Chapter 3

The Director and Team (1)

    In the wide courtyard within the university

        Esther arrived quietly, sighing helplessly. He felt lonely, accustomed to being isolated in a place where he still knew no one. The young man's feet carried his weary body to a wide open lawn surrounded by various university buildings.

    As he entered the courtyard, he found about three to four hundred men and women already seated orderly. Some dressed so eccentrically as if attending a costume party, while others openly carried heavy guns. At the front, signs indicated majors, namely Combat and Tactics, Military Resource Management, Quartermaster, Medical, War Animals, Military Engineering, and a few other majors he couldn't clearly see.

    "Guess I might need glasses now," Esther lamented.

    "You there, young man, which major are you in?"

    The words came from a casually dressed young man standing closest to him. His white hair contrasted with his golden eyes, shining as if capable of illuminating the dark. The most striking feature about this senior was the giant sword slung on his back.

    "Uh, Combat and Tactics major," Esther quickly responded.

    “Hmm…" The golden eyes scrutinized him as if reading his mind and then glanced interestingly at the chain on Esther’s leg. "Given your condition, are you sure you can survive with those hardy folks? That place is full of fight maniacs."

    "It should be fine. There are plenty of women in that major too. Might even be a fifty-fifty ratio," the newcomer said, eyeing his own major’s row, noticing some were staring back at him, though most were men with openly killing intent.”

    "You should head to your row now. I think it's about time," the senior said, his gaze still on Esther's chain. "Oh, by the way, my name's Lens Regios, third year in Military Engineering. Nice to meet you. Feel free to consult me about weapons anytime."

    Esther frowned unconsciously, watching the senior walk away. Despite the friendly demeanor, those probing eyes made it hard for him to fully trust Lens.

    "That guy seems interesting," a soft voice emerged from the chain.

    "That sword isn't a spirit weapon, but his capabilities mustn't be underestimated. He smells delicious from afar."

    "Let it go for now," he said, dragging the chain to sit down, looking quite miserable in the eyes of others.

    "Have you gotten heavier?" Esther whispered, noticing the chain had gained at least a tenth of its weight, significant for someone not fond of physical exercise. If not for his mother's frequent nudging, he doubted he couldn’t drag the chain at all.

    "How dare you inquire about a gentle lady's weight!" Tartarus retorted, having intentionally increased its weight to tease him, now making him drag his feet.

    ‘Lady, yes, but let's leave 'gentle' out of it.’

    As Esther sat down, he became the focus of surrounding eyes.

    Despite one carrying a weapon was a normal scene, it was unusual for someone to wear a chain that significantly hampers combat. And next, he was the last to arrive... being the center of attention was inevitable.

    Some, likely from the Engineering major, took out their portable computers to analyze the image of the chain, with Esther eyeing the sleek and expensive-looking devices with a hint of envy. He didn't have such gadgets.

    ‘Hey,’

    Disruptions followed, along with a wave of attention as some computers, no matter how novel they were, seemed to malfunction mid-analysis, unable to process the object on his leg without a clue. After this, many wore expressions of dread without him having done anything, opting to sit at the back of the row.

    "What's with the chain around your leg?" asked a red-haired young man in scruffy attire sitting nearby, his outward appearance of a drug addict making Esther almost speechless. The man blinked rapidly upon seeing his reaction, then nodded as if understanding something.

    "Sorry for asking like this. I was too excited last night, barely slept. It's not often that I 'see' so many interesting things. That chain is the most fascinating of all."

    Relieved, Esther answered the question, "This thing could be considered a weapon, I guess, but I still can't control it, hence I’m in this condition." Tartarus was indeed his weapon, but to say it obeyed him would be a stretch; it was a weapon that had killed its own master.

    "I'm Esther Devald, nice to meet you."

    "Bryan Sixx," under the shabby hood that covered his head, a pair of ruby eyes emerged in the middle of his forehead, bright red hair draping down. "As you see... I'm not human. And I'm sure many others here are like me," he said, glancing around.

    There were murmurs of discontent from the people around, but Esther pretended not to hear.

    "Is that so? Hope we can be good friends, Bryan," he responded nonchalantly. Weighing his situation against the Rapier sword that had once stabbed him or the multifaceted hell he now called his dorm room, other races seemed quite adorable in comparison. Even if it were a dragon, he was sure there would be something in that room capable of slicing it gently without much effort.

    "Oh... right. Your gait..."

    "Ladies and gentlemen, as far as we've checked, it seems everyone has arrived," announced a young woman dressed in a white and red Miko outfit, confidently stepping forward to a makeshift podium. The black katana slung at her waist seemed to draw eyes automatically, complemented by her clear beautiful face, long black hair, and a perfectly shaped figure, leaving some men staring openly.

