Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Being the Brother of a Hero**

**Chapter 8: Department Exam (1)**

“Mmm.”

Mayer Dyraila finished off the muffin she had bought before entering the academy with one bite, smirking in satisfaction as she mumbled with her mouth full.

But that didn’t last long.

“Do you eat that kind of thing?”

At the familiar voice from behind, Dyraila’s expression soured.

“Mmm, go away, what’s it to you?”

“Tsk, finish eating before you speak. You’re so uncultured.”

The voice belonged to Armin N. Polon, a young noble from a baron’s family in the empire.

Dyraila didn’t like this guy who had suddenly appeared beside her.

Not just because of his annoying attitude, but especially because...

“If you come under me, I’ll let you eat as much as you want.”

He usually acted like he looked down on people, yet he kept trying to recruit her, claiming to recognize her talent.

*Swallow.*

“What’s it to you? I don’t care about your offers.”

Polon, from a wealthy merchant family, often tried to buy people with money, which Dyraila despised.

“You act so high and mighty, even though you have nowhere else to go.”

And whenever she rejected him, he always said something like that. She wanted to knock him down, but she couldn’t.

First, there was the difference in status between nobles and commoners, and second, his statement about her having nowhere else to go was true.

Half-elf.

This label had followed Dyraila throughout her life.

Even her teeth, which she was currently using to chew the muffin, were far from human, sharp and hard like an animal’s.

A characteristic of Dyraila, who had half the blood of the ancient subterranean race, the Dwarves.

Because of this, she couldn’t avoid the disdainful looks wherever she went.

‘Still, I’m doing pretty well in the academy, right...’

While she tried to be objective, in fact, her self-assessment was quite modest.

At least, when combining practical and written exams, there were fewer than ten people in the academy who ranked above her.

“Think about it. If I take you in the Command Department, you might even get the points you lack for your practical evaluation.”

Who are you to tell me what to do?

“Instead of wasting your time, just stick with me. Honestly, who else would look at someone like you without prejudice?”

One verse was enough, but why did this guy have to go on to the second and third?

Feeling a vein pop on her forehead, Dyraila tried to calm herself down, but then a small commotion broke out nearby.

“Hey, is that him?”

“Who?”

“That blonde-haired, blue-eyed handsome guy. Isn’t that Klein?”

“Really? How do you know?”

“I saw him at a banquet when I was young.”

“Wow.”

The freshmen near Dyraila and Polon were whispering to each other, looking at the main gate.

Klein.

His incredible talent was already well-known in the academy, and he was famous outside for his overwhelming talent.

Dyraila noticed many students looking at Klein with admiration and envy.

Truly... he’s so far from me.

He must receive such admiring looks wherever he goes.

I’m a bit envious...

If I had such a reputation, someone like Polon wouldn’t stick to me.

At that moment, Polon approached the freshmen.

“Have you guys seen Klein before?”

“Uh, no.”

“Never.”

“Haha, I know him a bit.”

Dyraila glanced at the freshmen Polon was talking to.

They all had good looks.

Anyway, do you really know Klein?

Do you call getting beaten up in a sparring session ‘knowing’ someone?

“He’s already surpassed the professors in swordsmanship in the Combat Department.”

“Wow, just as the rumors say?”

“Yeah, isn’t it amazing? I’ve sparred with him a few times, and even I couldn’t last four rounds. The professors can’t even last ten rounds against him.”

Right, you lasted three rounds.

And you begged for three rounds, saying you respected him as a fellow noble, you damn liar!

But the freshmen, unaware of this, looked at Polon with even more admiration.

“Then, does he have no reason to come to the academy anymore?”

“I heard that famous adventure guilds and the royal family are already keeping an eye on him. Just being able to last three rounds against him is enough to get calls from well-known guilds. I got one too.”

“Wow! You’re really amazing, senior!”

“Haha, it’s nothing.”

Then, the freshmen’s gaze shifted to Shane, who was walking beside Klein.

“But who’s the person next to him? He looks... very... old-fashioned.”

“Who? Oh, it’s Shane the fool.”

“Shane?”

Shane, standing next to the legendary genius Klein, was someone who could pique people’s curiosity, and Polon, once again, pretended to know everything.

“Yeah, Shane the fool, who envies his brother’s talent. He’s quite smart, but lacks affinity for magic, so he’s still only at the 2nd Circle after five years. He tries to do all sorts of things out of jealousy, but fails every time.”

“Oh... I see.”

“Just ignore him. He’s a nasty person, so no one wants to be around him.”

“Thanks for the advice!”

Dyraila briefly recalled the past at Polon’s words.

That guy... after losing to Klein, he immediately challenged Shane to a sparring match, right?

If Dyraila’s memory served, Polon was the one who sparred with a 2nd Circle mage for over ten minutes.

‘What did he say then? Did he say he would only use magic because he was learning it?’

Polon’s swordsmanship was quite good, but his magic wasn’t at that level.

He could barely cast 2nd Circle spells.

Back then, he struggled a lot against Shane and eventually closed the distance to overpower him with hand-to-hand combat.

