Chapter 4

"Wow, impressive."

I couldn't help but whistle at the sight of the elderly Meiji Academy professor, with his long mustache and wrinkles that made a strong impression.

Wizards were usually a bit eccentric, but this man was particularly so.

"Ian Aine, have you ever learned magic before?"

Hector, who had been following the dragging Professor Alfredo, asked me indifferently.

When we were in the carriage, he seemed completely uninterested in the students, giving off a cold and distant vibe, but I didn't expect him to take an interest in me.

"No, I haven't."

"......"

After staring at me for a moment, Hector pushed me toward the Knight Academy and said,

"After the opening ceremony, I will call you separately. There will be a brief verification process there."

"What kind of verification?"

"......Mana levels."

'He can't handle mana well, I see.'

Hector didn't say it out loud, but I could tell he was unable to verify it himself.

A typical knight could at least estimate the approximate amount of mana, even if not to the level of a wizard.

Well, that's possible.

I nodded in response and headed toward the Knight Academy.

"What? What's going on?"

"Weren't you just chosen as one of the five gems from the Meiji Academy?"

"Oh, it must be a mistake."

"Those wizards are always like that, you know."

Listening to the students' comments, I realized that as potential knights, their speech was a bit rough.

At the Knight Academy, they would learn chivalry, conduct, and court etiquette, but it seemed they would have a hard time improving their manners.

'But there are people who can tell.'

Ordinary people usually don't notice the truth about my mana levels.

A huge secret hidden behind the curtain of Mamon.

Mana that I can't properly control due to the brand.

I watched the professor who had seen through it all at a glance leave.

With a strange feeling, I twirled the identification stone given to me by Professor Alfredo in my hand and headed toward the auditorium where the opening ceremony was taking place.

* * *

The intense gazes made the back of my neck itch, and I scratched it with my hand.

'Sigh.'

I sighed inwardly.

Selecting the five gems from the Meiji Academy was a rare spectacle, so even the new students of the Knight Academy were watching.

Naturally, many of the students who saw me chosen as one of the five gems were bound to notice.

As a result, the opening ceremony was overshadowed by the ongoing discussions about me.

"That guy? Really?"

"Wow, I was surprised too."

"But why is he here?"

"I don't know, but I heard the Meiji Academy professor went crazy and told him to come over."

This continued until the end of the opening ceremony.

The dean even had to remind everyone to be quiet during his speech, saying, "The new students are full of energy. Please be a bit more composed."

The upperclassmen in their impressive uniforms glared at us, adding to the tension.

It seemed the entire first-year class had already left a bad impression before the start of the year.

"Next, we will have the knights' oath. All new students, please stand up..."

A knight's oath?

In my time, it was just a few taps on the shoulder and head with a sword, and it was over.

After 300 years, it seemed there was now a special ritual, which I found interesting.

When the dean untied the large curtain on the wall, a phrase written in an elegant font appeared.

"......Hmm?"

The words written there were familiar enough to make me involuntarily exclaim in surprise.

"Knight's Oath."

As the dean raised his hand and led the oath, the students followed suit.

It was a formal declaration to set one's mindset, not a deeply meaningful ceremony like a knighting.

"I swear to live my life as a noble knight, upholding my duties."

"A knight is a sharp sword that moves boldly, and at the same time, a shield."

"The sword will not rest until it destroys the enemy, and the shield will not close its eyes until it protects the people."

"May infinite blessings be upon this young knight's future."

As soon as the oath ended, I sat down and crossed my arms. I could feel my face burning.

Because this was...

'This is the message I left as my last words.'

- Move boldly, for we are both a sword and a shield.

- While destroying the enemy, do not turn your eyes away from those you must protect.

- Young lion, may infinite blessings be upon your future.

Though slightly altered, it was roughly similar to what I had left behind.

Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I felt embarrassed and my face was burning.

I was determined to find out who had done this and trace the origin of the knight's oath.

As the opening ceremony ended, I followed the upperclassmen who were guiding us to the dormitories.

