Squad Building.
It was a building located some distance away from the main school building, specifically provided for use by squads formed by Sky Wizards.
Each squad had its own exclusive room here, similar to club activity rooms, allowing each Sky Wizard squad to use it for their squad activities.
Therefore, during the practical training courses in the afternoon, this squad building would be bustling with students from the Sky Wizard Division coming and going.
In one corner of this squad building, there was a very ordinary squad room.
On the door of this room, there was a sign that read "e601."
This was the squad room for e601.
At this moment, three girls were gathered in this squad room.
Each of them sat in a corner, wearing the pre-student uniform, which was a short skirt style, different from the long skirt style worn by undergraduate students.
That was the pre-student girls' uniform, indicating to others that these three girls were pre-students.
It was to be expected.
This squad was an e-rank squad, even mocked as an f-rank squad.
If they were undergraduate students, being in an e-rank squad at that level would mean they wouldn't last long and might as well drop out.
Therefore, usually only pre-student squads were e-rank squads. To move up to undergraduate, a squad would need to be at least c-rank; otherwise, it wouldn't be considered a promising talent for fighting the Armored Beetles.
That said, the e601 squad was also at the point of almost being unsalvageable.
Now, the three girls, considered Mistgun's most problematic students, were gathered here.
"So slow!"
After a while, someone finally spoke up, breaking the silence.
It was a short girl, around fourteen years old, with waist-length bright red hair tied in a ponytail on one side of her head, and lively big eyes.
The girl looked a bit impatient, showing that she was a person who was easily agitated and had her emotions on her sleeve.
This girl was Misora Whitale, the captain of the e601 squad, who had never won a match, had over a hundred defeats, and consistently failed theoretical exams.
"Why haven't they arrived yet? Didn't they say the new instructor would come today?"
Misora complained.
Although only about twenty minutes had passed since everyone gathered, Misora clearly lacked patience.
No wonder.
"Could it be that after seeing our squad's profile, they decided to back out like the previous instructors and didn't want to teach us?"
Misora seemed to think so, making her feel both agitated and dejected.
Responding to Misora's words was another girl.
"I... I don't think it's that bad... It's... It's probably just that something came up..."
Speaking in a weak, timid voice was a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, fair skin, a petite but curvy figure, and a well-developed body.
The girl's personality matched her demeanor; she appeared timid and weak, speaking softly and acting submissively.
She was Lecty Eisenach, a member of the e601 squad, who was advised to drop out due to low entrance exam scores and was deemed unsuitable for the battlefield.
"Misora... Please don't be so impatient..."
Lecty tried to muster up some courage to talk to Misora.
But her voice was too low for Misora to hear.
"What are you saying, Lecty!" Misora looked at Lecty, both annoyed and concerned. "Didn't I tell you to speak louder when talking to others? No one can hear you like that!"
Hearing this, Lecty panicked.
"I... I'm sorry...!"
Lecty quickly bowed her head toward Misora to apologize.
However...
"Thud!"
Due to the overly abrupt bowing motion, Lecty accidentally banged her forehead on the desk she was sitting at.
"Ouch...!"
Immediately, Lecty held her forehead, looking as if she was about to cry.
"Are... Are you okay, Lecty?"
Misora was a bit taken aback but quickly came to Lecty's side.
"I'm... I'm fine..."
Lecty kept holding her forehead, tears welling up in her eyes.
The two distinct girls were causing a fuss over a small matter, making a big deal out of nothing.
In contrast, the last person present had been quietly staying in the corner, gazing out the window, seemingly lost in thought.
It was a girl with beautifully groomed black hair, sharp black eyes like onyx, a straight nose, a well-defined face, and a stunning figure, making her look like a masterpiece created by a renowned artist.
The girl quietly stared out the window, looking like a painting.
Unfortunately...
"What are you staring at, Rico?"
Seeing this by chance while tending to Lecty's forehead, Misora curiously asked.
The incredibly beautiful girl was Rico Flamel, the final member of the e601 squad.
Hearing Misora's voice, Rico turned her head.
"Nothing."
Rico said, caressing her cheek, looking both enchanted and infatuated.
"I just saw a goddess-like beautiful figure reflected in the glass and was mesmerized."
Hearing this, Misora and Lecty were slightly stunned.
"A goddess-like... figure...?"
Lecty tilted her head, looking confused.
"Where? I don't see it."
Misora seemed a bit curious, wanting to take a closer look.
However, this only elicited a glamorous smile from Rico.
"How could you not see it? It's right in front of you."
Rico's words left Misora and Lecty bewildered.
So, what did she mean?
"That's the reflection of myself in the glass." Rico caressed her cheek, still infatuated, and said, "Ah, why am I so beautiful? But this is the destiny of the goddess in me. There's nothing I can do. Even though I don't want mortals to desecrate this beauty, even I can't avoid all the mortal gazes. Take this as a reward for your lives and engrave it in your hearts."
The girl spoke in such a manner, with natural grace and confidence, as if performing a play, leaving Misora and Lecty with peculiar expressions.
"Geez, Rico is talking weird again."
Misora sighed.
"Um... Rico, we're talking about the instructor..."
Lecty also hesitated to speak.
But Rico didn't care.
"Anyway, like the previous instructors, they probably decided not to take the job after seeing we're from e601, going to the Sky Wizard Division head to protest and resign. Or maybe they have enough self-awareness to know that displaying mediocre skills in front of a goddess like me is a huge sin, so they wisely resigned."
Rico said, sounding genuinely convinced.
This girl, as mentioned in the report, had good grades, decent skills, outstanding looks, and perfect attributes in many aspects, but had an incurable personality, extremely narcissistic, making her hard to appreciate.
Each of the three girls had distinct personalities.
This was e601 squad, mocked by everyone as an f-rank squad.
