With the exception of the top floor, which only had four bedrooms reserved for the third-tier mages, the other four floors each had eight bedrooms. This left the seventy-six first-tier commoners to have five or six trainees per bedroom, while the twenty-five second-tier nobles only had to have two at most per bedroom. Some of them who were of higher social rank even got rooms to themselves.

Charles, Henry, and Alain—the two Charles had met when he and Leon arrived at the Academy—were all getting settled into a room on the first floor. There were six beds in the room with a set of drawers and a footlocker each. There were also weapon racks with a dozen training swords upon them by the door, a magic lantern above each bed, and a small window on the outside wall.

“So Charles, what was up with that guy—Leon?—on the run over? I didn’t think he had that kind of killing intent…” asked Henry as he was rifling through his drawers and examining the training gear the Academy had provided them with, especially the clothes they’d been given.

“You got it right, his name is Leon, I can introduce you guys later. He’s had that strong killing intent from the moment I first met him. He used it on some thugs who were attacking me, and he’s typically used it whenever we were training to try and motivate me. He’s struck me in the short time I’ve known him as a guy who’s kind of crazy about training and magic,” responded Charles as he pulled out a grey shirt from his drawers and held it up for examination.

“Makes sense to me why he’d have such killing intent. He’s a barbarian,” said Alain as he walked over to the weapon racks.

“No need to be a dick, buddy. Leon seems nice enough, if taciturn. Hell, if he weren’t there, I probably would’ve fallen out from that run…” Henry sat down his bed and absentmindedly massaged his legs while looking at Alain with a reproachful look. Charles was about to say something as well, but Alain beat him to it.

“Wasn’t trying to be rude, just being honest. Besides, the fact that he’s a barbarian raises some interesting implications, like what he would’ve had to endure to gain third-tier strength. My father always told me that exercise was the best way to peacefully gain not only physical strength but also magical strength. However, no matter how much I would work out, I never would’ve caught up with those high nobles, who could afford potions and better instructors than I could ever dream of.”

Henry and Charles frowned. Alain had a good point, how Leon gained his power was something that piqued their interest.

“But,” Alain continued, “given the strength of his killing intent, I would definitely say that he’s killed people before, which isn’t that surprising given his background. This also lends some explanation as to how he got that power because my father also said that nothing beats actual combat for getting stronger, not even intense exercise. Assuming you survive it, of course.” Alain removed one of the swords from the rack and gave it a few test swings. “All that magic in the air from thousands of mages using their power in a relatively small space can be a potent thing, which I’m sure we’ll see a few times during our time here.”

“Whatever. Everyone has their secrets, no use speculating about Leon’s.” Henry said. He rose from his bed and walked over to join Alain at the weapon racks.

Charles continued sifting through his new clothes. He had some doubts as to who Leon said he was, which stemmed from his visit to the Heaven’s Eye Tower in Teira. Heaven’s Eye, in his opinion, was not the sort of place that a barbarian from the Northern Vales would’ve had business with.

Suddenly, several people ran by the window, startling the three in the bedroom. Charles, Henry, and Alain quickly exchanged confused looks before hurrying over to the window to see what was up.

They saw the sixty-four first-tier trainees who’d fallen out of the run running around the tower with enormous logs on their shoulders. The three Snow Lion instructors were among them, shouting and berating them to move faster. Some of the trainees looked ready to die, and they were inevitably the ones that attracted the attention of the instructors, who descended on them like jackals on a rotting carcass.

“… Hey, remind me to thank Leon for keeping us moving and sparing us from that,” said Henry. The three exchanged another look, but this one was ninety-five percent nervousness at how closely they’d dodged this punishment and five percent schadenfreude at watching those who didn’t.

---

After a few hours, the Instructors let the rest of the trainees finally enter the tower and gave them the same spiel they had the others. The Instructors then allowed the latecomers half an hour of rest before it was time to reassemble for dinner.

The seventy-six first-tier commoners were all lined up in their common room at the appointed time, though those who’d been punished for falling out of the run still looked about ready to pass out from exhaustion even after half an hour of rest. The twenty-five second-tier nobles casually sauntered down the stairs just as the Instructors walked in through the entrance and made little attempt to hurry into formation.

“Everyone here?! Where’s those third-tiers?!” shouted the Senior Instructor as his eyes swept over the assembled Snow Lions.

