I was fighting drowsiness while listening to the principal in a huge movie theater-like auditorium with chairs lined up in the shape of stairs. Because it was still chilly, the large auditorium was warmed up with magic tools, and except on the stage where the principal was standing, the lights were suppressed and dimmed, so I couldn’t help but feel sleepy. From my position, I can see a lot of people who are nodding off, and there are many people who have their necks at an uncomfortable angle that shows that they are completely asleep.
When I was trying my best to hold back a yawn, Ursch-kun, who was sitting next to me, whispered in my ear.
“Isabella, the principal’s speech has come into the summary, so it looks like it’s almost over. When the principal’s story is over, the introduction of the departments and solicitation will begin, so don’t be careful.”
“No, I got it. How many exits were there?”
“Two in front and back on the right, and one right behind. And one on each side of the stage. There are a total of five exits. Also, it’s hard to understand because it’s closed with black curtains now, but there’s a window near the ceiling on the left and right walls.”
When Ursch-kun told me to look at the left and right walls of the auditorium, it is easy to overlook because the lights were turned off and the black curtains were tightly closed, but there were large windows near the ceiling. If you open that curtain, it would be so bright that you wouldn’t need a magic tool light during the day.
When I checked the location of the window, I turned my neck and bent and stretched my knees while sitting in the chair. When I loosened my body that had been sitting for a long time, the principal concluded his speech.
“I hope that the days you spend at this academy will be weapons and food for you to survive the rest of your life. Good luck, everyone. Congratulations on your admission.”
When the principal finished talking and got off the stage quickly, an announcement was made.
“With that, the entrance ceremony is over. Next, department introductions and solicitations from each department will be held on the school premises. Today’s department tour is until 15:00. Therefore, the school premises will be closed until 15:00. For new students, please spend your time freely on the premises, such as visiting the desired department and exploring the school until the blockade is lifted.”
As soon as the announcement was over, the largest entrance behind the auditorium blew up. At the same time, I jumped with Ursch-kun and aimed for the left wall, the window near the ceiling.
“Isabella. The central window is no good. Aim at the edge of the window closest to the stage.”
“Got it!!”
When I ran up the wall and came to the window as instructed by Ursch-kun, a young man broke through the central window and fell down from the flying dragon and rushed into the auditorium. With the tumultuous auditorium behind me, I broke through the curtain and the window and escaped from the auditorium with Ursch-kun in my arms. The area around the auditorium was surrounded by current students. While being held by me, Ursch-kun made a leisurely comment while throwing flash bullets at the current students one after another.
“There are faces such as Chris-sama and Geese-sama this year, so I wonder if they are enthusiastic. The solicitation of the departments is more radical than I heard from my brother.”
“I also asked my sister about the entrance ceremony, but I didn’t think she would come here.”
“This is no longer a solicitation, it’s a freshman hunt.”
The Royal National Roserial Magic Academy has a default magical power, it is a boarding academy that students are forced to enter regardless of if they are aristocrats or commoners. At the entrance ceremony every year, current students in each department prepare to acquire new students by soliciting other related departments. The battle without honor or humanity between each department, appealing the strength of the department they belong to, is extremely annoying for the new students involved. While solicitations are held, new students get involved in conflicts regardless of if they are aristocrats or commoners, so they are classmates who ran away together with fear and struggles, and friendships and solidarity beyond status may be born.
The graduates insist on the legitimacy of the solicitation war, saying that it is a necessary act to unite and strengthen the country regardless of their status, but it’s just muscle brains that want to compete in each department, and it seems that they are enjoying the state of the freshmen who run away.
The new students are exhausted in the daily battles, so they choose to run away and hide until the conflict is extinguished, or find the seniors of the desired department as soon as possible, confirm the department they enter, and wait in the dormitory until classes start. Therefore, the solicitation period is set to be 10 days, but most new students rarely worry about the entire period.
“Ursch-kun, where is the alchemy camp?”
“It’s easy to be attacked at the camps of each department, so it’s better not to go there. Rather, it might be better to look for people who stay in the school building and work.”
“I see, there may be more people who are working in the alchemy department.”
“How is that? It was probably the alchemy department that blew up the back doorway of the auditorium earlier. It looked like it was blown up with a magic potion. Other departments wouldn’t blow it up using magic tools or magic potions.”
I don’t know what each department wants to do anymore. Don’t they just want to compare the power of each department for solicitation?
“It’s just as bad to blow up the doorway with chemicals or break through the window with a flying dragon and rush in.”
By the way, there are a total of five departments of the Academy of magic.
‘Magician Department’: There are many people who aim to be magicians and adventurers. Magic idiots and muscle brain magicians belong here.
‘Magic Department’: To put it simply, it’s a regular course. The type who will be in a magic shop in a corner of the city in the future belong here.
The feeling of ‘conscience of the academy’ of the magic department. I want them to escape from this battle safely.
“By the way, what department rushed in with a flying dragon?”
“Which one is it? It may be a dragon warrior in the Magic Warrior Department, and there is a possibility that it’s a summoner of the Magician Department, so I don’t know. Either way, it’s a dragon of that size that can stick straight into a window, so they’re pretty good at handling dragons.”
Now that you mention it, the size of the dragon was just the size of the window. I kept running while talking, and when I dropped Ursch-kun off in a place like an unpopular backyard, I moved quickly while hiding in the shadows.
“Did Alice-chan and the others run away?”
When I asked him in a small voice, Ursch-kun leaned over me and quietly said,
“I wonder if it’s okay. Rather, I think they are going to participate in the war.”
“Certainly, everyone seems to be able to extinguish the sparks.”
Then, is it Marieta who is in the most danger out of the people I know? No, is she okay? She said that she has been repeating her life since the entrance ceremony of the academy dozens of times, so she must know how to escape well.
While having such a conversation, when I was moving slowly, explosions and colorful smoke rose in the distance. Pink to yellow-green, light blue and lemon. Looking up at the smoke, Ursch-kun murmured.
“Maybe Chris-sama and the others may struggle the most with the alchemy department.”
“Why? If anything, isn’t the alchemy department going to have no fighting power?”
“Yes, the opponent itself doesn’t have fighting power, so there’s a risk of getting seriously injured, so they can’t fight back badly, but the alchemy department is armed. Look, that smoke has an abnormal condition effect, and skill sealing effect.”
Wow. . . . The alchemy department is troublesome.
I burst out laughing after picturing a teenage Isabella carrying a teenage Ursch in a princess carry while running and dodging people. I mean, Ursch is definitely taller than her now, and he just lets his shorter fiancée carry him around while he throws magic potions at people and they casually talk to each other like it happens all the time. And what’s up with the department war? I feel like by the time people enter the school they already know what department they would enter. At that point, they would probably already have started acquiring the skills for their desired department. Why would departments want people who don’t even have the skills for their department?
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading!