Chapter 16 - Exhibition Match and Arrogant People

Now that the second "Rite of Heavenly Revelation" is over, I’d honestly love to just head home if there’s nothing else left to do. I really wanted to prepare for the classes that start in earnest tomorrow.

Aren't I a model student, Teacher?

"Now then, the next event is about to begin. Is everyone ready and prepared?"

Naturally, she has no intention of letting us leave yet.

The one gleefully keeping the program moving is Instructor Whip, the female teacher we literally just met. Putting aside being "ready," she went as far as to ask if we were "prepared."

"As we begin guiding you, the first vital step is for us to get to know you. Your talents, your capabilities, your personalities... Only by grasping these in detail and tailoring our instruction to each individual can we bring out your maximum potential."

Right, sure...

"A moment ago, we confirmed your Vocations and measured your talents. Next, let us measure your capabilities. To do that, we will hold...!"

Dum-dum-dum!

"An exhibition match."

An exhibition match... you say...?!

So in other words, we have to fight? Forcing us into conflict on the very first day of enrollment—yep, this school is absolutely unhinged!

"Every student enrolled in this academy is the child of a Governor, noble, or royalty. The commoner children accompanying them serve as their guards. For the upcoming exhibition match, eligibility is strictly limited to the guards."

Instructor Whip continues her explanation.

"Whether you participate or not is entirely up to your own discretion. If you have confidence, step forward. If you are not inclined, you are free to decline. I assure you that your choice will have absolutely no bearing on your academic grades."

The crowd of students began to buzz with chatter. Being abruptly told to "fight" was confusing enough, but the various conditions attached to it were throwing them into further disarray.

There are essentially two types of students at the Royal Academy: the nobles and the commoners, the guarded and the guards, the masters and the servants.

Only one side was eligible to participate, and even then, the decision rested entirely with the master. It was only natural to suspect a hidden motive behind such an odd setup.

"Hey, Sao, does this mean...?!" 

"It means they want to see if everyone can properly fulfill their designated roles," I replied, continuing to analyze the situation with my sister, who was starting to catch on to the purpose of the event.

"This event masquerades as a test of the students' combat abilities, but it hides a much deeper intent. A soldier is a soldier, a commander is a commander—the roles demanded of them are completely different." 

"Which means a commander who tries to stand on the front lines and fight themselves has already failed as a leader," Lady Staff chimed in, joining our discussion.

"In this scenario, the ones viewed as commanders are likely us, the children of the nobility. The commoner children are enrolled under the guise of being our guards. It’s operating on the premise that they naturally possess combat power..." 

"And how a master manages that guard... that's where the master's judgment is put to the test. Especially since they explicitly said this exhibition match won't affect our grades whether we win or lose."

They didn't mention anything about rewards or penalties, after all.

"A master who recklessly forces their guard to fight just for show is combative and vain—a shallow leader who puts their vassals in danger for nothing. But if you decline, you risk looking like a weak master who fears danger." 

"So either way, it's a terrible evaluation!?"

In reality, how the teachers would actually grade this event is impossible to know without asking them directly. Well, it's only the first day of enrollment; they probably just view it as one piece of data to help guide the students moving forward.

"In that case, my decision is made. We will decline to participate." 

"My Lady...?!" 

"Sao, Calibur, you are both far more than just guards to me now. You are precious friends, like family. If I were to put you in danger for no good reason, that is what would make me a failure as a master. I do not care if others call me a coward!" 

"My Ladyaaaaaahhh!!" 

"Calibur!"

Big Sis was moved to tears by the Young Lady's kindness. The two of them wrapped each other in a fierce, emotional hug.

Yes, yes, what a beautiful scene.

However, this exhibition match obviously contains an element that evaluates the servant's side, not just the master's. And that side is far simpler: jump in the ring and win.

For commoner kids who naturally lack formal education, their physical strength is their sole source of pride right now. Given the pretext of their enrollment as guards, every commoner gathered here undoubtedly possesses a combat-oriented Vocation.

And they surely bled and sweated back in their homelands just to be chosen by their Lords.

In a way, this exhibition match is the first and best opportunity to showcase the fruits of that labor. If they fight their way through and put on a good show, they might catch a teacher's eye and receive special instruction. Down the line, it could even lead to a prestigious official appointment.

From that perspective, a master who keeps their guard out of the ring to protect them could be seen as smothering their servant's chance to rise through the ranks.

Safety, or opportunity?

It’s a question with no single correct answer, designed to lay bare the true nature of each student.

"Talk about calculated... or just plain malicious."

This school really isn't going to be a walk in the park.

While I was mulling it over, the more hot-blooded types among the students had already made up their minds. They climbed into the makeshift ring and started clashing.

"Go, my servant! Win and display the prestige of our domain!" 

"Yes, Milord!"

Incredibly straightforward.

But hey, there's value in simplicity. Even if you stack up hundreds of thoughts, a single action is what ultimately decides everything. Before you can make a decisive choice, over-caution often degrades into mere indecisiveness.

Thus, some masters and servants marched toward the fight with burning ambition. Others watched with cool detachment. Some simply shrank back in fear.

With a single prompt from the faculty, the new students were already being sorted into various distinct colors, which would undoubtedly influence their future education.

"Hey, Sao, are you sure we really shouldn't participate?"

Watching the others fight was making my sister itch for action. She’s the type who fundamentally loves to test her limits.

"The judgment passed by our master is non-participation. Whether you can properly obey a master's command might be one of the evaluation criteria for this event, you know?" 

"Fumu...!"

