Claris Academy
Live Shooting Class.
The academy’s classes are divided by grades, but aside from common classes, each major class is taken according to each student’s position.
Since I aimed to be a supporting marksman anyway, I had to take this live shooting class as a major requirement.
And in front of me,
A shooting show was unfolding with numerous aspiring archers.
“Next, group four, Saro!”
At the professor’s instruction, my front group lined up in formation at Saro.
With nimble hand movements,
And arms without a hint of tremor.
Whooooosh!
And, the clean release point.
The gap in talent was glaringly obvious!
– Is that guy? That crossbow.
– Oh, they said he got a draw against a demon creature in the test, so he got to go up.
There were many students mocking my marksman abilities, questioning why Lev Denec, who was still barely passing with a C grade, was in the B grade.
In reality, the targets weren’t living beings or demons, so my triple critical wouldn’t apply, and as a novice, it was hard to show a threatening performance.
– I heard he’s going to duel with Gaelon.
– What? With a bow? Or just a wager?
– With a bow. Isn’t that crazy?
It seemed quite a few students were already aware of the duel.
In the end, what I desperately needed for my future was none other than Wind Archery.
[Wind Archery]
A simple racial unique trait only appearing in [Reincarnated Hero], if you’re a fairy, you acquire it by contracting with the wind spirit Sylph.
Wind Archery includes many archer skills, from basic passives like trajectory and rapid fire.
In other words, it’s like a manual for the pinnacle of archery, and without needing to go into elaborate explanations, just getting this one thing would make me significantly stronger.
Thus, I had no choice but to steal… No, learn from Selena.
In our earlier conversation, Selena stated,
– I have no obligation to teach you.
She seemed to want to hide the fact that she couldn’t use Wind Archery, leaving only that remark and disappearing.
It’s alright. Trust is not something easily earned, and I have things to work on before that, so I can approach her slowly.
First, I need to consider that Wind Archery is not a skill that can be learned just because someone says they’ll teach you.
It’s a unique trait that only elves can use.
However, it seems there’s no absolute in this world.
Surprisingly, in the [Reincarnated Hero] Closed Beta, there was a ridiculous ability to steal skills!
Of course, if I had this overpowered ability when I first entered this place, I would have tried to acquire it immediately.
The acquisition conditions for this skill were rather nasty, though.
Moreover, even if I managed to get it after all that effort, there would be heaps of restrictions just to steal one skill.
First, [Skill Steal] is an F-class skill that belongs to a named monster called ‘Thief’.
Thief is a boss from the [Reincarnated Hero] tutorial, so it’s weak and is easy to defeat.
The problem is getting to where it is.
Since [Reincarnated Hero] and [Reincarnated Academy] take place in different main stages, even if I travel using the academy’s magic tower, it would require quite a bit of money in gems.
Also, just defeating it doesn’t guarantee you’ll obtain anything.
When you defeat Thief, you are sent to a reward room filled with 100 golden chests,
Where players can choose only one reward.
However, according to the data, the skill stealing option exists, but actually getting it is a bust.
It’s more like an Easter egg.
Thus, the way to obtain this reward is,
To clear the tutorial without claiming the reward, and then later come back with detection-related skills to identify it.
But, Aria.
Among her surveillance abilities is a detection skill.
If I use that?
It’s a perfectly fitting puzzle situation that makes me chuckle.
I suppressed my twitching lips and headed to the classroom.
*
In the waiting room for the compulsory liberal arts course, ‘Party Member Qualities’, Aria was deep in thought.
“It’s too dangerous.”
Two men and women under one roof, and while Yeriel is supposedly very strong…
The opponent might be a demon creature.
Recently, Aria couldn’t help but think about that guy, even though she didn’t want to acknowledge it.
As she sorted through her thoughts, she had recently discovered a new fact.
“Surely, the demons didn’t aim for Lev Denec.”
When they encountered the hobgoblin earlier,
And when they met the rag,
Demons are usually aggressive, but
They didn’t take the initiative against him.
This simple fact carried significant meaning.
It would make sense if he were on the same team as the demons.
But?
Ultimately, it was he who cut off the demon’s breath.
Furthermore, he didn’t seem to assign any great meaning to such actions without hesitation.
In fact, after defeating them, he seemed to be pondering something in joy.
– Demons do not attack Lev Denec first.
– But Lev Denec can attack demons.
– Lev Denec possesses as foreign a magic as the demons.
What kind of connection could there be regarding these facts?
