Chapter 71: “Why hasn’t it started yet?”
“Hello, everyone. Since our class has too many injured students… I’ll be staying here until they recover. I’m Cecilia. Please take care of me.”
I had no way of knowing how the snowball effect had rolled into this outcome, but Cecilia—whom I was supposed to meet at the end of the first semester—had joined our class.
We had a brief conversation at the party, but we were hardly acquainted enough to call each other friends. At best, we knew each other’s names.
Dorothy-sensei glanced around before fixing her gaze on the empty seat beside Exipri.
Exipri, who seemed disheartened, stared blankly at her desk, doodling aimlessly in her notebook.
Though Exipri liked chatting with the girl seated next to her whenever possible, it wasn’t exactly unfortunate for me.
After all, it was still early in the story, and I already had connections with five heroines. Two were almost strangers, one inexplicably hated me, and the others…
I was on good terms with Anya, and I could build a strong connection with Cecilia from now on. As for Camilla, I’d need to meet her privately and clear up any misunderstandings.
“…Right. Cecilia? I think the seat next to Exipri would be a good fit for you. Is that okay?”
“Anywhere is fine with me.”
At the mention of someone sitting next to her, a flicker of energy returned to Exipri’s eyes.
“Next to me?”
“Yes, Exi. Everyone, let’s give our new friend a warm round of applause!”
The class clapped for Cecilia, not too enthusiastically but earnestly enough. Only Baek Hoyeon clapped half-heartedly, looking disinterested.
What’s her problem this time?
“Everyone, I’ll be in your care.”
Just as depicted in the original story, Cecilia had a very polite and composed personality. At least, when it came to matters unrelated to spirits.
“Oh? Are you… Han Dogeon?”
“You remembered me. Yes. It’s nice to see you, Cecilia.”
Since she wasn’t of noble status, I didn’t see the need for formalities and had suggested using casual names when we first met. She agreed without hesitation—probably because she was half-elf.
Elves in this world were unusually friendly toward humans, with the exception of someone like Georg. Unless it posed a threat to them, they were willing to share just about everything.
And yes, they were born from the World Tree.
That’s why they were a race incapable of producing half-blood offspring. In the original story, Cecilia claimed that the Goddess herself had intervened in her creation.
Which means… someone must have knocked on that tree, or… well, you get the idea.
“And you are…?”
After greeting Exipri and another student seated behind her, Cecilia turned to Baek Hoyeon, but for some reason, hesitated.
“I’m Baek Hoyeon. Nice to meet you.”
Baek Hoyeon’s tone was curt, making it unclear if she was being indifferent or just couldn’t be bothered. She said only what was necessary and then turned her gaze forward.
“…Ah, nice to meet you.”
Though Cecilia was polite to everyone else, she seemed awkward around Hoyeon.
Even without knowing her background, Hoyeon’s imposing presence was palpable. It was mutual, though—Hoyeon clearly didn’t welcome Cecilia either.
“Wow, are those ears… are you an elf?”
Exipri, curious, turned to Cecilia and asked.
Her combination of teal hair and red eyes, along with the cross-shaped mark in her pupils, was rare enough to draw attention.
All elves had crosses in their eyes, a hint of some connection to the Goddess—a thread that was never fully unraveled in the story.
“Yes, I’m an elf. Is this your first time meeting one, Exipri?”
“Not the first time seeing one, but I’ve never talked to one before! Can I touch your ears?”
“Sure, but you’ll have to be gentle, okay?”
Watching Exipri gently touch Cecilia’s ears with awe, while Cecilia smiled awkwardly and advised her to be gentle, reminded me of the original novel.
“…You’re staring quite intently.”
“Oh, Hoyeon.”
Hoyeon didn’t seem pleased with me.
“So, what about me? Do you find me fascinating too? Go ahead, say something.”
She was clearly jealous, unwilling to tolerate my interest in anyone else. She pulled my attention toward her immediately.
Rather than make excuses, I figured it was better to go along with her demands to keep things smooth.
Fascinating… Well, everything about her was intriguing, but it was her tail that piqued my curiosity the most.
“I’m curious about your tail. But… Why do you ask?”
I had a bad feeling and decided to probe her intentions. Before I could, she raised her tail and placed it in my palm.
“Here. Now you can touch it. But don’t brush it backward—absolutely not.”
Ah, I see. Watching Exipri touch Cecilia’s ears must have given her the idea that letting me touch her tail would ensure my focus stayed solely on her.
