Manwol Island.An endless cobalt-blue sea stretching to the horizon and wide white sandy beaches.Palm trees and tropical rainforest that offered shade to rest under the dizzying sun.It was a place boasting heavenly natural scenery straight out of a fairy tale, and many vacationers visited it, making it an optimal location for the summer training camp as well.At my suggestion, Beatrice gave a small nod.“Manwol Island… now that you mention it, there is such a place.”“Haven’t we not gone there for the past few years?”In response to Kiriel’s question, I explained the circumstances in detail.“Yeah, the surrounding currents were unstable for a while, so we didn’t go. There were plenty of other locations too. But according to recent intel, the currents have stabilized again, so there’s no particular reason not to go.”“Not bad. If it’s Manwol Island, it’s big enough to hold all the 2nd-years, and it’s a good resort spot too, so the students will like it.”“Yes, though separate from the size of the island itself, I’m not sure there will be enough lodging to accommodate all the 2nd-years.”Freya voiced concern about where the students would sleep.As she said, no matter how famous a vacation spot it was, there wasn’t going to be any facility that could take in a group of thirty thousand people all at once.But there was no need to worry about that.They’d be pitching tents and sleeping on the ground anyway.“Why are you assuming we’ll be sleeping in proper lodgings? ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) The summer training camp isn’t a simple trip to a vacation spot. We mustn’t forget the original purpose.”“Ah.”Freya let out a sigh.It would be a problem if anyone thought this summer training camp was just a fun outing.‘Union is, at its core, an institution for training combat talents.’Manwol Island was both a resort and one of Union’s long-standing official test sites.‘Among the many surrounding islands, the only one used as a resort is Manwol Island.’The islands formed by volcanic eruptions in the area were home to a great many primitive-type monsters and plant life, making them very suitable as test sites, unlike Manwol Island, which was a resort.I continued.“In any case, after the recent practical exam incident, several tests were canceled, so Union will want to use this summer training camp to run something similar.”Our Student Council would be the one drawing up the list of candidate locations for the summer camp, but the one choosing where to go from that list would be the student body vote.However, the ones making the curriculum and deciding what would actually be done at the chosen destination were ultimately the faculty.The faculty would probably plan to run this summer training camp like an exam.“In that sense, Manwol Island is an optimal summer camp candidate.”“Well, if you look at it from the angle of being a test site, the area around Manwol Island is a great camp location, since each island has different climates, ecosystems, and resident monsters. It’s been used several times as a test site in the past, too. You’ve used your head well, Loen.”After Elena, Beatrice also nodded in agreement.“What’s more, since Manwol Island is a famous resort, the odds are high that it’ll be chosen through the student vote. And with an imperial fleet stationed nearby, it will be safe as well.”“Right. We pretend to appropriately listen to the students’ wishes while at the same time accommodating the Union faculty’s convenience. It’s better to gather everyone in one place than scatter them across multiple locations. Both for safety and for management.”Of course, the students who thought they were going to a resort and suddenly found themselves in a survival game would probably feel like they’d been hit in the back of the head, but what could they do?They’d be the ones who chose it by vote.Watching me, Kiriel glanced at me and spoke.“…It feels like the only thing you’re leveling up is your political savvy. You’re like the Director.”“I’ll take that as a compliment.”I shrugged and continued.“That said, we can’t just make the students suffer. It’s fine to let them stay at a resort after the exam is over. In that case, it’s a win-win for everyone.”After the exam, they’d be able to rest and enjoy the southern sea.If the faculty had any sense, they’d plan at least that much.Once the general outline was decided, Beatrice added Manwol Island to the candidate list and said,“Very well, then let’s search for the remaining nine candidates. The odds are high that Manwol Island will be chosen, but we still need to have a proper selection.”The remaining candidates were chosen according to everyone’s tastes: places like Winter Castle, the Capital, the Great Sea of Trees, or the Papal Office.I also picked one location—the western front—and added it.Of course, no one would choose that place.Just like how no one picked the DMZ as their destination for a school trip.As we wrapped up the meeting quickly, appetizing main dishes began to arrive at the table.Food someone else buys is always delicious. And when you’re eating it because you won a bet, it tastes twice as good.Smiling, I picked up my fork and knife.“Let’s dig in. We’ll eat well. Elena, Kiriel.”***A week later.A luxurious box delivered to me.When I opened the lid, inside was a black suit—the exact opposite of Union’s pure white uniform.It was the item sent from Altair’s Tailor Shop.I immediately changed into the new clothes.[Union Basic Suit] is removed.You have equipped [Drake-Spun Suit].Stamina +1Strength +1Agility +5Once I put it on, the way it hugged my body while not restricting my movements at all was extremely satisfying.The aesthetic function of the suit was a bonus.‘Nice.’I struck a pose in front of the mirror for no reason.Maybe it was thanks to Loen’s high Charisma stat, but it felt like the outfit really came alive on me.Since I’d gone to the trouble of dressing up in a full suit, I decided to check my stats for the first time in a while.[Vitality : 38(-19)][Agility : 36(-18)][Strength : 32(-16)][Mana : 55][Intelligence : 45][Charisma : 91(-44)]Stats that had risen quite a bit compared to before.Even accounting for the fact that half of them were shaved off by the Nine-Syllable Meridian, the physical stats being close to 20 meant I’d now gone past the level of an ordinary person and was at least at the level of a physical education entrance exam candidate.It was hard to call me a weakling anymore.Of course, that was only by ordinary people’s standards—compared to the monsters of Ishtal, I was still a long way off.While I was standing there posing in the suit, I sensed someone behind me.Before I knew it, Ciel had approached and was standing at my back.