Chapter 6

At Lysquare Academy, a variety of subjects were taught.

‘Of course, I’ve never actually taken any of those classes. I just skimmed over them, saying something like, “Yeah, I attended those,” and moved on.’

But I knew this academy’s setting very well.

From what I remembered, first-year students studied a wide range of subjects, gradually narrowing them down in their second year.

Then, during their final year—the third—they would decide on a career path and only take courses related to that path until graduation.

‘At least, that’s how theory classes go. For practical lessons, you start focusing on your chosen path from your first year.’

Theory classes and practical classes.

This academy held theory classes in the morning and practical ones in the afternoon.

Theory courses mainly included subjects like history, administration, management, and potion-making.

Practical classes covered areas such as agriculture, magic, and architecture.

‘First-years only take one practical class. You decide which one after your admission gets approved…’

Naturally, I had no memory of choosing which practical course to take.

So, just in case, I checked the crystal sphere—and found a message from the academy, sent several months ago.

‘So I’m supposed to attend swordsmanship class in the afternoon, huh?’

I organized my thoughts while putting the crystal sphere back into my pocket.

As expected, the class I was supposed to take was swordsmanship.

‘Swordsmanship class, huh… Well, that’s manageable enough.’

There was no real issue with taking swordsmanship.

I was aiming to become a knight, after all, and most aspiring knights took that class.

‘Noble heirs aiming for knighthood, ambitious commoners… and then…’

I looked toward the front of the classroom.

Seated at the front were Layla, Sara, and Jason.

‘Those two are taking swordsmanship as well.’

The two heirs of ducal families would be attending the same afternoon class as me for at least one semester.

And that was, in many ways, a double-edged sword.

From a gameplay perspective, taking the same class as key characters you needed to befriend was an advantage—but this was no longer a game.

For me, this was reality, and I had no idea how things would unfold from here.

‘Still, there’s no point worrying about it now.’

With a quiet sigh, I turned my gaze back to the front.

At the very front of the room, the homeroom teacher of Class 1—Luke—was energetically explaining the academy’s curriculum.

‘There’s nothing I can do right now, so I might as well just listen.’

Pushing away my wandering thoughts, I focused on Luke’s lecture.

It really did feel different hearing it in person compared to just reading it in the game.

—

The morning class ended later than Luke had promised.

It was supposed to feel like a simple orientation, but that orientation went on far longer than expected.

The students of Class 1 looked tired in various ways, though I didn’t particularly mind.

I already knew Luke was that kind of teacher, so I hadn’t expected the morning class to end early, no matter what he’d said.

‘He’s the type who’s passionate about teaching his students.’

Of course, he wasn’t just passionate.

He was a model teacher—capable, kind, and upright.

Even in the game, I’d been impressed by Luke’s conduct on multiple occasions.

Still, regardless of his merits, his passion often meant that he kept Class 1 students until right before lunchtime.

‘Talking to each of his students one by one, memorizing their names and faces on the spot… I guess that’s praiseworthy.’

No one really complained about Luke’s tendency to run long—it was hard to resent such genuine enthusiasm.

Even if everyone did look a little worn out.

Anyway, the morning class finally ended, and lunch passed quickly.

After eating, I headed off to my afternoon class.

‘Swordsmanship class, huh…’

For at least the next semester, I’d be taking swordsmanship every afternoon.

In practical classes, all students were mixed regardless of class section.

That meant it was the only time we could interact with students from other first-year sections.

‘Agriculture took place off-campus, architecture too, I think. Magic was probably held in a separate hall…’

Each practical subject had its own location.

And as for the swordsmanship class I’d be attending…

‘Was it Gymnasium No. 7? If I remember right, third-years used No. 4, second-years used No. 5, and first-years… yeah, No. 7.’

Even for such a massive academy, I’d always wondered why they needed seven gymnasiums.

But even after years of playing the game, I’d never figured out the reason.

Well, that aside.

‘First-year swordsmanship students… ten of them, as expected.’

When I stepped into the gymnasium, I saw several students who had arrived early.

Just as I’d remembered, there were seven commoners and three nobles—a total of ten students.

‘Actually, including me, that makes eleven.’

I looked over the ten others.

I knew the names of the seven commoners, of course, but none of them stood out much.

‘Well, to be precise, any presence they had was overshadowed by those three nobles.’

I glanced at the three noble students one by one.

The first to catch my eye was a large, broad-shouldered boy carrying an enormous two-handed sword on his back.

‘Dave Bonscora.’

He looked quiet and composed at a glance, but his swordsmanship was actually quite aggressive and driven by emotion.

Later on, when he failed to control those emotions, he even became a boss monster in the story.

‘That’d be troublesome if it happens here. I should probably do something about it in advance.’

I figured I’d need to have a few words with Dave sooner or later.

Then I looked toward the other two nobles.

Both were very familiar faces.

‘Sara, Jason.’

As I’d mentioned earlier, they were also taking swordsmanship as their afternoon practical class.

When I entered the gym, Jason waved at me cheerfully.

Sara, on the other hand… glared at me again with a look of displeasure.

‘She really is arrogant.’

