Chapter 1297: Schoolyard Dynamics
Classes within the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory were designed to give the children a lot of free time for personal study and self-advancement.
Depending on whether or not you were in the Magic Knight or True Mage classes, you would have a total of three four-hour lectures, three two-hour lectures, and two practical lessons every week. The four-hour lectures focused on your main topic of interest so, if you were in the Magic Knight course, you would spend four hours training under the guidance of Galahad in the morning before studying theory with Da Vinci and Sion in the afternoon. The inverse was true for students in the True Mage course as they would spend their mornings studying theory before exercising for two hours in the afternoon.
In between every standard day, the two courses would combine for practical lessons that could take as little as two hours or as long as eight. They would be given various challenges and would have to form teams in order to overcome the trials that had been set for them. This was their opportunity to earn bonus points for themselves and improve their individual rankings so most students took it very seriously in the hopes of elevating their status.
The only real issue with the current system was that several small cliques had already formed within the class. Those in the lower rankings tended to mingle with each other and lay low while those in higher positions would band together to form 'strong' teams. This seemed to be perfectly natural in the minds of the students and, while it wasn't exactly an unexpected outcome, it was still more than a little troublesome.
Fortunately, Vahn didn't have to step in to personally address this matter as Mordred had used her high [Charisma] to penetrate virtually every group. Though she had a way of unnerving other people, primarily those with greater ambition than willpower, it was impossible for anyone to send her away. Thus, with her acting as the lynchpin, the various cliques were required to interact with each other as she didn't really accept their excuses for wanting to distance themselves from others.
Because of her actions, Mordred had seeded herself as a figure of authority and leadership between both classes. She encouraged certain team structures and pushed everyone to get used to working alongside each other, taking advantage of the militaristic structure of their curriculum. This put a lot of pressure on those that only enrolled in the program to advance themselves but, due to the prior teachings of the Clock Tower, they lacked the ability to accede to her insistence.
Mordred's arrangements required that those in the highest positions take on proteges from the other end of the rankings. As the Rank 1 student, she helped guide the Rank 37 student and, while this was an 'optional' responsibility, even Sakura and Mash had gone along with Mordred's whim. As a result, Rani and the other Atlas Temple students did the same so, while there was a fair amount of tension and awkwardness, the average strength of even the weaker students was being elevated to a higher standard.
The only two students within the top 10 that opted out of participating in the mentorship program were Astrid and Zoë, each for their own reasons. They didn't want to end up being paired with any male students and, not wanting to be accused of unfair treatment, they decided not to take on any females students either. They would rather focus on their individual interests and focus on their own students for the time being so they wouldn't participate in such movements until they had become more comfortable with the class as a whole.
As the entire class had realized that Astrid and Zoë were 'untouchables' at this point, everyone tried to be nice and polite around the two as upsetting them in any way all but guaranteed that Mordred would give you some 'advice' on how you should act. She was very protective of everyone belonging to the Imperial Quintet but Astrid and Zoë were like her reverse scale. This caused most of the boys to feel nervous around the two but, as Astrid and Zoë never really pressured others, Mordred didn't have to step in all that often...
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In spite of her efforts, there was bound to be some dissent caused by Mordred's 'tyrannical' actions. The boys hailing from the Clock Tower, in particular, felt as if they were being ostracized by their predominately female classmates. Though they weren't overtly talked down to or suppressed, they felt as if the average female student looked down on them, at least within their mind. It was difficult to interact with any of their female classmates without drawing looks of suspicion and ire from their other classmates, at least from their perspective.
Of the nine male students, five hailed from the Atlas Temple so the group that feeling suppressed only amounted to three people. Though Silvain also felt a little pressured by Mordred, he didn't have the same mentality as the other boys as his ambitions and fears offset his frustration. He considered the possibility that they were under constant supervision so, even if he felt the same way as the rest, he distanced himself from such conversations for fear of drawing negative attention to himself.
The other three students obviously considered they were under observation as well but, feeling the need to vent their frustrations, they still met up with each other to complain during their time off. It was really their only option as it was borderline impossible for them to interact in any meaningful way with the female students. Since they were effectively cut off from the rest of the Clock Tower, for a variety of reasons, the only people they could really confide in were each other...
With a dull expression on his face, a boy with grey hair and dark green eyes leaned against a pile of stacked pillows with his Companion, a sheep-type model, sitting in his lap. Stroking its soft and fluffy fur help him relax but, with his fellow beaten dogs present, he still commented, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to complete the curriculum at this rate...I always expected that I would find a nice girl to unwind with between studies. This sucks..."
