All-Master Player Of The Academy [EN]: Chapter 27

27. Eliminating Rivals – 1

After separating the two sparring students and finishing his volunteer work, Ian returned to the dormitory.

He nodded to Grazin, who was fiddling with a relic, and changed into comfortable clothes. Just then, Blench entered the room.

“Hey, Ian. Got nothing to do?”

“Study. Study. Did you come to the Academy to play around?”

Despite the nagging, Blench grinned and plopped down on a chair.

“Hahaha. Heroes don’t need to study.”

“You’re not a hero. Why did you come?”

Even Grazin asked in a prickly tone, and Blench chuckled.

“Did you guys hear the results of yesterday’s Student Council meeting?”

They hadn’t heard because they weren’t interested.

Grazin, too, seemed unaware, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

Blench smirked at them.

“I figured you wouldn’t, so I brought it with me.” He immediately pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to them.

Ian took it, and Blench picked up Myane and placed her on his lap.

Regardless, Myane just yawned, seemingly uninterested.

“They say the Student Council is hosting a sparring competition soon. With generous prizes.”

Grazin turned his eyes back to his book, showing no interest.

Blench had expected him to react that way.

“Ian, what about you?”

“What are the generous prizes? If it’s just meal tickets, I don’t need them.”

“I don’t know yet. Mostly, the Student Council puts out artifacts or sacred objects they’ve obtained after completing missions.”

Artifacts and sacred objects were a bit interesting.

When Ian showed interest, Blench smirked.

“Anyway, that’s the gist. Apply if you’re interested.”

Ian read the paper Blench had given him.

[Student Council Sparring Competition]

[The Student Council is holding a sparring competition to verify and improve the skills of the Academy students.]

[Accordingly, Academy students are to form teams of three and apply for the sparring competition.]

[It is important to know where you stand when climbing a mountain. Do not be afraid of defeat.]

“The Student Council did a lot of things last year too. They even led monster hunts…”

“The Student Council seems to have a lot to do.”

They have to hold sparring competitions and carry out missions.

They also have to attend classes and manage the Academy’s security.

Not only that, but they also have to listen to students’ concerns and handle Student Council affairs.

They don’t get wealth or glory for doing all that, so why do they work so hard?

“It’s ultimately for honor and respect. And Student Council activities are a kind of social activity.”

Most of those who enter the Academy have been pushed out of the line of succession [meaning they are not the primary heirs].

But what if they build up power and connections through Student Council activities, where they can intervene in various matters?

They could create their own power base after graduation.

There have been many cases where former Student Council executives became the new heirs of their families after graduating from the Academy.

That’s how connected they are to many families and institutions.

As Kirke explained, Ian put the sparring competition guide aside.

He didn’t know what the prizes were yet, and since they were still under discussion, he would decide whether to participate once it was determined.

“By the way, I thought the Scarlet Kingdom had already decided on an heir. Is Chairman Rakid going to challenge for the throne?”

‘People naturally gather around those who have proven themselves.’

He is the Student Council president who leads them at Fredon Academy, where many nobles gather.

That alone seemed to qualify Rakid to challenge for the throne.

“Bominda must be getting anxious.”

“Probably. Hey, Ian, you’re from the Scarlet Kingdom, aren’t you? Who do you think is better?”

“I don’t care who it is.”

Grazin was satisfied with his indifferent response.

“Forget about those troublesome problems and just become an adventurer. I’ll pay you a lot.”

“Or you could join a noble family in a country with a stable line of succession. I recommend the Auden County. I hear it’s really good there.”

Ignoring their words, Ian took Myane and went outside.

He headed to the empty lot near the dormitory to receive the moon’s energy, as he always did, and tried to sit in a lotus position.

At that moment.

“Myaa…!”

Myane’s cry, filled with hostility, echoed in the darkness.

Ian glanced in the direction Myane was looking.

At the edge of his vision, something formed of shadows was moving.

“Myaaaa… Shaaaa!!”

Myane was wary of the darkness, her fur standing on end.

But Ian simply watched the darkness silently.

The darkness stood still for a moment, then turned away after looking at Ian.

In other words, he felt the energy of a demon.

But it wasn’t exactly the same as before.

“It’s not mixed in like it was then.”

Human weapons who had lost their reason and were controlled by bloodlust.

They moved in that way.

That meant that the person inside that black mass of shadows was currently unconscious.

“Leave it alone for now. It looks like it will move soon, and if we catch it while it’s rampaging, they’ll give us a better subjugation reward.”

If you catch a demon, you can get a sacred object.

And if that demon is a more dangerous demon, you can get a better sacred object.

Fruits should be picked when they are ripe.

“Register it as a hostile entity and keep track of who it is and where it is. Well, I think I know who it is.”

After giving the order to Kirke, Ian sat in a lotus position as usual and began to meditate.

* * *

The next day, Ian entered the classroom for class and sat down.

