The student council secretary, Yuria, who had been bickering with me for a while, pointed a finger at me.
“You’re insane. Isn’t it too much to break off the engagement with His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“What does it matter what others do?”
“You will truly regret this.”
“I had never seen a proper person among those who spoke like that.”
“No matter how much I’m a fallen Ashtar, I’m still an Ashtar. Is it permissible for you to act so arrogantly?”
“The power hierarchy of the Empire boasts that the Emperor is first, and the Ashtar family is second.”
Even though I am in a fallen state, if there is a clash with the Crown Prince in this situation, even the Duke wouldn’t just sit idly by.
“This is the will of His Highness the Crown Prince. In the Empire, only His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, who will follow him, are the most revered.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re all so impressive. If you’re that capable, then try to stop me with your skills.”
“Ah, if you’re unhappy, then try to stop me even through illegal means.”
Of course, in that moment, the Crown Prince would become the gossip of the town for having dismissed a woman through illegal actions, even if she was the one he was engaged to.
On the contrary, commoners wouldn’t know the circumstances of the nobles or the royal family, so they would think of Olivia as a discarded Duke’s daughter.
“Hmph. In any case, the archery department won’t be easy.”
“Well, that’s something we’ll see.”
I didn’t understand why she was so certain.
“Some military families have finished practical training with the new weapon we developed.”
“Wow. Is that so? How scary!”
“That arrogance will only get you this far.”
With those words, Yuria turned her back on me.
“Hmm…”
My arrogance is still intact today.
***
The archery department even had its own archery range.
It’s a bit strange for the most developed civilization on the continent to still rely on bows, but if you think it through, there are reasons for everything.
I entered the archery classroom with a bright smile.
“Now, as an archery student, let’s all get along.”
There were over a hundred people, roughly?
Some of the losers I had seen in the swordsmanship and magic departments made faces at my greeting.
Of course, it wasn’t just losers present.
There were also the children of families that specialized in archery.
One man, who seemed to be one of them, approached me.
“I’ve already received contact from the student council.”
“Hmm? I love peace?”
“I really can’t believe this academy has no mercy for a girl who has been jilted. Thanks to that, an environment conducive to bullying was created, though.”
“You’re arrogant.”
“Do you think I’m acting like this for no reason?”
“Right now, I am the villain Olivia, who has risen up to destroy the academy.”
As expected, the archery department was filled with students expelled from the swordsmanship and magic departments.
If I destroy this place, effectively, the Atlerina Academy will be left with only practical studies, and all subjects involving physical combat will be gone.
“Where in the world would you find a Duke’s daughter or a noble that can’t even graduate from the academy? By then, those losers would become desperate.”
“I already know you’ve hidden your strength until now. However, archery is originally the pride of the Empire. Although times have changed and more people are learning to use guns, to catch magical beasts, mana arrows are still needed, which is why noble offspring have learned archery from a young age.”
“No matter how skilled you are, as long as you’re a woman, you can’t win.”
“That’s a sexist statement.”
“Is there any comparison between a boy who has been practicing archery since childhood and a girl who only learns etiquette?
“Unless you are a noblewoman from a military family, there’s no way a spoiled girl like you can win.”
“While you might have gotten by with swordsmanship and magic, archery is purely determined by skill.”
“Wow, so does that mean ordinary noble daughters only learn etiquette from a young age until they reach the academy?”
“What a waste of time!”
“So, are you going to do it or not?”
“I don’t want to bicker with you over archery.”
‘Well, that’s not bad.’
‘I am Olivia, who loves peace.’
‘And I also like freedom.’
‘If she doesn’t want to fight, then I plan to just quietly attend class. In such situations, I need to match the atmosphere.’
“No, we need to take revenge!”
“That’s right! Seeing you back out makes it seem like Olivia can’t do it either!”
The resentful young losers shouted for the student from the archery department to take revenge.
Hmm, that’s typical.
“Shut up! How foolish of you to underestimate your opponent and bring shame to your family,”
I was surprised that such a person existed in Atlerina.
Just then, a woman entered the classroom as it was time for class.
Dressed in battle attire that could be bought from a shop, she looked like she came from an adventurer background, not in formal attire.
“I heard Olivia has arrived; everyone, sit down.”
At the professor’s words, the students busily took their seats.
