I’m Just an Ordinary Clown at the Academy

3 – Entrance Ceremony

“Roki…”

Lucas muttered my name. But it wasn’t as cute as when Johanna said it.

“Roki, now that we’re both students at the same academy, how about speaking more casually?”

“I’m used to using honorifics, so this is more comfortable for me.”

Because of my nature as a “clown,” unless it’s a special case, honorifics automatically popped out of my mouth. Lucas glanced briefly at the cane in my hand.

“Roki, are you a wizard?”

It seems that Lucas also saw my cane as a magic wand.

I mean, who would think of this as a sword that changes when magic is infused into it, like a sword stick? It must be amazing that Johanna realized this right away.

Come to think of it, what is lacking in Johanna? She’s pretty, wields the sword well, has a good sense, and her personality is a bit stubborn but not bad at all.

“I want to finish things like the entrance ceremony quickly and see Johanna~.”

“Roki?”

Right, I was talking to Lucas. Lucas asked me if I was a wizard.

I raised my index finger to my lips.

“That’s a secret.”

Lucas seemed amazed at my response and burst into laughter.

“hahahaha. I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”

The people around Lucas, who reacted like that, murmured among themselves. Those who were trying to eavesdrop on our conversation didn’t have the confidence to confront Lucas like me and just stared.

“But why are you wearing a mask and a cloak? Oh, is this also a secret?”

Perhaps he had given up, as he began to treat me completely comfortably.

“The mask is more comfortable for me to wear now because it’s like my identity, and what’s on my back, although it’s worn like a cloak, is not a cloak.”

“I don’t know what an identity is, but let’s say wearing a mask is more comfortable, then what’s not a cloak if it’s not a cloak?”

“Actually, this is?”

Once again, I raised my index finger to my lips.

“It’s a secret!”

“Heh heh. Survive until the very end at the academy.”

That advice to survive until the end must be genuine.

Getting into the academy itself isn’t difficult. As long as you have a certain level of physical and magical abilities, you can pass. But the real challenge starts now.

“About half, isn’t it?”

Yeah, today, just for a day, about half of the students will be expelled. Well, it doesn’t concern me.

I glanced at the window Lucas was carrying on his back.

“Is Lucas a spear user?”

“That’s a s··· sigh, yeah, a spear user. How do you do this?”

Lucas tried to mimic my way of speaking by putting his index finger on his lips but gave up. Yeah, it’s not easy. I do it because of my clown trait.

“H-hello, Y-your Highness, Prince.”

At that moment, a girl spoke to Lucas. It was a bolder move than those who watch from afar, even though her words were stuttered.

“Hmm. You must be Lisa Youngae, right? Saw you at the last gathering. So, what’s up?”

“I-It’s nothing at all!”

The girl said that and fled from the spot. Tsk tsk, lacking that much courage.

“That’s usually the norm.”

Lucas said that and glanced at me discreetly. Honestly, as Lucas says, that’s the norm. Whether commoners or nobles, even aristocrats, when meeting the future emperor, most of them tremble like that.

But I’m different. For 10 years, a whole 10 years, I’ve been playing as Lucas. Though I didn’t know things like his personality, I felt close to him. Maybe because we both have handsome faces?

“If all nobles were like you, it wouldn’t be s··· · · · o nice.”

Lucas pressed his temples as if just thinking about it gave him a headache.

“Is saying ‘If all nobles were like me’ implying that all nobles are handsome?”

“Hmm, it wouldn’t hurt to resemble that confidence a bit.”

“Is my confidence really coming from this face?”

“When you see this handsome face, it’s either me or nothing—”

[Hmm.]

Lucas’s words couldn’t continue until the end. The voice imbued with magic resonated throughout the auditorium. The owner of the voice was an old man. A long beard hanging from his chin and wrinkles on his face reflected the old man’s years.

[Greetings, everyone. I am Merlin, the headmaster of Croa Academy.]

As the headmaster spoke, the buzzing voices of the students came to a halt. All students were waiting for the headmaster’s words.

[I’ll keep it short since long speeches tire you.]

No one thought that way. Everyone wanted to hear more words from Merlin, known as a sage.

[Status means nothing in this academy. Once you’re here, all of you are just students.]

There were no foolish nobles here to protest. While there might be nobles with grievances, none were foolish enough to voice them.

[However, that doesn’t mean there’s no discrimination. It’s not discrimination based on status but discrimination based on strength.]

Meritocracy. There couldn’t be a better term to describe the academy.

