The academy in the early morning feels full of the freshness of the dawn dew. Moreover, with a large influx of new students recently, their youthful appearance is just right to inspire the ambition of the existing students.
"It's a good time, isn't it? Huh?"
─ Murmurs.
As the academy's dean walked to work, lost in such leisurely thoughts, he noticed that the area in front of the faculty building was unusually noisy compared to usual.
"Realized mana at five years old, quelled bandits around the territory at eight, helped the knight order take down the empire's tumor, the slave traders, at ten…!"
"P-please calm down."
"To lose faith is to mean death…!"
"What's all this commotion?"
"Oh, Dean, you've arrived. It's just that one student, dissatisfied with the entrance exam results, is demanding an explanation in front of the faculty building since this morning." "I thought it was quiet this year."
The dean shook his head.
The academy gathers those with some talent from across the continent. Of course, if they are the offspring of imperial nobility, their admission is guaranteed even with terrible grades, but the story changes for talents from other countries.
Just the cost of coming to Vera Academy is not something ordinary people can ignore. Moreover, with the entrance season, the prices in the entire city have skyrocketed, so it's not surprising that those who return without any gains cause a ruckus every year.
"Then why not just get rid of it?"
"...Well, the student causing the ruckus is none other than Gunther von Haruen."
"Gunther von Haruen?"
Hearing an unexpected name, even the dean couldn't help but tilt his head.
Who is Gunther von Haruen? He is the child of Marquis Haruen, who defends the northeastern border of the empire, and a young talent renowned throughout the empire. It was hard to understand that such a person was causing a scene over exam results.
"Why is a special student causing such a fuss?"
"The troublesome part is that he claims another student's grades were incorrectly evaluated, not his own."
"Goodness… It's a long life, and you see all sorts of things."
The early admission that is so easily spoken of. Gunther, who was recognized for his abilities even though he hadn't reached the age to fulfill the duties of an imperial noble, entered the academy a year early. For him to demand an investigation into someone else's grades is certainly not something to be taken lightly.
"Then who is the student whose grades were evaluated poorly?"
"It's a new student named Veris from the Vitelbach family. I heard he was classified as a B-Class."
At the professor's words, the dean crossed his arms and took a contemplative stance.
Gunther is a genius in swordsmanship for the empire. If he is saying something, it carries weight, unlike an ordinary dropout. He wouldn't cause such a ruckus without reason.
"First, send that student back. And we need to reschedule for the afternoon. I will call both that student and Gunther to my office, so you may send that student back for now."
"Me? You mean me?"
"Then who else would I be talking to?"
"...Understood."
The professor, with a reluctant expression, nodded at the dean's confident words.
Well, from the professor's perspective, it would be quite a hassle to persuade that fanatical new student to leave.
But what can be done? Following orders is the rule of this academy.
* * *
"A meeting with the dean?"
"Yes. I went and negotiated. He said to come to the dean's office when lunch is over."
Veris couldn't help but let out an invisible sigh at Gunther's unexpected actions.
He was surprisingly obedient to Veris. Moreover, Gunther, despite being a new student, had a reputation that was not low, yet he would cause such a stir.
"Okay, thanks."
"Haha! Isn't it the duty of a younger brother to serve his older brother?" Gunther, with a hearty laugh, seemed to know that Veris was already shuddering at the thought of the hassle.
Of course, seeing that, who would blame Gunther?
Arwen, sitting next to them and quietly eating, nodded in agreement.
"I don't really care."
That was Veris's honest feeling.
Underestimating ability? Surprisingly, it was a very common occurrence in this world. It wasn't unusual for an extraordinary genius to enter a low class simply because they came from a non-titled commoner family.
The only downside was that the amount of funding provided varied based on the student's ability.
"What are you talking about? Just having an older brother like you in a lower class is embarrassing for me."
Still looking somewhat angry, Gunther, while eating normally, pounded his chest.
The results of the entrance exam were announced just yesterday afternoon.
Thanks to that, most students were packing their belongings left at the inn and heading to the dormitory, so why would they want to deal with such a hassle?