Even considering this was a society with a noble class, Sara was exceptionally prideful.

That made her one of the hardest characters to befriend in the game.

I wondered whether I could get close to her again this time.

‘Well, the ducal heir I really need to befriend isn’t Sara—it’s Lisa.’

My goal was to become a knight.

There were several routes toward knighthood, but I planned to take the so-called Disciplinary Committee route—through Lisa Balmuth.

‘Lisa should be arriving here soon.’

I needed to think of a few ways to make a good impression on her.

But before that, it looked like the class was about to begin.

Since I’d arrived just on time, Luke would probably show up any moment now…

“Everyone’s here? Then let’s get started.”

Right on cue, Luke appeared—ever punctual, as expected of a model teacher.

For reference, the instructor in charge of the first-year swordsmanship class was none other than Luke himself, the homeroom teacher of Class 1.

‘Luke Keras… one of the top swordsmen in this world.’

He wasn’t on the same level as the three ducal families known as the Swords of the Empire, but Luke was among the few who could rival them.

I’d learned that from the story—and even the proud Sara would bow her head in front of him.

That alone showed how formidable he was when it came to swordsmanship.

“There are quite a few first-years this year. Last year there were only five. Now then, everyone, gather around. My name is Luke Keras. Some of you may have heard of me, some may not. So, to introduce myself briefly…”

Luke gave a short, simple introduction about himself.

After that, his gaze naturally drifted toward Sara and Jason.

“So you two joined this year as well.”

“Luke. Oh, I mean… I should call you Professor here, right?”

“That’s right. At least while you’re in this academy, you should.”

Luke chuckled lightly in response to Jason’s words. Then he looked to the girl standing beside him.

“Sara. I saw you earlier in the classroom, but how have you been?”

“Well… I suppose fine.”

Sara scratched her head awkwardly.

Luke smiled again at that.

“Last year I taught Lisa, and this year it’s you two. It’s the first time I’ve taught heirs of ducal families two years in a row.”

“Is Lisa doing well these days?”

“I wouldn’t say well, exactly. I heard she’s been stressed lately because of her work with the Disciplinary Committee.”

Luke shrugged as he answered Jason, then turned back toward the rest of the students.

“Anyway, let’s stop chatting among ourselves… Let’s see… Oh, Gideon. You’re taking swordsmanship too, I see.”

“Yes, something like that.”

“So from Class 1, we’ve got Gideon, Jason, and Sara. Looks like the rest of you are from other sections.”

Luke nodded to himself.

“Good. Normally, in a class like this, we’d start with introductions. But as you all know, this is swordsmanship class, right? Here, things like social rank or lineage don’t matter. The only thing that speaks for you is your sword.”

Then, with that meaningfully said, Luke continued,

“So let’s see everyone’s skills firsthand. Pick up your swords and show me what you’ve got.”

“Luke—uh, I mean, Professor. What exactly do you mean by show?”

“It’s simple, Sara.”

Luke glanced at the students one by one.

“You’ll come out one at a time and spar. Or, if you don’t want to spar against me, you can form pairs and spar with each other.”

“So it’s fine for two students to duel each other?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Why?”

Sara stepped forward, walking past the other students—then raised her hand and pointed straight at me.

“Gideon Kyrgram. I hereby challenge you to a duel—no, a spar—right here and now.”

“…Me?”

“Who else? Let’s finish the fight we didn’t get to finish earlier.”

After saying that, Sara turned to Luke again.

“May we, Professor?”

“I don’t see a problem. Though, just out of curiosity, is there a reason you chose Gideon?”

“…Not really—”

“Sara had a brief clash with Gideon before the entrance ceremony,” Jason cut in with a sly grin.

“And apparently, Gideon blocked every one of her strikes. I think that might’ve bruised her pride a bit.”

“Shut it, Jason. But…”

Sara bit her lip for a moment, hesitating before speaking again.

“He’s not wrong. That guy really did block all of my attacks. As a member of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family, I can’t just let that go—especially not against someone from some no-name house I’ve never even heard of…”

“Sara, no talk of family status. Not here, at least,” Luke interrupted calmly. “But Gideon blocked all your attacks, you say?”

Luke looked at me with genuine curiosity.

“If that’s true, I’d like to see it for myself. So, Gideon—are you willing to spar with Sara?”

“Hmm.”

I shifted my gaze slightly.

Up on the second-floor gallery of the gymnasium, several people had arrived.

‘They’re here, as expected.’

They were second- and third-year students—specifically, upperclassmen who had chosen swordsmanship as their specialization.

They had come to see the new first-years for themselves.

And among them, I spotted one particular person who caught my eye.

‘Lisa Balmuth.’

A girl with striking red hair—hard to miss.

She was the daughter of the Balmuth Ducal Family, one of the three ducal houses known as the Swords of the Empire.

And the path I’d chosen to become a knight centered around earning her recognition and support.

In other words, I needed to make a good impression on her.

‘I need to leave a strong, favorable first impression—something that’ll stick.’

Honestly, I wasn’t confident I could defeat Sara here.

But at the very least, I had no intention of losing disgracefully either.

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