stack of pancakes. Apparently, it’s also compared to a clock with the hour hand sticking out, and the back of a majestic dragon, too. There’s no end to mortal comparisons for this impossibly large ship.
I can sort of get the clock one. When I came in from the sky with Lord Hermes, there was a really long something sticking out…I guess it’s the bow?
As for the back of a majestic dragon, I guess it’s probably due to the blue wings set around the outside of the academic layer here.
When I looked out from Orario’s city wall with Miss Eina, I almost thought the School District looked like a village built on the back of a dragon, and I guess other people got the same impression.
The sails are fluttering in the tranquil breeze, and it almost feels like they blend into the blue of the skies.
They’re glimmering with light, just like magic-stone lamps…no, dimmers? Maybe I should ask later.
I find the beautiful sails entrancing as I walk through the schoolhouse-lined street with Miss Tulle.
“Even just the academic layer feels like a city since there’s this many streets. I recommend always keeping the handbook you were given close at hand! There’s a map in there! When I first enrolled, I often got lost, too.”
“Ah-ha-ha…True, it really is big.”
“If you ever don’t have a map on you and start feeling lost, look at the signs on the magic-stone streetlamps. They have the street names on them, like 3rd Street, 17th Street, and so on. If you follow the lower numbers, you will always end up at the bridge…at Breithablik, in the center of the ship.”
She throws in an anecdote while pointing to the central tower where I met Lord Balder. The tallest building on the academic layer is apparently, and unsurprisingly, a really important location.
“Also, I guess I should mention there is a park at the stern of the ship.”
“Ah, so that was a park.”
Remembering what I was looking at the other day when I was trespassing…
“Ninaaaa! What are you up to?”
There’s a voice from behind us.
We both turn around to see three girls. All animal people, a chienthrope, a raccoon, and a cow.
“Betty, what about your lessons?”
“We’re just getting out of third period.”
“More importantly, who’s he?”
“Is he your man, Nina?!”
Her friends, I guess?
My eyes widen and I fidget a bit as her cheeks redden just a little.
“No! This is Rapi Flemish. Because of a family situation, he just enrolled today.”
“Hmph, really…He seems kind of unsteady!”
“Pretty unreliable.”
“Ugh?!”
The chienthrope called Betty and the raccoon girl both laugh.
“Hey, you two! Be nice!”
She gets a little upset for my sake, but I don’t really mind. Better than getting found out, at least.
Her friends leave with a “Have fun, you two.”
This sort of natural banter is part of the charm of school…I think?
“…?”
“What is it, Rapi?”
She is puzzled when my gaze gets drawn away suddenly.
“…I was a little curious this morning, but…are students working at those shops?”
I point at the stylish…I guess, boutique street?
A lot of the buildings are closed off with crystal shutters, but one is open with a small shop running out of it. Inside, behind the counter is an animal girl with a cute apron over her uniform.
“Yes, that’s right. Any student in the Business Department who earns enough credits and passes their qualification exam can run a shop.”
“A-anyone? That’s incredible…”
“I was surprised too the first time I heard that. But being able to open a shop is also dependent on finding a location available to rent, so the norm is to work part-time at a senior classmate’s shop first, I think.”
From the sound of it, this is also part of the School District’s studies.
Practice for students who want to work in a commercial field or join a commercial familia. And inside the walled garden of the School District—with over ten thousand potential customers—it’s important to read the market’s mood.
“There’s a ranking of monthly sales, and you can even win prizes from the gods and goddesses. That’s why the people in the Business Department are always fired up. Lots of new things come out every month, so it’s a ton of fun for us, too!”
With a bit of a wry smile, I find myself thinking that the School District isn’t quite as formal as I first suspected. It’s more open-minded than I thought.
Lessons are in session, so there aren’t many students working currently, and most of the shops are closed, but come evening, it’s bound to get more and more lively. A lot of the shops are for food of various sorts, but there are all sorts of options for accessories and sundries too, apparently. The shop that’s currently open is…
“…Jyaga Maru Kun?!”