Hearing his friends remark, a boy with neatly combed brown hair and hazel eyes laughed dryly while playing a fighting game on a handheld gaming device. Across from him, his Companion was using a similar device and, though it had tiny fingers compared to a human, it had enough dexterity to easily play games. It was even better than the boy himself at the game so, while it was frustrating in many ways, the boy actually enjoyed the competition.
The final member of the trio, a boy with pale auburn hair and cat-like eyes, heard the complaint from where he was reading a book so, without taking his eyes away from the page, he remarked, "I won't disagree with the sentiment. From the perspective of finding a girlfriend, this situation is pretty shit. It doesn't help that most of the girls here are the type that escaped some shitty situation so the odds of them being coaxed and favoring any of us is slim..."
As even the boys were the type that had basically fled their families, it wasn't as if they were unable to empathize with the girls. They were all going through a lot and, with the opportunities provided by the Empire, there was a chance they could truly seize their own destiny. This made them less likely to consider things like dating as, for the time being, they were more focused on securing a place for themselves in the Empire.
All three of the boys understood this but, as almost every one of their female classmates could be considered a beauty, it was 'very' frustrating for them. They no longer had any background to rely on as leverage for establishing a relationship so, with most of them being in the lower half of the ranks, it was difficult to even approach their classmates, much less ask them out.
The only thing the boys couldn't really complain about was the classes themselves as, compared to life within the Clock Tower, the Empire seemed relatively easy going. Though they had to be serious during lessons, they were given a lot of free time to relax and self-study. The most surprising part of this was that the classes taught by Professor Alpha and Sir Galahad were extremely effective so, even with their leisurely schedule, they were quickly increasing in strength. This had come as a surprise to all of the fourth and fifth-year students as it felt like everything they had learned during their studies in the Clock Tower was meant to guide them down the wrong path.
Upon realizing that was very likely the case, the determination of the average student had increased considerably. They refused to become a pawn of the Mage's Association and, while there was a good chance they would become pawns in the Empire, they would at least have more power. Some people on the BBS even speculated that the Aldrnari Empire would become a global power in the future so, while they might feel a little suppressed right now, the boys knew their future prospects were better than anything they could have hoped for under the thumb of the Nobles. There was even a chance they could become an actual Knight, earning the title of Baron for themselves and becoming a lesser Noble in the process.
This was the hope of all three boys present in the room so, even though it made them feel less than dirt when comparing themselves to the Imperial Quintet, they joined the Magic Knight class. As the entire class consisted of nine people, they were forced to directly interact with people like Mordred, Sakura, Mash, and Zoë. This put a lot of pressure on them due to the monstrous difference in their strength compared to the girls but, believing they would eventually be able to surpass the girls due to their male physiques, they continued working hard...at least when they were supposed to.
The curriculum of the Department of Unified Thaumaturgical Theory was designed to reward those who worked hard, both within the classroom and outside of it. Those that let the stress get to them, causing them to take long breaks and use all their free time to relax, would ultimately fall into the lower ranks. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing but, if you wanted to succeed within the Empire's merit-based system, a genuine effort was required.
What the boys didn't realize was that their attitude was the main reason none of the girls showed any interest in them. As boys, they hadn't experienced the darkest parts of the Magus community so it was easy for them to fall into a routine where they used their recreational time to relax and play video games. They were fundamentally incapable of thinking themselves talentless and, while they were far behind the girls in the class, their rapid increase in strength caused them to carry an air of arrogance about themselves.
A stark contrast to the boys, the average female student treated their studies extremely seriously. If they failed out of the program, a tragic end was their only outcome. With this in mind, they focused wholly on improving and, with so many like-minded people surrounding them, they supported each other to become stronger. The didn't particularly look down on the boys but, seeing how lax the trio were, they would rather associate with those putting in effort than being dragged down by a group that just wanted to put in only the required amount of effort.
With Mordred, Rani, Sakura, Mash, Zoë, and even Astrid setting a strong example of how strong a woman could become, most of the girls were extremely motivated. They would proactively seek advice from those stronger than themselves and, though there was a fair amount of tension between some of them, they at least pretended to get along with everyone else. The decisions they made now would shape their entire future so, in order to ensure they did not become victims a second time, they couldn't afford to play around with boys who cared more about alleviating their boredom than excelling in the program...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Mordred is da Queen...!','Youths...','The difference between prioritizing comfort and suffering hardships to shape a better future o3o...')
(A/N: This micro-arc will have quite a few school chapters and, while Vahn is still the MC, some of his children will take the limelight for a few chapters. He is more focused on dealing with things behind the scenes and self-improvement so, without doing a time skip, it would be a lot of the same kind of chapters. Don't worry, as things will develop in a potentially interesting direction in the near future!)
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