The Academy’s Barbarian

Chapter 105: Friendly Mock Battle (1)

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As the crimson hues of dusk painted the heavens, the final lecture on practical hunting concluded, following Professor Stella's dissection of the monsters. Afterward, Ulan left the forest with Dilia and Laurea by his side.

It was around the time they reached the academy where familiar faces greeted them warmly.

"Ah, Ulan!"

"Are you done with class?"

It was Ibella and Noah.

They weren't alone, though, as they were joined by a young man with azure hair.

"You've worked hard, senior," Ian approached with a smile.

Then, the group naturally split into two.

About ten paces from the front.

Laurea pursed her lips.

"This is unusual. The three of you together."

"I met them by chance. We started talking and I suggested we have dinner together."

If it was Ian, he would have pulled it off without any trouble; he was easy to get along with and doesn't shy away from strangers.

Thanks to him, Laurea was able to blend in naturally with the group and head to the cafeteria with them.

"But who won?"

It was a short question, but he could understand what she was asking. She was asking about the outcome of the duel with Ethan Arnoff.

"I lost."

"Really? That's a surprising result."

"I was prohibited from using Holy Power."

In that case, the defeat was understandable.

Ian, without utilizing holy power, was merely a novice knight entering the fray. Moreover, Ethan Arnoff was a soldier, a seasoned veteran who had fought on the front lines of the Empire for years. The contrast in practical experience between them was evident from the start.

"Of course, if I had used my holy power, I would have won, but this outcome isn't bad either. I feel like I've broadened my horizons," Ian smiled. Satisfied with the duel itself.

Laurea nodded wordlessly, and this time Ian asked a question, "More than that, senior."

"What?"

"Did you get any useful information?"

Laurea had asked to join the hunt.

It was partly to see the monsters, but there was an ulterior motive: to extract information about the Abyss through conversation with Ulan.

Of course, she did obtain some information — information about Ulan being from the future.

'But.......'

She couldn't reveal this information. She was bound by a promise to Ullan, and more importantly, she needed to first prove that Noah Darshen was a reliable ally before sharing this knowledge.

Therefore, Laurea shook her head and lied, "Nothing much, really."

"That's unexpected. I thought you would have gathered some important information about the Abyss."

"Well, I think I can interpret what the prophecy means."

"......! Is that true?"

"I heard a clue that might help."

That the rift and fragments mentioned in the prophecy respectively signified the rift and the monsters of the Abyss. And that the scattered stars represented warriors, she decided, and was about to tell him.

But then.

STOP!

Ulan's group, leading the way to the cafeteria, abruptly stopped in their tracks. She was puzzled by the sudden halt, but her confusion was soon dispelled.

"That's......."

Their attention was drawn to a large crowd of students gathered in the square. Centered around the campus bulletin board, the students numbered well over a hundred.

"What's going on?"

"I wonder."

"Did something happen?"

Noah and Ibella chimed in as Ulan muttered with their own questions.

Dilia, who was next to them, pointed to the crowd and asked, "If you're curious, why don't we take a look?"

After a moment's hesitation, Ulan nodded; he felt an inexplicable sense of unease tugging at him. As they approached the bulletin board, the gazes of the students suddenly focused on him.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes.

A vague sense of pressure made Noah wrap his arm around Ulan's shoulder and whisper softly, "Why, don't you think they're looking at us?"

"It's not because of Laurea, is it?"

"I don't think so."

Ulan replied softly. If Laurea was the reason, they would have been staring from the beginning. On the other hand, the students' gazes were clearly directed at Ulan's group.

“Let's find out what that is first," Ulan's gaze turned towards the bulletin board.

Before the group approached, the students had been continuously staring at the announcement posted on the board.

After a while, they reached the board.

Ibella quickly scanned the announcement and summarized the contents under her breath, "It seems like the participants for the mock battle have been decided."

"Huh? Without any preliminaries?"

"It seems so."

At Noah's surprised echo, Dilia nodded along. Leaving their conversation behind, Ulan also scrutinized the announcement.

[Announcement]

◦It has been decided that the friendly mock battle between Arsene and Eloden will proceed according to the spirit of exchange, following the method of Eloden Academy.

◦Therefore, this time there will be no preliminaries, and representatives from each academy have selected four students from each grade.

(However, the fourth-grade students will not be selected).

◦As a result, each academy will have twelve participants in the mock battle.

The notice outlined everything from the selection process for participants to the conduct of the mock battle, following the Eloden Academy's method.

Meanwhile, Ulan tilted his head, "But why are the fourth years excluded?"

"Probably because most of them are not present at the academy."

"Not present at the academy?"

