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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Class Apart
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Union Academy is a five-year institution.
Students enroll at the age of ten and graduate after completing their fifth year.
Loan was granted a late admission the very day after he arrived at Union.
It was a very special case.
The Union selection exam was held at the beginning of each year, so the children of its members typically entered the school in time for the start of the term.
Gregor, the headmaster and former Archbishop of Sion, closed the file sent from the administration office and spoke with a benevolent expression.
"Give Loan his uniform and let him join the classes."
Following the Head of Academic Affairs, Daphne, Loan was provided with a uniform, shoes, a bag, books, and various school supplies.
He changed immediately, and the suit-like uniform, reminiscent of a Union official's attire, fit him as if it were tailor-made.
"Now, aside from the required courses, you are free to choose your own classes."
Daphne handed him two sheets of paper.
The schedule listed the required courses—Language, History, Geography, Ethics, Physical Education, Mathematics, and Art—arranged by day.
Shifting his gaze to the course list, Loan's eyes were dazzled by the electives: Understanding Mana, Basic Swordsmanship, Basic Magical Studies, Herbology, Astronomy, Horsemanship, and more.
Loan checked off every class he could take without any scheduling conflicts.
"That's too many. Why don't you cut back a little?"
"You said I was free to choose."
"Yes, but it will be too difficult for you if you take all of those."
"They all seem curious and interesting, though. What part will be difficult?"
Children like this popped up from time to time.
They would get greedy and try to take on too many classes, only to fall into a swamp of failing grades.
It was a product of their youth, and if she didn't persuade them to create a proper schedule, she would sometimes receive complaints from their families later.
Loan had no family, so there was no risk of that, but Daphne tried to persuade him again for his own sake.
"You'll have homework and exams, so it will be hard to keep up. Studying isn't so easy that you can just do as you please."
But Loan wasn't just being stubborn. He genuinely didn't understand what Daphne was saying.
Tilting his head, Loan asked back.
"Why is studying difficult?"
"..."
Staring at his innocent expression, Daphne decided this wasn't the time for an argument.
She began to walk ahead, speaking to Loan in a placating tone.
"Alright. I'll share this with the other teachers for now. Try it out for this week as a trial, and you can submit a request to change it next week."
The two of them walked down the marble corridor and stopped in front of a classroom.
According to the schedule, the required Language class should be starting now.
As if reading Loan's mind, Daphne placed a hand on her chest and said.
"I teach Language. I also serve as the Head of Academic Affairs."
Loan nodded at her words.
If you can do one thing well, you can do two.
It now felt like an aphorism to him.
"Shall we go in?"
The door opened.
The gazes of the children, who had been sitting with perfect posture waiting for their teacher, naturally turned toward Loan.
There were just over twenty children, with a nearly even split of boys and girls, and most of them couldn't close their half-open mouths.
The eyes of the girls, in particular, sparkled brightly.
Loan, too, was quite surprised to see the children.
The density of their mana was unusually high for their age.
He couldn't tell if it was due to innate talent, lineage, a good diet, or early education.
In any case, it was a fact that they all possessed mana far denser than his own.
Only then could Loan be certain.
'So the problem really was with my body.'
He had long suspected this, so his heart remained untroubled.
Daphne spoke to Loan.
"Loan. Please introduce yourself."
Loan gave Daphne a slight smile and straightened his posture.
"Hoo..."
Standing before a crowd reminded him of the reading sessions.
A mixture of pleasant memories and sad emotions flowed out with his voice.
"I'm Loan, from the Deungteon Relief Shelter. I look forward to getting to know you all."
Loan's voice gently pushed the mana aside, carrying clearly to the very back of the classroom.
He hadn't spoken loudly, yet it did.
The children felt an illusion, as if his name was being etched directly into their hearts.
Even Daphne found herself staring blankly at Loan's face before she snapped out of it and pointed to an empty seat in the back.
"You can sit over there."
Loan had to endure the children's blatant stares as he walked between the desks to his seat.
It was something he was used to.
Daphne said.
"Alright, today we'll be reading the fairy tale on page 24 of the literature textbook. Loan, can you read?"
"Yes. I learned at the relief shelter."
"Then shall we listen to the rest of the story in our Loan's voice?"
"Yes!"
A unified response followed as if they had all been waiting for it.
Loan slowly turned the pages of his textbook to page 24.
The Hairy Bride.
It was the same fairy tale Amy had tested him on before he moved to Sector 2.
Coincidences filled everyday life like this, and experiences and memories seeped into everything so naturally.
Loan read the familiar story in a calm voice.
"The girl tried everything to get rid of the hair growing on her knees. But the more she plucked, the more hair grew, and it even became thicker. This is a curse. The girl..."
Why did Amy choose this book for the final test?
Was she subconsciously identifying herself, someone living while hiding the fact she was a Le Tell, with the girl who had unwanted hair?
'That's a stretch.'
While erasing the needless speculation from his mind, Loan was reminded once again of how difficult it was to understand and judge people.
Liking people, and hating them, were both truly difficult things.
If someone were to ask Loan to pick just one thing that was difficult to understand.
It wouldn't be studying, mana, or magic, but people—so Loan thought.
"...The girl was no longer sad."
And with that, the fairy tale came to an end.
For a moment.
Just like at the relief shelter, the classroom was utterly silent.
After the silence.
