The Academy’s Doomed Young Lord Dies Ten Thousand Times

Chapter 05 - Archenia Academy (1)

After that. That is to say…… after I escaped the crisis of death, everything went smoothly. All I had to do was find the coachman who was hiding near the carriage and order him to take me to the academy.

That guy, he was trembling and nodding his head. The thought of it made me chuckle. It seemed he knew what he was trying to do.

Anyway, leaving such things behind, I am once again entrusting my body to the carriage.

The difference from before would be that this time, it is not a journey towards death.

I changed into a spare set of clothes instead of the blood-stained uniform and looked out the window.

A magitech train spewing steam laden with mana particles was speeding towards a city in the far distance.

If you slowly move your gaze along the railroad, you can see a city reminiscent of 19th to 20th-century Victorian England.

Airships float in the city's sky, and below them, all sorts of mechanical devices imbued with magitech steam are operating.

It was the city where Archenia Academy was located and the capital of Hargen Province, ‘Endinium’.

***

March. As winter passes and spring arrives with its budding greenery, new sprouts also bloom at the academy.

And I was heading towards the entrance of the academy, passing through those sprouts in a carriage.

The road to the academy was crowded with sprouts, that is, new students, and their eyes were all filled with hope and anticipation.

It was only natural, as they had entered that Archenia Academy, which everyone looks upon with envy just for getting in.

Because it was a place where only the most talented prodigies in various fields from across the continent could enter. Of course, there might have been some connections involved…….

Anyway.

And, fitting its reputation, the academy had a dazzling exterior, so how could one not be filled with pride?

Screech-.

“……Young Master, we have arrived.”

As the moving carriage came to a stop, a voice was heard. It was the servile voice of the coachman.

“…….”

I answered with a silent, cold gaze, and opened the carriage door to get off. The sight of the carriage disappearing as if running away as soon as I got off was quite amusing.

The sunlight, which had brightened at some point, stabbed my eyes. Was it because I had been in the carriage all night? The clear weather felt quite awkward.

The sight of the academy, composed of white buildings in the Gothic style, gave me a deep sense of awe.

To see the background of my favorite game with my own two eyes, it was both bewildering and felt unreal…….

Also, I had finally reached this place, overcoming those numerous deaths and pains.

But there was no time to be immersed in such sentiments. To be precise, it was closer to the surroundings not letting me be immersed in sentiment.

When I came to my senses, numerous gazes were fixed on me. The murmuring mixed with sneers was a bonus.

-Isn't that Rain Enlight?

-He dropped out in middle school, why did he come back?

-How shameless for someone with dirty blood…….

However, those voices didn't properly reach my ears. I just stood there, taking in the scenery of the school grounds.

Overcoming 200 deaths, I've finally arrived.

That was my sentiment. I felt more dazed than I expected. No, should I say it felt like I was dreaming?

As I stood there blankly for a few seconds, I suddenly thought about my posture.

Sure enough, my back was hunched, and my shoulders were shrunk. Was it the influence of the life the ‘original’ had lived so far?

I straightened my hunched back and shoulders again. I also held my head up high.

What's the point of cowering at these kinds of gazes? There will be more shitty things to come.

‘They can all go to hell.’

Thinking so, I slowly walked forward. There were many things to do before the entrance ceremony.

The dormitories of Archenia consist of a total of three buildings. Nova Hall, Gauss Hall, and Aurora Hall.

Each dormitory had differences in capacity and facilities, with Gauss Hall's facilities being superior to Nova Hall's, and Aurora Hall's facilities being superior to Gauss Hall's.

Moreover, Aurora Hall guaranteed a private room.

The allocation criteria……. to be frank, was based on family background. There was a system to allocate vacant rooms or evict students based on future grades or conduct, but basically, that was it.

Although Archenia championed the ideology that ‘within the academy, all students are equal’, there were a few systems that did not apply to that ideology. A representative example was the ‘Imperial Contribution Family System’.

The Imperial Contribution Family System was a system that gave benefits to the entering students of a family, according to the degree of the family's contribution to the nation.

There is no discrimination based on status, but the family's contribution to the nation is a separate matter, they say?

And the family I belonged to, the House of Enlight, was a 1st-class contribution family.