“……”“Oh, you’re here.”She ran her eyes up and down my body and spoke.“So the suit you ordered last time has arrived.”“Yeah. How is it?”I spread my arms as if to invite her opinion, but the reply that came back from Ciel was as cold as could be.“Very black.”“……Is that all?”“What more is there to say?”Ciel tossed out her answer and turned her gaze to the small chalkboard hanging on the Student Council room wall.“It’s today. Your battle with Meyer.”“Yeah.”I flicked the suit’s lapels, straightening them, and spoke.In the week since the opening match, I’d fought several Competition Battles.Among those who’d sent me challenge letters, I selectively accepted only those who were relatively weak and not a major threat.I used the [Intimidation] trait to sufficiently suppress and restrict their movements, then discharged electricity from my shoes to subdue them.Aside from the shoes, I didn’t use any other tricks, so I’d been able to win while barely revealing any of my true power.Having easily crushed about five students ranked higher than me, my current rank was 953rd.Considering that my ranking at the time of the opening match was around the seven thousands, you could call it an enormous climb.In any case, from rank 1000 and up, your name and ranking were registered on the central plaza board, and from that point on, rank progression slowed dramatically.And just then, my match against Meyer had been scheduled.I’d use the opportunity to suck a whole lot of points from him and shoot my ranking up.“Good thing the magic suit arrived in time.”I ran my hand over the stiff fabric of the suit and gave a small smile.The suit I’d commissioned from Altair was woven from thread made by melting down the scales of a Black Drake.It wasn’t on the level of dragon scales, but that didn’t mean drakes were some kind of shabby monster either.They were high-level monsters that only Sword Master level fighters who’d learned [Advanced Swordsmanship] could handle easily.Even then, if you wanted to kill them without damaging the scales, you had to put in a lot of effort, so drake scales were quite hard to obtain.And getting them wasn’t the end of it.The process of melting the scales and spinning them into thread was extremely complex as well, so the material cost alone easily ran into the billions.‘Of course, the underworld side shipped the materials in without asking much in return.’You could say it was only natural, given that I’d helped them make several hundreds of billions, but even so, their consideration felt pleasing.I took out the training longsword Freya had bought me and gave the suit a few pokes.The suit didn’t get cut or even scratched when the blade touched it.The base material was naturally tough, but on top of that, [Physical Resistance] and [Blade Resistance] magic had been engraved into it.Unless the sword was wrapped in sword aura, it wouldn’t tear easily, and it would absorb shock from physical impacts as well.What’s more, thanks to the Haste magic, my Agility stat had gone up, letting me move lightly and quickly, and with the [Counter] spell charged inside, it seemed like it would be very useful in an emergency.‘It doesn’t reach the level of Meyer’s magic armor, but even on its own, it’s an amazing piece.’All I needed now was to buy an extra-dimensional pouch and attach it to the inner pocket, and it would be perfect.As I was thinking about the suit’s functions, Ciel stepped closer, straightening my clothes and brushing off tiny specks of dust that had settled on it.“Have you prepared well for today’s match?”Watching her fix my tie, I replied calmly.“Prepared? As if I’d need to to face Meyer.”“Seeing how confident you are, you must have prepared thoroughly. I’m looking forward to it.”‘You got me.’I shrugged my shoulders in embarrassment and changed the subject.“Ah, did you send a letter to Hildegard?”“Yes. I wrote that we’d do what we could to help her during the summer training camp, so she should show her gratitude accordingly later.”“That’s enough.”I didn’t need Hildegard’s help to face Meyer, but I might need her for something else later.Now that the location of the summer camp had been decided, I’d judged it best to do her a favor and saddle her with a debt.‘I’ll have to ask to borrow some astronomical observation equipment later.’The skill of reading the stars was also clearly a part of alchemy.Now that I’d raised my Alchemy to [Intermediate Alchemy] and opened the [Astronomical Research] skill tree.Thanks to that, I could slightly increase certain stats simply by studying constellations in the night sky, and every time I completed a discovery achievement, I could gain a new [Trait].Whenever I had time, I’d make sure to look through the telescope and raise my [Astronomical Research] level as well.“Let’s go. It’s time.”After confirming that all the artifacts were properly equipped on my body, I grabbed my uniform jacket and left the room.***The Great Hall, where I’d arrived for my Competition Battle with Meyer.It wasn’t on the level of Gawain and Leon’s opening match, but quite a crowd had gathered.‘In the first place, only students with a certain level of recognition get to fight Competition Battles in the Great Hall.’In fact, there were many high-profile matches scheduled before and after my match with Meyer.So it wasn’t as if all these people had come specifically to see our match, but even so, the fact that a four-digit number of spectators had gathered was unexpected.I looked over the people sitting in the stands and spoke quietly.“Quite a turnout.”“That just means everyone is expecting a lot.”“My defeat, you mean?”“I won’t go so far as to say it out loud.”“……”I silently thanked Ciel for her non-consoling consolation and swept my gaze across the spectators.Even accounting for the number of people hoping for my defeat, it was still more than I’d expected.It was possible Meyer had done something to draw more people in.After all, their goal was to humiliate me in front of as many people as possible.I took off the uniform jacket I’d been wearing loosely and handed it to Ciel.“Hold onto this for a bit.”The black suit was too eye-catching, so I’d been roughly covering it with my uniform jacket, but now that I was here in the arena, there was no need to hide it any longer.“I’ll be back with a win.”Leaving my jacket with Ciel, I walked over to Meyer, who was in the middle of a lively conversation, surrounded by other students.

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