“Hm? Oh, right. Jyaga Maru Kun originated in Orario, didn’t it? It’s pretty popular here in the School District, too.”
I’m taken aback by the Koine sign that leaped into my eyes.
The feel of the shop, the decorated sign in front—it’s so classy! This doesn’t feel like a Jyaga Maru Kun at all!
Wow! Goddess was right when she flashed a thumbs-up and told me that Jyaga Maru Kun is a worldwide franchise! Whatever that means!
“Since we’re here, do you want to go try it?”
“S-sure…!”
I’m not really hungry yet, but as a resident of the Labyrinth City, I can’t help a sudden curiosity.
Like Ms. Aiz, I’ve been lured in by the Jyaga Maru Kun shop.
“Welcome!”
“Hello, Misa. What will you have, Rapi?”
“Uh, umm…p-please, you go first!”
A bead of sweat pops onto my forehead. I quickly let her go first. The easygoing greeting contrasts with the stylish exterior, and the parchment menu set out on the wall is full of unfamiliar words, so I don’t really know what to order.
As Ms. Mikoto always says, when in a foreign place, do as the locals do. I decide to wait for Miss Tulle to order so I can learn by example.
“Hmmm, what to get. It’s pre-lunch, so I can’t eat too much…All right, I’ll have that!”
The girl who guided me so neatly and perfectly puts her slender finger to her chin, and her expression suddenly changes. It may just be my impression, but it’s only now that she feels like a regular student, and it’s a bit adorable.
I break into a bit of a smile when—
“One Jyaga Maru Kun grande, chocolate-chip caramel icy java with extra coffee, nonfat milk, and chocolate drizzle, please.”
…What was that?
I can’t believe the magic chant I just heard, but moments after I hear an easygoing “sure thing,” something incredible appears.
A crystal container filled with a creamy drink, covered with syrup, and with a Jyaga Maru Kun sticking out of the middle…
………No, this is…
This isn’t a Jyaga Maru Kun anymore. The syrup and drink are the main feature…
I feel like if my goddess or Ms. Aiz saw this, they would both declare this as heresy…
Also, didn’t you say you couldn’t eat much? Are sweets different or something?
The adorable schoolgirl image disappears in a massive case of culture shock…!
“What’ll you have?”
“…One hojicha-pepper Jyaga Maru Kun.”
Nudged by the girl behind the counter, I pick the shortest spell name, or rather, the most normal-seeming one.
My face tenses as the corner of the worker’s mouth turns up a bit as if to say, “Yeah, you get it.”
Seriously though, I’m not great with sweets, and I can feel my heart burning already after seeing what Miss Tulle ordered…
“How much for two, Misa?”
“Two hundred ragnars.”
I breathe a sigh of relief seeing a normal-shaped Jyaga Maru Kun come out with just some unusual spice on top. Then I watch as Miss Tulle pulls out a cute wallet and takes out two slips of paper.
Is that…paper money?
Paper instead of valis gold coins?
Wait—
“W-wait, Miss Tulle?! I’ll pay!”
“But you haven’t gotten any ragnars yet, right? Even if you have valis, you have to exchange it at the student bank.”
“Eh, ehh…?! I—I don’t really understand, but I can’t make a woman pay for me!”
More specifically, Master will pummel me if he finds out! I can hear him sentencing me to death for failing like this after all his reeducation, and I can already feel the Caurus Hildr ready to light me up!
“It’s fine! Let’s go!”
“Uwah?!”
Quickly handing over the paper bills, she takes my hand and starts running before I can argue. The girl behind the counter waves as my cheeks flush from the warmth and softness I feel in my hand.
“This is to celebrate you joining the School District!”
“C-celebrate?”
“Yeah! Let’s go to the park to eat!”
The two of us trot through the empty streets together. Her smile is dazzling, more than a match for the clear blue skies.
“Congratulations, Rapi! As classmates, let’s both do our best!”
She really does resemble Miss Eina. But she is definitely different, too. Mature, but childish and carefree.
A troubled look crosses my face, but drawn by the kind girl in front of me, I break into a smile, too.
