Chapter 3

After watching the fallen boy being carried away, Kiryu and the others registered their room numbers at the front desk and received a brief explanation of life at the Adamas Imperial Academy. There, they also had their measurements taken for their uniforms. The staff member quickly completed the process with practiced hands, and Kiryu and Luna met up in front of the elevator.

"Surprisingly, there was no punishment."

Kiryu, who had caused an unknown boy to faint, was not reprimanded and completed the procedures as if nothing had happened. Kiryu himself was surprised by this.

"Even if the other party was at fault, if this kind of thing is allowed, it makes me worry about the future of my school life..."

Violence is the most efficient means, but in modern times, it is strongly avoided. Therefore, people treat it as a last resort. Just now, Kiryu chose violence without hesitation, but he didn't care about the means as long as he could win.

For example, negotiation. Replacing conflict resolution methods with coin tosses or rock-paper-scissors. However, the ability to "read the opponent" is also important for victory. It was obvious that the boy just now would not have responded to such methods. After instinctively going through this process, Kiryu chose violence.

"This is a lenient school, and I'm quite happy about it."

"Well... I felt a bit relieved too."

Luna said, fiddling with the card key she received at the front desk. Just as the elevator arrived, the two stepped inside. In the elevator, a few other students, both male and female, were chatting as they got on. In this new place, joining a group is an effective survival strategy, and they seemed to be doing just that.

As the doors closed and the elevator began to ascend, silence filled the spacious area. Ding. The elevator stopped with an old-fashioned chime. The new students on that floor got off, and Luna began to speak.

"I thought you were a magic major because you used levitation magic earlier, but you also handle physical combat, don't you? And you're quite skilled at it."

"That was mainly because I got the first move."

"No, that was just a surprise attack. You can't call that getting the first move."

"It is. That's what we call 'first move, certain victory.'"

"..."

"If you can't counter that, I win, right?"

"Annoying!?"

The elevator carrying Kiryu and the others soon reached the top floor. Upon exiting, they found a long corridor stretching to the left and right. Kiryu's room number, as indicated on his card key, was 2025, and Luna's was 2024.

Their rooms were located at the far end of the corridor, the farthest from the elevator. When Kiryu held his card key to the sensor next to the doorknob, a pleasant electronic beep sounded, and the door unlocked.

"Pretty high-tech. I thought this school was all about preserving old culture, so this is a surprise."

"There are areas that are high-tech and areas that preserve old culture. And is a card key really that high-tech?"

"Hmm. Yeah, a card key is high-tech."

"Whatever. Anyway, what do you plan to do next?"

"Hmm, nothing specific. Lectures start the day after tomorrow, and I need to complete the aptitude test before then, right?"

Kiryu recalled the information from the admission letter. The aptitude test determines the rank of lectures a student can take. The higher the rank determined by the test results, the higher-level lectures one can attend.

"Right. If you don't mind, would you like to take the aptitude test with me? It's going to be crowded, so I want to get it done early."

"Sure, that sounds good. ...But, I'm the type of person who shouldn't get involved, right?"

When Kiryu said this with a lack of spirit, Luna sighed in exasperation.

"Unfortunately, you're already involved. It's meaningless if you can't prevent it beforehand. If you don't want to, you can go alone."

"Just kidding, I'd love to go with you. But let's do it in the afternoon. I want to rest a bit after all the commotion of getting here."

"Sure. Then—"

Luna glanced at the silver pocket watch hanging from a leather cord around her slender neck. It was almost 8:00 AM. She had synchronized her watch with the clock at the front desk, so this was the correct time in the school.

"How about meeting at the front desk at noon?"

"Okay, let's do that."

After making the arrangement, Luna unlocked the door to room 2024 and disappeared into her room. Watching her go, Kiryu opened the door to his new room.

The dorm room was a 1LDK layout. Beyond the entrance was a living room that doubled as a dining and kitchen area, with a Western-style bedroom to the left. A balcony connected the living room and the bedroom.

Not only was the space generous, but the amenities were also rich, reflecting the extraordinary financial power of the Adamas Imperial Academy, which provided such rooms to each new student.

Kiryu thoroughly inspected the entire room.

He checked for listening devices, hidden cameras, or any magical setups that might infringe on privacy.

After clearing these concerns, he moved to the bedroom. He carelessly placed his attaché case on a low table next to the single bed and flopped onto the bed.

"...I'm tired."

Lying on his back, he gazed at the ceiling, which was high enough to be comfortable, and muttered. He then sat up and took out medical supplies from the attaché case, starting to treat the various injuries he had sustained. He discarded his cumbersome long coat on the blanket.

"Running away is the best strategy... I won completely."

He finally let out the victory declaration he had been holding in his chest. A pleasant sense of accomplishment descended from his throat. He had come here to cut ties with his accursed family and with the hope that "he" would be here.

He should have taken a shower first.

He realized this while treating his injuries, but it was too late. After finishing most of the treatment, Kiryu lay back on the bed and quietly fell asleep.

Ding.

The chime rang, and Kiryu woke up. He sat up without particular urgency. The clock on the wall in the bedroom pointed to 10:00 AM. He had slept for less than two hours, but it was the first peaceful sleep he had had in a long time.

He got out of bed and walked silently to the entrance.

(It's not Luna.)