"Woooow...!"
The children cried out in admiration as if they had recovered lost voices.
Daphne was no different. She came right up to Loan and showered him with praise, asking who taught him to read, saying his reading was impossible without a foundation of strong comprehension, and that his talent was incredible.
Throughout the rest of the class, Loan continued to surprise Daphne by diligently answering her questions.
For Loan, who had practically memorized every book in the relief shelter's library, it was incredibly easy.
After class, Daphne called Loan out into the hallway and said in an excited voice.
"Loan. It's a bit early since you're only a first-year... but if you're not aiming to become a member of the 7th Division, you might want to consider the path of a scholar. You have tremendous talent. Think about reducing your electives and focusing on language and literature."
Having received advice akin to career counseling on his very first day, Loan returned to his seat only to be surrounded by the children again.
Boys and girls alike expressed their admiration for him.
Perhaps because they were the children of Union, there were no ill-tempered ones among them; consideration and kindness were ingrained in them all. They also lacked any tendency to distinguish between high and low birth.
Among them, one girl with an exceptionally high mana density caught Loan's eye.
Looking at the child with her neatly combed, dark brown hair and finely featured face, Loan recalled the phrase "well-proportioned features."
'Pleasing to the eye. Though, compared to my own face, her balance and proportions are somewhat lacking.'
And another memory surfaced.
Loan had seen this child before.
In the vision from the tree.
As a grown-up, much like himself, this child had been lying dead in a gruesome state near him.
"I'm Sophie Pobel, the class president and year representative. It's nice to meet you."
"Yeah. Likewise."
Without either of them initiating, they both extended their hands and shook lightly.
In that instant, a strange atmosphere filled the classroom.
A pleasant sense of elation from appreciating beauty, mixed with a tension common to both boys and girls—the fear that something of theirs might be taken away.
This was because the children's complex emotions were naturally showing on their faces.
Unable to bear the strange silence, someone asked.
"Loan, the elective class is next. Which one are you taking?"
A few of the children waited for Loan's answer with their hands clasped to their chests, as if awaiting a crucial announcement.
"I signed up for Basic Swordsmanship."
"I knew it!"
At Loan's words, most of the children exclaimed in excitement, while a few sighed in disappointment.
Sophie said.
"That's a dagger at your waist, right? Seeing you wear that, I figured you must have signed up for swordsmanship. You must be aiming to become a Union member, too."
It had only happened that way because he'd signed up for all the electives, but she wasn't wrong.
Of course, a question remained.
"Huh? Yeah. But... do you have to learn swordsmanship to join Union?"
Loan didn't want to become a swordsman.
No, to be precise, he had no desire to hold a sword in his hand.
Besides his dislike for swords, he was now certain that with his constitution, it wouldn't be easy to become a great swordsman.
Perhaps because he had vaguely realized this, he had already set his goal on becoming a mage.
However, Loan knew that experience was more important than anything.
He needed to know what swordsmanship was, what a swordsman was, in order to be able to deal with them.
He thought knowing the basics would be enough, which was the only reason he had signed up.
"Why? Did I say something wrong?"
Loan blinked slowly as he asked the other children, but no one was quick to answer.
They all just wore bewildered expressions.
As if asking why he would ask such an obvious thing.
Sophie finally managed to speak.
"Uhm... it's just that I don't really understand what you're saying, Loan. I don't know where to begin explaining, so let's get ready for class first and talk later. I think we're going to be a little busy right now."
As she said that, she glanced out the window, and a number of children who had swordsmanship class shot up from their seats.
They had to hurry and change clothes and assemble on the field. If they were late, a harsh punishment would surely be handed down.
"Loan, let's go."
Still bewildered, Loan blindly followed the other children out of the classroom.
Pushed along, he entered the locker room, took out his gym clothes from a personal locker with his name on it, changed, and was led outside again by the other children.
Far in the distance.
Someone was standing in the middle of the vast-looking field.
Considering the distance, he should have looked like a small stick, but the fact that his physique was clearly discernible meant he was an enormous man.
He stood with his arms crossed, glaring at the children running down the stairs.
"FIRST! COME! FIRST! SERVED!"
As soon as those words, like the roar of a beast, fell, the children took off running.
Leaping down two or three steps at a time.
Loan, grasping the situation in an instant, felt his heart react simultaneously.
Vwoooom—
The mana that flowed in with his breath spread like a torrent to the muscles that needed it.
In a single bound, he leaped down five steps, then ten.
It was at a level where drawing in and using the atmospheric mana was effortless.
Catching up to the tail end of the lead group, Loan immediately weaved through the gaps between the children.
Despite no physical contact, the children moved apart, making way for him.
It was a perfectly natural phenomenon created by the convection surrounding Loan's body.
"Going ahead."
Loan overtook the children again.
The group parted in two, as if clearing a path for him.
Sophie, who was at the front, felt a kind of pressure from behind and turned around.
"Huh?"
Sophie was taken aback.
By the unexpected person, the astonishing speed, and the bright smile that didn't fit the situation.
Loan was having fun.
It didn't matter that they had denser mana than him.
The very fact that children his age were using mana like he did was a welcome sight.
"Haha!"
He never knew.
That playing with friends could be this exciting.
And so, Loan laughed as he overtook Sophie.
"Hahaha! Hey, guys! Catch me if you can!"