First, it was imperative to find out whether the demons actually did not attack Lev Denec.
Just then.
– It’s the Student Council President from the Magic Department!
– Second-year senior Liris!
– Wow, what’s going on?
– Does she have business with the freshmen?
With her black hair. The black robe symbolizing the student council member and chief magician added to her intimidating presence.
She stood as if a royal court magician had descended, embodying an elegant and quite high-level pressure.
Liris stood before Aria.
She gazed at Aria’s lavender hair and spoke.
“What a cute junior.”
“…”
Is it because of instinct?
Aria hadn’t thought kindly of Liris since the entrance ceremony.
There was something ominous in the air.
And…
She seemed oddly friendly to her juniors, yet with a playful smile, it felt like there was some hidden reason behind it.
“I came because I’m looking for someone. Do you know Lev Denec?”
At the mention of someone she’s looking for, the surroundings stirred.
“…Yes, but it seems class hasn’t ended yet.”
“True…”
Thinking back, when Aria was in temporary class C,
Lev Denec had caused quite a ruckus to get on good terms with her.
While the Student Council isn’t an absolute authority in Claris Academy, it was something everyone wanted to join.
Because it could lead to connections with teaching assistants or professors and support like scholarships.
However, it wasn’t common for the Student Council to visit directly.
And just then, the protagonist of this story, Lev Denec walked into the class.
With gray hair, and a sharply featured face.
“Junior!”
Liris called him familiarly.
Could it be that people of the same type get along?
However, Lev Denec made a face as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have, and said,
“Come with me.”
He suddenly grabbed Liris and disappeared somewhere.
– What’s up with him? Did he buy his way into the Student Council and not get expelled?
– Who knows? Maybe he did something big…
Aria knew she shouldn’t, but she followed the two.
*
After several quiet days, Liris, who suddenly showed up,
I can’t understand what she’s thinking.
“Junior, are you alright?”
She’s asking about my well-being with a cheerful smile after causing trouble. What a funny person.
I replied bluntly.
“What’s your business?”
“Oh, today I came from the Student Council. Lev junior has been wanting to join the council. So, specially…”
“I’m not interested.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m not buying. I have a class to attend.”
As I responded with disdain, Liris’s poker face began to crack even more.
“I’m not a merchant… Even if that’s not it! Don’t you have something to say to me?”
In the end, she had to grab my arm as I turned to leave.
At a glance, it looked like a girlfriend pleading desperately.
I didn’t like this stuff.
I spoke as emotionlessly as I could, without any feelings.
“I have nothing to say.”
“…That can’t be…”
“I’m sorry, but now that we’ve seen each other’s worst sides, let’s part ways. Nothing further happening between us.”
“Wait… Junior…”
Liris, who had been conspiring to become a demon creature, in chapter 2,
Ends up losing all her reputation and trust after the corruption of the black market is exposed.
And in chapter 3, on the verge of going dark, she’s ultimately saved by Edwin and later, after being expelled, helps forge the holy sword for Edwin in the official plot.
[Holy Sword – Clarisis His]
This sword of the absolute hero is Liris’s magnum opus, which she devoted everything to.
Unlike Caeran’s sword, the reason Edwin doesn’t fall is precisely because of this.
In other words, no matter how much the situation demands killing villains, one must spare even passing foes for Edwin’s sake.
“Let go.”
As I turned so indifferently,
Liris dropped an unexpected bombshell.
“I, I! Was just messing around with the selection exam…”
I already knew.
“You were disgusted and loathed me for it. But… you weren’t. Rather…”
“…?”
“You’re a demon, aren’t you? The high-ranking demon I have longed for and searched for… right? If not, there’s no way to avoid the mark of the demon.”
From the rambling of Liris, it boiled down to the fact that I hadn’t been affected by the effect of Demon’s Whisper, that pendant, because I was a demon, and thus Liris had completely come to believe that I was a high-ranking demon.
“So save me… turn me into a demon…”
“Calm down…”
In her crazy devotion to demon worship, the relationship between me and Liris was just like that of a cult leader and zealot.
“Junior, save me…”
There’s a very easy method to snap someone back to reality.
A traditionally passed-down method, too.
Whooosh!
Slap!!!
With a heavy sound like breaking the flow,
Liris completely turned her head and stood in shock for a while.
Yes.
I slapped her soundly, like the sky, as if refreshing.
“Snap out of it, you fool.”
[Life Achievements]
[Third-rate Slap! : Supporting Role score 10 gained]
