As soon as we arrived at the Valient grounds, the atmosphere was deflating.
The carriages we saw on the way were all made of high-quality wood and even had comfortable suspensions installed.
Comparing our situation, it was like bringing a junk car to a parking lot filled with luxury foreign cars.
“I heard rumors, but seeing it firsthand, this is no joke, huh?”
In front of the main gate, Ricks commented as he looked at the large buildings, and many nodded in agreement.
The height was similar to the now-collapsed Frost Heart castle.
While the castle had the disadvantage of being old, Valient’s buildings looked as clean as new.
In fact, they were practically new…
The quick restoration showed just how immense Valient’s financial power was.
“It seems a bit more cramped than before.”
“What, Mircel, you’ve been here before?”
Ricks asked, and Mircel nodded.
He must have visited either by following Aol or responding to an invitation.
Bellman adjusted his glasses and said,
“I heard there was a great disaster at Valient too. But the buildings are as clean as new. They must have been rebuilt, I guess.”
Despite the chilling glares from many, Bellman did not stop explaining.
“It’s astonishing. I heard it happened quite recently, but they’ve already restored it to this level. Perhaps it’s because many high-ranking officials are from Valient? They must have received significant support.”
Effectively, the royal capital was like an alumni association of Valient.
It was obvious that those with a strong sense of belonging to their alma mater would have tapped into their personal savings and even the national treasury when trouble struck.
“Still, I’m not particularly envious of them. We also received a lot of support from our headquarters, didn’t we?”
As Ricks boasted affirmation, the previously defeated mood lightened somewhat.
Just then, the person in charge at the door came over and introduced himself.
He asked us to call him Gelmont and inquired about our business, and I presented the documents I had prepared.
The field trip application had arrived first, so he should have been notified. The contents were naturally the IDs to prove the identities of the students who were supposed to come.
Gelmont examined each ID, and then, for a brief moment, his eyes widened.
“Student President, Hersel Ben Tenest. Is that correct?”
I could tell that he was only being polite, but in reality, he was testing me.
It sounded like he was asking if I was Hersel Ben Tenest, but he was actually checking if I really was the student president.
No need to say more; it seems he has taken the list from Frost Heart rather casually.
“And what if I’m not?”
I smirked and spoke, and he glanced behind me at the main characters.
His gaze lingered longest on Mircel’s face, but without any additional procedures, he started guiding us.
“The scale is so vast that it’s easy to get lost. Please, do not stray from my guidance.”
As soon as we set foot on the grounds, Limberton’s mouth fell open. What surprised him was the attire of the students passing by the fountain.
“All their clothes are the same?”
White academy uniforms.
While other academies all had uniforms, Frost Heart did not.
Well, to be precise, they used to have them.
Bellman comfortably provided the explanation.
“Up until 353 years ago, Frost Heart had uniforms too. But it seems there were many complaints since the designs varied depending on the dormitory.”
Three designs of uniforms representing nobles, commoners, and slaves. The uniform system, which further emphasized class distinctions, was boldly abolished.
“The angry students burned them as firewood.”
“What? Then what about the students from the Adele Hall? Did they just let that slide?”
“There’s a record that even the Adele Hall students remained silent, perhaps because they didn’t like the antique design. Seeing the drawings, I could understand… Those were absolutely unwearable clothes.”
Ah, I could imagine it too, having seen the Easter egg.
Excessive frills, shoulder pads as big as an adult’s head, and pointy shoes.
It was a style that I would never be able to wear now.
“The spirit of Valient has been passed down through generations, embodying the ‘Iron Will, Immortal Soul’ that Sword Saint Bamal Ondras upheld.”
The guide in charge explained the history in front of the statue.
“Sir Andrean, the founder of Valient, was so moved by his story that he erected this statue of Bamal in his place as a symbol.”
Bamal Ondras was a figure from before the empire was established.
A legendary figure who left a monumental mark on human history, revered across nations even to this day.
However, the main characters seemed uninterested, looking around or doing other things.
Riamon, watching the happy and cheerful Valient students, voiced his thoughts.
“Seeing them all laughing so brightly makes me uncomfortable.”
Silla scowled, muttering to herself.
“I’d rather not have to look at their faces…”
The others were all chatting amongst themselves, but Bellman remained serious.
“Bamal Ondras is a world-renowned hero. He’s the legendary warrior who defeated the demon Archulas. When hearing about his values, it’s proper etiquette to listen respectfully.”
Hearing this, Mircel scratched his head and asked,
“But Bamal… Isn’t that the same name as the headmaster? Did he become the headmaster because of his name?”
At that moment, a heavy voice rang out from behind.
“It’s common to name people after famous figures. Especially when it comes to Sword Saints.”
Turning around, I saw an elderly man as large as Arkandric, stroking his neatly trimmed beard.
Recognizing him, I almost greeted him instinctively.
However, at this moment, I was playing the role of a troublemaker.
I wasn’t supposed to be polite, nor did I want to be.
Instead, Mircel greeted him.
“Hmm, your manners have improved since I last saw you.”
“Well, I’m getting past the age where I can act like a kid.”
At the headmaster’s appearance, the others straightened their backs.
In the north, Arkandric was treated as a hero for his exploits against monsters, but Bamal was a legend of the battlefield.
Although the empire rarely engaged in direct wars in modern times, it often dispatched troops to maintain world order.
Whenever the knight order led by Bamal appeared, enemy leaders would seriously consider surrendering, overwhelmed by their sheer presence.
If Aol was the ruler of the northeast, Bamal was the dominant force in the central west.
“It is an honor to meet you, Sir Bamal.”