He sensed from the breathing and slight movements that the person on the other side of the door was not Luna. Then, he noticed the doorbell that was blinking due to the chime. Modern security technology seemed to be quite advanced, and he didn't need to use such skills.

He chuckled at his own oversight and peered into the monitor of the doorbell. A woman in the uniform of a dormitory staff member appeared on the screen.

"Hello."

He lightly pressed the blinking button of the doorbell and responded.

"Hello. This is the front desk service. Is this Mr. Kiryu's room?"

"Yes, but what is it about?"

"I have a summons from the principal for Mr. Kiryu. Could you please accompany me to the principal's office?"

The phrasing suggested there was no room for refusal, and Kiryu closed his eyes. Why was he being summoned? He had a few ideas.

The most recent one was the incident just now. Was he being reprimanded for using violence on that boy?

Regardless, if he was summoned by the head of the school, he had no choice but to go.

"Understood. I'll be right there."

Kiryu put on the long coat he had discarded on the bed, took his card key, and opened the front door.

"Then, I will teleport us to the principal's office. May I have your hand?"

When Kiryu stepped out of the room, the woman extended her hand. Kiryu held his card key behind him to lock the door.

"Sure, go ahead."

"Excuse me."

Kiryu extended his left hand, and the woman placed her right hand on top of it.

"...I'm sorry, but could you please release your 'Magic Resistance'?"

"Oh, I'm sorry."

'Magic Resistance' is a basic defensive technique effective against both magic and physical attacks. This woman, who seemed to be more knowledgeable about magic, called it 'Magic Resistance,' but in the martial arts world, it is often referred to as 'Qi.' Generally, it is abbreviated as 'Resistance.'

It is typically deployed only during combat, but Kiryu, who had not had a moment's peace for a while, had been maintaining it constantly.

It was understandable that the woman looked slightly irritated, probably mistaking his hesitation for teasing.

"Again, excuse me."

Before he could clear up the misunderstanding, the woman activated the teleportation.

The scene changed instantly. Kiryu found himself standing in front of a large door in an unknown room. This must be the principal's office.

At his feet was a magic circle. Kiryu looked at the wrist of the woman who had teleported with him. A small tattoo was etched there, faintly glowing.

(No wonder the teleportation was so precise. It's a 'Teleportation Circuit.')

A 'Teleportation Circuit' is a high-level technique that simplifies the activation of teleportation by pre-fixing several spells at specific locations and linking them to other locations. While it can only teleport to fixed coordinates, it allows for easy and casual teleportation without the need to construct and calculate coordinates from scratch each time. This makes it convenient for transporting people or objects.

In the case of the dormitory staff member, the spell was etched on her wrist, allowing her to function as a mobile teleportation magic circle. However, the deployment and maintenance costs of the spell are so high that even a master would find it difficult to operate it personally.

(This school must be maintaining large-scale spell systems to streamline the work of the staff. Do students also benefit from this?)

While Kiryu was thinking about this in front of the principal's office, the woman opened the door.

Beyond the door was a cozy space, smaller than the size of the door, with an antique president's desk covered in lacquer. On the other side of the desk sat an elderly man in a ridiculously large wooden chair.

Or, rather, it was questionable whether he could be called elderly. He was probably in his early 50s. His short, neatly styled black hair with a touch of white, and his clean-shaven jaw with a hint of mustache, gave him a clean-cut appearance.

Kiryu, who had expected a bearded, elderly man, was disappointed.

He was almost certainly the principal.

His most noticeable feature was a deep, old scar on his right eye. It seemed he was blind in that eye. The remaining eye, solemn and dignified, was piercingly focused on Kiryu.

"Please come in."

The woman's tense voice echoed, and Kiryu stepped into the principal's office. The door behind him closed with a thud.

"Do you know why you were summoned?"

As the echo of the closing door faded, the principal asked. Without a smile, his imposing presence left Kiryu unsure how to respond.

"Is it about the incident just now?"

Feeling a confrontational vibe from the other party, Kiryu deliberately asked back, despite knowing the principal's position.

The principal let out a sound like a suppressed laugh, a groan-like noise. Suddenly, his demeanor seemed to soften.

"No. This school does not concern itself with such trivial matters."

The principal shook his head.

(Violence as a trivial matter...)

Kiryu was beginning to understand the nature of the school.

At the Adamas Imperial Academy, talented students gather to preserve and pass on magic, martial arts beyond self-defense, and other skills collectively called 'techniques.' These skills are being lost as humanity progresses, creating a world where conflict and inconvenience can be avoided. Moral and legal frameworks are strengthened in every country, and if one conforms to this trend, skills become unnecessary.

Therefore, the environment of a school that teaches skills cannot be the same as modern society. It must be left to those who handle skills to determine how to use them and encourage their improvement. This is why the principal can openly call violence a 'trivial matter.'

In other words, this school is the perfect environment for Kiryu, who enjoys conflict and inconvenience.

Kiryu made a thinking gesture and then mentioned his next suspicion.

"If it's not about the incident just now, it must be about the admission letter I stole from a part-time teacher outside the school, right?"

"No, that's not it either. We gather talented students here. Rejecting someone who can pull off such a feat would be a disservice to the school."

Kiryu received the expected response from the principal.

This left only one more possibility.

– My upbringing is not good.

Just as he was about to voice this, the principal spoke first.

"Did Gokuyu Kiryu die a painful death?"

As expected.