Chapter 228 – Academy Arc (2) – Phillips Academy
229. Academy Arc (2) – Phillips Academy
‘Damn, it’s huge.’
That was the first thought that came to mind when I stepped onto the academy grounds this morning.
It was vast and luxurious.
There were the fancy fountains and well-maintained gardens that are the default for fantasy world academies, as well as multi-story buildings in a classic style that greeted me.
Basically, the main building at the far end was shaped like a trapezoid with an open mouth, and various buildings were scattered throughout the grounds. Even if the land was vast, it seemed like it was two or three times the size of a typical university. And it wasn’t like it accommodated that many students either.
If you included all the non-regular students (many of whom were low-ranking commoners) in the various detached buildings, there were about 7,000 students, but only about 2,500 of them were in the proper regular courses. There were also many people doing external activities, and these people didn’t all move around at once, so the grounds were generally pleasant.
Non-regular students were like modern-day academy students, so they were of various ages, while regular students were on a grade system and had to pass appropriate evaluations in between. Since they were mostly students around my age or Stella’s, that meant there would still be a lot of youthful faces.
“Well then, I’ll go this far… I’ll go check in at the dorms first. See you later, Miss! And Raul too!”
“Okay, see you later, Ellie.”
Our group was heading to the main building for my transfer, but non-regular students were not allowed to enter the main building, so Ellie left first. Even though there was still some distance left, she seemed reluctant to step into the area where those of a different class were gathered, so she left early.
Well, she wasn’t wearing a uniform. Neither was I.
Stella was walking next to me in her uniform, which was quite neat and pretty.
Under a white jacket, she wore a top that was a mix of black and navy, and a darker navy skirt that hung slightly above her calves, giving her a clean look.
“Like I said before, it suits you quite well.”
“T-thank you.”
Stella blushed and replied to my words. Since we were in an open area, we decided to use casual speech with each other. When it was just the two of us, she could call me Raul-nim or Master, whatever she wanted.
She said that this uniform was the common uniform for non-combat departments. That meant that the uniforms for the combat departments were different, and just then, a female student was passing by in the distance, which would answer my question.
It was a combination of dark teal with white patterns, and she wasn’t wearing a jacket, and her outfit was a simple one-piece design that included her skirt. The unique thing was that she was wearing a short cape.
“Stella, which department is that female student from?”
“That’s… the Magic Department.”
So she was a mage. Was it just me, or did it seem like I could hear the click-clack of her heels from afar as she walked with a haughty gait? And two students who were in her path had already quietly moved out of the way.
“She walks quite confidently. Is she famous or something?”
“Wait, um… I don’t know. Probably not. But all the kids who learn magic are like that. They’re really stuck-up.”
Stella added that it wasn’t mandatory to wear a cape like that unless it was an official event, but there were a lot of Magic Department students who wore them even in this hot weather. The back of the cape had a symbol representing the Magic Department.
Was it a given that mages were bad-tempered? Well, with the supply being low and the demand being high, it was understandable that mages would have strong egos. They also played the role of game-changers.
I then talked to Stella about the departments for a while.
There were five core departments in the Phillips Academy curriculum.
First, there was the Administration Department, but here, administration wasn’t like a high-ranking government official, but more like a capable tool for the higher-ups. Of course, that was the case for most of them, and if an outstanding person came out of it, institutional innovation could occur. The head butler of the Baron’s family had taken a course here and had been scouted, and he was quite capable. He had handled the situation well while Trisha and I were playing around.
The Political Science and Diplomacy Department, just the name of which made me gasp, was mainly taken by high-ranking nobles who ruled over large territories, and for this reason, the number of students was a bit smaller than in other departments. Those who ran businesses on a family level also took it, but to a lesser extent. Stella belonged to this department.
The Arts Department was a place where students studied art, dance, and literature in a comprehensive way. It was mainly a place where students who were involved in social circles, those who had been pushed out of the competition, or those who simply liked the arts gathered. Ellie was taking art classes here as a non-regular student. According to her, she had a hard time breathing whenever a high-ranking noble sat next to her.
These were the non-combat departments, and the other two departments were combat departments.
As I had seen the female student earlier, there was the Magic Department, which was said to be a group of elite students who had a talent for mana since they were young and were very proud. Of course, there were underachievers and gentle types among them, but overall, there was an underlying feeling that ‘we are different from others.’
The last one was the Swordsmanship Department. When I had seen the paladins training at the Tierin Cathedral before, I had thought that they might be learning comprehensively, but… it didn’t seem like that was the case. Well, most of them wanted to develop their skills as knights here, so it made sense that they would be swinging swords.
You had to choose one of these departments. Then, like a modern university, you would take the required courses for each department, and for the rest, you could take classes from other departments as a superficial overview, or choose your own courses. You could even double major, but there were hardly any people who did that.
Also, things like general education and language, which seemed obvious, were left as side club activities or short-term courses. Was it because they were deemed unnecessary that they were so tightly excluded? Could I not learn alchemy? It seemed like it would be quite lucrative.
Anyway, administration and art were routes that deviated from the norm, and swordsmanship, magic, and political science and diplomacy.
These three departments were heavily involved in future power, so there was a considerable competitive atmosphere.
“But how do I do the transfer procedure? Do I have to go to the administration side?”
“Well, yes, but wait a minute. Raul, will you just follow me? There’s a faster way.”
