Lesson One

"How do you expect me to believe this information? Dragonborne or not, I still don't know you," Donkor questioned me.

I found Donkor and his friend in the cafeteria eating breakfast. I felt bad for interrupting their meal, but I didn't want him to be caught off guard. And even though he was decently strong, I was sure there were people much stronger than him.

"I'm sure you heard of the Mystia sisters. They told me themselves."

"And they are members of the Dragonborne clan," Donkor nodded his head in understanding. "Then again, I supposed the only way for me to believe you is to verify your information for myself," He commented.

I was sure he had his doubts, but my offer was also too good to pass up. The opportunity to train with two of the strongest students in the academy was something that most students dreamed of. I looked at Donkor's friend. She has been looking down at her meal without saying a word. There was no way she was Sonia.

"Fine, I accept your proposal," Donkor's voice broke my train of thought. "Sonia, you are more than welcome to come," He spoke softly to his friend.

Heh? She is Sonia… I had to look at her stats.

Name: Sonia von Bernadette

Age: 17

Strength: 2

Intelligence: 5

Agility: 2.5

Charisma: 2.5

Magic: 6

Class: Alchemist

Mana: 1000/1000

It was Sonia… Her stats matched up with her name, so I did not doubt in my mind. Why was she so timid? I must have made it obvious I was surprised since Donkor was looking at me.

"Smarus… Are you ok?"

"Yeah… I just… forgot something."

I could tell that he didn't really believe me, but he was stopped from asking any more questions by Sonia.

"I will come. I want you to pass the exams," She spoke so softly I could barely hear her.

"Very well. We will meet you at noon, Smarus," Donkor confirmed his participation.

"Good. I'll see you then."

I stood up and walked away. I grabbed food on the way out since I didn't eat breakfast. I had some time to kill, so I guess I could read the journal I checked out at the library. I looked for a quiet place to read. After skating around campus, I found an open field.

It was mostly grass, but there were some flowers here and there. It was a beautiful and peaceful place. There was a single tree that I decided to use as a shade. Unfortunately, my mind began to wander as I sat down. When was the last time I was able to relax? I've been on the go nonstop for months.

I couldn't help but think about how the world around me was falling apart. I had Anne spying on my father for me, but I hadn't contacted her since the last time I saw her. Then there was May… I thought about Luna and Ace, and how hard it will be for me to pass the exams. There was also the thought of this world becoming a paradox at the back of my mind. I felt guilty for relaxing, but I knew that I had to.

Humph!

Suddenly a pile of books fell on my stomach! Did I doze off? I looked up and saw Lily crossing her arms.

"Hey! What gives!?" I pushed the books off of me.

"I got the books you asked me to get," She sighed.

"Yeah, and? You didn't have to drop them on me," I was annoyed. I stood up.

"It's noon," She sighed. "You shouldn't make plans and then fall asleep!" She scolded me.

It took a moment to fully process what she was saying. Once the realization hit, I put the books in my inventory and ran toward the training field.

"Hey! Wait up!" Lily called after me.

Out breath, and a bit late, I finally made it to the field.

"S-sorry I'm late. I lost track of time," I panted.

Myra and Donkor were already sparring, and Sonia was sitting off to the side, reading a book. Aurora was supervising the match… and Bodil and Irene were here?

"Why are they here?" I pointed at them.

"Lady Lily invited them," Aurora explained.

"Big talk for someone who's late to his own training," Bodil scoffed.

"Indeed Smarus. It doesn't leave a good impression for you to be late after inviting everyone. At the very least, you should be 5 minutes early," Donkor sheathed his sword.

"Save me the lecture. I'm already beating myself up over it," I caught my breath.

"Yeah! I'm sure Lord Smarus had a reason for being 30 minutes late!" Myra tried to defend me.

"That's not helping…" I stared at her.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Can't we just start now that Smarus is here?" Irene spoke up.

"Not until he apologizes," Bodil crossed her arms.

"Come think of it, I don't like how you guys casually address Lord Smarus," Aurora said.

"Is that really important?" I looked at her.

"Sorry guys, Smarus was taking a nap," Lily finally caught up. She was out of breath.

"He was WHAT!?" A chorus of voices rose.

There was a moment of yelling, bickering, and disappointment. I had to explain my case and defend myself since Myra and Lily made things difficult by saying unnecessary things. Sonia paid no mind to our conversation as she just sat and read.

"We get it, I messed up. Let's move on," I sighed.

Everyone nodded their heads. We all had more important tasks at hand.

