章 126: Admission to the Academy (2)
"So, this is where I'll be going to school from today!"
A boy enters the academy.
The boy walks to the Academy's main gate, full of ambition.
He is surrounded by a huge crowd of people in the same situation as him, the new students of the 20th class.
They are like carp swimming backward towards the gate.
Suddenly, I hear a middle-aged woman's voice behind me.
"Oh my God, look at him, he forgot his backpack!"
It was the mother of a freshman boy, and she ran toward the academy's main entrance in a panic, calling her son's name.
"Hey, Vikir, don't forget your backpack!"
Suddenly, a few heads turned among the crowd of people climbing the main entrance.
"Huh?"
"Me?"
"Me?"
A dozen or so boys scattered about turned their heads.
This was because they all had the common name of Vikir.
"Oh, mom, don't call me that loud!"
Vikir, who had forgotten his backpack, scurried down the hill, red-faced, grabbed his backpack, and started back up the hill.
The other nine Vikirs turned their heads again, realizing that their mother hadn't called them.
... but.
There was one Vikir who never looked back in the first place.
A freshman with stuffy bangs hiding his face, horn-rimmed glasses completely obscuring his eyes, and a shabby shirt and pants, carrying a modest backpack.
Vikir. Vikir Van Baskerville.
A boy who shed his Baskerville surname to take the Academy exams as a commoner.
Inwardly, Vikir thought it was a good thing he'd left the Baskerville name behind.
However, the name of Vikir Van Baskerville, which had been recognized by the imperial court, had become so famous that it had become a nuisance in his daily life.
" ... It defeats the fundamental purpose of coming to the Academy.
Vikir had a clear idea of what he wanted to do when he joined the Academy.
To capture and kill the demons lurking in the ecliptic, the traitors and traffickers of humanity.
To do so would prevent an age of destruction in the near future.
Vikir remembered a time before his regression.
Ten high-ranking demons descended upon the mortal realm.
Together, they erected ten giant pillars and formed a gate to the demonic realm.
One of those ten demons was Andromalius, the demon who wore the skin of Set Les Baskerville.
Luckily, we were able to kill him before he could accumulate too much power, or we would have been in trouble.
If it hadn't been for Vikir in the first place, no one would have noticed Andromalius' presence.
And now, it's clear that the other nine Demon are also hiding in the human realm, wearing human skin.
"According to Sindiwendi's research, several high-ranking individuals who were in contact with Set have gathered here on the Imperial City.
The more people there are, the more likely it is that demons are lurking.
That's why Vikir has come to the Academy here, and why he's assumed a suitable identity to avoid suspicion.
An academy freshman from a commoner's background.
He often has to travel outside the academy to attend classes and go on assassination missions, but becoming too famous and drawing attention to himself can cause many problems.
So Vikir purposely entered the academy as a commoner.
Just to focus on the written exams.
"I'm confident in ... theory.'
It was a bit too much to get first place, but in reality, written grades are not treated well anyway.
Maybe it was because he hadn't been able to take the academy's theory class properly in his previous life.
<The Holes and Gaps in Modern Swordsmanship Theory...>
<Anthropological Perspectives on the Ecology of the New Species Mushuhushu...>
<Examination of the habits and strategies of yetis living in the snowy mountains of the northern continent...>
<Discussion on the possibility of the existence of undead-type demons that do not have divine power and their strategies...>
The field experience of a seasoned veteran who had survived through an age of destruction was a great help in verbalizing and describing theories.
Thus, Vikir was able to write the answer sheet with ease, and that alone earned him first place honors.
Meanwhile.
At the dormitory where Vikir went to unpack his belongings for the rest of his life, he was greeted by many of his fellow students.
"Do you know the Dao, and would you like to explore it with our Domino club?"
"Hey, you look so lucky! Why don't you join our pufferfish cooking study group!"
"Hey, I'm trying to be nice, but come over here! Our meditation study group is...."
"It'll only take a minute, but can you fill out a survey and put your fingerprints and seal stamp on the sign-up sheet for your favorite club?"
Clubs, research groups, clubs, societies, organizations, etc.
Many current students are working hard to appeal to new students.
Among them, the clubs that most freshmen are interested in are major-level clubs that help them with their specs, or clubs that sound interesting just by hearing about them.
Student council, various sports, band, dance, theater, economic research, and culinary clubs are the main ones that attract freshmen.
On the other hand, newspaper clubs, horticulture clubs, art clubs, reading clubs, and long-lived beetle research clubs are relatively unpopular.
Meanwhile. The seniors who were inviting students to join the clubs were also looking for some freshmen with a light in their eyes.
First of all, 'Tudor' from the DonQuixote family, famous for his spear skills, and 'Bianca' from the Usher family, famous for her archery skills, were the first targets of the seniors.
The same goes for "Sinclair," who, despite her unknown affiliation, scored a staggering 1st in practical and 2nd in written.