“We’re right here!” A voice came from the stairs not a second later. The beautiful black-haired noble nonchalantly waved to the Senior Instructor while the brown-haired noble respectfully nodded. Leon trailed a few steps behind and nodded to the Senior Instructor.

“Well hurry up! I’m sure most of these guys are hungry!”

“Right!”

The two third-tier nobles hurried over to the front of the group while Leon followed, feeling significantly less than enthused about his place of prominence.

After getting a quick headcount, the Senior Instructor led them outside. Immediately after leaving the tower, he broke out into a run, causing the group to take off after him, much to the consternation of the tired first-tier trainees. The other two instructors took up positions behind the group to catch stragglers just like the run from the assembly field, but it wouldn’t be necessary this time as the Senior Instructor took a much more forgiving pace and the Snow Lions arrived at the dining hall without a single trainee falling out.

The dining hall was a long rectangular building made of white stone and red roof tiles, like just about all the other higher-quality buildings in the capital. Its surroundings took away from the pure and stainless look, though, as it was in the same forest as the unit towers. It was built in an artificial clearing located at the end of a dirt road. The nearby trees brushed against the roof and blocked the sunlight from reaching the windows, while the long unkempt grass grew so high as to brush the bottom windowsills.

As they arrived, the Senior Instructor turned back to the trainees and said, “You all have half an hour to eat and not a second longer.” He then pushed open the doors and led them inside.

The dining hall, in contrast to the fairly ostentatious exterior, was about as remarkable as any other, which was to say not very. In Leon’s opinion, the only saving grace was the food they were given, which was excellent. Various meats, cheeses, fruits, and freshly baked bread were all there for their taking.

Leon took long enough staring in delight at all the food that he was one of the last to enter the line, despite being one of the first through the door. He briefly considered using his status as a third-tier mage to cut in front of everyone else but wound up deciding against it and took a place at the back.

He wasn’t left with much time to eat by the time he sat down at the table claimed by Charles, Henry, and Alain—giving the latter two a bit of a fright when he joined them—and he spent nearly all of it shoveling his food down his gullet. Charles formally introduced Henry and Alain to Leon, but none of them spoke much since Leon was too busy eating and the other two were more than a little nervous with him there.

When dinner was over, the Senior Instructor led them on a run back to the tower. After bringing them inside, many of the trainees immediately made for their rooms, but the Senior Instructor wasn’t going to have any of that just yet.

“Hold on there, who said you all could sleep now?” His sharp tone and heavy, angry aura froze them all in their tracks. Even the second and third-tier nobles backed away from the stairs and rejoined everyone else in the first-tier common room. “We still have some business to discuss, then we’re going over what the schedule will look like for the next few weeks.”

The unit shuffled around until they were all gathered around the Senior Instructor, while the other two Instructors just stood by the door and waited for it to be over so they could go home.

“Here at the Knight Academy, we will train you all to be leaders! You’ll receive instruction here for a year, then be sent off to serve as a squire for a minimum of two years and until you ascend to the third-tier! If you make it through your instruction and squireship to graduate, you will be placed in charge of a ten-man squad! However, before we teach you to lead, you must learn to follow!” The Senior Instructor was looking directly at the first-tier trainees as he said this. He didn’t bother looking at the others because they likely already knew what he was going to say, especially since they seemed to hardly be paying any attention.

“In every unit, the rank and file soldiers follow the lead of the men-at-arms! All of you first-tier trainees are those soldiers!” He raised his voice a little and looked over at the nobles who were still looking towards the stairs. He waited a moment for them to turn back around, which they fortunately did because otherwise he would’ve had them running laps around the tower all night.

Well, the second-tier trainees would’ve been running laps at least.

“You second-tier trainees will fill the role of squad leaders and men-at-arms! It is your duty to watch out for your men, got it?!” He glared at each one in turn, until they all slowly nodded in acknowledgment. “… We’ll see if you do or not later…” he added ominously.

Then, he turned his eyes towards Leon and the final two nobles. “You three will lead this unit as the Prefects and Centurion. You are in charge of your unit’s squad leaders, and you are responsible for every single man in this room. If any of them antagonize the other units, you will be partially responsible. If any of the other units attack this tower, you will lead the defense. If you decide to attack the other units, you will lead your men into battle. Don’t let them down.” He didn’t ask them if they understood. They either did or they didn’t, it mattered little to him at this early stage.

