237th Episode
The Izhise, the Empire’s premier elite educational institution.
Most of Izhise’s students belonged to the Knight Department. While students from other disciplines did exist, most of them were receiving entrusted education from religious orders or the Magic Tower.
In the early stages of their enrollment at Izhise, Knight Department students primarily underwent light physical training. However, as time went on, they had to complete increasingly dangerous training programs where safety could not be guaranteed. Thus, discipline was naturally necessary to minimize mistakes and prevent accidents. From this perspective, it wasn’t excessive to readjust the attitudes of third-tier students when they became overly excited about their first outing.
Of course, using superficial appearances as an excuse for harsh discipline might have seemed absurd, but nonetheless, the instructors tolerated second-tier students enforcing discipline on third-tier students to a certain extent. It would also have been awkward for the instructors to interfere directly in every aspect of third-tier students’ lives.
“Lower your heads.”
Second-tier students waiting at the main gate immediately ordered third-tier students who returned from their first outing with improper attire to bow their heads and touch the ground.
The number of third-tier students doing so kept increasing, groaning in discomfort.
At that moment, Johanna returned to Izhise.
As the top student of her cohort, Johanna was supposed to set an example for her peers regardless of her background. However, when the second-tier students noticed a strong scent of perfume emanating from her, they frowned disapprovingly.
“You’re wearing perfume?! Are you even in your right mind right now?”
The second-tier students were planning to make Johanna bow her head next and confiscate the perfume.
However, before they could take action, Ray appeared at the gate.
Against the backdrop of a twilight sky, Ray stood out dramatically with a glowing brooch pinned to his chest, drawing all the attention around him.
Amidst the intense focus, one of the second-tier students shouted loudly.
“Hey, you!”
*
Just as Ray returned to Izhise, the sky quickly darkened.
As the surroundings grew darker, the brooch pinned to Ray’s chest shone brightly, almost comically oversized and gaudy rather than sacred.
Ray hesitated whether to put the brooch into his inner pocket while passing through the gate, when insults began pouring out.
“Hey, you!”
A second-tier student approached briskly, shouting repeatedly.
“What is this redneck up to already? What’s that thing on your chest?”
“Oh…”
Delun let out a small gasp.
It was fascinating to see how Ray would handle the situation.
Under everyone’s gaze, the second-tier student clenched his teeth.
Noticing a bracelet on Ray’s wrist, the visibly enraged second-tier student furrowed his brows and questioned the brooch first.
“What is that ridiculous brooch on your chest? Where did you get it?”
Ray hesitated briefly before responding quickly.
“Ah… This brooch was a gift from my mother before I came to Izhise. She gave it to me as a wish for my safety.”
“…”
The second-tier student was momentarily stunned, fumbling for words, then inspected the brooch again.
Ray’s brooch was large and somewhat tacky, the kind of item older adults might appreciate.
Unbeknownst to the second-tier students, the brooch was actually a gift from Karen, who had no choice but to buy a large one due to consecration requirements.
When Ray blatantly played the “mother card,” a brief silence fell over the group.
In the awkward atmosphere, some nearby second-tier students cleared their throats unnecessarily.
Delun and Johanna silently marveled at Ray’s shameless tactic.
While Delun and Johanna exchanged glances, the initially silent second-tier student raised his voice again to regain control of the situation.
“B… But still! We were told not to wear any accessories besides uniforms!”
“I apologize. I will ensure this doesn’t happen again. I’m truly sorry.”
With Ray offering a polite apology, the second-tier student briefly considered letting it go.
However, another second-tier student suddenly cursed.
“Shit, move aside a bit.”
Verden, known for his aggressive and fiery behavior, shoved his peer aside and stepped forward.
Verden felt a strong irritation towards Ray’s seemingly smug attitude.
Verden knew Ray possessed remarkable talent and had influential backing, but flaunting such advantages within Izhise was unacceptable.
Such actions undermined the foundation of Izhise, which aimed to integrate nobles, gentry, and commoners alike. If Ray intended to act arrogantly based on his abilities and connections, he shouldn’t have entered Izhise in the first place.
With the intention to rip off and stomp on Ray’s brooch, Verden approached aggressively.
Now faced with this situation, Ray had two choices: either flee immediately or openly provoke a conflict.
Ray didn’t want anyone touching the brooch given by Karen, especially since beneath it hung a protective medal.
Deciding to escape and deal with the aftermath later, Ray was interrupted by another second-tier student stepping in.
“Why are you guys bothering the rednecks again over something trivial?”
“Theon?”
Verden turned his head and saw Theon, his expression becoming even more distorted.
“Why are you interfering all of a sudden?”
“Is there a problem with me intervening?”
“Shit, I just wanted to educate these rednecks. What’s your issue?”
“Hmph.”
Theon smirked and mocked openly.
“Let’s see how much you’ve followed the rules yourself before lecturing others. Huh?”
Nearby third-tier students exchanged subtle glances among themselves.
Theon wasn’t genuinely siding with the third-tier students but used it as a pretense to provoke Verden.
The atmosphere grew tense.
As Ray contemplated escaping amidst this chaos, someone grabbed him under the armpit from behind.
“…!!”
Recognizing the familiar touch, Ray struggled in shock, but Saria ignored him and lifted him up.
“Nephew, your aunt has been waiting for you.”
“No, no, that’s not—!”
“How adorable.”
Saria had been feeling down because Ray, embarrassed to walk beside his aunt, had gone ahead alone after returning to Izhise.
Upon seeing Ray waiting at the gate, she was delighted, believing he had waited despite being self-conscious during adolescence, and immediately picked him up.
