Chapter 135 — Groups Form Factions
1
The noisy morning passed, and a more peaceful time arrived.
Today’s classes flowed smoothly, with nothing particularly special happening.
One month had passed.
The students, having settled in, were now beginning to participate in joint classes with other classes.
Mages, warriors, and guardians lived in an interconnected relationship.
A war couldn’t be won with mages alone, and neither warriors nor guardians could conquer the world by themselves.
In battles against monsters or in conflicts driven by various interests—territorial wars, invasions, and full-scale conflicts—the three classes had to cooperate to survive.
“So, starting today, we’ll begin joint classes. There will be new evaluation criteria for each subject.”
“And what’s that?”
“Cooperation. How much effort do you put into not getting your teammates killed?”
The students listened seriously to the professor’s words.
Today’s joint class was focused on one thing.
A sparring session in elemental studies.
A faint anxiety spread among the students.
Those who had grown up within noble families were relatively fine, but the commoners felt the pressure even more.
They hadn’t grown up with the concept of teamwork.
They lacked knowledge, and their lives had been far harsher.
‘How are we supposed to handle this?’
‘Uh, well, isn’t the key just to make sure we don’t hit anyone with magic?’
‘We’ll figure it out by instinct, right? What’s there to worry about?’
The professor chuckled softly, overhearing their whispered conversations.
Harmony and teamwork—those were harder to achieve than they realized.
In life-or-death situations, they would naturally come to understand that choices could consume people.
And the role of the academy, the role of the instructors, was to help them maintain their sanity within that web of decisions.
Through relentless practice, the students would be taught to resist the forces that sought to break them down.
This was one of the core purposes of Mythos Academy’s education.
“Alright, that’s it for today’s briefing. Pay attention in your classes.”
After the professor left, the students had a brief moment to catch their breath.
The chaos from earlier in the morning didn’t reappear.
Anais had firmly established her authority.
‘Who should I choose?’
Anais pondered the question.
And then, a great opportunity presented itself.
The joint class.
Perhaps this was the perfect time to finally put an end to Leveli-Malito’s long-standing bullying.
Coexistence.
She thought about that difficult concept.
Could she truly achieve it?
“What are you thinking about so seriously?”
“Oh… I’m just wondering who I should pick.”
“What’s your overall strategy?”
“Well… honestly, it’s better to pick people who work well together rather than just those with talent.”
“Like us?”
Kael smiled brightly.
Anais returned a similar smile and nodded.
As the two of them chatted quietly, Kael clapped her hands, offering a suggestion.
“Hey, wouldn’t it be best to talk about this with Senior?”
“That’s true. Which one? Senior Alano? Senior Nia?”
“Nooo, Senior Manus.”
Anais shook her head with a look of mild exasperation.
Only Kael would casually suggest consulting such a difficult senior like Manus.
Even though his image had softened a bit thanks to Albion, Manus was still a figure most feared.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that they’d climbed the tower together, she’d probably still be trembling at the mere thought of him.
Like most noble children, she’d have been trapped in the rigid expectations of her family.
But now, she had changed a lot.
“Fine. Senior will give us some practical advice, won’t he?”
“Yup, I’m sure of it.”
“Hey, let me come too. Lately, it feels like Senior’s been deliberately distancing himself from me. I wanna use this as a chance to get closer again, you know?”
Anais nodded easily.
Having Pearson around as a buffer would probably be a good idea. Even if she made a mistake, he could cover for her.
It was a slightly sneaky thought, but what could she do?
That was just how Pearson was.
Giggling, they decided to go see Manus together during lunch.
Until then, it was time to stop overthinking things.
There was still plenty to learn.
For now, it was time to focus on the lessons at hand.
2
Staring at the deep green sky, Trace felt a strange sense of longing.
The distortion zone.
Ordinary people probably didn’t even know this place existed.
For some reason, he could come and go here as he pleased.
“There’s no one even in the dorms here, huh?”
This place, the distortion zone, was perfect for satisfying his curiosity.
He could explore places he’d normally avoid out of guilt or hesitation, and no one would stop him.
It was quieter here than in the noisy world of reality.
The distortion zone didn’t impose unnecessary expectations.
Living creatures with emotions tended to harbor expectations, hopes, and optimism that things would get better.
But in this place, where there was nothing but death and struggle, those feelings didn’t exist.
That was why he found it more comfortable here.
“That’s the tower, right?”
Beyond the thick mist, a towering structure came into view.
A massive edifice standing right across from the dorms.
A marvel of magic, it was a building that commanded awe simply by existing.
He stared at it absentmindedly.
Manus and the others must have gained their strength in that tower.
Trace unsheathed his swords.
He didn’t know how much help he could be, but he didn’t want to become a burden to those who reached out to him.
“Should I try going in?”
Huff.
A cold sweat ran down his back.
From now on, he would be fighting unknown enemies.
Since things had come to this, he might as well use this opportunity to finally overcome his faint existence.
