Sword, Magic and Academic Society

"...So he's the rumored Allen Rovenne, huh?"

Shagora's body shivered when the images of Allen and Dan came to mind.

In the Dosperior region, tales of the Royal Academy students rarely captured the interest of the locals. Of course, it wasn't as if the information was being regulated, or that they had been restricted from challenging the entrance exam. Rather, as an established warrior family, the Dosperior's inhabitants took pride in their lord's family who had maintained their distance from the academic-obsessed society and the bureaucratic structures beyond the military. This sense of detachment bred a natural indifference among its populace.

The Yuglia Kingdom boasted a high ratio of students venturing for advanced studies after elementary education, but when it came to the Dosperior region, it was more of a fifty-fifty. For the populace whose livelihood revolved around traditional primary and secondary industries — like collection and processing of monster materials, or the production and harvesting of wheat — any knowledge beyond basic reading and writing wasn't top priority.

And even for those pursuing advanced studies, their aspirations leaned toward the Aristocratic School, and the vocational institutes in the Dosperior region rather than the Royal Academy. The vocational institutes for soldiers and explorers, in particular, boasted high standards, attracting students even from distant regions seeking to learn.

This background naturally resulted in Dosperior lagging in industrial prowess compared to other areas. While it had economic growth, it was slow, thus it was criticized as being in decline very much like their title 'Setting Sun Marquistate’. One could also say that these remarks also displayed their fear of Dosperior.

Regardless, returning to the topic, even as someone from Dosperior, Shagora had heard about the recent exploits of Allen Rovenne who came from the Dragoon region, and the other first year students of the Royal Academy. Some rumors even said that they would become the future pillars of the kingdom.

However, at the end of the day, they were mere kids 12 years of age.

But that wasn’t the end of it. He even heard that someone from the Liancool Barony — a far countryside region primarily focused on animal husbandry, a region even more oblivious than Dosperior — had cracked their way into the Class 1-A of the Royal Academy, a feat as monumental as becoming an S-rank explorer. So despite hearing that they had set a new record in the outdoor class orientation, he couldn't help but be skeptical.

Those who admired their patron, the Dosperior family, had a strong belief that if one of their own were to enroll and truly tackle the entrance exam challenge with all seriousness, their subsequent result would undoubtedly leave the other regions wide-eyed.

But—

“What about Allen, Shagora?”

Al inquired, but Shagora eventually dismissed it with a ‘No, it's nothing’.

Incidentally, after going through the intense seasickness-inducing voyage — which seemed to reflect the herculean task that Allen and Dan had been tackling — the mages on board had forged a bond of solidarity by the time they arrived at the destination.

A memory was unearthed inside the mind of Shagora. He recalled the young girl from the Dosperior family that he had once seen.

It was when he passed through the exam site of the Dosperior region's Aristocratic School, and was enjoying the fruits of his labor, that the young girl visited the school as an assistant for the Body Strengthening magic training class.

She was an outrageous user of Body Strengthening, and had a sham battle with the teacher. Though the sham battle had ended in a draw, it was clear to everyone that the young girl had the upper hand in strength.

She made a carefree laugh, yet there was a touch of melancholy within her, otherwise she was a charming beauty.

It was a while later when he heard that the young girl was actually no older than him, and was a generational talent even for the Dosperior family.

He had thought what a fortune it would be to fight under her command for their hometown in his childhood. Perhaps, there might have been many who shared the same thought.

But, while he was nearing his graduation from the Aristocratic School, the words spread that the lady had caught a disease — mana collapse — and was beyond saving. He was filled with indescribable, unsettling emotions when he heard that.

Ultimately, his mind veered from the path of the military, and turned to becoming an explorer. He shouldn't have been the only one to opt out of that path, he was sure.

But what brought even more sorrow was the thought that the young girl had probably already contracted that disease before that sham battle.

Typically, the members of the main family would attend the Aristocratic School, fostering a bond with the commoners while also undertaking private lessons at home. However, she hadn't pursued higher education.

