“Mmm.”
Meyer Dilaila took a bite of the muffin she had bought before entering the academy and pursed her lips in satisfaction.
But that moment of satisfaction was brief.
“Do you always eat that kind of stuff?”
At the sound of a familiar voice from behind, Dilaila’s face soured.
“What of it? I bought itch, so I eatch it.”
“Tch, finish eating before you speak. It’s unseemly.”
The owner of the voice was Armin N. Pollon.
He was the son of a baron from the Empire.
Dilaila found herself disliking this man who had approached and stood beside her without notice.
It wasn’t just his intrusive demeanor but more importantly…
“If you were under me, I’d let you eat your fill of such things.”
He usually behaved with a dismissive attitude towards others and constantly tried to recruit her due to her abilities.
Gulp.
“What is it now? I’m eating. I’m not interested.”
Pollon was a scion of a wealthy merchant family and he often tried to buy people with money. But this practice was something Dilaila utterly despised.
“Acting so high and mighty, as if you have somewhere else to go.”
Whenever she rejected him, he would inevitably spit out such remarks and though she wanted to turn everything upside down in response, she couldn’t.
The difference in social status between nobles and commoners was one barrier, but more importantly, she couldn’t deny her own situation when he mentioned she had nowhere else to go.
A half-human.
This label had haunted Dilaila all her life.
Even the teeth she used to chew the muffin were far different from those of humans.
Sharp and hard, like those of a beast.
She was a descendant of an ancient race of subterranean beings known as the Underground folk.
Because of this characteristic, Dilaila could not avoid being glared at wherever she went.
Still, I’m managing to make some decent grades at the academy, aren’t I…
This was an entirely objective view, but in truth, her self-assessment was considerably underrated.
At least when combining practical and written tests, there were fewer than ten people at the academy ranked above her.
“Think about it carefully. If I join the command department and accept you, you’ll get the performance evaluation points you need.”
What right do you have to order me around?
“So don’t waste your time and stick with me. Honestly, where else will you find someone who can look at you without prejudice like I do?”
Why does this idiot insist on going on for a second and third verse when one is more than enough?
While Dilaila was internally reciting mantras to calm down the bulging veins that were about to burst on her forehead, a minor commotion erupted nearby.
“Is that the person?”
“Who?”
“That blond, good-looking guy over there. Isn’t that the famous Klein?”
“Really? How do you know?”
“I saw him at a party when we were kids.”
“Wow.”
The nearby new students were murmuring and looking towards the main gate.
Klein.
His incredible talent was well-known within the academy, and his overwhelming abilities had already made him famous even beyond its boundaries.
Dilaila noticed several students gazing at Klein with eyes full of admiration and envy.
Really… he’s someone so far removed from herself.
Wherever he went, he was bound to receive such admiring looks.
She felt a twinge of envy…
If she had had that kind of reputation, she wouldn’t have had to deal with idiots like Pollon clinging to her.
Just then, Pollon approached the murmuring new students.
“Are you seeing Klein for the first time?”
“Uh, yes.”
“It’s our first time.”
“Haha, I’m somewhat acquainted with that guy.”
Hearing this, Dilaila observed the new students Pollon was speaking to.
They all had quite beautiful faces.
And you, do you really know Klein?
Surely your so-called acquaintance isn’t just him remembering how badly you were beaten in the sparring class?
“In the combat department, he’s already surpassed the instructors in swordsmanship.”
“Wow, just like the rumors?”
“Right. Impressive, isn’t it? I’ve sparred with him a few times myself, and it was tough even to last four exchanges. Even the instructors can’t last ten exchanges against him.”
Yeah, you lasted three.
And wasn’t it you who, as a fellow noble, begged him to only go easy on you for three exchanges, you miserable wretch!
However, the new students who were unaware of such facts looked at Pollon with even brighter eyes.
“Then, there’s really no reason for him to stay at the academy anymore, is there?”
“I heard that even famous adventure groups and the royal family are keeping an eye on him. Just being able to spar more than three rounds with him is enough to get contacted by a well-known adventure group. I received an offer myself.”
“Wow! Senior was also a really amazing person!”
“Heh, it’s nothing really.”
During this conversation, the gaze of a new student shifted to Shane who was walking alongside Klein.
“Who is that person next to you? He has such a… old-fashioned aura.”
“Who? Oh, that’s the idiot Shane.”
“Shane, you said?”
Standing next to Klein who was known as the genius of the century, Shane was certainly intriguing enough to pique people’s interest, and Pollon couldn’t resist showing off his knowledge once again.
“Yes, that’s Shane, the idiot jealous of his brother’s talent. He’s pretty smart, but he lacks magical affinity, so after five years, he’s still only at the second circle. Meanwhile, he keeps trying to outdo his brother, but he fails at everything.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Just ignore him. He’s got a nasty personality, not the type to make friends anyway.”
“Thanks for the advice!”
Dilaila reflected on the past for a moment after hearing Pollon’s words.
That guy. He challenged Shane to a duel right after losing to Klein, didn’t he?
If Dilaila remembered correctly, it was Pollon who had sparred with this mere second-circle mage for over ten minutes.
What did he say at the time? Didn’t he claim he would only use magic since he was learning it?
While Pollon’s swordsmanship was quite skilled, his magic was not at the same level.
He was barely able to cast second-circle magic.
Back then, Pollon had struggled against Shane and eventually closed the distance before overpowering him with his martial arts.
Meanwhile, Dilaila turned her gaze to Shane.
Just like Klein was a celebrity, his brother Shane was always a topic of discussion.
