CH 27

Class Z is a project that King Froy of Exador has had in mind for a long time.

With the conventional class system, you can find excellent people, but you can't find people who specialize in a certain aspect: people who have 'exceptional talent'.

However, that 'exceptional talent' is difficult to measure through examinations. Therefore, the king is concerned about the fact that many often fail the exam.

However, he had a turning point. And it was the existence of his son, "Yuri".

He had an excellent eye for people and was good at finding the 'exceptionally talented' individuals that Froy sought.

That's why the king launched the Z-class plan this year, the same year Yuri entered the academy. He had Yuri identify the 'exceptionally talented' ones entering the academy this year and put them in Class Z.

When Lucius and Charlotte found out, they went to class Z. Since this class did not exist last year, the classrooms are located in the new 'Class Z building' next to the main school building. It is smaller than the main building, but it's quite solid nonetheless.

"I can't believe him… thinking up a plan like this. I was going to join Class A and live a fancy school life."

Char was complaining about Yuri to Lucius.

"Haha, well, I'm glad we're in the same class."

"That's right, I should be thankful for that... Now that we've reached the classroom, let's meet the "weirdos" that the prince has gathered."

Char said that as she put her hand on the door. They both open the door briskly, at the same time feeling nervous about the classmates they haven't met yet.

At that moment, all the curious eyes inside the classroom turned to the two of them.

Inside were ten mixed-sex students. These were the students Yuri had carefully selected for their extraordinary talent.

The two took their seats, feeling uncomfortable under the others' gaze.

Lucius sat in the center of the front row, and Char was to his left. Lucius, who grew up in a village, has never been to school, so he is very nervous.

He thought a lot about making friends... And as that thought crossed his mind, three students appeared in front of him.

"You're Lucius, right? The guy who had that fierce duel at the testing center?"

The guy who spoke was a very striking student with a prominent red Mohawk. Behind him were two people who appeared to be his friends. One was a short boy with a shaved head, and the other was a very tall student who could easily be mistaken for an adult.

The three boys looked rather sketchy together, and from a third party's perspective, the scene looks as if they are mugging Lucius.

However, Lucius is unfazed by their intimidating attitude and replies, "Exactly."

Hearing that, the guy with the Mohawk cut smacks the desk and speaks loudly.

"Hey! That duel was absolutely awesome!!!"

"...Huh?"

Lucius looks very puzzled by those unexpected words. Meanwhile, the boy was still talking very passionately about the duel.

"Oh man, I haven't been this excited about a battle in a long time.  Challenging an opponent with your bare hands while she was carrying a sword is insane! A man should be able to fight with his bare hands. And your magic was so powerful! I could feel the heat of your flames on me all the way from the sidelines!"

"T-Thank you..."

"Oh right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Barn, and my specialty is explosive magic, nice to meet you! The big guy behind me is Dokata, and the little guy is Merel. They're both good guys, I hope we'll all get along well."

""Nice to meet you.""

"Ah, yes. Same here."

The boys introduce themselves and shake hands.

"Why are you guys being so nice to me? We don't know each other well yet."

"Huh? Of course not, a guy who fights the way you do with such explosive passion can't be a bad guy! Right guys?"

The two people behind Barn nodded after his words.

"Okay, see you later!"

"....Yes."

Lucius' eyes lit up when he heard Barn's words. He had never known the joy of being recognized for his efforts.

He felt so happy that he had worked so hard to become stronger.

Those were Lucius' most sincere thoughts at that moment.