CH 14

The moment I opened the classroom door, I was pierced by several stares.

In terms of numbers, there were eight of them.

Naturally, everyone here was wearing the same uniform as me and Alice.

The classroom where the desks and chairs were lined up in a row was too wide for this number of people, giving a distorted impression.

A girl sleeping on her desk.

A boy reading a book.

Another boy with his feet up on the desk and a bad eye staring at me for some reason.

A restless girl scurrying around.

Another boy, not paying attention to the rest, in a straight posture was focused at one point.

A creepy guy with a thin smile on his face.

Another girl staring at… not me, but Alice.

And…

“Luke-sama!! I knew you had passed!”

This big thing in front of me.

“Who are you even?”

“Eh?”

No, really, who is he?

If I’ve met him before and he’s not even in my memory, then there’s a high possibility that he’s someone truly insignificant.

“I’m so sorry! I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am ‘Hugo Van Normandy’, second son of the Viscounts of Normandy. I apologize for blocking your way during the entrance exam!”

“… Ah.”

I remembered.

This guy was the same mob that was involved with Abel during the entrance exam.

Seriously?

Even he passed?

I thought these types who pick on main characters were supposed to fail.

“So, Hugo. Where’s my seat?”

“Yes! I’m assuming there is no specific seat as nobody has mentioned anything yet, so I believe any seat is fine.”

“I see.”

… But he’s too loud.

Being in this classroom means we’re going to be classmates from now on, but I already hate this guy.

But, wait.

I think this guy’s gonna be my crony in terms of where he stands.

Every villain aristocrat has their cronies.

I’d hate it if it’s him.

Hugo then greeted Alice as well, but to my surprise, she completely ignored him.

He was clearly feeling down.

I think I was kinder in my response than Alice was.

For now, let’s just sit at the back.

As I walked, thinking that,

“Hi, I’m ‘Leonard Lynn Wellesley’. You can call me Leonard. Nice to meet you, Luke.”

Now, the guy with the faint smile and bad attitude approached me and started talking.

His smile was as if to say, “I can get along with anyone.”

I don’t feel good.

“Ah.”

He reached out his hand but I ignored it and continued walking.

It’s better just to ignore him than anything else.

“You must be Alice. Nice to meet you.”

I wondered if this guy remembers everyone’s name.

Such a question popped into my mind,

“Don’t talk to me so casually, will you? To be frank, your pasted-on smile makes me want to puke.”

“”… Eh!””

Unexpectedly, my voice and Leonard’s overlapped.

Oh, was he that kind of character?

If I were to judge based on looks, I would say he’s a good-looking guy, but… no, that’s not the issue here.

Yeah, the air in the classroom was completely frozen.

I really wish Alice would stop showing off her “Ice-type” personality in a place like this.

“… I’m sorry. If I offended you.”

“Let’s go, Luke. I’d like to sit away from him as far as possible.”

“…………”

“… Alright.”

But what the h**l did he do?

If I think about it, he was simply saying hello.

He was no longer smiling as he toddled back to his seat.

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

It really is pitiful, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

Sometimes I simply don’t understand her.

She’s too different when she’s talking to me.

I lost track of her just now.

I thought she was just a pervert, but apparently women are much more multifaceted and complex creatures than I imagined.

After a lot had happened, I sat down in the backseat.

Alice sat next to me as a matter of course.

I was curious as to why she was acting like that, but it was probably best not to ask her abou that right now.

The classroom was too quiet for everyone to hear a thing.

This is all her fault.

“It’s been a while since the entrance exam, Alice.”

But the silence was broken.

Frankly, I was already pretty tired.

With a feeling of irritation, I looked and saw the girl who had been staring at Alice.

I knew this girl.

She’s the third daughter of the Lennox family.

I also met her at the party.

“Ara, who are you again?”

“It’s Mia, Mia! You know me!”

“Hmm, I wonder if we really met?”

“We did!!”

… What is it with her, really?

So loud and noisy.

“It’s been a while, Luke.”

“Yeah.”

Apparently, she remembers me, too.

“If the greetings over, can you please go back to your seat? Listening to your shrill voice is giving a ringing in my ears”

“What did you just say?”

By no means I’m taking Alice’s side, but Mia certainly has a high voice.

It’s not particularly high, rather shrill, combined with the fact that it’s loud.

“I’m glad you got accepted… Alice. Don’t get carried away just because you were lucky enough to beat me in the entrance exam.”

“Ara, did I fight you? I’m sorry, I don’t really remember. , It’s just like any other day.”

“───! … You better regret what you said.”

With that, Mia went back.

As I recall, Mia is a gem that manifested three attributes.

And Alice won against her.

Though, I’m not surprised.

… Rather than that, what’s the deal with her, I mean Alice?

She keeps making enemies faster than I can keep up.

I don’t like to talk about people behind their backs, but if she can, she should stop doing it.

While I was thinking about that, the door was flung open.

“We made it!!!”

“Wait, Lily! Don’t run!”

Here comes the main character.

“………”

“………”

And he remained silent.

It was natural.

After all, Alice had frozen the atmosphere in the classroom.

“… Abel, let’s go sit somewhere.”

“… Yeah, right.”

Abel, lowering his posture, quickly headed to a seat.

Looking at him again I thought, he truly was like an ordinary guy, nothing special.

But that’s what makes him so eerie.

Almost at the same time that Abel and the others took their seats, a bell rang in the distance.

“So you’re all here.”

Says a woman as she entered the classroom.

“I’m Freya, and I’ll be in charge of the first year. It’s nice to meet you.”

No one replied to that.