After the two of us have a little welcome party, all alone in the big park, the chime from Breithablik rings twice, and a swarm of students flows from the schoolhouses. A lively energy fills the academic layer.
It’s lunchtime, and everyone is hungry.
Schoolchildren with healthy appetites attack their meals like they’ve been waiting all day for this.
“S-so good…!”
“Right?! Sky Lounge is a top-class cafeteria!”
I’m stunned by the small serving of pasta with a slight mound of jewellike fish eggs atop it.
Sitting beneath a parasol, Miss Tulle blissfully lifts a forkful of noodles from her matching order to her mouth.
We’re sitting at a table on an outside terrace that is buzzing with chatting students.
“The shops run by students cost money, but ones managed directly by School District staff and deities are generally free of charge. And among them, Sky Lounge is very popular! So popular that it’s almost impossible to get in, even if you don’t have classes! We got lucky today!”
I can’t believe such delicious food is free, but apparently an actual deity does the cooking for the Sky Lounge. Lunch is limited to fifty meals, and it’s first come, first served.
Across the table from me, Miss Tulle’s voice is filled with excitement.
Maybe she really likes eating?
Smiling a bit and getting a little fired up myself, I finish my pasta with gusto.
“With this, that’s pretty much it for the important points on the academic layer. The tour was a little hurried, but will you be all right?”
“Yes, it was very helpful! Thank you very much, ma’am.”
From the terrace, just looking to the side, you can see the academic layer spread out before you. It’s a beautiful view, and the wind is chilly but pleasant. It was a really fun tour of the school, including the great food.
Her smile changes, and her eyes focus on me.
“Nina.”
“Huh?”
She raises her finger.
“Call me Nina. I’m calling you Rapi, and we’re classmates!”
I’m surprised by her response. I guess it’s been bothering her a bit.
The School District—maybe it’s because it has the feel of a school, but I keep just saying what I’m thinking.
“B-but you’ve been at the School District longer than me…and it would be rude to be so casual with a senior classmate…”
When I say that, the smile she has had throughout the day turns into something a little sharper.
“…How old are you, Rapi?”
“Oh, umm, fourteen…”
“I’m thirteen.”
“Ehhh?!”
No way!
I reflexively leap to my feet, and this time, the younger girl’s eyes really do flare.
“Ah, so you have that sort of reaction, too! It’s fine, I guess I just look ancient and decrepit!”
“Whaaat?! Th-that’s not it!”
She looks so much like Miss Eina that it tricked my eyes…!
Something like this has probably happened a few times before. She closes her eyes and turns away, clearly bothered.
“No, really, I wasn’t thinking anything like that at all! I was just surprised. How do I put it…you don’t seem childish, and you’re more mature than me…and you’re so pretty…!”
Desperate to improve her mood, my face turns bright red as I just let what I really think escape my lips.
“…Hmph…”
Opening her eyes, she glances over at me.
And then her eyes crease mischievously, like she’s a child who enjoys pranks, and she flashes the same warm smile as before.
“All right, then I’ll forgive you.”
“Phew…”
“Just call me by my name. No need for formalities.”
“…Umm…N-Nina.”
“That’ll do,” she says with a nod and a smile.
I awkwardly scratch my cheek as an almost comfortable sort of ticklishness fills me.
It’s currently serving as a cafeteria, but apparently the Sky Lounge is also a break room in the central tower, and the students who have finished eating are just enjoying conversations without getting up to leave.
After becoming classmates in a more concrete way, we clear the dishes from our table and continue to chat underneath the parasol.
“Rapi, sorry if I’m butting in too much, but have you finished registering for courses?”
“Registering…?”
“Mhmm. Choosing the lessons you’ll take here at the School District.”
Ah, right, I think the professor mentioned that, too…
I grab my book bag from where it’s resting on my seat. Checking the inside, I see a guidebook, multiple documents, a quill and other writing implements, plus a scroll with the School District’s wax seal closing it.
I’m sure this is what Nina’s talking about.
Undoing the seal and unfurling it—there is an overview of courses in neat lettering.
