Side: Yuki
"I am truly, deeply sorry!! Come on, Eoid, apologize too!"
"I-I'm sorry..."
Standing before me with their heads bowed were a boy and a girl.
One of them was Eoid—the dangerous individual Taiki and I had already labeled as the academy's protagonist after witnessing his ridiculous lucky-pervert moment.
You never knew what kind of plot flags you'd get dragged into around him. If he ever drags my wives into one, I'll socially erase him... Well, actually, before I could even hand down a punishment, he'd probably end up a corpse or mentally broken first.
The other was the girl who had thrown the toilet mop—Excalimop—at the back of Eoid's head, accidentally turning Samantha into the victim of that lucky-pervert incident.
I'd already seen these two on the day we were turned away at the gate, but I never imagined they'd get involved with us on our very first day after transferring.
What, are we some kind of event encounter? Like the side characters who bump into the protagonist and heroine?
Well, all we could do was watch things unfold... We'd decided from the start to avoid hassle, so even if they got dragged into trouble, we were staying strictly hands-off.
"I don't mind since we weren't inconvenienced, but shouldn't you seriously apologize to Samantha-ojousan? No matter how you look at it, she was just an innocent victim dragged into your mess."
As I said the obvious, Taiki muttered behind me:
"...A serious response to a cliché."
"Shut up."
If this kind of lucky-pervert incident happened in Japan, the guy would've been arrested for molestation on the spot.
Besides, doing something like that to a duke's daughter from another country... wouldn't your head go flying cleanly off your shoulders? Physically?
Meanwhile, Samantha-ojousan, the actual victim dragged into the commotion, was currently fixing her disheveled clothes behind a nearby bush.
"...How exactly does simply falling on someone leave a woman's clothes in that kind of state?"
"There are still mysteries humanity has yet to solve..."
Taiki-kun and I recalled Samantha-ojousan's disheveled outfit from moments ago.
While the other male students walking to school were thrilled, Taiki-kun and I were purely impressed by that miraculous clothing-stripping technique.
I mean, think about it: just by dragging her down with him, her skirt ended up fully flipped up, the Academy uniform she wore on top somehow got yanked off, and the buttons on her inner blouse popped off so cleanly that her gorgeous chest was left right on the razor-thin edge of exposure.
If that's not a miracle, I don't know what is.
As we pondered this, the two students who had been scolded spoke up meekly.
"A-Ah, right. I'll apologize properly to Samantha later."
"It really was our fault. Yeah, we'll apologize to Samantha."
The two admitted it honestly.
"He doesn't seem like one of those twisted protagonist types."
"Yeah. With that type, he's definitely not a dark hero. Dark hero types are a pain for us to deal with."
The kind who punish evil with evil... The type who thinks they don't deserve happiness because they're carrying the burden of their sins...
Yeah, dark types are just way too much trouble.
From what I'd seen, he didn't seem like a former assassin, nor someone with some tragic past after winning a martial arts tournament, nor was he secretly overpowered.
Well, looking at his stats confirmed that, too. Both of them were totally average.
Still, Eoid possessed one rather unusual skill befitting a protagonist.
—Mana Manipulation.
—Magic Knowledge.
That was it.
Meaning he couldn't actually cast magic on his own.
But Mana Manipulation was the interesting part. I had that skill too. It let you compress mana itself into physical force, or manipulate the mana inside someone else's spell. It's a skill I specialize in.
It's hard for enemies to detect—or rather, unless you can visually see mana, you can't sense it at all. Because unlike actual magic, it doesn't manifest as obvious phenomena like fire or water.
As for the girl chasing Eoid. Her skills were Fire Magic and Tamer. The same Tamer skill Aslin possessed.
Though there was such a massive gap in their experience and performance that comparing them was completely pointless. Since monsters were virtually non-existent on this continent, grinding the Tamer skill here had to be extremely difficult.
