Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 68: First Day at Academy

Chapter 68 - First Day at Academy

I shrugged. "The others probably secretly bring their bedwarmers too. Don’t overthink it. As long as you go around with a knight helmet and don’t show your skin, no brute will woo you."

"I’m more concerned about rumors."

Indeed, gossip could ruin Lenitia’s reputation. I had no issues with my infamy whatsoever. In fact, I wanted THAT protagonist to remember that Lia and Lenitia had become mine, so his goon-soaked hands would stay away from them.

GROWL

The appetizing fragrance from the food carts stole our attention. We looked at the plates.

"Let’s eat first. Talk later," I suggested.

Everybody agreed.

.

The breakfast talk was peaceful. Lia agreed to join me as a follower and take part in the school activities as my companion. Lenitia lent her a spare full-body knight armor to conceal her gender.

After breakfast, we planned to make our way to the class we were supposed to attend, but Paul hadn’t told us where it was. Thus, we asked the maids in front of our room.

"Ma’am, where is my classroom? Where do I have to go today? I have no curriculum or schedule whatsoever."

The maid smiled. "The appointed time is three hours before noon. You are early."

It should have been about six or seven o’clock local time. I was used to waking up as early as 4 or 5 AM, and so was Lenitia. After all, we always hit the sack at 8.

"Then, show us around," I ordered her.

"I shall guide you to the appointed location."

We were relieved, but I still had questions. "What do we need to bring, just in case?"

"Of course, your weapons and battle gear. You’re in the most prestigious knight academy. Every day, you must prepare for combat, training, and being challenged into a duel or a group fight... even on your day off."

That sounded harsh. I looked at Lenitia, wondering if her country’s academy had this system.

Lenitia shook her head. Yup, Louis Zen’s method and this softie’s laid-back system were night and day.

The maid continued her explanation while she handed me a golden pin.

"Please protect this pin. Without it, we will not allow you to enter this room or enjoy other accommodations. However, if you manage to acquire other students’ pins, you may exchange them for extra supplies, such as a magic weapon, custom armor, and artifacts."

I smelled death matches and thievery. This did not bode well.

"Also," the maid laid her eyes on Lenitia and Lia. "Be warned that your seniors may challenge you into a wager duel. There’s a seven-day grace period during which seniors cannot challenge juniors. After that point, you will be responsible for yourself. Once you lose all your pins and your last residence, you will be conscripted into the army and put at the lowest rank of knights. Female followers are advised to hide your identities to avoid issues."

She sounded like this wasn’t her first time. I thanked them for the kind words.

"Follow me," the maid urged.

I had no reason to reject the offer. We followed her to the auditorium, behind the main academy building.

Upon reaching the auditorium, the maid excused herself. I looked at Lia and Lenitia one more time, checking if their helmets and plate armor concealed their gender. Since they wore metal leggings and pants, they looked normal—except their height, which was shorter than average knights. That might attract unwanted attention.

We pushed the door open and entered the meeting place for new students. Some knights and students were already there, except the other nine elites from the royal class.

As we entered, all eyes fell on me, Lia, and Lenitia. They glanced at my chest, where my pin was. Several students pointed at me, but their knights whispered while they looked at Lia. I assumed they were wary of her strength since she was a level 4.

I guessed bringing Lia along was a good choice.

Upon entering the auditorium, we were greeted by a man in his fifties wearing a butler’s uniform. He bowed.

"Please follow me to your arranged area."

Without a word, I nodded and followed him. The butler guided me through the crowd and stopped at the front, close to the stage. A fine table, a luxurious sofa, three chairs, and snacks had been prepared.

Lining along with my table, nine other tables had also been arranged, but they were empty. My seat was at the rightmost area, as I was ranked 10th among the classmates.

We took our seats, and the butler started serving us hot tea. He turned to Lia and Lenitia and asked them,

"Would you like me to hold on to your helmets while you enjoy your drinks, sirs?"

Lenitia and Lia froze on the spot. I coughed before things escalated.

"They don’t need any. Leave them alone." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Understood, sir." The butler smiled widely and took a step back.

Meanwhile, Lenitia’s eyes fixated on the snacks and the warm tea. I bet she wanted them, but she couldn’t afford to lift her visor and expose her face. What a dilemma, poor her.

I took a sip of the warm tea and raised my eyebrow. A hot stream of energy from the tea transformed into musou energy. My musou gauge was being filled.

I looked over my shoulder, glancing at the back. Behind me, regular students formed lines and columns. Their followers gathered at the back of the auditorium. As for the flunk class, they stood at the furthest back.

All eyes fixated on me and my table. Some clicked their tongues while several drooled.

"That must be the tea of rejuvenation," a student commented.

"I heard it costs ten gold coins for one tea leaf. Why is the academy spending so much on that weak guy?"

"Weak? Can you defeat or kill a level-3 knight in one or two moves like him?"

"Shh. Stop talking. Are you picking a fight with someone who killed a marquis’s son without batting an eye? You’re asking for trouble."

Gossips spread as the teenagers had nothing to do but chat and wait.

Minutes later, the top nine made their ways to the auditorium. Everybody brought three followers, the maximum of helpers who could tag along.

Out of nine, eight brought proper level 4 knights as guardians. However, one of them brought two women with skimpy clothings and a level-5 knight. The distinguished individual, dressed in a sleeveless jacket decorated with a pin of the elite, loose cotton trousers, pointed shoes, and a gold necklace with a red jewel in the pendant, sat on the leftmost sofa.