The scale of Sigrian Academy was immense.
Though it was called an academy, it would not be wrong to describe it as an academic research complex on par with a fairly large territory.
One could even call it a treasure house of human knowledge, where all the knowledge of the Shangri-La continent gathered, beyond even the Empire.
“I didn’t know because that romance fantasy was centered entirely on the protagonist and his heroines, but now that I’ve looked into it properly, it really is enormous.”
The Seronis Territory, where he had once lived, was broad as well, but because the bitter cold of the Empire’s north, the frozen wastelands, and the rugged mountain ranges left little land where humans could actually reside, it had never felt especially large.
This place, however, was comparable in size to the Seronis Territory, and its population density was far higher.
“How else could there be thousands of incoming students?”
Sitting in a nearby café, Mel sipped at a drink he had ordered and muttered while watching the entrance ceremony being broadcast live through the screens of magical projectors set up here and there.
The competition for admission could not possibly be low, and yet Sigrian Academy still accepted well over a thousand new students every year. Seeing its scale, Mel once again felt that this world truly was a ridiculous romance fantasy.
Of course, he had realized more than ten years ago that this world was not an alternate history but a romance fantasy, and that nitpicking every little thing would only exhaust him, so Mel stopped thinking about it any further.
“Entrance ceremonies are all the same no matter what world you’re in. Boring.”
Mel recalled his school days from his life before reincarnation.
The incoming students were lined up, and the ceremony began with the origins and history of Sigrian Academy, then moved on to instilling pride in the new students who had become part of such an academy.
Under the warm sunlight, he dozed off through the utterly predictable proceedings.
How much time had passed like that?
-Now, next will be the introduction of the top incoming students! First, the top incoming student of the Blossom Class. Sisne Seronis! And from the Weed Class, Azelan!
Blossom and Weed.
Blossom referred to the noble class, made up of nobles who had passed the noble examination, while Weed referred to the commoner students who had passed the commoner examination.
People generally called them the noble class and the commoner class, but their official names were Blossom and Weed.
Rather blatant naming, one might say.
“So that’s the famous young lady of the Sword Duke’s family. To be that beautiful and enter at the top of her class…”
“She truly is beautiful. The snowflower of the north lives up to her reputation.”
When Sisne’s beauty appeared on the screen in Sigrian Academy’s official uniform, countless gasps and exclamations rose from those around him.
The northern reaches of the Empire, a cold land of ice and snow, the ice rose of the north, the princess of black snow—
As the uniquely greasy and cringe-inducing praises of a romance fantasy reached Mel’s ears, he tensed his fingers and endured the urge for them to curl.
“So that’s the top entrant on the commoner side? For a man, he’s as pretty as a girl.”
“The commoner exam is far easier than the noble exam, yet look at him, entering through the easy path and acting so proud. He doesn’t know his place.”
On the other hand, the words directed at Azelan were cynical.
In this world, the measure that separated nobles from commoners was mana and the ability to operate it, and that was the very part Sigrian Academy’s entrance examination focused on. The commoner examination placed far less emphasis on that aspect, which was why people called it the easy path.
“They only have the rank of nobles themselves, while in reality they’re no different from commoners, and that’s why they failed, yet they look down on others…”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Ah, I was talking to myself. Please don’t mind me.”
He had unconsciously muttered to himself, and it seemed a failed applicant of noble birth had heard him, because the man glared at Mel.
“I said there is no need for you to mind me.”
The young nobleman, who had flared up for an instant, flinched the moment his gaze met Mel’s violet eyes.
One might have thought it was because the gray-haired young man was large in build, but in truth, he had shrunk back without realizing it because of the atmosphere emanating from him.
“Ugh…!”
In the end, the young nobleman sat back down.
-Student Seronis. As the top incoming student of the academy, is there anything you would like to say?
The host asked Sisne, who stood in place, and brought the amplifier to her.
Every year, it was customary for the top incoming students to give a splendid speech at the academy, each expressing their bold aspirations.
Most of the academy’s top incoming students graduated with excellent grades, and afterward, they each made their names known to the world in their own ways and earned fame.
The entrance speech was, in a sense, the debut stage for the talents who would lead the next generation.
Azelan, the top incoming student of the Weed Class, the commoner side, had already finished giving his impressions on admission.
Next was Sisne’s turn, representing the nobles.
“There is exactly one thing.”
Sisne began like that, then abruptly snatched the magical amplifier the host had held out to her and pulled something from inside her clothes.
What she took out was a sheet of paper. And on that paper was a man’s face.
A portrait—no, a wanted sketch.
“I came here to find this bastard.”
-Pffft!
At the sudden turn of events, Mel ended up spraying out the drink he had been drinking.
“W-what in the world?!”
