Chapter 34

"Are you okay, Ain? Did you forget anything?"

"I'm fine. I've checked multiple times, and since Chris is coming with me to the academy, everything is under control."

"Lady Olivia, please rest assured. I will handle any issues that arise."

"…I can't really trust Chris either, you know?"

"Umm…"

Winter had passed, and for Ain, it was the long-awaited first day of the academy. Before winter ended, there were several events, such as Ain's 7th birthday.

Ain's birthday was celebrated with a small gathering of family rather than a party. On that day, Crown gave Ain a silver bracelet as a gift. While Crown wore a gift from Ain, Ain wore the Red Gem of the Earth, provided by the state. Thinking about this, Crown felt a bit envious and decided to give the bracelet.

And there was one more thing. Ain's debut was finally held. Instead of a parade through the capital, Ain appeared from the White Knight castle to be introduced to the citizens. For safety reasons, the debut was held at a distance from the citizens. From the citizens' perspective, Ain's appearance was hard to see, but the debut of the future king still caused a great stir among the people.

"Well, well, Mother. Everything is fine, really."

"I understand. I wish I could send you off, but…"

"That's not possible, Lady Olivia. It would definitely cause a commotion."

"You're right…"

Unlike Ain, Olivia was well-known to the citizens. As the second princess, if Olivia appeared in the academic city, a densely populated area, a commotion would be inevitable.

"By the way, Mother, has Crown already left?"

Some time had passed since Crown and Graf came to Ishtalika. Graf had purchased a smaller but solid mansion, and Crown lived there as well. However, due to the many tasks from Warren and other efforts, Crown mostly stayed at the castle.

"Yes. Liebe Academy starts early, and the rules are strict, making it an ideal place for growth."

Crown had already left for the academy, which was also her first day. Ain, who had confirmed that Crown stayed at the castle last night, felt a bit disappointed.

"Alright, it's time for us to leave, Ain-sama."

"Sorry, Mother! I'll go now since it's getting late!"

"Alright, go on, Ain. Chris, please take care of Ain."

Ain readily agreed to Chris's suggestion. Ain didn't want to be late on the first day. With his luggage in hand, he headed to the White Rose station to board the water train.

***

Despite the crowded station and train, Ain managed to arrive at the academy. Even though he left a bit early, the academic city was bustling with people. When he reached the grounds of the Royal Kingsland Academy, he finally had a moment to relax.

"Chris, thinking about this every day is a bit daunting."

"…I will ensure you are safely escorted, so please rest assured."

Chris smiled beautifully. Ain had no intention of slacking off, but Chris's smile conveyed a firm resolve not to allow it.

"However, once you arrive at the Royal Kingsland Academy, you can take it easy."

The grounds of the Royal Kingsland Academy were noticeably quiet and peaceful compared to the outside. The reason was the number of students. Despite being one of the largest in the academic city, the number of students was very small.

The educational philosophy of the Royal Kingsland Academy was to cultivate individuals who could lead the future of Ishtalika. Therefore, compared to the National Kingsland Academy and other schools, the number of students was limited to about one-third to one-fourth.

High-level education and the strength to handle it were required of the students.

"Ain-sama, I have been waiting for you."

"Dill, you came to pick me up."

"Of course. Chris-sama, from now on, Dill will take over the task of guarding Ain-sama."

"Thank you for your hard work. I will entrust Ain-sama to you from now on."

"Hai."

Although it was a bit formal, it was necessary for Chris and Dill. After handing over the guard duty, Chris would return to the castle.

"Then, Ain-sama, I will return to the castle. I will come to pick you up when it's time to go home, so please do not try to return on your own."

"Understood. Be careful, Chris."

Chris bowed and returned to the castle. From then on, Dill would take over as Ain's guard.

"Then, let's go, Ain-sama. I will guide you to your classroom."

"Alright, I understand. But this campus is so large, just moving around seems tiring."

"Because of this vast campus, many training and research activities can be conducted. When you think about it, it's not such a bad thing."

"True, having a large area to use is a good thing."

The campus was beautifully maintained with a natural theme, and several buildings were visible. Ain assumed they were facilities for training and research. Incidentally, the Royal Kingsland Academy did not have an opening ceremony. The materials stated that students were considered enrolled from the day they passed the exam, and new students would start classes on their first day.

"Ain-sama, I will give you a tour of the campus after classes end. I will come to pick you up for lunch, so let's head to the dedicated lounge."

"Understood. I'll wait in the classroom, so please take care."

Dill guided Ain to the classroom. Thinking about the people who would be there made Ain's excitement grow.

***

"Is this it?"

"Yes, this is it. This is definitely Ain-sama's classroom."

The classroom Ain arrived at had a grand and luxurious door, standing about 4 meters high. It was so different from the other classrooms he had passed that he couldn't hide his surprise.

"Why is the door so different? I feel a huge disparity."

"The Royal Kingsland Academy has 5 classes per grade, divided by academic performance. The classes change only once a year, but the closer to Class 1, the more privileges you have. This includes the classroom design and priority access to research facilities, among other benefits."

"If you want something, you have to earn it through your own strength."

"That's right."

Being run by the king, the academy was not equal, and the competition was intense. Despite passing the rigorous entrance exam, there was no intention to let students relax.

"Class 5 and 4 have 25 students each, Class 3 and 2 have 20 students each, and Class 1, where Ain-sama will be, has a capacity of 10 students."

"I heard it was small, but it's even smaller than I thought."

"It's mentioned in the admission guide, but it's not always confirmed."

"I checked the class format, but… Alright, thanks for the tour, Dill. I'll go into the classroom now."