Just then, the students who had been discussing Klein cast disdainful looks towards Shane who was standing beside him.
Dilaila could not understand such attitudes.
Why not just mind one’s own business, regardless of what others do?
Such a life must be exhausting for him.
While she was thinking about this, Dilaila glanced curiously at Shane.
Was he always like this…?
Dilaila tried to recall the last time she saw Shane with her keen senses.
Though they had never spoken much, she remembered observing him during classes.
Back then, how would she describe it?
He seemed gloomy, almost as if he viewed everything in the world with irritation…
There was no emotion on his face right now.
Even though he clearly noticed the stares directed at him.
Well, it’s none of my business. Why am I even worrying about him?
Just as she was about to look away, Dilaila suddenly felt the surroundings grow quiet and tilted her head in curiosity.
Turning her gaze, she saw Pollon standing there with a shrunken expression and his head lowered toward the ground.
“……?”
It wasn’t just Pollon; the new students who had been listening to his too-much-information were also covertly turning away their eyes.
Wondering what was happening, she turned her head and saw Shane, expressionless as before and scanning the surroundings with his gaze.
“Ugh, his eyes….”
Though his face was as emotionless as before,
Dilaila barely resisted the urge to bow her head.
How to put it?
It felt as if a fierce predator was intensely watching her from above.
But the silence lasted only a moment and the academy was filled with noise again, and before they knew it, Shane was already leaving the room with Klein who now had a bitter smile on his face.
“Tsk tsk……”
The students who had no particular interest in Shane started going their own way.
Meanwhile, those who had spoken ill of Shane still bowed their heads while coughing awkwardly as if embarrassed.
Pollon was among them.
***
Klein felt uncomfortable with the current situation.
From the moment they arrived at the academy, Klein and Shane had received contrasting reactions.
Over the past few days, Shane had not been overtly affectionate towards him or his family, though he hadn’t been hostile either.
However, receiving such looks at the academy worried him that his brother might go back to how he used to be in the past.
It was during one of those moments, while Klein looked at Shane with anxious eyes,
that Shane finally spoke.
“Klein.”
“…Yes, big brother?”
“No need to make that face. Actually, don’t.”
“Yes?”
“I will no longer care about the opinions of those around me.”
“…….”
“And know that sometimes such looks from you can further shatter a person’s spirit. I am not to be pitied.”
“…! I, I didn’t mean to…”
He had not expected to hear such words from his brother.
Only then did Klein recall the way his brother had been behaving towards him.
—Could it be that my own behavior has been making him uncomfortable?
That thought crossed his mind.
Shane observed Klein and let out a brief smile.
However, it was such a fleeting smile that it would have gone unnoticed unless one was paying close attention.
“I’m fine now.”
“…I’m sorry, brother.”
“It’s okay. Their stares are just born of envy, nothing more. They can’t surpass you, so they look for someone else to compare with you, and that’s me. It’s almost an instinctive behavior. I won’t be hurt by fools who are too oblivious to their own pettiness to recognize their envy.”
Shane used to be the very embodiment of envy.
If such petty jealousy were to hurt him, that would be a joke in itself.
“…….”
Meanwhile, Shane scanned the surroundings with an expression completely devoid of emotion. It was completely different from the smile he had just given Klein.
Perhaps it was the conversation between Shane and Klein that they had overheard.
Or maybe it was the unfathomable depth in Shane’s eyes that made it impossible to gauge their end.
The students all lowered their gazes in unison.
Wha-what was that? It’s nothing like what I just heard.
Can human eyes even be…?
Is that senior really an idiot?
Ugh…
With just his gaze, Shane managed to divert the students’ attention and then looked pointedly at Klein, who responded with a bitter smile.
Although it was unreasonable to expect Shane to be as sociable as Klein might hope,
Still, the fact that he wasn’t getting hurt was enough for Klein to feel somewhat relieved.
After arriving at the examination site,
There were many other students already there, most of whom were the same age as Shane and Klein.
All of them were fifth-year students at the academy like Shane and Klein.
“It seems everyone is here. Welcome. I am Levi Benjamin, appointed this year as the head professor of the command department.”
Upon his introduction, the students gathered here recognized him despite never having seen Benjamin’s face before.
He was the previous commander of one of the imperial knight orders, the Gale Knights!
Although he originated from a barony in another country, his unprecedented rise to the rank of commander of an Imperial knight order, based solely on merit, made him a figure well-known to anyone of note.
Perhaps such credentials were necessary to become a head professor immediately upon entering the academy.
The students all looked at Benjamin with shining eyes and admiration was clear in their gaze.
Meanwhile, Shane was smiling to himself.
Benjamin was someone Shane had encountered in his previous life.
On the fierce battlefield, he was an old warrior who burned his own flame fiercely to the very end.
Though it was a matter of ten years later, Shane’s legion had been forced to delay their advance by five days due to just this one man.
When he thought of those times, Shane now looked at Benjamin with different feelings.
Until then, Benjamin had been nothing more than a very talented person with a slightly stronger spirit than others.
However, the spirit Benjamin displayed on the battlefield at that time was so robust that even Shane could not corrupt it.
He is a future talent.
Observing such promising individuals in this life offered Shane a fresh delight, considering they might prove helpful in the future.
Among them was Alex who was standing beside Klein with a puzzled expression on his face.
In his past life, Shane had witnessed the deaths of such heroic souls, but this time, he had no intention of letting them fade away so pointlessly.
As Shane was lost in these thoughts, Benjamin continued his speech.
“From now on, you will have to take the departmental test. If you pass, you will spend the next year learning about command alongside me.”
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