CH 26

"The building ahead is the Lion's Hall."

After leaving the Student Counseling Division, Ulan followed the Inspector to his destination. Just as he was about to express his gratitude, the Inspector spoke again, "In sequence, first is the main building, then the cafeteria, then the library, and then the dormitory. The area with flags hung on the outer wall is where freshmen are allowed to enter."

An unexpectedly detailed explanation of various buildings. After a moment, having finished all his explanations, the Inspector stared intently at Ulan with a serious expression. "Stay away from any other areas."

The Surveillance Unit, an organization attached to the Military Studies Department. Not long ago, they had received a special mission from Head Berge – to manage and take care of Ulan, the barbarian before him.

Not a difficult task, they thought; merely observing a young barbarian and reporting his daily activities seemed like a simple task.

‘But…….’

Through the incident that occurred in the auditorium today, the Surveillance Unit realized without a doubt that this mission was far from easy. Therefore, they quickly made a judgment call — to limit Ulan's range of activities.

The places mentioned earlier were the areas under the watchful eye of the Surveillance Unit. Even if another incident were to occur, they believed they could handle it from their vantage point.

"Do you understand? Absolutely do not go anywhere else."

"Um, I'll take note of that."

"No, don't just take a note..."

"I'll be on my way now. Thank you for the guidance."

The Inspector tried to get a more definite answer, but Ulan was quicker. Watching his retreating figure, the Inspector's gaze held a hint of unease.

‘Still, though…’

Since he had been so explicit in his warning, Ulan surely must have understood --- that was what the Inspector believed.

Only after Ulan entered the Lion's Hall did the inspector finally turn around.

━━━◇◆◇━━━

Shortly after entering the Lion's Hall —

— Ulan headed up the stairs to the second floor.

He'd heard that the class assignment procedure was supposed to be happening in the hallway on the second floor. However, once he arrived at the hallway, no one was there.

It wasn't long before he realized why he couldn't see any students.

"The class assignments must be over."

There was a bulletin board with lists of students and their assigned classes. Ulan narrowed his eyes and scanned the list to find his name.

【Ulan Bator: Class-3】

As soon as he saw the number 3, he felt a strange sensation. Because this number was the same as the order in which he had joined the party of Heroes in his previous life.

A simple coincidence, of course.

He set off in search of Class-3 Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to find the class. From outside the class, he could faintly hear conversations. It seemed that the students who had just become classmates were chatting about various things. 

Without hesitation, Ulan opened the door.

Creak! Drrrrr!

The moment he stepped inside the classroom —

— all conversations abruptly ceased.

"..............."

The classroom fell silent.

The atmosphere turned chillingly cold, as if someone had poured ice water over them.

No one opened their mouths, and no one dared to meet Ulan's gaze. It was because of the incident in the auditorium.

Ulan didn't mind, though, and scanned the room. He was looking for a place to sit. As he searched, he spotted an empty seat.

He had a feeling that it might be his seat.

So, as he briskly walked toward it, he suddenly locked eyes with a familiar face — a girl with pale golden hair tied back.

‘Ibella?’

Ibella Elearde, the future Swordmaiden.

It seemed she was also in the same class.

However, unlike others who avoided Ulan's gaze, Ibella's eyes widened slightly, and her expression shifted into a suppressed smile.

‘Why is she acting like that?”

He couldn't understand, and shook his head.

Soon after, he sat down and noticed something familiar in the seat next to him.

Hair as black as the night sky.

It was a very familiar figure.

‘Even Noah is in the same class.’

He felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Noah was very knowledgeable, and she was right next to him, so he can ask her anything he needed to know.

Just as he was thinking that.

Out of the blue, Noah slipped something to him.

It was a small note.

"Everything okay?"

It seemed Noah was aware that Ulan had been taken to the Student Counseling Division. Her slightly worried expression was evidence.

Ulan nodded, "Nothing happened."

Although it wasn't entirely true, he didn't want to bother explaining. So, he brushed it off vaguely.

Just then, the classroom door opened.

Creak!

A man in formal attire entered.

The ID badge hanging around his neck shimmered golden in the sunlight. The fact that the badge was gold indicated that this man's status was that of a professor.

