A boy raised by a demon king and a dragon king seems to be peerless in his school life.

Volume 9 Chapter 39 Expectations and Jealousy

The imperial capital of the Vivrania Empire, Diveltia.

In this city stands the largest educational institution in the empire, the “Imperial Academy.”

The Imperial Academy is an institution for nurturing the empire’s citizens. Those born in the capital or within the empire’s territory are forcibly enrolled in this academy, where their aptitude and rank are assessed.

Ordinary individuals receive basic literacy and general knowledge training for three years and are then released. However, those who exhibit strong aptitude in any field continue to attend the academy for more than three years, receiving rigorous training in their respective disciplines before going on to work for the empire.

At first glance, this system may seem to determine one’s future without consent. However, working for the empire practically ensures a secure future.

With high salaries, good welfare benefits, and various other perks, striving to rank high in academics becomes a desperate goal for the citizens.

While the Imperial Academy offers various academic courses, the most prestigious among them is the “Soldier Course.”

Becoming the top student there is a dream for all the students. However, the revered figure among them, the top student of the Imperial Academy’s Soldier Course, Gelozia Yellowstone, was standing in front of the door, sweating nervously.

“Alright… here I go.”

Gathering his courage, he decisively opens the door.

Upon confirming the person behind the door, he takes off his student cap and bows deeply.

“I beg your pardon. I am Gelozia Yellowstone, reporting.”

“Ah… I see. What do you need?”

The person to whom Gelozia lowered his head seemed uninterested, asking about the purpose.

Sitting casually on an expensive-looking leather chair, this person was a widely known figure in the empire, someone no one in the empire would be unfamiliar with.

“Empire’s Blade” Chrome Remnant. He was not only the strongest swordsman among the Humans but also a teacher at the Imperial Academy, as well as a knight of the emperor.

“W-Well, the Imperial Academy has successfully advanced to the finals after winning the third and fourth rounds. We aim to win the final tomorrow and showcase the strength of the Imperial Academy.”

“I see.”

With just one word of indifferent response, Chrome closed his eyes and began to nap.

While this might have been a moment where one would normally get upset at such a nonchalant attitude, Gelozia didn’t feel any anger. In fact, he felt a sense of pride. Just being in the same room as the great Empire’s Blade filled his heart.

However, unfortunately, that blissful moment came to an end.

“Oh, right. What about the opponent in the final?”

“The opponent in the final is the Floyd’s Magic Academy. I watched the fourth-round match, and I don’t think they are an unbeatable opponent.”

“Hmm, I see. In the finals, will he also make an appearance? Looking forward to it.”

Chrome smiled happily. Seeing this, Gelozia’s expression clouded with discontent.

“I apologize for the impertinence, but may I ask if there is a student from the Magic Academy that you find interesting?”

“What, are you jealous? Haha, there’s nothing uglier than a man’s jealousy. But, well… if jealousy can make you stronger, then so be it.”

Chrome laughed gleefully, seeming to enjoy the situation.

Meanwhile, Gelozia appeared to be growing increasingly irritated, his face contorting with frustration.

“Please answer the question. Are you anticipating any students from the Magic Academy, Chrome-sama?”

“Ah, yes, indeed. I found an interesting one recently… the name was… right, it was someone named Ruisha. He seems like he’ll become a great warrior. I certainly hope he’ll join the Imperial Academy.”

“……!”

Glancing at his own students, Gelozia bit his lip forcefully, his face reddening. The praise being directed at a student from another country seemed to weigh heavily on him. Chrome, on the other hand, wore a satisfied smile, clearly pleased with the effect of his words.

“And? Is it really possible to win against such a promising student tomorrow?”

“I-I will win! I will prove that some unknown student from elsewhere is unnecessary for our school!”

“Hmm, I see. Well then, I might go watch tomorrow. Looking forward to it.”

“Yes. I will dedicate the victory to my master without fail.”

With a deep bow once again, Gelozia turned away from Chrome and headed towards the exit.

Then, Chrome called out to his retreating figure.

“Hey, we don’t need a half-hearted victory. No matter what… aim for an overwhelming victory.”

