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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Ramieli Academy Entrance Ceremony (5)
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Serena managed to arrive just before the entrance ceremony began.
Unlike the other nobles who brought their servants, she appeared at the ceremony alone.
She had been looking forward to simply clinking glasses with Zeke and talking about their future life at the academy.
Of course, Serena still wanted to do that.
Though the topic of conversation had now changed significantly.
'Zeke Kleiman…'
As Iriel and Serena made their entrance, the eyes of every noble turned toward them.
However, the fame and status of being daughters of ducal houses kept anyone from approaching them too easily.
They were in a position to graciously accept if spoken to, but for anyone to approach and speak to them first was unthinkable.
All they could do was watch with longing eyes.
Regardless of the situation, Serena and Iriel were too busy craning their necks and scanning the tables.
There was no sign of black hair anywhere.
She had thought he would be easy to find, as he had an appearance that stood out whether he liked it or not, so she was flustered.
"Where did that man go…"
"Where did he go…"
Serena was getting annoyed with Iriel, whose words kept overlapping with hers.
If it weren't for the prying eyes around them, she would have grabbed her by the collar, shaken her, and demanded to know what her relationship was with Zeke Kleiman.
'Ah, I was really trying not to think about it right now!'
As they stood awkwardly at the entrance, their eyes darting around,
a man holding two glasses approached them.
Everyone's gaze shifted to him.
He was a middle-aged man with blond hair and a smarmy look.
He offered them the glasses. They accepted, since he was offering.
He suddenly thumped his chest with his left hand and bowed with the sharp etiquette of a knight.
"Good day, Young Ladies. I am Dios Redwood, former commander of the Redwood County's Black Dragon Knights, and now a swordsmanship instructor at Ramieli Academy."
"Ah, yes."
"Ah… hello…"
Serena and Iriel accepted his greeting with lukewarm expressions.
'Who is this guy… Huh? A swordsmanship instructor?'
Dios's eyebrows twitched when he saw that Serena had brought no servants.
"My, it seems you haven't brought any servants. Occasionally, there are those who come without knowing. The ceremony will begin shortly, so may I escort you?"
"No… that's alright. And that's not important. You said you're a swordsmanship instructor—where is Zeke Kleiman?"
When Serena immediately asked for Zeke's whereabouts, Dios's expression soured for a moment.
"That man said he had something to do and suddenly rushed off."
But he quickly remembered that the women before him were the daughters of dukes, and his expression returned to normal as he answered.
"What? During the entrance ceremony?"
"What do you mean? Zeke isn't here?"
*Grind.*
'Damn it, why are all these women after Zeke Kleiman!'
With two beautiful women in front of him, Dios's jealousy boiled over.
He had heard that Zeke Kleiman had a connection with them and, assuming it was due to an interest in swordsmanship, had bravely stepped forward.
But even with him standing right there, they were preoccupied with finding that idiot.
Dios bit his lip.
The young ladies of the Johaiden and Justia families.
They were the women about whom every man of marriageable age in the empire had at least once daydreamed of the names of their future children.
But they all gave up, knowing that nothing—not status, wealth, honor, or profession—could measure up to them.
Even now, weren't they all pretending not to, while secretly watching him talk to them?
'Don't tell me… they both like that bastard… Damn it. What kind of luck was he born with!'
Dios recalled the Zeke Kleiman he had seen earlier.
An expressionless face, rude, and utterly lacking in common sense.
No matter how he thought about it, there seemed to be no reason for them to be so hung up on that guy.
'Right. They're still young women. They don't know what a real man is yet. It was just by a stroke of luck that he was the first man they met. There's nothing he has that I don't.'
They were both swordsmanship instructors invited to Ramieli, and that guy was, at best, a former common soldier. In terms of looks, too…
There seemed to be a bit of an age gap, but a man was like wine that matured with age.
Indeed, after considering everything, there was no reason for Dios to feel inferior to him.
With his delusions running at full throttle, Dios maintained a smiling face and said,
"Well, since you've come to the entrance ceremony, you should participate in the event. I will guide you to your seats."
"I'm fine. I'll go sit over there."
"No, I'll find my own way, thank you…"
Both of them declined Dios's offer.
Iriel found the table where her followers were gathered.
They were fully prepared to welcome her, as if they already knew she would be heading there.
Serena, too, found the young ladies she was usually close with and was warmly received.
Only Dios, who had stepped forward in the first place, was left in an awkward situation.
The nobles who had been watching from the beginning let out stifled snickers.
'Zeke Kleiman, you son of a bitch!'
Dios trembled with humiliation.
A moment later.
*Thump.* The background music stopped.
"Esteemed students, thank you for attending the entrance ceremony. I am Roto Estonia, the principal of Ramieli Academy."
An old man with white hair stood before a voice-amplifying magic tool.
And so, what was for Serena the longest and most boring entrance ceremony began.
***
Zeke walked briskly toward the back of the main building.
If he had his way, he would have flown there,
but his body seemed to put on the brakes, as if it had to maintain decorum within the academy grounds.
Soon, Zeke arrived behind the main building.
*Chatter, chatter.*
"Hey, hey. Don't push!"
"Ugh, it's so loud!"
"Did you see the nobles' entrance ceremony on the way here?"
"Yeah… It was incredible. It's like they live in a different world."