"First off, Aurora and Myra. I'm sure you know by now that these are my new… comrades."

"Why the pause?" Bodil crossed her arms.

"Yes, Lady Lily informed us about your relations to these students," Aurora decided to ignore her.

"Good. Bodil and Irene, did Lily also tell you about the tournament?" I turned to her.

"Yeah," Bodil said. "I'll be acting as Irene's assistant for this tournament," Bodil explained.

"Sonia and I have also agreed that I'll be serving as her assistant," Donkor informed me.

I already knew that Sonia was a noble, but Irene was one too? It also reminded me of the question marks behind Bodil's name. That was something I had to look into later.

"I see, that means we can have a more focused training. Here's the thing, I doubt you will get any stronger in a week, so throw that idea out the window," I saw their brows narrow. 

They all knew that this was the reality, but I guessed they weren't ready to accept it. After all, they could possibly be disqualified just for being too weak to begin with.

"Therefore, we will be operating assuming you'll get in. Since you guys are in teams of two, only one of you has to pass. This training will focus on improving your battle sense. In other words, you will train in order to better use your already existing abilities."

They looked at me a bit surprised I could tell that they weren't introduced to the idea that stats were not the only part of overall strength.

"Smarus, is this how people train in your country?" Donkor was the first to speak up.

"No, Donkor. I am also confused," Aurora shook her head.

The tension slowly settled as everyone began to realize that no one else understood what I was saying. Sonia has yet to react to anything.

"Your classes and levels are only a portion of your overall strength," I looked at Aurora and Myra. "You guys saw it once before. I was able to beat Ace in battle while being significantly weaker."

Their eyes widened as they shook their heads. They always knew he was stronger, yet they never thought about how I won. It made sense since I still barely won.

"Being the strongest means nothing if everyone can exploit your weakness. Likewise, being the smartest is useless if you can't apply your knowledge. It'll make sense once we actually begin training."

"Wait a minute!" Bodil yelled. "All of this training is useless if we fight each other immediately. We'd know all of each other's weaknesses!"

This was true. If we trained with each other, we were bound to find a way to defeat one another. At the end of the day, everyone was looking out for themselves.

"The chances that we are matched up against each other in the tournament are considerably small. It's just a risk we'll have to take," I answered her.

She looked like she wanted to protest, so I held my gaze. After a momentary staring contest, she looked away.

"Fine," She sighed.

"Good. Now then everyone should state their class and highest skill."

Naturally, I already knew their stats, but this was a good way to cover up the fact that I already had an idea of how I wanted to train them and build our trust with each other. They were reluctant at first, but they finally agreed. Classes weren't a secret, but in a high-stakes game like this, it could make all the difference. They were surprised to hear about my class, but I was prepared for this. I gave them the typical explanation of Hermit Wiseman.

"Now that's out of the way. Bodil, I think you should train with Aurora first. Since you are a valkyrie, learning an extra spell or two wouldn't hurt," I suggested.

"And why would I have to listen to you?"

I sighed. "You don't have to, but it would be your lost."

"Fine," She sighed.

Aurora bowed before the two went off to train. I turned my attention to Donkor.

"Donkor, we are both swordsman, but we value different stats. I believe it's most beneficial for us to training together."

"I agree. I look forward to our training," He nodded his head.

"What about me?" Lily pulled me aside.

"Go and watch Aurora and Bodil, for now. You can join Myra to train later," I answered her.

"Huh? That's lame," She pouted as she walked away. She was slowly becoming more cooperative, but she was still childish.

"Myra, can you train with Irene please?" I asked her.

"Y-yeah, Lord Smarus," She repeatedly nodded her head.

"Why do I have to train?" Irene asked.

"This is only one battle of many. Neglecting your training is just plain stupid," I explained. "Even if your not fighting in this one, at least be prepared for the next."

"Oh… ok. That makes sense," She looked determined. "I can't fall behind Big Sis!"

I chuckled. I thought she would be a pushover, but I guess I was wrong. I turned to Sonia. She was still silently reading her book. She hasn't participated in our conversation at all. I sighed.

"Sonia," I called her as I grabbed a wooden sword from my inventory.

"Y-yes?" She was startled.

"Pay attention and point out our flaws. I have a feeling you have a keen eye for this type of stuff."

"Um… ok," She quietly said. She closed her book and grabbed her her knees.

Donkor also grabbed his sword and prepared to spar. I couldn't help but smile from excitement.

"Don't blink, Sonia. You may just miss something."