Following lunch, Will, Ohta, and Alessandra split off from their growing group and made their way to a spacious range with tall berms near the back of the campus. The range had targets set up at 100m, 300m, and 500m intervals, reminding Will of his time in the military, but instead of paper targets, they used mannequins shaped like people and Calamity-Class monsters, including a Dragon.
"I'm happy our schedules lined up so perfectly~" hummed Alessandra, looking genuinely pleased as she strung one of the training bows they had been instructed to prepare.
"I prefer fighting up close, but I find myself using an increasing number of ranged attacks as I grow stronger," explained Will, effortlessly stringing a bow of his own. He primarily used ranged attacks as a distraction, but as some foes were much more 'convenient' to deal with from afar, improving his accuracy with a bow and various throwable weapons had been on his to-do list for a while.
"I'm just happy we have more time to spend together," said Alessandra. "Even more so since there are so few people here. I know archery has fallen out of favor since the introduction of Runecasters, but it's a little disheartening to see how few people are attending traditional lessons..."
"Yeah..."
Looking around the prep area, Will counted a total of eleven students and two instructors outside of his group. He had expected Ishyll to be among them, but as the latter felt that his crossbow-based archery had reached its limit, his afternoon lessons included Equestrianism and Introduction to Standard Military Tactics.
"Once you're finished preparing your bow, step up to the firing line," said the head instructor, a tall and slender Elven man with green hair fastened into a loose ponytail that extended to the small of his back.
Waiting until everyone was in position, the instructor, named Yylee Fowin, patiently explained, "Our focus for today will be assessing your individual skill levels. When you're ready, take aim and do your best to strike each of the marked points."
Following Yylee's instructions, the stone-formed mannequins, equipped with rudimentary metal armor and rectangular shields, adopted defensive postures, concealing the majority of their vitals, denoted using bright red paint.
"Way too easy," mused Alessandra, knocking an arrow and striking a pose as she released it, skillfully targetting the gap in the mannequin's visored helmet, breaking its defensive stance. Then, at a rate of nearly one arrow per second, she unleashed five more, striking its chest, throat, knees, and liver in quick succession.
"Well done," said Instructor Yylee, nodding in approval. Unfortunately for him, Alessandra's attention was almost entirely on Will, her eyes narrowed and a playful smile adorning her face as she silently entreated his praise.
"Good job," said Will, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he smiled, shook his head slightly, and took aim at his mannequin. His speed was nowhere near Alessandra's, but when he loosed his arrow, it traveled nearly as fast as a projectile fired from a Runecaster, splintering into countless pieces as it struck the mannequin's shield.
"Impressive power..." remarked Instructor Yylee, his eyes narrowing as he noticed Will was using a bow with a 300kg draw. Nearly everyone else in the class was using bows with 25-50kg draws, so it wasn't surprising that his power was in a league of its own, even without empowering his arrows with Aura.
As Will prepared a second arrow, Instructor Yylee shifted his attention to Ohta, curious to see what the smallest student in the class could do. His diminutive stature, in comparison to his longbow's length, compelled him to hold it at a slight, sideways angle. However, when he released his first arrow, sporting a bored look, it impacted the intended target with pinpoint precision.
'Professor Naitus has some good seedlings this year...' thought Instructor Yylee, nodding in approval. He doubted Will, Ohta, and Alessandra would remain in the class past the first semester, but it was nice to see at least a few talented archers amid the younger generation...
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'This is definitely my favorite class so far...' thought Will, lying atop a comfortable mat with his hands folded on his stomach as their Guided Meditation Instructor, an elderly woman with tanned skin and a cleanly shaven head, recited a humming mantra that allowed the few students present to feel relaxed but focused.
Since you couldn't earn credits from the Guided Meditation, most of the students participating in the integrated class were Fourth or Fifth Years who understood the importance of relaxing both body and mind. Will and Ohta were the only First Years in attendance, and since it was prohibited for people to chatter or act out once they entered the Meditation Hall, he didn't have to worry about being disturbed or pestered for the better part of two hours.
Unfortunately, as was often the case when he allowed his body and mind to relax, Will felt like only a few minutes had passed before the instructor declared, "That concludes today's session. Go in peace, and may we meet again in the future."
Rising to a seated position, Will looked to his left, where Ohta had outright fallen asleep.
'This kid's forehead is like a billboard...' thought Will, adopting a faint smile as he found Ohta's sleeping appearance somewhat adorable.
"Nnngh..."
Sensing Will's gaze, Ohta stirred awake with a groan. Instead of getting up, however, he rolled onto his side, away from Will, as he grumbled, "Ten more minutes..." in a groggy, ill-tempered tone.
"Sure," said Will, remaining seated atop his mat as the others in the hall slowly and quietly filed out of the incense-filled chamber. He and Ohta needed to be at the Nebula Nexus Arena in half an hour, but since they weren't official members of the Academy's Duelist Team, it didn't matter too much if they were late. Madeen might be a little upset, but that was practically her default state...
