Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though the majority of students within the new class were experienced when it came to schooling, even those that had been third and fourth years were extremely nervous. The two weeks leading up to the start of class made it apparent that their school life had been irreversibly impacted by their decision to participate. Despite this, only a few of the students had genuine misgivings but, in order to grasp at a rare chance to improve their fates, they still showed up.

At this point, Mordred, Sakura, and Mash had made an earnest effort to at least know the names and backgrounds of their classmates. There wasn't anything like a Class President within the department but, despite not knowing the girls' background, the rest of the class had quickly understood which of the girls had the most 'authority'. This made Mordred the center of attention and, as a result of their close association with her, Sakura and Mash had also earned a fair amount of respect.

Currently, Mordred sat at the very front and center seat of the entire class, her back straight and a confident smile on her face as she awaited the arrival of their teacher. Unlike her usual troublemaker self, she gave off the aura of a dutiful student with no visible flaws in her appearance and demeanor. This further elevated her status in the minds of the other students and, as the similarities between her and Artoria were extremely obvious, they had already guessed her's, and Sakura's, actual status.

Despite this, none of the students lacked the tact to ask Mordred to clarify as, if she was not making her status known, it would be an extreme faux pas to put her on the spot. After all, if she really was the Imperial Princess of the Aldrnari Empire, they couldn't afford to offend her. If things went as they hoped, there was a good chance they would be her subjects in the future. Thus, so long as she was playing the part of a student, they would respect her decision while trying to get closer to her over the course of the next few years...

---

At precisely 0800, Da Vinci opened the door to the lecture hall, bringing stillness to the already silent class. While girls like Mordred, Sakura, Mash, and Rani stood out as beauties, Da Vinci's appearance was on a level that was hard to even describe to others. When she was present, Da Vinci became the center of attention and, though the results had yet to be observed, she expected the male students to work very hard in their vain attempts to impress her.

With a smile that could only be described as a masterpiece, Da Vinci passed her gaze over the class before saying, "Good morning, class. It is good to see that everyone is on time. While it is fine to be late every now and then, remember your reasons for deciding to become students within this new department. If you slack off, the only ones to blame for your failure are yourselves~"

Though her words were stated in a gentle and elegant tone, most of the new students, excluding those from the Atlas Temple, felt a chill pass through their bodies. They could tell that their Professor wasn't the type that gave partial credit and, while she gave off a very motherly vibe, she carried the same terrifying aura that their own mothers possessed...

Now that she had everyone's undivided attention, Da Vinci projected a screen on the air itself. This wasn't derived from some high-tech device; It was the result of masterful control over the mana in the air itself and, while most students didn't understand the principles behind it, those from the Atlas Temple adopted very serious and observant expressions.

One after the other, the basic data of each student flashed across the projection. It even included a very basic analysis of their presumed parameters, skills, abilities, and known forms of Magecraft. This was enough to bring absolute silence to the classroom but, before they were able to make sense of the situation, Da Vinci explained, "As you can see, we have compiled a comprehensive analysis of every single student in the class. This may terrify some of you but it is a simple truth that, in a world with unrestricted science and magecraft, collecting such information is an easy feat. You should have the expectation that your enemies know everything about you so, while this may unnerve some of you, know that we collected this information in the hopes of making your future path smoother."

As could be expected, most of the normal students had paled slightly in response to Da Vinci's words. Even if they knew it was the truth, as even average students had various means to spy on others, nobody liked having it pointed out how little secrets they actually had. They would rather be ignorant of the truth but, in order to make them stronger and more mentally mature, Da Vinci was intending to force them to face reality. People that spent their lives protecting secrets were very easy to take advantage of when their enemies got ahold of their weakness. Those that had no secrets to protect were impossible to exploit as it ultimately didn't matter what your enemies knew. The only thing that mattered was what you knew and the type of person you wanted to be...

While the students were still in shock, Da Vinci changed the image in the projection to show a very high definition picture of Skoll, explaining, "As explained previously, each of you will be assigned a Companion, an Artificial Lifeform that serves various purposes. They are not pets but, if you want to pet and cuddle with them, feel free to do so. I won't go into too many details about their capabilities but, at the very least, you should know they can amplify your Magecraft. They also have a number of powerful defensive capabilities so, if you find yourself in a sticky situation, they may very well save your life."

Prior to being accepted as students, everyone in the class had been given a handbook to study over the last two weeks. This detailed various rules and regulations, including a large section detailing the proper care and treatment of Companions. As the mistreatment of a Companion was an automatic qualifier for expulsion from the course, everyone in the class had read these particular rules several times...

Once her explanation had finished, Da Vinci waved her hand through the air, sending the projection away as a small teleportation circle appeared on the floor. This alone was a jarring display as, unless they had an extreme prowess in regards to spatial transportation, most teleportation magic circles took several hours to set up. They were also entirely stationary and required powerful catalysts just to power them for a few minutes.

Seeing their Professor casually demonstrate mastery the vast majority of them couldn't even begin to fathom, the classroom continued its trend of absolute silence. It wasn't until Da Vinci began to call them by name, having each student stand in front of the teleportation circle, that people began to speak in hushed tones. They already had some expectations about the purpose of the magic circle and, seeing an admittedly adorable dog-like humanoid appear, their guesses were proven accurate.

