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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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A few days prior, during a faculty meeting at Minerva Academy.
“What are the results of the exams?”
Headmaster Heinz inquired.
Cain Aldeon, the professor in charge of Applied Swordsmanship, slowly began to speak.
He was also the head professor of Minerva’s Swordsmanship Department.
“First, the top student in the Swordsmanship Department is Ariana Selene. She received perfect scores on both the written and practical exams, and her time in the artificial dungeon was 4 minutes and 25 seconds, placing her first. Since she’s already reached Sword Expert level, there’s no need for further testing.”
A considerable number of Minerva graduates hadn’t achieved Expert level, so Ariana’s testing was essentially unnecessary.
“What about the other graduating students?”
“They all passed. There are no issues with their participation in the inter-academy competition, the ‘Olympiad.’”
Heinz nodded curtly, then turned to Angela Ganellin, the head professor of the Magic Department.
Angela, recognizable by her light brown wavy hair, nodded and spoke.
“In the Magic Department, Lux Stella Sirius and Amy Helios are tied for first place. The other students also passed the benchmark without any issues.”
“That’s good. With this, the midterm exams are successfully concluded.”
The meticulous effort put into creating the exams had paid off.
Having already made one significant blunder, if any students had failed the academy’s own exams…
Even if it were the students’ fault, it would have been difficult to avoid the parents’ complaints.
If it were the Olympiad, hosted by the Imperial Family, if they lost in a fair competition against students from other academies, they might be disappointed, but they wouldn’t be able to protest.
‘An Expert, nonetheless…’
He couldn’t voice his inner thoughts due to the morale of the other professors, but Heinz was impressed by Allen’s abilities.
To produce an Expert in less than a semester…
Even if it was due to the student’s talent, it was undoubtedly a remarkable achievement.
Having seen Allen’s lesson plans and observed his teaching methods a few times, Heinz couldn’t help but think that perhaps it was time for Minerva Academy to change.
In truth, Allen’s classes weren’t particularly special or extraordinary.
He simply pushed his students with all his might.
Like in the military.
‘It might be a good idea to bring in another special professor with a military background.’
It wasn’t that Minerva lacked professors who taught specialized combat, but most of them hadn’t returned from the battlefield.
He wanted to fill the vacancies, but most talented individuals had perished in the war…
It was truly regrettable.
“Headmaster?”
Cain’s voice interrupted Heinz’s thoughts.
“Hmm? Oh, I’m sorry. Where were we?”
“We were discussing accommodations for the students during the Olympiad. Since it’s being held in the capital, some students have homes there.”
“That’s true.”
Heinz pondered for a moment, then nodded.
“Considering fairness, it would be best for them to stay in the same place. Isn’t there a hotel provided by the Imperial Family?”
“Yes. Then I’ll inform them accordingly.”
“Any other matters?”
Angela, reviewing the documents, answered Heinz’s question.
“We just need to decide on the accompanying professors.”
“The two head professors will have to go… and we can select two more from each department, wouldn’t that be sufficient?”
“That seems adequate.”
After Angela nodded, Cain posed a question.
“Can we bring anyone?”
“Well, it would be preferable to choose professors who can take good care of the graduating students. Do you have anyone in mind?”
“I was planning to bring Professor Allen. I heard he has connections within the Imperial Family, so he might be able to help if any unforeseen circumstances arise.”
Heinz stroked his beard at Cain’s suggestion.
Allen was a special individual connected to many of the Zodiac Knights, so it was certainly a good proposal.
Aside from that, Cain’s true intention was probably to pass off the students he found difficult to handle…
But as long as the results were good, it wouldn’t matter.
Having made up his mind, Heinz nodded.
“If Professor Allen agrees, then let’s do that.”
“Yes.”
“So, any other suggestions?”
When silence fell, Heinz spoke one last time.
“It’s not often that the Imperial Family directly hosts a competition. Especially one for students. Even if you’re not directly involved, act as if it were your own affair. This competition will determine the prestige of our Minerva. Understood?”
“Yes!”
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Minerva Academy wasn’t the only one putting their heart and soul into this Olympiad.
Countless academies across the Empire were aiming for victory.
“We absolutely cannot miss this opportunity!”
Alonso Palenberg, the headmaster of Don Quixote Academy, known as the sanctuary of knights, and former commander of the Imperial Guard, roared at his professors.