Thanks to that, I was able to move into Aurora Hall. It was also thanks to that system that I got to come here.

Anyway, I walked for a short while and entered Aurora Hall. I had broken through the baptism of those numerous gazes and murmurs, and finally entered the dormitory.

The scenery of Aurora Hall that I entered was one I had seen countless times in the game, but……. seeing it with my own eyes was a different story.

The corridor itself was overflowing with elegance, and it felt like I had come to a 5-star hotel. Although I had never actually been to a 5-star hotel.

“Room 409…….”

It was when I was wandering around looking for my room.

“Rain Enlight.”

At the voice from behind, I reflexively turned around.

Standing there was a student in the same uniform as me, with impressive green hair.

“To return to the academy after showing such a disgrace, has that filth-like blood gone to your head?”

‘Oh…….’

I got the gist of it right away. He was definitely a mid-boss character who gets kicked out early on after sucking up to the crown prince. His name was…….

“I told you I would thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly, stomp on you again if you came back……. Did what I say seem that funny to you?”

Ah damn it, what was it. I remembered his first name. Milo. It was Milo, but……. I couldn't remember his last name well. In the first place, there was no need to call him by his full name.

I furrowed my brow, lost in such thoughts. You know that feeling when it's more annoying because you can't quite remember?

“Is that all you can do, just shut up like that? It seems you've even learned how to scowl.”

“……I'm sorry, but.”

“Huh?”

“Who were you? I don't seem to remember well.”

Because I couldn't remember his full name well, I opened my mouth to the green-haired guy in front of me like that.

Honestly, I didn't ask because I really thought he would answer, it was more of an intention to get under his skin while I was at it.

“Ha, so that's the only rebellion you could come up with. How low-class. Alright, I understand. In the name of the House of Count Gloss, the emperor's right hand-.”

“Ah-!”

Ah, now I remember. Gloss, Milo Gloss.

“You bastard……!”

And, at that moment, the guy grabbed me by the collar. Was he that pissed off that I cut him off? Or was he pissed off by the ‘I really didn't know’ expression on my face?

Actually, it didn't matter.

As the guy came closer to me, an inexplicable disgust welled up. This feeling, too, must be Rain Enlight's.

“……If you were offended by my interruption, I apologize.”

Since I've already scratched him once, should I scratch him a little more?

“What?”

At the guy's dumbfounded expression, I stared into his eyes with a languid face and replied.

“However, wouldn't it be better to refrain from such disgraceful behavior in the corridor? You must maintain your dignity.”

Strangely, such words flowed out of my mouth without any sense of awkwardness. Words that I would never use in modern times. Perhaps it's the influence of the original Rain.

Anyway, upon hearing those words, Milo looked around.

As the time for the entrance ceremony approached, many people had gathered in Aurora Hall. They had to check their rooms and head to the auditorium.

And that meant that many gazes were directed here.

“……Tsk.”

The guy clicked his tongue and irritably let go of my collar.

“Look forward to what's to come.”

And after saying that, he turned and disappeared.

“……This is rather good.”

As the guy turned his back, I muttered with a secret smile.

***

As befitting the best educational institution on the Arche Continent, the auditorium of Archenia Academy had an elegant charm. It was made of high-quality materials, but it had a charm that didn't show it off.

-Wow, they embedded a whole mana stone. Do they use that to make the sound resonate?

-Look at the decorations, were these all hand-painted one by one……?

-Of course, the princess and the prince attend here, you idiot.

And it seemed that charm wasn't visible only to me, as some students were gathered in small groups, talking about such things.

Well, about half of the new students were from commoner backgrounds, so it was understandable. And the noble faction students in the distance were sneering at that sight.

Actually, I was a little bewildered too. After that shitty journey……. I had finally arrived at the starting point of the game.

But I didn't bother to show it. What's the point of showing weakness when I'm already attracting attention?

I went around the crowd and headed into the designated auditorium. Then, three sections divided by department came into view.

In the world of , a knight didn't just mean a human weapon who brandished weapons and hunted magical beasts.

In this world, the foundation of a knight was in ‘one who defeats magical beasts’.

Fitting that purpose, the departments were also divided into three.

The Combat Department, which hones weapon skills and strategy.

