---

I finished my self-introduction and headed straight to my room. I needed to wrap up the preparations for the entrance ceremony taking place the next day.

Preparing didn’t mean that I had to do something elaborate; it was more about reviewing the announcements to be delivered to the students and brushing up on essential knowledge about the academy.

Students would be asking me various questions in the future, and as an instructor, I couldn’t just admit that I didn’t know the answers.

I was a bit concerned about how the students would interact with each other, but I didn’t feel the need to go down and check. During the war, Kalstein Marquis had said that in situations like these, the higher-ups should discreetly step back so that relationships develop naturally.

Although I had a vague memory that starting off by distancing oneself could have been inappropriate… that part was a little hazy. At the time, it hadn’t seemed very important, so I let it slide.

Speaking of responsible students, I suddenly remembered that one person hadn’t arrived at the dormitory yet.

Gwen Tris. How coincidental that I had met her before coming to the academy. The fact that she hadn’t shown up by this hour made me wonder if something might have happened.

“Hmm…”

Seeing as I had personally witnessed her departure from the Capital, I thought she would arrive just fine, but it seemed I’d better check on her progress.

The student ID at Philion Academy has a ‘coordinate tracking’ spell cast on it for emergencies. Therefore, if necessary, the academy can pinpoint a student’s location immediately.

Gwen would have received her student ID after finishing the entrance exam, so she must have it with her; after all, it’s what allows her to pass through the city gate and enter the academy easily.

Of course, even though it’s for safety, the student location tracking could be abused, so it’s encrypted and only the homeroom instructor can access the decryption code.

Naturally, I don’t know how to use the tracking spell. However, if I know the code, I can find her. This is Philion Academy, which provides everything necessary for its students.

I took out the magically enchanted scroll for tracking students from the personal drawer for instructors. Then I tore the scroll and entered Gwen Tris’s student ID number and decryption code.

“…What?”

The tracking spell worked! But what came up was a location I never expected.

Gwen Tris’s position was right here, in the Opal Black Dormitory.

Just as I was puzzled about what this meant, the building trembled slightly.

If I didn’t have well-developed senses, I might have missed that minute tremor, but the dormitory building was rigorously protected by high-level defensive barriers, so it wouldn’t shake from anything less than a significant impact.

That meant someone was knocking on the door rather forcefully.

However, the lack of an intrusion warning hinted at the nature of the situation.

When I stepped out of my room and went down to the lobby, I found students gathered, murmuring. A few were looking this way, expressing a desperate hope for assistance. I strode toward the dormitory entrance and swung the door wide open.

“Uwaaaah!!”

The intruder, who had been knocking on the exterior, couldn’t withstand their own strength and was thrown elegantly onto the floor.

“Ow, ow, ow… I finally made it inside… Oh? It’s the noble I met back then!”

I couldn’t hold back my deep sigh as I spoke.

“Gwen Tris. You’re the last one to arrive.”

Gwen looked just as she had when I met her in Area 21. The only difference was that her clothes were torn and covered in what looked like rotten leaves. She looked like someone who had been lost and dramatically rescued.

The Opal Black students seemed to feel both astonished and relieved at the fact that the person who had been knocking was their classmate. Some wore a blank expression, as if they didn’t know what to think.

After hearing Gwen’s explanation, I learned an absurd reality.

“Wow, when I started wandering through the forest, I thought I’d surely get lost… but I’m so glad I made it safely! Truly, I feel like I’ve cheated death!”

N-no, she was hopelessly directionally challenged. In fact, at an extraordinary level.

When exiting the station for the Opal Black Dormitory, all she had to do was follow a path. Yet, she had somehow managed to get lost in the forest all this time!

Even when I met her yesterday, I had wondered what an incoming student from the academy was doing lost in Area 21; turns out she was struggling to find her way. Area 3 and Area 21 are in completely opposite directions, after all.

And that was not all. Gwen was not only directionally challenged, but she also had a severe lack of mechanical aptitude. She had completely failed to think of the simple way to tap her student ID against the entrance; instead, she assumed the locked door needed brute force and had been ramming into it, which led to this incident.

“Barbarian…?”

Marian muttered with a blank expression. Although it was an inappropriate remark that belittled a foreigner, Batar, who could arguably be considered a true barbarian in this setting, looked completely unfazed.

Gwen scratched the back of her head sheepishly and laughed.

“I’ve lived alone in the mountains with my master until now. So, I’m a bit clumsy with magic machines.”

“No matter how you put it, that’s just not right. Didn’t you hear the explanation when you received your student ID?”