To further clarify, Da Vinci explained, "Based on an analysis of your nature, your likes, dislikes, and favorite animals, a Companion has already been chosen for you. They will grow alongside you and, as is mentioned in the handbook, have an unlimited potential for growth and evolution. If you treat them well and train hard, it is possible that your Companion may even evolve into an existence that is fundamentally similar to a Phantasmal Species. They can even become something like a Dragon, a Griffin, or a Pegasus. With this in mind, I encourage you to get along with your Companion well as they may very well become your closest and most trusted ally in the future."

While Da Vinci's claims were hard to believe, the casual tone she used, combined with how easily she used complex Magecraft, lent certain veracity to everything she said. It helped that, of the small class of thirty-seven students, twenty-eight were female. They found their new Professor rather inspiring and, as the Companions were extremely cute by design, they were looking forward to being able to have one of their own. As for the nine boys, some of them had started to imagine what it would be like to have an actual Dragon as their ally...

After everyone in the class had been given their Companions, the atmosphere in the classroom had lightened considerably. The presence of thirty-seven adorable humanoid creatures sitting in people's laps and on their desks was a peculiar sight to behold and, from the perspective of some students, they had a hard time comprehending the reality they had found themselves in.

With the intention of removing this incongruity and inspiring the students to raise their Companions well, Da Vinci surprised the class by clapping her hands together and exclaiming, "Today is supposed to be a short day since some of you have yet to settle completely into your dorms. We have a special lesson planned to ease everyone into the new curriculum so please form an orderly queue. We'll be making our way to the training field that has been prepared for your physical education~"

As they had already been issued their uniforms, the sight of thirty-seven students forming a neat line as they passed through the hallways gave off a distinctly militaristic feeling. This was emphasized by the general lack of expression on the faces of the Atlas Temple students but, with an equal number of Companions, the image of an organized and professional group of people was completely ruined. Rather, most of the students didn't really know what to do with their Companions so, while some of the girls happily carried theirs along, other Companions were left to waddle after the procession with awkward yet practiced steps...

Upon reaching their destination, a field that was 300x80m in length and width, the class was once again surprised when they found Vahn, Galahad, and Sion waiting for them. The tensions suddenly increased to a palpable level but, when Vahn just laughed it off, his voice having a strangely calming sound to it, the class began to calm down. Though some of them had misgivings about being made to stand in a military-style formation, none of them complained.

With Da Vinci finding a place next to him, Vahn took the initiative to break the silence, a casual smile on his face as he explained, "Your Companions are very special existences. They will help nurture you as both True Mages and Magic Knights. If you trust in them, they will allow you to reach heights that many of you will struggle to understand until you witness it for yourself. In the hopes of helping you understand this, you will now be given the opportunity to fight alongside your Companions..."

Though some had already guessed the reason they had been made to file into the training room, it was still a surprise to hear they would be sparring as part of their very first lesson. However, this was only the beginning of their surprise as Vahn followed up, adding, "My department rewards people based on their contributions and merits. While your academic scores will be very important, we also evaluate you based on your physical performance and the judgment you show under pressure. This first lesson also serves the purpose of deciding your initial ranking within the class. The benefits of a high ranking will become apparent in the next few months but, even if you find yourself in the last position, that does not mean you will be treated poorly. Rather, there will always be someone in the last position, even if every single one of you becomes a prodigy..."

As it wouldn't take long for even their worst student to eclipse the best the Clock Tower had to offer, Vahn didn't want the children in the lower positions to feel bad. He spent a few minutes making it very clear that, while the ranking did matter, it was secondary to hard work. After all, some people just had more potential than others due to their circumstances. This could eventually be overcome but, at this phase in their education, it would be very difficult for those with a poor foundation to rank highly.

Once his preliminary speech was finished, Vahn referenced the data stored in his mind, saying, "Your first opponent will be someone of equivalent skill. Victory will award you three points while defeat will earn you one point. The victors of each match will face off against each other, much like a tournament. As for the defeated, they will also face off against others who had lost their bouts. Every match will be allotted five minutes and, if victory cannot be decided by then, the judges will be the ones to determine who advances. Any questions...?"

Being in a formation had a strangely sobering effect on the minds of people, especially when they were young. Everyone instinctually stood a little straighter and, even though they had not been told talking was against the rules, they remained completely silent. The downside to this was that it made it very hard to be the one to speak out, something Vahn had intended. He wanted them to become a unified group that slowly developed their individuality over time as, only by feeling as though they 'belong' to something bigger than themselves can they truly escape the grasp of the Association's teachings...

With nobody willing to be the one to stand out and draw attention to themselves, there were no questions. Vahn gave them an 'approving nod', emphasizing to the students that they were doing the right thing, despite the 'right thing' never having been clarified. Then, playing to the situation even further, he had the groups split into two columns that lined the battlefield before calling out the first two names and having each contestant introduce themselves...and their Companions.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: '[Charisma] is very effective xD...','Treat your Companions well >:O...!','Vahn is becoming a Cult Leader...?')

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