CHAPTER 3

The Black and White Princess & Soul Attire

After parting with Ms. Paula, I headed to my dorm room at Thousand Blade Academy. They’d already mailed me the key to my room, and I had it carefully tucked away in my pocket.

“Here it is… 501.”

I found my apartment and used the key to open the door.

“Whoa, this is way bigger than I expected.”

It was a single-room, nine-square-meter apartment, plenty spacious enough for one person to live in comfortably. The bathroom was sparkling clean, and the tub was large enough for me to stretch my legs in.

It was even furnished with all the basic household appliances, including a refrigerator and a washing machine. The location was also excellent. Thousand Blade Academy had constructed the dorm, so the main campus was only a few minutes away by foot.

“This is everything I could want.”

Thousand Blade Academy wasn’t one of the Elite Five Academies for nothing. They provided all their students with these accommodations, which must have taken an enormous amount of wealth.

“I should get changed.”

I pulled my Thousand Blade Academy uniform out of some wrapping paper and changed into it. Then I stood in front of a full-length mirror to make sure everything was in order.

“All right, looks good.”

The uniform consisted of a black shirt, a white fabric jacket accented with black and gold, a blue tie, and white pants.

On the other hand, the female students wore a uniform with a miniskirt to prioritize ease of movement.

Apparently, these outfits were both traditional and formal, and the design had not changed at all in centuries. I especially liked the school emblem, with its crossed blades on each shoulder.

“This is a really nice sword…”

After changing into my uniform, I gazed in wonder at the weapon the academy had provided me.

It was a brilliant, clear sword. The guard was an elegant gold, and the grip felt perfect in my hands. It was of significantly greater quality than the cheap thousand-guld one I had been using until now.

“Okay…there’s still a little time, but I’ll head out now.”

The entrance ceremony would begin in fifteen minutes. I felt like it was a little too early to leave, but I expected I would arrive at a decent time if I walked slowly and admired the campus.

While heading to the gymnasium, where the ceremony was being held, I happened to overhear the conversation of a few female students who were ahead of me.

“Hey, did you hear there are apparently three students who were admitted this year with a scholarship?”

“I did. It’s not fair how they got to skip that stupid hard test and get in with just the interview.”

“I know, right? They must have had some shady connection!”

…Based on that conversation, it was probably best not to tell people that I’d received a scholarship. I wanted to live at Thousand Blade Academy as a normal student and hone my sword skills in peace.

My three years at Grand Swordcraft Academy had been truly miserable. I wasn’t let into a single school of swordcraft, and the bullying prevented me from making any friends. I did not want to go through that hell again.

I wanted to study and train, make friends like anyone else, and hang out with my classmates. This time, I wanted to live the life that any student should have.

…I’ll be fine. Barring any careless slips of the tongue, no one will find out that I received a scholarship.

Anyway, this was lucky. If I hadn’t heard that conversation just now, I probably would have told someone how I got in.

This is going to be a good day!

In a cheerful mood, I headed for the entrance ceremony.

Standing in front of the gymnasium, which was being used for the entrance ceremony, a number of teachers were instructing students to enter with their shoes on. I joined the flow of students and went inside.

A plastic sheet was spread across the floor, with chairs lined on top of it in rows. There were no assigned seats, and a teacher was asking students to sit as close to the front as possible.

I followed the students before me and ended up sitting in the middle of the first row. Since no one was in front of me, I had a good view of the gymnasium’s stage. It wasn’t a bad seat.

I waited for a while, and then a young man walked up on stage and began testing the microphone. The entrance ceremony was about to begin.

The man onstage introduced himself as the deputy chairman and gave a simple opening statement.

“Next, the chairwoman is going to deliver a ceremonial address,” he announced.

A young woman appeared from the wing of the stage. She stepped up onto a podium in the center of the stage and cleared her throat.

“Greetings, everyone. My name is Reia Lasnote, and I am the chairwoman of this academy. I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” she started, bowing gracefully.

Reia Lasnote was a gorgeous young woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. Her shiny black hair extended down to her back, and her eyes were long and narrow. She was tall and cut a good figure. She was dressed in a stylish black suit, a black tie, and snug-fitting black gloves to match.

She looked like a person you could count on to get things done. Given her position as chairwoman of one of the Elite Five Academies, I was sure she was truly talented.

The chairwoman looked up slowly and began to speak.

“Congratulations to all the new students for your entry into this academy.”

After reading a slightly long ceremonial address, she continued to talk about the state of the academy.

“As you all already know, this school has been in dire straits in recent years. The other Elite Five Academies have gained such a great lead on us that many are even suggesting the ‘Elite Five’ should be cut down to the ‘Elite Four.’”

She took a brief pause.

“For that reason, we are implementing major reforms this year. We’ve started by completely changing the staff, starting with the previous chairman. We’ve also introduced the new ‘Scholarship System’ to ensure the entry of skilled students. I am thrilled to announce we have already gained three students through this system. They are all swordfighters I have seen with my own two eyes and judged to have transcendent skill.”

A bad feeling welled up inside me.

Then Chairwoman Reia said something that plunged me into despair.

“Would the scholarship students—Lia Vesteria, Rose Valencia, and Allen Rodol—please come up to the stage?”

…It was all over. With that one request, she had just ruined my chance at a quiet student life.

A clamor rose in the gym as the students spun their heads around to find the students she called.

Maybe I can get through this unnoticed if I just sit here…

That tempting notion flashed through my mind, but I gave up on it when Chairwoman Reia beckoned me directly.

I reluctantly walked up onto the stage, where I found someone whom I recognized. She had red eyes, a dignified countenance, and long silver hair tinged with pink.

“R-Rose?!”

It was Rose Valencia, the practitioner of the Cherry Blossom Blade Style whom I’d fought in the championship match of the Sword Fighting Festival.

She waved her right hand at me when she noticed me.

“Long time no see, Allen.”

“Wh-what are you doing here?!”

“To find you, of cour… Oops, we shouldn’t talk during the ceremony. Let’s meet up later.”

“Please introduce yourselves, starting with Lia on the right. State your name and school of swordcraft, then give a brief comment.”

Chairwoman Reia passed the microphone to Lia, who stepped forward and assumed a grand pose.

“Pleasure to meet you all. My name is Lia Vesteria, and I’m an exchange student from the neighboring Vesteria Kingdom. I practice the Hegemonic School of Swordcraft. I may be royalty, but here, I’m just another student. I look forward to getting to know all of you,” she said, smiling gently.

Lia Vesteria had long blond hair tied into pigtails with red ribbons. She seemed like a kind and sociable person. Her eyes were large and bright, and her skin was white as snow; she looked just like a princess out of a fairy tale. I was surprised when she announced she was an actual princess from a neighboring country, but her dignity made it believable.

The new students all began to talk at once when she finished.

“Lia… Is she the Black and White Princess rumored to have produced Soul Attire when she was just five years old?!”

“I can’t believe she’s our classmate…”

“W-well, she didn’t earn a scholarship for nothing. Won’t these students all be as impressive as her?”

She bowed her head, and the gymnasium burst into applause.

“Thank you very much. Rose, can you please introduce yourself next?” asked the chairwoman.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She took a step forward and cleared her throat.