248th Episode
“Ho ho ho. I’m glad to see everyone growing up well.”
In the spacious garden of the Academia.
This place, welcoming an early spring, had colorful flowers gradually blooming.
Chancellor Gulemashia spoke to the beautiful flowers, using a watering can to give them water.
On this lazy early afternoon, the sun lazily shone down.
Nearby, a cat yawned widely.
Birds chirped sitting on the branches.
A gentle breeze tickled his skin.
Enjoying this rare moment of leisure, Gulemashia looked towards the auditorium where his voice was heard through an amplification spell.
“By now, the meeting between the new students and those returning from the battlefield must be underway. New encounters can lead to… cough, cough!”
A deep cough bubbled up from within him. His thin, frail body shook with each cough.
Gulemashia stopped watering and covered his mouth with one hand.
Despite that, the heavy cough persisted for a while until the startled birds flew away before finally subsiding.
“Cough cough…”
Gulemashia suppressed the phlegm and breathed deeply.
When he opened the hand that had been covering his mouth, he noticed red blood smeared on it.
“……”
Gulemashia gazed at it with his aged eyes, hidden beneath white brows, until he sensed someone approach and hastily used magic to wash it away.
The unexpected visitor was Professor Paula, one of his many students.
Gulemashia smiled warmly as if nothing had happened.
“What brings you here, Professor Paula?”
“Grandpa! Didn’t I tell you not to proceed with things on your own?”
Paula referred to the chancellor as “Grandpa.”
It was a title rarely used within the Academia.
However, when her emotions ran high, she called Gulemashia as she did when she was younger.
With her angry eyebrows raised, she glared at him, emphasizing her frustration.
If other professors were watching, they’d certainly scold her for being disrespectful.
“What’s going on? Why? I told you I didn’t want it!”
“……”
The corners of Gulemashia’s mouth gradually drooped with wrinkles.
But Paula was too preoccupied to notice. She was busy wiping away the tears welling up in her eyes.
“I don’t want it! I can’t accept ‘that spell!’ Why do you keep trying to proceed when the person involved says they don’t want it?”
“Ho ho ho…”
Gulemashia turned his head away, stroking his long beard to avoid her gaze.
His deeply contemplative eyes looked out at the flowerbed while he began to speak.
“Now, really, the time I have left is…”
“Don’t say things like that! You always talk about dying as if it could happen any minute! Why would you die? You’re so healthy! And you always said that as long as you’re at the Academia, you’ll always be healthy!”
“Why would I die? I’m so healthy! And Grandpa always said as long as I’m in the Academia, he’ll always be healthy!”
Tears welled up in Paula’s eyes, ready to burst forth with just a nudge.
However, even for Gulemashia, who typically indulged his granddaughter’s wishes, he was stubborn in this respect.
“Paula… as you know, you’re not the only one with the ‘aptitude’ for this.”
“I don’t care! Aptitude or whatever, I said I don’t want it! If you try to pull this stuff off again without telling me, I won’t stay quiet this time! Even if Grandpa puts me under house arrest again, I won’t just let it slide!”
After spouting her words with all her might, Paula stormed off, just as erratically as she had arrived.
Left alone, Gulemashia, and the lazy cat next to him gave a long yawn.
Even the birds chirping on the branches had flown away.
“Hoho…”
Gulemashia let out a chuckle that was almost a cough. His gaze followed Paula’s retreating back, which was filled with an unmistakable anger.
His only gentle-hearted granddaughter hurried away, drying her tears multiple times.
Then, Gulemashia suddenly recalled a student who had visited his office a few days ago.
“Perhaps… following his lead might really be the best choice after all.”
Muttering to himself, he resumed watering the flower bed.
The stream of water from the watering can gently caressed the flowers from head to toe.
*
The auditorium was packed with new students.
In the frontmost seats.
Among the new batch, ten students who were called the so-called elite took their places.
In the second seat arranged by rank sat a male student.
“Damn… I’m the second best.”
Robed Troa Machenia.
Coming from a noble family, he was busy maintaining a bright smile while simmering with frustration inside.
Always preoccupied with the eyes of those around him, he discreetly cast a disgruntled glance at the seat next to him.
“Adalhyde… you’re here to bother me even now.”
A woman with rich chestnut hair.
A single pink flower blooming by her ear indicated her Ainhorn lineage.
With exquisite features, she had the highest score among all the new students.
Adalhyde, with a face as hard as iron, barely ever displayed her emotions.
Even Machenia, who had been with her for nearly half his life, had never witnessed a change in her expression.
“If it weren’t for you, that seat would’ve been mine… And that new student speech you gave should’ve been mine too! Ugh! Why did my father have to bring someone like you into our family!”
The Robed family, the Machenia clan, was quite renowned in the Troa Empire.
Though not as esteemed as Schugenharz or Portlet, they had a solid standing akin to the heads of all count families.
When Machenia was young, his father brought home a peer of his age, the Ainhorn girl Adalhyde.
She was an ordinary girl receiving lessons to become a nun in the Church, but Machenia’s father recognized her talents and adopted her.
“You’ve always been my benchmark. Whether it was learning languages, magic, or studying theology! You constantly made me look pathetic!”
Adalhyde, outstanding in every way and remarkably sharp.
Feeling a sense of crisis against her impressive figure, Machenia resolved to shake off his life of laziness and strive tirelessly.
Yet, reaching her seemed like a distant dream.
His father, satisfied with his son’s transformation, seemed to be aiming for this from the start.
However, Machenia ground his teeth in frustration, plagued by the persistent feeling that he was always trailing behind.
He ground his teeth in frustration.
“Just you wait. Even if I’m only second now, by the time I move up to second year, I’ll be first!”
Unlike others who would shrink back in the face of deprivation, he had the opposite tendency.