Aslin, meanwhile, could summon monsters freely with the dungeon's power and tame whichever ones she pleased. Though, to be fair, there weren't even ten monsters directly under Asrin's personal command.
When I asked why, she'd simply said:
"If I can't take care of them properly, I shouldn't keep them!"
Perfectly reasonable. Of course, those ten weren't the sort of monsters ordinary people could ever hope to take care of.
When Taiki-kun found out about those ten, he asked Aslin, "Were you planning to conquer a country?" That's about how powerful they were.
Naturally, Steve, Slakichi, and Mino weren't included. They're my subordinates.
"Anyway, how about we introduce ourselves first? I'm Yuki. For now, I'm a transfer student from Jilva."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Eoid. I'm a Level 3 student at the Magic Academy, and I'm in the same class as Samantha."
"I'm Amanda. Same class as Eoid and Samantha, also a Level 3 student. Nice to meet you."
After that, Taiki-kun and the others following behind, along with my wives, introduced themselves one after another.
Level 3, huh.
At this academy they didn't use "first-year" or "second-year." Instead they called them "Levels".
The reason is that this school is merit-based.
The highest level was ten, and up to Level 3 could apparently be reached easily enough just by passing written exams. From Level 4 onward, practical magic and duels factored into evaluations, meaning you couldn't move up without genuine strength.
By the way, it was possible to skip levels in one go—jumping from 3 to 5, or straight to 8. Though it was a difficult road.
Also, the graduation requirement was simply reaching Level 5, so there was no actual need to aim for Level 6 or higher. It was mostly just advantageous for job hunting.
Those who reached Level 9 or 10 fell into the "genius" category; while not quite at the Headmaster's level, they could cast fairly large-scale magic.
And that's on a continent where magic was in decline.
Because of that, their value skyrocketed, and they were considered formidable military assets.
However, geniuses often had minds that wandered off in bizarre directions, so this Academy also served as a place to keep such individuals contained.
"Wait... you're Eris-san, right?! The Eris-san who defeated the Headmaster yesterday!?"
"Yes, that's right. I'll be joining as a fellow Level 3 student. Nice to meet you."
"A-Ah, yes! Wait, WHAAAT?! Why Level 3!? With your strength, Eris-san, it wouldn't be strange if you were already a Level 10!?"
Amanda looked utterly shocked that Eris was enrolling as a Level 3.
Well, that was understandable. She had head-on crushed the strongest mage at the Academy.
And she had deliberately matched the Headmaster's output just so the onlookers could easily understand what was happening.
As for why she was starting as a Level 3...
"Being students at this Magic Academy is merely a front for us, you see."
"...A front?"
"Yes. This Academy is funded by major powers like Jilva, Enaria, and Samantha-ojousan's homeland, Rhodei. Of course, the Headmaster has made her own efforts, but as investors, we cannot continue funding the Academy without confirming whether it is functioning properly as an educational institution. Nobody wants to waste money, after all."
"I-Is that so..."
"Was that a bit complicated? Simply put, we came to inspect the Academy. So even if my abilities are impressive, if I were to become a Level 10, I wouldn't be able to observe the Level 3 classes where the newcomers are being raised, right?"
"Ah, I see! Ah... then, what happened earlier... um..."
Amanda understood Eris's explanation, but then she realized just how bad her earlier behavior must have looked.
Her face turned slightly pale.
"I-I'm so sorry!! Amanda isn't at fault here! It's my fault for carelessly opening her door and walking in on her while she was changing!!"
Eoid immediately stepped in front of Amanda to shield her.
Oho, look at him trying to be manly—though the reason was completely cliché, and you were 100% in the wrong, buddy.
Even Eris's face twitched upon hearing the explanation.
"Are you two a couple?"
"No way! I have no dynamic like that with this idiot! We're childhood friends!!"
"...We're childhood friends."
Well, even if you aren't in a romantic relationship, having your childhood friend state it so flatly has got to hurt, Eoid-kun.
