Chapter 4: The Academy

The next day.

“Nue. What’s that building over there?”

“And that one?”

“Young Master. Please, ask them one at a time.”

After finally being declared fully recovered, I was finally heading out for a proper excursion.

I had been so excited that I started making a fuss since dawn, and eventually, I pushed open the gates of the Portran estate before the sun had even risen.

“How refreshing.”

I spread my arms wide and inhaled the crisp morning air.

My blood surged at the exotic scenery unfolding across the land, and the mansion’s gates felt like the entrance to an airport.

“It really is magnificent…”

“Huff… huff… wait for me, Master Dien!”

Nue’s breath was caught in her throat as she struggled to keep up with Dien, who was moving around restlessly.

However, Dien didn’t have the leisure to worry about her.

His eyes seemed busy taking in the new environment.

High walls rising vertically. Pointed spires atop them.

The exterior of the buildings emphasized a sense of vertical beauty.

Most of the architectural styles featured dizzyingly tall spires to worship ‘Pantera.’

It felt as if I were looking at the Gothic style of medieval Western Europe.

The other statues also showcased a curved, linear beauty.

“Young Master, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

Nue had repeated the same question ten times over the last two hours.

She seemed worried that Dien might have another seizure, but that was a problem only time could solve.

Pointing at a building with a bell tower, Dien asked, “Nue! What’s that building?”

“That is Bishop Edgar’s residence.”

“The Bishop’s residence is that large?”

“Of course. It is the Bishop’s residence of the royal capital, after all!”

The power religion held over people here was even greater than that on Earth.

When priests could show divine power with their own eyes, who would doubt the existence of a god?

The faith of the believers here was likely stronger, not weaker, than in my previous life.

“Nue. Where does a Bishop stand in terms of rank?”

“Usually, Bishops belonging to the Holy See are equivalent to Counts, but in the Kingdom of Delos, they are considered to be at the level of a Duke.”

“That is enormous…”

Nue was quite knowledgeable in various fields, so she answered my questions well.

Sometimes she would add professional explanations, which were so easy to understand that I found myself marveling at her.

“Can we go in there?”

He pointed toward Bishop Edgar’s residence.

“Not today. It’s only open to the public on days when there is a service.”

“I see.”

It was a building grand enough to make one’s jaw drop.

Furthermore, it even featured beautiful white statues.

Excluding the royal palace, the Bishop’s residence was likely the most beautiful building in the capital.

“Young Master! It’s time to head to the Academy now!”

“I know.”

Today was my first day out and also the day I was to enroll in the Academy.

The prevailing notion here was that a noble’s dignity was based on their character and knowledge.

Because of this, children of noble families usually entered the Academy at the age of thirteen to build their basic refinement.

This was three years earlier than the commoner academy, which students entered at sixteen.

Additionally, once a noble reached adulthood, they had to compete with their siblings to inherit the title. Only after winning that competition could they enter successor training around the age of thirty.

A noble’s life was not exactly easy.

Sometimes, in houses where the successor was decided early, successor education was carried out without competition. House Portran, which had only one child, fell into this category.

“I’ll be waiting here for you when you finish!”

“I can head home on my own, you know?”

“Young Lord!”

When Nue shouted firmly while glaring, Dien finally surrendered and raised his hands.

“Alright, alright, Nue. Stop shouting!”

Dien was starting the Academy later than others, and he was the sole successor of House Portran.

As such, he had to handle a packed schedule: attending Academy classes three days a week and receiving successor training for the other three days.

“I’ll be back.”

I bid farewell to Nue at the Academy’s main gate.

“Yes! Young Lord! Do your best!”

“Right.”

I wondered if that was the expression parents made when sending their child to school for the first time.

The gaze that refused to let go of my retreating figure was a bit burdensome, so I quickly walked toward the Academy’s main building.

***

Solenon Noble Academy.

Dien walked under a signboard elegantly written in cursive.

The enrollment process for the Noble Academy was simple.

Wasn’t the noble class quite small to begin with?

Therefore, stating one’s family name was more than half the battle for admission. The Academy already possessed all the information regarding noble families.

As for the remaining half.

That was a conversation with the Headmaster.

When I opened the door to the Headmaster’s office after knocking—a universal courtesy—Count Hasman greeted me with a smile and extended his hand as if he had been waiting.

Seeing him for the first time, he had white hair and a white beard. Furthermore, he wore white clothes from top to bottom, reminiscent of a polar bear on a snowy field.

“So you are the one carrying on the lineage of House Portran, the pillar of the Secretary’s office!”

“Greetings to the intellect of the kingdom, Count Hasman, the Grand Scholar.”

I greeted him with a proper posture.

“Oren raised you well! Hahaha! You’re late to enroll, but you’ll catch up with the lessons in no time! My eye for people is never wrong!”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Courtesy toward my superiors was already ingrained in my body.

Through a short conversation, I realized Count Hasman was weak to praise, so I subtly bolstered his reputation without overdoing it.

“Did you hear? Oren was also a student of mine. So much time has passed already… It feels like only yesterday when Oren was tearing through the Academy like a wild colt. When I was out in the field, Oren was…”

A good reaction is the best way to draw words out of a person.

The talkative Hasman started getting into gear, and soon he began spilling my father’s dark history, things I hadn’t even been curious about.

“Even so, my father was quite lucky. He was able to receive an education directly from you, Count Hasman. I only find it regrettable. If you were to take up teaching again, I would run and sit in the very front row of the lecture hall… but since that isn’t possible, it’s a shame.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the corners of Hasman’s mouth rose significantly.

