"...?"
Piggy looked at Vikir with a blank expression.
Then, in a tone of deep embarrassment, he asked.
"Oh, you're not going to OT?"
"No. I'm not going."
Vikir was still adamant.
Piggy gestured frantically toward Vikir, who was unpacking his few remaining belongings.
"Oh, no! We have to go! If we don't go to OT, we'll be labeled an asshole by our seniors, and we'll be a pariah among our peers, which will make it very difficult for us to get information and connections...."
Aah. Outsider is a word that refers to a person who does not belong to a group and stands out.
Not only do they face difficulties in situations that require group strength, such as unexpected lectures, class schedule changes, and group assignments, but they are also at a disadvantage in networking and information gathering.
Therefore, Piggy's point about attending OTs is well taken.
.… … That is, in the case of a normal freshman.
However, in Vikir's case, it was much easier to be active without being seen by everyone, as he rather wanted to become an assassin.
Meanwhile, Vikir stared down at Piggy, who was looking sullen.
Piggy's gaze was genuinely concerned about Vikir's academy life.
He's still a nice guy, almost to a fault.
"It's going to be hard for him to fit in at the academy with this personality.
Piggy is timid but cautious and good at collecting and analyzing information.
If Sindiwendy saw him, she'd scout him out in a second.
However, among the new students at the Academy, Piggy is the easiest person to take advantage of and bully.
The academy's culture favored practice and actual work over notes and theory.
It's a belief that has been passed down through the generations, not only in the Colosseo, but in other top institutions such as the Magic Academy, the Magic Tower, and the Varangian Academy of Martial Arts.
In other words, within the academy, power is always above all else.
It's not about childish brawls or fistfights, it's about performance in practical assessments.
Without that, it's hard to get noticed.
In reality, Piggy was good at gathering and analyzing information because he had a good head on his shoulders, but that's it, he wasn't very good at anything in cold class or hot classes, so he always got stuck in practical exams.
His caring nature, at best, and timidity, at worst, led to subtle ridicule, scorn, and bullying.
'And to add insult to injury, he had the misfortune of meeting the vicious Highbro of Baskerville as his roommate for the first semester.'
From then on, Piggy was always on the sidelines.
Because of Highbro's personality, Piggy was barely treated as a human being, and other classes, and even upperclassmen, were always bullying and taking advantage of him.
But despite this, Piggy was a good boy who always had a smile on his face.
Whenever he saw someone who was weaker than him, he would always lend a hand and help them as best he could.
"...."
Vikir glanced at Piggy and then looked away.
Piggy, meanwhile, had no idea what Vikir was thinking, and was still trying to convince him of the necessity of the OT.
"There's a lot of powerful seniors coming to this OT! St. Dolores, the student council president, is coming! And we have a great class! You've heard of Tudor, the eldest son of Don Quixote, and Bianca, the eldest daughter of Usher! That's not all! The Baskervilles have triplets, and they're all amazing! There's a kid named Sancho from the Mercenary Guild of the North, who passed up a chance to be a top student at Varangian to come here! And then there's Sinclair, who's a top in the Hot Class, and this person came to the Colosseo after being accepted as a top in the Magic Tower! Isn't it amazing that he's a top in the Colosseo's Hot Class? These guys are already considered the next generation of heroes, so you should definitely go see them! I can't believe I'm in the same class as these guys..................…"
Actually, it's great that Piggy already has this information.
If the seniors of the current students had heard of it, they would make a scouting offer to their club or family just with their ability to collect and analyze information.
"How's that? You're feeling a little more motivated now, huh?"
Piggy looks up at Vikir with a twinkle in his eye, like he's looking for a compliment.
But Vikir still shakes his head.
"But I'm not going."
"What? Why? What the hell-"
Piggy, who had hoped to go to OT with his roommate so that they could have each other's backs, was faced with an unexpected challenge.
In fact, it was rare, even impossible, for a freshman to skip OT.
To this reasonable question, Vikir had a short answer.
"I just don't want to go."
That was it.
Vikir gathered his things and quickly left the room.
He quickly disappeared down the hallway, which was bustling with freshmen.
Piggy watched, dumbfounded, and muttered.
"... Cool. My roommate is a cool guy! I should learn from that kind of determination!"
Always the positive Piggy.
* * *
gloomy evening. The afterglow burning over the high walls of the academy.
The streets leading down to the lecture hall were already crowded with new students.
Girls dressed up brightly, boys dressed smartly.
But somehow, the atmosphere was sloppy and green.
Sloppy makeup and overdone hairstyles are still on display, and the girls are standing a bit stiffly.
Boys and girls are exploring each other's groups, looking like they're about to be blown away.
And the seniors were gently leading the newcomers to the meeting place.
"Okay, Cold Class A, please gather this way."
"'Hot Class C', we'll meet under the red flag over here~"
"Student council executives, please lead the new students to the venue!"
In the lecture hall where the evening play is over, students and newcomers enter every empty classroom because the beginning of the semester has not yet arrived.
In the corridors of the lecture hall, which quickly became crowded, rumors and gossip about the new students were spreading.
"These freshmen are really tough. They're all killing it on their practical assessments~"
"Of course Tudor, Bianca, and Sinclair are the ones you're most excited about, right?"
" Well, individually, I suppose, but then there's the Baskerville triplets, and I'm more excited about their synergy together."
"But didn't that... crap say that 'he' was getting in from Baskerville this year?"
The chatter among the freshmen heats up even more at this last statement.
"Oh, you mean Vikir? I thought that was a rumor."
"There's no way he could have accomplished such a feat in his late teens, isn't he a fictional character?"
"Yeah, well, aristocratic families tend to spread rumors to boost their family's stock price, and Baskerville is a pretty closed community...."
"There are more than a dozen kids named Vikir in this freshman class, and they're all commoners."
"But there's one kid who stood out, and he's the one who took the first written exam."
"A written exam? Ah, what's so great about a guy who only knows theory? I don't find studying worms like that attractive – jocks are cool!"
Soon, the chatter in the hallway became more and more frequent.
New students have entered every classroom in the lecture hall.
Boys, girls, boys and girls.
After a few moments of small talk and eye contact, the classmates quickly bonded.
Although the friendships were hastily made, they have already sprouted between them.
" Is everyone here? Let's take a roll call of the new students in class 20."
The seniors of the student council call out the names on the list and proceed to check the attendance of the class.
And then a name is called out.
"Vikir."
"Yes."
"Vikir."
"Yes."
"Vikir."
"Yes."
"Vikir."
"...."
"Vikir?"
The one absentee who had been called a few too many times by common names.
Vikir van Baskerville. No, just "Vikir" now.
He did indeed not attend the OT.
It's just that he wore a black cloak and mask as the Hound of the Night instead of the student Vikir.
…Boom!
Vikir stepped on the roof of the academy's spire wearing a black cloak and a gas mask shaped like a stork's beak used by medieval plague doctors.
Over a wall almost as high as the city walls, he stepped into the beautiful city center of the Imperial City, with its countless waterways and bridges.
Vikir melted soundlessly into the pitch-black city.
It's a night when classmates of the 20th class are drinking and strengthening their friendships with their seniors and classmates.
In the meantime, Vikir will visit the mansions of those on the kill list, one by one.
The demons. And traitors.
It is here, in the Imperial City, that the traitors of mankind gather!
'...My comrades, be patient. I will avenge you in a moment.'
Vikir remembered the faces of his fellow hounds who had been betrayed and died, recalling the bad ties of his previous life.
And then.
He followed the faint scent of demons across the city.
The Night Hounds have finally begun their hunt.