The special classes, White Tiger Class and Black Tortoise Class, were established under the initiative of the Esdinas Academy faculty.
One might wonder why they chose names like White Tiger and Black Tortoise instead of creating a direct rival to the Vermilion Bird Class and Azure Dragon Class. However, this was the result of the desires of various “problematic elements” within the Academy.
First, the faculty.
– Esta and Kadisha want to become professors based on their achievements in teaching the students of Vermilion Bird Class!
Question:
Does Esdinas Academy not have “professors”?
The answer is no.
– There are only seven professor positions available. If Esta and Kadisha were to compete for a spot, what would happen?
– Considering that Esta is the White Sword Saint and Kadisha is from the Allister family, what if one of the current seven professors were to die, leaving a vacancy?
Throughout the 500-year history of Esdinas Academy, apart from the Headmaster and Vice-Headmaster, there have always been only seven professors.
Given the Academy’s vast scale, one would expect there to be dozens of professors, similar to other university-level institutions. However, Esdinas Academy values tradition.
The system created by the four founders.
The Headmaster, the Vice-Headmaster, and the original seven professors.
Rather than increasing the number of professors, Esdinas Academy maintained the professor title as an honorary position while expanding the ranks below it by appointing multiple faculty members.
At smaller academies or regional universities, individuals qualified to hold a professor title might instead be designated as instructors or faculty members at Esdinas Academy due to this structure.
Even if a university-level student graduates and aims for a professor’s position, unless one of the seven professors vacates their seat, the number of assistant professors would only continue to increase.
However, what if someone consistently produced S-rank students?
Given that Esdinas Academy’s core philosophy is to train powerful warriors capable of confronting humanity’s greatest crises by the time they graduate, such a person would inevitably be recognized for their immense contributions.
And what if they turned not just prodigies but a wide range of students into S-rank?
What if, during the Great Martial Tournament, the most significant event of the second semester, the Vermilion Bird Class completely dominated the competition?
Then the faculty would think.
– This can’t continue! If we want to become professors, we must also produce results!!
Thus, the White Tiger Class and Black Tortoise Class were created.
We can teach just as well.
We can also produce S-rank students.
While it was framed as healthy competition, job security was also at stake, making it impossible for the faculty to remain passive.
As a result, Esdinas Academy’s faculty members became even more dedicated to training their students.
However, this placed an even greater burden on someone.
On whom?
“H-hah… Haah… A-ah, hello….”
A lone figure who had just entered the special class—Azure Dragon Class—in the Old School Building of Esdinas Academy.
“I-I’m Shuri Commissioner….”
A timid-looking girl with purple hair.
She resembled a bookworm, someone who might enjoy flowers and poetry. Already naturally timid, she had also felt direct hostility upon entering, making her even more anxious.
“A-as a member of Azure Dragon Class, I’ll do my best….”
Her position forced her to be extremely self-conscious.
Not only was she a C-rank, but she also knew that her own performance could affect whether Esta and Instructor Kadisha would achieve professor status.
‘Though… that’s not the only reason I’m nervous.’
Her individual performance might negatively impact the careers of adults.
However, from the perspective of a first-year student, she couldn’t help but compare herself to her fellow 17-year-old classmates.
“Nice to meet you, Shuri! I’m Yunia. This here is Ludmila, and that’s Evangeline.”
The first person to approach Shuri was Yunia.
Among players seeking the harem route, Yunia was always considered an essential ally due to her convenience. As such, she instinctively showered Shuri with overwhelming maternal warmth upon seeing her distress.
“A-ah, hello. B-but, h-hiiik—!”
However, sometimes the brightness of the sun could be overbearing for those accustomed to darkness.
Although the MBTI concept didn’t exist in this world, if Yunia were an extreme Extrovert (E), then Shuri was undoubtedly an extreme Introvert (I).
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Did your mana fluctuate on the way here? That doesn’t seem to be the case, but…?”
“N-no! I-it’s just… it’s just that….”
Shuri’s gaze swept across the room, taking in the special class students.
Aside from Yurha, who brought her here, the only person remotely comparable to her in ability was Instructor Kadisha.
‘And even then, Instructor Kadisha keeps growing stronger every break…’
The gap was insurmountable.
