Sword, Magic and Academic Society

Vol. 1 - Ch. 24 - The Real Opening Move

'Arrangements made in preparation for the future are called a 'Strategic Move'.'

Let's go back in time to the evening of the orientation day.

In one of the private rooms in the magnificent cafeteria of the Royal Academy — whose grandeur was enough for it to be misunderstood as a first-class restaurant — an informal social gathering of Year-1 Class A students was held there.

The sponsor was Feyrune Von Dragoon; a super-talented lady, recognized as the future leader of the Dragoon family, one of the 9 Marquises in this prestigious Yugria Kingdom. The obvious sign was the inclusion of 'Von' in her name, allowed only to the head of the family and the successor.

The people here were familiar enough with each other that there was no need to rush into getting acquainted. However, no one was foolish enough in Class A of the Royal Academy to decline the invitation of Fey, who knew the true identity of that boy who suddenly appeared with a meteoric rise.

The participants included 18 students from Class A, excluding that boy and Parry. Parry was eyeing the reception of the Aristocratic Dormitory, waiting for the arrival of that boy at the orders of Fey. Though more than being tasked, he was just a pitiful soul who had been gracefully cast aside by Fey in that he would just be a hindrance giving the main topic for tonight.

On a side note, some students were going to commute from their homes, but as long as they were students from Class D or above, they could take advantage of this cafeteria at a cheap price.

After exchanging the usual empty pleasantries and congratulating each other for passing into Class A, their conversation shifted to today's main topic— Allen Rovenne.

"He really was quite an amusing person as Fey said."

Said Kate, a female student with purple hair tied into a low ponytail, while pushing up the bridge of her slender glasses. With how she had styled herself, she was the very definition of a class president type.

"Quite interesting? You must be joking. I don't think I know any such boy among our male peers who have displayed such a presence on the first day of greeting and orientation."

The bright blonde-haired Jeu, with a scarlet headband adorning her head to hold down her hair, chuckled.

"Seriously. When I first heard Fey saying 'I've found an interesting person', I thought he was just another unfortunate soul who was going to be her toy and didn't pay attention to it."

Stella, with her pink hair neatly tied into two, said unenthusiastically.

They seemed to be criticizing the lack of information. Only these three had been informed about Allen in advance by Fey.

But if Fey herself was asked, even she had never thought he would make it to Class A, let alone earn the top evaluation in the practical exam.

As they talked, Al, the social animal— no, the social demon by birth, interjected as the representative of the boys' group.

"Fey, how well do you know Allen's abilitie—"

However, his words were cut short by Stella's interruption.

"Who cares about that? I'm more interested in how f-f-f-far you've gone with him. To keep you a c-c-captive until 6 AM, is he that amazing!?"

" "Kyaa!!" "

A scream arose among the female students at the straightforward question. Even the gutless boys, including Al, hung their heads in embarrassment.

At this point, it was evident that the girls had taken full control of the conversation. It wasn't like Stella had schemed to put that ball in their court. It was simply that young people were naturally curious, and women were typically more direct and outspoken when it came to discussing such topics no matter the age or ethnicity.

"If I'm not wrong, you met him on the direct train from Dragried to the Royal Capital, right? There should be an attendant in the room I reckon, no?? Where in the world did you do that?!"

" "Kya—!! You dirtbag!!" "

Jeu's jab triggered another fresh round of shrieks.

Girls continued to take turns bursting into wild fantasies, which were followed by more screams.

The boys kept looking at their feet in embarrassment.

Once the heat of the moment died down, Fey confessed.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble but in fact, I still haven't figured out how to take him down. I believe you've already seen him, it's really hard to start anything with him."

"...Ah, I guess so. With how his face keeps changing between red and blue when you tease him, he is definitely a V."

Class president-like Kate replied with a sudden calm voice in contrast to her demeanor previously when she was the one who had been the loudest and most excited until a moment ago.

All the girls nodded in agreement with Kate's insightful analysis, but in this world, it was natural to be inexperienced at this age. It was the phase where they wanted to appear more mature.

Not that anyone asked, but in the entirety of his 48 years of life, including his previous life, Allen was a staunch virgin.

???

"The reason why I've gathered everyone was to hear your thoughts on what you think about Allen's recommendation. I've already given my name as a Dragoon so I can't afford to lose here."

Fey said with a smile as her gaze swept through everyone.

"What do you mean by 'what do we think'? I mean, he's already left the whole class dumbfounded with his self-introduction."

Jeu, striking a typical noble lady pose with her left arm supporting her chest that was rather big for her age while her other hand was touching her lips, said with an amused smile.

"Furthermore, 'Godorfun the Buddha' even cited the kingdom's crisis and said that with enough recommendations, he would appeal to His Majesty and get his approval. And the Dragoon family hasn't concealed their intention to back him up as well. On the other hand, we don't have any reason to purposely remove him from the class. I don't see any reason he will lose."