Ain decided to enter the classroom. He had heard it was small, but he didn't expect it to have only 10 students, including himself. The idea of a small, elite group piqued his interest in the other students.

"I'll come to pick you up later."

Dill, who said he would come back later, smiled handsomely and bowed before heading to his own classroom. Ain opened the classroom door and found only five students inside.

"The classroom is quite luxurious."

Ain couldn't help but mutter. The classroom was impressive, not overly extravagant, but the desks and chairs were clearly crafted by skilled artisans. The teacher's desk was adorned with carvings, a sight to behold. The desks were arranged in a semicircle around the teacher's desk, a single long desk designed to seat 10 students together.

Not knowing where to sit, and not wanting to sit in the center, Ain chose a seat one in from the end. With Ain, six students were now seated.

Before sitting, he had caught a few glances from some students, but no one spoke to him, so he didn't initiate conversation either.

Eventually, the seats filled up, and there were 10 students in total.

"Good morning. I'm glad everyone is here. It would be unfortunate to start the year with any absences."

Shortly after, a teacher who seemed to be the homeroom teacher arrived. He wore a high-quality suit, glasses, and polished leather shoes, looking like a capable businessman.

"In this class, group activities will be rare. I hope you understand this and focus on your individual studies."

The teacher then abruptly began his speech.

"Let me make this clear, this class is special. As your homeroom teacher, I don't have many demands. Oh, and you don't need to introduce yourselves. If necessary, I recommend doing so individually after class."

Ain was taken aback by the teacher's words. This class was even more unique within the already merit-based academy.

"What I expect from you is quality. You have passed several exams to get into this class. I expect you to maintain that high quality, and I hope that all 10 of you will graduate without any replacements. That's all I have to say, you are dismissed."

Ain's mind was filled with a single word: "Huh?"

The homeroom teacher's speech on the first day was over? It felt like he hadn't said much at all.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention. You must attend the exams held every six months. If you have a valid reason, I will consider it, but attendance is mandatory. For other classes, attendance is not required as long as you produce results. If you miss the exam, you will be demoted to a lower class, so be careful."

The idea that you didn't have to attend classes was surprising. The academy seemed to prioritize results over attendance. However, if your quality was low, you would be demoted regardless of your effort.

"The exam subjects are the same as other classes, multiple subjects, and elective subjects. Consult and ask questions from the teachers. …I'm Kyle, by the way. I mainly teach magitech and will be your homeroom teacher for a while. That's all, you are dismissed."

Although a bit more information was provided, the class was ultimately dismissed. Ain had expected individual introductions and a more detailed explanation of the school. He was a bit confused but understood that the academy was very free but expected results.

"Hey, that was quite a unique greeting, wasn't it?"

One of the boys approached Ain. He had a pleasant face, and Ain was confident he would grow up to be handsome.

"I'm glad someone else felt the same way. I didn't expect the teacher to skip student introductions."

"Haha, I heard this class was even more merit-based than the rest of the academy, but I didn't expect the teacher's greeting to be like that."

"Being told to figure out the facilities on our own was a surprise."

Ain found the boy's friendly nature appealing.

"Oops, I did the same thing as the teacher. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Roland, and I passed the exam in magitech. What subject did you pass in?"

"I passed in swordsmanship. That's how I got into this class."

"…So you're the boy everyone's talking about."

Hearing he was the topic of conversation, Ain felt a headache coming on. It was probably because he had injured an examiner.

"…By the way, what are they saying about me?"

"The swordsmanship examiner is a famous person. He was a well-known adventurer in the past. Being injured by a 7-year-old examinee is quite a topic."

The other students were also starting to introduce themselves. Ain was reflecting on his actions.

"I lost my cool and attacked. I guess I deserve to be laughed at."

"Laughed at? I think it's more like respect. Being able to defeat a famous examiner at 7 is something to be proud of. You're probably famous among the upperclassmen too, and you might get challenged to a duel."

Hearing this, Ain felt even more regret. He was reflecting on his mental weakness when a visitor entered the classroom.

"It's Dill from the 6th year, I'll be a bit of a bother."

It was Dill, who had just left. Ain was surprised to see him so soon, as he was supposed to come for lunch.

The classroom atmosphere changed when Dill entered. He seemed to be a well-known figure, and some students were mentioning his name.

"…That's Dill. One of the strongest at the Royal Kingsland Academy. Did he come to challenge you to a duel?"

"No, I don't think so."

Roland, like others, knew Dill. However, Dill was probably just there to pick up Ain, and Ain was confident that wasn't the case.

"No, it's possible! As I said, you… um, can I ask your name?"

Ain realized he had forgotten to introduce himself and felt embarrassed.

"Sorry, sorry, my name is…"

"I'm very sorry, Ain-sama. I forgot that the first year is also on a free-study system. Since the homeroom teacher's speech is over, would you like me to give you a tour of the campus?"

"Even the first year is on that system. I'm a bit relieved. Sorry, Roland, I'll go on a tour of the campus… Hey, do you want to come with me?"

"Ah, ah… No, I'm fine. I already know the campus pretty well. It's okay, take a good look around."

"Alright, I understand. Let's talk more next time. See you later!"

Ain left with Dill, who had come to give him a tour. Roland was a bit overwhelmed. Dill, a famous figure, had come, and then bowed to the person he was talking to, offering to give a tour. When Dill mentioned Ain's name, Roland was surprised again.

"Ain… The Crown Prince…?!"

Roland wasn't the only one surprised by Dill's appearance. Many students in the class were also shocked. Hearing Ain's name, not just Roland, but the entire class was taken aback. The classroom was filled with an awkward silence for a few seconds.

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