I Will Carry as an Academy Veteran

8

A new semester filled with dreams and hopes has begun.

On the podium of the bustling auditorium, crowded with freshmen and current students, speeches were in full swing.

“Um… So, today marks the beginning of a new school year. I understand you’re excited, but I hope all students will focus on their studies and not be too disheartened by the end of the vacation, as there will be another one anyway.”

A long, white beard, holding a twisted oak staff in his hand.

Anyone could tell he was the typical ‘Grand Sorcerer.’

Headmaster of Salenium Academy, Grand Sorcerer Gandelfda.

Of course, he wasn’t dressed in tattered robes like the sorcerer in the story, but in a neat suit.

The headmaster, with a quirky backstory of mastering dimensional magic out of laziness as a human and then moving to the second dimension, had no choice but to reveal himself at the school opening ceremony.

After all, the academy’s student council president is his granddaughter.

Where in the world can you find a grandfather who can outdo his own granddaughter?

“Although some may have had various troubles over the vacation, and some may be no different from usual… Regardless, I hope you all excel in your academy life.”

The headmaster, constantly exuding an aura of laziness, glanced vaguely in my direction.

I casually met his gaze.

“Well, um, if you’re lazy, there’s nothing more to say… Live well on your own… Graduate and become outstanding individuals… My granddaughter, I must leave now…”

Gandelf, speaking weakly, smiled, closed his eyes, and turned into smoke.

“Uh, did he… die?”

A frightened first-year student murmured.

Of course, he didn’t die.

His real body is in the second dimension, so his apparition disappeared when his time was up. He’s probably laughing at home now.

“That apparition seemed to have stayed quite long this time.”

“Yeah. He usually doesn’t come, but maybe it’s because the student council president is his granddaughter.”

Unlike the first-year students, who were surprised, other students familiar with such scenes were busy recounting how long Gandelf had stayed in the present.

Then, a slight silence fell.

The voice of a student from the student council serving as the host could be heard.

“Um, next… This time, we have the honor of having the top knight student, um, um…”

Even pronouncing the name seemed daunting.

“Um, Evinis Rothschild de Repelheight ‘Sohujak’… will now take the oath of admission.”

The grand hall fell silent in an instant.

Even in an academy gathering all sorts of nobles, the power of the Repelheight family, known as the ‘Lord of the West,’ is second only to the imperial family.

And even within that, ‘Sohujak’… In other words, for her, who has been confirmed as the heir, the treatment is different from that of ordinary noble students.

I hastily flipped the hood of my robe.

Evinis’s oath was a scene I had seen in a vision.

In the original, for some reason, she seemed to take the oath with a sad expression…

Soon, a blonde girl ascended the platform.

Her steps were steady, her posture straight, and her gaze fixed ahead.

Her golden hair swayed, and her blue eyes shone unwaveringly.

Contrasting with such appearance, there was a very ordinary longsword at her waist.

“Hello. I am Evinis Rothschild de Repelheight, who has been admitted as the top knight student this year.”

The confident voice that had sentenced me reverberated in this place.

“First of all, it is a great honor to meet the gems who will shine the empire in the future. I would also like to express my gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor for granting me the opportunity to enroll at this prestigious academy.”

The pompous demeanor typical of prestigious nobles is the same whether it’s him or that fellow over there.

But.

“However, I ask of you. I understand well that this is a formal setting where no personal emotions should interfere. But… please, just for today, overlook my rudeness for a moment.”

What the heck.

The script is different…?

“Huuu….”

A deep sigh echoed in the hall.

Then, Evelyn, who had just opened her eyes, pointed straight ahead with her finger and shouted.

“Adrian! Adrian Rothschild de Repelheight, it’s you! Listen up! If you dare to cause trouble again, I won’t stay silent! You there, the one with the hood flipped!”

The heads of all the students turned following Evelyn’s finger.

Simultaneously, the students around me gasped and stepped back in shock.

In short,

I stood alone like a star monopolizing the spotlight.

“Adrian? That troublemaker?”

“What? Where is he?”

At that moment,

A gust of wind somewhere blew off my hood.

“….”

Seriously, the timing was damn awful.

They say when people experience something beyond their imagination, their minds freeze, and that is an undeniable truth.

The only thought that struck my empty mind was this.

This is screwed.

How do I cover this up?

“Adrian! You were there….”

“Stop.”

At that moment, my mouth moved on its own.

Eventually, I arrogantly raised my head and faced Evelyn squarely.

“This is Selenium, not Repelheight. Seems like you forgot due to your stupidity.”

“….Ha!”

Evelyn’s mouth twisted slightly, and the room fell silent.

I spoke with a cold, yet dignified voice.

Thanks to the dignity of my lineage, I was nobler than anyone here.

“Shut your mouth and refrain from speaking, freshman.”

