Chapter 4: Hero Academy

Chapter 4:
Hero Academy

 

I WAS FEELING A LOT BETTER, so I continued my stroll with Emma. And, since my LP was back up to 500, I decided to test out my Editor skill again.

 

Stone Bullet: Consumes magic to generate and fire a stone roughly eight inches in diameter.

 

Every human had magic, although the precise amount varied. When you drained your reserves, you couldn’t use spells, and it could have an adverse effect on your mental and physical strength. Some people were wiped out after using just one spell, others could do well over a hundred without breaking a sweat—talk about a disparity! But enough of that, I had some editing to do.

I wanted to change the “roughly eight inches” part of the description to “between five inches and three feet.” It was going to cost me 100 LP, but I felt like I could handle it.

To be honest, Stone Bullet wasn’t a particularly destructive spell, so I was glad to be able to produce larger projectiles, even if it did mean expending more magic. On the other hand, I could also produce smaller projectiles when I needed to conserve magic.

“Please, good sir, fine lady, take pity,” an old man called out from the side of the road.

His hair was long and mangy and his face was dark with soot. People like him didn’t have homes. They were far below the commoners in social standing. He hadn’t addressed us like that because he knew we were members of the aristocracy, he would have done the same to anyone—I mean, who would object to being mistaken for an aristocrat?

Emma went to him immediately, purse in hand. “It’s not much, but get yourself a warm meal.”

Normally people just ignored folks like him—if you let them talk, they just keep going and going—but I’ve never seen Emma turn down someone in need.

“You really never change, huh?” I asked as we went on our way.

“I just happen to come from a slightly more fortunate family, that’s all.”

“Yeah, and I just happen to be from a family of struggling nobles. Should I cry about it?”

“Ooh, there, there, poor baby.”

“Wow, this is what I get?”

While we were fooling around, a troubled voice called out behind us: “Thief! Someone, help!”

I couldn’t believe it! Someone had snatched Emma’s money from that homeless man. The culprit ran off in the opposite direction—he must’ve been keeping an eye on us.

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch him!” Emma shouted.

“No, Emma, let me handle this.”

“But, Noir…”

“Stone Bullet.”

Pew! Ka-thunk!

My projectile landed square in the middle of the culprit’s back, knocking him flat onto his face. Other people jumped in to pin him to the ground, and the money was returned to the old man.

Emma stared at me in shock. “Wow! Wow?! How can you use that spell?!”

“Well, you know what they say, take your eyes off a boy for a few days and you never know what you’ll find.”

“But we just saw each other yesterday!”

“The point is: I’m growing.”

“And that stone looked bigger than usual too…”

She wasn’t wrong about that. I’d increased the stone’s size to about a foot in diameter. It seemed like the power of the spell had gone up too. The magic cost wasn’t that significant, so I’d say my experiment was a resounding success.

“Well, I ought to get home,” I said. “I have to prepare for the Hero Academy exam tomorrow.”

“You’re taking it?!”

“Yup. Anyway, see ya.”

I thought about stopping by the dungeon, but I was a little tired, so I decided to go home.

That night, I knocked on my little sister’s door. I figured it was worth finding out if I could use her to replenish LP.

Alice opened her door. “Whatever do you need, brother dearest?”

“I have a request.”

“Oh, do tell. I will do anything I can for you, and gladly.”

“Would you let me rest my head in your lap?”

“Y-your what?!”

“I want to rest my head in your lap.”

“O-oh, I thought you had said something else for a moment… Uh, um, sure!”

I thanked her and made my way into her room. I hadn’t been in there in almost a year, but I remained impressed with its tidiness. Alice was still a little baffled by the request, but she indulged me nonetheless, netting me 30 LP. It wasn’t as much as I’d gotten from Emma, but I appreciated it all the same.

“I feel so much better,” I said as I thanked her.

“If doing this sort of thing helps you, you can ask me any time, brother.”

“So you wouldn’t mind if I asked you to be my hug pillow?”

“Whaa?! I mean, of course not!”

“You’re such a sweet, adorable little sister, Alice.”

 

430 LP → 500 LP

 

The fact that the LP generation function worked with my little sister meant it didn’t have particularly discerning parameters. I guess I shouldn’t have expected anything else, given who I’d inherited it from. I resolved to see my master again soon.