"Hmm. Well, I have no intention of meddling in your relationship, but you should resolve your issues before causing trouble for others. Also, if I may speak personally, peeking at a girl while she's changing makes you the bad guy. You only got off easy because you're childhood friends—normally, you'd be handed straight over to the guards, you know?"
"...Yes, I'm sorry."
"Right?! Exactly, Eris-san! Eoid just never learns no matter how many times I tell him!!"
"That's because you won't wake up, Amanda!! You were the one who told me to wake you up, but when you didn't, I had no choice but to go in!! I even got permission from your mom!!"
"...T-That's... um... maybe that part was my fault...?"
Ah, these two are hopeless.
This is way too classic.
It's not even a question of who's in the wrong. Actually, if we're being strict, Amanda is the one in the wrong.
Telling him to wake her up, failing to wake up, getting sleepy-headed when he sees her changing, and then chasing him down with a toilet mop... that's not just merciless, that's completely unreasonable.
Though, watching the two of them banter like this, it just looked like harmless flirting.
"Ugh... I feel like I'm gonna throw up from all this sweetness..."
"Me too... Ah, Samantha-ojousan, are you alright?"
Before I knew it, Samantha-ojousan had finished adjusting her clothes behind the bush and walked over to us.
"I'm terribly sorry for showing you something so unsightly..."
"Not at all. Looking at someone as cute as you, I wouldn't think it unsightly."
"...C-Cute?"
Hm?
Ah, was calling her "cute" a mistake? She is a duke's daughter, after all.
"My apologies. I should have said 'beautiful.'"
"N-No, it's just... I've never been called 'cute' before, so I was a bit startled, that's all."
"Is that so? I was worried I might have made you uncomfortable. If it brought you joy, then that's what matters most."
"Yes, thank you very much!"
She turned a radiant smile toward me as she replied.
...Hmm? I feel like I just stepped on a landmine.
"Hoho~ Are you planning to win over Samantha-ojousan, Yuki-san?"
"No, I have absolutely no intention of doing that. But I feel like that conversation just stepped on a landmine. What do you think?"
"If you want my honest opinion, Yuki-san, your response was completely normal. But it looks like the recipient is taking everything in a hyper-positive light. Man, I wonder if you can compete with Eoid-kun? He has 'Lucky Pervert'—a classic romance skill."
"I have absolutely no intention of competing."
Meanwhile, the two who had caused trouble for Samantha-ojousan were bowing their heads in apology.
Seeing that, I was convinced once again. Samantha-ojousan really had the temperament to become someone great.
"Well, I hope that's the end of today's morning event."
"Agreed. I don't want to be late on our first day."
"Ah, Yuki-san. I'm going to drop by the Headmaster's office."
As Taiki-kun and I watched Samantha-ojousan's interaction, Eris called out to me and began walking toward the tower where the Headmaster's office was located.
"Eris-san, are you going to bully the Headmaster again?"
"No—it's carrot and stick. The Headmaster likes candy, right?"
"Ah, so you're literally bringing her candy?"
"Precisely. We need to maintain a good working relationship, after all."
After yesterday's duel with the Headmaster, they had properly followed up—or rather, made up.
Eris's personal request didn't forbid interacting as friends, so when Eris communicated that, the Headmaster breathed a sigh of relief, and they ended up chatting about various schemes together.
So today, Eris was delivering custom-made candies to the Headmaster to deepen their friendship even further.
"So that takes care of interference from the Academy's upper management."
"Yeah, the rest can be handled easily enough."
"The only things we need to watch out for are that protagonist group and the plot events surrounding them, right?"
"And any self-proclaimed genius idiots looking for trouble."
"Classic. But that can be handled somehow by involving the Headmaster."
"Exactly. Which is why Eoid's probably the biggest concern."
* * *
After that, we headed straight to the classroom and successfully avoided being late.
