The Academy’s Doomed Young Lord Dies Ten Thousand Times

Chapter 21 - The Failure Knight and the Disgraced Young Lord (4)

After suffering a bitter defeat due to the vast difference in skill with other students in the entrance examination, and after being pointed at for the somewhat(?) embarrassing appearance she had shown at that time, Yuna did not sink into depression with despair and frustration, but instead felt a strong sense of resistance.

‘I’ll show the ones who looked down on me a changed me.’

The person named Yuna was made that way. Rather than becoming helpless in the face of negative emotions directed at her and the predicaments she faced, she was a person who chose to overcome them.

When she heard the laughter of the neighborhood bullies who looked down on her for being an orphan, Yuna chose to fight rather than become discouraged.

The result? At first, she was no match, but in the end, she beat up all the bullies by herself.

In her middle school days, when she encountered a teacher who favored a specific student after receiving a bribe and gave disadvantages to students who did not, Yuna chose to confront him rather than endure it and move on.

The result? In the end, the matter escalated and the teacher was dismissed.

When a monster invaded Yuna’s hometown, which was located inland and had not been invaded by monsters before, for some reason…… Yuna chose to fight back.

The result? She came to the brink of death, but her own unknown potential exploded, and she was able to defeat the monster.

Yes, Yuna’s life was a life of resistance, and that resistance, despite experiencing various difficulties, eventually led to victory.

And the experiences of victory must have had a great influence on Yuna’s confident attitude and high self-esteem.

Such a life of Yuna’s meets another turning point. The turning point of entering Archenia Academy.

An anonymous someone had sent an academy entrance recommendation letter to Yuna.

Yuna vaguely guessed that someone had sent it after seeing her defeat the monster.

Anyway, Yuna was simply thrilled by the news. She had overcome various difficulties until now, so she did not doubt that she could do so this time as well.

But.

This time, she didn’t know how to move forward.

What was immediately visible was the vast gap that had opened up between her and the other students.

Yuna herself could vaguely feel that even her position in the lower ranks was inflated by the bluff that came from her quick-witted improvisation.

Yuna had no foundation. There was no one to measure her level. There was no one to lead her.

Of course, she knew that once the semester started, she could get stronger with guidance, but from Yuna’s perspective, that was also the case for the other students.

How should I get stronger? What is my level now? When will I catch up to the others? Such anxiety gnawed at Yuna’s mind.

In reality, thanks to her unparalleled potential, it would not have been very difficult for Yuna to surpass the other students just by following the curriculum without any problems.

The problem was Yuna’s psychological state. Basically, confusion and anxiety were in her mind, and because there was no one by her side to correct her path, the early-game Yuna always fought against herself and self-destructed.

What was needed here was someone to give her direction.

The gap between you and the other students is not large. You are moving forward correctly.

Along with such words…… it would be enough to just give her a little direction.

If only someone pointed the way, Yuna would set out on the path faster than anyone else. At least, Rain was very well aware of that fact.

***

The three lecture halls of the Combat, Magic, and Administration Departments. The reading room of the central library of Archenia Academy, located in the center of them, was always bustling with students who had come to study.

And in a corner of that reading room, a boy and a girl were sitting at a desk facing each other. It was Rain Enlight and Yuna.

Next to them were piles of borrowed books and notes summarizing various key points.

The boy with an impressive dark circle and a dark atmosphere, Rain, was calmly looking over those notes. It was to check if the homework he had given Yuna the previous night was properly completed.

And, in contrast to the calm atmosphere of Rain……. the girl, Yuna, had her face buried in a wide-open book and was muttering.

“Save me……”

Three days had already passed since Yuna started training with Rain. In other words, there were four days left until the start of the semester.

And, at the current moment…… for three days, the training with Rain had been like hell for Yuna.

No, in fact, objectively speaking, it was definitely a hellish training.

“……No, kill me……!”

Their schedule started at 7 in the morning. After having breakfast by 7, the two headed to the reading room of the central library and studied their subjects until 1 o’clock, that is, lunchtime. Following the textbooks Rain had chosen for them last time.

Slacking off or secretly sleeping was out of the question. If her concentration wavered even a little, he would immediately apply pressure.

‘What a persistent guy…….’

Yuna couldn’t help but be amazed at his meticulous management, and this detailed care for her studies stemmed from Rain’s experience in his modern life.

As a poor college student, he had worked numerous part-time tutoring jobs to pay for his tuition, so he was a master at looking after someone’s studies.

He himself had also achieved decent grades after breaking through the fierce entrance exam hell of Korea, so he was quick to achieve academic success.

Anyway, at 1 in the afternoon, after lunch, was it over? Of course not. After that, it was time for combat training.

After eating, they would take a walk around the academy to digest their food and check what they had memorized from their textbooks as a bonus. Of course, because of the stares, they took their walk in a more secluded place.

After that, the two moved to the training hall and did combat training. Most of it was training to improve stamina, strength, and agility, and swordsmanship training…… and the process was quite tough.