The old man, looking as stubborn as his age, shouted.
“This time, we will finally break that arrogant Heinz’s nose and prove that Don Quixote is the best educational institution!”
“Yes!”
The robust men, more instructors than professors, bellowed in response.
Alonso glared at them with sharp eyes.
“Does it make sense that we’re perpetually in second place just because we don’t train mages?”
“No!”
“This time, we’ll show them that mages are unnecessary!”
“Yes!”
Unable to contain his overflowing passion, Alonso ripped his clothes and howled.
“Physical strength is national power! We will crush those weak mages with our perfected bodies!”
“Woohoo!”
Inspired by him, the professors also ripped their clothes.
The training uniforms, meticulously crafted by artisans, were no match for their brute strength.
“My pecs are roaring, Commander!”
“Call me Headmaster!”
“Yes! Headmaster!”
“From now on, we will tour the academy and cheer on the students! Execute!”
“Execute!”
Thus, the professors began to run, following Alonso.
The sight of the men running with their bulging muscles exposed, looking like orcs, was certainly eye-catching… but the students simply continued on their way, unfazed.
It was a familiar sight.
“Go for it! Don Quixote Academy!”
Of course, no one knew if their cheers were actually helpful to the students.
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Other academies also made various efforts for the Olympiad.
“Students who achieve good results will have their tuition completely waived! Even those who have already paid will be reimbursed!”
Scholarships, for example.
“We will send you to study abroad in any country you desire. Of course, all expenses will be covered by the academy.”
Study abroad opportunities, for example.
“Just reaching the finals will earn you a million gold coins!”
Prize money, for example.
“Uh… should I even bet on my daughter?”
“Are you crazy?!”
And so on…
In any case, they wagered everything they could for the honor of their alma mater.
As the academies and professors worked hard, the students also trained diligently to achieve good results and raise the prestige of their schools.
Time flew by…
And the opening day of the “Olympiad,” the inter-academy competition hosted by the Imperial Family, was fast approaching.
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“And now! The inter-academy competition! Let the Olym—pi—ad be—gin!!!”
“Wooo!”
The audience erupted in enthusiastic cheers at the announcer’s cry.
The reaction was deafening.
“…It’s loud.”
Black Wolf winced, pulling her robe tighter.
Even my eardrums felt like they were about to burst, so it must have been much worse for Black Wolf, with her more sensitive hearing.
“Just bear with it. We’ll leave after we see the preliminary matchups.”
“Okay.”
I soothed Black Wolf and waited.
Soon, the announcer said the words I was waiting for.
“Since every academy in the nation is participating, we have a lot of contestants! Therefore, to eliminate a large number of students, we’ve prepared a battle royale! Let’s take a look at how it works.”
The announcer snapped his fingers, and a giant screen appeared above him.
Several circles glowed on the screen.
“Thirty students will enter each arena! And out of those, a maximum of three students from each arena will advance! This is how the first preliminary round will be conducted.”
The first round?
There must have been a lot of participants.
Come to think of it, unlike Minerva, other academies didn’t restrict participation to graduating students.
“One hundred and twenty-eight students will advance to the finals! The preliminary rounds will continue until that number is reached! Only God knows when this festival will end!”
It was a rather crude method, but since the competition had been organized impromptu, it was to be expected.
Just how many participants were there for them to adopt this method…?
I shook my head and continued watching.
Black Wolf murmured,
“Will they be alright?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“They shouldn’t lose.”
Her face remained expressionless, but a hint of worry flickered in her eyes.
Had she grown attached to them in such a short time?
It was true that a chaotic free-for-all might prevent them from performing at their best, but… well.
My students were on a different level.
“Don’t worry. We trained them. We didn’t raise them to be weak. Just trust and wait.”
“…Okay.”
Black Wolf nodded quietly at my firm words.
The girl who had been so sharp, unable to express her emotions properly, was now showing signs of humanity.
Feeling proud, I stroked her head.
The sensation of Black Wolf’s ears perking up transmitted through her robe.
“It looks like our students’ matches start in an hour. Let’s grab a bite to eat.”
“Okay.”
We headed out of the arena.
“Don’t take your hand off.”
“Alright, alright.”
As she requested, I kept my hand on her head.
I chuckled, watching her tail sway gently.
The Olympiad preliminaries had begun.
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