“Whoa?! Are these all courses…?”
“It’s the curriculum, to be technical. There are some you can’t take in your first year, though…”
I spread it out on the table as Nina begins explaining.
“Broadly speaking, there are two types of courses—required courses and electives. For the Combat Studies Department, Martial Studies and Fieldwork are required, as well as a Combat Volunteer session of some sort. Practical lessons like Fieldwork and such are being replaced by the Dungeon Practical for now, so you don’t have to worry about them. So the question is electives,” Nina says. “Combat Studies has a high number of practical courses, but if you don’t take at least six electives, you won’t have enough credits. It would be best to pick subjects that interest you or something that you’re good at.”
“Umm, incidentally, what happens if you don’t have enough of those…credits…?”
“You won’t be given the right to graduate, I guess? In the worst case you could be expelled. But anyone who went to the effort to enroll in the School District wouldn’t avoid taking classes, so I’ve never seen it happen…”
I—I see…
So basically, if I don’t properly take courses, it won’t just end with me looking suspicious. I don’t know how long I can be in the School District, but if there’s something I can get, then I want to really study too, so I should be serious in my choices.
Umm, what’s available is…Magic Theory, Incantation Studies, Magic Development, Spirit Studies, Harmonic Theory, Alchemy, Compounding, Cooking, Elixirs, Smithing, Monster-Taming, Ethnohistory, Ancient History, Modern History, Divine Era Seminar, Eschatology Seminar, Koine, Elvish, Animal-People Dialects, Prummish, Amazonian, Dance, Theater, Performance, Music, Poetry, Swordsmanship, Spearwork, Archery, Ax Mastery, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Staff Fighting, General Combat—how many are there?!
Looking down at the parchment in my hands, my eyes are on the verge of spinning out of control.
“Ugh…?! Wh-what should I take…?!”
“I-if you overthink it, it can be overwhelming. Are there any that piqued your interest?”
“O-ones that interest me…ah, um, what is this ‘Theological Synthesis’…?”
“A course related to deities. You can learn the meaning of hieroglyphs and how to read them, but…”
“Eh?! R-really? Then maybe I should try that…!”
“It’s a little hard to recommend it…The word is only around one in ten people who take it pass…and even fewer people learn how to properly interpret hieroglyphs.”
“One in ten?!”
Hearing her advice, I groan and continue racking my brain.
I could take the History of Heroes course I saw on the list…and then just some sort of course related to martial arts that seems doable would probably be the safest choice. But since I have to hide my identity, I should probably limit the opportunities for revealing information about my status as much as possible…Wh-what do I do?!
My ambiguous desire to study at the School District instead of a clearer goal is coming back to bite me. I can almost feel the smoke rising from my head—
“…Rapi, can I have this for a moment?”
Nina takes the parchment from my hands and picks up a quill pen.
“Do you know the type of weapon you want to use as an adventurer?”
“Eh? Umm…a knife…I think?”
“All right, so in the shortsword section, Swordsmanship should be doable. Is history a tough subject for you?”
“Uh, no, I don’t think…”
“All right, then you can take Ancient History and Modern History. Professor Adler is the instructor for those, and he refers back to previous lessons a lot in addition to regular reviews, so it shouldn’t be too hard to catch up even if you’re starting midway. In the other direction, Divine Era Seminar assumes a lot of prerequisite knowledge, so you should probably avoid that.”
“Huh, wha—?”
“If you have any aptitude for magic, then I would recommend Incantation Studies…but that really comes down to you. If you have the leeway for a language course, there’s Elvish, which I could help you out with.”
Nina is jotting down things as my eyes keep spinning. When she finally gives me the parchment back, there are wavy lines under several of the courses.
“Um, is this…?”
“My recommendations…I guess. Entering this late in the year, courses have already started moving, so it can definitely feel like you’re being left behind by everyone else…and, well, it can be hard to catch up.”
Nine’s cheeks glow a little bashfully.
“Also…I recommended courses I’m taking too, so if we’re both taking them together, it should be possible to make it work.”
