I Became the Academy’s Time-Limited Genius – Chapter 2

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: Silverriver

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Petra was waiting respectfully in front of the door, her gaze fixed downwards.

I glanced at her. A black-haired beauty in an elegant black and white maid uniform, wearing a small necklace.

Her melancholic eyes turned towards me. She looks like an ordinary maid at first glance.

But I knew what kind of person Petra was.

An honorary knight of the Philasia family.

One of those trained as knights among the maids or butlers, capable of both guarding and performing household duties.

She likely had a dagger readily available, concealed within her maid uniform. The maid assigned to me as a guard by the head of the Philasia family, my father.

Having her by my side was a condition of my academy enrollment.

“What are you doing? Standing there with your head bowed like that.”

“I was wrong.”

“Wrong about what?”

She cautiously raised her head, revealing a tearful face. One punch from her would have me collapsing and spitting blood from every orifice. Yet, here she was, cowering before me.

But I couldn’t understand what she thought she had done wrong.

What was she actually apologizing for?

“Your expression hardened after I said I would take care of it. I thought you were angry…”

“Ah…”

Was that it?

I sighed.

Then, I forced the corners of my lips upwards, attempting a smile.

“Petra, I wasn’t angry. It wouldn’t make sense for me to get angry over something like that, would it?”

“Th-That’s right, isn’t it?”

Seeing my smile, Petra reluctantly agreed. But the way she averted her gaze suggested she didn’t believe me at all.

Damn it.

This was all because of Deron. One of the legacies left by that damned bastard was this very gaze.

What on earth did he do to make someone apologize for his hardened expression? And his own maid, no less?

My face had hardened from exhaustion after walking so much. I was absolutely not angry.

But even if I said so, Petra wouldn’t believe me. People cling to the past as much as the present.

Unless I cleared away the baggage of his past actions, her distrust would likely never disappear.

“Let’s go.”

In the end, I could only lament Deron’s karma once again.

The karma he had accumulated before I even possessed him became even more apparent after arriving at Iliad Academy. Judging by the lack of even a single sycophant, despite the backing of the Philasia family…

‘This guy was just a tyrant.’

A tyrant who even drove away his sycophants.

Clicking my tongue, I started walking. Petra cautiously followed behind.

As we left the Trea Dormitory, a noisy scene unfolded before me. Banners welcoming new students floated in the sky, and music drifted from the entrance.

Commoners were receiving encouragement and congratulations from their parents. Nobles checked their appearances and handed their luggage to their maids.

There seemed to be three or four times more acquaintances than students. That must be why the entrance was so crowded.

In many ways, it was a scene befitting an entrance ceremony.

However, my surroundings were deserted. As if treating me like a diseased person, no one blocked my path.

Occasionally, someone who brushed against me would flinch and quickly disappear into the crowd.

Amid the massive crowd, I easily moved forward.

Damn Deron, that worthless bastard. Knowing that people avoided me without me doing anything, and that it stemmed from his actions…

That feeling was incredibly shitty.

I didn’t show it outwardly, but judging by Petra’s fidgeting, my face must have already hardened.

What could I do?

I had anticipated this situation from the moment I decided to enter Iliad Academy.

I didn’t even wish for a normal academy graduation as a noble’s son. I desperately prayed to the gods I didn’t even believe in.

Please, just don’t interfere.

If you just don’t interfere, I’ll find my own way, so please.

“Haa…”

I sighed in front of the enormous gate.

It looked like ordinary wood, but it was a barrier formed by layers of protective magic. It could probably block up to 6th Circle…or in this world’s terms, 6th Rank, was it?

The best on the continent.

The entrance to Iliad Academy.

The hall of learning. Trina.

That famous gate stood before me.

Seeing the gate I had only read about in the novel’s descriptions was truly moving.

The tightly closed gate showed no sign of opening yet.

“It won’t be long until Trina opens.”

At Petra’s murmur, I looked up. The towering main gate stretched towards the sky.

Beyond Trina was a place only academy students could enter.

Even a maid of the Philasia Dukedom couldn’t go past that gate. Only students seeking knowledge could proceed beyond.

This was a rule declared by the Empire’s first Emperor. Even the current Emperor couldn’t change it.

“I’ll return to the dormitory first.”