Of course, it might be lonely for Gunther and Arwen, who received S-Class evaluations, but Veris was someone who didn't care about such things in the first place.
Money? Plenty. Not just a lot, but a whole lot.
Veris was likely one of the students with the most money in the academy, ranking among the top five.
Who was it that, from a young age, went around robbing bandits in the territory to gain experience?
Someone who had been collecting private property since the day they took their first steps, unbeknownst to the count and countess, couldn't possibly be short on money.
There had been unexpected groups of demon followers that emerged during that process, but Veris had tied up those loose ends, so there was no one to blame.
Moreover, he was also aware that what he gained was nothing but a meager honor...
'What a hassle.'
It was unavoidable to feel like he was caught up in something unexpected.
* * *
"Oh."
The dean couldn't help but exclaim in admiration as he called the two students to his office for a three-way meeting.
Unlike Gunther, who had a beast-like angular face, Veris, with a cold demeanor, looked quite fitting in the student uniform provided by the academy.
"Now, you both know the content of this meeting, right?"
"I'm just sorry for causing trouble."
"Haha, what's there to be troubled about? It's only right to correct what has gone wrong."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"Alright. Then first, I want to ask something. Gunther von Haruen."
"...Yes!"
"Is it correct that you wanted to say that this Veris von Vitelbach student's exam results were incorrect?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Right. I've also heard various things about what happened during the exam. In the process, I heard some very interesting stories."
Saying this, the dean took a sip of tea, steam rising from it. After a brief pause, he nodded and continued speaking.
"First, I want to hear it from you. Veris, are you human?"
"...?"
It was Gunther, not Veris, who was taken aback by the dean's sudden question. The dean must have heard about Veris's exploits during the entrance exam.
"Of course."
Though it was an unexpected question, Veris answered calmly. In fact, it was not an exaggeration for the dean to react this way since the new student had cut through a horde of monsters in a trap in the dungeon.
"Right, that makes sense. Do you remember a person among your group named Golden Taining?"
"Yes."
"It seems that the one responsible for classifying your exam results was someone sponsored by the Taining family."
"Wait, Dean. That means..."
"Haha, can't you see I'm talking to Veris right now?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"Right. Anyway, that Golden Taining was expelled for abandoning his group during the exam. It will be hard for him to live as a child of an imperial noble family now. The entire family will bear that disgrace. So, it seems that the person who classified your results couldn't send you to S-Class with the sponsor's child being expelled."
The dean's face grew heavy as he spoke. Perhaps he was seeing the dirty side of academy admissions that he hadn't expected, as his face turned red.
He seemed to be angry about what had happened without his knowledge.
"So, as an apology for this incident, I have decided, with the authority of the dean, to respect your intentions."
"My intentions?"
"I want to give you a choice. You can either enter as a B-Class as you are now, or if you wish, I can make a spot for you in S-Class. If your abilities are as you've shown, you should be in the academy as a professor, not a student." Though he said that, the dean knew what Veris would choose.
This academy has many geniuses. And among those geniuses, he knew there were many with unique personalities, but they all shared one common trait.
A desire to rise higher. The dean believed that this desire was the driving force behind the growth of geniuses.
"I will remain in B-Class."
"Right, with funding and honor as a record… What?"
"B-brother!"
The dean was not the only one surprised by Veris's subsequent bombshell declaration; Gunther also stared at Veris with a blank expression.
It was a choice that no one would make. It was so unexpected that one would naturally wonder, "Really?"
The difference between S-Class and the other classes was as stark as a silk road and a thorny path. To decide something so significant in an instant was remarkable.
"C-can I ask why?"
"I heard there are monthly combat evaluations in S-Class."
"Right, it's for students to spar and step up to a higher level."
"I find that bothersome."
Now, both the dean and Gunther were staring at Veris with their jaws dropped.
In response to Veris's nonchalant words, the dean recalled once more the fact he had known.
'Indeed, there are many eccentric geniuses among geniuses.'
The dean's strange jinx of preserving the law of genius and eccentricity had once again gained a victory today.