—Combat Department No.4.

It was a massive structure, roughly the same giant size as Combat Department No.3. It was built during a large-scale construction project over the summer vacation after the implementation of the Job-Change System was finalized for this academic year.

Maybe because it was thrown together so quickly, the exterior looked almost identical to our No.3 building.

I had no idea when or how they managed to secure the land for such a colossal structure. All the buildings that used to be near No.3 building had completely vanished, and by the tail end of summer break, the main school building and the grounds were pretty much ready to go. It was honestly a bit terrifying. The game world truly lived to its name. It's fantasy, after all.

I might have said it casually, but the No.4 building was basically built as an annex to No.3 Building. They're connected by a passage, and to be frank, I was actually looking forward to taking a stroll down it.

This was one of the measures the academy had taken to effortlessly integrate New Grade students into the 2nd year next academic year. By then, they would be our classmates. However, the already brimming No.3 Building was certainly beyond the capacity to accept the amplified wave of students.

Due to such various situations, the academy had gone with the plan for a new building. The scale was freaking big!

Apparently, the construction wasn't entirely finished; there were plans to erect a few more buildings in preparation for next year.

Anyway, we had arrived at the No.3 Building, and that meant time to say goodbye to new members. Well, given the two buildings were connected, it wasn't necessary to part ways before the entrance, but the results for class reshuffle were put up at the bulletin board present in each building's entrance.

"Uh-huh, parting is always bitter~."

"It's time to leave, Frau. Even if it's bitter, you shouldn't trouble Zephyr-san."

"She's right. Alright, everyone, let's get moving."

Katalina practically dragged away Fraumina, who was waving at me with a despondent look, her ears and eyebrows drooping pitifully. Seeing the usually highly-capable Fraumina looking so lonely was quite a gap in her typical demeanor.

Rosetta then rounded up the other new members and led them away. She really gave off the vibe of a model knight.

"Your job is incredibly valuable, Sharon-san. So you're not going to be that far from top. It would be lovely if we ended up together."

"I'd love to be in the same class as you too, Orihime-san, but I don't know... You're super smart, so maybe it's a long shot?"

"Well, this was my first time taking the Combat Department exams, and the practicals were a bit rough for me, so who's to say?"

Sharon seemed a bit lacking in the confidence department. I’d overseen her studying a little bit, and I honestly didn't think she was as bad as she made herself out to be. The pessimism had stemmed from no achievement so far. I'll just have to help her build that confidence step by step.

On the flip side, Orihime was exceptionally book-smart. Even though we had been in different classes, her reputation preceded her. When we first met, I didn't connect the dots right away, but apparently, she placed first in the «Healer Department» during the pre-summer exams. Talk about impressive.

So naturally, Sharon was dreading the possibility that they might be split up.

I guess it all boils down to how far she could fight with her rare Job? Considering she made it all the way to the finals in the Inter-Class competition, I'd say she was more than just sufficiently talented, though.

"Hey, Master, we all know you're set for Class 1 anyway. So, why don't you come with us to check out which classes we got placed in?"

"Ane-sama?"

"Woah, don't jump on me already, Fina-chan. First, check the others; their faces clearly agreeing with me."

".........Classes are starting soon, so absolutely not."

"Oh lordsy, but you were totally contemplatin—Ghya!?"

Elisa had latched onto my left arm trying to coax me, but Fina silenced her with a swift karate chop and hauled her away. She really got that straight attitude, eh?

"Well then, shall we get going too, Tomoyo?"

"Of course! It sounds great!"

"You know you can just talk normally to me, right?"

In the end, I parted ways with the seven of them in front of No.3 Building, waving them off before Tomoyo and I passed through the gates together.

The moment we did, Celestin appeared.

"Good morning, Zephyr-sama."

"Morning, Celestin. Early bird as always, I see."

"I am your butler, after all."

"W-Were you waiting for us to show up!? Or rather, an ambush?! I-I see, so this is the way of Celestin-san, winner of the Butler Grand Prix!"

I was just exchanging morning pleasantries with Celestin, but for some reason, Tomoyo was quivering in her boots. What rattled her?

"Good morning to you as well, Tomoyo-sama."

"Y-Yes! Good morning, Celestin-san! I am Tomoyo, and I'll be in the guild's care starting after school today!"