Her bright laughter echoed throughout the noble school as she curiously gazed around, but he could only wonder about the unfathomable depth of fear and frustration behind her mask. For someone overflowing with brilliance, what would have been the thought of that 12-year-old girl when she had been there as a training assistant? How did she confront the slow decay of her own body, and what thoughts haunted her as she ultimately lost her life?

...Why was he recalling such memories now?

Yet—

There was something in the solemn determination of those boys that inexplicably brought back the long-buried memories of Cecilia Dosperior deep within Shagora’s heart.

"What even is that Royal Academy?...... A nest of monsters?"

Stealing a glance at the blue-haired boy sitting before him, Shagora felt a pang of shame for not realizing the heavy burden they were carrying on those small shoulders.

◆◆◆

After disembarking, the crew traveled for three hours in a magic vehicle.

The mages and the magical tools transported from the capital had been divided between two six-wheeled transport trucks, which sped toward the scene of the action.

Meanwhile, Allen, Dan, and the two members of the Second Legion were resting at a rustic inn near the port where their ship had docked.

All of them were long past their endurance. The former two had skimped on rest starting from Jello to reach their destination as quickly as possible, while Glover and Cass were lacking rest since they devoted themselves to supporting the two, and selecting the safe routes.

Both Allen and Dan had tirelessly navigated the waters without a proper break, while Glover and Cass, who had provided support in dealing with monsters and charting safe routes, were also on the brink of exhaustion.

With hatching imminent, the four of them could only do so much at the site, so one could say they had instead put every effort in arriving even one second earlier.

C-R-A-S-H!!

Suddenly—

A loud crash echoed as something fell on top of the tarp covering the back of the transport truck just as they neared the site.

Tension rippled through the group.

But then, a familiar voice called out from above.

“Hey there, it’s been a while, Caprine. I was really doubtful when I received word that the mages and equipment were being transported from the capital by ship, but holy moly, I can’t believe you really made it here in just six days! Where's Glover?”

Through the rear opening of the vehicle, a figure flipped gracefully into the cabin. It was Hugo, the commander of the First Legion and the supervisor of the mission this time.

He wore an amber-colored mantle — though it might have once been pure white — which was the symbol of the First Legion, emblazoned with his family crest in golden embroidery, something exclusive to commanders and above. Gold was the color of the royal family, hence only commanders or higher are allowed to use them.

“It’s good to see you again, Commander Hugo. So you're already here, huh? Glover-san is currently at an inn near the Zapra fishing port. The boys pretty much pushed hard for the last three days with barely a wink of sleep, and he too exhausted himself in the journey so they're now resting there."

Hugo chuckled as he heard that.

"I've heard from the report. It's that guy and... Daniel Serdos, was it? I wanted to have a long talk with them, but oh well."

He commented and gave a friendly slap on Al's shoulder, who had been sitting beside the window in the rear seat.

"Oh, hey! Aren't you Aldol Engraver, the president of the Emission Magic Research Club? You have quite a good reflex, eh? It took you about 0.8 seconds from sensing the anomaly to casting magic in your hands. That’s second only to Caprine. You look promising!”

He sparked a conversation, yet Al simply crushed the Ice Bullet he had created in his hand and simply stared at the flowing scenery from the backseat, trying to clear any and all thoughts from his mind.

Though he felt slightly better after disembarking the ship, he was far from his best shape. Having come from a rural area, he was unaccustomed to the bumpy ride of the magical vehicles and was now battling motion sickness.

“Hm? According to my intel, you’re supposed to be quite the social butterfly… Ah, I see… It’s motion sickness, isn’t it? Don’t hold back, just let it out!”

'Gahahaha,' Hugo let out a hearty laughter as he strongly thumped Al's back.

"You're still a data nerd, huh, Commander Hugo? Then I presume you already have the information about the people and the magical tools here?"

Hugo withdrew his smile as Caprine inquired.

“Of course! It would be a shame to us adults if we wasted the 'pruning time' window we earned from the frantic efforts of those kids. Anyway, we’ll be arriving at the site in 15 minutes, so I’ll brief you about the strategy until then. I hope you're listening, Dongo!"

Dongo, who was seated at the very back, was stunned when he heard the Commander of the First Legion calling out his name when he had yet to introduce himself. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that, and so he barely managed to give a nod of acknowledgement.