It’s getting warmer, which isn’t bad. Is everyone here?
“Yes, all first-year knight studies students have gathered.”
It was early morning, just after sunrise.
Students, dressed in athletic wear, gathered one by one and formed ranks in the large training ground.
Without regard to status or gender, every single person gathered here was a student who had chosen knight studies at Lagpedia.
Not just the students, but even the professors and teaching assistants guiding them seemed to have grown accustomed, as occasional yawns or signs of not being fully awake were more common than genuine annoyance or dislike.
“Don’t be too nervous. You can run.”
“Uh, m-mhm.”
Among those students was Isabelle.
Rubbing her exposed arm beneath her short sleeve, she flinched and nodded at Lassian’s words beside her.
‘I have to do it. Everyone else is doing it.’
She steeled her resolve.
At first, it felt even more awkward than now, to the point of driving her crazy.
As a member of the imperial family, having only received one-on-one lessons from the Imperial Guard, she found the physical training—which pushed students to their absolute limits—utterly incomprehensible.
However, over the past few days, running until she collapsed from exhaustion with her peers, that awkwardness quickly faded.
This rigorous physical training, which forced even scions of more noble houses than her—who had been demoted to a mere commoner—to run indiscriminately alongside her, could now be considered a unique rule of Lagpedia.
Even she, who was once a princess, would toss aside all pretense and collapse onto the dirt ground, panting with others, after running until her head spun.
“All right, now run! Don’t just run blindly, please, practice your Body Fortification Technique! Be conscious and mindful of it!”
Soon, with the sound of the assistant instructor’s whistle, the numerous students gathered in the training ground began to run simultaneously at the same speed.
They were all aspiring knights capable of strengthening their bodies.
Thanks to this, their physical training was even more rigorous compared to magic students with ordinary physical abilities.
‘H-heavy.’
Each of their ankles, as they began to run faster than a brisk walk, was weighed down by a heavy sandbag.
As a result, more strength was consumed to move their legs, and this depleted their stamina even faster.
“Focus on your breathing. If your breathing becomes erratic because you’re concentrating on mana, it will actually make it harder.”
“Ah, I understand.”
And it was Lassian who stayed by her side, offering advice to the still-inexperienced Isabelle.
Already more skilled than anyone else present at handling the Body Fortification Technique, he watched Isabelle’s posture and gave generous advice without a hint of disarray, even while running like this.
It was thanks to his help that she was able to adapt quickly to this harsh training.
Thanks to him, instead of panting with a pale face, Isabelle managed to complete the run today without falling behind.
“Seriously, why, why do they make us do this kind of training? Students at other academies wouldn’t do this.”
“The truth is, we also know it has significant effects.”
After the morning training session, conducted in the morning breeze, came the break time.
The professors watched closely those who stubbornly remained standing during this time.
Because they were the excellent students.
Lassian, avoiding their gaze, squatted on the ground and offered the water bottle he brought to Karl and Isabelle, who had slumped down.
“You know it too, Karl?”
“Yes. Definitely.”
Karl smiled bitterly at Lassian’s words.
It was certainly thanks to this mandatory training that Karl, who used to fall behind often due to his poorer stamina than Isabelle, had now acquired the stamina and Body Fortification Technique control to complete the run without difficulty.
Lassian explained that it was actually a method frequently used in the Imperial Army for training new recruits.
“It makes even less sense then. Why would they force us into such military-style training to forcibly draw out our abilities?”
“Uh, because the Headmaster is really serious about grades? It seems she doesn’t even want to treat students with low grades as students.”
Karl scratched his head and replied to Isabelle’s lament, whose original manner of speaking had slipped out due to exhaustion.
All the students who had now adapted surmised that this type of training was due to Eve’s disposition.
“Right, I heard the Headmaster is definitely a strong martial artist. It makes sense for a martial artist to revere strength.”
“But it’s not just about using your body indiscriminately. Midterms are just around the corner. We have to take exams too.”
At Isabelle’s sigh, Lassian reminded them of a fact they had forgotten.