It would have been easier if she just passed out, but the way he gave her a break right before she was about to pass out made it feel like he knew how to push people.

The reason Rain was able to teach Yuna so meticulously was largely thanks to what he had learned through his body from being taught hundreds of times by Jeduin, and the trait 『Combat Sense[A]』.

He was able to instinctively know exactly how much Yuna was struggling.

Anyway, that arduous training would end at 8 o’clock. Then they would part ways, and after dinner, would it be over?

Of course not. Rain would give Yuna homework that she had to do by the next day, and the amount of homework was also substantial.

Thanks to that, after dinner, Yuna could only go to sleep at 1 in the morning.

“Haaaam……”

A deep yawn escaped from Yuna’s mouth. Yuna usually had a habit of sleeping a lot, but recently, due to the training with Rain, she couldn’t even sleep for 6 hours, so she was bound to be sleep-deprived.

The intense training would have made her even more tired.

“Are you sleepy?”

“Even if I say I am, you won’t let me sleep.”

“I’m glad you know.”

“Grrr……!”

But she couldn’t sleep. Even if she dozed off a little, Rain would catch her like a ghost and wake her up.

“Aren’t you sleepy?”

Yuna asked, looking at Rain with her chin in her hand. The Rain she had seen so far would stay in the training hall and train more even after his training schedule with her was over.

And considering Rain’s obsession with studying, it was clear that he would study even more in his remaining time than she did.

And to those words, the handsome boy with deep dark circles, Rain, replied nonchalantly.

“Isn’t sleep for the dead?”

“You crazy bastard……”

Yuna looked at Rain with a dumbfounded expression. An expression that said the secret of the dark circles that always hung on Rain’s face had been solved here.

“I’m kidding.”

“……Somehow, when you say it, it doesn’t sound like a joke.”

“I’m serious.”

“I’m sure you are……”

Unlike his appearance, Rain would sometimes crack jokes with that serious face. Because of that, she couldn’t help but be fooled every time.

Yuna let out a deep sigh. When she first saw him, he seemed infinitely distant, and to be honest…… she even felt like she was looking at a prince from a novel, but that sense of distance had already crumbled.

She couldn’t tell if it was because they had trained and spent time together, or if it was because of the rebellious feeling that arose from him pushing her so hard.

And, after a short while.

“Alright, I’ve checked all your homework. I’ve marked the insufficient parts, so please review them again.”

Rain said, putting down the notebook Yuna had brought again. Red circles, indicating the insufficient parts, were scattered all over it like a heavy snowfall.

“……”

After seeing that, Yuna glared at Rain for a while…… and then buried her face in her book again.

She felt her mind going blank. He’s telling me to study this again?

“……You know. Why do we have to study?”

“That’s suddenly philosophical.”

“Maybe studying is a device to make students fit into the mold of society. There must be things more valuable than studying that we can do to achieve our dreams……! The god who made us wouldn’t have wanted us to be oppressed by studying. Yeah. In the first place, why did god make us? For what purpose were we born……”

“If you say strange things, I’ll give you more homework.”

“Yes, sir.”

Yuna, who had been spacing out and spouting philosophical nonsense for a while, picked up her pen again at Rain’s one word.

Scritch-scratch…… And so, only the sound of something being written in a notebook filled the space again.

And, after a little time had passed.

“Are you tired?”

The one who broke the silence again was Rain.

“Of course I’m tired.”

“Then would you like to stop? The training.”

“Grrr……”

An unwavering, calm tone. Yuna frowned at Rain’s words.

When Yuna was struggling, Rain would often say that.

If you want to give up, if you want to stop, please tell me anytime.

If moving as a Pair is also a burden, I will stop.

Yes, for Yuna, this schedule was definitely ‘very’ difficult. It was even more so for Yuna, who had no interest in training or studying at all until now.

And, if she was really struggling, she could just give up.

Moving with Rain was also quite a burden. Wherever they went, all eyes were on them, she couldn’t figure him out, and for some reason, he kept bothering her.

But Yuna couldn’t give up.

‘What am I going to do if I give up here.’

Hadn’t she vowed to show the ones who looked down on her a thing or two? If she gave in to something like this, the gap would never close, she thought.

‘……Actually, I don’t think it’s just that…….’

In fact, besides that, it seemed there was another reason why she didn’t want to quit this arduous life. A certain reason that prevented her from giving up.

But Yuna couldn’t figure out exactly what that reason was.

“Damn it…… alright. I’ll do it, I will.”

“Good.”

Yuna frowned and replied to Rain. As if he knew she would say that, Rain calmly focused on his own studies again.

‘I don’t know either…….’

In Yuna’s mind, which was trying to clear her miscellaneous thoughts, a single sentence that Rain had said came to mind.

-I merely saw your potential. I thought you could stand at the top of the academy.

And among that one sentence, another word.

Potential.

That one word kept repeating in her mind.