Faced with a sketch of his own face—more precisely, of himself from three years ago when he had been a butler—Mel could not hide his bewilderment.
“W-why are you looking for this man?”
To suddenly look for someone during the sacred academy entrance ceremony.
Even the host conducting the ceremony seemed flustered, and his words stumbled slightly.
“This guy’s name is Mel. He was my servant who ran away three years ago. For three years, I searched everywhere for him, but there’s still been no news. And the last remaining place is right here.”
Sisne declared this, then slowly closed her eyes.
Was she remembering the past three years? Sisne suddenly began trembling.
“Ah, damn it! The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get!”
The beautiful girl suddenly spat out rough words and strode forward with heavy steps.
“Mel! I already know you’re here, and I know you’re definitely watching this! If I get my hands on you, this won’t end nicely. So I’ll give you one last chance. Come out right now while I’m still asking nicely!!!”
She looked like an enraged lion roaring.
At that overwhelming force, every student participating in the entrance ceremony froze for a moment.
A brief silence.
But as expected, nothing happened.
The one to break the silence was Sisne.
-Crunch!
When nothing happened in the end, a cracking sound came from the magical amplifier clutched in Sisne’s hand.
Though it was a magical artifact in its own right, it was rendered useless in that instant by the girl’s grip strength.
Perhaps not realizing that the magical amplifier had broken, she brought it to her mouth, but even though the amplifier clearly no longer functioned, Sisne’s voice rang out distinctly.
“…So that’s how you’re going to play it? You’re really going to ignore my orders to the very end? Haha… ahahaha!”
As she said this, Sisne flung the broken magical amplifier behind her.
It was at that moment.
“Stop this!”
Someone rushed up onto the stage prepared for the speeches. For a moment, Sisne thought the servant she had been searching for had appeared, but she immediately realized that was not the case.
“Ah, it’s you? It hasn’t been long, has it? About three days?”
“No, it hasn’t been long. More importantly, is it truly acceptable for you to ruin the sacred academy entrance ceremony like this?”
The one who had climbed onto the stage was Azelan, the top incoming student from the commoner side.
“For the young lady of a prestigious noble family to commit such an outrage…! Are you not ashamed as a noble?”
“Oh my? For a commoner like you to dare bring up the honor of nobles. How amusing. You still don’t know your place, do you?”
“If I do not know my place, then you do not know manners. To ruin the entrance ceremony over a personal matter as trivial as finding someone—admit your mistake even now, apologize to everyone, and allow the ceremony to proceed properly.”
Azelan spoke the righteous argument and demanded that Sisne apologize.
But Sisne merely snorted at Azelan’s words.
“You really do love apologies and atonement. Do you know this, by any chance? Since you’re a commoner, you probably don’t know much about this place, but nobles like us have had information about this academy since childhood.”
As she spoke, Sisne walked up to Azelan.
“The function of this academy is not limited to simple education. It also serves as a fortress that holds back the creations of the evil god that still crawl out from the Abyssal Passage beneath it even today.”
“And what of it?”
Azelan questioned Sisne’s words.
“In the end, what is regarded as most important in this academy is strength. Everyone builds up their grades in order to obtain that strength. And if you possess that strength, everything is permitted—that is what Sigrian Academy is. In a way, it resembles the values of my northern homeland.”
Sisne said this and reached her hand into the air.
An ink-black sword flew through the air and was caught in her grasp.
It was as though the sword had answered its master’s call and presented itself.
Her figure as she held the black sword was beautiful and lofty.
Like a single well-honed treasured blade, perhaps. It was not a spirit one could imagine belonging to an eighteen-year-old girl.
Sensing instinctive danger from Sisne, Azelan reached out his hand just as she had.
Then a silver-white sword flew over and was caught in Azelan’s grasp.
Looking at the sword in Azelan’s hand, Sisne instinctively felt that it was not a sword some mere commoner should possess.
“You said I ruined the entrance ceremony, didn’t you? Fine, even I think the mood has been completely spoiled because of me. So I’ll take special responsibility for it.”
Sisne said this and raised her sword.
At the same time, as mana surged violently, Azelan took his stance.
“If I remember correctly, after the speeches ended, the next order of events was for the top incoming students of each class to show their abilities, wasn’t it? We made a bet three days ago as well. Let’s settle that bet right here and now.”
Mentioning what had happened at the entrance examination hall three days earlier, Sisne charged at Azelan and swung her sword at him.
“!!”
And Azelan, as though responding to Sisne’s attack, raised his own sword and blocked her strike.
-Claaang!
The ink-black sword and the silver-white sword collided, sending a sharp metallic sound ringing in every direction.
“Kyaaaaaak!”
And at the exploding wave of mana, the new students attending the entrance ceremony screamed.