Noticing Will's tarrying, the instructor made her way over, her wrinkled but gentle face forming a grandmotherly smile as she asked, "Since you don't appear to be in a hurry, might I request your assistance gathering each of these mats?"
"Of course," responded Will, offering a smile as he climbed to his feet and made relatively short work of the twenty-six padded mats decorating the chamber's floor. He knew the old, monk-like woman didn't really need his assistance, but since she had helped him relax, he felt it would be rude to refuse.
"Thank you very much," said the elderly woman, waiting for Will to finish his task before handing him a piece of cherry-flavored hard candy. Ohta had awoken by then, but since he hadn't assisted with the cleanup, she just smiled at him before bowing to both of them and departing.
"You realize the Academy has droves of people to clean and maintain the campus and its facilities, right...?" asked Ohta, staring at Will as if he had wasted both their time.
"Are you ready to head to the arena...?" asked Will, ostensibly disregarding Ohta's question.
"Honestly, it sounds like a pain in the ass..." responded Ohta, turning on his heel to lead the way as he added, "But I don't really have a choice, do I? Let's go..."
"Hai, hai~" droned Will, following behind the pint-sized Demon with his usual relaxed smile. Ohta's pointed ears perked at the familiar-sounding response, but instead of turning to ask Will what it meant, he continued on with a slight frown...
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Since they weren't official members of the team, Will, Ohta, Alessandra, Ishyll, Ahmad, Sile, and Breanne weren't allowed on the field while they were doing group warm-up drills and practice. Their options were to sit in the stands or await Madeen and Hyste in one of the training facilities, so while waiting for the two girls to be dismissed, Will spent time drafting a very rough outline of a contract with Breanne's input.
"Do you really not care about branding...?" asked Breanne, finding it odd that Will was permitting them to wear whatever they pleased. Most other sponsors 'mandated' their clients wear specific clothing lines and actively promote the brands they had partnered with. As for Will, the only thing he asked was that when they wore the academy-issued bodysuits, they also wore shorts or another garment over them.
"My intention is to promote capable, hard-working individuals," explained Will. "If you want to promote my family in turn, you're more than welcome to do so. It's just not required."
"Will isn't like other nobles..." asserted Sile, a broad smile adorning her face until Will looked directly at her, causing her to startle, look away, and cup her cheeks to conceal her blush.
"Right..." Breanne muttered, her face scrunching slightly as she felt the conditions Will was offering were much too good to be true. The contract almost unilaterally benefitted whoever signed it. This was functionally the opposite of a normal contract, the only caveat being that if he determined they had given up or lost their motivation, Will could annul the contract at his leisure.
'Is this some kind of long-term strategy to gain leverage over the people who come to depend on his aid...?' Breanne wondered, finding it difficult to accept that Will simply wanted to help people reach their full potential. It was far more reasonable to consider that he wanted to make them feel indebted to him, but since nothing in the contract 'compelled' them to do as he asked, Breanne couldn't help feeling a sense of...incongruence. Like she was overlooking something that should be obvious...
"Regardless of what anyone else decides, I'm definitely signing," declared Alessandra. She also felt that the contract Will was offering was too good to be true. But, after observing him over the past two days, she was fairly confident in her impression that he was a genuinely good person. In fact, he was almost too good, leaving her questioning whether or not she could do or 'be' better.
"As will I," stated Ahmad, sporting a solemn expression as he nodded his head and asserted, "But I will not take without giving something in return. For as long as you remain of noble and righteous character, you shall have my loyalty."
"How reassuring," mused Will, extending his right hand to bump fists with the young Giant. Shortly after, Ishyll and Sile also declared their intent to sign the contract, while Ohta, having already reached an agreement with Will, just rolled his eyes a few seats over...
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With his first official day of classes over, Will was relaxing in his dorm's oversized tub, reflecting on the day's events. Madeen, Ahmad, Hyste, and Breanne had all challenged him to spars, but due to the vast difference in their strength, agility, and experience, the only person who gave him even a bit of trouble was Hyste.
'I'm surprised Claire didn't come to pester me...' thought Will, his face half-submerged in the tub's hot, soapy water. Both she and Emily had been present on the field during the joint training, but for one reason or another, neither came over to greet him or ask what he was up to.
'I guess Lyra told them to give me some space...' Will concluded, exhaling to release the tension in his body and allow his body to fully submerge as he wondered when and where his enemies were going to strike. He felt as if he had been off his game since the false positive involving Madeen and her Grandfather, so if things continued as they were, he might succumb to complacency.
Unfortunately for Will, while many attending the Academy disdained him, the fact that he was a Practitioner served as a substantial deterrent. The Academy personnel were also under magical contracts that prohibited them from conspiring to willfully harm a student, so while there were a considerable number of people who wished to remove or exploit him, there was only so much they could do without exposing themselves and facing serious consequences.
And thus, Will's slow and relatively uneventful life at the Royal Academy began...
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