“Hahahaha! There are many excellent teachers in Solenon Academy besides me. Though none have as much affection for education as I do. Twenty years ago, I…”

And then it continued.

Fifteen years ago.

Two years ago.

I almost lost my mind during the long lecture, but I never lost my upright posture or my smile.

Perhaps this was the ‘vibe’ that came from professional experience.

By the time my back was screaming in pain, I was finally able to end the private audience with him.

“Though you are starting at a late age, put all your effort into your learning.”

“I will take your wise words to heart.”

“Hohohohoho.”

Hasman let out a hearty, refreshing laugh.

Dien bowed his head in a final farewell and stood up quickly, fearing the words ‘one last thing’ might come out of his mouth.

Once he closed the door to the Headmaster’s office and stretched, his entire body let out a cry of relief.

And it finally started to feel real that he had entered the Academy.

That lecture had awakened the old school assembly sensibilities.

Coming to school at the age of forty. No, an academy.

“Why am I so nervous about this…”

If school back then was tedious and boring, now it was the opposite.

Having lived to the age of forty, I knew that student days were the time when one could play without a care in the world.

In the midst of that, the teacher in charge of guidance, Helena, approached and spoke to me.

“Dien Portran.”

“Yes.”

“You can register for your courses here. Please read through it carefully.”

I received the education application form from her.

The Academy allowed students to choose the lectures they wanted, much like a university.

There were no compulsory classes forced upon the students.

Additionally, there was a unique characteristic of the Noble Academy within this class-based society.

As is well known, the students of the Noble Academy were the future ministers of the King and their vassals who would lead the kingdom.

Therefore, the Academy professors could never use physical punishment or reprimand the students.

Furthermore, if a professor was of commoner origin, they had to use extreme honorifics toward the students during class.

Naturally, even if they saw a student with a poor attitude toward learning, they could not discipline them.

It was a place where if you wanted to play, you could play without any brakes.

The Noble Academy was that kind of place.

***

Royal Ceremonial Swordsmanship: Advanced
Royal Ceremonial Swordsmanship: Intermediate
Royal Ceremonial Swordsmanship: Beginner
Basic Aura Cultivation
1st Circle Magic Runes
Understanding Magic Tool Crafting
Understanding Magic Circles

“It’s full of fascinating things…”

I wondered if Alice in Wonderland felt this way.

I stood frozen like a statue holding the application form.

I had to choose five subjects from this list…

Whatever I chose, it would surely be more interesting than standard core subjects… but if the classes were like this, it seemed impossible to take the top spot using knowledge from my previous life.

As I read down the application form I had already scrutinized.

“Priests and Divine Power.”
“Children of Demons and Hosts.”

There were classes that kept catching my eye.

“Right… let’s go with this.”

I picked up the pen and began marking the desired lectures.

There were seven subjects selected.

While five subjects were the mandatory minimum, there was no issue with choosing more.

Therefore, I willingly chose two extra subjects.

Geography and Environment of the Continent.
History of the Kingdom of Delos.
Noble Etiquette.
Understanding Royal Administration.
Priests and Divine Power.
Demon Reproduction and Hosts.
Basic Archery Practice.

Four subjects I judged necessary, and three subjects chosen out of simple curiosity.

Of course, I was very interested in swordsmanship and magic, but rumor had it that the swordsmanship and magic of the Kingdom of Delos were pathetic compared to those of the Empire.

I figured it was better to choose things that would help in my life as a Secretary.

“Here it is.”

The teacher in charge of guidance took the application form.

“Hmm… They are all unpopular subjects.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Usually, young lords mostly apply for swordsmanship or magic classes. Oh… you even applied for my class. I look forward to working with you, Dien.”

The teacher who guided me was Helena.

She was the teacher for the “History of the Kingdom of Delos” class.

Although she used polite speech toward Dien because of her commoner status, she was an elite among elites who had served as an assistant to the Minister of Finance and a Royal Junior Officer for thirty years.

No current administrator would treat her lightly.

Even if she was of commoner origin.

Except, of course, for the immature young nobles of the Academy…

“I also look forward to your guidance, Helena.”

“Hohohoho. You may speak comfortably to me, Young Lord. I am a commoner-born teacher, after all. Hohoho.”

At Dien’s attitude, Helena let out an honest laugh that sounded exactly like it was written in a book.

“No. That is out of the question. You are the teacher who will provide me with much learning. One cannot weigh status in a teacher-student relationship. More importantly, when I am appointed as a Secretary in the future, you will also be my senior in the kingdom’s administrative department. It is you, Helena, who should treat me comfortably.”

Dien knew that most of the Academy professors were former assistants.

He also knew that their influence still carried weight in the royal court.

In that case, his conduct at the Academy would inevitably affect his future professional life.

This was an obvious fact.

Helena seemed quite flustered by the young noble’s words, but she didn’t lose her smile and looked at Dien softly.

“Hohohoho, my goodness… I’m already looking forward to my classes with you, Master Dien.”

“Thank you for your kind guidance.”

The expression on Helena’s face as she looked at Dien changed, and her smile became more natural.

Students who were immature and steeped in aristocratic elitism took it as a given to treat Helena poorly.

Because there were many who frequently disrupted classes or didn’t sign up for her classes at all simply because she was a commoner-born professor, it had been a long time since she expected respect.

“Dien Portran, I see…”

In her eyes, he genuinely seemed to hold her in high regard.

“Teacher… It’s been a long time since I heard that word.”

Helena wore a pleasant smile as she thought of the heads of House Portran she had encountered during her active service.