Arthur, who had won the Academy Tournament, stood on the stage listening to the principal’s congratulatory speech.
“It is extremely rare for a first-year student to win the Academy Tournament, and it signifies that our Academy has welcomed another new talent…”
Whether on Earth or in this other world, it seems it’s an unspoken rule that principals talk excessively. The principal went on lecturing for almost over 30 minutes.
Considering there were not only Academy students present but also knights and scouts from other territories, this was truly outrageous behavior.
‘When will this ever end?’
Just as he thought this multiple times, the principal’s lecture, which had promised to last only five more minutes, finally ended after dragging on for 20.
The crowd clapped their hands at the conclusion of the sermon, congratulating Arthur, the winner. Or perhaps they were just thankful that this tedious time was finally over.
“To Arthur, the winner of the Academy Tournament, several prizes are awarded: 3 million cash, a letter of recommendation from the Academy, the right to choose one item from the Academy treasure vault, private tutoring with Sir Gawein of the Knight Department, and so on.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all possible privileges the Academy could offer were given to the winner. Though the money wasn’t much, for Arthur, a commoner, it meant something different—enough cash to squander throughout his Academy years and still have some left.
Winning the Academy Tournament alone would grant him access to decent organizations or territories, let alone having a recommendation letter on top of that.
At this moment, Arthur essentially gained a free pass to enter any place he desired.
“—That concludes the award ceremony. To all esteemed guests who came to watch, thank you very much.”
As soon as the principal finished speaking, people began rushing towards Arthur.
Among them was Kail.
* * *
“Hoo, haaah…”
“Are you alright?”
“Uh, uh-huh.”
Having successfully escaped from the scouts targeting him, Arthur smiled faintly at Kail standing beside him.
Running around sweating like this would someday become a nostalgic memory. Memories of running around with sweat during his lively teenage years…
‘Does my sweat smell?’
Though feeling embarrassed about sweating might be too late as a knight-in-training, lately, Arthur couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.
After all, isn’t a maiden’s heart likened to a reed? Things that felt natural before realizing them can suddenly become embarrassing once noticed.
Carefully wiping away sweat and sniffing his clothes to check for odors, Arthur subtly distanced himself from Kail upon realizing there wasn’t much smell.
“They’re persistent.”
And then, noticing the scouts chasing them, Kail swiftly scooped Arthur up. With his shoulders and thighs held firmly, Arthur yelped and immediately covered his mouth, looking up at Kail.
Hearing her scream, Kail chuckled amusingly and looked down at her.
“What’s wrong? Did your polymorph wear off? Judging by your chest, I don’t think so.”
“…Shut up.”
“Alright, let’s escape for now.”
Kail snickered while quickly leaving the spot. Though the scouts had swift legs, they weren’t fast enough to chase Master Kail.
“What? Where did they go!?”
“They definitely came this way…”
Ignoring the voices searching for them, Kail headed straight to his mansion outside the Academy.
Being private property, no one would dare intrude here.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Kail put Arthur down and spoke.
“Now─ we still have things to discuss, right?”
“Huh? Oh… yeah, that’s right. We agreed to split the prizes.”
“Let’s see, the prizes are definitely…”
Arthur recalled the promise he made with Kail. If she won, they would split the rewards evenly. However, there was a problem.
The tournament prizes were difficult to divide evenly.
The only thing divisible was the prize money, which was mere pocket change for Kail, a noble. It was a small amount that felt awkward to take from Arthur, a commoner.
“Hey, Kail?”
“Hmm? What?”
“The prize money and items, you can keep them all. Even without them, I still gain plenty…”
Fortunately, Arthur wasn’t a miser clinging tightly to that small sum of money, refusing to give it up. Thanks to Kail, he managed to win, so he considered all rights earned through the victory as Kail’s.
Hearing this, Kail ruffled Arthur’s hair and started grinning at him like a cute younger sibling.
“Hey, how could I do that? I’ll take just one thing.”
“Just one?”
“Yeah. An item from the Academy treasure vault.”
“If that’s what you want, sure.”
Kail didn’t know what treasures were inside the Academy treasure vault or which ones would bring the most benefit.
