The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: That’s a bold thing to say about yourself.

The training grounds were unusually lively that a.

Ares and Rhal sat together along the edge of the field, watching the academy students practice their swordsmanship. The sound of wooden swords striking against one another echoed across the grounds, mixed with the occasional shout of an instructor correcting someone’s stance.

Ares’ gaze eventually settled on one of the instructors standing in the center of the training field.

"That instructor... isn’t he supposed to be one of the strongest instructors in the academy?"

"Of course he is," Rhal replied immediately.

He leaned closer, lowering his voice as though he were about to reveal some incredible secret.

"They say he once defeated a Chimera all by himself. It appeared three years ago, and apparently—"

"I got it. You can stop now."

"But I’m not finished."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"But this is important information."

Ares sighed and looked back toward the field.

"Chimera, huh?"

That A-class monster?

"Is defeating one really enough to make someone this famous?"

Rhal stared at him for a moment.

"You really don’t understand how strange you are sometimes."

Ares ignored him.

While I was studying the kingdom, I found quite a few interesting things.

There were several knight orders, each containing skilled warriors who served different parts of the kingdom. Some were responsible for protecting the royal family, while others were stationed throughout the territory to deal with monsters and other threats.

But among all those organizations, one stood out.

The Assassination Guild.

Their records were surprisingly clean. Every confirmed request they accepted had been completed, regardless of how difficult the target was. Nobody seemed to know exactly who commanded them, either. The most common rumor claimed that their leader was an old swordmaster who had gathered several exceptionally skilled assassins beneath him.

It was only one of the stronger organizations in the kingdom, but it was certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Meanwhile, the girls were busy investigating the laboratories and the groups connected to human trafficking. There were already several suspicious connections, although nothing substantial enough to expose their entire network.

As for the other organizations, I had already ordered Vance and Vince to investigate them.

We had managed to obtain several records, but most of the information was incomplete. Some organizations were simply too careful, while others had hidden branches that were almost impossible to trace.

Then again, I suppose that was only natural.

After all, even the Eclipse Order had private facilities and hidden organizations that the public knew nothing about.

There was no reason to expect our enemies to be any different.

"Ares."

Rhal’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Do you want to come with me tomorrow?"

"Where?"

"I’m going to the lake."

"The lake?"

"Yeah. I’m going fishing."

Rhal paused for a moment before adding proudly,

"I’ve also got a small business idea. If I catch enough fish, I could sell them in town. Fresh fish are pretty expensive around here, you know?"

Ares stared at him.

"That’s awful."

He said it quietly, almost under his breath.

"Hey, I heard that!"

Rhal immediately turned toward him.

Ares couldn’t help but laugh.

Rhal crossed his arms and looked away.

"Besides, I’m just trying to make some money. Unlike those top students, ordinary swordsmen like us don’t get many opportunities."

"Opportunities for what?"

"To meet important people in the academy."

Rhal glanced toward the main building.

"Those top-ranked students are always being noticed by instructors and important figures. They’re invited to special training, get better equipment, and sometimes even meet members of the kingdom’s knight orders."

He sighed dramatically.

"Meanwhile, we’re just sitting here watching everyone else."

Ares looked at him for a moment before smiling.

"Don’t look so depressed. Your face is becoming ugly."

"You—"

Rhal suddenly pointed at Ares.

"At least my face isn’t as annoying as yours!"

"That’s not even an insult."

"It is to me."

The two stared at each other for a second before bursting into laughter.

Their voices carried across the training grounds.

"HEY! YOU TWO!"

The laughter immediately stopped.

One of the instructors was glaring at them from across the field.

"If you have enough energy to fool around, then you have enough energy for another twenty laps!"

Rhal’s expression froze.

Ares quietly stood up.

"Come on."

"Wait, why are you blaming me too?!"

"You were the one talking about fishing."

"That has nothing to do with running!"

"Twenty-one laps."

The instructor’s voice came from behind them.

Rhal went pale.

"...I hate this academy."

Ares simply laughed as they began running.

The student council room was quieter than usual that afternoon.

The windows were open, allowing the sound of students practicing in the training grounds to drift into the room. Wooden swords clashed in the distance, followed by the occasional voice of an instructor, but none of it disturbed the five students gathered around the long table.

Several documents were spread across its surface, most of them concerning the academy’s recent activities.

At the head of the table sat the student council president, a silver-haired girl named Elara. She slowly turned through the reports before placing one of them aside.

"We’ve been receiving more requests from the instructors regarding the training grounds."

A brown-haired boy sitting beside her glanced over the documents.

"Again?"

"Again."

Elara sighed.

"Apparently, the number of students requesting additional training has increased considerably this semester. The instructors are having difficulty arranging practice schedules, especially for the higher-ranked classes."

"That’s hardly surprising," another girl said while adjusting her glasses. "The kingdom has been increasing its military recruitment lately. Everyone knows that the academy’s strongest graduates are being watched by the knight orders."

She tapped one of the reports with her finger.

"Some students are already being approached by representatives from different organizations."

"Already?"

"Some of the top-ranked students, yes."

The room became slightly quieter.

The student council president leaned back in her chair.

"Which brings us to another matter."

She pulled out another document.

"The academy tournament."

Everyone looked toward her.

"The instructors want this year’s tournament to be larger than usual. They’re expecting representatives from several knight orders to attend, along with nobles and officials from the capital."

"That sounds troublesome."

"It will be."

Elara smiled faintly.

"Which is why the student council is going to have a very busy month."

The brown-haired boy groaned.

"I knew there was a reason I shouldn’t have joined."

"You volunteered."

"I was younger and foolish."

The girl with glasses covered her mouth, hiding a small laugh.

Elara shook her head and returned her attention to the reports.

"Jokes aside, there are several things we need to watch. The academy has students from noble families, merchant families, commoner families, and even foreign territories. With so many influential people gathering here, there is always a possibility that someone will try to cause trouble."

"Are you expecting an attack?"

"No."

Elara paused.

"I’m expecting people to take advantage of the situation."

The academy was supposed to be a place where young people learned magic, swordsmanship, and other disciplines necessary for their future. However, everyone sitting around the table understood that it was also a gathering place for people with connections to nearly every important faction in the kingdom.

A careless rumor could become a political problem.

A simple disagreement between two students could turn into a conflict between noble families.

And if someone deliberately wanted to create trouble, the academy would be an excellent place to do it.

"There’s another thing," the girl with glasses said.

She picked up a smaller report that had been placed beneath the others.

"We’ve received several complaints about unfamiliar people appearing around the academy’s outer district."

Elara’s expression changed slightly.

"Unfamiliar people?"

"Nothing particularly suspicious. Merchants, travelers, mercenaries... that sort of thing. The guards haven’t found anything unusual, but there have been more outsiders around the academy than normal."

The brown-haired boy frowned.

"Could it be because of the tournament?"

"Possibly."

Elara took the report and read it herself.

There wasn’t enough information to justify an investigation, but something about it still bothered her.

"Let’s not make assumptions. Ask the academy guards to keep an eye on the area, but don’t interfere unless they find something genuinely suspicious."

"Understood."

She placed the report back on the table.

"For now, our priority is the tournament, the training schedules, and keeping the students from causing unnecessary trouble."

The brown-haired boy immediately raised his hand.

"What about the students who are already causing trouble?"

Elara looked at him.

"Which ones?"

He pointed toward the window.

"Those two idiots who were just running around the training grounds."

The girl with glasses glanced outside.

"I think one of them was Rhal."

"And the other?"

"Ares, I believe."

"Leave them alone. They’re probably just ordinary students enjoying their academy life."

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