Even Evangeline, who was relatively short, possessed larger mana pockets than Shuri, making the difference even more pronounced.
It was an issue of self-esteem.
And when it came to self-esteem—
“If you’re worried about mana and growth, just study with us for about half a year. It’ll be resolved soon.”
“Huh?”
“We all went through the same thing.”
Coming from Ludmila, someone with a renowned reputation, these words were reassuring indeed.
‘It was a good decision to take care of Ludmila on the rooftop first before coming down.’
A new talent had appeared.
Given how much attention mercenaries pay to their surroundings, she must have been hyperaware of this.
She must have experienced gifted rookies chasing after her from behind.
There were even those who ran alongside her, only to suddenly surge ahead.
It was impossible not to have mixed feelings about it.
“E-ehehe. Do you really think so…?”
But when someone from the same industry offered reassurance and even vouched for her, Shuri felt a small weight lift from her shoulders.
“That’s right. Senior Yurha will help you a lot. Right?”
“Well, of course, as a fellow Azure Dragon Class member, I’ll help out….”
Yunia and Yurha exchanged knowing smiles.
At a glance, it seemed like casual conversation, but underneath it lay a subtle clash of pride between the two.
“We should all support each other as Old School Building members, don’t you think?”
“Of course. Vermilion Bird Class and Azure Dragon Class are going to claim victory together in the Great Martial Tournament, after all.”
Vermilion Bird Class and Azure Dragon Class.
Yunia was deliberately trying to draw a distinction between them.
Seeing this side of Yunia—one jealous, competitive, and subtly wary—was something that hadn’t appeared in the game.
For me, it was a fresh experience.
Instead of simply smiling and accepting a new heroine, she was displaying envy and a sense of rivalry.
And yet, I already knew that in the end, she would show the same boundless tolerance as her mana pockets.
No matter how new these interactions felt, her fundamental nature wouldn’t change.
However—
“Yunia. About that…”
There was one thing that Yunia had completely overlooked.
Something she hadn’t even considered.
“At the request of Instructor Esta and Instructor Kadisha, I’ve been reassigned to a different class.”
“…Huh?”
“Wait. What do you mean by that?”
“Wow.”
Yunia’s face froze, Ludmila’s eyes sharpened, and Evangeline clapped her hands before casually stepping back.
“Well, this is something. A bombshell announcement on the first day of the semester.”
“Evangeline. This is no time to act so indifferent… Have you—betrayed us?”
“Betrayal? Are you saying me transferring out of Vermilion Bird Class is betrayal?”
“We’re Vermilion Bird Class! The four of us, together as one!”
“I mean, a semester together does feel like a long time… but relax. I was just going with the mood and messing with you.”
Seeing how seriously intense Yunia and Ludmila were being, Evangeline raised both hands in surrender before turning to face me.
“Still, if you’re moving to Azure Dragon Class, I can’t say I’m thrilled about it. Are they trying to make it three vs. three?”
“Half right, half wrong, Evangeline.”
Instructor Esta stepped forward, exerting pressure through her mana.
“To clear up any misunderstandings—let me be absolutely clear. Vermilion Bird Class will consist of Yunia, Ludmila, and Evangeline. Likewise, Azure Dragon Class will consist of Yurha, Shuri, and another special admission student.”
“…Not Phoenix?”
“Correct. After analyzing your practical combat experience from the first semester, we identified a critical issue. For the second semester, the goal is to address and improve this weakness.”
Instructor Esta pointed at me.
“You will need to develop strategies that allow a three-person party to defeat a four-person party, even without Phoenix.”
“…Huh.”
“You must become a party that can win without Phoenix, so that if Phoenix is with you, victory becomes effortless.”
“But without Phoenix, won’t we be left with just three people? Aren’t both Vermilion Bird Class and Azure Dragon Class supposed to compete in the Great Martial Tournament?”
“They are.”
“Then won’t each party be one person short in a four-person match?”
“However—”
Instructor Esta turned her gaze to me.
“Phoenix, you can manage it, can’t you?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“…Huh?”
“Simple.”
It was such an obvious solution.
“I’ll just fight for both teams.”
