Now that the second "Ceremony of the Announcement of Heavenly Mandate" is over, if there's nothing else to do, I'd like to go home quickly.
I want to get ready for classes that start in earnest the next day.
Isn't that great, teacher?
"Now, the next event is about to begin. Are you all prepared and ready?"
Apparently they still won't let me go home after all.
The person hosting the event with great enthusiasm was Ms. Whip, a female teacher whom I had only just met.
Not only was I prepared, but he also asked me about my resolve.
"The first important thing in teaching you from now on is to get to know you. Your talents, abilities, personality... I need to get a detailed understanding of all of these things, and then I can give you the guidance that's right for each of you. Only then will I be able to develop you to your full potential."
Haa...
"Earlier, we confirmed your 'vocations' and measured your talents. Next, we will measure your abilities. And here we will...!"
Here it is.
"A friendly match, that is."
A friendly match... what?!
So you're saying we should fight?
It was an unreasonable school, forcing students to fight so soon after enrolling!
"All of the students enrolled in our school are the children of feudal lords or noble royal families. The children are their guardians. The friendly matches that will be held from now on will be limited to only those guards."
Professor Whip continues his explanation.
"It's up to each individual to decide whether or not to participate. If you're confident, then let them compete. If you don't want to, then you can decline. I guarantee that it won't affect your grades."
The crowd of students began to get noisy.
Being suddenly told to "fight" is confusing, but the various conditions that are added to it are likely throwing them into confusion as well.
There are mainly two types of students at the Royal School.
Nobles and commoners, those to be escorted and their guardians, masters and servants, that sort of thing.
Only one of them is eligible to participate, and it is up to the individual to decide whether or not to allow the other to participate.
It is only natural to wonder what the intention behind such strange conditions might be.
"Hey Sao, what is this...?!"
"Fulfilling each of our roles."
She continues to discuss the event with her sister, who is beginning to realize the purpose of the event.
"This event, while appearing to assess the combat capabilities of each student, has a much deeper purpose. Soldiers and commanders have different roles to play."
"If you try to fight on the front lines yourself, you're not fit to be a commander."
Lady Staaf also joined in the discussion.
"In this case, it is us children of nobles who are considered to be in command positions. The children of commoners are enrolled as guards. It is assumed that they will have fighting ability…"
"How to manage the guards is a test of my master's judgement. It seems that this friendly match will have no effect on the results whether we win or lose."
Because nothing was mentioned about that.
"Any master who still wants to make his guards fight is belligerent and vain. A thoughtless leader who puts his vassals in danger for such a thing. A master who declines to participate is a coward and fears danger."
"Either way, it's a bad review!"
In reality, we won't know what the teachers think of this event until we ask them.
Well, it's only the first day of school, so it's probably just something they'll use as a factor in their decision-making when guiding students from now on.
"In that case, my decision has been made; I will withdraw from the competition."
"My Lady...?!"
"Both Sao and Caliba have gone beyond just being my guardians; they are like precious friends and family to me. If I were to expose you to unnecessary danger, I would be unfit to be your master. I don't care if I am called a coward!"
"My Ladyyyyy!!"
"Caliba-san!"
My sister was moved to tears by the young lady's kindness.
And the two of them hugged each other tightly.
Yes, a beautiful story.
However, this friendly match naturally includes elements in which not only the master but also the servants are evaluated.
This is much simpler: just join the fight and win.
For the commoner children, who naturally had no education, the only thing they could be proud of at the moment was their physical strength.
Since the pretext for their admission was to serve as bodyguards, I'm sure that all of the commoners gathered here have a suitable combat-related "vocation."
And I'm sure he also worked hard to be selected by lords in each region.
This friendly match is, so to speak, the first and best opportunity to demonstrate those results.
If they win and play well, they may catch the eye of a teacher and receive more special instruction.
Eventually, you might be introduced to a good job.
One could also say that the master, who avoids the danger by not allowing his servant to participate in the competition, is so fond of his servant that he is ruining his servant's chance to stand out.
Safety or opportunity?
By asking questions where no answer can be determined correctly, the school is trying to discern the qualities of each student.
"I would say that he is thoughtful, or perhaps he is just malicious..."
School really isn't that simple.
While I was pondering like that, the hot-blooded students amongst the students had already decided to participate and started competing in the makeshift ring.
"Go, my servant! Win and demonstrate the prestige of my territory!"
"Yes, master!"
Very easy to understand.
That kind of simplicity is fine. Even if you have hundreds of thoughts, it's one action that decides everything.
When faced with the need to make a snap decision, prudence often degenerates into mere indecisiveness.
And so the master and servant head off to battle with fierce breath.
The master and servant gaze upon this calmly and coolly.
The master and servant are simply cowering in fear.
The new students have already been colored in various ways based on this single excuse offered by the teaching staff, and this will likely be taken into consideration in future educational policies.
"Hey Thao, are we sure we don't have to participate?"
My sister started to get excited watching other people fighting.
This person is basically eager to do things.
"Our master has decided not to participate. Isn't one of the evaluation criteria for this event whether or not you can properly follow your master's orders?"