It seems the archery department has a theory class, surprisingly.
No, if we had basic training in the first year, we might take a mana arrow test in the second year.
When everyone completes basic training in the first year, starting from the second year, they train with mana to confront monsters.
“I’m Galedo, an S-rank adventurer. If you learned basic archery in your first year, starting from the second year, you will use mana. Now, let’s begin the class, so keep up.”
The professor, introducing himself as Galedo, proceeded to write on the blackboard with chalk and conducted the class.
“First, nock the arrow and slowly coat the fletching with mana. When the magic power is embedded in the arrowhead, it finally becomes a spear for hunting magical beasts.”
This is a pretty informative class.
The magic and swordsmanship professors likely would have covered similar material, albeit more quickly.
“The issue is the mana circuit. Each person has a vessel for their mana. It’s referred to as a mana container or mana circuit, and you probably understand this much. The larger the mana, the more magic arrows you can use. Those with insufficient mana can recover using potions.”
“What if someone has no mana at all?”
Thanks to my earlier preparations, the class proceeded quite normally with the professor’s explanations and the students’ questions.
“Generally, there are no people with zero mana. You can usually shoot at least one or two arrows. Even so, if you have little mana, it can lead to the worst case, where you can’t deal significant damage to magical beasts or demon armies. The gun was created to address that.”
“Do second-year students also learn about guns?”
“But aren’t there issues with gunpowder?”
A student asked.
“That’s why wars in the Empire are primarily defensive. Guns are good, but they are hard to use to catch magical beasts. And cannons are too cumbersome to move around. If we were to strike first against demon armies, we’d have to dispatch the imperial knights that we’ve carefully selected over a long period.”
“I believe there are also cases when arrows are scarce during defensive battles.”
As far as I know, that wasn’t the case.
Of course, while firepower might be lacking, arrows kept coming without end.
That’s one of the reasons why the Empire’s productivity cannot be underestimated.
“So, large quantities of magical potions are supplied to the defense line, or wizards are sent. New weapons are being developed only now. Now, why does the Empire continue to use such inefficient bows?”
“I believe the Empire’s ancestors were originally nomadic people who used bows. So, isn’t it because they wanted to continue that spirit?”
The Empire has achieved its current civilization thanks to imitating the kingdoms.
Originally, they were nomadic people, like the barbaric tribes from the north, who waged wars and ultimately dominated the central and southern parts of the continent, which became the heart of the Empire.
“That’s not entirely wrong, but that’s not the decisive reason. After all, the Empire’s national flag features a sword, not a bow, right? If the bow were primary, there would be arrows instead of swords. Does anyone know why? This is also related to international relations.”
The national flag is the Empire’s banner.
It’s called the “Moonlit Banner” because it features a sword piercing through the moon.
“Well then, how about we ask our esteemed Lady Olivia, who has been thriving these days?”
A student from the Magic Department, whom I had hit with my mana arrow, suddenly directed an arrow toward me.
Hmm, I didn’t expect to be baited like this.
“Oh, Lady Olivia. Now that I think about it, what are you doing here?”
Honestly, who would have thought that Olivia Rapha Ashtar would show interest in this department?
“Well, I have to make a living, so it can’t be helped.”
“Right. As the daughter of a duke, you might understand this isn’t just about archery, so I’ll give you bonus points if you get close.”
Hmm, it’s not difficult.
In fact, I know quite well about the Empire’s situation.
“Well, to be precise, it’s a complex issue. It’s influenced by the elves of the Grand Sylva, who primarily handle mana arrows.”
“Oh? Can you explain in detail?”
‘There’s no way I wouldn’t know about this.’
The Empire’s scholars and court mages had spilled secrets just to obtain ancient texts from the land of destruction.
The reason they shared that knowledge with me was largely because they believed I could be trusted as a member of the hero party.
Although I faced semi-coercion to hand over those texts by being told I now knew Empire secrets, I had planned to give them anyway, so I unintentionally gained information about the Empire.
Moreover, the elves felt similarly.
“Listen well, you shady mage. I don’t know what you find appealing about teaming up with those Empire folks, but our Grand Sylva elves have put that so-called strongest humanity to shame. Understand?”
“Get lost.”
“What? Is that really what you’re going to say to me? Sit down right now.”
That annoying girl, with her unwarranted pride, forced me to learn the history of the elves.