"Pleased to meet you."

His dignified voice broke the silence.

Standing at the podium, he casually swept his gaze across the students and introduced himself briefly.

"I am Miel Goulakas, a professor in the Magic Department, in charge of third year. Please take good care of me for a year."

"..........."

After Professor Miel finished introducing himself –

– the students stared blankly at him, their expressions stiff.

They had every reason to be.

The person who had introduced himself as their assigned professor was not human.

"Why are you so surprised? Is this your first time seeing a Lizardman?"

Lizardfolks- a sub-race of humans.

More commonly known as Lizardmen.

While they weren't particularly common, they weren't rare either. Lizardmen mercenaries were not uncommon on the battlefield.

However, it was not the Lizardmen themselves that surprised the students. It was the fact that someone from a sub-race was a professor at Arsene Academy.

Even Ibella, who was never surprised by anything, was wide-eyed.

There were exceptions, of course.

Ulan and Noah were the only two who didn't react to the sight of Professor Miel.

'That's because I've seen him in games.’

Noah, who had played [Arsene Continental War], was well aware that there were non-human professors at Arsene Academy.

And Ulan, having spent half his life on the battlefield, was familiar with the non-human races.

‘There were even non-humans among the heroes.’

Not counting Dilia, a half-human, half-fairy, two of the warriors had been non-humans.

So he just shrugged it off.

Meanwhile, when the chaos in the room had died down somewhat, Professor Miel continued.

"I've heard about the unfortunate incident during the entrance ceremony. I'm sure you're all still distraught by now."

Professor Miel glanced over.

In his reptilian pupils, he saw the man responsible for the unsavory incident, Ulan. Letting out a short cough, Professor Miel turned back to the students.

"So, I'll just give you the usual announcements and dismiss you for the day. The other classes will start next week anyway."

Perhaps because classes would end early?

The students' eyes brightened for a moment. Professor Miel smirked and tapped the blackboard.

"First of all, Arsene Academy offers five main fields of study."

Military Studies, Magic, General, Crafting, and Arts

These were all mentioned in the specialty tests.

Among them, Military Studies and Magic were combat fields, while the other three were non-combat fields.

"This year, the first-year students are divided into eight classes. Each class has a capacity of twenty-five students, and the assignment criteria are twofold."

The first criterion was based on the field of study or curriculum.

The faculty selected five students from each field of study and placed them in a class. This means that each class would have five students from the Military Studies, Magic, General, Crafting, and Arts fields.

The second factor was their performance on the entrance exam.

However, the students weren't arranged purely by their scores.

Otherwise, the class with the highest-scoring students would have a clear advantage. To prevent this, the assignments were adjusted to make sure the average scores of each class were similar.

‘Oh, so that's why Noah and I are in the same class?’

Then there was no possibility of him being in the same class as the second-seat, Dilia. Ulan now has an understanding look on his face.

"Next, you must choose a major and a minor from the five fields of study."

Once you are promoted to the second year, from then on, you will be divided into classes according to your majors. This was to distinguish between combat and non-combat fields.

So, it was a way of providing an opportunity for the second-year students to experience different majors.

"Lastly, the first-year curriculum includes common courses – physical training and basic education. This is the responsibility of the assigned professors."

In other words, Professor Miel would teach them.

With that, the explanations were finished. Professor Miel blinked his distinct reptilian eyes and asked, "That's all for now. Is there any question?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a girl with ash-colored hair sitting in the front raised her hand, looking somewhat anxious.

"Umm… Do you think it's possible to…….. to change classes?"

"While I can only guess your intention behind asking, it's not possible. Unless it's for a significant reason, approval won't be granted."

"Well, if there is a significant reason..."

"What you think is a significant reason is not a significant reason," a resolute response came.

The girl lowered her head with a disappointed expression.

Most of the students, who had been struck unconscious by Ulan's outburst in the auditorium, seemed to have harbored some vague hopes. The classroom was filled with a gloomy atmosphere.

Professor Miel let out a small cough, "If there are no further questions, I will conclude now."