[If you want special treatment, become stronger. The academy will show different attitudes based on your strength.]

[The academy was created for the invited heroes to seal the Demon King and face the demons in the distant future. Although it’s been a long time since then, and there haven’t been any appearances of demons, we still must be prepared for the unpredictable dangers.]

[The academy will constantly test you. Grow stronger within that. That concludes my speech.]

“Wow!”

As the headmaster finished speaking, numerous students cheered.

However, knowing what would happen next, I did not cheer but instead loosened up.

[hahahaha, these students seem full of energy. Well then, shall we proceed with a simple test?]

The students were taken aback by the sudden announcement of an exam, and before they could even comprehend it, the principal left after uttering a single phrase.

“Show us your worth, everyone.”

As his words echoed throughout the auditorium, numerous magical creatures poured forth from the empty air.

Now, where should we go to flaunt our splendor?

In the situation room where the academy professors had gathered, numerous monitors displayed the chaos unfolding in the auditorium.

“It seems most of the students are indeed taken aback,” remarked a young professor.

As the sharp-looking professor pointed out, most of the students were at a loss, bewildered by the sudden appearance of the magical creatures.

“Even if they regain their composure, it won’t change a thing.”

His words were as sharp as his demeanor.

Some students seemed to regain their composure and even raised their weapons, but it didn’t change anything. There were as many students as there were magical creatures.

The students couldn’t swing their weapons recklessly, as they might hit the students behind them.

They couldn’t even use magic, as casting it carelessly might hit the students nearby.

They hindered each other. While dealing with the magical creatures, the students also had to be mindful of the others.

As a result, one student fell victim to a magical creature without even being able to swing a sword. Of course, it wasn’t a real magical creature but an artificial one created through alchemy and magic.

“Tsk tsk. That one is definitely out.”

“This is why we can’t just accept students based on their grades.”

The worst situation where nothing seems to go right.

“But as expected, this generation is overwhelmingly impressive.”

Even in such a dire situation, there were students who shone brightly.

“Is that girl from the Levidia family?”

Fire, water, wind, and earth attack the monsters.

Water traps the monsters while fire burns them. The ground that springs up from below pierces the monsters, and the wind tears them apart.

And all of this only affects the monsters, not the other students. It is possible because they are spirits with free will, not magic.

Originally a commoner, the girl was adopted by the Marquis family for her overwhelming talent in handling the four elements. With her pink hair fluttering, she was killing the monsters.

“That ignorant method is clearly lacking finesse.”

If other students get in the way when she extends her fist, she jumps into the midst of many monsters, where there are no students but plenty of monsters. When her fist connects with a monster, it bursts and disappears.

Even when torn apart by the monsters, she smiles and extends her fist. All of this is possible due to the strong physique inherited from the Marquis family. As the successor of the Marquis family, she was confronting the monsters with her overwhelming physical abilities.

Aside from these two, there were several other students hunting the monsters in their own unique ways.

An inspector from the East. A sorcerer who uses peculiar magic, a priest who fights like the Marquis family, and other students who are far from ordinary were overflowing.

“They truly deserve to be called the generation of miracles.”

“Indeed.”

The generation of miracles. An expression referring to the students currently enrolled in the academy.

In a generation where there are so many geniuses that geniuses become ordinary, it is a miraculous phenomenon.

Even within this generation of miracles, there were two individuals who were the most famous and exceptional.

A girl with black hair resembling the night sky and ruby-like red eyes.

However, what caught the eye more than the girl’s appearance was her overwhelming magical ability.

She levitated her body with flight magic and hurled numerous fireballs at the demons. Amidst this, she protected other students from being engulfed by using a magical shield.

All of this was made possible by her magical sense and power. The sole disciple of the Tower of Magic, Clara Adellian.

“But of course, even the Crown Prince has noticed her.”

“Now that she’s an academy student, make an effort to address her as Lucas.”

“Is it really that easy?”

The golden hair and golden eyes that proved the empire’s noblest lineage.

The spear in his hand struck the demons like lightning, piercing through numerous demons in a single blow.

Lucas Leonhart, known as the reincarnation of the first emperor who turned the Kingdom of Kroa into the Empire of Kroa.

Clara Adellian and Lucas Leonhart.

Many professors believed that these two would become key players even in the miraculous generation.

Therefore, the professors could not believe the situation displayed on the monitor screen.

“Who on earth is that guy?”

A man wearing a white mask and a red cloak, a sight that made all the professors freeze in astonishment, reminiscent of a jester.