The Empire’s choice to make archers their main combat unit was deeply related to them.
The Empire had suffered tremendous losses in its war against the elves.
“Before answering this question, you need to know the background. About a hundred years after the Empire was founded, the Imperial army already had many swordsmen and spearmen, and the cavalry was capable of handling the Empire’s military strength.”
“Three hundred years after the Empire was established, they became aware of the existence of the Grand Sylva and the elves, and due to the elves’ advanced magical civilization, the Empire invaded the Grand Sylva to gain their power.”
“While they won a few battles, they suffered heavy losses at the ambush during the Philabel battle, losing tens of thousands of troops. They ultimately made peace with the elves through the Arden Treaty.”
“Hmm, so?”
“Though they maintained peace, the 16th Emperor was deeply inspired by how the elves used mana arrows to defeat the Imperial army during the Philabel battle.”
“In the negotiation room, the elves mocked the Empire for being unable to use mana arrows, which led the Empire to develop archers who could use mana arrows even while maintaining peace with the elves. That’s how we arrived at the present situation.”
It was a good decision to train elite archers to counter the elves.
On the contrary, this had placed the Imperial army at a disadvantage against the Demon King’s army.
“Good job, Lady Olivia. You answered wonderfully. The direct reason is that, but there’s also a theory that this was meant to weaken the military power of the southern nobles, who had been in constant friction with the Empire. That’s why we have continued to use bows until now.”
It really is inefficient.
Originally, the elves had to keep using bows due to their innate talents, but the Empire didn’t have to rely on them.
In the end, the military system established during the 16th Emperor’s reign remained intact, and as battles against the Demon King’s army continued, they had no choice but to develop smaller cannons to counter them more effectively.
I laughed heartily at the students who had tried to take me down.
“Next, we’ll try our hands at archery.”
The archery training began in the range attached to the classroom.
The military families showed considerable skill.
And again, it seemed the losers were planning to take revenge on me.
“Let’s see how the esteemed daughter of the Ashtar family performs.”
“Excuse me?”
“Well, you excelled in swordsmanship and magic, so you wouldn’t be bad at archery, right?”
‘Are they daring to provoke me for trying to live a decent life? Hmm, I felt a desire to show off a little. Actually, thinking about it, these fools bragged about coating arrows with mana. So, I decided to show them what I could do.’
As I stood in front of the target, the professor looked on with a hint of confusion.
“Olivia, aren’t you going to use arrows?”
“If I create them with mana, isn’t that enough?”
I wondered why they didn’t understand such a simple problem.
“You’re going to manifest mana as arrows?”
“Can I do that?”
“Even if it’s not like you’re a divine archer, Lady Olivia, competing with other students is fine, but that might be a bit…”
Professor Galedo fell silent as he observed the arrows I had created from mana in my hand.
“Yes, yes. That’s the expression I wanted to see.”
Maybe it was because my body originally belonged to Olivia, but I began to feel a rush of exhilaration.
They’re not ready to be surprised just yet.
Whoosh! Thwack!
Whoosh! Thwack!
I created ten arrows.
Ten arrows struck the target.
Ten arrows pierced another student’s target.
“Wait, Olivia, what are you doing?”
“Yes, that’s right. I, the second Lady Olivia, planted my arrows on the targets of other students.”
“Why? Because those who provoke me must pay the price.”
“I was only trying to quietly attend class, yet they tried to pull this on me? They should be begging me for mercy!”
“Ah, I was mocking you, but I seem to have shot arrows into your target.”
“There are ten in total, and that’s against the rules, isn’t it?”
“What’s stuck in my target?”
Not a single arrow was lodged in my target.
And all ten of my arrows were embedded in the target of this nameless extra.
In the first place, this is a test meant to assess skills rather than follow strict rules.
Having already witnessed my abilities, Galedo wouldn’t mind whatever I did.
In other words,
“Olivia knows nothing!”
“Professor, Lady Olivia has violated the rules!”
Look at that.
“First of all, it was you who provoked Olivia. You should have been more careful knowing you were dealing with a rumored lady.”
‘Yes, yes! This professor is quite understanding.’
I subtly turned my gaze to the students, looking at them meaningfully.
“Looks like they’ve got a point. If you’re upset, you know what to do?”
If you’re upset, shoot better!