Because of that, he was always conscious of Adalhyde and mindful of his surroundings.
He acted with the grace of a swan to uphold the dignity of his noble status, but beneath the surface, he was paddling furiously.
—Now, let’s meet the representative of the second year, Vargan. Please come to the center of the stage and say a few warm words to the new students.
“Ooooo…!”
“That’s the one from the rumors….”
“The senior who single-handedly defeated the Archbishop?”
“He looks really intimidating.”
Whispers filled the auditorium, merging into a buzz of small voices.
The reaction was even more intense than when Diphelia, the Student Council President, had given her speech just moments ago.
‘Of course, it’s a natural response. Vargan… there’s no place left that doesn’t know of his accomplishments.’
Makeniya, glancing around, gulped as he focused on the stage.
Seniors from second to fourth year who had safely returned from the battlefield.
Among them, one man stood out strikingly.
Tall with a small face.
His sharp gaze made everyone tense.
As a fellow noble, Makeniya had seen him a few times in his childhood, but now he felt an even stronger sense of pressure.
‘Didn’t he say he had discarded the name Schugenharz? What a waste.’
Though he couldn’t understand this act of someone who loved his noble lineage more than anyone else, he figured there must be a reason behind it.
Resolving himself, he concentrated on Vargan.
Standing before the students, Vargan did not tremble at all; instead, with a cold, steely gaze, he scanned the new students and finally spoke.
—Let’s skip the introductions.
It was customary to announce one’s name.
He spoke confidently.
—Plum. Turn off the lights and show the projection magic.
With that, he plunged the auditorium into darkness, and thanks to Plum who moved with urgency as instructed, the new students could see something he wanted them to see.
‘Is that… the entrance exam scores…?’
Makeniya focused on the projection magic.
Upon closer inspection, it was a table neatly laid out comparing the average entrance exam scores from the past to the present.
Vargan succinctly recited approximately thirty years of average results for easy understanding.
What stood out was how last year’s entrance average was exceptionally high and—
—Do you understand? You are the weakest generation in nearly 30 years at the Academia.
The average score of this year’s new students was the lowest.
Vargan furrowed his brow.
He looked down at the new students with a gaze filled with contempt, as if viewing not humans, but some kind of filth.
He said it.
Knowing he meant it sincerely, it struck the listeners even deeper.
—I hope you wake up from that foolish mindset and are reborn soon. That is all.
Vargan left just like that.
The entire auditorium was left speechless.
—Uh, um… well, ha, haha. New students, Vargan-senpai shared his thoughts. So, um…! Don’t feel too disheartened, and let’s—
The professor in charge seemed equally flustered, looking bewildered.
Trying desperately to put a positive spin on things, everyone already knew he had spoken with a heartfelt contempt rather than a mere reprimand.
‘What a nutcase.’
Makeniya let out a hollow laugh and thought to himself.
He spit it out and thought so.
No matter how I think about it, those are words that someone in their right mind wouldn’t utter.
I had heard rumors that were somewhat accurate, but it was far beyond what I had imagined….
Machenia, utterly taken aback, glanced around to see the reactions of others and accidentally looked to the side.
Then he was even more surprised than when he heard the speech just a moment ago, mouth agape.
“Wow….”
The softly muttered words weren’t Machenia’s.
It was Adalhyde.
The woman, who had shown no expression until now, seemed moved as she whispered.
“Wow…? Really? That? And Adalhyde, what kind of expression are you making right now?”
It was as if she had just encountered a god.
Dilated pupils and blushing cheeks.
Even though she tried to hold it in, her lips were twitching.
Seeing Adalhyde like this for the first time left Machenia completely stunned, almost falling off her chair.
*
Let’s recall the original work.
The tragedy of Academia, the biggest event in the second-year arc.
Which grade suffered the most damage from it?
“Those new students this time… over half of them ended up dead.”
Not all, of course, but the weaklings tend to be the first to die.
Sure enough.
Upon investigation, it turned out this year’s first-years were the least capable in nearly 30 years.
Of course, a few from the higher ranks were fine, but compared to last year, that was laughable.
“Considering the major characters from the novel, it can’t be helped, but overall, we need to pull them all up by the collar.”
And to do that, I needed the power of Arbol Frutal.
Flap—.
After calling everyone from the Research Society after a long time, I checked the updated member information.
They had grown unrecognizably compared to when they joined the Research Society.
Even the one with the slowest growth easily surpassed the average growth rate of Academia, so that says it all.
I checked all the pages of the list and then looked up.
Everyone watched me as if waiting for my reaction.
“You all haven’t done badly. Good job.”
“Whew…!”
“Thank goodness!”
For some reason, relieved sighs erupted from various corners.
There were even some shedding tears….
Seriously. I mean, I’m not cursing or beating anyone up just because growth is slow; I don’t get why they’re acting like this.
Anyway, moving on.
“The reason I called you all together is to talk about the new students. As you guys know, this year’s new students are a disaster. You could say they’re in shambles.”
After mentioning their pathetic state once more, I continued.
“However, we can’t just abandon them. We’re going to work with the Student Council to ignite the growth of the new students.”
I had already had some preliminary talks with the Student Council.
The issue is who and how will lead that effort…
I looked at the gloomy woman sitting next to me.
The woman with white hair had completely lost her usual spirit. She attempted a forced smile when our eyes met, but it was almost pitiable.
“Alicia.”
“Yes, Young Master….”
“No, I wasn’t calling you. I’m saying that after me, you, Alicia, will lead Arbol Frutal as the next president.”
“Understood, Young Master. I’ll do my best… Huh?”
Not having given her any prior notice, I announced to everyone, leaving a startled Alicia behind.
“From today, all authority of Arbol Frutal will be entrusted to the second president, Alicia.”
