Chapter 1: Welcome Chair

---D-Day+61, Glenic 32nd---

"Greetings and welcome to you, new students.  I am Rector Tharick Kana Habriel, of Stormgarde Academy.  Seated beside me are Lord Mayor Saulkolm Lawham, of Pearlden, and Viscount Jon Barton, of Lions Keep."

Applause?  Why are people clapping?  Well.  Don't want to look like an idiot so I better clap too.  Yep.  I got this.  I'm cool.  Oops.  Stop clapping now.  Lamer saruman may die at any moment so I should be ready.

Seriously.  Dude you're like, super old.

"For the next four years.  We three will be responsible for you.  Your education.  Your well being..."

Look at how young these kids look.  Youngest?  Freaking ten.  For college?  Oldest?  Eighteen in this batch.  The age requirement is pretty flexible.  Most are in the twelvish range.  That's the typical first year range for higher education in Tourin.

I can still remember twelve with my kids.  Middle school.  But in this world?  They already have jobs, are getting married, having kids, fighting goblins or orcs or even demons, slinging spells, and dying in a hundred different horrible ways.

And that's for the ones who even lived that long.

Damn.  What a shitty world.

Or.  If they're really lucky?  Win the birth lottery and are nobles or rich?  They may even end up in a school like this.

One hundred and forty-four new first years were selected.  Another record Frosty says.  They are all sitting in the auditorium of Kashiwa Hall staring at us sitting on stage.  Their parents, friends, and well wishers, sitting behind them.

Why am I not sitting out there with them?  Well, kind of didn't qualify to be sitting out there with them.  However, because I've already been accepted as a researcher?  Sort of pre-admitted.

Fortunately took most of my tests privately and with the strictest confidentiality so, naturally, everybody knows.  And I mean, everybody.  Walked by a baby laughing and pointing at me yesterday.

Which wasn't easy for him to do since he was breastfeeding at the time.  Damn showoffing babies.  Of course it could have just been a hooker with a short halfling who has a diaper fetish.  Babies can have sideburns, right?

Whoops.  People are clapping again.  Golf clap.  Whew.  Nailed it.

"As you start your first year at Stormgarde.  Remember the achievements of those who have come before you.  As well as those who will come after.  Like the great wizard..."

Wow he talks a lot.  Must be exhausting.  So what if I can't sit in the cheap seats.  At least I got to wear the uniform.  Though its the faculty version.  The dark pants are nice.  Long jacket reaching to the knees is cool.

That sleeveless hooded robe?  Kind of hard to keep on.  And the tie?  Thank god Lili is a tie tying master.  The half cape shoulder thing goes over the robe and for me?  Black and green checkers with a gold lion rampant sewn into it.

These shoes though?  Freaking uncomfortable.  Buckles?  On shoes?  Miss my boots already.  They need to hurry up and invent velcro.  Ugh.  More clapping?

"You have likely heard of the many staffing changes due to a discovered scandal.  Be assured the leaders of your education have gone to great lengths to replace the impacted faculty and it will by no means..."

My god.  Its like listening to an adult in a Charlie Brown cartoon.  Well at least I recognize some faces.  Clari, my adopted sister.  Blue, my third wife.  Milti, Juri's other half.  Isabeau, princess loli.  Ymanie, sort of princess loli.  And Hitomi, my...?

Yeah, not really sure what the hell Hitomi is to me.  From one hell of a smooch last night?  To avoiding me like the plague today.  Maybe she's on her period?  At least she looks hot.  Changed her disguise.  Looks almost like an over tanned gyaru now.

Black Sheep Squadron has adopted her and she's besties with Milti and Juri.  Once I accepted her?  All the undead in my turf did too.  Seems to be smiling constantly now.

The girl's a natural born necromancer.  But she is a shinobi super fan.  Should find a middle ground for her.

Still, after that kiss?  I want to treat her like my little toe.  Yep.  Bang her on every piece of furniture in the Grand Suite.  And that's kind of a big deal for me.

Its nice not having a woman take one look at me and then immediately start negotiating with my wives for a time slot.  I know mana is king and all that but...  Like I told my first real wife when we just met.

I'm not just eye candy.  I have feelings too.  Yeah they may 'restraining order please' feelings, but they are still feelings.  So they count too.

"Our nation faces great challenges both from within and without.  Trials and tribulations that may fall to you to overcome.  Not just as citizens of this nation.  But also as members of the Mandate made in that distant past.  The world calls..."

The Mandate.  What a strange thing.  So are the gods of this world not really gods?  And what about the dragons?  Frazur has no memories of it.  Or at least none he'll admit too.

The memories of a dragon are too alien for me to understand very well without him acting as a willing filter.

So is it all symbolism?  Half-truths?  Just plain made up?  Am I going to find some ancient interstellar colony ship at the bottom of a dungeon?

Before that?  How about I just try to pass my classes.  So what do I got again?  Oh yeah, senior senior citizen signed off on my melee training as an 'elective.'  So that takes care of first period.

Second period?  My first class on Adventuring!  Yep, they've actually got a course for it here.  A popular one too.  Professor Otebon Nelning for Adventum I.

After that?  A newbie Lecturer, Heccia Lieben Parbiepus.  Called in by lamer saruman to take over from the Dark School instructor 'involved' with the sex slave scandal.  Apparently she was one step ahead of the secret police too.  Third period.  Umbra I.

Next up would be lunch of course.

So after my lunch quickie, I mean, meal.  Its time for my next elective.  The [Recovery Magic] and [Half-Dead] research groups.  As well as meditation slash cultivation.  I'll have to alternate days or shorten my meditation time even more.

For fifth its another newbie, Lecturer Roheis Abassard.  Covering Etiquette I, which is something I'm sure I desperately need.

Lastly sixth period will be spent in Arithmetic I, watched over by Professor Franquet Blaide.  Math is math!  Except for isekai math.  That I apparently really suck at.  Yeah, that class is going to hurt.

Six eight-hours a day.  Seven days an eight-week.

Ugh.

Whoops.  Clapping again.

"For all these reasons and more.  It is an honor for me to welcome you, freshman, to Stormgarde Academy!"

This is so gonna suck.

Abassard, Roheis (male, human, tourinese)

Alnus, Miltinnia (female, human, aquecian)

Angelles, Isabeau Manel (female, human, tourinese)

Baramont, Ymanie (female, human, tourinese)

Barton, Alote (female, human, tourinese)

Barton, Clari (female, human, tourinese)

Blaide, Franquet (male, human, tourinese)

Chigusa, Hitomi (female, human, japanese)

Habriel, Tharick Kana (male, human, aquecian)

Lawham, Saulkolm (female, human, tourinese)

Nelning, Otebon (male, human, tourinese)

Parbiepus, Heccia Lieben (female, human, aquecian)