    "To not waste any time, let me introduce myself first. My name is Sazaki Ryoko, a third-year student... and the president of the student council of this War University," she said, surveying her adorable juniors with a smile. "In this first part, you were supposed to be orientated by our director first. Please welcome Mr. Loren Aegis, the director of the War University. Let's give him a round of applause, please."

    Students clapped in unison for the director (whom Esther found quite troublesome) as he made his way to the podium.

    "Thank you, student council president, faculty, and welcome this year's new students. I'm Loren Aegis, the director here. I would like to share a few words about life within our university," the director said, his voice amplified so everyone in the large yard could hear.

    "This year, we're introducing a few small rules to the already lenient guidelines of our university," his tone becoming more serious.

    "For the enjoy…convenience of student management, as our school is a war zone surrounded by magic barriers, causing phenomena like resurrection after death, ambushes in front of the main castle's infirmary, or even attacking juniors, seniors, and classmates in the toilets."

    His slow tone managed to draw laughter, which quieted down after he softly added, "Actually."

    "The university has therefore decided that anyone killing without a valid reason, or acting recklessly in public, will have a bounty placed on them, which counts as points for those who can deal with these individuals. Normally, we conduct war simulations on holidays, and we hereby declare the bathroom a weapon-free zone. Anyone violating this without a real emergency will face severe punishment."

    Wait, what? So, killing for points and that's it? What about the rules? Esther thought to himself.

    "But," the director quickly added, seeing that students from all departments were already making plans, " Fights or wars outside of official times, everything must occur out of faculty sight. Otherwise, you'll lose 10% of your points for each encounter, or upon each faculty’s consideration."

    "Assassination training, huh?" Esther murmured quietly. The director always found ways to keep things interesting.

    "Students can engage in full warfare only during holidays as usual. Faculty who wishes to participate closely," the director winked at the faculty behind them, "must present their intentions and reasons directly to me. Otherwise, they will also face a salary deduction. Self-defense, however, does not count." At this point, many faculty members' eyes lit up, not excluding the kind-hearted witch teacher.

    Disaster seemed imminent from the horizon.

    The director continued, "As you know, upon entering this campus, there are no faculties to choose from in our university. Everyone is under the Faculty of Warfare, equally subject to the rules of the battlefield. The only way out... sadly, doesn't exist, unless you sign a resignation form."

    "Welcome to... War." The director's eyes gleamed with excitement. "The University of War."

    'What on earth is this crazy university for?!' Esther held his head, while Bryan next to him smiled, clearly enjoying himself.

    Chaos ensued after the director stepped down from the podium, while the student council president took the stage to announce upcoming activities. Everything behind the scenes was already in turmoil.

    "Students from each department, please stay where you are," commanded Sazaki Ryoko, the confident Miko president, as she saw her juniors (and even some seniors) starting to mingle without regard for her. One of her eyebrows twitched noticeably to no one in particular before everything was silenced with just one word.

    "Sit down."

    After the president’s voice ended, a killing intent radiated from the president, many found themselves sweating profusely. Several people fainted standing up and collapsed onto the ground just like that.

    Esther blinked rapidly after being directly hit by the murderous aura. He nudged the redhead sitting close by, who immediately fell over without any extra effort from Esther.

    “Bryan’s out cold, huh?” Esther rubbed his temple.

    Though many had fallen, he noticed some remained unaffected…

    The doctors hardly fainted, huh? He wondered, ‘Why is that?’

    It’s not surprising. Most of them chose to deal with other people's deaths already. A thing like this? Doctors were dozens of times more immune to it than the average person, Tartarus whispered an explanation softly.

    "Quiet down now, have we?" the woman at the podium spoke as if the earlier events had nothing to do with her. "Next will be the weapon selection ceremony for our new students. Those who didn’t faint, please wake up the ones who did."

    Esther reached out to nudge Bryan. "Hey, wake up, Bryan. It’s getting to the important part, wake up."

    Others were in a similar state of disarray. Seeing that time was running short, Esther resorted to the last method he could think of, hoping that the three-eyed man didn’t breathe through his skin. After a few seconds, his hand slipped and pinched the redhead’s nose shut... Then, as the face of the pinched began to change color,

    "Cough, cough,"

    Bryan gasped for air as if he had been deprived of it.

    "Hey, why did you pinch my nose? Did you know I was almost dead?" Bryan complained, not caring about his image. Those around began to mimic him, and soon, coughing and swearing, filled the air, along with some physical confrontations, but everything quickly calmed down.

    Bryan, now awake and confused, collected his thoughts, and looked around before nodding apologetically to Esther.

    "Uh... sorry for the trouble, and thanks," he said, his tone softer.

    "Never mind," Esther sighed and shook his head, just as he saw Director Loren Aegis gesturing to him to come outside from near the podium.

    'Ah... great my goddess, are you making me attract attention again, huh?'

"I might have to excuse myself for a bit."