"Hmmmm...!?"
When I say that much, my sister obediently follows my orders.
As I watched from the sidelines, the fight intensified and one by one, men were knocked out of the ring.
And the last one left...
◆
"Is there anyone else who wants to join?"
No one answered Teacher Whip's call.
Everything was silent.
"Well then, this concludes the freshman friendly matches. The final winner is Clay More, the bodyguard of Bloom, the lord's daughter, from the Wak territory."
The one who defeated everyone who was willing to participate and remained in the ring until the end was a girl.
She has dark skin and dull black hair, giving her a truly wild, boyish look.
Her bone structure is sturdy, giving her an almost masculine impression.
In his hand he holds a sharpened replica sword.
I guess it's a direct combat type of "vocation" after all.
"Well done, Moa. You've made a name for our territory so quickly after enrolling."
The one who called out to her was a girl who, although female, also had some masculine features and was dressed as a man, making her look like a beautiful woman.
However, the ``masculine'' aspect is different from the wild women who stand in the ring; this one is more refined and Takarazuka-like, or perhaps O-ka-like.
It's a fitting combination in some ways.
"This is a piece of cake for you, Bloom-sama! The people from the other territories are all spineless!"
"Moa is just too strong. Well, if you're going to be my bodyguard, you have to be the strongest."
It seems that the beautiful woman with a Takanashi-like appearance is the lord's daughter, and the dark-skinned boyish girl is her bodyguard.
That's the combination.
"I'd like to introduce myself. Fellow classmates, I am Bloom de Karem Wack, the second daughter of Lord Sigmund of Wack. She is my bodyguard, Claymore."
"You're the strongest Moa here!"
He immediately tried to take the lead with his track record.
"How did you all perceive this friendly match? Was it just a game? Or an orientation? No. I saw it as a way to rank the new students. To clearly separate the strong from the weak on the first day of school."
"And I came in first!"
"Moa is right. From now on, our grade will be led by us, the strongest master and servant. It is the law of nature to follow the strong."
Before I knew it, the speech meeting had already started; I wonder if the teacher will stop it?
...Don't stop.
So does this count as part of the event?
"From now on, we will be in charge of events that require the students' independence. I'm sure it will be more efficient that way."
"It's too late to refuse now! Those who fought and lost have no right to complain, and neither do those who didn't fight!"
"Moa is right. Rights are something you fight for and win. The moment you refuse to fight, all your say is revoked. Those who don't fight are also losers. Especially..."
...yeah?
What?
It looked like Zuka-san's gaze was directed towards me...
Is it just my imagination?
"It's unfortunate that your lord and servant will not be participating in the tournament. I believe they were from the Zelizar territory."
It wasn't just my imagination.
For some reason, we've already been approached by some troublesome people.
"I heard the teachers making a fuss during the re-examination of 'vocations' just now. She had already evolved her 'vocation', and he had a rare 'vocation' I'd never heard of before. I had high hopes that they would become good rivals for our Moa."
Is it that teacher's fault?
Don't give out personal information about students!
"But declining to participate is a huge disappointment. No matter how brilliant the guards are, it's all pointless if the master who commands them is a coward."
....
a?
"You commoners must be frustrated by your stupid masters, unable to use your abilities to the fullest, right? Why don't you give up on your current masters and come to me? Those with great talent can only shine when used by great leaders. Someone worthy of their abilities, like Moa... eh?!"
It was just for a moment.
Meanwhile, my sister and I closed the distance between us and this nonsensical woman and pointed the blade at her throat and the tip of the stick at her face.
"Miss Bloom?!"
"You're a fine guard, remaining motionless when your master is in danger."
Both my sister and I immediately drew our weapons, but if we hadn't had the intention of stopping just short, the cross-dressed young lady would have departed this world by now.
It was only natural that Moa-san, who was standing next to her, would be branded as unfit to be a bodyguard.
Returning to their master, Lady Staaf, the siblings knelt down together.
"I am sorry, I drew my sword without asking for your orders. However, ignoring your insults would be like erasing our very reason for existence."
"Please forgive our selfish behavior."
Lady Staaf smiled gently in response.
"How can I be angry at you for thinking of me? If anything, this is my own fault. I failed to imagine that such arrogant people existed in the world, and carelessly gave you the opportunity to become arrogant. As a result, I made you do reckless things, and I deeply regret this."
Sighs of admiration could be heard from all around.
Miss Starf's humble way of speaking must have sounded quite impressive in comparison to the arrogant way that Miss Takaka had been speaking up until then.
"That's right. I came to the royal capital with pride as I will one day become a lord. I must not even show signs of being looked down upon. I should have trusted you guys more."
Yes, believe me more.
The strength of me and my sister.
"Instructor Whip, is it okay if we go ahead and participate in the friendly match now?"
"Sure."
Accepted readily.
"Staaf, daughter of Ogoba, Lord of Zelizar, will enlist my dear friend and loyal vassal to fight the war and put an end to the pride of those arrogant people. Peace must be fought for and defended to the death!"