My eyes widen.
“Why would you go so far…?”
When I look up, I see her break into a joyful smile.
“I was the same.”
“Really…?”
“When I first enrolled, I didn’t understand anything, and I struggled to keep up with lessons, too…but there were lots of people who helped me.” She closes her eyes for a moment. “Do you remember Milly, the one in front of me during the guidance hall this morning?”
“Y-yeah. The elf, right?”
“Right. Milly is my senior and she taught me a lot of things. There were times it was difficult and when I wasn’t sure what to do, but thanks to her and the others who helped me, I fell in love with the School District, so…” She looks me in the eye again before continuing. “I want to help too, just like them…I know it might be annoying for me to stick my nose into your business, though.”
She laughs awkwardly at that.
“Not at all!” I frantically respond. “You’ve been really, really helpful! Studying isn’t my strong point, but…you made me want to do my best!”
That’s how I genuinely feel.
Inspired by her passionate, kind reception, all the unease I was feeling fades away. I’m even starting to think I’d like to get to know this place better.
I don’t know if what I’m feeling made it through, but her expression brightens, and her ears twitch.
“Then I’m glad! It makes me happy that you would say that!”
“Mhmm! Right, if you have time, could you teach me some about studies? How I should prepare for courses or something, just that much would be enough…”
“—Really?!”
Her face brightens even more hearing that.
“Then should we start now?!”
“Huh? Now?!”
“You’re going to have to start going to lessons tomorrow, after all! And preparing for lessons is really, really important!”
“That’s true, and I don’t really know what to study…if it isn’t too much trouble for you, could I ask you for some help?”
“Leave it to me!”
I’m a little surprised, but she’s totally right. Exploring in the Dungeon without even any knowledge at all is suicide. Excited by the study party suggestion, Nina has an enchanting smile on her face.
“Go back to the classroom where we had the guidance hall this morning, Rapi! It should be empty for the rest of the day! I’ll grab some reference books from the library!”
BAM!!!
My pupils turn to dots as an absurd mountain of books slams down in front of me. Is the desk going to be okay?
“Huh?”
“It’s a little on the low side, but this much should be doable!”
“Huh?”
“After five hours of diligent work, you should try some mock tests! I’ll make some problems for you to work on.”
“Huh?”
As I turn into a broken doll that can only say “huh?” Nina just keeps smiling. An indomitable, innocent smile without a trace of malice or ill will.
My reaction is delayed, but a massive wave of sweat springs out.
“N-Nina? This much is a little rough, or like, impossible, or like, I’m not sure I can cover it all…”
Lunch just ended and we’re currently in the room where we had guidance hall this morning.
I arrived first, and what Nina brought in for me turns out to be a pile of a dozen or more thick, heavy books. My face tenses as this incredibly familiar scene plays out in front of me, but the half-elf girl just a single year younger than me cocks her head in confusion.
“Eh? But you took the entrance exam, didn’t you? The interview with the deities?”
“I-interview…? Umm, yeah, I met Lord Balder and talked to him, but…”
“Then you’ll be fine! Everyone who can enter the School District has the determination to study! The deities would see right through anyone who doesn’t and wouldn’t let them enroll.”
Ah, so that’s the actual enrollment system, then…?
Miss Eina did say the requirement for becoming a student was the determination to study. No mortal can lie in the face of a deity, so an interview with them could be considered the perfect and simplest test to see if someone is fit to be a student here. That’s why the School District is known as the world’s biggest school, because only people who really want to study gather here.
But having a passion for studying and not being terrified by a despair-inducing load of topics aren’t the same thing…
“Studying isn’t really my forte, either…but if you don’t do it, you’ll just get nervous, right? So let’s do our best.”
Scary.
This is the first time I’ve thought a smile on a younger girl’s face is scary.
“It’s okay, I’ll properly teach you, too!”
It’s Miss Eina!
Miss Eina is here!
It’s the same as that spartan Dungeon study party!
The Guild’s famed merciless instruction: Fairy Break.
Nina and Miss Eina have to be sisters!
“All right, shall we?”
