[Transfer Students Joining in the Third Year]
After returning from Caribbean County, I swung by Cirrus’s research lab. While I had the chance to spend time with the other heroines during the break, Cirrus couldn’t join us as she had to stay back at the academy for work.
“I’m back.”
“O-oh, welcome back. It’s nice you stopped by so soon after your return, but uh, what are you doing?”
I gently pushed Cirrus down onto a nearby desk and peppered her with kisses.
“I just wanted to show you some love for the time we missed”
“W-we’re bound by contract, and our hearts are forever intertwined. We didn’t miss any time.”
Cirrus blushed but didn’t resist. She was so adorable.
Despite being older than me, Cirrus could be surprisingly innocent. Whenever I expressed my feelings so openly, she’d always wear the cutest expression.
“So, do you have any idea why my mana was disrupted in Marshall Duchy?”
“I-I think I do, but s-should I really explain it while we’re in this position?”
“Hmm~, fair point. I’d get turned on if we kept this up. How about you give me a lap-pillow instead?”
“O-okay.”
Gently lifting Cirrus from the desk, I carried her to the nearby bed where she usually took naps, and settled down with my head nestled in her lap.
“Whew, you’re so intense when it comes to showing your affection. M-my heart is still racing.”
“You don’t mind, do you?”
“I-I don’t exactly mind. Y-you’re the only one I allow to get away with that sort of thing.”
“Thank you.” I planted another kiss on the adorable Cirrus’s cheek and expressed my gratitude.
“A-anyway, you said your mana absorption technique acting up in Marshall Duchy?”
“Yes. But as soon as I left Marshall Duchy and entered Cyliss Marquisate, it started working again. It was only in Marshall Duchy that it was acting up.”
“I’ve been practicing the mana breathing technique since you taught me, but I haven’t quite mastered it like you. However, based on its principles, I can infer that it might be caused by disruptions in mana.”
“Disruptions in mana?”
“That’s correct. In high-rank dungeons like the ‘Lost Forest’ and the ‘Demon King’s Abode,’ the mana concentration is much higher than in other dungeons. You would think this high mana concentration would make it easier to absorb, but in fact, what happens is the exact opposite. As mana has similar properties to air, similar to how you struggle to breathe in a storm, places with high mana concentration makes it that much harder to absorb. That’s my theory,” Cirrus patiently explained, her demeanor was akin to that of a teacher tutoring a student.
I found myself unable to resist stroking her slender yet soft thighs as she gently caressed my head. “I understand now. So, my difficulty in absorbing mana was due to the turbulence in the mana flow.”
“To be more precise, I believe your body struggled because you’re accustomed to the lower mana concentration in the royal capital. It couldn’t cope with the extreme environmental change, so to speak.”
“I see. Looks like I’ve still got a long way to go.”
“No, the fact that you developed the mana absorption technique is already an impressive accomplishment in itself.”
Cirrus complimented me with a compassionate look in her eyes.
“Thanks, but I think a training session at Marshall Duchy will benefit me. Oh, and I heard we’re getting transfer students?”
“Ah, yes, I was curious about that too. It might be related to the Demon King’s emergence you mentioned earlier.”
“That’s the only explanation. There was supposed to be only two of them at first.”
Originally, only the princesses from the Dynasty were supposed to come.
But now, suddenly, students from the other two countries were transferring as well. It must be because of the early appearance of the Demon King.
“Hmm? Is something bothering you?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Just pondering over some irregularities.”
“Irregularities?”
I had come seeking Cirrus’s wisdom, but ended up being spoiled by her instead. I was truly grateful to have her to confide in; she helped clear my mind as we talked.
“Hey, Cirrus, will you still be our homeroom teacher in our third year?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“The academy has something special planned for third years in preparation for graduation, right?”
“You’re well-informed. Third years won’t be divided into classes anymore. You’ll have more freedom in your studies, but the grade ranking will still be a crucial factor for graduation.”
With the introduction of grade rankings, managing grades became much simpler, which was a relief for teachers.
“Only the top 100 students advanced to the third year, right? With 20 transfer students joining us.”
“Yes, that’s right. And all of you will be divided into four teams to compete against each other.”
“So, it’s going to be a large-scale competition with 30-member teams.”
You might have guessed it, but this was the third-year compulsory event, and the reason why the students were split into four dormitories. Noble Faction, the Royalists (comprising the Royal Faction and Marshall Faction), and the commoners. It was a massive competition involving all four groups.
“You, Luc, have been chosen as the leader of the Black Team.”
“And Elina leads the White Team, while Lyncean heads the Red Team?”
“That’s correct. The transfer students will be placed in the Blue Team, representing the commoners. Their leader will be Mr. Dan. Initially, it was supposed to be Miss Ruby, but she declined. She wanted to join your team instead.”
“Is that even allowed?”
“Well, you’re not first-years anymore. As third-years, you have the freedom to choose your team, form alliances, or even betray your team.”
Yes, in this large-scale team competition, alliances and betrayals were allowed.
The setup was based on the war between the four major countries, with each team representing one of those countries.
Buying off enemy soldiers, launching sneak attacks on enemy leaders, engaging in information warfare—everything was fair game.
This meant that everyone other than the team leader was free to defect to other teams.
Ultimately, the team with the highest score, regardless of the means used, would emerge victorious. I knew the scoring criteria, not through Cirrus. She refused to tell me about it until the very end.
“I guess it’s fate.”
The objective of the three female transfer students was Dan and his holy sword.
I had already passed this information on to Hayase.
Hayase had begun to take action as soon as she received my information.
Since my promise with her was still in effect, I was always ready to act if Hayase requested it.
“Looks like things are about to get busy. Guess I’ll be counting on Tashte and Rivera.”
“You’re free to do that as well. I wish you the best of luck.”
“Thanks. Just watch me.”
After one final kiss, I bid farewell to Cirrus.
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