chapter 10
10 – Denbergen Academy (3)
After the storm called Joseph, the uplifted atmosphere surrounding the front gate of Denbergen Academy gradually subsided.
And at this point, small question marks began to sprout one by one above the heads of the waiting students.
The small question marks met and resonated with each other and grew bigger and bigger.
“When can I come in?”
“Ugh, it’s heavy because I packed a lot of things.”
“I plan to keep you waiting in front of me forever.”
“I asked the guard, but he couldn’t tell me anything.”
They arrived on time, but couldn’t get into the school.
Since there was a separate meeting place, there was not necessarily a notice to come there, and it is hard to imagine that such a large number of students would have made a mistake.
Above all, there were no other people here, but the royal family.
There is no way that the imperial family looked at the prince’s way to school in a clumsy manner.
“Keuheum, don’t you guys know yet?”
“Arthur, Arthur. You will know when the time is right.”
“Hey, what is it? Just talk to me.”
On the other hand, there was a close exchange of information between students who seemed to know something.
Now I knew what was about to happen.
If I had to question it, in fact, I was part of the axis that just found out how things were going.
“Bocchan, what happened?”
“Anyway, my sister has a strong personality too. Without telling you in advance. If I had a bad memory, I would have forgotten.”
“Yes?”
Denbergen Academy is a formidable place.
To offer a test just by going to school right away.
If my sister hadn’t come home during vacation when she was a freshman and hadn’t excitedly solved school stories, I probably wouldn’t have known about it either.
Of course, I forgot the name of the academy because I heard it with one ear and passed it with the other, but it seems that the exam process was as interesting as it was memorable.
“hahahahaha, Deneb. You also seem to know. If it’s natural because you have a brother and a sister, is it natural?”
“I hope so. I haven’t even seen my older brother, and my sister isn’t very kind to her youngest brother.”
“Huh?”
“If there was something like this, I would have given you a tip before I arrived today. I’m just remembering what you said in passing.”
Prince Joseph nodded his head in amusement.
From the looks of it, the admissions process at this Denbergen academy seemed to be fairly secure in its own way.
If you haven’t heard from the people who entered Denbergen first, you have no choice but to know about the structure.
For example, Charlotte still didn’t know what was going on.
“What do you mean, young master?”
“Wait. It will appear soon anyway.”
As soon as the words were finished, something began to change.
Magic encircled the academy and an eerie fog began to roll in.
The security guard disappeared, and the clattering sound resounded in my ears.
Even students specializing in combat who are not sensitive to magical powers could sense that some kind of magic was unfolding.
Fortunately, the fog did not come all the way to the front gate where the students were standing, but the Denbergen Academy, which had been visible through the door just a moment ago, was wrapped in a hazy fog like a gown.
“Kyaaa!”
“What is this?”
“Look over there! The stone statue is moving!”
“Looks like it’s finally starting!”
Some students panicked at the sudden change.
On the other hand, there were students who felt a slight excitement at the fact that the event they had heard about in advance was finally starting.
If there was one thing that was certain, it was the fact that the winged lion-shaped stone statues standing on either side of the main entrance to the academy were moving.
The students who identified the source of the clattering noise opened their mouths as one when they saw the moving stone statue.
– Gooooo!
– Kreurrr!
As the pair of winged lions roared, the weak students backed away, while the brave combatants raised their hands to their weapons.
But Joseph and I didn’t even move.
Joseph was smiling and smiling just like before, and I just stared at the two statues of lions indifferently.
“Hey, hey!” Do, b*tch. Clearly, that’s black magic. Can’t believe it, a bad warlock invaded the academy…… !”
“Calm down a bit, what are you doing holding your arm?”
“Sorry, sorry… ….”
Charlotte clung to my arm as if she was almost clinging to her chest, and then slowly fell as if embarrassed.
Even in the midst of that, she was still holding on to her collar using only her index finger and thumb, as if she was still scared, but she decided not to point it out.
On the other hand, when the students were confused by the movement of the stone lion statue and the sudden fog, the lion opened its mouth made of hard stone.
[Ah, ah, first of all, I warmly welcome all new students.]
[My name is Rube.]
[My name is Rosen.]
[The two of us are creatures that move according to the will of the headmaster, the guardian spirit of the sacred Denbergen Academy.]
Only then did the students begin to stir as if they were relieved.
There were some magic students who were astonished at the idea of creating such a creature at the level of a higher life form with magic.
There was also a combat department student who expressed regret, saying that if it was a real monster instead of a guardian spirit, he could have beaten it earlier.
But, by far, the most important thing was that all the students were waiting for the words to come out of the mouths of Rube and Rosen, who claimed to be guardian spirits.
[We appear at the appointed time.]
[And I give trials to the naughty freshmen.]
