How to Survive as the Academy Student Council President

chapter 18


This place I reached by tram is the academy of knights and warriors.A city of ash. The Steel of Ishtal.Along the well-polished roads, streetlamps stood in ranks, and on the spires and watchtowers that pierced up here and there across °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the city, blue flags fluttered.Unlike the other academies, Ishtal’s domain had many bleak, rigid, ash-colored buildings.And the ratio of students who were large-framed with well-developed muscles or harsh looks seemed high.But it isn’t just a feeling; from its foundation Ishtal’s urban structure resembles a barracks, and unlike the other academies, the proportion of students training their bodies is high.Screech-.The tram stopped, and I finally set foot in Ishtal’s domain.As I exited a rough transfer center that looked like some military supply depot, a peculiar scene caught my eye.“……”A pitiful boy was suffering, surrounded by a group of students.“Hey, where do you keep your eyes when you walk?”“I-I beg your pardon.”“Shit. Wanna die? I should just—”“Eek.”The boy suffering, surrounded by muscular students, was none other than Garfield.For some reason he seemed to have picked a fight with a few rough types.“……”I don’t particularly want to act like I know him, but in a situation like that, the right thing is to pull him out.It looks like he got into that mess while waiting for me.I left the stop and walked toward Garfield, who was ringed by the muscular students.I don’t have the brute force to put them down, but I do have the authority and the tongue to make it happen.Just then—as I was about to step in for Garfield—Step-.Someone reached the group ahead of me.“Gentlemen. It is not proper to bully a student of another academy. All of you, step back.”“Senior Jeremy!”The gathered students, startled at the sudden appearance of a blond young man, turned and paid him respect.Tall and handsome.A male student with hair and eyes that shone like the sun.It was Jeremy Gilbert, enrolled as a third-year in the Union.A year above me and the other student council presidents of the Four Great Academies.If I were to sum up Jeremy’s appearance in a word, he was a straight-out-of-a-fairytale proper prince—or the very model of a knight.He bears the bloodline of the King of Knights, Gilbert, and possesses outstanding talent in swordsmanship along with mana aptitude.Together with Freya, he is Ishtal’s pride, known as the Sword of Gilbert, the kingdom of knights.Moreover, he is also Ishtal’s Disciplinary Committee Head; the blue armband on his arm is proof of it.He held out his hand to Garfield, who was crouched on the ground.“Stand up. Your name?”“M-my humble self is called Garfield. Thank you for your aid.”Garfield took Jeremy’s offered hand, dusted off his rear, and stood.“Think nothing of it. Rather, I apologize for letting you face such an incident. My juniors are so full of hot blood. I ask for your broad understanding.”“N-no. I merely bumped into them because I wasn’t watching ahead, absorbed in my book. They did no wrong.”So the Garfield brat did make a mistake.He rose and brushed his clothes, then picked up the books and writing tools that had fallen to the ground.Then he lifted his head and suddenly smiled brightly.“Sir Loen, you’ve arrived!”Garfield, spotting me from afar, waved in delight.We’d met just a few hours ago; is it really that exciting?Well, since I might be like his first friend made at the Union, it’s not impossible.I shrugged and approached where the students were gathered.“Loen?”“What’s that bastard doing here?”“And he’s even wearing a sword.”Ishtal’s students all sent me looks full of wariness at my appearance.It’s a similar reaction wherever I go, but when a bunch of burly muscleheads all glare at me at once, I can’t help feeling a bit shrunk.An instinctive reaction I can’t hide even with Traits.“Hoo.”Letting out a small sigh, I steadied my mind and spoke to Garfield.“What’s going on here.”“N-nothing much. An unintended petty squabble started, but Sir Jeremy resolved it.”When Garfield sent a glance his way, Jeremy stepped forward a pace and acknowledged me.“Pleased to meet you, Loen. You look just as you did when you were little.”Only, his words snagged on me a bit.'When I was little?'Did Loen and Jeremy know each other as children?Well. There was no clear mention in the story, but given their houses, it isn’t impossible.The kingdom of knights, Gilbert, is in the North and has maintained close relations with House Gunhild, which handles the Northern front line.They’re border kingdoms, and they share the commonality of being swordsmanship houses.Considering that Houses Gunhild and de Valis interacted a lot, it makes sense to say we met back then.It’s not rare for scions of high houses to meet separately from childhood to form ties, or to meet at banquets.Basically, Jeremy appears as a righteous character in the story, but for some reason, this time the feeling is not good.Because there’s something suspicious.I can’t explain exactly what…… Yeah, it’s a gamer’s intuition.For now, let’s let it pass quietly.Quickly sorting the situation in my head, I answered evenly.Without awkwardness or excitement, with an expression without emotion.“I see.”“……”After looking at me briefly, Jeremy soon smiled faintly and posed a question.“By the way, Loen. For what business have you come to Ishtal?”“I signed up for the Basic Swordsmanship lecture. I’ve been feeling the need to train my stamina lately.”When I pointed to the sword in my hand, Jeremy nodded.“I see. Indeed, physical training is necessary for everyone. Even a mage is no exception. It’s a good idea.”Then Jeremy offered to guide me.