Clank.
He held up his chained swords.
The two blades were connected by a chain, allowing for versatile combat styles depending on how they were used.
“I need to get used to this weapon.”
At an unknown hour, in a place where no one could see, the boy moved.
He hadn’t yet realized something.
The sound that should have rung out… was no longer ringing.
3
Lunch.
After finishing his meal alone, Manus was once again engrossed in a book under a sunlit spot.
His skills were progressing well, and he was continually gaining new knowledge.
Time spent in solitude, reflecting and studying, was precious beyond measure.
Click.
Just as he was deeply immersed in a magic tome, an unusual sound broke his concentration.
Albion, who had been quietly roasting bread, opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound.
Manus recognized the familiar mana presence.
The footsteps that now felt so familiar and friendly.
“Senior. We knew you’d be here.”
“Hello—.”
Manus closed his book and looked at the three people who had come to find him.
A well-matched group.
What could have brought them here today?
Anais was probably overwhelmed with work.
Perhaps she had already seen the uglier side of people.
But seeing her approaching with a small smile meant she was full of thoughts and concerns.
Manus remained seated, waiting for them to come closer.
“Senior, do you have time?”
“You’ve already taken my time.”
“Hehe, I’ll run an errand for you later, so please just listen to us this once.”
Kael spoke playfully.
At some point, she had grown comfortable around him…
As he conversed with them, he knew there would be another reward for his efforts.
Guiding them, keeping them from straying—those were important tasks.
Originally, it was something Alano should have done, and Manus felt a bit sorry about that.
But Manus also needed to intervene, to interfere, and to see the results for his own sake.
Kael nudged Anais gently.
The red-haired girl, who looked a bit worn out from just one day, turned to Manus.
“I thought I was going to die this morning. Ugh… Everyone’s been rushing at me to join the Student Council.”
“Yeah, they were really rude about it too. Senior, what was your first year like? Do you have any stories about Senior Alano or Senior Nia?”
Friends or not, Anais and Pearson fired off questions one after another.
That’s how group dynamics worked.
No matter how well a leader managed things, factions would always form.
Differences in opinion, personality, and goals—people naturally tangled together.
Manus reflected quietly on the past and began to speak.
As for Alano and Nia, there was nothing he really remembered.
They had only appeared a few times in passing texts, after all.
‘Besides, Abrel Nia didn’t even appear in the original work.’
He had nothing much to say about them.
But social dynamics? He had seen more than enough of those.
While he wasn’t a veteran who had spent decades in that world, he had spent enough time to understand the flow of things—and people.
“What do you want to hear?”
“Huh?”
“Do you want practical advice? Or would you prefer something more hopeful?”
“I…”
Anais hesitated for a moment.
Kael had moved to stand beside her, both of them now listening intently.
Manus’ words were always filled with stories they had never experienced themselves.
The ugly truth.
The shadows of a harsh world.
Whenever such stories poured out, they couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of caution.
Naturally, Anais chose the first option.
They couldn’t live like naive children forever.
Just as a large stone gets worn down by constant wind and water, so too would her pure heart slowly erode over time.
“Of course, I want practical advice. Someday,
I’ll have to take on the responsibilities of my family.”
“Very well. Leading a group is always a struggle between those who want to move forward and those who want to hold you back.”
There had been a time like that.
The project he had led was a crucial one, and the team members were full of enthusiasm.
Bonuses, incentives, and achievements were all tied to the success of that project.
Did the project go smoothly?
It ended, after many struggles.
But along the way, too many people had been hurt.
Wolves, hungry for profit, jumped in to claim a piece.
Internal saboteurs, interfering for various reasons.
Layer upon layer of real-world obstacles piled up until, in the end, the project was launched by another team.
The ones who had fought to the bitter end slowly left the company one by one.
It didn’t take long for their places to be filled by others.
“There will be countless obstacles in your way. Obstacles that can appear from anywhere.”
“Even… from friends?”
“Are friends not people? They, too, can turn into enemies at any time.”
Pearson winced, as if he wanted to say something, but Kael quickly clamped her hand over his mouth.
Mmff!
A sharp glare from Kael silenced Pearson in an instant, and he let out a small sigh of surrender.
If it was about Manus, Pearson would follow him to the ends of the earth, no questions asked.
“Alright, I won’t say anything.”
“Good. You did well.”
“Ugh…”
Pearson shook his head.
Only then did Kael flash a satisfied smile.
In the meantime, Manus’ advice continued.
“Be wary of factions. Build enough strength and awareness that no one can easily take advantage of you.”
“-Yes.”
“You’ll have to be clever. If you want to survive.”
Clever wasn’t quite the right word.
Manus corrected himself, his voice firm.
“Actually… you’ll have to be ruthless.”
[A powerful interference has begun.]
What effect would that interference have?
For now, it was impossible to know.
Anais’ eyes trembled with intensity.
–TL Notes–
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