"D... Did the instructor really resigned?"
Lecty seemed saddened.
Misora also lowered her head, then suddenly exploded.
"Is there any instructor willing to teach us!?"
Just as these words were spoken...
"That depends on whether you can impress me, juniors."
A seemingly amused voice echoed in the air, reaching the ears of the three present.
"...!"
When that playful voice reached the three girls present, they were all startled.
This was because, before this, none of them had heard the door open, nor had they noticed any movements.
The voice came so suddenly, silently, without any forewarning, causing the three girls to all stand up from their seats in shock.
Then, they saw it.
"You must be Squad E601, right?"
On the platform in the squad room, a boy in a second-year uniform was there, leaning on the podium with his elbows on the desk, looking down at the three girls below and smiling suddenly.
"Sorry I'm late. It's been a long time since I came to the squad building, so I couldn't help but take a look around. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?"
Rozen's voice had a hint of amusement, making it hard to tell if he was sincere.
But the three girls present couldn't care less about that.
They just looked at Rozen standing on the platform, completely forgetting to be surprised, and showing expressions of utter bewilderment.
They couldn't help it.
"You... you are..."
Misora trembled, pointing at Rozen with a shaking finger.
"Ugh... Uh uhh..."
Lecty was completely at a loss, hands and feet flailing.
"This can't be real...."
Even Rico muttered in apparent shock.
They really couldn't help it.
The person before them might be unknown to some, but for those in Mistgun's Sky Wizard Division, if they didn't recognize him, they might as well not be in Mistgun at all.
After all, he wasn't just the most legendary and famous person in all of Mistgun but also a figure known throughout the entire Floating City Alliance.
"The Mage King..."
Such a phrase was muttered by one of them.
Rozen chose to ignore this, his gaze sweeping over the three girls, then shrugged.
"Just as I heard, you three are indeed quite distinct and noticeable in many ways. As for my first impression of you, well, it's okay, I'll give you 60 points."
Such a statement finally brought the three girls back to their senses.
Immediately...
"How dare you give a goddess like me, who is flawless and perfect, a score of 60? You must be joking, right?"
Rico was the first to react and responded without hesitation.
This was an instinctive response, hardly going through her mind, and was perfectly in line with her personality.
But this was enough to make Misora and Lecty jump.
"What... what nonsense are you spouting now, Rico...!?"
"Ri-Ri-Rico, you can't speak like that to him! You can't!"
Misora and Lecty were instantly in a panic.
"...I was just telling the truth."
Rico finally realized, seeing Misora and Lecty panicking, and Rozen's amused expression, a flash of panic crossed her eyes but she still huffed, turning her head away, not intending to retract her words.
"I... Idiot...!"
"Rico...!"
Misora looked like she wanted to push Rico's head down to apologize, while Lecty was still flustered.
The three of them were in chaos.
Seeing this, Rozen found it amusing but chose not to continue watching.
"Alright, calm down." Rozen said casually, "I'm just here to see you, so just treat me as an ordinary senior, or we won't be able to have a conversation, understood?"
Rozen's tone was casual, but his voice carried an inexplicable power, making the three girls finally calm down.
But they still found it hard to believe.
After all...
"Uh... Um..."
Misora couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"Are you really going to be our instructor?"
Misora asked this with some excitement.
Not just Misora, even Lecty looked both surprised and nervous, and even Rico's gaze was fixed on Rozen, unable to move away.
Surely, any squad would react the same as Squad E601 in this situation, right?
Who was this man?
He was known as the hero and hope of humanity.
In his first year in the preparatory course, he took his squad from E rank to A rank within a year. In the second year, he was directly promoted to S rank, becoming the captain of the special forces squad. Even Vibel was alarmed and specially summoned him, allowing him to participate in frontline battles as a preparatory student. He then achieved incredible results, not only gaining unbelievable achievements but also leading all Sky Wizards to multiple victories against the Armored Beetles as the frontline commander.
Moreover, his feats in the Alchemist Division were even more astounding. It's no exaggeration to say, who wouldn't want to be guided by him?
Even an A-rank squad would accept his guidance without hesitation.
Yet Squad E601, the weakest squad, had the opportunity to be guided by such a person. How could they not be excited and exhilarated?
Unfortunately...
"I have indeed been appointed as such, but whether I will be your instructor is still pending."
Rozen poured cold water on their excitement with his next words.
"If you disappoint me, I'll leave."
This simple statement instantly brought the three of them back to reality.
They exchanged looks, then fell silent.
It was clear they realized things might not be as easy as they had imagined.
Especially Rico.
"I see, the famous 'Hero of Humanity' doesn't have time to waste on an E-rank squad like ours, so you need to assess us first?"
Rico spoke calmly.
Rozen didn't deny this rather harsh statement, merely shrugging indifferently.
"Well, if that's how you see it, then think of it that way."
Then, Rozen's tone shifted.
"Anyway, all of you sit down."
Rozen instructed.
"..."
Misora, Lecty, and Rico exchanged glances once more, then quietly returned to their seats.
But their eyes remained fixed on Rozen, with different expressions.
Misora was nervous.
Lecty was uneasy.
As for Rico, her gaze was full of scrutiny, as if she wanted to use this rare opportunity to see through Mistgun's most famous hero.
Under such circumstances...
"First, let's do some introductions."
Rozen smiled slightly, his voice resonating.
"As you know, I am Rorelai Arneet, a second-year student in the Sky Wizard Division. I'm the captain of S128 special squad, though I've mostly retired from the front lines now. My goal is to transfer to the Alchemist Division to focus on research."
After introducing himself, Rozen looked at Misora.
"Now, it's your turn to introduce yourself."
Rozen handed the conversation over to Misora.
"Un... understood...!"
Misora immediately stood up.
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT