Chapter 8

I originally intended to say something.

Yeah, I was going to say, "How dare you engage in such childish brawls at the sacred dining table!" ...

Thud!

Smack!

"To a commoner, no less!"

"Don't play with your words so carelessly!"

The fight was more exciting than I expected.

The blonde male student and today's sparring partner, Barren Dumbest, were fighting, and the friends who followed them also joined in.

It turned into a full-scale brawl, which was surprisingly entertaining to watch.

"Hmm, Barren Dumbest and Eddie Brilliance? This is a fight not to be missed. Keep it up!"

'So that's Brilliance.'

The red-haired female student next to me clapped, encouraging the fight.

These two families have been enemies for a long time, and it seems the young ones fight whenever they meet.

'Well, kids grow up fighting, after all.'

Of course, I didn't just let my steak be ruined because the fight was exciting.

The ice cream that landed on my steak was surprisingly delicious.

It melted in my mouth, sweeter and smoother than I expected.

It was a different level of taste compared to the ice lollipops we used to eat with syrup 300 years ago.

At first, it was a bit annoying to have it on top of my steak, but the ice cream wasn't overly sweet, and it actually complemented the greasy taste of the steak quite well.

"Ugh! Are you really eating that?"

The red-haired girl, who was focused on the brawl, frowned at me.

I told her it was surprisingly delicious, but she clicked her tongue, saying, "Just because you put it in your mouth doesn't make it food."

Thinking about it, the cadets used to complain that the commander ate anything he found.

"I still don't eat things that fall on the ground."

"Hey! I didn't know it fell, so I ate it!"

I felt a bit annoyed and nudged her, and she immediately reacted.

Anyway, while eating dessert, I watched the kids fight...

"Wow, it's getting intense!"

Eddie and Barren's skills were evenly matched, making the fight even more exciting.

Now they were spinning on the table, extending their legs, and swinging their fists dramatically.

While fights between mediocre kids are the most entertaining, ...

"Tsk, they're putting on quite a show."

I shook my head with a fork in my mouth.

The students watching the fight were cheering, but it wasn't very practical. They were just trying to look cool, typical for their age.

"Show? Isn't it practical? They're using their body weight to strike."

"Are they some kind of armored monsters? With such large movements, they just give more time for others to block."

"Huh?"

"Well, still..."

I didn't finish my thought.

Honestly, they were very disappointing for potential recruits.

But considering they are only 17 years old?

They are excellent.

Barren was a student I had already marked for today's sparring, and to have similar skills to Barren?

'Congratulations to both of you. You are qualified for the Silver Lion Knights.'

To revive the Silver Lion Knights, we need talented people.

Whether they want it or not, I decided to take them to the knights at graduation.

This is a real opportunity for them.

In the past, you couldn't join the knights just by fighting like this.

While eating ice cream and watching the fight with a sinister smile, I saw the professors entering the entrance.

"Eddie Brilliance! Barren Dumbest! What are you doing?"

"Oh, it's over."

"Tsk, it was so much fun, but it's a shame."

The red-haired girl sighed with me, looking disappointed.

She glanced at me, cleared her throat, and asked,

"Is it really that good?"

"Yeah, it's good."

"Then can I have a bite..."

Before she finished, I put the last bit of ice cream in my mouth, exaggeratedly puffing my cheeks and chewing.

"I'm not eating it!"

She turned away, pouting, and left.

* * *

The first year of Knight Academy is divided into three classes: A, B, and C.

I thought the number of classes was a bit small, but each class can have at least 70 to as many as 100 students.

Despite the large number of students, it didn't feel crowded because the lecture hall was so massive.

Honestly, I felt a bit envious.

Compared to the days when I used to swing a wooden sword until my hands bled, the facilities here were unbelievable.

'If we had such facilities 300 years ago, more kids could have become knights.'

Then, we wouldn't have lacked the strength to fight the demons that threatened humanity at the time.

Of course, I know it's a thing of the past, so I just think about it. A kind of regret, I guess.

'I thought Class A would have a lot of skilled students...'

Indeed, most of them were students who won or performed well in sparring.

'Barren Dumbest and Eddie Brilliance, and a few more. I can see the potential for young lions.

The important thing is that almost all of them are from noble families.

There were only a few students from commoner backgrounds, which was inevitable.

The difference in level between the children of noble families, who have consistently produced knights, and commoners who just passed the exam to enter the academy is extreme.

I understand that, but...

'Is there discrimination among the students in the academy, even if there isn't from the academy itself? Or are the kids just sitting together?'

Strangely, all the seats near the commoner students were empty, as if they smelled bad.

The lecture hall is so large that it's fine to leave seats empty, but it makes you not want to sit over there.

