How to Survive at the Academy
chapter-77

Freshman Class Assignment Test (1)

“Keep your distance from me.”

“What?”

“Don’t come within this range of me.”

It was the day I was supervising the freshmen’s exam.

The winter break was well on its way, and I had grown accustomed to living without the use of magic. Preparations for expanding the cabin were also in their final stages.

Essentially, all the major tasks that needed to be completed before the next semester were already taken care of. This meant if I could just wrap up supervising this exam successfully, there would be no further issues to worry about.

With a sense of urgency to finish up quickly, I gathered my strength and headed to Assistant Professor Claire’s research office—it was time to start the day. It seemed I was the first among the academic scholarship students to arrive, as Anis was the only person visible, busy checking magical engineering supplies in a corner of the office.

As I tapped her on the shoulder to greet her, Anis jumped like a grasshopper, instantly putting distance between us, all the way over to the window behind the professor’s main desk. She then looked at me with a gaze intense enough to bore holes.

“Why so sudden? What’s going on?”

“Umm… It’s just, you smell. I really dislike the smell of sweat. Please, keep your distance.”

The school places significant emphasis on appearances, as much as to have a clause on maintaining dignity in the school regulations. Cleanliness is strictly managed. At least, I had almost never received any remarks about the state of my clothes or appearance.

Though it’s been relaxed due to the vacation, I sniffed my sleeve to check but didn’t notice anything unusual.

“I don’t smell anything.”

“And there’s this look in your eyes? Or an aura? Something about it just doesn’t sit right with me. Anyway, please stay away.”

Anis’s sudden defensive behavior was more baffling to me than anything. As she usually has her reasons for everything, I simply shook my head and moved on to clean up the research office table which was in disarray.

If I didn’t at least tidy up the basics before Assistant Professor Claire arrived, it felt like the office would descend into chaos once again. Anis’s failure to sort this out implied she was too busy to take care even of such basic matters, so I decided to help out without being asked.

Mostly, I dealt with documents that had expired processing deadlines and were therefore to be discarded. Gathering various documents together, I picked up a binder that had been left lying in a corner—its volume was quite substantial.

– Bang!

Before I could properly file away the documents, the door to the research office burst open, and Assistant Professor Claire strode in confidently.

“Hellooo-!”

More lively than the students themselves, Claire greeted the morning with cheerful vigor and placed a box of snacks on the table.

“Want a scone?”

After spreading snacks on the table, Assistant Professor Claire asked Anis to make her some black tea. As Anis was in the middle of checking the magical engineering supplies, I extended my hand to help. Startled, Anis reached out with one hand, keeping a firm distance and holding the other hand to her chest, as if she was hand-feeding a wild animal.

I casually accepted the documents handed to me. The task of checking them was familiar enough not to require additional explanation—it was a simple review process.

“Ah, Clevius and Yenika have arrived too! Now that the examination management team is all here, we can get things organized and head out!”

Biting into a snack, Assistant Professor Claire then plopped down in her chair, unfolded the finalized exam plan on the table with a thud, and began to go over it.

“The exam location, as previously announced, is Mount Orun. Since our academic management team consists of four individuals, we’ll each take one of the allocated cardinal directions—east, west, north, and south—and conduct our inspections. In the case of an accident or detection of cheating, use the communication equipment provided in advance to report to me. For cheating judgments… follow the instructions given in the distributed documents, but I doubt the freshmen will be able to carry out any significant and organized cheating… Just remember, you can’t go easy on them just because they’re cute juniors!”

With that said, she resumed nibbling on her scone.

Her energy levels were particularly high today, probably because she had just returned from a few days off after dozens of hours of intensive work. Normally, she’s quite spirited, but a few overnighters would reduce her to a zombie-like state. It’s as if her personality resets periodically.

“And there’s a freshman you absolutely must be cautious of! The Lady Saintess Clarice! She’s not someone you commonly encounter, so I’ll give you a briefing on her appearance. Long silver hair reaching down to her waist, red pupils, and a red butterfly hair clip on the side. If by any chance you do meet her, show the utmost respect, understand?”

In Sylvania, the emphasis is more on the value of education rather than societal hierarchy. There’s a general inclination for the gap between social standings to be bridged by the shared title of ‘classmates’.

While nobles are never egregiously disrespected, one can’t expect the same level of deference as found in the homeland. However, there are clear boundaries which, if crossed, necessitate courtesy towards even lower-classmen of such stature.

Of course, individuals of such noble rank seldom enroll, so the boundary of this unwritten rule feels somewhat indistinct. Nevertheless, with last year’s admission of Princess Phoenia, the line has somehow become clearer.

