Cornelia and Her Translator

By October, temperatures in the Royal Capital had begun to drop. A faint chill blew through Havenlit Academy in the early morning, making even Dekan yawn.

Dekan woke up earlier than usual and put on his uniform.

The uniform had a simple, sharp design, similar to the one Dekan had seen Theresia wearing.

However, the Knight Academy's uniforms were primarily crimson, making them somewhat eye-catching.

Dekan stood before the mirror and inspected himself.

"Not bad."

Hoho, truly handsome.

Dekan, the road to fame and fortune begins today.

This year, the Knight Academy had admitted one hundred and seven students, divided into four classes from A to D.

The class assignment system was simple: it was based on exam rankings. Dekan had naturally been assigned to Class A.

The first-year classrooms were on the second floor of the Knight Academy building. Following the map, Dekan quickly found his classroom.

When Dekan entered, several students were already inside.

Because the tiered classroom was so spacious, it felt rather empty.

When the students in the classroom saw Dekan, they all wore the same expression—as though they had spotted some rare creature.

Perhaps unsure what kind of personality Dekan had, no one chose to approach him right away.

What if he had a terrible personality and took an interest in them? The next three years would surely be hell.

"Cult Priest"—that was the title the students had currently given Dekan.

Dekan found a seat near the back, opened the materials issued by the academy, and began reading by himself.

More classmates gradually arrived, and several minutes passed like that...

"G-good morning."

A soft yet somewhat stiff girl's voice suddenly came from beside Dekan.

He turned his head and saw that conspicuous red hair.

"Good morning."

Dekan nodded and continued reading the materials.

Cornelia had taken the seat beside him.

Having such a beautiful girl choose to sit beside him on the first day of school was undoubtedly a most wonderful thing.

But Dekan was worried she might accidentally touch him.

Perhaps she would merely swing that little elbow of hers without meaning to.

Dekan might end up with a broken bone.

He decided to communicate with Cornelia about it.

"My body is fragile. If you accidentally hit me, I might die."

"I understand, I understand."

"Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome."

When the students in the classroom discovered that the "Cult Priest" and the "Valkyrie" were sitting together,

their gazes could not help drifting toward the back of the classroom from time to time.

"Did those two know each other already?"

"What are they talking about?"

"Are they plotting to kill the teacher?"

The students whispered among themselves.

Now that everyone in the class had arrived, the room was somewhat noisy.

Aside from Dekan and Cornelia, all the students were gathered in the front and middle rows.

It was as if the class had clearly split into two separate regions.

After the bell rang, a figure who appeared to be their homeroom teacher entered the classroom right on time.

Upon seeing that tall figure clearly, the students realized it was Professor Arnold.

Professor Arnold's eyelid twitched when he noticed Dekan and Cornelia in the back row.

Why were these two getting along so unusually well?

Were they plotting a rebellion?

He had originally been quite worried that the two of them would perish together on the first day of school.

But things now looked completely different from what he had imagined.

He cleared his throat twice and shifted his gaze back to the majority of the students.

Professor Arnold began speaking.

"Everyone, I am Arnold Slet, and I will be your homeroom teacher for the coming year. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"First is the entrance ceremony, an event to celebrate your enrollment. Relax and enjoy yourselves for now. Once it ends and we return to the classroom, we will explain the academy's teaching system..."

After a brief explanation, the freshmen left the classroom under Professor Arnold's lead and headed toward the grand hall near the academy entrance.

They soon arrived at the gathering venue.

"Welcome to the academy!"

Laughter spilled out from beyond the open doors of the building.

Upperclassmen warmly welcomed the newcomers.

It was not only the freshmen from the Knight Academy; freshmen from the other three academies also entered one after another.

The decorations on the ceiling and walls of the grand hall glittered, reflecting off the flowers and balloons.

Not only Dekan, but even Cornelia, who had been following beside him the whole time, found it somewhat dazzling and rubbed her eyes.

It was more extravagant than expected.

Dekan looked around, and a sense of ease and joy welled up in his heart.

Why was she following me?

Dekan suddenly realized that Cornelia had naturally ended up walking beside him.

"Why are you only following me?"

"Easy." It was easy to communicate only with you.

"Are you treating me as a translator?"

"..."

Cornelia fell silent for a moment. Seemingly only after great difficulty did she organize her words. "F-f-f-friend."

"Mm..."

Dekan could feel her simple goodwill.

In that case, they should get along well from now on.

He openly extended his hand toward Cornelia.

Seeing this, although Cornelia's expression did not change much, her movements clearly became lighter.

She hurriedly tried to take Dekan's hand.

However, Dekan suddenly became alert. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he pulled his hand back!

Dekan: "Strength."

Cornelia: "Sorry."

Just then, Cornelia had seemingly tried to grip his hand tightly in excitement.

If he had not reacted quickly, he would have suffered at least a comminuted fracture!

If Cornelia crushed his hand, his career might be over!

Cornelia seemed afraid to use any more strength. She merely held her hand out beside Dekan's, allowing him to take it instead.

Letting out a breath, the still-shaken Dekan extended his hand again and took Cornelia's small hand, which hung in midair.

After a small twist, their friendship was finally formed smoothly.

It had to be said that Cornelia's little hand was quite soft.

Dekan simply could not understand where that terrifying strength, which made his spine chill even through the air, came from.

"Welcome to Heavenlyte Magic Academy!"

Cheerful music echoed through the magnificent hall as deep crimson curtains, soft and smooth as down, slowly parted.

An elderly man stepped onto the stage.

"I am Headmaster Ladson Arsu, and I sincerely bless you all for joining us."

"I hope that on the path of life, filled with hope and light, you will not become lazy or slack. Make good use of these three years and study hard. The kingdom's future needs you."

"All right, I will not ramble on. Enjoy yourselves today!"

Headmaster Ladson finished his speech with a few brief words.

"Woo!"

The first-year students cheered loudly.

A young man who appeared to be the host ran out from the left side of the curtain, passed the headmaster, and loudly announced, "The entrance ceremony begins!"

Amid the students' cheers, the entrance ceremony reached the height of its atmosphere.