Sword, Magic and Academic Society

"I have discovered the reason why their pace altogether drops significantly when going around the southeast area of the Academy. It seems like they are trying to climb up the steep slope along their running route with full strength as training. And while each student’s pace varies, Allen Rovenne has been consistently performing 10 rounds of that 500m long slope."

Three days after Godorfun handed Allen’s assignment to him, Keynes, the caretaker of the Royal Academy, reported to Mujikka and Godorfun.

Mujika had asked him to keep tabs on the morning scene since he was also tasked with inspecting the Academy's premises.

"So Allen Rovenne runs 45km each morning with that pace and still remains unperturbed......?"

Mujikka muttered in astonishment.

"Fuhahaha! I see. After watching him, I knew it didn't make sense for that brat's pace to drop in the latter half of his route as if he had run out of fuel... And my hunch was indeed correct. So that was the reason, I see."

Godorfun laughed out with a beaming smile.

"I was puzzled why he would name the club 'Hill Road Club' earlier… Usually, the name should be something that resonates with their morning routine, no? But the significance lies in that training more than anything else, huh? Maybe, I should ask Emmy-chan to install a monitoring magic tool in that region?"

Hearing Mujikka's suggestion, Godorfun mused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, let's not intervene on their matter, and believe in them. It's just as important to let them act on their own accord. Those who will grow will grow even when left alone....... I can now see their main goal. I couldn't have left them to their own devices if it was just stamina training, but it seems I was mistaken. They have thought about this more than I anticipated."

Seeing that Godorfun looked to be in good spirits, Mujikka asked something that was on her mind.

"......But they seemed to have managed to attend the morning practical lessons to some extent, too. However, most of the students have shortened the distance of their run. What do you think about this approach, Sir?"

When Mujikka posed her question, the sunny expression on Godorfun's face immediately darkened.

"I had planned to turn down that brat’s request to introduce him to Dew if he really thought lowering the load of his classmates would be considered in completing my assignment. Even a monkey could do that much...... But that guy didn't come to me about it. Since I’ve already said I won’t intervene in the club's matters, I’m going to keep my silence until the appointed date and wait for that brat's answer."

Godorfun paused there, as his expression became even more somber.

"If it had been me, I would have continued to push my classmates to the extreme, only keeping the ones who could keep up...... Of course, I’m not expecting him to show me the same answer."

Mujikka once again affirmed the severity of this assignment seeing Godorfun's somber expression. Contrary to what Allen had been thinking of his 'masterstroke of a plan', Godorfun wasn't soft enough to approve counting the shorter distance training in completing the assignment.

◆◆◆

"Hill Road Club's member count has surpassed 100. What in the world is going on in his mind...?"

After around a month since then, Mujikka came to Godorfun with another report.

"Fumu. I really didn't expect that brat would forget the condition 'result will only be limited to the club members' that he himself had proposed...... The more variables there are, the harder it is to keep the situation linear. The question is, does he have that much confidence in himself to go over and beyond, or......"

Godorfun's face scrunched up into a scowl.

"I can't imagine him giving up so easily after witnessing his spirit that day, as long as he could be introduced to a mentor...... After going through the report over his master Schord, I think he is targeting the core goal, which is the cultivation of human resources, rather than just simply completing the assignment. I mean, just the day after he received the assignment, he was already focusing on something that he prioritized over passing the challenge when adjusting the running distance of the club members...... Am I, perhaps, overthinking?"

Godorfun shook his head.

"......If that is what that brat thinks, then his perception of the result and what he is doing are both in different worlds. For me, all that matters is whether the members of the Hill Road Club, let's just say his classmates only for argument's sake, will be able to attend the morning practical classes properly after running around the Academy's premises or not. This is something I’m not going to budge on."

You have my pity, Rovenne-kun. Mujikka mentally prayed for Allen. She knew she wouldn't be able to change the mind of this obstinate geezer (Sir Godorfun) so she refrained from wasting her energy.

Right then, Jeffrey, one of the Royal Academy's teachers, approached Mujikka.

"Vice-chairman. May I have a moment to discuss something with you?"

"Yes, of course, Jeffrey-sensei. What's the matter?"

"Well, it's about the general dormitory residency rights. Parents of a student from our Class 2-D have submitted an application. It seems their child has purchased residency rights for the general dormitory without their consent. They're asking if the school can regulate such transactions and invalidate the purchase."

Mujikka and Godorfun glanced at each other.

"Huh, what's with the general dormitory residency right? Isn't the general dormitory practically empty, and anyone who wants to enter can get in?"

It was Jeffrey's turn to be astonished hearing Mujikka's statement.

"Hmm, you didn't hear about it, vice-chairman? A new fad has suddenly sprung among the students where they are entering the general dormitory and leaving the life of convenience to train their minds and bodies. In fact, the situation now is such that it is impossible to secure a spot there with official procedure."

Godorfun's face lit up hearing that.

"Fuhahaha! What a magnificent spirit. The youngsters nowadays don't seem to understand just how privileged they are. The very first thing that the Kingdom's Knight Order does to newcomers is to take them camping for a few years in the beginning to wear off their luxurious outlook. It's really extraordinary to hear the students willingly discarding the luxury, even going as far as to pay for that inconvenience. Not all hope has been lost it seems."

Mujikka, on the other hand, just sighed.

"......It's indeed a welcoming situation as a teacher, but this is not something that I, as a board of director member, can ignore if parents are sending their applications. By the way, what is the amount we’re talking about here?"

"Well, it’s...... 5 million. 'If it continued like this, we wouldn’t be able to manage our county well'... or so they pleaded."

Mujikka and Godorfun both were taken aback when they heard the specific sum, which happened to be an absurd amount.

"5 million rea!? Mujikka, just what is the current state of that dormitory's facilities!? When I first enrolled in this Academy in Class E, they didn't have the relief measure where even Class E students could avail of the noble dormitory as long as they paid the rent. I didn't have that much money at that time either, so I could only helplessly borrow a cramped room in that dilapidated building, which looked no worse than a dog house. Since I couldn't rent a room outside, I had to put myself through a hellish regime to get out of that hellhole.

The general dormitory had a shared bath at that time, no? I can't imagine it as a place where students are jumping to pay such a huge sum to get in."

Mujikka hurriedly brought out the documents and began to confirm.

"Umm...... Sir attended the Academy as a student 50 years ago and... There is no record of renovation or improvement in facilities of the general dormitory since that time. The only time something was repaired there was when there was a water leakage problem which happened thrice. I mean, as Sir has experienced first-hand, the general dormitory was left as it is to ignite the competitive spirits of the low-rankers. Probably, it has been operated in the same way as when Sir was there. Even the dorm mother, the renowned monster material researcher, Miss Sora Sandelion, remains unchanged."

"What......? That person was indeed renowned in her research field, but she was definitely a human being with a glaring red flag as someone who sees students as her experimental test subjects. Considering the time, she should be over 90 years old now... Is she still actively serving as the dorm mother?"

Then, as if he just recalled it, Jeffrey said,

"Ah, one more thing, it seems like the breakfast of that dorm mother is quite famous. But I’m surprised Sir Godorfun wasn't aware of the situation either. As a matter of fact, I heard the whole trend started when all the students of Class 1-A, which you are the class teacher of, moved to the general dormitory to copy Allene Rovenne's style. So I was sure you must have known about it already since the dorm is mostly filled with the members of the Hill Road Club that Sir Godorfun is the advisor of."

Godorfun was left speechless upon hearing Jeffrey's words.