Individuals of the status of a princess or a saintess must be treated with the reverence due to a subordinate, regardless of their academic standing.

This is a warning so that no one accidentally offends her.

It’s quite difficult to differentiate, really. The public-facing Saintess Clarice looks more saintly than anyone else. Regrettably, she’s an impostor.

It’s a fact not revealed until the moment right before the final act of the third part, but the real Saintess Clarice has been swapped with another student. The girl attending school under Clarice’s identity is thoroughly disguised with physical alterations and illusionary magic.

The true Saintess is a student assigned to 1st-year Class C named Kylie Ecknair, though that’s an alias.

She has altered her appearance to enroll in Sylvania and is living as an ordinary student with brown hair and an innocent look, claiming to be from a noble family of an obscure small island nation in the eastern continent.

This revelation is one I found quite shocking when I first encountered it, as I felt suspicion should have arisen when she was given immediate free access to the Ophelius Hall. These facts are only known by the chief figures of the Telos Church, the school principal Obel, the three high chancellors, and the head maid of the Ophelius Hall.

Even the guards tasked with protecting the substitute are unaware of the deception, illustrating the meticulous planning that went into this ruse.

While I applaud the Saintess’s efforts to gain an education at Sylvania, she’s unlikely to graduate peacefully.

The so-called Saintess Clarice becomes central in the final stage of the third act, ‘The Pursuit of Lucy,’ with everyone rallying against her.

Without her, Taely can’t learn the Sword Ceremony ‘Shinsalgeom (神殺劍),’ crucial in defeating Mebuler, the final boss of the fourth act.

She’s an important character indeed, so I hope she manages to get by without any mishaps.

“Anyway, for situations not covered here, refer to the manual, and if you need to ask any detailed questions, send me a message! I’ll be on standby at the peak of Mount Orun! That’s all set, right?”

Assistant Professor Claire checked the time with a quick glance and nodded.

“Let’s go up Mount Orun to get all the welcome magical engineering equipment set up, check the altars, and wait for the students to be escorted over. Wrap up your snacks, and we shall head out!”

*

The result is known.

The freshman class assignment test resulted in everyone failing.

Though it’s not so much a failure, as the evaluation is all relative. It’s just that no one was good enough for Class A, though there is some distribution based on performance.

Since this isn’t a story experienced by the protagonists, it’s merely mentioned briefly in the main scenario of “Academy’s Failed Swordsman”.

Due to Assistant Professor Claire’s miscalculation in determining the difficulty of the class assignment test, no freshmen end up in Class A, resulting in a high number of Class B students who wish to be promoted to Class A during the semester.

And so bursts the episode of ‘Joint Combat Practice,’ fueled by the competitive spirits of the first-year students aiming for the title of Class A.

In this episode, the protagonist’s generation, now in a senior role, engages in a joint combat training session with the first-year students. Despite the session being presented as a friendly match, the first-years take it very seriously and competitively. This intensity is because the grades awarded in this session will significantly affect future class reassignments, prompting the first-years to use any means necessary to win, even seeking extra fights outside of class for bonus points. However, all their attempts are thwarted by Taely, showcasing the significant growth Taely has achieved over the past year. This episode not only highlights Taely’s development but also evokes a profound sense of satisfaction and nostalgia in the seniors as they watch their juniors. Nevertheless, this episode carries an underlying tension, as Saint Clarice, hidden among the crowd, takes special notice of Taely during these events.

“Ugh, huff.”

Midway up Orun Mountain.

Leading the group, Assistant Professor Claire was at the forefront, followed closely by Anis. Behind her came Yenika, a senior, and then it was me and Clevius trailing behind. Claire was burdened with a heap of grading papers, while the rest of us were lugging around cumbersome magical engineering equipment. Due to the equipment’s sensitivity to magic, transporting it via telekinetic magic was strictly prohibited. Although most equipment wouldn’t actually suffer damage from such handling, the precaution of manual transport was preferred to avoid any potential issues. Even though the climb wasn’t particularly steep, the weight of the equipment made the journey challenging.

The male members, all academic scholarship students, managed to carry their loads without much trouble, but Anis seemed to be struggling, gasping for breath under the weight. “Hey, if it’s too much, hand some over. You’re falling behind,” I offered, noting the significant weight of each large, half-dome-shaped piece of equipment. Even the men were breathing heavily from the climb; it was evidently too much for Anis’s slighter frame.