Following Bellman’s lead, everyone bowed in greeting.
To maintain my troublemaker persona, I simply gave a nod.
Fortunately, Bamal didn’t seem to mind.
However, he suddenly paused as if something occurred to him and then approached me.
“Now that I think about it, Hersel Ben Tenest, I’ve heard you survived the breath of the Calamity Bird. I’m quite curious about the details.”
I chuckled and subtly ignited Noble Blood’s Embers.
“That’s quite an old story now. What’s there to say? I survived simply because I was good enough to.”
Though I had warned them in advance, the others swallowed hard, clearly nervous.
Even though my attitude was rather disrespectful, Bamal simply nodded slightly, as if this was what he expected.
Then he turned to the guide.
“Take care of them. Ensure they have a meaningful experience here.”
Feigning the motion of running my fingers through my hair, I wiped the cold sweat off my forehead.
I hadn’t expected to run into him here.
As expected, these people had a habit of reusing their old names.
It was likely a way to ensure they never forgot their true names, despite the many lives they had lived, each with different names given to them by their parents.
Watching his retreating figure, so identical to the statue before me, I felt relieved that I had Noble Blood’s Embers.
Without it, his accumulated experience as a Reincarnator would have allowed him to easily see through my act.
Bamal walked down the long corridor.
Shielding his eyes from the sunlight with his hand, he noticed a professor approaching from between the pillars.
The professor greeted him briefly and then began his report.
“The clock tower technicians will remain for a few more days until they confirm there are no issues. Also, though few, we’ve received reports of some missing warhorses being found.”
“That’s good news. Make sure to reward the informants properly.”
“Yes, sir. Next, about the garden maintenance—”
Bamal stopped the professor from flipping to the next page of the report.
“Let’s put that off for now. Since we have guests, I’d like to welcome them without distractions.”
“Ah, yes, Headmaster.”
“And take a few days off.”
At the mention of a vacation, the professor widened his eyes.
“A vacation? At a time ?”
“You’ve worked hard with everything that’s happened recently. Use the time to focus on your family.”
Bamal gently patted the professor’s shoulder and smiled kindly.
“Nothing is more important than family, after all. Now, go get ready.”
“Then, I’ll proceed with the work immediately upon my return.”
After the professor bowed and left, shadows began to fall in the corridor.
Left alone, Bamal walked down the hallway and his expression relaxed.
Only after shedding a layer of pretense did his pupils cloud over and the corners of his mouth turn down sharply.
-Everyone must have heard it at least once, right? The black sheep of the Tenest family who survived the monster’s breath.
The black sheep that Gillum was worried about was just as he had known him to be.
‘He’s always worrying ahead of time. That’s why he’s ridiculed.’
Bamal reaffirmed his belief.
An arrogant immortal does not exist in this world.
Because he had witnessed his last battle with his own eyes, and the injuries he sustained were so severe that even a demi-god could not escape death.
‘The shard from that battle is still in my body. If he had been real, the shard would have reacted.’
His chest, which he fondled, was only quiet.
Bamal clenched his fist, remembering the shard deeply embedded in his soul.
Once, it had driven him with the desire for eternal life, but now it was nothing more than a cursed fragment.
The things we saw along the way were miscellaneous like a historical museum or introductions to the purposes of buildings.
The guide’s explanations weren’t particularly engaging.
Most of it was stuff we already knew.
Moreover, since it was far from our solid purpose, it was even more boring.
We had entered here under the guise of a field trip, so we had no choice but to comply obediently…
“It seems that wraps up the general guidance.”
The guide’s explanation was slowly coming to an end.
“If you get lost, don’t worry. There’s a large map in the main hall on the first floor of each building. It might be easier to find a staff member and ask, though.”
Finally, our free time had arrived.
Now that we knew the accommodations and had seen the opponents in the training grounds, there was still plenty of time left.
“There’s always security at the places where entry is forbidden, so please be careful. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”
After he left, the guys’ faces brightened up.
“I’m drained. But I’m hungry, aren’t you?”
“Ah, I heard the cafeteria is open.”
“Well, it’s open continuously for a while to accommodate guests… Sila didn’t hear a thing.”
While Leana and Sila were chatting, Limberton swiftly turned his head.
His gaze fixed on a group of students in different uniforms.
The men and women were notable for their red robes.
They were either wearing armor or had holsters with staffs tucked at their waists.
It seemed they had been watching us first, as all of them were paying attention to our direction.
“Where are these kids from?”
I resolved Limberton’s curiosity.
“They’re from Scarlett.”
As they approached us, the atmosphere on our side shifted to a slight defensive posture.
It was a natural response since the enemies that needed to be taken down were showing interest, but they were also playable characters.
Generally, the main characters were usually decent people.
However, they were different from us, mixing even minor supporting characters in their ranks.
The number of main characters was small, and it was natural for them to be pushed aside by second years unless they were exceptional.
So, there was someone who made an unwelcome remark immediately, and he was the sophomore class president from Scarlett.
“Seeing such a base outfit, you must be from Frost Heart.”
The man with slicked-back hair sneered, and I played the role of the black sheep.
“I’m glad I didn’t go to Scarlett. It saved me from having to see such an ugly face.”
To read Chapters ahead 👇
CH 201-205 (Field Trip) $3
CH 206-210 (Troublemaker Vs Troublemaker) $3
CH 211-215 (Graduation) $3
CH 216-220 (Integrated Academy Tournament) $3
CH 221-225 (The Underdog) $3
CH 226-230 (Who am I?) $3
CH 231-235 (Frostheart Vs Wisdom) $3
CH 236-240 (I want to lose) $3