Chapter 5.08 (1/2)
Chapter 5. Welcome to the summoner’s school. (8)
If I were to make up an excuse, I’d say it was because I was in the graduating cla.s.s.
I… I have nothing left to study.
It’s not like I became the council president for nothing. I’ve studied hard over the years, and thanks to that, I can graduate just by getting a pa.s.sing grade in 5 cla.s.ses. In other words… I don’t have anything to do!
That’s why I began trying to run away from that night study time along with the seniors who stayed in the school for five, six years. But…
“Th, the h.e.l.l?! Why does the school even have traps like these?”
“What the?!”
Cages would fall from the sky, floors would disappear all of the sudden…
The things that I’ve never experienced over the four years of my school life suddenly began happening.
And.
“…President, let us join you!”
The entire council decided to fight back!
The faculty obviously got annoyed by this, and went to Nicerwin Ein to complain. They complained about how the council, who were supposed to be model students, weren’t studying. However, when Nicerwin Ein, the origin of all evils, heard this, he smiled.
“They are being model students, though?”
When I went to ask him the meaning of that later on, Nicerwin Ein answered me with a smile.
“Why do you think I told them they could skip night study time if they could run? I was telling them to all run.”
That’s when I realized something. T, this man is a demon!
Of course, there was a penalty. Those who got caught while running away had to stay for an hour longer than others. …We have to stay in school for fourteen hours!
But even so… We the students, I mean, we the heroes worked to get across the countless traps in order to get to the holy dorms.
And after a week of hard work, we managed to get to the front gates.
“Rise, earth.”
“Uaaah!”
“W, what the?!”
When the shouts came from behind me, I quickly looked behind. What I saw there was a stone giant…
“It is immoral for a student to run from school.”
“…Sir Maroon!”
Maroon Harcen. He was a man who rose up from his status as a peasant into a knight. He was an elder in the summoner corps in the army, and he was someone who was contracted to the spirit of the earth.
And… he is also our teacher!
“Call me professor.”
“Professor! What is the meaning of this!”
I looked at my fallen comrades, and shouted out in despair. Sir Maroon simply flashed Nicerwin’s signature smile in response.
“Punis.h.i.+ng students?”
That’s when I realized something yet again. T, this guy’s just like Nicerwin!
“It’s unfair to use elementals!”
“Hoho, do you still not understand the words of professor Nicerwin? Run if you can. That means you have to use all kinds of tactics to escape. Did you think we’d let you off with just traps? No. If you want to escape, you must beat the entire faculty. This is… war.”
“…war?”
“Right. War. I may be a graduate from this school, but normally, I wouldn’t set one foot here. Then, do you know why I came back?”
“No, I don’t.”
There was a lot of talk surrounding this, actually. Why would five elders in the summoner’s corps, along with the twenty soldiers below them, all come to the school? For a while, people thought that the military was bribed into giving the school all these soldiers.
Professor Maroon told me the truth behind this matter.
“I came to train talented individuals.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. The summoner’s corps once was an invincible troop that protected the empire, but things have changed now. There aren’t any talented soldiers that are coming in, and almost no one enlists any more. Even though one might have a powerful summoned beast, he would be either too weak, or have no experience in battling at all. They usually die before managing to do anything. It’s ridiculous.”
“So how does this relate to all this?”
“Nicerwin gave me a suggestion: What if I train them before they get into the army?”
“What do… what?!”
“Right. This entire process of running away is training. You tell me it’s unfair to use an elemental? You’re a summoner as well, are you not? Summon your beasts, then. Take us down, and win back your freedom!”
I decided to use my summoned beast after hearing this.
“Then I’ll… Keh!”
But even before I summoned anything… the earth elemental struck me behind my head! The summoning failed! No, wait!
“U, unfair!”
“Idiot. I told you to do whatever you could. The same applies to us. How do you expect us to block all the students in the school? We’re severely outnumbered, meaning that we have to do whatever we can as well. Did you think we’d wait for you to summon your beast? Real life isn’t like a novel. Villains don’t always wait for the hero.”
“Then, guh!”
“No excuses. Study for an extra hour.”
I felt a blow to my back once again, and my vision darkened.
A month had pa.s.sed since then. The first years came to see me.
“…I heard you were the president of the student council.”
“Right. I’m the president of the council, Nerkia Nes Leria.”
“…Please lead us!”
Ten students bowed down to me as they said this.
“Lead what?”
“We are… the Student Liberation Army.”
…Eh?
“What army?”
“The Student Liberation Army. We are a group of first years who are unwilling to succ.u.mb to the night study time.”