As he was about to turn away, he suddenly remembered something and spoke with a tone suggesting that he had almost forgotten, "Oh, and there's an official event in the evening. I ask that everyone gather in front of the statue by 6 p.m."

"What? An event?"

"There's nothing written about it here..."

"What kind of event is it?"

"It's a field trip. If you've been admitted to the Arsene Academy, it's a place you should see at least once."

As soon as he finished, several students' eyes widened. As if they had guessed the location of the field trip. Seeing their reactions, Professor Miel chuckled.

"This is your chance to see 'Arsen,' the Fountain of Magic, in person. I want every single one of you there."

"...........!"

The atmosphere suddenly brightened.

The gloomy expressions on the students' faces disappeared. What was this? Was going to the Fountain of Magic so exciting?

Ulan scratched his head.

Then he heard Noah's answer.

"The Fountain of Magic is a place that anyone who deals with mana should visit at least once.

"Why?"

"There is a legend that if someone who walks the path of magic spends a night at the Fountain of Magic, they can gain mana equivalent to a thousand days."

The Fountain of Magic, Arsen.

It is a sacred place where pure mana gushes forth, a sanctuary where the source of magic slumbers. Perhaps that was why such stories circulated among mages.

If one could see this place at least once before dying, they would have no regrets, it was said.

Ulan nodded as if he understood.

Then he looked at Noah again, "I see you're looking forward to it, too."

"Ahaha, I'm a shaman too, after all."

Noah chuckled elegantly.

But that wasn't the only reason.

‘That’s because the Fountain of Magic contained hidden pieces.’

There were three of them, to be exact.

Of course, being hidden pieces, they're extremely difficult to obtain. The conditions were very demanding.

‘But it just so happens that…..’

At this very moment, the conditions to obtain one of the hidden pieces was in place.

It was the first tangible opportunity she's had since entering the Arsene Academy.

'I can't afford to miss this opportunity.'

Noah's eyes glittered like stars; her eyes were brimming with anticipation.

━━━◇◆◇━━━

That evening.

After an early dinner, the new students gathered one by one in front of the statue.

All dressed in simple casual clothes.

On the other hand, Noah's attire was slightly different — she wore a thick coat, boots, a backpack, and even carried a handheld staff.

"Ah, Ulan!"

Noah waved at the familiar face.

Ulan, always dressed the same. But not today. Noah walked towards him with her usual stride and asked straightaway.

"Where's your axe?"

"Axe?"

"The axe my master gave you."

Noah unexpectedly inquired about the well-being of the axe.

Ulan replied nonchalantly, "I left it in my room."

"Well, you better go get it. We still have time before 6 o'clock."

"Why the axe?"

"There'll likely be a use for it if you bring it along."

A somewhat random reply.

However, Ulan didn't inquire further.

Most of the time, Noah's seemingly random statements held some form of foresight. And following her foresight hadn't caused him any harm so far.

So, he soon went to retrieve the axe.

Some time later.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The bell rang, indicating it was exactly 6 p.m.

Shortly after, a familiar silhouette appeared. It was Professor Miel, the lizardman in his gray robe.

"Is everyone here?"

There was no need for an answer.

The Lizardman had good eyesight.

It took him less than two seconds to identify all twenty-five people.

In the midst of this, Professor Miel narrowed his eyes as if he had spotted something unusual, "But it seems there's someone who misunderstood what I said. I mentioned a field trip, not a picnic."

His gaze was fixed on Noah.

Soon there was a chorus of laughter. Noah tried to put on a straight face, but she couldn't stop her ears from turning red.

Was it the students' reaction?

He turned to Ulan next to her, "Looks like this one is ready to charge into a battlefield."

".............."

However, this time, no one laughed.

In fact, some even took a step back. He was scary enough with his bare hands, but with an axe in his hand, he was somehow more intimidating.

"Pftttttt!"

Except for Ibella.

She burst out laughing, but quickly realized her mistake.

As the awkward conversation ended, Professor Miel immediately turned around, "Enough. We don't have time, so let's get going."

The students obediently followed Professor Miel, knowing that there was a time limit on how long they could stay at the site.

Towards the Fountain of Magic, Arsen.

T/N Notes:-