The cadets were filled with mixed emotions.
“Can you believe the second sester is already coming to an end?”
“I’m still amazed we’re even surviving at the academy.”
“Sa here.”
It had been almost a full year since the first-year cadets began attending the Pendragon Royal Academy.
During that ti, many had failed to endure the grueling schedule and dropped out, while others had been expelled due to poor performance.
More than half of the commoner students had already left, and even about 30% of the nobles had withdrawn.
Out of the thousand who entered, only a hundred were likely to graduate—a testant to the academy’s role as a cradle for exceptional talent.
It wasn’t just about education. The academy served to filter out the best candidates through competition and trials, and it had been fulfilling that role admirably.
By now, the students who remained were the ones who had been sifted through the academy’s strainer, leaving only raw gemstones. All that was left was for the surviving first-years to advance to the second year.
And as the academy lost students, it also needed to replenish its ranks.
“Hey, who are they?”
“Outsiders?”
“Wait... Oh! I just realized—it’s that ti of year already!”
It was the season of clear autumn skies dotted with beautifully shaped clouds.
The ti for the academy’s entrance exam for new cadets had arrived.
“Haaah...”
Ihan covered his mouth as he yawned.
He was struggling to stay awake out of sheer boredom.
[The process of selecting new cadets is not just about admitting students. It is a crucial step in choosing future pillars of the kingdom. So, I earnestly hope all of you approach this with determination! Also!]
...It was the sa speech for the tenth ti now.
Anyone who didn’t find this repetitive rhetoric dull would have been an oddity.
Indeed, so people in the conference room were nodding off, and others were visibly squirming from boredom. However, no one dared to fall asleep entirely—not in front of the forr chancellor, now the academy headmaster.
Focusing with a sense of tension was the obvious choice.
As for Ihan...
“Look over there. Is Sir Turtle in a ditative stance or sothing?”
“No way.”
“He looks like he’s floating.”
“You’re imagining it. Besides, how could anyone ditate for three hours and still look that relaxed?”
“R-right...”
For Ihan, even this tedious ti served as an opportunity for training, which helped alleviate so of the boredom.
A few observant individuals had noticed his discreet stance, resembling a mounted position, maintained without drawing attention.
‘Not that it matters if they notice.’
After all, he wasn’t bothering anyone, nor was he ignoring the headmaster’s speech.
‘New cadets, huh? Things might get ssy.’
The ntion of new cadets stirred a slight sense of unease in Ihan.
It was a perilous ti, with the temple maniacs targeting his disciples.
And now, the academy was opening its gates for new cadets?
‘It’s practically an open invitation for trouble.’
Should he speak to the headmaster and suggest postponing the entrance exam?
‘...Not going to happen.’
Even if Ihan had little interest in academy events, he prided himself on understanding how the world worked.
He knew full well that an event as significant as the [Entrance Exam] couldn’t be stopped.
The exam wasn’t just an academy tradition but also one of the most important events in the capital.
Just as the midterm evaluations had opened the academy to outsiders, the entrance exam would also be a public event, attracting everyone from commoners to nobles.
In the entertainnt-starved dieval era, canceling such a grand event would almost certainly provoke an uproar.
The headmaster, for his own sake, would ensure the exam went ahead no matter what.
Even though rumors had circulated about the monster attack during the midterms, those eager for entertainnt had already dismissed it as ancient history.
To ensure safety, the royal family and noble houses were said to be sending their knights to guard the event.
“...People take their fun seriously, no matter the world.”
Ihan couldn’t help but respect their commitnt to leisure, even if it required deploying knights.
At that mont...
[Ah, and Instructor Ihan.]
“Hmm?”
Ihan looked up, startled by the sudden ntion of his na.
“Did you call for ?”
[It’s nothing major. I just wanted to inform you—since you missed the last eting while on leave—you’ve been assigned as one of the examiners for the entrance exam.]
“...?”
[Yes. You can refuse, but I’d appreciate it if you could take it on.]
“...”
[We’ll give you a bonus.]
“Hm.”
[A 15%, no, a 30% increase.]
“...Oh.”
[Haha, I’ll take that as a positive response.]
The headmaster smiled warmly.
*****
"Kind-hearted, my ass! That was a sly grin, like a scheming raccoon! Why would you fall for that and volunteer for unnecessary suffering?"
Damian Follett, the slave—no, the assistant—clutched his neck as if the situation was driving him to madness.
"Do you know how much work examiners have to do? It’s not just about guiding the applicants; you also have to grade them yourself! And after the scores are released, do you know how many parents will bombard us with complaints? Just thinking about it is horrifying! Instructor, reject the offer while you still can!"
Damian's fiery advice to decline the role sounded almost convincing.