'This is… way too many people…'
The nobles' entrance ceremony had a comfortable number of attendees,
but the commoners' ceremony was packed to the brim in a cramped space.
It was a scene that somehow reminded him of the morning Line 1 subway in Korea.
'There are a lot of commoners compared to nobles… But will I be able to find the heroine in this crowd?'
Zeke first took in the overall atmosphere.
The commoners' entrance ceremony was a stark contrast to the high-society affair of the nobles.
The food, already cold, was set out on wooden tables.
Barrels of beer were placed unceremoniously with mugs.
It looked more like a cheap tavern than an entrance ceremony.
Moreover, there wasn't a single professor present, only a few men in academy staff uniforms.
One of them took out a pocket watch, checked it, and shouted in a stiff voice.
"The Ramieli Academy entrance ceremony will now begin. Everyone, be quiet!"
The murmuring noise gradually subsided.
"First and foremost, remember this. For the next four years, you will be living a short dream."
The ceremony began with a line that sounded like it came from a military training instructor.
'Ah, so it's this type of thing here?'
Watching the scene, Zeke, who was standing at the very back, scratched his head.
'Tsk, this is no good… I can only see the back of their heads.'
Zeke began to creep forward to get a look at the students' faces.
However, in his bright blue suit with dangling gold cords, Zeke's appearance was far too conspicuous to move stealthily.
A staff member standing next to the instructor giving the speech, who was monitoring the students with sharp eyes, spotted Zeke and yelled.
"Hey! You there! The one moving! Stand still! Who the hell are you!"
At those words, Zeke looked up at the staff member.
Recognizing his attire, the academy staff member thought he was a noble student and stammered in a flustered tone.
"Uh, uh, who the hell… I mean. Who… are you, sir?"
"Zeke Kleiman. A swordsmanship instructor at Ramieli Academy."
"Hah! A-a swordsmanship instructor!?"
The staff member's startled voice was so loud that all the commoner students at the ceremony turned their heads toward him.
The instructor giving the speech also sensed something was wrong and said,
"So don't get the wrong idea… What is it, what's wrong?"
"Uh… a swordsmanship instructor has arrived."
"A swordsmanship instructor? Here?"
"Yes… over there…"
The staff member pointed at Zeke with an open palm.
The instructor also spotted him and froze.
He quickly composed himself and spoke to Zeke.
"Uh, uh. Are you the swordsmanship instructor, sir? Why are you here… Perhaps, you were given the wrong location for the entrance ceremony…"
"No, that's not it. I just came to check, hearing that there were students here as well."
At those words, the instructor wore an expression that said, *Did I hear that right?*
He had conducted the entrance ceremony every year, but this was the first time in the academy's history that a professor had ever set foot in the commoners' ceremony.
Except for the principal, who would occasionally visit late, near the end of the ceremony,
no one wanted to come to this shabby event.
"Why are you… Ah, no, my inner thoughts slipped out. No, that's not it…"
"It's fine. I received the principal's permission to come, so there should be no problem with me participating here, right?"
"Uh… Yes. Please do."
The instructor nodded with a reluctant face.
'Hmm, he told me to look after the commoners, so I should do my job. The principal seems more reasonable than I thought. He looked like a stubborn old man.'
In truth, there had been no permission; Zeke had simply made a one-sided declaration and bolted.
But in his mind, the scene had already transformed into one where the principal earnestly begged him to look after the commoners he couldn't attend to himself.
Zeke strode confidently to the front and stood beside the academy staff.
The students' gazes followed him.
"Huh? What? He's a swordsmanship instructor?"
"Wow, he looks so young. He seems to be around our age!"
"He's a little scary, but he's handsome, right?"
"Why did he come? My upperclassman didn't mention anything like this in the schedule."
The disciplined atmosphere was once again thrown into disarray by Zeke's appearance.
"Quiet! Focus! The entrance ceremony will now resume!"
The instructor yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to draw back the attention that had shifted to Zeke.
But the students were busy stealing glances at him.
Zeke stood with his arms crossed, examining the students' faces one by one.
Seeing this, one of the staff members next to him approached and whispered in a low voice.
"Sir, is there a particular student you are looking for…?"
"Hmm, are there any promising students here?"
"Promising students, sir?"
He was just thinking it might be a bit difficult to find her alone, so he decided to accept the help.
"Yes, someone extraordinary or exceptional. Regardless of their family's financial situation. No, probably a poor student."
"Uh… well, the commoners take an exam to get in, and the top student got in on talent alone. The second-highest got in with the help of a donation admission score…"
"Who is the top student?"
The staff member pointed to one of the students.
She was a female student with short brown hair and gray eyes.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation for her future academy life.
When the staff member pointed at her, she tilted her head to the side.
Zeke carefully observed her.
She had a down-to-earth image and didn't seem to care much about her appearance,
but upon closer inspection, she certainly seemed to possess a greater potential than the other students around her.
There was a distinct sparkle about her.
"What's that student's name?"
"Soi Spoon, sir."
'…Soi Spoon. Soi Spoon, you say… No way! Soil spoon? The soil of the Spoon family?!'
Zeke's eyes widened slightly as he looked at the female student.
'A dirt spoon! I found her! But who the hell names a character Dirt Spoon… Damn, that author's a real piece of work!'