Forced to take up a quill, the only path I can take is to buckle down and begin, as a river of cold sweat pours down my back.
“Amazing!”
The sun has completely set beyond the classroom’s window.
Right beside me, as I lie collapsed on the desk, nothing but ash, Nina is holding the impromptu test sheet in both hands, her eyes gleaming.
“You got half of the questions on the test right!”
“I-is that really amazing…?”
“It’s covering topics you don’t know and haven’t taken classes on at all, right?! And you still managed to get half of the questions right in such a short amount of time!”
Nina’s voice is filled with excitement while mine is dry as the desert.
I wonder…is this because of my experience from Miss Eina’s study parties? She would always immediately give me a test after she finished her lessons, too. Also, the questions were less about calculation and analysis and more about memorization for history and stuff. Now that I’m Level 5, maybe my memory has improved, too…Hmm, yeah, probably not.
But as an adventurer, remembering things is very important—when faced with the unknown, delving into the depths of everything you do know for clues is a question of life and death—so I’ve gotten in the habit of picking up whatever I can notice. And the result is getting about half the questions right, I guess.
“If you can manage this, you should be able to catch up in your lessons quickly! Wait just a minute, I’ll go return these books to the library real quick!”
Nina celebrates my progress and picks up the mountain of books easily before leaving the room. It goes without saying, but it really is obvious she has a status…as I’m thinking that, the presence that has been waiting outside the classroom this whole time enters after she leaves.
“Finished?”
“Professor Leon…”
Seeing how exhausted I look, an amused smile crosses his lips.
“I could have said something sooner, but I simply watched since I thought it would be a good experience for you…Then it ended up getting this late. I forgot about Nina’s studying habits,” he says with a glance out the window at the night sky. “Sorry about that.”
I noticed that he came to see me after school like he promised, but I don’t blame him. Nina has been working so hard to help me, and I figure him not stopping it means he thought it was a good thing for Rapi Flemish.
“It’s fine.” I smile awkwardly back.
“How was it? Your first day of school?”
“Well…it was hard to get used to the name Rapi at first, and it took a little bit of time to realize people were talking to me, but I’m used to it now. Other than that…it was fun. I learned a lot about the School District.”
“That’s good.”
He nods magnanimously, and while it’s embarrassing, I also decide to bring up some self-reflection I had, too.
“As a student, I was a little pathetic…I was just nervous the whole time.”
“But you blended in well.”
“I-is that so…? The other students didn’t think I was weird…?”
“No, no one noticed you’re a first-tier adventurer at all.”
“!”
Hearing that, I realize what the professor was getting at, and my eyes widen behind my bangs.
“I imagine you noticed, but in between lessons, I observed your surroundings several times. And every time, there was not a single person who suspected your true strength.”
—Because he looks so weak, obviously.
—Pretty unreliable.
Those are the sorts of evaluations I got from other students today. I encountered a lot of students out on the streets and in the hallways. Not a single person suspected I’m actually a first-tier adventurer.
“As you know, there are many students at the School District who have leveled up. Their eyes are not just decorations. They can sense true strength beyond mere appearance. Be it balance, center of gravity, stance, movements, what have you.”
Because of the nature of Falna, every fighter knows to never judge a book by its cover. At a minimum, the students here would not use something like age difference or size or an impression of weakness to judge someone with a blessing.
He is also, without saying as much, pointing out that I managed to carry myself in a way that meant they didn’t notice my deception.
…And like he said, I’ve been performing a terrible act the entire day.
By actively suppressing my status, I’ve been able to keep people from guessing I’m Level 5.
“If I might ask, what was the logic you used?”
“…I took the advice I’ve received from many different people and did the opposite.”
Ms. Aiz and Ms. Lyu, and Master, too.
I thought that by going against the best advice of those people who allowed me to get closer to becoming a full-grown adventurer, I would look more inexperienced and green. I didn’t think about this very deeply, but that’s what I came up with.