“……..Yes. I will definitely.”

With a resolute affirmation, he closed the door.

Left alone in the room, Chrome chuckled to himself.

“Now, what will you do, Ruisha? Please, don’t disappoint me.”

It’s said that the light in that room remained on until late into the night.

◇

Volume 9 Chapter 40 Surprise attack

On the day of the Grand School Festival finals.

That morning, amidst the magic academy students enjoying their delicious breakfast prepared at the dormitory, Ruisha was the only one who felt something amiss.

(…Huh? Something feels off…)

It was a slight unease that an ordinary person would never notice.

Sensing an odd feeling from the bread he had just eaten, though ever so subtle, Ruisha brought his nose closer and took a good sniff, but there was no unusual smell.

“What’s wrong, Captain? Could it be the food has gone bad?”

“No, it doesn’t seem like that. Did you sense anything strange, Wolf?”

“Huh? I didn’t sense anything in particular.”

“I see…”

Since Wolf, who had a better sense of smell than himself, didn’t notice anything, Ruisha decided to dismiss the unease as his imagination.

And as all his classmates finished their meal at the dormitory and headed outside to make their way to the finals venue, that’s when it happened.

“Hmm? My legs are feeling numb.”

“Yeah, Burn too? Actually, my body doesn’t feel quite right.”

“I-I have a headache…”

Their classmates suddenly began to complain about physical discomfort.

Lona, who was adept at healing magic, immediately tried to treat her classmates, but she too fell unwell and sat down on the spot.

“Ugh, I can’t concentrate like this…!”

An unexpected emergency.

What should they do? Ruisha, who could lightly sense bodily anomalies with his aura, desperately thought of a solution.

“Healing Cure!”

He tried using magic to cure ailments like poison on himself, but the effect wasn’t very noticeable.

What should we do? As Ruisha agonized over this, a certain person appeared before him.

“Oh, is something the matter?”

Appearing was a young man who seemed to be around the same age.

He wore a black student hat and a school uniform, and the crest of the Vivrania Empire was embroidered on the chest.

There was only one academy where students wore such uniforms.

“The Imperial Academy… Is this your doing…!?”

In Ruisha’s words laden with fury, the Imperial Academy students responded with a smile.

“What do you mean? I just… wanted to greet our opponents in the finals. Unfortunately, it seems like you’re not feeling well… Are you okay?”

“How shameless! What’s the point of winning by doing something like this!?”

“I’m not the one doing it… But I’ll answer that question. In our empire, victory is everything. No matter how underhanded the means, no matter if it involves sacrificing family or lovers, if it’s for the sake of winning, everything is trivial! Losers lose everything, winners take everything. We have lived in such a world.”

With a snap of their fingers, Imperial Academy students surrounding Ruisha and the others appeared. There were around thirty of them, all armed and pointing their weapons at Ruisha and his group.

“…Quite the greeting. Are you planning to continue with those excuses?”

“Yes, nothing changes. ‘We came to greet, but the students of the Magic Academy were unwell. Even so, they insisted on going to the match, so we kindly intervened.’ How about something like this?”

“Sophistry. Do you really think such excuses will hold?”

“Well, they probably won’t. But it doesn’t matter. By the time we’re judged, the match will already be over, and our victory will be secured. That fact remains unchanged.”

“Seems like you’ve factored everything in… This is bad.”

Ruisha thought that even if they shouted about the cheating, it wouldn’t change the outcome of the match. The scale of this tournament was not small enough for such cries to overturn the results. There was a possibility if the Empire’s side was clearly proven to be in the wrong, but they didn’t seem to consider that possibility. It was hard to believe they hadn’t manipulated anything related to the festival’s organization.

“Thirty people… Can I handle them while protecting everyone?”

Under normal circumstances, Ruisha might have considered it, but his current weakened state due to the mysterious poison made it a difficult decision. The opponents were merciless even when it came to taking hostages—it was an overwhelmingly unfavorable battle.

As Ruisha pondered alone, the time for the match was drawing near. Then, someone came and tapped his shoulder.

“Why are you worrying alone? This is the time for us to support each other.”