I saw a striking pink-haired person in the crowd and was about to go say hello when...

"Wait a moment."

Hector placed his rough, thick hand on my shoulder.

"I need to unpack my things."

He pointed to my bag, which was left alone while everyone else had already taken their belongings.

Hector's eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly displeased, but he didn't show it much and said,

"Just carry it. It won't take long."

If it won't take long, then fine.

I nodded, picked up my bag, and followed Hector.

"......"

I thought we might have a simple conversation on the way, but he remained silent, maintaining a serious atmosphere.

With his many scars, he could be seen as a professor full of complaints, but...

'He's just quiet.'

I noticed he was matching his steps to my shorter stride.

A subtle, invisible consideration.

He seemed to be a man with a different inner world from his rough exterior.

Following Hector's guidance, we entered a waiting room where the dean who had given the speech was sitting.

'His muscles are incredible.'

The dean, who was in charge of an academy that trains knights, had a physique that was nothing short of impressive.

His bulging muscles were as solid and rugged as a mountain range.

He looked much older than Professor Alfredo, but in terms of health, he was probably a few levels above.

He had the body and eyes of someone ready to fight on the front lines.

"So, Ian Aine. You're from Haman Village and enrolled through the commoner admission, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

If it were another student, they would have been intimidated, but I didn't feel particularly burdened.

However, my calm demeanor seemed to work in my favor, as the dean's expression softened.

"I heard you were chosen as one of the five gems from the Meiji Academy. I'd like to verify that."

As he slowly extended his hand, I placed my hand on his palm, and he began to examine my mana.

After a moment,

"Hmm!"

The dean looked at me with surprise, then closed his eyes and checked my mana again.

After confirming my mana, he seemed puzzled and his eyes flickered, but he didn't check again.

A faint tremor could be felt from our clasped hands.

Though he didn't show it outwardly, he seemed to feel some fear.

"......It seems the Meiji side made a mistake."

"Is that so?"

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time. I hope you will become a proud student of ours."

The dean sent me off with a kind smile. I bowed slightly and headed toward the dormitory.

'Is it because he's a knight and couldn't detect it?'

I found it somewhat puzzling, but since there were no major issues, I decided to let it go.

* * *

The dean's eyes, as he watched Ian leave, were filled with deep contemplation.

It had been a long time since he was more familiar with the title of dean than that of a knight.

Over the years, he had experienced much, and his vast experience had become a mana gauge that flickered to warn him of danger and opportunity.

And now, the light indicating opportunity was shining brightly within him.

'Professor Alfredo, did you truly see everything about that boy?'

The dean took a deep breath to calm himself.

Recalling what he had seen through the boy just now, he felt a cold sweat run down his spine.

The first thing he saw was a vast sea of mana.

Could such a beautiful sea really exist on the continent?

No beach could compare to the transparent waves of mana he saw within the boy's body.

Surprised, the dean checked again.

To his astonishment, the second time, the mana was completely empty, like a lake dried up by drought.

And in that place,

A massive shadow of fear was staring at him from the depths.

Was it the depths of the mana sea?

He didn't know.

But the dean, who had met the eyes of something that was staring at him, was afraid to delve deeper into Ian's inner world.

As a dean, it was the first time he felt fear toward a student and the first time he abandoned responsibility in the face of potential problems.

At first, he had intended to use the boy, Ian Aine.

Recently, there has been growing skepticism about the role of knights in the kingdom.

With the development of mana usage, the efficiency of magic has increased, making it more diverse and versatile.

In the basic formula where a knight wins if they successfully approach a mage and loses if they fail,

Knights are finding it increasingly difficult to approach mages.

In a situation where the pride of knights, who train their swords and bodies, is being eroded by the concept of mana superiority,

A commoner boy with nothing to his name was chosen as one of the five gems.

The Knight Academy could certainly use this to their advantage...

"Hmm..."

To be honest, he wasn't in the mood for it.

The monster's gaze, which seemed ready to devour him at any moment, was deeply etched in his mind.