As Anis began to lag more noticeably, I passed Yenika, who was also sweating profusely, and caught up to Anis to help lighten her load by taking some of the equipment she was carrying. “Ugh, thank you, Senior Yenika. It was really too heavy for me… Aah!” Anis, turning to express her gratitude and mistaking me for Yenika, was startled upon seeing my face, nearly losing her balance in the process. She managed to regain her footing but not before dropping several pieces of the equipment.

Clank, clatter! The dropped items rolled down the path but were swiftly caught by Clevius below. His reflexes lived up to his reputation as the top combatant. “Shouldn’t you be more careful?! What if they broke…!” he admonished, tossing the equipment he caught onto the pile he was carrying. Despite the momentary lapse, Clevius’s strength was undeniable.

“Sorry, I didn’t expect you to follow me all the way here,” Anis panted, her cheeks flushed with exertion. It was clear she was pushing herself too hard. Noticing her determination reminded me of my own experiences with overexertion and the understanding that sometimes, pushing too hard can lead to unnecessary hardship.

Exhausted to the point her ears turned red, Anis was gasping for breath. Observing her, I couldn’t help but frown. It was clear to anyone that Anis was pushing herself too hard. Having spent a few days with her, I could tell Anis Haylan was unusually diligent in everything she did. I understood that mentality; living on the edge makes one fear falling behind at the slightest hint of laxity. I’ve been there myself, pushing too hard until I was worn out by overwork.

Reflecting on this, Anis’s current state felt all too relatable, stirring a desire in me to help her break this cycle. Rest is part of the work, a fact often overlooked. Without recognizing this, enduring success is hard to achieve.

“Take a break. We’ll start setting up without you.”

“What, what?”

“Any objections?” I glanced back at Yenika and Clevius, who both nodded in agreement.

Anis was carrying around a dozen magical engineering devices. I took them from her, one by one, tossing some to Clevius and some to Yenika, who caught them effortlessly and stowed them away. Soon, Anis’s hands were empty.

“Just wait a…! Why didn’t you ask…?”

“I told you to take a break,” I stated plainly. There’s no point in forcing it when you’re out of energy; it only makes you a burden.

Adjusting the devices in my arms, I gently pushed Anis towards a nearby rock, urging her to sit. She looked up at me, bewildered and breathless.

“Rest when you need to. It’s only harming you to do otherwise.” After saying this, I signaled the others that it was time to continue.

The mountain we were climbing hardly deserved the name. A few more minutes of ascent would bring us to the top.

“I’ll scatter some magic stones; you two proceed with setting up the devices in the designated spots. We have plenty of time before the newcomers arrive after lunch,” said Claire, the assistant professor, with a smile.

“Great work, everyone. Finish the setup, check your assigned sections, and then we can start supervising. The operation isn’t complicated, so we should be done in about 30 minutes if we place everything as planned,” she continued.

Clevius and I, along with Yenika, had reduced our load by installing some devices at checkpoints along the way. “Phew… To think these low-tier illusion devices weigh this much… Higher grades must feel like carrying boulders,” Yenika commented, taking a seat on a nearby rock to wipe his sweat. Clevius seemed less affected, quickly refreshing himself with some water and stretching his body.

Considering his physical strength and skill in swordsmanship, it was ironic how he’d panic in actual combat. Remembering his past as the black sheep of the renowned swordsmanship family, Nortondale, it was understandable, yet it was a story for Taely to unfold.

Taking a moment to rest, we admired the view from the top of Orun Mountain. A grand altar stood on the open plateau, marked with indecipherable runes on a massive stele, more a pillar than a stone, its top sheared off.

This was the stage for the final battle of Act 3, “The Altar of Change.” I closed my eyes, recalling the scene: dark clouds above, a genius archmage looking up, apostles of the god Telos with eagle heads covering the sky. The god declared the end of Acken Island, with mages intent on killing the god’s apostles and their companions facing off before the altar. A girl, adjusting her large witch hat, stated softly her disbelief in gods.

“Hey! What are you doing there! Who’s that!” Yenika’s shout snapped me back to reality.

“What is it, Senior Yenika?”

“Ah, nothing… Thought I saw someone atop the altar… Hmm, must’ve been my imagination…” It was unlikely anyone would climb such a grand, neglected pillar.

“Must’ve been the climb. Seeing things, I guess.” Yenika shrugged off his concern.

“Let’s finish setting up the devices and wrap up the test. Once we’re done, we’re free until the end of the break.” It was a lot of effort for the final task.

Muttering complaints, we got to our feet, busy with the preparations to welcome the new students on time.

“Hey.” Yenika, about to start installing a device, paused and straightened up.

“Seems like some of these are broken… Or not?”