Petra said so and rummaged through her pocket.

The dormitory she spoke of wasn’t the Trea Dormitory. It was the place where maids and butlers employed by nobles, or wealthy commoners, stayed.

Iliad Academy even provided accommodations for them.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes, there’s something I need to give you.”

I looked at Petra in confusion as she continued to rummage through her pocket. What was she trying to give me?

“Ah, found it.”

Complete darkness, devoid of any color other than black. What she pulled out was an elixir.

I received the round orb, which looked somehow unsettling.

“What’s this?”

“It’s an elixir. A personal gift from me to you, Young Master.”

“An elixir? Where did you get the money for this?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just take it. Trina will open soon.”

As she said, the gate creaked open. The faces of the incoming students were filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

I gave Petra a slight wave and entered Trina.

It was time to monopolize all the opportunities.

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“Huff… huff…”

Sophia, a commoner, gasped for breath. Due to the tension, her throat kept tightening. Even after drinking water, she still felt thirsty.

No wonder. This was Iliad Academy, after all. A place deserving of the title of not only the best in the Empire but also the best on the continent.

She was still amazed that she had been accepted here.

Sophia’s parents had also cried tears of joy, boasting about it to the entire village. A genius had emerged from their small, rural village.

Clench.

She clenched her fists and stared ahead. Compared to the crowd at the entrance, the number of enrolled students wasn’t that large.

Just by rough estimation, around 20 to 30 people.

‘Since I’m here, I might as well aim for the top.’

The naive goal of a girl from a rural village, tucked away in the mountains.

That goal was ruthlessly shattered during the test.

“C-Crazy. A spar with the instructor?”

Sophia unconsciously voiced her inner thoughts aloud. But no one pointed it out.

That’s how brutal the test was.

“Next student.”

The swordsman who had just surrendered was proof enough.

If she had fought that man, she would have lost. The instructor had subdued him with just a few swift movements.

A clear difference in skill.

Only then did she realize how difficult it would be to reach the top at this academy. There were already standouts in other groups.

A swordsman who, although unable to defeat the instructor, had exchanged dozens of blows.

Sophia looked ahead. Her turn was approaching. Right after the man in front of her.

Dark gray hair, and black eyes that immediately gave off a gloomy vibe. Deron Philasia, infamous even within the academy.

Even she, from a remote village, knew of him.

Why was someone who was supposedly too frail to move properly even here?

She watched Deron.

The way he trembled as he climbed onto the platform was utterly pathetic. If he weren’t handsome, she would have looked away.

The rumors of his illness seemed to be true, as he could barely hold his sword properly. Even the instructor, who had maintained a stoic expression until now, seemed to relax slightly upon seeing Deron.

Regardless of why a sick person had come to the academy, there was no way someone who was practically dying could have a proper spar.

“Are you ready to begin?”

The instructor, unusually, asked for confirmation.

If he moved as he normally did, he could be accused of killing the eldest son of the Philasia family.

He had to make it clear that this was a spar.

Deron nodded silently.

Sophia watched Deron with a slightly worried look. Even if the rumors were true, the man before her looked undeniably frail.

After the instructor announced the start, Deron clenched his fists.

Then, he cautiously shifted his feet.

That was all.

He didn’t move any further. As if his feet were glued to the ground, he remained completely still.

Murmurs rippled through the onlookers. Deron had already been attracting attention. Standing motionless on the platform only amplified the interest.

Time passed.

Deron still hadn’t moved. Confirming that Deron had no intention of making the first move, the instructor moved.

A speed impossible to block by student standards. In an instant, the instructor vanished from the students’ view.

But Sophia’s eyes caught the instructor’s movement. His footwork was strangely precise as his fist aimed for Deron’s abdomen.

Although weaker than the blow he had delivered to the swordsman earlier, it seemed powerful enough to knock Deron unconscious.

‘Thank goodness.’

Sophia sighed inwardly. Even standing seemed to be a struggle for him. How could such a man possibly spar?

It was fortunate that the instructor was holding back.

That was what she thought, right before…

“Gah!”

The instructor let out a short gasp and collapsed on the platform

However…

“Tsk.”

Deron was completely unharmed, not a scratch on him. In fact, he was looking down at the instructor with his characteristically arrogant gaze.

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