Oh, Tomoyo was probably just as hyped. She crossed her hands in front of her and bowed so deeply she practically folded in half.

"My, that's courteous of you. The pleasure is entirely mine. Regarding the guild, please come to Eden's Guild House today. It would be better if you follow a current guild member. I have been handling the necessary information, but depending on the circumstances, you might find it impossible to reach the destination otherwise."

"I'll have Zephyr-kun escort me!"

Hold up, Celestin, what do you mean by that last part? Why wouldn't she be able to reach the guild? Our Eden's guild house wasn't located in the middle of a mind-boggling labyrinth, right?! Wait, maybe that's Celestin's style to joke?

Of course, I didn't mind escorting her at all, but I was astonished that Tomoyo seemed to perfectly understand Celestin's joke (?).

"Now that aside, Zephyr-sama and Tomoyo-sama's class results are—"

"Ah, sorry, Celestin, but I kind of want to see the results for myself today. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. I anticipated you might say that."

"Never unprepared, eh? Alright, let's go check it out. I can't wait. So, what do, Tomoyo?"

"Huh? W-Well, I'd like to spend a little more time with you—I mean! I think I'll tag along!"

"Great. Then, come along."

And so, the three of us entered through the main entrance and headed toward the bulletin boards.

"Whoa, it's really packed to the brim...—And there parted the red sea, just like Moses."

As usual, there was a sea of students crammed in front of the boards. Absolute pandemonium.

Yet, as I approached, the crowd inexplicably split to the left and right the moment they noticed me. I couldn't help but recall the story of Moses. I also had a deja vu; as if the same situation had happened before.

Kukuku. Perhaps, this was the radiance of «Brave»'s glory? Hm, or were they enchanted by my performance during inter-class competition? As they say, seeing was believing. This should've spread my fame more than anything, I guess.

"Hey, look at that."

"Isn't that Tomoyo, the famous first-year shielder? Why is she with the leader of Eden?"

"You're behind the times. She is the newest member of Eden."

"W-What!?"

"Is that actually t-true?!"

"Just check out the bulletin board, things are getting wild. Wait, not that bulletin board!"

Wow, Tomoyo was drawing a heck of a lot of attention.

Then again, there were very few first-years who could move quite like her. She survived until the final match, after all, so there was no doubt she was recognized as one of the top-talent.

Anyway, time to see the test rankings. For the record, the written exam was out of 300 points, and the practical was out of 100.

1st Place: Zephyr – 400 Points

Bwahahahahahaha!! There are no blind spots in my «Dungeon Activity» knowledge! Absolutely zero!!

"A-As expected of Professor Zephyr... First place with a perfect score..."

See? Even Tomoyo was impressed. Umu. After all, if a teacher—even a provisional one—gets a low score, it sets a terrible example for their students. I should be a role model now!

Since these were provisional results, only the top 10 names were posted. It looked something like this:

[Combat Department 1st Years]

1st Place: Zephyr – 400 Points

2nd Place: Celestin – 398 Points

2nd Place: Sierra – 398 Points

4th Place: Reglam – 396 Points

4th Place: Mert – 396 Points

6th Place: Ekatrina – 394 Points

7th Place: Kiel – 391 Points

8th Place: Aisha – 388 Points

9th Place: Lamda – 387 Points

10th Place: Misato – 381 Points

Oh ho! The top six spots were completely monopolized by Eden and «Arc-Arcadia»!

What's more, Misato, who was 15th last time, climbed her way up to 10th. That's incredible. Guess our study sessions paid well, huh? Well, everyone busted their chops after all!

Though, this list was all about existing students of 1st year. Hence, Katalina, who had ranked 4th last exam, wasn't in the list. Misato bumped up a rank, so she got a bit lucky.

But disregarding even that, Rina sure made an amazing leap. She had overtaken Kiel and Aisha—they're ranked 7th and 8th last time—to rank 6th. I’ll have to heap some praise on her later. Lamda, who was 10th last time, seemingly bumped up to 9th.

Oh, by the way, Aisha was that freshman girl with «Shadow» Job. She was incredibly smart, easily keeping pace with the demanding curriculum of Class-1.

Alright, moving right along, it’s finally time to check out the new class placements.