By classic trope rules, we ended up in the same class as Eoid, Amanda, and Samantha-ojousan—though that was probably because we asked the Headmaster to keep Samantha-ojousan attached to us.
The extra baggage was Eoid and Amanda.
In that worst-case setup, I was breaking out in a cold sweat, braced to react to any event flag at a moment's notice—but nothing happened, and lunchtime arrived without incident.
As for us transfer students, perhaps because we had greeted everyone before yesterday's duel, only a tiny handful of students from other classes came over to peek at us. On top of that, thanks to Samantha-ojousan and Eoid's group, the barrage of questions aimed at us was kept to an absolute minimum.
* * *
"So, what did you think of the Academy's classes?"
Eoid asked while eating his lunch.
It was currently lunchtime, and we were split into male and female groups to eat.
It was the first time Eris, Tori, Riel, and Kaya were attending a school like this as students, so we separated.
Ah, naturally, the little-kid quartet enrolled as Level 1 students at this Academy.
They joined up with us during lunch too, and apparently, there were no major issues on their end... Well, if there was one issue, it was that Labyris almost killed a kid who was staring too intently at her chest...
Wait, what was Eoid talking about again? Ah right, classes.
"No problems so far."
"Yeah. The lessons were clear, and nobody seemed lost. Pretty standard."
"I see... So that's the sort of thing you're evaluating."
"If the curriculum is too difficult, the students won't be able to keep up, and they won't grow. Whether it strikes the right balance is very important. That's what we need to inspect."
"You understood everything and listened attentively during class too, Eoid. That's what matters."
"I'm learning a lot here."
"Well, I don't think there's much point in following our example, though. So, I heard the next class is practical training—what kind of stuff do you do?"
Yes, the afternoon class was practical training.
However, I hadn't heard any specifics. For us, the true objective was gathering information within the Academy; we didn't really care about the Academy's curriculum itself.
Though due to various troubles, things ended up like this.
"Oh, we'll practice casting spells, and then we'll accept monster extermination requests from the Monster Extermination Guild."
"...Wait. I understand spell practice, but what's this 'Monster Extermination Guild'?"
"Uhh, if I remember correctly, monsters are extremely rare everywhere except around this Academy, right? But around here, monsters spawn normally. Goblins are common, and if you go deeper, you'll find Orcs too. Do you know what Golems, Slimes, and Skeletons are? The Headmaster calls them 'magical creatures,' but apparently, those kinds of things exist even deeper inside. And since those monsters attack people and ruin crops, we exterminate them. Doing that serves as training and a requirement for ranking up. Well, normally, local mercenaries register with the Monster Extermination Guild and earn money by hunting monsters."
Isn't that just an Adventurer's Guild!?
Wait, calm down. First of all, the fact that magical creatures can exist here means the mana concentration in this region is unusually high.
I'll have to ask the Headmaster about this later.
"Ah, Yuki-san's group hasn't registered with the Guild yet, right? In that case, while you register, why don't you join us for the afternoon monster extermination practical training? Is that okay with you?"
With those words, all my analytical thoughts vanished instantly.
"Monster hunting! I've always wanted to try it!"
"So Yuki-san's hometown was an area with almost no monsters, huh?"
"...No, if anything, Yuki-san was closer to being the boss of the monsters..."
"Shut up."
"Gah!?"
Silencing Taiki, I turned back to Eoid, my heart pounding with excitement.
Back on the Weed Continent, I never truly got to live the life of an adventurer.
Well—I think I did once, just a little, but that doesn't count.
But here, it's different!
Nobody knows my true identity, and just because I'm registering as an adventurer, they won't automatically slap Rank 8 on me!!
I can start as a beginner adventurer—or rather, a monster hunter!!
Hell yeah!! My adventure begins NOW!!
"...Let's just hope the monsters don't go extinct."
Look, I won't go that far.
...Though I might get a little carried away.
