According to Nicky, the Gold Skulls had just about thirty-thousand gold coins in their treasury. It had been too much for her and her men to bring back in a single trip— they hadn’t brought enough Bags of Holding with them to carry that much weight. And that was not considering the plethora of artifacts that had been stashed away as well.

  So they had split up into two groups. The first group set up camp at the hideout to guard the coins, while the second group would return with as much gold as they could back to Velmond, before purchasing more Bags of Holding and coming back to collect the rest.

  Unfortunately, even though they were traveling on horseback and without a caravan to slow them down, it still took time for them to make the trip back to Velmond, return to the hideout of the Gold Skulls, before finally going back to Velmond one last time to complete the journey.

  Nicky had been a part of the second group, and when she had been briefly back in Velmond, she had sent me a message letting me know of this plan. Since then, I hadn’t heard back from her, although it had been just about a week.

  There were some concerns that crossed my mind about what could’ve happened, especially since I knew that she should have returned by now. For example, her group could’ve been attacked by monsters— or maybe even bandits. While she was quite competent for a Silver Rank, and she wasn’t alone, that didn’t mean they were completely safe.

  However, I wasn’t going to come to any extreme conclusions just yet, considering it could have just been a minor delay that came from the weather or something of the like. So I was going to wait for at least a few more days before I took any additional action of my own.

  Besides, I was currently preoccupied, since the first week of my very first semester here at the Holy Academy of the Church of Life just started, and there were plenty of things I had to do. Even right now, I was sitting in the middle of one of my very first few lectures in the Class of Solarin.

  “As was seen during the Battle of Aracelie during the War of Fate, Zerek the Archnecromancer’s forces were swiftly defeated when faced with a small but…”

  I swept my gaze around the vast lecture hall that had a hundred seats. Just looking at the frontmost seats, the lecture hall seemed to be near maximum capacity, although there were evidently plenty of empty seats when looking towards the back of the classroom.

  “...and it was only due to the Twelve Companies of the Chivalric Order of the Holy Knights that—”

  I recognized two of my fellow classmates here. The only two students I had met and introduced myself to thus far— the first was the elven saint who was my roommate, and the second was the child prodigy who I met at the entrance exams.

  Cecil and Myrla.

  But even though I knew them, they weren’t my friends— I had only spoken to both of them once before. And they weren’t even seated close to me to get to know them even more anyway, with the former being all the way at the back of the lecture hall, while the latter took a seat right around the middle.

  Meanwhile, I sat towards the front, mostly because I intended to make a good impression on every single one of my teachers, so as to make more connections here in the Church of Life for the future. Unfortunately, it seemed I was off to a bad start.

  “Mr Eli.”

  My gaze was drawn back to the front of the lecture hall. I stared at the middle-aged lady standing there before the blackboard, her hands on her hips. She wrinkled her nose at me as the thick-rimmed glasses she wore almost threatened to fall off her face.

  “Since you seem to be so bored that you are paying absolutely zero attention in my class, could you care to answer the question?” Professor Andra, my lecturer for my unit on the History of the Church of Life, spoke in a reprimanding tone as she regarded me. “How exactly did Algar the Bane of Undeads defeat Zerek the Archnecromancer in the Battle of Aracelie despite their difference in levels?”

  I nodded as I rose to my feet. The problem with this unit was that its name was misleading. Or rather, its shortened name was misleading, because its full name had been the History of the Church of Life 1A: The Lead Up and Conclusion to the War of Fate.

  And considering that I had been there during the War of Fate, there wasn’t much I was going to learn here— I literally didn’t even need to study to ace this class.

  “That’s a trick question,” I said knowingly, nodding at my professor. “Because Zerek the Archnecromancer wasn’t defeated— he had retreated from the battlefield because he intended to lure the Holy Knights into a trap at the Battle of Boryan’s Pass.”

  That was the plan which I had come up with. Because, back then, we were fighting a war on multiple fronts. We had to divide our enemies to stand a chance of defeating them, and that was what we did to turn the tides in our favor.

  I smiled as I met the middle-aged woman’s gaze. She stared at me for a long moment, before finally drawing back.

  “Incorrect,” she said as she shook her head disappointedly.

  I blinked at that. “What?”

  “The Battle of Aracelie was won only thanks to Algar’s plan to lead the Fifth Company of Holy Knights in what was considered a suicidal charge straight for Zerek through the hordes of tens of thousands of undead. Thanks to this effort, the Archnecromancer hadn’t been able to summon his strongest liches to the battlefield, allowing Algar to decisively win the battle for the Church of Life.”

  Andra adjusted the glasses on her face as she came to a halt right before the blackboard.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  “What happened subsequently at the Battle of Boryan’s Pass was a result of a tactical error and had no relation to the Battle of Aracelie.”

  But… that’s not true at all, the thought crossed my mind as I pursed my lips. I wanted to protest, however I remained silent. Instead, I let the middle-aged lady continue, giving me a disappointed look.

  “I have heard good things about you, young man. One of the youngest Initiates to ever walk the halls of our esteemed institution— praised by not just Archdeacon Emmett, but by Saint Darius for your achievements as well.”

  I paused when I heard that. A saint vouched for me? I had never heard of him before, so I could only assume he came about after my demise. Or perhaps, he was around towards the end of the War of Fate, but he never partook in any battle against me since he had been too young.

