Chapter 119: At the Academy (1)
A sudden doubt came to mind.
‘Is this really okay?’
It wasn’t unreasonable.
Looking back on the path I had taken so far at the Arpentia Academy, it was hard not to have such thoughts.
‘Am I really attending the Academy……?’
First, the collapse of the Statue of the Saintess during the entrance ceremony brought everything to a halt.
That much, I let slide.
Though I hadn’t understood at the time, I now had a rough grasp that various political motives involving the Academy, the Imperial Family, and the Holy Sun Church were deeply entangled.
Above all, it helped that the flow hadn't diverged from what I remembered.
Next was the Dungeon Collapse Incident.
That too… I could accept, to some extent.
In fact, I had been rather pleased, since I managed to avert what would have been a disaster and achieved decent results in my own way.
But this was where the problems began.
After the Dungeon Collapse Incident was resolved, events started to deviate completely from the future I remembered.
Not that I was particularly surprised at this point.
I had anticipated from the start that the future I knew might go astray, and I had long been prepared to face any changes that came my way.
The problem lay in my daily life at the Academy.
‘……I don’t have a single friend.’
……Yeah.
Right now, I didn’t have a single friend.
Literally, not even one.
In other words, I was a complete loner.
“Hmm……”
I had naturally expected that my life at the Academy would flow differently from before.
From the moment I resolved to put all my strength into avoiding the doomed future that lay ahead, rather than trying to enjoy student life at the Academy...
From that moment on, not once had I expected to lead a leisurely life like in my past life.
But now I realized that thought had been far too hasty.
That even in all things, there is such a thing as balance—an obvious truth.
“……This is bad.”
The time I had spent at the Academy so far had been focused more on resolving incidents than on studying or building relationships.
While others were growing by balancing academics and social connections, I had been too busy struggling to survive amidst constant crises.
That much was fine.
Yes, up until then, it was still okay.
The problem was that countless things had passed me by during that time.
I’d been too busy, stuck in the infirmary, or holed up in the training hall…
So much so that I hadn’t even noticed what had been going on around me.
“Hoo.”
At the Academy, students usually attended classes with people they already knew.
Naturally, this meant those who became close through clubs or extracurriculars would stick together, but the problem was—I hadn’t joined a single one of those activities.
Nor did I know anyone from before.
Before I knew it, I was all alone, stranded in the middle of the ocean called social interaction.
It wasn’t even that I was being ostracized; it felt more like my existence simply wasn’t on anyone’s radar.
Even events like the freshmen welcome party had already ended, and the tradition of upperclassmen showing new students around the Academy had long since passed as well.
‘If I keep floating around like this, things will get difficult moving forward……’
Even though the incident had concluded, Allen was still caught up in the aftermath and couldn’t attend classes properly.
Cecilia was still hospitalized.
Only then did I realize that among my classmates, these two were the only ones I could call friends—and I couldn’t help but be surprised by that realization.
At first, I thought there was no need to actively seek people out, just like I’d said earlier.
But the current situation… was too extreme.
Knowing absolutely no one would lead to many inconveniences and disadvantages.
Especially since the future schedule of the Academy was not just likely but certain to differ greatly from what I remembered.
For that reason alone, I thought I should at least build minimal connections with the people around me.
However…
‘This isn’t easy.’
Had too much time already passed?
Students had already grouped up and formed their own circles.
I tried to start something—anything—but it wasn’t easy.
I considered trying to start conversations during class, but it was no easy task to break into tightly-knit groups.
‘Back then… how did I even get close to people?’
Around lunchtime, I felt it even more.
Students were sitting in small groups, chatting away.
Naturally, I thought about who I could sit with, but when I looked around, there wasn’t a single place I could join.
In the past, I would’ve just eaten alone without thinking much of it—but now, it felt awkward.
As if this place wasn’t meant for me.
So, after wandering around blankly, I ended up sitting alone in a quiet corner to eat.
“……I miss Allen and Cecilia.”
Mumbling to myself, I chewed on my bread.
― Creak!!! Eep!
Then, the spider on the table lifted both its legs and wiggled them as if to cheer me up.
Normally, I would’ve smiled and watched its antics, but feeling strangely drained, I simply tore off a bit of bread and meat and placed them in front of it.
― Eeeep……!
It happily snatched the food and munched away.
‘Is it okay for it to eat human food?’
I was lost in such idle thoughts when I realized my meal was already finished.
I returned my empty tray and trudged down the corridor.
‘Ah, is this why they’re making an Integrated Class?’
At the Academy, if you didn’t take the initiative, no one would look out for you.
I wondered if the proposal for an Integrated Class was an extension of this problem…
But I shook my head and chuckled.
‘No way.’