Once I put it that way, Big Sis obediently fell into line.

As we watched from the sidelines, the battle grew fierce. One by one, students were thrown out of the ring. Finally, only one remained standing...

---

"Is there no anyone else who wishes to challenge?"

No one stepped forward to answer Instructor Whip's call. The area fell dead silent.

"Very well. The new student exhibition match concludes here. The final victor is the guard of Lady Bloom of the Wack Domain—Clay More."

The one who had crushed everyone willing to fight and stood victorious at the end was, surprisingly, a girl. She had dark skin and dull black hair cut into a fiercely wild, boyish style. Her frame was sturdy, giving off a very masculine impression.

In her hand, she held a blunted practice sword. As expected, she possessed a direct combat Vocation.

"Well done, More. You’ve made the name of our domain echo through the academy on our very first day."

The person calling out to her was also female, yet she possessed the striking, refined features of a beautiful cross-dressing prince. However, her brand of "masculinity" was entirely different from the wild girl in the ring; this one was elegant, theatrical, and aristocratic.

In a way, they were a perfectly matched pair.

"This was nothing, Lady Bloom! The lot from the other domains are a bunch of spineless cowards!" 

"It’s simply that you are too strong, More. Well, to serve as my guard, anything less than the absolute strongest would be unacceptable."

It seemed the theatrical beauty was the Governor's daughter, and the dark-skinned tomboy was her guard. Quite the duo.

"Since we have the stage, allow me to introduce myself. Fellow classmates, I am Bloom de Careme Wack, second daughter of Governor Siegmund of Wack. And this is my guard, Clay More." "I'm the strongest one here, Lord More!" the guard bragged, immediately using her battle record to flex on everyone.

"How did you all perceive this exhibition match? Simple play? A mere orientation? Incorrect. I perceive this as the establishment of the hierarchy for our school year. A clear separation of the weak and the strong on day one." "And I'm at the very top!" "Exactly as More says. From this moment forth, our class will be led by us, the strongest master and servant. For it is the law of nature that the weak follow the strong."

An impromptu political rally had apparently broken out, and I wondered why the teacher wasn't stopping it.

...She really isn't stopping it. I guess this, too, is considered part of the lesson.

"Moving forward, any events requiring student autonomy will be managed by us. It will certainly be more efficient that way." 

"It's too late to complain now! Those who fought and lost, and especially those who didn't even have the guts to fight, have no right to say a damn thing!" 

"Exactly, More. Rights are something won through combat. The moment you refuse to fight, you forfeit your right to speak. Those who do not fight are nothing but sore losers. Especially..."

...Hm? What’s this? It feels like that theatrical lady is looking right at us...? Is it just my imagination?

"It is a pity that the master and servants over there did not grace the ring with their presence. If I recall, you are the party from the Zelisar Domain?"

It wasn't my imagination. For some reason, we had instantly been targeted by a pair of absolute hassles.

"During the earlier re-examination of Vocations, I happened to overhear the instructors making quite a fuss. A girl whose Vocation has already evolved, and a boy with a rare Vocation I've never even heard of. I highly anticipated they would prove to be excellent rivals for my More, but..."

It was that instructor's fault?! Stop leaking student profiles, you absolute menace!!

"To decline participation is a utter disappointment. No matter how brilliant the guards may be, if the master leading them is a coward, it amounts to absolutely nothing."

... Oh?

"You commoner boys and girls must find it incredibly frustrating, unable to display your true abilities under such a foolish master. Tell me, why not abandon your current lord and come serve under me? A brilliant talent only truly shines under a brilliant leader. Just like More here, it would be far more fitting for your strength—hic?!"

It happened in a fraction of a second.

In the blink of an eye, Big Sis and I closed the distance between us and this delusional girl to absolute zero. A blade was pressed tightly against her throat, and the tip of a staff was planted directly in front of her face.

"Lady Bloom?!" More gasped, frozen. "To freeze up completely during your master's crisis... what a splendid guard you are," I muttered.

Both my sister and I immediately pulled our weapons back. If we hadn't intended to stop a hair's breadth away, the cross-dressing noble girl would have departed this world right then and there.

As for the girl named More standing right next to her, she had thoroughly earned a failing mark as a guard.

Turning our backs on them, we returned to our master, Lady Staff, and knelt side by side.

"We deeply apologize, Milady. We drew our weapons without awaiting your command. However, to overlook an insult to our master would be to erase the very reason for our existence." "Please forgive our reckless behavior."

Receiving our apology, Lady Staff smiled gently.

"How could I possibly be angry when you acted out of care for me? If anything, this is my own blunder. I failed to realize such arrogant people existed in this world, and carelessly gave them the room to look down on us. As a result, I forced you into a reckless situation. I shall reflect deeply on this."

A collective gasp of admiration rippled through the surrounding students. Lady Staff’s humble, dignified words stood in stark contrast to the Wack girl’s overbearing arrogance, making her sound incredibly noble.

"Indeed. As a future ruler, I came to the Capital carrying the pride of my domain. I must not show even a hint of weakness. I should have placed more faith in you from the beginning."

Yes, please believe in us more. Believe in just how absurdly strong Big Sis and I actually are.

"Instructor Whip, is it too late? May we still enter the exhibition match?" 

"By all means," Whip replied with an immediate, approving smile.

"I, Staff, daughter of Governor Ogoba of Zelisar, hereby send my precious friends and loyal subjects into the fray. Let us shatter the overinflated pride of those arrogant fools. Peace is something to be fought for and defended!"

Prev            TOC            Next