Thinking of the last thing I wanted to say, I opened my mouth again.

“Know your place.”

Get a grip, Evelyn.

You shouldn’t be acting like this with me here.

***

After the chaotic opening ceremony, I headed straight to my class.

The 2nd-year lecture hall, an empty classroom.

I sat at the back, and Reyna confidently sat beside me.

A few people glanced over here, probably due to the events at the opening ceremony, but no one openly made a fuss.

“Adrian, wasn’t it too much? After all, Evnys is Adrian’s younger sister.”

It is set that Reyna and Evnys met during Adrian’s engagement ceremony.

Although Reyna and Evnys crossed a river where they couldn’t turn back, their relationship is not that bad.

So, they must have asked such a question.

“The school ceremony is a formal event where everyone watches.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you understand the significance of discussing the family there?”

Facing Reyna who nodded in agreement, he continued.

“A member of the family, even the heir of that family, tried to disgrace someone who was once part of their family, even if they were expelled, in a formal setting.”

“Then…”

“Raphael Heights, who should have set an example in every position, got carried away by mere emotions and made a scene.”

Reyna had a look of realization.

Well, if I explained it in such detail, even someone like Kalen with just one intelligence stat would have understood.

“So, Adrian was trying to prevent Evnys from making a mistake.”

…Hmm.

It wasn’t exactly like that, but he decided to act like it was.

Since I didn’t open my mouth, Reyna nodded on her own, saying, “Hmm, I see.”

“Indeed, I understand. It’s typical of Adrian. Even though his words may be full of thorns on the outside, inside, it’s not like that. It has always been like that.”

Reyna smiled softly.

“It was the same in the carriage. You asked me to find a new fiancé, right? Moreover, just yesterday, a letter arrived from the family suggesting a breakup.

Whatever.

I am no longer a pawn, and consequently, I was expelled from the family this morning… Along with Evnys’s enrollment declaration, the fact was splashed across the headlines in the newspapers.

Perhaps rumors have already spread faster ‘outside.’

If you think about it a little, isn’t it more ironic that I, a disgraced outcast from the family, and Wolfgang, the second-year head of the Western prestigious magic family, are maintaining the engagement.

“A breakup… Father does have a truly straightforward side. But I never thought of such a thing.”

“What?”

I quickly looked at Reyna.

Reyna spoke with a bright face.

“The moment I get divorced, I’ll be labeled as the divorced woman. Who will want to get engaged with me in the future? And even if Adrian is nothing special, it’s okay. Because I know you the best.”

“Reyna. Walls have ears. Lower your voice.”

“Oh my.”

Reyna let out a laugh as if it was a mistake.

“Anyway, keep that in mind. By the way, I’m looking forward to it. What kind of class will it be?”

Reyna smiled brightly as she opened her book, but I stared blankly with my mouth shut.

Thud, thud.

The sound of footsteps from afar.

Coming.

“Nice to meet you.”

Soon, a professor appeared in the classroom.

A young man with long brown hair tied up, wearing a loose emerald green robe.

If you were a professor in Salenium, it was common to exude a conquering air, but this professor, unless something special was happening, had the demeanor of a wandering traveler as his default attire.

In his hand was a small book.

“My name is Walitris Nuttrest. It’s annoying, so call me Walnut.”

Walitris Nuttrest.

Shortened to Walnut.

The professor users wanted to pelt with walnut shells.

“First things first, in my class, there is no ‘class system.’ Strictly speaking, even the professors of Salenium belong to a class close to nobility. So, I will address all of you students comfortably. Any objections?”

Everyone was silent.

“Good. For starters, I am in charge of the general theory and practical applications of elemental elements for second-year students.”

“…It’s begun.”

The first episode of the magic department route as the ‘protagonist.’

Commonly known as Touch and Run.

This.

Is terribly difficult.

* * *

Professor Walnut scanned the classroom broadly, then reached out his hand to conjure a chair.

“Teaching alone from the first day isn’t fun.”

With a flick of his finger, the surrounding magic transformed.

“For that reason, it’s a pop quiz.”

The students grumbled. Walnut persisted firmly.

“By the way, I really hate giving written quizzes and solving problems that way. It’s too theoretical and rigid. But I need to know your abilities, so I’ll evaluate them in a different way.”

Professor Walnut cleared everything on the platform with wind magic, leaving only one chair.

Crossing his legs and sitting down, he opened the small book in his hand.

“The test content is simple. Once someone touches me, it’s over. The method is free. You can write with your hand or use magic, it doesn’t matter.”

The students paid no attention at all.

As he read through the book, Walnut spoke in a dry tone.

“Let’s begin.”

Walnut’s voice echoed through the classroom.

“There’s no time limit. But if you fail to catch me, the lecture won’t end.”