“Huh? Oh, they mentioned something about how to do something with magic at the entrance… but it was so confusing that I didn’t understand it at all!”

Gwen must have heard an explanation like, ‘If you register the magical pattern of your student ID at the entrance, the door will open automatically. Be cautious about losing it.’ I had received similar guidance when I was given my instructor ID from Instructor Rilya.

The issue was that even I, who had no connection to magic, could understand that simple explanation, yet Gwen had failed to grasp it. The other students didn’t verbalize their thoughts, but their expressions betrayed a silent, “Does she have a problem with her intelligence…?”

Since I was the instructor, I had to get this situation under control.

“Gwen. Go inside, wash up, and change your clothes. Those are far too ragged.”

“Yes! I look forward to working with you, noble… I mean, Instructor!”

Gwen beamed innocently and walked into the room. As it was nearing lights out, I sent the other students to their respective rooms as well.

And then, the day of the entrance ceremony arrived.

*

The Philion Imperial Academy aims to cultivate the finest talent on the continent. Therefore, the academy essentially offers elite education.

Gathering a handful of talented individuals and utilizing the Empire’s vast resources to hone them into the elite among elites is the academy’s role, and so they do not teach anyone who isn’t up to par. Hence, the student population is relatively small compared to the academy’s vast size.

That said, when recruiting talented students from across the continent, the numbers naturally swell. Just the Capital City of Sangria has a youth population of around 150,000, meaning even if they bring in just one talent out of a thousand, that’s already 150 students within the city itself.

For this reason, the number of first-year students selected through the entrance exam this year at Philion Academy far exceeded 1,000.

About 300 each came from Diamond White, who had grown up in good environments and education, and Garnet Red, which comprised the majority of the Empire’s commoners. There were roughly 200 students each in Sapphire Blue and Emerald Green, made up of priestly class students, seminarians, foreign ethnicities, and varied races.

In stark contrast, the student count for Opal Black stood at:

A total of 8.

“…”

The stares were burning.

It made sense to draw attention. The buzz around the newly created class was one thing, but the number stood at a mere 8. The composition was also exceptionally glamorous, including a princess, the granddaughter of the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, a foreign prince, and an elf princess.

Reigning over the new first-years and the audience was not mandatory attendance for current students, yet a considerable number had come simply out of a desire to see what kind of kids they were.

Most students watched the new arrivals, but many eyes were glued to me, as my name was something entirely new to them, leaving them curious about my background.

The Opal Black students seemed to feel both burdened by the focused gazes and the peculiar whispers. The only one appearing entirely unfazed was Elizabeth. Perhaps her experience as a princess made her accustomed to people’s attention.

As I locked eyes with Instructor Rilya, who was standing in front of the students donning Garnet Red, she gave me a small encouraging smile. I nodded lightly in return.

Finally, Headmaster Heinkel stepped up to the podium, and the entrance ceremony began.

Unfortunately for the headmaster, very few students were paying close attention to that speech.

*

After the entrance ceremony, I led the students into the Opal Black classroom located in the lecture building.

“Elizabeth will serve as the temporary class representative for Opal Black. If there are no other candidates in a week, Elizabeth will remain as class rep.”

“Yes, Instructor.”

After just a brief observation, I noticed a significant number of students treating Elizabeth as a de facto leader. Whether that was due to her standing as a princess or her inherent charisma, I couldn’t tell.

“You all are required to take five common courses and three major courses. Select the classes you want to take and submit your choices to me by the specified time.”

The common classes proceed within the class, while major classes separate them based on specialties, requiring students to attend classes in other buildings.

Among the subjects I taught, the ‘Basic Physical Training’ was a common course, while ‘Combat Practice’ was part of the major curriculum.

Gwen raised her hand to ask a question.

“Instructor, how many classes can we take at most?”

“There’s no cap on the number. However, you’ll have to carefully plan your schedules.”

The academy is large, so you need to consider the time it takes to move between buildings. Moreover, if you take too many classes, the burden of managing them increases, making it harder to achieve high grades, which could lead to a situation where you end up with nothing.

The conclusion is that focus and prioritization are vital. If you are trying to master swordsmanship by attending every class like Swordsmanship Theory, Swordsmanship Practical, Internal Magic Operation, Magic Enhancement, Combat Practice, you would still struggle even if you had two bodies.

In the first semester, it’s wiser to prioritize physical training and in the second semester focus on cultivating magical skills, considering what each student needs when planning their schedules.

As they understood this, the students began to seriously contemplate their choices while holding up their papers.

“Students who need guidance should come to the Teacher’s Office.”

I decided to leave the classroom to give them time to think on their own.

Soon after, Marian approached me.

 

---