***

 

My heart pounded as I walked through the marble archway. Several guards stood beside the gate to the Hero Academy, checking everyone as they entered. I wore a metal badge shaped like a silk hat—the symbol for a member of a baronet’s family. The colors and shapes varied depending on your social class, so you could tell who you were dealing with at a glance.

I may have been on the bottom rung, but I was still a member of the aristocracy, so I was allowed to enter without comment. Academy students didn’t get privileges based on their social class, but you had to become a student for that to apply.

Today was the final exam, the preliminary one having been held a few days prior. Commoners had to take that first and could only sit the final exam if they passed. As a noble, I had a free pass to the finals.

Once I’d registered, I headed onto the campus. I was shocked at how many people were already there—around three hundred total, nobles and commoners alike. The school only took 120 people in four classes per year, so over half of the people present wouldn’t make it.

“I’m so grateful you’ve all taken the time to come out here today. I know you have bright futures ahead of you.”

The president of the school greeted us from a podium. He was an older man, but his eyes were sharp and his build sturdy, giving him an air of majesty. I’d heard he used to be a top-class dungeon seeker. He quickly moved on from greetings to explain what was to come.

“The final exam is split into two sections, and your combined score will determine whether you pass. I’ll get right to the first section.”

Now this was the part I didn’t expect—apparently the first section was a team battle! We could pick our own teammates, but that put me in a bit of a pickle—how was I supposed to pick?

“Noooir! I’m here!”

“What?!”

Emma skipped over, outfitted with a dagger and everything.

“What are you doing here?!” I exclaimed.

“I thought I’d take the exam too. Being unemployed isn’t the best look, you know?”

“I guess,” I agreed. “I mean, people really hate it when aristocratic kids don’t work.”

“Anyway! Let’s team up! I’m as strong as a hundred men! Ah ha ha!”

Honestly? I was glad she showed up. Unlike me, Emma was proficient in combat. Just as I was considering who our third should be, a beautiful girl with long black hair came up to us.

“Wanna team up?”

Her voice was smooth and confident. The thought of rejecting her didn’t even cross my mind. I noticed the badge on her chest—she was an earl’s daughter! No wonder a bottom-rung noble like me was bowled over by her presence.

“S-sure! We would love to, your ladyship,” Emma answered before I had a chance.

We really had to watch ourselves with someone of such high status.

“Oh, you don’t need to be so formal. After all, if we pass, we’ll all be equals. You can just call me Shirley. Shirley Nordoir.”

“I’m Noir Stardia.”

“Emma Brightness, at your service, your la… I mean, Shirley.”

“Oh, you’re from the Brightness family? I’ve heard the name. But I’m afraid Stardia is wholly unfamiliar to me.”

Of course it was, we were nobodies, but would it have killed her to pretend?

“Well,” she said. “No matter. This is just a temporary arrangement, after all.”

Her contempt was plain as day. She probably thought she was doing me a favor by teaming up. I felt my chest tighten.

“The first section of the exam starts now!” the president declared. “You have until 6 p.m. to harvest raw materials. Your scores will be determined by what you manage to collect. You may use any method you see fit. Begin!”

When the president gave the signal, everyone sprang into action. Some people even broke into a run.

“We should split up and collect things on our own. Do me a favor and try not to screw this up, okay?” The earl’s daughter may have been a real beauty—she was slender, her skin as white as snow, and she had the most delicate facial features—but she was haughty.

I forced a smile. “I’ll do my best. I hope you will too, Lenore.”

“Noir, what are you saying? Her name is Shirley.” Emma looked at me, baffled. She hadn’t realized the girl was lying to us. I couldn’t blame her. I was the one who’d used Discerning Eye.

Meanwhile, Lenore’s eyes went wide, and I flashed another smile.

“Not sure what you were thinking, giving your teammates a fake name, but do me a favor and try not to screw this up, okay?” I turned around and walked off while she stood there, still dumbfounded. I paused for one last snipe. “By the way, I know you’re trying real hard to look cool, but you’ve got spinach in your teeth.”

“What?!”

“Hey! Noir! I mean, yeah, I noticed that too, but there are some things you just don’t say!”

But Emma, it’s only polite to respond to a poison tongue in kind!