I followed Stella into the main building at her words. Then, she called out to a teacher who was walking around and showed him my recommendation letter. The teacher, who was flustered after reading the saintess’s recommendation letter, looked back and forth between me and the parchment, and then told me to follow him.
“I’ll find you later, Raul. I have to go somewhere too…”
“Okay.”
When I went up to the top floor of the main building, the fourth floor, I saw a tall, large door.
It looked like the kind of place where the owner of this academy would be. The teacher went inside first and talked for a while, and then, when the conversation was over, he slightly opened the door and gestured for me to go in.
‘…What if the president is a beauty?’
All the resolve I had built up could be for naught.
“Excuse me.”
“Come in.”
With that thought, I burst open the door and was greeted by an old man.
Damn it. What if it’s not her?
I was instantly disappointed, but… no, it’s better this way.
“So… you came with a recommendation letter from Saintess Serena. Hmm, that’s quite rare. And the content is full of praise.”
“I’m embarrassed. I was just lucky…”
I continued to talk with the president for a while. In the process, I wasn’t charged tuition, which was probably not out of pure consideration, but because he thought he might be able to form a good relationship with the saintess. He wasn’t that surprised. The position of saintess wasn’t one that wielded much power, and he must have met a lot of political figures for various reasons.
Still, the power of the name Serena was very strong, and the transfer went smoothly without any problems. It wasn’t like I was being given any special treatment. In principle, the students of the academy had to be treated equally. Well, of course, that wasn’t the reality.
Would it have been different if I were a noble? I don’t know. It’s not important.
……………
“You are… I received your message. Have you decided on a department?”
“Yes, I have.”
I went to the administrative department of the academy and, without much hesitation, wrote ‘Swordsmanship Department’ on the form and filled out some simple personal information. I wanted to keep practicing swordsmanship as much as I had learned it. My power was so cunning that it seemed like it would go well with magic, but I still liked swords.
Then, following the man’s guidance, I entered a room attached to the department, and another man began to check my measurements. I looked around and saw that there were uniforms everywhere.
Were they giving me a uniform right away? What was with the speed of their work?
After that, the man told me to wait a moment, and then said that they had a perfect size for me and gave me the clothes. I found a temporary partition in the corner, asked for permission, and quickly changed into the clothes.
‘It’s quite cool.’
The Swordsmanship Department uniform had a strong impression with a combination of black and red.
The uniform was mostly black, but some parts were left white, so it wasn’t completely dark.
‘All the uniforms have white in them, I guess they want us to keep it clean? Anything that gets on it will be immediately noticeable.’
“You can change the color of your tie or scarf, or shorten it freely, as long as you don’t damage it. But I don’t really recommend it.”
“Why?”
When I asked him again, curious, the man shrugged.
“Hmm. Because you’ll get targeted? Well, they say everyone is equal here, but for commoners like us… you know. It’s not good to get on their bad side. Last time, two people…”
“I see… I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”
I didn’t really have any intention of modifying it, but hearing that made me feel rebellious. It seemed that there were various forms of unbridgeable gaps between nobles and commoners. There would be a lot more, starting with these small things.
I threw my casual clothes into a public locker and went back outside. I had been assigned to the men’s dorm, so I could go check in right away, but it was far away and there was still plenty of time… I wanted to walk around a bit now.
Maybe it was because of my past life that I was instinctively looking for beauties even in this quiet atmosphere. Well, even if I didn’t do anything lewd, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know them, right?
Even though it was the first week of the semester, it was actually a free activity week, so there weren’t many people. The group orientation was also scheduled for Friday, so there was plenty of time.
But there were always diligent people in any environment.
People who tried hard from the beginning.
“Hya! Ee-yah…!”
Sure enough, when I went around the back of the Swordsmanship Department building and went to the outdoor training ground, I saw someone training hard. They had changed into simple training clothes and were swinging their sword in the air, and they were wearing a training helmet and staring ahead through the uncomfortable gaps.
Judging by their posture, they seemed to have a basic foundation like me, but I couldn’t tell their real skills just by looking at them like this. Looking at the shoulder of the folded clothes nearby, it was clear that they were in the same grade as me.
“Ah…”
After swinging their sword for a while, the student noticed my gaze and turned their head towards me. They checked the uniform I was wearing. But they wouldn’t know my face.
“………Th-that, um!”
“……………”
The student flinched and rolled their eyes when we made eye contact.
While I was looking at them and thinking about what to say, they seemed to have misunderstood something and suddenly bent their upper body 90 degrees and started bowing deeply. It was a neutral voice.
“Good morning, senior!!! Did you have a good break!!!!!!!!”
“No, I’m not your senior.”
“Huh?”
Only then did they stare at the epaulet on my shoulder, and after seeing that there was only one stripe, they realized that we were classmates.
“Eek…! How embarrassing!! You should have told me from the beginning. Who are you? I’ve never seen you last semester…”
The Swordsmanship Department student couldn’t hide their embarrassment and quickly took off their training helmet.
They had short gray hair, and the ends were tangled up, giving them a wild animal’s mane. They looked to be my age, but apart from their wild hair, their delicate features and small lips gave them a delicate, pretty boy look. …Pretty boy?
‘No, pretty boy or whatever… isn’t that a girl?’
Their chest wasn’t bulging, but there were a few distinctive features on their face.
“Before that, I know it’s rude, but I’ll ask you first. Are you a guy?”
“What are you talking about out of the blue? Do I look like a girl to you?”
Hmm, I see.
It seemed like there was a blank space, but I decided to ignore it for now.