“Though I am not taking the Basic Swordsmanship lecture, I can guide you near the parade ground where that lecture is conducted. How about it, Loen? I understand Ishtal is your first time.”“I appreciate it, but I’ll pass.”Declining Jeremy’s offer, I called for Garfield at once.“Garfield. Let’s go. We’ll be late.”“Y-yes.”I shot Garfield a look to follow, turned my back on Jeremy and the other students, and started ahead.“Ah, understood.”Garfield swept every fallen item into his bag and hurried after me.***“……”Loen, walking away with a fat boy.When his back disappeared beyond that building, the Disciplinary Committee members who’d been holding their anger down spat out curses as if chewing the words.“Tch. That rude bastard, how dare he.”“Sir Jeremy, will you leave him be? It seems the bastard has finally stretched his claws even to Ishtal.”“What mischief will he cause here now…… Hoo.”Since they manage the academy’s public order and guide the students, the Committee members let out strong hostility toward the delinquent Loen.Despite their angered reactions, Jeremy showed little change.He soothed the others as if he wasn’t particularly bothered by Loen’s cold attitude.“I’m fine. Don’t be too incensed, everyone. And we cannot lay hands on one who has yet to commit any deed. That is not the role of the Disciplinary Committee, and it would not be just.”Having calmed his subordinates, Jeremy quietly closed his eyes.“However, if his evil deeds do end up spreading even here, we cannot sit idly by. When that time comes, let us all exert our strength together.”“Yes, Sir Jeremy.”Then Jeremy added one last line.“And they say all things return to their proper end. Even if it is not the Committee that condemns him…… perhaps someone will set his evil deeds straight.”***Once we’d gotten away from Jeremy’s Committee members, Garfield finally asked me—as if to say, what was that all about:“Sir Loen, why the rush? Sir Jeremy kindly offered to guide us, yet you curtly refused.”“He’s busy with Committee work. And as a third-year he has to pay even more mind to his studies, so holding on to someone like that is no good either. It’s not like we don’t know the way.”Even though I gave a suitable excuse, Garfield still looked unconvinced.“Well, that’s true, but isn’t it better to keep things smooth? Sir Jeremy is well regarded by everyone; if we went together, there could be positives in various ways.”“I didn’t know you cared about reputation.”“How could you say something so cruel!”Though he didn’t say it out loud, Garfield seemed to catch my intent just from my eyes.“And if you care about reputation, walking with me would be disadvantageous to you.”“Well…… perhaps so, but that depends on what we do going forward, does it not? And judging a person by rumor alone is a bad habit; even after walking together, it isn’t too late to decide.”“Mm.”It was a fairly touching remark. If only he weren’t Garfield.We continued with this and that back-and-forth as we headed for the lecture site.***A little later.“Looks like we’re here.”We stopped at a temporary structure open on all sides with only a roof laid over the top.It’s also called an all-weather training hall.Though it wasn’t yet time for the lecture to start, many students were already arrayed in ranks and files.Garfield and I stowed our belongings in the lockers arranged to the side, took only our swords, and joined the formation.'This feels weird.'Like I’ve returned to a training camp. It isn’t exactly pleasant, but there’s a certain nostalgia to it.At our appearance, I felt prickling gazes.But perhaps because it was right before class, there was no murmuring or commotion. You could say discipline was tight.'Freya is…… there.'At the very front of the ranks, a girl with striking, beautiful white hair stood with a serene expression.As always, she was quietly meditating with her eyes closed.Step-.After we waited a moment in the students’ formation, a professor stepped up onto the platform.Not a gown professors usually wear, but a woman in easy-to-move everyday attire with only a light cuirass over it.Her snow-white hair and distinct features, for some reason, resembled Freya a little.“Everyone. Glad to see you again. As you already know, we have a newly joined student, so I’ll introduce your instructor.”Thunk-.She drove her wooden sword down into the platform and introduced herself.“This instructor is Verdandi Gunhild. I am the professor of Basic Swordsmanship; during lectures, address me as Instructor.”Commonly called the Demon Instructor, Verdandi.A professor famous for showing no leniency to anyone and working them hard.“The aim of this lecture is to cultivate the basic physical strength essential to study, the basic combat skills necessary for self-defense, and to teach posture for handling the sword and martial techniques.”She spared me, in the rear ranks, a brief glance, then continued.“Even if up to now you have had no interest in training the body and are ignorant of combat, through this lecture you will be able to gain basic cultivation and confidence; and for those already walking the path of the martial artist, it will be a good chance to once again revisit the fundamentals.”Verdandi, who had explained herself and the course outline concisely and clearly, gave the order:“Everyone, place the sword you brought down beside your right foot.”Clack clack-.The students drew their swords from the belts at their hips and set them down beside their feet.Then Verdandi pointed to the training field and commanded:“Run.”“……!”With a cold voice she added one more line:“Everyone except the first ten will run again. Begin.”

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