What was inside the boy? Would it benefit or harm the Knight Academy?

The dean's contemplation deepened as he struggled to find an answer.

* * *

The simple internal layout map of the first-year boys' dormitory building had the names of the students assigned to each room.

Although the academy was divided into noble and commoner admissions, there was no discriminatory treatment.

"Let's see. Room 302 on the third floor?"

The building was five stories tall, and being assigned to the third floor wasn't bad. It wouldn't be too tiring to climb the stairs, and the view would be decent.

"Room 302. Room 302."

My room was 302.

I found it easily in the hallway as soon as I reached the third floor. The facilities were better than I expected.

"Wow, what is this?"

I wasn't exaggerating; it was twice the size of my room back home.

There were basic furnishings, and the quality was impressive.

A magnificent bed that refused comparison with the one my village carpenter made for me.

A heavy desk and a stand-type mana lamp, seemingly encouraging us to study in our rooms after classes.

A simple-patterned wardrobe.

I was pleasantly surprised to find everything I needed.

With these, I could use the room until graduation without needing to buy additional furniture.

'I heard the previous occupants of this dormitory were in the graduating class.'

The Knight Academy has six dormitory buildings in total.

The dormitories are divided by gender and grade, but students don't change dormitories as they move up in grade; only the names change.

This building, which was the third-year dormitory last year, is now the first-year dormitory.

The room was spotlessly clean, and as I looked around, memories of the past came flooding back.

When I was in the knight's order, all members were sometimes crammed into one room.

The treatment of knights was similar, and after 300 years, even the treatment of students has improved so much.

Satisfied with the room, I looked around, but no matter how spacious it was, it didn't take long to see everything.

There was about 30 minutes left until dinner, and we were told not to leave the dormitory until then.

Just as I was getting bored and thinking about exercising, the identification stone with magic runes on the desk caught my eye.

The stone given to me by the Meiji Academy professor, who held it tightly even as he was being dragged away.

I picked it up and examined it.

"This thing can detect magic attributes, right?"

The world has really improved.

In my time, wizards had to intuitively find their suitable element by learning the four major elemental magics one by one.

"I'm a bit curious."

It was a good time to try it out since I was bored.

I sat on the bed and slowly infused mana into the stone.

'Even if I can't control much mana, I should be able to confirm it.'

Not only with swords but also with magic, if I have sufficient talent, I can imbue attributes to my sword.

There were often knights in our order who could do this.

During the Rayne Raymond era, there was no foundation or interest in learning magic, so I only wielded a sword.

Moreover, the leaders of the knight's order at the time were extremely skeptical of attribute imbuing.

Due to the prevailing atmosphere 300 years ago, where knights were expected to only wield swords,

There were often criticisms of the leaders of the knight's order using attributes, which were akin to magic.

'Well, not anymore.'

Moreover, I didn't need to painstakingly find my suitable attribute, as it was easily revealed to me.

I was filled with the hope of being able to imbue attributes, something I had given up on due to my position as a leader in the knight's order.

With my resolve set, I poured mana into the stone, overcoming its resistance.

Soon, the stone began to glow brightly, and then...

Crack, crack.

Crunch.

The stone shattered in my hand, turning to powder.

"......Are you kidding me?"

What kind of situation is this? It didn't even reveal my attribute and became completely useless.

I wondered if the Meiji Academy professor had given me a defective stone.

Suddenly, I felt my mana being drained from my body.

The mana that wouldn't move when I tried to control it was now flowing out, ignoring the curse of Mamon.

The sudden mana drain made me feel dizzy, and another light entered the room.

Not the yellow mana lamp in each room, but a silver, elegant armor reflecting the light.

When I regained my senses, a knight was standing in front of me, sitting on the bed.

A knight I would never forget.

"Wh...?"

I involuntarily froze and let out a foolish sound.

The knight slowly looked around, confirmed that I was the only one there, and then knelt down.

"Nelson Elaine, a low-ranking member of the Silver Lion Knights. I greet you again, sir."

What?

"Nelson?"