It was usually noisy, but today the classroom was strangely loud.

“Hey, did you hear? There was an assault in the lower-class dormitory early this morning.”

Such incidents happen frequently, even if they are not publicized.

Ian reacted indifferently to Grazin’s words from the back seat.

“Why? Did someone catch a rat and beat it to a pulp or something?”

“No. They say the guys who were catching the rat got severely beaten up.”

“They got what they deserved. What is it? Is it a case like mine?”

“Ah, not that.”

It happened last night in lower-class C班 [Class C].

One student in C班 said that he had been constantly bullied by four students in the same class.

“So?”

“The four bullies were found collapsed in their dormitory rooms, completely trashed.”

“That’s something to celebrate. Did the bullied kid do it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why? What was the dormitory supervisor doing? The dormitory should have been under control at night. Didn’t they patrol?”

“It was so secretive that even the dormitory supervisor didn’t know, and no sound was heard all night.”

“What about roll call?”

“They did it all. There were no problems, the patrol was done properly, and the alarm magic wasn’t disabled.”

“But there’s no way the supervisor wouldn’t know. Could it be an inside job?”

“So they investigated, but it wasn’t that either. One of the kids who barely woke up said that darkness had beaten him almost to death.”

“Oh, really?”

‘Kirke.’

After receiving Kirke’s report, Ian nodded and asked Grazin.

“By the way, where did you hear that?”

“I go to the magic research group every morning at dawn. I heard it then.”

Upper-class students and mages were mobilized to find traces of what happened last night.

Those who belonged to the magic research group went, and he heard it from them.

“Gee, it’s unsettling.”

“What’s unsettling about it? They just got what they deserved.”

As he said it nonchalantly, Aranse entered.

He came in with a sullen expression and distributed the guides he had brought.

“The schedule for the Student Council’s sparring competition has been officially set. But unfortunately, it seems that our B班 [Class B] will have a hard time participating.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Why else? It overlaps with the survival training schedule.”

There was another training where they had to survive in the Miyal Mountains for three days.

Some students who had been looking forward to the sparring competition were disappointed.

Aranse cleared his throat softly at them.

“Well, if you want, I can spar for you instead. It’ll be much better than the Student Council’s weak sparring.”

The students didn’t react.

“Why not?!”

“Instructor Aranse, your sparring is too excessive.”

“I’d rather spar with Ian.”

“Y-you guys…”

Aranse, trembling with clenched fists, looked at Ian.

“Then, Ian, can you help?”

“I’ll do it for one sacred object per session. Preferably one from the Order of the Moon.”

“What are you going to do with all those sacred objects? Anyway, keep that in mind. Now, let’s start the class right away. Ian, a review. What herbs are used when exorcising demons?”

He tapped the blackboard and asked, and Ian answered without hesitation.

“There’s Bless Herb, Heimle Root, Mandrake Fruit, Blood Ring Herb, Sun Herb, and Moon Viewing Herb.”

“What is Bless Herb used for?”

“It’s used to make holy water. It’s used as a medium to concentrate the holy power of priests.”

“Good. Today, we will continue the lesson on manufacturing equipment for exorcising demons, following on from the last lesson.”

He quickly wrote on the blackboard, and the B班 [Class B] students focused on the lesson.

After the main lesson, Ian headed straight to the smithing practice area.

As he entered with Balla, Scranda asked.

“Ian, did you order the iron ore from the south?”

“Yes. But how did you know?”

“I found it while checking the items brought into the Academy. I thought you might use it here, so I moved it here. But why did you order this?”

“I’m going to take a look at the southern iron.”

“Really? Then I’ll teach you about the smelting method.”

“I know it.”

“…Do it.”

Ian skillfully put the iron ore into the container and stepped on the bellows to raise the temperature of the furnace.

He removed the useless impurities and added coke and limestone.

Scranda nodded as he quickly separated the components of the iron ore and created an ingot.

‘He really knows it well.’

There is no hesitation, and his hand movements are skillful.

He doesn’t care about the heat of the furnace, so he seems really skilled.

“Where did you learn this?”

“I learned it from books.”

“Books? What books? I’ll give you a good book if you want. It’s a book written by dwarves, so it’ll be better than the ones in the Academy library.”

“Thank you.”

“Come to the instructor’s office later.”

He said gruffly and looked at the other students.

‘Everyone can’t even follow a tenth of what Ian does. Hmm… the more I look at it, the more of a waste it is…’

No matter how you look at it, he’s not the kind of person who should be in this Academy.

He looked at Ian and then turned his eyes to Balla.

“You can’t do it like that.”

“Ah, yes. Hey, Ian, how do I do this?”

“Fold it three more times. And add more coke.”

“O-okay.”

Scranda clicked his tongue as if he regretted it even more, seeing Ian find the exact answer just by glancing at it.

‘He’s a talent worth nurturing, but…’