Indeed, the job seed like it would co with its fair share of hassles.
However...
"Is it really sothing to get this worked up over? Sure, it looks like a lot of work, but it doesn’t seem all that difficult."
While it was undeniably a challenging task, it didn’t appear insurmountable. Ihan wondered why Damian was so agitated.
At this, Damian retorted:
"It's not that it's impossible. But you're just going to dump all the work on anyway!"
"Of course."
"...Can you at least hesitate for a second before answering? Don’t be so quick to agree!"
"I’m not good at lying."
"You bastard!"
Damian’s outburst clearly wasn’t out of concern for Ihan—it was because he was dreading the additional workload being foisted upon him.
"I’m already swamped with all the interns gone! Why do you do this to ?"
"I had no choice. And don’t worry. The ones who left will eventually co back."
"That’s not the point, you damned old man!"
"...Still, one intern is sticking around, isn’t she?"
Ihan gestured subtly toward a woman.
"..."
It was none other than Judia Pierre, the sole “survivor” among the interns.
However, looking at her only fueled Damian’s irritation.
"The only one left is the most useless one! She’s terrible at paperwork!"
To Damian, a beautiful but incompetent worker was nothing more than a source of stress.
In that sense, Judia Pierre was practically a stress-inducing entity.
"...Well, maybe you should just work a little harder."
"!!?"
Damian froze, his body stiffening as if he’d just heard a noblewoman’s infamous phrase: ‘Let them eat cake.’
Monts later, his face turned bright red, and he roared:
"Die, you damned monster!"
From his coat, Damian pulled out a hamr and launched a mutiny.
A hamr instead of a dagger?
"Creative."
Thwack!
"Arghhh!"
Ihan blocked the attack with ease, as if dealing with a child’s tantrum.
Despite the seemingly playful struggle, Damian’s movents were anything but childish.
He was as swift and unpredictable as a seasoned knight.
"Just one hit! Let land just one clean hit!"
Why a hamr and not a sword?
Because a blade was useless against this monster.
The hamr was his desperate solution to deal even the smallest amount of damage.
Wham!
Even amidst his administrative duties, Damian hadn’t neglected his training. With a clear goal in mind, his hamr strikes had grown sharper and more forceful.
He had practically beco a master of the claw hamr, exuding such skill that he might soon resonate with the tool itself.
But...
Thunk.
"You’re still too rough. The habits from your sword training are too deeply ingrained."
"!!?"
Barely two months of hamr training wasn’t enough to land a single hit on Ihan. Damian...
"Life’s a joke..."
...sensed the presence of a palm about to smack the back of his head and let out a hollow laugh.
Life really was a joke.
"This guy’s skills are improving, but why does he seem to be losing his mind more and more?"
Ihan shrugged as he looked down at the unconscious assistant.
Damian’s hamr technique was still rough, but his raw power was impressive.
Even the trio of cadets might be caught off guard if they underestimated him.
"This is why people need goals. He’s getting stronger just because he wants to smash my head in."
"..."
"Isn’t it admirable?"
"That’s beyond my understanding."
"It’s because you lack emotion."
"I don’t think that’s the issue."
Judia Pierre, observing the scene, couldn’t help but think how utterly bizarre these people were.
Where else would you find individuals as strange as this?
She did, however, feel so sympathy for Damian Follett.
Being stuck with soone like Ihan was bound to be exhausting.
But then...
-Hey, you should rember why I didn’t hand you over. It’s not because I find you charming; it’s because you’re at least cooperative. If you so much as touch my cadets, I’ll make you regret ever being alive. Count on it.
...Her own circumstances weren’t much better. She didn’t have the luxury of pitying anyone else.
‘I guess I should finally take paperwork seriously.’
It seed like the ti had co to take the administrative tasks she had been skimming over more seriously.
Ihan hadn’t spared the two-faced inquisitor out of pity or on Raphael’s behalf.
It was purely because the man was “cooperative.”
Unlike the others, who were all potential traitors, this one hesitated out of fear of Cardinal Raphael.
In other words, he was useful. But when that usefulness ran out...
‘Maybe I’ll sell him to the black knight for a high price.’
He was sure the black knight would pay a fortune to tear that man apart.
‘If I need quick cash, I’ll hand him over.’
It would be like saving gold for retirent. The longer it aged, the more valuable it would beco.
As such frivolous thoughts swirled in his mind...
"Instructor..."
"Hm?"
"I, uh, I have sothing to talk about..."
"I’ll listen. But... why are you coming out from there?"
"Hehe, it’s cozy here. Great for shooting videos."
"..."
That wasn’t the point.
Watching the wizard chick erge from a pond like a ninja out of a comic book, Ihan was left speechless.
...As expected of a spellcaster. Another weirdo.
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