Meanwhile, Dyraila turned her gaze to Shane.

Just as Klein was a famous figure, his brother Shane was always a topic of conversation.

Even now, the students who were talking about Klein were giving disdainful looks to Shane standing next to him.

Dyraila couldn’t understand why people looked at him that way.

Isn’t it enough to do your own job well, regardless of what others do?

‘He must be tired of life.’

While thinking this, Dyraila tilted her head slightly.

‘But, was he always like this...?’

With her superior senses, Dyraila recalled the last time she saw Shane.

They hadn’t really talked, but she had seen him in the same classes.

Back then, how should she put it...

He seemed gloomy and looked at everything with annoyance.

Now, she couldn’t sense any emotion from his expression.

Even though he must have noticed her gaze.

‘Well, it’s none of my business. Why am I worrying about him?’

Just as she was about to turn away, Dyraila noticed the surroundings becoming quiet and tilted her head in confusion.

Looking around, she saw Polon, who had been talking, with a nervous expression, his head lowered.

“...?”

Not just Polon, but the freshmen who had been listening to his TMI were also subtly turning their gazes.

Curious, she turned her head and saw Shane scanning the area with a blank expression, just like before.

“Whoa, what’s with that gaze...”

Though his expression was still blank, Dyraila instinctively resisted the urge to bow her head.

How should she describe it?

It felt like a predator was staring down at her.

The silence was brief, and the campus soon filled with noise again. Shane, with a bitter smile, was already moving away with Klein.

“Tsk...”

The students who had no interest in Shane started walking away.

On the other hand, those who had been gossiping about him were still bowing their heads, embarrassed, and coughing.

Polon was among them.

* * *

Klein was uncomfortable with the current situation.

The contrasting gazes Klein and Shane received upon entering the academy.

Recently, Shane had been less hostile, though not particularly friendly, to Klein and the family.

However, Klein was worried that these gazes in the academy might bring back the past.

As he looked at Shane with anxious eyes, Shane spoke.

“Klein.”

“...Yes, brother.”

“You don’t need to make that face. No, don’t make it.”

“Huh?”

“I won’t care about other people’s gazes anymore.”

“...”

“And sometimes, your gaze can make people’s hearts even more fragile. I’m not pitiful.”

“...! I didn’t mean to...”

He didn’t expect to hear such words.

Klein recalled his brother’s attitude towards him.

Could my attitude have made him even more uncomfortable?

That’s what he thought.

Shane smiled at Klein’s thoughts.

But it was a very brief smile, so subtle that one might miss it if not paying close attention.

“I’m fine now.”

“...I’m sorry, brother.”

“It’s okay. Their gazes are ultimately just jealousy. They can’t beat you, so they look for someone to compare you to, and that’s me. It’s an instinctive action. I won’t be hurt by fools who can’t even recognize their own meanness and envy others.”

Shane, who was the embodiment of jealousy.

If he were to be hurt by such petty jealousy, it would be laughable.

“...”

Then, Shane scanned the area with an expression devoid of any emotion, completely different from the smile he had given Klein.

Perhaps because they heard the conversation, or because of Shane’s deep, incomprehensible gaze, the students all lowered their eyes.

‘What, what is this? It’s completely different from what I heard.’

‘His eyes...’

‘S, senior? Is he really a fool?’

‘Oh...’

Shane, who had turned the students’ gazes with just his eyes, looked at Klein as if to show everyone, and Klein smiled bitterly.

Although it was unrealistic to expect social skills from Shane, Klein was somewhat relieved that he wasn’t getting hurt.

After arriving at the exam venue.

The venue was filled with many students, most of whom were around Shane and Klein’s age.

All of them were 5th-year students like Shane and Klein.

“It seems everyone is here. Welcome. I am Levi Benjamin, the new head professor of the Command Department.”

Despite never having seen Benjamin’s face, the students recognized him.

The captain of the Galewind Knights, one of the empire’s knight orders!

Though he was a baron from another country, he became the captain of the empire’s knight order solely through his talent, making him a well-known figure.

Only someone of that caliber could become a head professor right after entering the academy.

The students all looked at Benjamin with admiration.

Meanwhile, Shane was smiling inwardly.

Benjamin was a figure Shane had known in his previous life.

A seasoned veteran who burned his last flame on the battlefield.

Though it was ten years later, the army Shane had faced was delayed for five days due to just one person.

Recalling that moment, Shane looked at Benjamin with a different emotion.

Until then, Benjamin was just a talented person with a slightly stronger soul than others.

But the soul Benjamin showed on the battlefield was so strong that even Shane couldn’t corrupt it.

‘A future talent.’

Spotting talents that could help in the future was a fresh source of interest for Shane in this life.

One of them was Alex, who stood beside Klein with a puzzled expression.

Shane had no intention of letting the souls of the heroes who had faded away in his previous life go to waste.

While Shane was lost in thought, Benjamin continued.

“From now on, you will take the department exam. If you pass, you will study command for a year with me.”