I deliberately sat near the noble students.

A weed among flowers. A duck among swans. A dog among wolves.

I felt like I was in that position, and the students around me glanced at me and whispered to each other.

Maybe because I'm a commoner in both this life and my previous one, I really dislike the division between nobles and commoners.

I was so bold that the other students couldn't say anything and just watched.

A dark-haired girl from a group of nobles approached me.

'Ah, this is... '

The girl who turned Nelson's descendant, Charlotte Elaine, into mush in sparring.

'Her name was Daine, right?'

Daine Brand.

Although it was a name I hadn't heard before, I could tell from her face.

This girl is a typical case of a strong exterior but a weak interior.

I have a good eye for people because I was a commander of the knights.

Especially in the Silver Lion Knights, we always had an excess of applicants, and I had to conduct interviews.

We didn't just look at skills but also whether they could fit into our knight order, so the selection process was very strict.

That's why, despite having fewer members, we were highly competent and had strong camaraderie.

You can see that from the fact that they followed me even after 300 years.

"You seem to have picked the wrong seat."

"Your provocation is too obvious. Try something more fresh."

"......What?"

Daine, who didn't expect this answer, blinked and repeated.

Her expression just now was like tofu, soft and squishy.

"Why is a commoner sitting here? This is a common provocation even 300 years ago. Try something more original."

"Um, well..."

"A fresh and new mind like yours being so cliché."

Shaking my head in disappointment, she thought for a moment, then suddenly shouted,

"No! You smell like a commoner, so get out of our seats! Just because some kids think you're great, you think you're really great? I don't recognize someone like you..."

"Yawn, I'm so bored."

I thought after 300 years, she would come up with something more original.

But this is so predictable.

Shaking my head and ignoring the girl next to me, I saw a professor entering the lecture hall.

"Alright, everyone, take your seats."

"Hmm, we'll talk later."

"Work on your lines. They're really boring."

Daine, who seemed to be in a bad mood, turned red, clenched her fists, and returned to her seat.

There were many other children of noble families there, including Eddie Brilliance, who fought in the cafeteria yesterday.

In Eddie's case, I had already marked him, so I was a bit concerned.

Since harmony is important in the knight order, personality education might be necessary.

"Ha, I understand the excitement of being a new student. Let me introduce myself before I call the roll."

The professor was surprisingly young. He quickly seated the students and introduced himself with a kind smile.

"I will be your professor for the next year. You can call me Professor Gent. I look forward to working with you."

Most students clapped to make a good impression on the professor, but a few, especially Daine's group, showed obvious discomfort.

They probably didn't like the professor being so young.

"Ha, why did we get... "

"This is Class A, right? We should have a veteran professor, not some nobody..."

"Should I talk to my father? The professor's level is too low?"

"We need to check who went to B and C. If it's experienced professors like Professor Bermann or Professor Terius, we'll file a complaint immediately."

"Why are they trying to level the playing field for first-year students?"

Complaints and grumbles were heard from all over, but the professor ignored them and called the roll.

"Eddie Brilliance."

"Here."

"Daine Brand."

"Here."

"Barren Dumbest."

"Here."

"Belles Theodore?"

The professor looked around for a student named Belles Theodore.

"Belles Theodore? Is he not here?"

No one answered. I didn't know who Belles Theodore was, but being absent on the first day was quite bold.

"Hmm."

The professor's expression changed subtly. He seemed disappointed but didn't ask further.

It wasn't that he didn't care about the problem student, but rather that he felt it was awkward to interfere.

I didn't know what the academy was thinking, but I stored this information in my mind.

"Isn't Belles the one who finished sparring the fastest?"

"Oh, I remember. The one with the axe?"

"Missing the first day? That's crazy."

"Knight Academy is letting such kids slide."

I didn't remember this because I was sparring with Charlotte at the time.

"Let's call the roll again. The next one is..."

Gent looked at the attendance sheet and nodded.

"Maria Rayrose."

"Here."

"Ha."

I couldn't help but let out a sound.

The students around me looked at me, but I ignored them and turned my head.

There, sitting was the girl who watched the brawl with me yesterday.

The same red hair as Deputy Commander Rayrose.

The same pose, resting her chin on her hand, as I saw her in the cafeteria yesterday.

She turned her head and met my eyes...

"What are you looking at?"

She smiled playfully and stuck out her tongue.

'I wondered if...'

I thought she might be from the Rayrose family.

But her appearance was completely different from the cold and stern Rayrose I remembered.

Of course, she is a descendant 300 years later, so her personality and atmosphere could be different...

'Too different.'

I could easily imagine Rayrose sighing and pressing his fingers to his temples.