“Tomorrow, you will be assembled back here at seven in the morning, then we’re off to basic combat training! We’ll eat breakfast at the training field! Dress appropriately and bring at least one of your training swords! After that, we’re off to lunch, and then you’ll go to class!”

The first bit was expected from the Knight Academy—after all, knights have to be able to fight—but the bit about classes clearly confused some of the trainees.

“There are many electives that you all can choose to partake in. From poetry to painting to history, there are a large number of courses available to you! However, you first-tier trainees are required to take Magical Theory for one of your electives, where you will learn the basics of what magic is and how to gain magical strength!” The Senior Instructor looked around at the first-tier trainees. Most of them looked thrilled to finally gain access to the basic knowledge of magic, but the second and third-tier trainees were about as enthused about this class as he expected them to be, which is to say not at all.

“You second-tier trainees are also encouraged to sign up for that class as well! Don’t forget that ascending to the third-tier may not be required to become a knight, but it is absolutely required to graduate from this Academy! And don’t expect to become a knight if you find yourself failing to graduate!”

Leon had no intention of taking this class, and he could tell that few of the other second and third-tier trainees, if any, would choose to do so, as well. Artorias had already taught him all he needed to know about the basics of magic, and he figured that the families of these nobles had done the same.

“Now then, any questions?” asked the Senior Instructor, surveying the room.

“Will we get a list of our possible electives?” asked one bold-looking first-tier trainee. The Senior Instructor’s eyes immediately locked onto him like a shark eyeing its prey.

“What did you just say?! I am a knight! Is that how you speak to a knight?!” His tone was harsh but quiet, giving a very sinister feeling and turning the trainee he was reprimanding meek as a mouse.

“I… uh… I don’t…”

“Speak up! How do you refer to a knight?!”

“um…. Sir?”

“Holy fucking shit! You actually got it right! What’s your name?” The Senior Instructor’s tone shifted to an amazed bewilderment, and the trainee relaxed a little.

“Theoderic!”

Leon facepalmed at Theoderic’s response.

The Senior Instructor didn’t miss a beat, though, and proceeded in a congratulatory tone.

“Well Theoderic, since you answered correctly, I’ll only make you run around the tower two hundred times tomorrow! One hundred for the first time you forgot ‘Sir’, and another hundred for the second!”

Theoderic immediately stiffened. His face fell, and he audibly gulped.

“To make something clear, all of us Instructors are knights! We have earned our titles, and we expect you all to use them! Understand?!” the Senior Instructor angrily shouted at the first-tier trainees. As the other trainees were nobles, he fully expected that they would never forget to use his title, so he didn’t bother looking in their direction.

“Yes, Sir!” shouted all the first-tier trainees.

“Good! To answer this genius’ question, you will receive a list of your choices for other electives tomorrow, when you are choosing them! Any other questions?!” The Senior Instructor waited a moment, but the nobles had no questions to ask and the commoners had been too intimidated to speak up, so he continued.

“If that’s it, then the rest of the day is yours! And just so you are aware, you are only permitted to leave the Academy on designated off days! Most weekends are off days, but there are also a few others that we’ll inform you of as they approach! Other than these specific days, you are not allowed to leave the grounds of the Academy! You are, however, allowed to explore the Academy’s training grounds if you so desire, so long as you aren’t late to training!”

Leon’s eyes lit up at his last sentence. The forest outside was calling to him, begging to be explored… but so too was his bed, and he knew that he had to get in some training before he fell asleep.

“I’ll be back here at seven!” With that, the three Instructors left the Snow Lions in the tower. The nobles wasted no time heading for the stairs, and the trainees who had to run around the tower immediately made for bed.

Leon climbed up to the top floor with the other two third-tier mages only a few steps behind him. The little bits of their conversation he caught indicated that they were deciding who would be in charge of the entire unit and who would be second in command. He was a little offended that they didn’t once ask him for his opinion, but he was hardly pining after that position, himself.

Retiring to his room, Leon spent about an hour meditating before finally crawling into bed. It had been a long day, but it was difficult to turn his brain off. For all the comfort around him, it was still a new place, and that made it somewhat harder to fall asleep.

Besides, he was finally on the road to becoming a knight! Thinking about that one fact, Leon couldn’t help but smile. Being knighted was one of his dreams from boyhood, and here he was, in the finest training center for knights in the Kingdom. He had a feeling that he was going to love it.