I made use of the manners and way of carrying myself that Master taught me—even though they were supposed to be for dates. Turning my back on the spartan teachings he ingrained in me, letting my posture slump, carrying my weight more like a normal person, and being awkward, I managed to create an unreliable sort of feeling for myself.
That was especially effective this time, and it sounds like I managed to deceive the students of the School District.
I’m sure it would be seen through by an experienced upper-class adventurer, or even a second-tier adventurer. And of course, it was easily seen through by the man in front of me.
“Disguising your true strength…that is quite the trick. You really are an adventurer.”
I don’t think it’s as impressive as he makes it sound. I’m just desperate to not let anyone find out.
Though I can’t bring myself to say that part out loud.
For some reason, his natural smile, devoid of any openings, makes me feel like all I can do is keep my mouth shut.
“Rapi, earlier today, you said ‘an adventurer must not risk adventure.’”
The portable magic-stone lamp on the desk is the only source of light as he suddenly changes the subject.
“Yes, sir…”
“I would like to ask you a question not as an instructor, but out of my own personal curiosity…”
I’m a little surprised to hear a bit of a rougher intensity in his voice.
“I believe that there comes a day for everyone when they will have to knowingly take on risk.”
“…!!!”
“Regardless of their wishes. Whether they are adventurers or not…What do you think?”
His eyes now are completely different from the instructor’s gaze before. They’re sharp, almost like blades. But also, how do I explain it? It feels like there’s some expectation of me in them, too.
Our eyes lock, and there is a moment’s silence.
My eyes have widened, but slowly. Taking my time, I say what I feel.
“…I also think there will come a day when you can’t run away from it.”
I think back to my duel with the minotaur. My encounter with the Black Goliath on the eighteenth floor. And the rematch with him that resulted from meeting the Xenos. The calamity. The deep floors. The war with Freya Familia.
As I think back on all the other times I put everything on the line, I continue.
“No matter how much you try to avoid it…even if you keep choosing the safest route, eventually you will have to face it.”
I don’t want to deny what Miss Eina said. It is an important lesson, admonishing adventurers starved for wealth and hungry for the unknown. But in another sense, in another place, there comes a day when we all have to venture forth.
“In that case, what will you do?”
I already have the answer to that.
“Prepare myself. I am always trying to grow, to be ready for whatever might come.”
It’s not recklessness and not foolhardiness. Just…someday there will come a time when I’ll have to take a risk. I don’t know if it will come in a year or in a day, or even a few seconds from now, but to make it through that moment, I have to improve myself. In a lot of different ways.
Always in the frame of mind of searching for the best answer, preparing.
I think everyone we call first-tier adventurers are like that. So that they don’t have any regrets. That is the belief I gained after fighting with the swarm of iguaçu on our first expedition.
“I see. So that’s your answer?”
It lasts for just a moment. An incredibly small instant. But it feels like his eyes peer into my soul, taking the measure not of Rapi, but of Bell Cranell.
“Have you decided which lessons you will take?”
“Ah…yes, sir.”
I just manage to nod at the unexpected question.
“May I see?” he asks while holding out his right hand.
Stunned, I take out the parchment with the courses I decided on with Nina and hand it over to him.
He glances at it for just a moment and then pulls a quill pen from his holster. Then he makes two marks on my registration.
“Modern History and Eschatology Seminar. You should take these two as well.”
“Eh…?”
“The promise I made with Lord Balder was to observe throughout the day.”
He smiles like a knight, reaching some sort of acceptance, even as I struggle to follow what he’s saying.
“You are right, we should prepare. In order to face the end against which we must take a stand.”
I take the parchment he hands back to me, still dumbfounded.
Something that we must someday face. Even though my head doesn’t fully understand what he is getting at, my heart subconsciously picks up on it.
Looking down at me in my seat, Professor Leon smiles again like an instructor.
“You will be notified officially at a later date, but you will be joining a squad, Rapi.”
“A squad…?”
“Yes. As Lord Balder mentioned before, there is something he, and I as well, would like to put in your hands.”
There is a clear glint of expectation in his eyes as he says that.
“You will be in the 3rd Squad, together with Nina. Please guide them.”
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