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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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One month after the Barhardt Imperial Academy opened, the three combat instructors were gathered.
Istal von Levenstein, a seductive beauty with fiery red hair reminiscent of flowing blood, said,
“Combat’s ready. They haven’t drastically improved their basic abilities yet, but they should have a grasp of their limits.”
Neville Briggs, a stern gentleman with slicked-back black hair and a formal suit, added,
“Magic’s the same. Everyone has mastered Low-Rank Magic Arrow and Low-Rank Magic Shield. Some have even learned an additional low-rank formula of their choice.”
Emilio Lafer, a deceptively youthful-looking man with snow-white hair and an innocent face, replied with a slightly dubious expression,
“The Support students can now heal injuries that aren’t life-threatening, but isn’t this a bit too soon?”
Istal chuckled.
“Oh my, we’ve been patient enough, haven’t we? They must be getting bored with the repetitive routine. It’s time for an event, for the students’ sake.”
Neville agreed.
“What we need to raise isn’t just something that looks good on paper. We’ve given them the basic tools; now they need to learn how to use them.”
Emilio shook his head.
“I think you two lack compassion…Achoo!”
Neville looked at Emilio, who was sniffling, with a puzzled expression.
“You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Are you ill? If it’s old age, we need to find a new instructor, so tell me quickly, old man. Nothing’s more troublesome than having someone die mid-project.”
“Such impudence from a youngster…ahem! Haha, no, I’m fine. My nose has just been sensitive lately.”
Ignoring Emilio, who couldn’t possibly admit that the cause was a perfume popular among his female students, the two continued their conversation.
“Even iron needs to be hammered to become a strong sword.”
“We have the joint training exercise in June. If the results are unsatisfactory, all sorts of people will criticize the instructors, including us, for not properly implementing His Majesty’s vision. You don’t want to lose your position now, do you, old man?”
Emilio Lafer said with a serious expression,
“As an educator, I wouldn’t be concerned with personal gain. But I can’t allow unqualified individuals to teach the students.”
Clap!
Istal clapped her hands, concluding the discussion.
“Alright, then, with the agreement of all three combat instructors, we’ll commence the first integrated group project. As befitting an educational institution, we’ll assign a fun project that fosters cooperation and responsibility. I’m sure our lovely students will overcome it.”
‘And if they can’t, well, that’s their problem,’ Istal added under her breath.
The other two didn’t object.
They weren’t raising hothouse flowers.
There was no point in teaching them if they couldn’t overcome this level of hardship.
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The next day, Sunday, a cheerful female voice echoed from the mana-powered speakers installed throughout the Academy.
[Hello students! This is Istal von Levenstein, your Combat instructor. I have some exciting news!]
The students murmured.
“What is it, so early on a weekend?”
“Exciting news?”
“Ugh, I feel sick.”
Some Combat students, having been relentlessly drilled by that cheerful voice for the past month, were experiencing nausea.
But the announcement continued regardless.
[Starting tomorrow, we’ll be holding a week-long integrated group project for all students! All regular classes will be suspended during this period! Students from all classes will participate together!]
“Classes suspended? For a whole week?”
“What are they planning…?”
[The project will be team-based, with six students per group. Gather your desired team members and register at the faculty office or any administrative office. Any students who haven’t registered by the end of today will be assigned to teams randomly. Due to an uneven number of students, one team will have only three members. Naturally, that team will be at a disadvantage, won’t they?]
“Hey, this sounds fun! Want to team up?”
“Sure. We can easily get six people just from Combat.”
Many students, optimistic about the announcement, planned to team up with their friends from their respective classes.
But some thought differently.
‘Six-member teams? Depending on the project, a week is quite a long time. There might be multiple stages.’
‘Having a lopsided team composition might be disadvantageous. We definitely need at least one Support student!’
Combat had the most students with 108, followed by Magic with 52, and Support with only 23.
Healers were just as valuable here as in any other world.
[Students who achieve excellent results in the project will be offered special accommodations, instead of the standard single rooms. Furthermore, the top two teams will receive special rewards from each Combat instructor. I can easily offer a secret technique or two, so please give it your all!]
“Yes! This room is too cramped!”
“What? Secret techniques? Really?!”
The promised rewards ignited the students’ enthusiasm, dispelling their initial doubts and apprehension.
For the noble students, the current single rooms—cramped by their standards—were uncomfortable.
And the offer of secret techniques was enticing for any ambitious student.
[Details of the project will be announced later! For now, focus on forming your teams! That’s all for the announcement!]
As soon as the broadcast ended, the students sprang into action.
“Hey, gather around! Let’s form a team!”
“Does anyone know any Magic or Support students?!”
“Damn it, I was planning to go out today, but now I’m stuck!”
“Secret techniques! New accommodations! They’re all mine!”
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Listening to Professor Istal’s announcement, I thought,
’Fortunately, this is the same as the original.’
“…What kind of stunt is she pulling this time?”
Regret, munching on a large sausage and vegetable-filled bun, frowned.
Pino, the green-haired girl, sipped her lemon soda and looked at me suspiciously.
“Chrom, did you know about this? The number of people you invited for lunch perfectly matches the required team size.”
I shrugged.
“It’s a coincidence. Crow said he had a sparring match with another Combat student, and Akasha said she had to visit the Temple of the Star Gods.”
As a result, the six people gathered were myself, Regret, Fiore, Lotto, Pino, and Lavaul.
I could have formed a stronger team, but I didn’t bother.
‘Cooperation is just as important as combat ability in this project. I’d rather have members who follow my instructions, even if they’re not as strong.’
Crow Vein, the third son of the renowned Vein swordsmanship family of the Grand Duchy of Nahart, might have listened to me as repayment for the sword I gave him, but it was too early to call in that favor.
I had no real connection with Akasha, the youngest paladin, and our meeting through Fiore created a sense of distance.
I also invited Frelia from alchemy class, but after much deliberation, she hesitantly declined.
While we had become quite friendly through our conversations and discussions in class, it seemed we weren’t close enough for personal engagements yet.
Fiore said,
“Isn’t our party composition too lopsided? I understand there aren’t many Support students, but having only Regret Unnie in Combat, and the other four in Magic…”
“It’s fine. With Regret, we can handle most things. And Lotto is a great frontline fighter too!”
Lotto choked on his food and coughed.
“W-wait! That’s impossible! Me, on the frontlines with Regret-ssi?! W-well, we have Lavaul-ssi too!”
“Hmm, it’s true that without access to formulae, my role would be limited to shielding…but…”
I placed my hand on Lotto’s shoulder as he tried to subtly escape.
“Unlimited potions, portable accommodations, equipment repair costs covered. Can you ask for a better deal?”
Lotto considered for about five seconds, then replied with a serious expression,
“Chrom-nim, even so, I’d prefer a rearguard position—”
I smiled.
“Do you think Professor Istal will go easy on those with poor performance?”
“I’d be honored to join your team, Chrom-nim. Frontline, rearguard, anything you need.”
And the party was formed.
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