... But none of this matters to Vikir.
All he can think about is getting back to his dorm, unpacking, and getting some rest.
Because he has to go on a killing expedition starting tonight.
"How many pages are there in the book of killings alone?'
The blacklist.
There were many things that deserved to die, even among humans, not demons.
Traitors who sided with the demons and sold out humanity.
'... That's a lot of people to kill.'
Vikir thought to himself as he walked through the crowd of new students.
Just then.
"Newspaper department, newspaper department, keep up with what's going on in the school."
A familiar voice called out from somewhere.
Vikir turned to see a familiar face hawking flyers and enrollment forms.
St. Dolores L Quovadis.
The youngest early admit student.
Current third-year senior.
The academy's student council president.
And the head of the newspaper club.
The school's number one idol who hasn't missed a beat in the past three years.
She was handing out application forms by hand.
"Senpai, please take a look at this, kaaaak!"
"Senpai! I'm a fan! I love you!"
"I joined the academy just to see you!"
"Wow, you're so beautiful, so pious, so holy!"
The freshmen are jostling to get the flyers handed out by this legendary senior, hoping to catch her eye for once.
"...."
But as they pass in front of her, Vikir only presses her face-hiding bangs and thick horn-rimmed glasses even tighter.
He has already met St. Dolores.
" ... I met her once when I was a hound of the night.
The holy water she brewed for us helped to quell the water plague.
But the holy woman doesn't know Vikir's true face now because he wore a mask.
So Vikir had to turn away from her and return to his dormitory without giving away his identity.
There was no point in being recognized.
* * *
The atmosphere in the dormitory building was quite relaxed.
The building was large and grand, but from an individual's point of view, there was no need to wander all over the place.
It was very well designed so that you didn't have to wander too much beyond the limited area of your floor, hallways, and stairs.
The boys' and girls' dormitories were attached to the two main buildings in an A-shape, but were strictly separated, with different floors for different grades.
4th grade is on the 1st floor, 3rd grade is on the 2nd floor, 2nd grade is on the 3rd floor, and 1st grade is on the 4th floor.
I think this is because the older you get, the harder it is to climb the stairs.
The rooms are neither large nor small, and the standard option is a simple setup with a large bunk bed, an equally large desk, and two chairs.
It had the feel of a standard youth hostel, except that the restroom with shower was a bit dated.
… Tuck!
After arriving at the room, Vikir dropped his simple luggage, consisting of a few clothes, on the desk.
Then.
"...Uh, hey, are you in this room too?"
The voice came from the side of the bathroom.
Vikir turned his head to see a short boy standing there.
Blond hair. His cheeks were less chiseled and he had a few false teeth, and his androgynous appearance quite cute.
A nametag was pinned to his chest, written in crude handwriting.
'Piggy.'
This was his roommate for the next year.
And Vikir already knew this guy.
'Piggy. Here we go again.'
Before the regression. He remembers him as a nice guy.
He was the first to reach out to Vikir, who had come to babysit the Baskervilles' triplets, even when he was doing odd jobs.
In this life, Piggy was nice, too.
"Uh, so your name's Vikir, so you'll be good to me in the future, and you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little clumsy and slow. Oh, and I heard there are two bunk beds, so you can pick your own first!"
Vikir sighed briefly at Piggy's cheerful suggestion.
The students at the Academy are young, but they're smart.
They've been around the block and heard the elite talk, so they're no strangers to civility, betrayal, politics, and bullying.
A nice, innocent guy like Piggy gets lost in the jungle of freshmen, where there is a lot of first-mover advantage.
'... In a previous life, that's exactly what happened.'
Piggy was a longtime victim of bullying.
His cute looks, small size, and timid personality made him stand out from the crowd of big, muscular, and outspoken boys.
His hobbies of reading and analyzing information in solitude didn't fit in with the academic culture of power.
Vikir knows this, and it's why he can't help but look at him with compassion.
'Before the regression, Piggy's roommate was Highbrow Les Baskervilles, I believe, so I have an idea of what his academic life was like back then.'
Whether he realized it or not, Piggy breathed a sigh of relief at the thought of having a roommate whose first impression, while a bit reticent, was still friendly.
He must have worried a lot about meeting a scary roommate.
Then.
Piggy spoke to Vikir first.
"Hey, Vikir, you're going to O.T. later tonight, right?"
Freshman orientation.
I read it as a time to educate the newly admitted freshmen about the basics of the academy ... and a time for the seniors to meet the freshmen and get to know them over drinks.
It's not really required, but it's still something that every freshman should attend.
The idea is to get to know the people you'll be spending the next four years with and to network with the seniors.
The connections you make here will be the foundation of your future career, aka your "line," and you've fought through a "bloodbath" to get here.
... but.
"No."
Vikir was not interested in any of that.
The Assassination Act.
Because from now on, the real bloodshed was to come.
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