The midterm exams, which had been announced previously, were slowly approaching.
This was a distinctly different kind of exam from the small pop quizzes they had taken so far.
“S-studies, I’m quite confident in that.”
“That’s fortunate. Or rather, is it obvious?”
“But I heard there’s another event right after the midterms, from what I know.”
For her, who had even experienced imperial studies, studying the academy’s theoretical lessons was not particularly difficult.
Instead, Isabelle was more interested in something else, and at her words, Lassian’s face instantly hardened.
“The public sparring match. Yes, there is. It grants participation rights to those who excel in the midterm practical exams.”
“I want to aim for that.”
Isabelle wanted to achieve good results in that competition, where outstanding individuals were selected, then further distinguished, and personally commended by the Headmaster.
It wasn’t merely because she coveted the prize money.
It was because she wanted to stand out even in her current state and deliver a blow to those who kept her in check.
“That sounds dangerous.”
“…I’ve already made up my mind. I won’t live in hiding.”
Lassian said that given her background, it wouldn’t be good for her to stand out, but she shook her head with a resolute expression.
A princess who had fallen, defeated in political strife.
But she wanted to persevere steadfastly and prove herself.
“But if that happens, wouldn’t Lady Isabelle have to fight with Sir Lassian too?”
That’s when Karl interjected.
As Isabelle’s eyes widened, as if realizing the truth of the statement, and turned towards him, Lassian flinched.
“Because Sir Lassian will definitely be able to participate.”
“That’s… right.”
He sighed at Karl’s innocent words and nodded.
Things had already started to unfold slightly differently from his intentions a while ago.
****
“So, is she having no trouble adapting?”
“She’s trying hard to adapt well. Without causing any trouble.”
“She should. The one who narrowly escaped death knows how much depends on her conduct.”
About two days ago.
Lassian was secretly summoned by Eve through her secretariat.
The two met discreetly inside Eve’s carriage, parked on a deserted academy path, and discussed Isabelle.
“Honestly, I’m not too worried. Because I trust you, and I trust her too.”
Eve, who had personally poured tea for Lassian, grinned.
Lassian, noticing the hidden favor in her inscrutable gaze, accepted it without hesitation and drank.
“I’ve heard the report well. I just wanted to hear it directly. You can go now.”
“Then I’ll be going.”
However, the moment Lassian grasped the carriage door, Eve, with her eyes curved into a smile, calmly drank her tea and mentioned the midterms and public sparring.
The two’s gazes met in the air for a moment.
Lassian realized that Eve was silently threatening him.
‘She figured out I was going to just coast by?’
Lassian originally had no intention of doing well on the exams.
His goal was to be moderately upper-middle class.
However, Eve, who knew Lassian’s true nature well, preemptively blocked that behavior by reminding him that she already knew his true abilities.
“I will do my best.”
“Good, you should.”
Lassian, being in no position to argue in that situation, eventually just nodded and exited the carriage.
Checkmate.
That single word flickered before his eyes as he watched the carriage recede.
****
“…I also need to achieve good grades. I have my own reasons.”
“Lizel… Princess Eisenberg also said you were strong. But it seems the other students don’t really know much about you.”
“I wanted it to stay that way.”
Ending his thoughts of the past and returning to reality, Lassian chuckled and stood up.
It was now time for the students, who had slowly recovered their stamina, to return to the dormitory dining hall for a meal and then head to class.
“First, it would be good to study. I actually need to study the theoretical subjects separately myself…”
“Look over there. It seems a new announcement has been posted.”
As the three of them headed together towards the general dormitory, they noticed something at the dormitory entrance and stopped.
This was because students, regardless of their year, were crowded in front of a large bulletin board, murmuring.
“What is that?”
Karl and Lassian, the experienced ones who felt a sense of unease, slowly approached to check what announcement had shocked the students.
[Mandatory Participation in Self-Study Night Operations]
As expected, it was an announcement about a newly implemented policy.
And a somewhat drastic one at that.