  “However, as far as first impressions go, I can’t say you’ve lived up to expectations,” she said as she turned away from me. “You may have been a prodigy where you came from, but so is everyone else here in this class. I expect you to pay more attention and be on your best behavior like the rest of your classmates. Is that understood?”

  “My apologies, Professor Andra.” I bowed my head at her. “I will not let that happen again.”

  And as the words left my mouth, a distant bell rang, marking the end of this class period. The middle-aged lady gathered her books as she started out of the doorway.

  “Class dismissed,” she said, before exiting the room.

  My shoulders sagged as I practically rolled my eyes at her. I should have known the Church of Life would have twisted history to fit with their own little narrative. But that was why I was here in the first place. To take advantage of their vast wealth of influence and resources to defy my destiny.

  To put a halt to this stupid cycle of fate.

  All around me, my fellow classmates began to pack up their bags and stream out of the lecture hall. Right now, it was a long break period— just about three hours— before our next class began. It was time not just to have lunch, but also for students to self-study or make use of the resources on campus to train themselves.

  After that, at least for the Class of Solarin, it was time for our unit on Combat and Consecration. While we weren’t going to be doing any sparring yet since it was still the first week, it was still going to be a long day out under the sun in the training fields. So I planned to get an early lunch to avoid getting

  “Don’t worry about Professor Andra,” a voice said from the side, drawing my attention as I hefted my schoolbag over my shoulder. “She’s known to be a hardass on everyone.”

  I glanced over at the young man sitting to my left. He looked like he was maybe sixteen years old at most, and dressed in the same uniform as everyone else— with the silver-colored badge the shape of the sun that showed he was an Initiate of the Holy Academy pinned onto his left breast. His brown hair fell to his shoulders, partially tied into a small ponytail. He was resting his chin on his hand as he faced me with a single eye open, almost like he was winking at me.

  “At least, that’s what my brother says— he’s an Acolyte, you see. And he had the misfortune to have Professor Andra as his lecturer for his first two years here in the Holy Academy.” As he explained, he rose to his feet. He proffered me a hand. “I’m Kelton, by the way. And you’re Eli— the child prodigy that everyone is talking about, huh?”

  I shook his hand and opened my mouth to answer him. But before I could speak, a familiar voice interrupted me from behind, drawing my attention.

  “Actually, there are two child prodigies here. And I assure you, I’m going to be the only one that’s going to be talked about by the end of the year.”

  I glanced up towards the azure-haired girl as she approached me from behind. She had her arms crossed, and her chin raised high. I just smiled at her.

  “Hello, Myrla. I’m glad to see you were accepted too.”

  The young girl threw her hair back haughtily as she regarded me. “And as expected of my rival, it appears you were accepted as well. Not only that, but we were placed in the same class, probably due to our similar level of talents and potential.”

  “Actually, student selection for the classes is a randomized process,” Kelton interjected. “It has nothing to do with our performance at the entrance exams, nor does it have anything to do with the results of our written tests. By the way, it’s good to see you too. Thanks for ignoring me.”

  Meanwhile, I just blinked at Myrla. “...rival?”

  She ignored me, shaking her head at Kelton. “While you are quite talented yourself, I do not see you as my rival. You are too… old. I mean, you’re sixteen years old, are you not?”

  “I’m still the third youngest student in this year’s batch of students.” He sighed in response. “Also, I’m not sixteen just yet. I still have a week to go before it’s my birthday.”

  “Wait, what do you mean by rival?” I piped up in the background.

  And Myrla waved a hand dismissively at Kelton. “You’re basically sixteen— you’re almost two full years older than me! Sure, you’re better off than the rest of the rabble. But you’re certainly no candidate for my rival.”

  “When did I become your rival?”

  “So what you’re saying is that I’m too old, huh? My feelings are hurt. Can’t believe that’s what you think of me.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m just saying that Eli here is thirteen, while I’m fourteen. We’re only one year apart. You can find someone else closer in age to you to be your rival.”

  “But I’m not your rival. Also, I’m pretty sure I’m still twelve—”

  “How do I even go about deciding on a rival?”

  “That’s up to you to decide, not me. Just know that Eli’s my rival, not you.”

  “Why don’t I get a say—”

  “Fair enough.” Kelton tapped a finger on his chin as he cut me off. “Now, I wonder who could be a good rival for me?”

  I sighed, giving up trying to be heard by either Kelton or Myrla. The young girl just shrugged as she drew back.

  “Good luck with that. But right now, my rival and I need to talk—” she started.

  And a crashing sound erupted from the other side of the lecture hall, drawing all of our attention. We looked towards a commotion that was happening towards the back of the classroom. A table had been knocked over to the ground, and a group of a dozen or so students were surrounding a single figure.

  “Of course,” Kelton said, sighing as he saw the scene. “The first chance they got, they went straight to harass him, huh? Gracious Goddess, that’s predictable…”

  That’s… I thought as I looked towards the lone figure who had been singled out.

  It was Cecil. My elven roommate. He was cornered by a group of students as they backed him up towards a wall. My gaze darkened as I thought about my past life as an elf, and the way I had been treated by humans. I tightened a fist.

  “We should just get out of here. We don’t want to get involved with—” Kelton started.

  But I ignored him, taking a step forward. He blinked at me as I just headed up the lecture hall.

  “Wait, what are you doing?” Myrla asked, frowning at me.

  And I shrugged back at her as I continued forward. “I’m going to intervene, of course.”