"Fourth-graders are usually engaged in activities outside the academy, such as graduation projects or internships."

It was Noah who answered the additional questions. She then explained a bit more, "And this is just my opinion, but since Eloden Academy is a three-year program, I think that's why they limit participation to the third year."

There was indeed a logical reason behind it and Ulan nodded wordlessly.

It was a sign of understanding. Then, this time, Dilia raised a question, "But how do they choose the representatives?"

While the process of selecting students to participate in the mock duel followed the Eloden Academy's method, there was no mention of how the representatives from each academy were decided. Dilia wore a puzzled expression.

But her curiosity didn't last long.

"It's written about that over here."

"It seems they held a preliminary selection among second and third-grade students before the start of the exchange event. And the results..."

Another notice was posted on the back of the bulletin board.

There, along with the process of selecting representatives from each academy, the information about the representatives was disclosed.

【Arsene Academy】

『Representative: Iris Seniore』

【Eloden Academy】

『Representative: Theron Schlagen』

Theron Schlagen was a familiar name. He was the leader of the student delegation and held the position of student council president at Eloden Academy.

Arsene Academy, on the other hand, was different.

"Who is Iris Seniore?"

He looked at Ibella and Dilia, hoping they would know since they were usually well-informed about the academy.

"Hmm, I don't know."

"I've never heard of that name either."

But this time, they didn't; their confused expressions indicated they didn't recognize the name.

Noah, on the other hand, was different.

She remained fixated on the list of representatives on the notice board, her eyes sparkling with interest.

‘Iris Seniore.’

One of the named characters, the youngest daughter of the Seniore Count family, known for their spearmanship. Her main distinction was that she would be the student council president next year.

Although not immediately apparent, she was also destined to become the sixth Master of the Ruben Empire in the distant future.

'Although not a warrior, she made significant contributions when facing the Abyss.'

It was enough to deal a considerable blow to one of the Rulers of the Abyss. Of course, in exchange for that, Iris herself would perish in battle.

As she recalled the information, Ibella's voice interrupted her reverie.

"Oh, there's a list of participants below!"

The list of players participating in the mock battle.

In other words, the people chosen by Iris Seniore. At that, the attention of the group naturally shifted to the notice board.

【Grade 1, Class 2】

『Dilia Arpen』

The first name that caught their eye was Dilia's. But no one seemed particularly surprised. Dilia herself had an air of expectation about her.

‘Well, Delia is well-deserving.’

Though often taken for granted since they always went around together, she was one of the most well-known names among the first-grade students.

And with the departure of Himmel Deorg, who was considered to have a promising future alongside her, Dilia's position had become even more prominent.

'That leaves us with the remaining three.......’

Who would they be? Ulan would undoubtedly be among them.

With assurance, Noah glanced at the list.

【Grade 1, Class 3】

『Ulan Bator』

『Noah Darshen』

『Ibella Elearde』

And her eyes widened.

After a moment, a bewildered voice escaped her lips, "......Huh?" As if not understanding. Honestly, she didn't.

Even though Ibella had been rapidly growing lately and was probably expected to be selected, Noah herself didn't see any particular reason for her to be chosen.

And one more thing.

The moment she confirmed her name on the list, Noah understood what some of the students' gazes directed at her meant.

"......."

Jealousy. Suspicion. And Envy.

It was a look that seemed to question why she, of all people, had been chosen, with many talented individuals present.

Realizing this was somewhat terrifying, Noah involuntarily shrugged her shoulders. She felt overwhelmed by the negative and malicious glares.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Ulan furrowed his brow, "This is getting annoying."

He had no intention of participating in the mock battle.

He believed there was nothing to gain from participating. He thought it would be better to spend that time on physical training or something similar.

Just then, Dilia approached, "Still, I'm glad."

"Hmmm? Why?"

"Well, because we'll be together, Ulan."

"Right. Originally, you couldn't participate in the previous selection due to disqualification, right? So, I never imagined you would be given this opportunity," Ibella chimed in.

At this, Ulan recalled the promise they had made during the previous selection — the promise to participate in the mock battle together.

However, due to the incident with Himmel during the preliminaries, he couldn't keep that promise.

"So......."

"Ulan's coming too, right?"

A hopeful appeal shone in their eyes and Ulan's hesitation didn't last long.

"Okay. Let's go together."

It was a chance for him to redeem himself for not keeping the previous promise, something important to Ulan who valued promises.

"Hee hee, great!"

"I'm looking forward to the mock battle."

Dilia and Ibella.

A smile spread across their faces.

However, it wasn't just because they could be with Ulan. Their gazes were evidence that their eyes were fixed on the prize for winning.