As the classroom was still frozen silent thanks to Alice.

But the woman who called herself Freya didn’t seem to care.

“Since you have been accepted into this academy. Of course, you are aware of the existence of the “Leaderboard”. But let’s get straight to it, I’ll announce your current “rank” now. Confirm it.”

It was disclosed without being allowed to ask any questions.

1.Luke

2. Alice

3. Mia

4. Lloyd

5. Lily

6. Leonardo

7. Poppy

8. Jack

9. Logan

10. Clara

11. Hugo

12. Abel

“Haa? I’m in 11th place! I can’t accept this!”

“Be quiet. I’m still in the middle of explaining.”

Hugo was the only one to speak out, but there were probably others who were dissatisfied with their ranking as well.

”This is the result of a comprehensive judgment based on the amount of magic power you possess and the amount of magic power you generated measured at the time of the entrance exam, as well as the results of the written and practical tests. ──Well, this is only your rank for this first year. Now, let me show you the ‘Academic Leaderboard’. This is where your original rank is determined.”

And the fact that I was ranked 12th from the bottom was shown.

Many names were above mine.

From the numbers (2) and (3) written next to the names, they were probably upperclassmen.

What’s interesting was that the name written at the top of the list has a (2) next to it. which means that the top of the rank is probably a second-year student. ── I have a strange feeling about this name though, “Eleonora”… hmm, I can’t remember.

I was not surprised or happy to be at the top of the class.

I only felt that it was only natural.

What was more striking to me was that “Abel” was at the bottom of the list.

“The difference in your abilities will determine this. The ‘rank’ is everything in this academy. In other words, it’s ‘value’. The handouts that will be distributed later will have classes that can be taken on specific days, but you can also choose what you want to take. There are some mandatory classes, and you can use all the school facilities. You can also ask individual teachers for help. Each of you should decide what you think is necessary to raise your rank.”

… What is this?

This felt like I was in a ridiculous academy.

I looked at the handouts.

Each day of the week has a full schedule of classes and the teacher in charge.

… Huh?

Amelia-san’s name is also here?

And she’s in charge of the “Applied” Attribute Magic class.

“Well, if I had to give advice, I would say ‘Magical Tool Science’ is a class you should take. As I’ll explain later, in the ‘rank battles’, you are only allowed to use magical tools that you have personally crafted. That’s why.”

I see.

You are free to choose whatever you want.

All in order to raise this ‘rank’.

Indeed, a total meritocracy.

“Let me explain about the ‘rank battles’. It’s not complicated. Simply put, it’s a magic simulation battle to raise your ranking in the Leaderboard. Look through the handout that will be distributed later for more details. The benefits you can gain from raising your ranks are also listed.”

And the next handouts.

I went through them.

The following was written there.

＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋

. The rank will be announced to the public.

. Citizens are allowed to watch the rank battle.

. Rank Battles can only take place when the lower ranked player challenges the higher ranked player.

. You can only challenge someone to a battle of rank if their rank is three or more levels higher than yours.

. If a lower ranked player wins the match, he gains the rank of the higher ranked player, the loser.

. Those who lose in the rank battles will move down by one rank.

. Those who are challenged to a rank battle basically cannot refuse (except in unavoidable circumstances such as injury or poor health).

. The winner will not be challenged for one week from that day.

. The loser of the match may not play another match for one month.

. If a player is defeated three times by the same person, he or she may not fight against that person within that year.

＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋＋

A lot was written on it, but I think the important points were these.

But still, what’s with this content?

Well, that’s to be expected.

“It’s not written here, but for the next month you, from the first year, can challenge anyone in your grade, regardless of rank. Anyone who is dissatisfied with their rank should take this time to deal with it.”

Should I say that as expected?

The classroom, which was already frozen quiet because of Alice, has lost even more sound.

The sound of someone gasping sounded awfully good.

“What’s with you all? You came to this academy because you knew what you were getting into, didn’t you?”

Freya’s inflectionless voice was the only sound.

“This is that kind of academy. Were you satisfied just by entering? Do you really understand the meaning of aiming to become one of the only ten ‘magic knights’ in this country? There is no place for those who neglect their efforts. If you don’t want to be miserable, study hard and be strong. That’s all I can say.”

“………”

“Fufu, don’t worry. It’s already guaranteed that you guys have the talent to enter this academy.”

I see.

For Abel to rank the lowest in this crazy meritocratic school.

It’s a very straightforward coming of age story.

“Are there any other questions? If not, you can move to the dormitory for the rest of the day…”

“Excuse me…”

But the one who raised his hand was— Abel.

“What is it?”

“About these rank battles, when can we do it? Can it be done now, for example…?”

A tense feeling ran through the classroom.

Many looked at Abel with eyes thinking he must be crazy or something.

“Fufu… hahaha! You’re interesting! Normally you have to go through the paperwork, but I’m exempting you for this one time only! Who do you want to battle? Tell me!”

“………”

Well, I kind of knew that.

This is what going to happen.

“… Lu, I want to fight with Luke.”

While being slightly awkward, Abel slowly turned to face me.

In his eyes, courage and fear were clashing.

His body was also trembling slightly.

Hearing this much, I thought to myself, He’s indeed brave enough to challenge me.

But I can clearly understand his heart.

You’re longing for strength, that’s why you want to know the gap between you and the highest ranking person like me in this place, right?

You want to know how high the wall you need to overcome is, right?

No, you’re thinking of overcoming it if possible.

“───Yeah, I’m fine with it.”

I replied.

If you want to know that badly, I’ll show you.

The difference in our abilities.