[The contents of the ordeal are as follows.]
[Everyone check the parchment you have been given.]
The students all looked around.
I thought there would be someone handing out parchments with the rules of the ordeal written on them, but I didn’t see anything.
But the moment they came to their senses, the students could see that they had parchment rolled up in their pockets, hands, or collars.
“Ha ha ha ha! After all, magic is good!”
“Do, boy! I can’t see where mine went….”
“That, it is stuck here.”
“Yes?”
“…… Take a good look inside your clothes.”
“What is that… Ah! Thank you ah….”
I don’t know why, but after taking out even the parchment from Charlotte’s breastbone, the students read the rules of the ordeal as one mind.
[1. Face your own fears.]
[2. Even if you turn around because you can’t face it, Denbergen doesn’t laugh at your lack of courage. I will let you in after the sun goes down.]
[3. One way for the courageous to get rewarded. Dormitory rooms are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.]
“Is the dormitory on a first-come, first-served basis?”
Someone exclaimed.
Without reason, the dormitories at Denbergen Academy are famous for rumors that the difference between the top class and the bottom class is drastic.
I heard that it is usually divided according to grades, so what happens in the first semester of the first year when grades from the previous semester cannot be checked?
The answer to that question was written on this parchment.
“That’s not fair!”
In the middle of a great commotion filled with whispering words, someone shouted in a loud voice.
Everyone was surprised and their attention was drawn to that side in an instant.
The student hesitated for a moment, perhaps because he was taken aback by receiving attention at once, but he soon expressed his opinion without hesitation.
“Isn’t that right?! Aren’t the kids whose families have been enrolled here before, knowing in advance what exams will be held and being able to prepare for them?!”
Joseph smiled happily as he looked at the boy who had just spoken.
“Are you a warrior of the sun god from the southern unexplored land? It’s a bit aggressive, but you pointed out exactly what I was thinking about earlier.”
“Dark skin and an ax on the back… I guess so. Have you heard of trials, too, Joseph?”
“I don’t have kind brothers and sisters either, so I haven’t heard from them. The imperial aides only tipped me off.”
The school was once again thrown into confusion at the remarks of a student who was presumed to be a warrior of the sun god.
Whether it was intentional or not, there was a split between the students, and a conflict arose between the students who knew in advance and the students who did not know.
But perhaps seeing this kind of scene more than once or twice, the stone lion statue guardian spirit Rube skillfully took control of the situation.
[Notice in advance, whether or not you know the contents of the ordeal will not have a big impact on your success.]
[Please rest assured that this has been proven through decades of experience.]
[Rather, it’s a bigger blow to suffer and worry alone because you know what kind of ordeal you’re going to face.]
[In the name of Denbergen Academy, even if you knew the contents of the ordeal before coming here, there is no difference.]
[If there is a difference, it means that it is only a difference in individual capabilities.]
When Suhoryeong said this, the students seemed to agree.
I don’t have physical evidence to believe their words, but strangely, I trusted the words of the stone lion statue.
The boy called the Warrior of the Sun God did not refute any more, and when the turmoil subsided, the stone lion statue began to mention the contents of the ordeal in earnest.
[The content of trials is to face what you fear the most.]
[Overcome fear, overcome fear, set foot in Denbergen.]
[Because learning is always overcoming oneself, that will be the beginning.]
[Welcome once again to Denbergen Academy, the cradle of wisdom. Freshmen.]
A dry, hard voice sounded a little different at the end.
Should I say that it sounds like the voice of a gentle and playful woman?
For some reason, I unconsciously moved my steps with the feeling that my heart became peaceful.
“Uh, uh uh!”
“You said you’re going in already?”
“Ooh, should we go too?”
“I’m really trying to catch the eye of the prince… !”
Thanks to the excellent hearing I developed as an assassin, I could very well hear the whispers of the students.
I don’t know why, but it seems that among the children of some of the central noble families, I’ve become the kind of guy who’s eager to fart at the prince.
A little bit of history would tell you that Rehinar is not a family to be treated like this.
‘I wonder if that’s the case at my age.’
There may be some who look down on other nobles just because they are central nobles, but the biggest one is probably jealousy.
Those who threw away their pride and gathered in a circle to get close to the prince, but the prince came running towards me like an arrow.
I was able to be quite forgiving because I thought that anyone who had just turned 17 could do that.
‘Compared to an elfin in puberty, that… It’s incomparable.’
Meanwhile, it wasn’t just the enemies that were following me. Charlotte chased after me with galloping strides, and Joseph also strode forward without hesitation.
“Do, boy! Let’s go together!”
“No matter how close you are, I will not allow you to stand in front of the imperial family! I’ll go through first and I’ll be waiting for you, Deneb!”
With two friends, I was the first to step into the ordeal.