Saying so with a glint in his glasses, it was Ben, one of his classmates. He was good at studying, serious, and had a stereotypical student council president image. Compared to the other classmates, he seemed to be physically more fit and active.

“Ben, are you okay?”

“Well, yeah. I didn’t train for nothing. But more importantly, you should hurry to the match venue. The opposing participants have probably arrived there a long time ago. Leave this to me and at least go to the venue, Ruisha.”

“But I can’t just leave it to you, Ben…”

“If you’re worried about that, you don’t need to. Take a look behind.”

“Huh?”

Prompted by Ben, Ruisha looked behind, and there, Wolf, Iris, and Sharo were slowly getting up.

“Is everyone okay…!?”

“Heh, you’d better not underestimate the resilience of us beastmen. Captain, leave this to us, we’ll be just fine.”

“You can entrust this to us. We’re different from ordinary humans, so this is nothing.”

“I haven’t undergone training that would make me collapse from something like this…”

“Everyone…”

With smiles on their faces, the three friends reassured Ruisha. Even though they were worried, Ruisha made up his mind after seeing the determined gazes of his friends.

“I understand… I’ll go. I’m entrusting this to you all.”

In response to Ruisha’s words, the three friends gave a thumbs-up.

“Yeah,” they nodded in agreement. Determined, Ruisha set off towards the venue.

“Whoops, sorry, but I won’t let anyone pass!”

Of course, the students from the Imperial Academy tried to stop him.

However, no matter how much out of sorts he was, trying to stop Ruisha alone was a reckless gamble.

“Move… out of my way!”

A powerful punch landed on the cheek of an Imperial Academy student.

Feeling the sensation of teeth shattering against his fist, Ruisha sent the student flying.

“Ugh!” the Imperial Academy student groaned in pain, rolling on the ground with a voice that couldn’t be formed. Seeing the Imperial Academy student bounce and roll like a ball, the other Imperial Academy students were surprised and momentarily froze.

Seizing the opportunity, Ruisha broke through the encirclement.

“Darn it…!”

By the time they were able to move, Ruisha had already run out of sight.

The Imperial students, giving up on chasing him, shifted their gaze to the remaining Magic Academy students. As far as they could see, only the four who had just stood up were able to move. The remaining ten or so students seemed unable to even stand up.

“If he manages to make it to the match, maybe we can use someone as a hostage.”

It’s not that they didn’t trust their Imperial classmates participating in the match. However, if there was even a slight chance of defeat, they had to eliminate it. Disappointing Chrome with a defeat was more terrifying to them than death.

“Sorry, but I’ll have one of you captured. If you behave, we won’t hurt you needlessly.”

“No intentions to hurt, huh? That’s a laugh.”

Ben left the immobile students to Sharo and the others and moved forward.

The usual serious yet gentle demeanor of the class president was absent. The gaze emanating from behind his glasses was sharp, and those who met his eyes felt as if they were being stared down by a beast.

“In this situation, we are already sufficiently hurt. Poisoned, surrounded, threatened, forced to lose. Though there are no physical injuries, our dignity has been thoroughly hurt by the likes of you.”

Expressing his thoughts calmly, Ben took off his blazer and tossed it to the ground.

Then, he loosened his tie and placed it on the ground as well.

“I hate violence, but when it comes to protecting friends and loved ones, there’s no choice. Now is the time to break the taboo and unleash my power…!”

With that shout, in the next moment, Ben’s body began to expand.

Muscles all over his body swelled, and his skeletal structure started to transform. Naturally, his uniform tore apart, leaving only the parts protecting his groin intact.

His average height surged past two meters in a matter of seconds, and his arms and legs thickened like the trunks of giant trees.

Notably, his chest became impressively thick, resembling as if he was wearing heavy armor, making it appear impenetrable to any arrows or swords.

As they witnessed Ben transforming into a muscular figure in an instant, even the Imperial Academy students, accustomed to dealing with unexpected situations, were left dumbfounded.

“W-Who are you…!?”

“My name is Ben Galidaril. I am the apostle of knowledge and muscle, passing judgment on you villains.”

While his astonished classmates looked on, Ben, further bulking up his muscles, charged forward.