【Prize: Overnight Pass】

When they saw it, their eyes glinted fiercely; like predators eyeing their prey.

‘Overnight pass!’

‘I'll do anything to get that.......’

Even if they had to resort to any means...

It was an opportunity for Ulan and them to spend time together alone.

As the flames in their eyes flared up,

While Ulan's group seemed excited, there were those among them who looked at the announcement with somewhat hardened faces. Ian and Laurea, students representing Eloden, were among them.

Their gaze was fixed on the list of participants.

Among them, when Ian suddenly saw Ulan's name, he awkwardly curved his lips into a smile, "Uh, Senior."

"...Yes?"

"For some reason, I feel like I have a premonition."

"It's a coincidence. I feel the same way."

With Laurea's response.

They both sighed simultaneously.

"It seems like the results are already visible."

"We've already lost this mock battle."

By the time Ulan participated, the outcome was already as good as decided.

Suppressing the urge to give up, they both sighed once again.

And so, Friday night faded away like that.

* * * * *

Two days later.

Sunday evening, with the mock battle just around the corner.

The participants of the mock battle, including Ulan, left the dormitory. It was because of an unexpected call from Arsene's representative, Iris Seniore.

"Why are we being called all of a sudden?" Ibella wondered, tilting her head.

Then Noah chimed in, "Maybe it's to give us some information about the mock battle tomorrow?"

"I agree with Noah."

"Yeah, but still..."

There had been plenty of opportunities to call them before. They could have been called on Friday when the announcement was posted, or even yesterday. So why call them on the eve of the mock battle?

With slightly uneasy expressions, the four arrived at the cafe inside the student union, which was the designated meeting place. It was a luxurious place with individual spaces like a private room in the student cafeteria.

After being escorted by a staff member, the group arrived in front of a large room. Ibella, with a nervous face, knocked on the door, "Excuse me?"

After a polite knock, the door opened slightly and the interior of the room was revealed; a room big enough to hold dozens of people.

As the group exclaimed in admiration at its size, which seemed even larger than a private room, a voice came from the window side, "Welcome."

An unfamiliar voice called from the window.

A girl with tousled purple hair, her hat symbolizing an intermediate-rank mage, smiled at the group.

"You're the first years participating in the mock battle, right?"

"Yes, my name is Ibella Elearde." Ibella introduced herself.

The others introduced themselves as well.

"I-I'm Noah Darshen!"

"Dilia Arpen."

"Ulan."

Their introductions became shorter as they went on; however, the woman didn't seem to care.

On the contrary, the moment she heard Ulan's introduction, her eyes widened as if she realized something, "Oh, so you're the terrorist from the entrance ceremony, right?"

"Terrorist?"

"Yeah, you're quite famous among us," the woman nodded.

She soon smiled brightly as she answered, "There were quite a few injuries among the third graders. Of course, I wasn't there, so I don't know what happened, but I heard about it from Iris later."

At that answer, Ulan realized she wasn't Iris.

"You're......."

"Sorry, I should have introduced myself earlier."

The girl, realizing her rudeness, smiled awkwardly. After a moment, she grabbed the hem of her skirt and bowed politely. Then, with a bright smile, she introduced herself, "My name is Camilla Tanesia. I'm a third-year student in the Magic Department, and I'm participating in the mock battle. You can just call me Camilla."

Her primary attributes are fire and wind.

Both of them had reached the level of an intermediate mage, which was quite high for a third year.

"More than that, I'm sorry."

"What?"

"For making you come all the way here on purpose."

Camilla bowed her head awkwardly.

As if feeling ashamed.

"In principle, upperclassmen are not allowed to enter the first-year area. If I were caught entering, I would have received demerits."

That was also the reason why there were no second-year or third-year upperclassmen in the first-year area. That's why they received Iris's message through the dormitory staff.

As the explanation ended, the drinks ordered were placed in front of them. As soon as the waiter left the room, Ulan immediately gulped down his drink.

Chug! Chug! Chug! Chug!

After swallowing the hard ice in a single gulp, he brought up the main topic right away, "Where is the girl who called us?"

"Oh, sorry. She was here until a moment ago, but she went to the bathroom for a moment. She'll be back soon."

Camilla smiled awkwardly.

As soon as she finished speaking—

Drrrrr!

—suddenly, the door swung open; entering the room was a girl with sky-blue hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a blank expression.

"......."

The person who had summoned Ulan and his group here, and the person who would represent Arsene in the mock battle.

It was Iris Seniore.

End of Chapter. . . . . . . .Thanks for Reading. . . . . . . . .

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