Pigtailed Stella, who may look like someone from the muscle-brain clique at a glance, added calmly. Contrary to her calm demeanor, she was another short-tempered person.

Those who managed to get into the Royal Academy, especially in Class A, were obviously not fools.

"Normally, that should be the case. But there are some aspects I really can't read. So, I would like to crush any variables possible."

Fey glanced at Leo, who had been silent up to this point. Leo sighed and answered.

"Don't misunderstand me, Feyrune. His way of living is indeed incomprehensible to me, but I'm no fool to mix personal feelings with the recommendation issue. Besides, he is someone who has received top evaluation unanimously from all the examiners including Sir Godorfun.

I wanted to enter this academy to further polish myself by studying with similar prodigies so there's no reason why I would do that. But, I'm not going to vouch for him as a Zatsinger until I confirm his skill myself."

"Indeed… In his self-introduction with Al, at least I get the gist of his character to some extent. After seeing his conduct today, I believe he isn't someone who has crawled his way in through cheating."

From behind, Dan, who shared the same fate with Allen as 'The three ordinary-faced brothers of Class A', nodded.

"He looks a bit stubborn but otherwise, he sounds like a nice guy."

Dol, another person who shared the fate of 'The three ordinary-faced brothers of Class A' along with Allen and Dan, similarly showed his approval. Coco simply nodded without saying anything.

"Then how about this, everyone inform Godorfun-sensei about their decision over the recommendation tomorrow morning. Can you guys do that? I'll leave it up to you whether to mention your family name."

"Tomorrow morning...? We've just finished the groundwork. Is there any need to hurry that much?"

Al, on behalf of his perplexed classmates, inquired.

"Well, this is just my hunch. But I feel like Allen really doesn't care about Class A. Rather, he might even be thinking that Class E is much better for him."

Her words left all her classmates speechless.

It didn't matter how influential the family they were born in, passing the Royal Academy's exam was by no means a laughing matter. It was such a remarkable feat that even the people blessed with talent would have to persistently refine themselves, even if it meant shedding sweat and blood before they could narrowly seize the opportunity.

Qualifying for Class A— the immensity of this glory could be understood from the fact that it was considered a once-in-a-century achievement even for prestigious families such as Zatsinger or Dragoon to get into Class A, let alone the lesser ranked families— there were historically none. That being said, it also meant the befitting reward matched that glory.

"Hahaha. And here I was so excited after seeing the results this morning that I hugged everyone in my family and shed tears of joy."

Al said with a melancholic expression.

"Allen seems like he is living in his own world. The first time I met him and introduced myself as one of the Dragoons, he couldn’t hide his displeased expression. I'm sure he didn't cheat, but it isn't 'like him' to quietly back down if I must say.

I'm sure he must have something he wants to achieve at all costs. I don’t know what that is but if there comes a time to make a decision, he will not hesitate to kick away his qualification for Class A for sure."

"Pardon me."

Just then, a restaurant staff, who looked no more than a waiter, entered the room, passed a note to Fey, and politely took his exit.

"Pfft."

Fey let out an amused chuckle as she looked at the note.

"After seeing him hurriedly scampering off as soon as the orientation ended, I had one of my people keep an eye on Allen...... and it seemed like he headed straight for the general dormitory. He really has lost any interest in Class A already."

In this Royal Academy, even if you were a servant-like attendant, you couldn't enter unless you were a staff member or a student. Therefore, when outsiders needed to convey information, they entrusted it to the gatekeepers via letters.

By the way, this noble dormitory was equipped with all sorts of household services at ridiculously low prices, so even children not from well-to-do families didn't have trouble with their lives.

"He really doesn't put any of us in his eyes at all, huh?"

Stella muttered in a vexed tone. Not just her, everyone had bitter expressions. A melancholic atmosphere descended on the private room, far from the celebratory atmosphere they should have with it being the night they had achieved their life-long dream.

"I will handle Parry. As for the rest of you, I hope you give your all. And I believe you guys already know, but don't mutter a word of what we just discussed here and the recommendation matter to anyone else. If possible, let him remain in his own bubble where he believes he is disliked by everyone. While Allen still has his guard down, we will take him down in one fell swoop."

Fey's feline-like eyes glinted with a ferocious look as she reminded everyone.

In this way, leaving aside Allen and the unfortunate Parry, Class A was united in just one day.

Speaking of Allen, he was currently in a good mood after finding a delicious soba restaurant near the back gate of the Academy. While he was enjoying his zaru soba, his fate had already been determined.

"...I'm going to take his V-card."

Jeu remarked.

" "Kyaa—!! A cat-fight~!!"

"Hold on!"

" "Kya—!!" "

...Though, the night had just started to grow deeper.

T/N - My first thought was, what a birch. Then ah, as expected of noble and finally, am not sure if MC could be considered unlucky at this point.

Editor Note- What the TL said. I dunno if the MC is lucky or not at this point either. Still don't like Fey very much but we'll see in the future.