But it didn’t matter. There was someone who knew best─ someone itching to meet him right now to advise on what to take.
*KNOCK KNOCK.*
“Young master, there’s a guest.”
Look, didn’t they come rushing out of impatience?
* * *
“Dragon Orb! Definitely the Dragon Orb!”
Sera, entering the mansion, shouted this towards Arthur.
Not understanding what she meant, Arthur scratched his cheek and asked back.
“Uh… Dragon Orb?”
“I’m talking about the prize! Among the items you can get from the Academy treasure vault, you must choose that!”
“How do you even know such a thing exists…?”
The Academy treasure vault was a place opened only a few times a year. Moreover, it wasn’t even the Empire’s Imperial Palace warehouse but a mere Academy warehouse filled with curious objects, making it a frequent target for theft.
Naturally, Sera, who had just enrolled, couldn’t possibly know what was inside unless someone told her.
“The, the principal told me…”
“Oh, really?”
Fortunately, Sera had already achieved the feat of being a dragon hunter and befriended the principal, so his claim carried credibility.
Arthur, knowing nothing, trusted her completely. Meanwhile, Kail, who knew everything, chuckled quietly from behind, watching her.
‘Shut up.’
‘Got it.’
After exchanging glances with Sera, Kail shrugged and asked her about other things.
“What if it’s not there?”
“…True, that could happen. If not, next would be the Golden Apple, Einherjar’s Grimoire, Skyblade V─.”
“Uh, excuse me.”
“Hmm? What?”
“Did the principal tell you about those too? Something feels off…”
Realizing her slip-up, Sera cautiously coughed a few times. If the principal recommended it, there’d be no need to consider the possibility of the item not being there.
Yet, Sera was listing alternative items as if unsure whether they existed or not.
As if she hadn’t seen the warehouse but somehow knew what was inside.
“Y, yes! He told me about those too!”
“Really…?”
“Yep, that’s right!”
Though Arthur couldn’t shake off his suspicions, he decided to overlook it since it wasn’t an immediate concern. Doubting her now wouldn’t benefit him anyway.
“Hey, Sera. But I’ve decided to take that item. Recommend something else I need instead.”
“What? You’re already a Master. What else could you possibly need?”
“A sword would be nice. A magical sword that returns to my hand when thrown.”
“Why not just enchant a normal sword…?”
‘…Huh?’
Belatedly, Arthur realized that Sera and Kail seemed unusually close. Given Sera’s name and appearance, she could easily be mistaken for someone from a completely different continent, so their only connection should have been meeting at the Academy.
She displayed a familiarity with Kail that she hadn’t shown even with Arthur, despite spending more time with him. They acted as if they’d been friends for over a decade.
‘Like childhood friends…’
Though it seemed impossible, Arthur brushed it off as a misunderstanding.
* * *
The next day.
Arthur approached the principal, requesting to enter the treasure vault.
Surprised that she’d come so soon, the principal led her to the treasure vault with a slightly astonished expression.
Entering the heavily sealed treasure vault, accessible only to master-level sorcerers, Arthur picked an item without much deliberation and exited.
“Arthur, are you sure about choosing that?”
“Yes. I’ll take this.”
“Hmm… well, it’s your choice.”
What Arthur chose was a small orb glowing with a red light. After confirming it wasn’t cursed, the principal handed it over and returned to his office.
Returning to Kail’s mansion with the red orb, Arthur faced Sera and Kail waiting for him.
“Did you find it?”
“Yeah, here.”
“Oh, ohh- so this is…”
Sera gasped in admiration at the sparkling red orb. Though Arthur didn’t know what it was, he followed instructions to channel his aura into it.
The moment he did, the orb reacted, emitting bursts of red light.
“Eh, eeh?”
The Dragon Orb activated its embedded magic, reacting solely to dragon energy. This thousands-of-years-old dragon treasure vault remained unopened even by players.
No one, not even Sera, knew what lay inside.
“So, what’s inside…?”
With anticipation, they opened the treasure vault, and out fell an egg. Those present were dumbfounded.
“…Huh?”
“An egg?”
Inside the dragon’s hidden treasure vault was a single egg.