“But… there are a lot of people watching right now…”
“It’s an order. Stroke it.”
I tried to use the audience as an excuse, but Hoyeon was unrelenting.
Although it wasn’t visible under the desk, I couldn’t shake the awkwardness of the situation.
Lately, her obsession seemed to be growing stronger, which only added to my discomfort.
Still, she held the upper hand in this situation.
Her tail’s fur was much stiffer than her hair. While it looked soft, it was surprisingly coarse.
“How is it? My tail?”
“It’s… stiff.”
But the texture was oddly addictive—like petting a cat with bristly fur.
“…Is that all?”
“Well, it’s strangely addictive. Do you groom your tail daily? There’s not a single tangle.”
“Hmm. You have a good eye, it seems.”
Unintentionally engaged in an impromptu critique of her tail, I realized that the atmosphere behind me had grown oddly quiet.
Had they already exhausted their chatter? That didn’t seem like something Exipri would do.
Feeling suspicious, I glanced back to find Cecilia looking this way, her cheeks tinged with a faint blush.
“…Oh, it’s not like I was staring because I wanted to… You two seem… quite close, don’t you?”
It seemed yet another misunderstanding had been added to the pile.
***
“Are you curious why I’m here, everyone? Then think back to what happened a week ago. Yes, the demonic beasts attacked. It’s regrettable that some of your comrades are no longer here, but…”
Blah, blah. I didn’t expect to see Georg’s face first thing in the morning. According to him, that incident had caused some changes to the schedule.
“Thus, today we will gauge your overall abilities through the most impartial method. Now, let’s relocate to the gymnasium.”
…Really? If this was the plan, why not just summon us to the gym in the first place?
Annoyed by the inefficient process, I felt irritation bubbling up, but knowing his eccentricity, I had no intention of voicing complaints.
Not that I’d have the courage to say anything, anyway.
Slowly, everyone rose from their seats and headed toward the gymnasium. Cecilia naturally moved closer to Dogeon, and Exipri followed suit.
It seemed Dogeon’s harem protagonist status wasn’t going anywhere, as women kept gravitating toward him, which only made me inexplicably envious.
Sure, I was a girl right now, so it shouldn’t have mattered, but something about it still rubbed me the wrong way.
That, and the fact that I didn’t like anyone clinging to Dogeon’s side.
I was his closest friend, after all.
I wouldn’t let lust triumph over friendship.
I approached Dogeon and grabbed his hand.
Cecilia’s flustered gaze met mine, but I deliberately narrowed the distance, as if to flaunt my position.
“…Ugh.”
That’s right. Your place is a few steps away, while mine is right here, by his side.
“Let’s go.”
Dogeon made a disappointed face, but that wasn’t my problem. As long as I was watching, he’d better only look at me.
When we arrived at the gymnasium, something about the scene felt different. There were objects hanging in the corner—were those swords?
“Running away can only take you so far. Starting today, I will teach you all how to attack. To assess your current skills, we’ll begin with sparring matches.”
Ah, finally. The hallmark of any academy story: sparring.
“…What if someone doesn’t know how to fight?”
A timid-looking girl mustered her courage and asked Georg hesitantly.
“Good question. In that case, you may forfeit. Even if you lose, there will be no penalties. The purpose of determining victories and ranks is merely to tailor instruction to your level. I expect you to give your all.”
He added a cautionary note that injuries, even severed limbs, wouldn’t be permanent during the sparring matches but would persist until the session ended. Then he began calling names.
“Daniel, Finn. Step forward. If you don’t see a weapon you can use on the rack, let me know. I’ll craft one for you.”
Apparently, being able to forge weapons on the spot was a prerequisite for being an academy professor. Watching two unfamiliar boys walk out with serious expressions, I couldn’t help but feel like a spectator in a colosseum.
The only difference was that, eventually, every spectator here would have to become a gladiator themselves.
“What do you plan to fight with?”
Watching the boys clumsily swing their weapons at each other, I suddenly grew curious about what Dogeon would use.
“I’ll primarily rely on magic, but I can handle a sword to some extent.”
As expected of the protagonist—he could use both magic and swords. Meanwhile, I could barely wield a sword properly.
“Well… good luck.”
Unable to think of anything else to say, I simply wished him well and turned back to watch the boys’ sparring match.
The two clashed weapons, tripping and twisting to knock each other off balance. It was almost comical to watch.
I wondered how many of them could withstand my brother’s sword if he stepped in here.
That thought made me laugh involuntarily.