Chapter 44

The Lecture Building was the part of the Dragon Academy that saw the most use.

That was where we would have classes.

“This building isn’t very large.”

Like the dormitory, most of the buildings were on the small side, as there were not many students.

The town of Sol had many large structures, so it was difficult not to compare them.

Ark heard me and chuckled.

“Well, Dragon Masters need energy, not knowledge. This classroom learning can be kept to a minimum.”

“Minimum? That seems like a terrible idea.”

I couldn’t help but answer, as Ark looked very smug.

“Not at all. Most Dragon Masters have one job. And that is to ride their dragon and kill Moon Beasts. And it’s our stamina that is likely to fail before the dragon. In other words, it is up to us to determine how long a dragon can stay on the battlefield.”

As he talked, I could see the tiredness on his face.

Ark always liked to be around other people. He had been like that during the opening ceremony.

Well, he just liked to talk, I guess.

The female students of the Royal Academy were good listeners.

And that was most stimulating to him.

“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our first class of the year is about to start, but you look like you just got off of work.”

“I’ll be fine. After all, I’m trying to get into the military.”

Ark said stubbornly. And so I headed to the classroom ahead of him.

Knowing Ark, if more female students approached him and wanted to hear his stories, he would go with them without question.

I doubted any of the students that attended the Royal Academy had ill intentions, but I did feel bad, seeing my friend being tricked. He just wanted to talk, that’s all.

“Good morning. My name is Kisa Shioni. And I’ll be your instructor during the first year.”

The woman who introduced herself to us was in her late twenties.

Apparently, she was not a Dragon Master. So she would be in charge of us while in the classroom alone.

Instructors were allowed to wear what they wanted. And both her clothes and way of carrying herself had the sophistication of a noble.

As they would be teaching Dragon Masters, the selection process was likely very severe, so it would be no surprise if she really was a noble.

Nobles in Ryukoku were generally split into two categories. Those who owned land and those who did not. Land was almost always gained through inheritance.

So if your family owned land, you had a bright future.

On the other hand, nobles who didn’t own land would usually be hired by other nobles or work in castles. Such people were not too different from commoners like us.

“Every year, there are students who insist that Dragon Masters do not need to study. But that is false. Your education is most important. And there is a lot that you must learn within the next year, so be prepared.”

She had seemed like such a pleasant person at first, but the wind was immediately taken out of those sails.

I could see the disappointment in Ark’s eyes.

“To be precise, there will be four evaluation tests every year. Those who do not pass them, will require supplementary lessons until they do, even if it takes them forever. So I would be very careful if I were you. Now, I’m sure you’re all aware of the long break at the end of July?”

I didn’t know. Several people nodded.

“But please don’t expect to take things easy during this break. It’s quite the opposite.”

Instructor Kisa was the type to come in hard from the beginning.

She was being rather merciless.

“At the beginning of next year, you will all acquire a dragon. Once that happens, you will barely have any time to sleep.”

That sounded rough.

“And so it is most crucial that we finish what needs to be finished before then. Now, I’m sure none of you would like to take supplementary lessons, when you are already tired and exhausted?”

Everyone, including myself, nodded. No one wanted to be left behind in the classroom.

“…And so you must work hard every day, so that you will get through your education as smoothly as possible.”

Hmm. Yes, I did feel quite motivated now.

This instructor was good at manipulating people.

I was suddenly very enthusiastic.

And while I was impressed with how she talked, she was also good at teaching.

As I had not done too much studying when it came to Dragon Masters, I was able to learn a lot by just listening to her.

“A small-sized dragon is defined by the size of its body, which must be no larger than 10 meters in length. But this does not include the length of the tail. The tail will typically double the length. Now, do you know why we measure the dragons in such a way?”

Why indeed?

Because the tail is just a bonus?

Because there is no correlation between their length?

Hmm. I don’t know.

As I wondered about this, someone raised their hand.

“Because the size of the body is what’s important, not the length of the tail.”

That’s what I had been thinking.

“Incorrect.”

Oh.

“What is the reason, then?”

“In Ryukoku, dragons are creatures that are most familiar to us. Everyone has seen a dragon up close at least once in their lives. Things are very different in other countries. They have only stories and their imagination. Their impression of a ‘small dragon’ will change greatly depending on whether they hear it is 10 meters or 20.”

Instructor Kisa didn’t add to that. But I understood.

In other words, it was to make Ryukoku’s strength look weaker than it actually was.

If it ever did come to war, many would be shocked and overwhelmed by the sight of a real dragon.

They would be expecting a 10 meter dragon, and see a 20 meter one.

That would be damning for the morale of their soldiers.

Maybe their plans would become obsolete. Then they would have to change the way that they fought.

It was like fraud, in a way. But there was no need to allow them to know everything, like some kind of honest idiot.

Now that I think about it, I had also been surprised the first time I saw a dragon.

I had been expecting the small dragons to be much smaller. And so seeing a dragon that was stationed in Sol was quite shocking.

If that was a ‘small dragon,’ then how big were the medium and large ones?

If you saw that dragon on the battlefield and were told that was the smallest one, your first thought would be about running away, instead of trying to fight it.

With all that in mind, it made a lot of sense to tell the other countries only half of the truth.