The Magic Department, which trains in magic.

The Administration Department, which learns political theory and administration.

In short, it meant that if you could prove you were helpful in catching magical beasts, no matter which path you took, you would receive the title of knight.

Of course, the Administration Department was a very small minority due to its specialty. It was mainly a department to which royalty or the royalty of vassal states belonged.

Anyway, I headed to the seat in the farthest corner of the Combat Department section, the department I belonged to.

The reason was simple, as I said before. There was nothing good about standing out.

‘And, I need to organize my thoughts here.’

The story of ……. in a word, was tragic.

It didn't mean the quality was tragic, but that it had that much of a desperate story.

Even the main characters would die off in a flash if they made a mistake, and there were even main characters who couldn't be saved at all if you went down a certain route.

This wasn't just a story about the fate of the characters. On a continental scale, it gets completely shattered in the latter half.

‘First, I'll have to try to stop that somehow.’

Now that I've fallen into this world, I have to live here somehow. But if the world is shattered, the chances of living a bleak life would be high.

If it gets shattered on a world scale with one misstep, it would be close to impossible to restore it with my own strength.

And if a checkpoint is set at a point where I can't do anything……. that's the end.

I would have to quietly accept ten thousand deaths, or a miserable life. I had to avoid that at all costs.

That would be impossible with my strength alone. Compared to my initial self, I have become quite strong, but it would be far from enough to compare with the world-class powerhouses.

Then what should I do?

I have to somehow win over the main characters of the world. I have to make them allies.

And, the best arrangement would be to assist them with my knowledge.

‘There's a lot of work ahead…….’

And, as I was lost in thought-.

“Then, let's begin the entrance ceremony. Everyone, please be quiet.”

The voice that signaled the start of the main story was heard.

Turning my head at the voice, I saw a large old man with a thick, white beard standing on the podium.

“To all of you who have taken the first step on the path of a knight, I would first like to offer my congratulations. I am Gunther Valor, the president of Archenia Academy.”

The old man began his story like that. The old man, that is, the president—Gunther Valor's voice was calm and subdued, yet it had the power to make everyone focus.

Certainly, hearing it in person and seeing it in the game……. there was a big difference. Mainly in the part that resonated in my chest.

The auditorium had been bustling with the energy of the new students until just now, but at Gunther's single word, the atmosphere instantly became solemn. Was this the weight of the academy's president?

In the auditorium that had fallen silent, a little applause was heard. And as that applause subsided, the president began to speak again.

“A knight is the pride of the empire that protects the Arche Continent. With sword, with magic, and with books. They are those who protect people and peace in their own ways.

……However, there is something else I truly wanted to say to you, students.”

In , the entrance ceremony is, in short, the prologue. And this prologue was a device that hinted at the events to come.

“The path of a knight will not be filled only with light. It is a path that must be walked by stepping on the corpses of magical beasts, enemies, and comrades.”

That there would be countless painful, sad, and infuriating things.

“You will bleed in that process, and perhaps you will fall at someone's feet and meet your end.”

It wasn't someone else's story. It wasn't something I hadn't experienced. It wasn't something I wouldn't experience.

“Honor will follow that ordeal, but it means that it will never be a path filled only with happiness.”

The pains of death I had felt so far were things I would continue to feel in the future.

“Nevertheless. Even in that deep darkness, we are those who follow a faint, thread-like light……. and fight our way through that darkness.”

“…….”

“Everyone, that is what a knight is.”

Yes, I chased the light that felt like it would be within reach if I extended my hand.

“In the darkness, one who seeks the light. And that is not something only a chosen being can become. A knight is not one who is born—but one who is reborn.”

Thump, Gunther struck the floor with the staff he was holding. The gazes of the captivated new students focused on him at once.

“Everyone, I once again sincerely welcome you to Archenia Academy.”

Clap, clap, clap clap clap clap-!!

As those words ended, applause slowly erupted. The small applause gradually gathered and became a thunderous sound.

“……Alright, is this the beginning.”

As I braced myself for the things to come, I also clapped-.

“Ah damn it, dust.”

A tear suddenly flowed from my eye. Did some dust get in? I wiped away the leaked tear with my finger.

And, I didn't know. The fact that someone was watching me wipe my tears.