Despite flailing in mid-air, Ray was soon subdued.
Holding Ray aloft like a trophy, Saria quickly passed by the stupefied students and disappeared from sight.
“…”
Verden, whose authority had been undermined in front of the third-tier students, felt a headache coming on.
As he prepared to throw a punch at Theon, Nelson intervened.
“Everyone, stop.”
“…”
“…”
The second-tier students fell silent simultaneously.
Looking around at the students, Nelson spoke sternly.
“I’ll take care of educating the third-tier students. You second-tier students have done enough. Go back inside.”
There was no resisting Nelson’s command.
Suppressing their tempers, the second-tier students nodded slightly to Nelson and dispersed.
Theon left in a different direction alone, but Nelson internally sighed upon reading the raw emotion in his eyes.
Issues regarding individuals from the Southern region were causing rifts even within Izhise.
Due to disputes over the exclusion of Southern-originated students from key positions among the upcoming graduating first-tier students, tensions had risen, affecting the second-tier students as well.
This wasn’t something Nelson could resolve immediately.
After swallowing a sigh, Nelson appropriately reprimanded the third-tier students bowing their heads and dismissed them.
Delun privately regretted not getting a better look at the protective medal.
*
After the first outing, Ray kept the brooch in his inner pocket.
Living in Izhise while pretending to be a diligent student, Ray realized how beneficial the education here was beyond his expectations.
He hadn’t systematically studied military doctrines of this world.
Until now, Ray relied heavily on improvisation during combat, fighting more haphazardly.
From this perspective, Izhise’s education was quite advantageous for Ray.
Of course, learning briefly wouldn’t lead to extraordinary progress, but Ray calmly absorbed what he could while observing Johanna and Delun, spending his time accordingly.
As time passed, the third-tier students experienced increasingly diverse and perilous training.
And today, the third-tier students would enter the underground plaza within Izhise for the first time since their enrollment.
“From now on, you will indirectly experience battlefields.”
Nelson solemnly explained to the third-tier students what they would experience in the underground plaza.
A simulation device designed to simulate battles using a mental-interference magic barrier was installed there.
“This device applies a mental-interference magical barrier. I’ll explain further later, but under no circumstances should you resist the barrier. Attempting to resist recklessly could cause problems.”
The original designer of this facility was Resina.
Mentioning the name of the hero from 600 years ago excited the students once again.
After calming their enthusiasm, Nelson continued.
“In the future, you will experience historical battlefields recorded in the device once a month. If you feel any lingering effects from the mental fatigue, report them to me immediately.”
Besides the mental fatigue users might feel, the simulation device had several drawbacks.
One significant drawback was that due to its intricate magical barriers, designing and adding new battlefields was extremely difficult.
Thus, most of the battlefields available in the simulation were centuries-old ones.
“Keep striving diligently. One day, you may even experience the great battles recorded in history here.”
Having finished explaining, Nelson led the third-tier students into the underground plaza.
A knight and mage guarding the plaza opened the way for them.
Inside the underground plaza, complex magical arrays and catalysts were densely arranged.
Nelson asked the students,
“Is there anyone who wishes to volunteer for the first experience?”
Aaron raised his hand without hesitation.
Nelson personally guided Aaron to the center of the engraved magical array on the floor.
After reiterating precautions, Nelson sat Aaron down and stepped back.
Soon, the magical array activated, and a cluster of lights surrounded Aaron.
“…!”
Aaron’s focus blurred and scattered.
Everyone watched him tensely.
Before long, Aaron, who had maintained calmness, started wincing and sweating profusely.
About ten minutes later, the magical array dimmed, and Aaron’s eyes refocused.
Ker-thud!
Aaron, sitting on the ground, performed a loud backward roll.
Aaron exhaled deeply and eventually couldn’t hold back nausea.
Nelson calmly handed Aaron a bucket while cautioning the students.
“When the connection between mind and body is disrupted and reconnects, there can be a backlash. Rest assured, recovery will come with some rest, so don’t panic.”
Aaron crawled out of the magical array after retching a few more times, still waving his hand dismissively to pretend everything was fine.
The students, filled with both curiosity and fear, adjusted their breathing.
Experiences proceeded in student number order afterward.
Johanna also went through the simulation, forcing herself to return to the surface after vomiting.
Although everyone remained silent about what they experienced, Ray had heard through the grapevine that the first simulation generally involved experiencing battlefields with numerous demons and soldiers.
Students who completed the experience were all exhausted and collapsed, but neither Nelson nor the other instructors reprimanded them.
It was normal for the first experience to have a strong backlash, often causing dizziness for hours.
Finally, it was Ray’s turn.
As Ray stood in the center of the magical array, it activated.
‘Hmm…’
Hundreds of illusionary barriers overlapped, disrupting and then reassembling Ray’s consciousness.
Resistance was possible, but Ray quietly waited for the countless barriers to infiltrate his awareness.
Whoosh!!
A new landscape unfolded before Ray’s eyes.
Confirming his appearance in student uniform, Ray looked ahead.
Over the land where black rain fell, streams of foul odors flowed like rivers.
In this horrific environment entirely new to him, Ray turned his head.
Everywhere in sight lay grotesque corpses of monstrous creatures, indescribable in form.
“Huh… I thought something like this could happen…”
Ray looked forward again.
There, on an incongruous, opulent throne, sat a woman with flowing golden hair, her chin resting on her hand.
“Even though it’s obviously fake, you can smell the stench, huh?”
“Indeed.”
The woman spoke.
“There isn’t much time left.”
Encounter (2)