When had the Academy ever been so considerate of its students?
If they had truly cared, they wouldn’t have made empty statements about “the law of the jungle” while neglecting the students to such a reckless degree.
Those major incidents probably wouldn’t have happened either.
‘Well, I guess it’s not exactly the Headmaster’s or professors’ fault, though……’
I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.
Just as I was hurrying along, a sudden commotion reached my ears from somewhere.
“Hmm?”
A crowd had gathered near the dormitory plaza.
As always, it was a protest by students from the Dots dormitory.
They were holding up signs and shouting—likely in opposition to the Integrated Class reform.
‘There are students from other dorms too.’
A protest involving students from dorms other than Dots.
Apparently, the issue of the Integrated Class was more sensitive to everyone than I had thought.
Perhaps because of that, what would normally have been nothing more than a symbolic performance was starting to show signs of real escalation.
‘It’s best not to get involved.’
That was what I thought as I tried to quietly back away.
Then someone suddenly grabbed the hem of my robe.
“Wait, that uniform… you’re from Crooks, right?”
The one who spoke was a female student from the Dots dormitory.
I didn’t recognize her face at all. She wore a neat uniform and large glasses.
Her expression was dead serious, but her manner—grabbing someone out of nowhere and hurling questions—caught me off guard.
“What do you think about the Integrated Class?”
What should I say in this situation?
To be honest, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t curious at all about this previously unheard-of Integrated Class, but I also didn’t have any desire to get involved.
“……Well, I think as long as I keep up with the classes, that should be enough. Who knows, maybe things will actually go better than now.”
“That kind of indifference is exactly why things ended up like this! Crooks kids always stick to themselves, and the rest don’t even care.”
She muttered complaints like she was venting.
“At first, everyone seemed ready to voice their opinions, but now they’re all just watching silently. Do you really think this is right?”
She looked at the students protesting.
“An Integrated Class? That’s basically trying to erase the identities of all five dormitories. Do you know why Arpentia Academy has survived this long? And what kind of important news gets delivered in such a half-hearted way? This was just a notice, not even a proper explanation.”
I was at a loss for words.
I realized this protest wasn’t just a surface-level expression of discontent—it was an emotionally charged issue.
Sensing instinctively that the situation would only grow more complicated, I decided to back off.
There was no need to debate here, and like I said earlier, I really didn’t want to get involved in this Integrated Class mess.
I had just finished handling an important incident—there was no reason to dive headfirst into another headache.
“But as you mentioned, we were simply notified. There’s nothing we can really do at this point. So for now, wouldn’t it be best to just observe how things unfold?”
“……Hmm, then why don’t you at least talk with the other Crooks students? At the very least, you won’t lose anything from a discussion or a debate. Especially in a situation like this.”
She seemed to lose interest in me after my lukewarm attitude.
Saying that, she turned around.
And without hesitation, she started walking toward the other students.
Watching her, I unconsciously let out a sigh.
Crooks students supposedly stuck to themselves.
“……I want to stick with someone too.”
I stared at the noisy protest for a while, then quietly turned away.
“……So you’re telling me you came to see me because of that?”
Amaruah looked at me with a dumbfounded expression after hearing my story.
“Why?”
“I thought I might be able to get some advice.”
At that, Amaruah looked even more incredulous.
“Do you realize you’re asking a Dragon how to get along with humans? If I were you, I would’ve asked literally anyone else.”
“The ones I could ask aren’t around right now.”
The Headmaster was tied up with the incident involving Yul Runberg, and he wasn’t someone I could easily approach in the first place.
Professor Windy May—my master—also seemed very busy with something.
That left Sister Roberta, but she was surely overwhelmed with preparations for the upcoming Departure Festival.
Of course, if I sought her out, she’d gladly make time for me—but I didn’t want to burden someone already busy.
“Oh dear.”
Amaruah’s expression turned even more complicated at that.
“How do you plan to survive the rest of your school life when you’re already like this…….”
She muttered regretfully, then looked at me with a cautious expression as if something had come to mind.
“Don’t tell me… are you one of those who think it’s cool to be alone, or that having too many friends makes you look weak or something…?”
The oddly specific examples made me shake my head slightly.
“I’m a bit past the age for adolescent angst……”
“Ah, really? Humans all look the same to me, you know. Whether it’s a newborn or a hunched old man, they all seem alike.”
She muttered dully.
Then she set aside the paperwork she’d been writing and laid down her quill.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re relying on me, but… I’ve got work too, so I can’t just sit here listening to your story forever.”
She meant I should get to the point.
I nodded.
“Actually, I’d like you to help mediate.”
“Mediation?”
Amaruah glanced at me.
I met her eyes directly.
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“With the Dragons.”