Chapter 4. Dekan’s Strange Confidence

“The academy is almost here. Do you want me to show you around?” Teresia asked.

“Of course!”

I was full of anticipation for my upcoming academy life.

That morning, the carriage arrived at the academy.

Heavenlit Royal Academy was located on the outskirts of the capital. Its vast scale was equivalent to an entire small city. To call it just an academy almost felt like belittling it.

“Subarashii~”

“What does that mean?” Teresia noticed I sometimes blurted out strange words.

“Fusang language, an ancient tongue.” I bluffed.

Right now, Teresia and I stood before the northern main gate of the academy. After she showed her student ID, I followed her into the campus. Looking around again, the campus was truly expansive.

Huge ponds, fountains, and flower gardens stretched from the entrance all the way to the school buildings. I kept nodding, feeling very satisfied.

Before arriving at the academy, I had already moved all my belongings from the carriage to an inn near the campus.

I hadn’t brought many clothes or daily necessities—the majority of my space was taken up by card-making tools.

From here, we had to walk on foot through the campus, passing countless buildings, all ancient in style yet majestic in scale.

“This whole area is the Alchemy Academy’s district. And your entrance exam will be held in that main building.” Teresia pointed at a massive building ahead with a rather peculiar design.

Within Heavenlit Royal Academy, there were four separate Academys. They were: the Summoning Academy, the Mage Academy, the Knight Academy, and the Alchemy Academy.

The first three corresponded to the three common combat systems. Of course, some people with unique talents could carve out their own paths.

The Alchemy Academy included majors like potion-making and magic card-making.

“With your level, passing the Alchemy Academy’s exam will be a piece of cake!”

Teresia placed her hands on her hips, her nose practically tilting upward. Though it wasn’t her exam, little Dekan was the one she had brought back from the border.

She was proud of this friend.

“Mm, but I’m going to take the Knight Academy exam!” I said proudly.

“Mm, you’ll definitely... huh?” Teresia caught herself mid-sentence, realizing something was wrong.

Knight Academy? Weren’t you the one who insisted you were a non-combat magic card maker?

“Dekan, did you seriously read the admissions brochure?” Teresia grabbed my shoulder, staring at me earnestly. Though she knew I had exceptional skills, talent wasn’t something to squander!

If I failed the exam, even if I changed my mind later, I’d have to wait until the next year to apply to the Alchemy Academy.

Teresia didn’t want to see me waste a precious year.

I nodded: “The Knight Academy has the fewest required courses and the freest course structure. I can still enjoy the resources I need there.”

“And the Alchemy Academy’s courses... don’t really fit my path. Learning them wouldn’t be of much use. Besides, I don’t want any personal tutor.”

“Though the Mage Academy and Summoning Academy would be acceptable, I’d definitely fail the magic exam, and I haven’t prepared for the Summoning exam either...”

I had carefully studied Heavenlit Academy’s curriculum. Aside from the Mage and Summoning Academys, which I would likely fail, I was confident I could pass either the Knight or Alchemy Academy.

The Knight Academy’s philosophy was “teach according to ability, prioritize practical skill.” Its curriculum was highly flexible. And since the Knight Academy had so many blockheaded warriors, they often didn’t want to attend even basic magic or Shadow World info courses.

The Knight Academy couldn’t force them—so long as they earned enough combat credits in the Shadow World, they could graduate smoothly. It was a compromise for the blockheads.

By contrast, the Alchemy Academy emphasized fundamentals and academics. After all, its students basically didn’t need to conquer the Shadow World personally. So its academic load was extremely heavy.

Teresia grew thoughtful.

She somewhat understood my reasoning. Indeed, a genius like me might not want to waste time on tedious classes.

I wanted to be a free-spirited little truant.

But the biggest problem—Could I actually pass the Knight Academy exam?

The Knight Academy’s entrance exam was notoriously difficult. It all came down to whether the candidate could fight.

“Wait... are you actually some incredible martial artist?” Teresia squeezed my arms as if checking whether I had the physique of a warrior.

“No, no, no. I’m completely unsuited for direct combat.” I shook my head.

Still, Teresia’s grip felt quite nice.

If possible, I wouldn’t mind her giving me a full-body massage.

“Then how will you pass the Knight Academy exam?” She looked at me with concern.

“Knocking down the examiner shouldn’t be a problem.” I said calmly.

Historically, the Knight Academy’s practical test usually involved fighting an examiner under restrictions. As long as you could defeat them, passing was practically guaranteed.

“Knock down?! Some exams stump even advanced students—they can’t beat the examiner! And... Do you know the recent restrictions placed on the Knight Academy exam?”

“Of course. In the entrance exam, candidates can only use at most one Summoning or Spell Card. Equipment cards, however, are unrestricted.” Naturally, I had seen these rules.

They existed precisely to stop non-warrior types from attempting the Knight Academy.

Usually it was summoners or mages with such ideas.

Motivations varied: “I want to challenge hell difficulty,” “let me show you the might of a melee mage,” “I’m a turtle king, all heavy armor, you and my summon fight it out slowly,” and so on.

Unless they had extraordinary ability, mages and summoners found it very hard to pass.

But those who somehow managed it were true talents!

Even mages who could pass the Knight Academy test with nothing but a full set of equipment cards—the Knight Academy welcomed them eagerly.

But—Teresia had never heard of a card maker choosing the Knight Academy out of disdain for the Alchemy Academy!

Unless he also happened to be extremely strong, someone who could fight without relying on summoning or spell cards...

“Relax, Teresia. My teacher told me: even if I’m weak in combat, there are few normal people who could take me down one-on-one.”

“...Normal people?”

“I mean those proper, not-immoral types.”

“Where do you even get these words from...”

Teresia gave me a look full of disdain.

Though we hadn’t known each other long, she didn’t see me as someone who boasted idly.

Could it be that I had some specialized countermeasure cards against the warrior system?

From the Bandit Goblin to the Goblin Sheriff, as a card maker, I gave her the impression of being rather wicked.

It seemed I couldn’t be judged by common sense.

Maybe, just maybe, in the Knight Academy exam…

I really could deliver a performance that would make everyone’s vision go black.

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