Chapter 69

Lesson 19: First Day of Class (2)

The Administrative Department was a place where children of low-ranking nobles who couldn't inherit their family's status and commoners attended to secure a stable life and social advancement.

The Knight Department was for those who possessed physical enhancement abilities or combat-oriented mana techniques.

However, regardless of these distinctions, most heirs of noble families and children of high-ranking nobles attended and graduated from the Inheritance Ability Department.

Frankly, high-ranking nobles found it most advantageous to learn and train in inheritance abilities within their own families.

The training at the Royal Academy was primarily for those who couldn't receive such education, and it also served as a means to hold noble children as hostages in a broader sense.

Ultimately, proper nobles spent their time in the Inheritance Ability Department, strengthening their friendships and forming cartels.

The princess, Manuel, and the two noble freshmen who attended the welcome party all belonged to the Inheritance Ability Department.

“I may be from a ducal family, but I'm just a bastard. I didn't awaken with any administrative abilities, and just becoming a regular knight would be a blessing.”

Well, if I had said that a while ago, it would have been true, but now I wonder what I could learn in the Knight Department.

However, I couldn't say that, and honestly, avoiding the prying eyes of those high-ranking nobles was important.

Even though I was asked to look after the princess, there was no way she would have any problems during class, and honestly, I wanted to keep my distance from her as much as possible.

Despite my ambiguous expression, it seemed I managed to convey my message roughly.

Then it was time to move on to the next step.

“I naturally ended up in the Knight Department because of my physical enhancement abilities… But what about Piarr? What ability do you have?”

I looked at Piarr and asked.

Come on, spill it. Your ability.

* * *

In a large, semicircular lecture hall.

All the freshmen were listening to their first class.

“Hello, I am Bogard, the history instructor.”

The old professor, with his white hair, finished his brief introduction without any further ado and immediately began the lesson.

“This world can be divided into the world before the Great War and the world after the Great War. The culture, technology, and history of the ancient empire before the Great War were all scattered and lost, and now only exist as relics. The current culture, politics, and nation were all established after the Great War….”

Despite his aged appearance, his voice was strong, and his teaching style was not bad.

However, his passionate lecture did not resonate with the students.

Only a few students were listening, while most were indifferent to the history class, which they considered a mere general education requirement.

It was a first-year integrated general education class, so everyone participated, but the grading weight was not significant, and most of the content was what they had already learned from private tutors at home.

I was no different. I had already read all the history books at home and had engaged in thorough discussions with my private tutor.

“…The great victory of the Great War and the achievements of the heroes who brought it about cannot be disparaged by anyone, but as a historian, I deeply regret the records and relics destroyed during the war. Most people still think that the world before the Great War was far behind the current world, but when we consider the ancient empire of that time….”

Indeed, this is the Royal Academy. The content is a bit different from what is written in history books. I wonder if it's okay to say such things at the Royal Academy.

Well, it's probably fine to keep a teacher who says things like that.

I reined in my curiosity. After all, it was just the professor's personal opinion and theory, and no extraordinary relics were mentioned.

I pretended to listen to the professor while looking around the lecture hall.

With all the freshmen gathered, there were hardly any empty seats in the large lecture hall.

Since there were no assigned seats, the freshmen were scattered around.

Broadly speaking, there were three groups. They were clearly different from each other.

It seemed they had gathered by department due to the preparatory education yesterday.

At the back of the lecture hall, sturdy students were sitting.

Most were male, and even when sitting still, they exuded a fierce aura.

They were clearly students from the Knight Department.

In front of the Knight Department group, in the center of the lecture hall, sat students who looked lavish.

Their relaxed demeanor and pretentious postures, along with their condescending gazes at others, clearly indicated they were from influential noble families.

Naturally, in the center of this group sat Princess Aisha, who looked younger than the other students.

Despite her young age, she was indeed a princess.

She didn't look anxious and was calmly attending the class.

On the contrary, the students sitting around her were visibly trying to catch her attention.

‘Oh, our eyes met.’

When our eyes met, the princess slightly bowed her head.

Her gaze seemed to acknowledge me more than before. She must have heard some news.

Others didn't notice the princess's gaze, but Manuel did.

After looking at the princess, he frowned.

I wish he would ignore it, as it's not a big deal.

Besides the princess and Manuel, there were a few other students who seemed to be heirs of prominent families.

I didn't know who they were, but I could ask Manuel or others.

Finally, at the front, there were students who looked ordinary.

They were freshmen from the Administrative Department.

I didn't know most of them, but the two students sitting right in front of the podium were familiar.

Piarr and his cousin, Mirisa. They were listening to the class enthusiastically, oblivious to my struggles.

Well, it's natural for them to listen so attentively since they didn't receive proper education.

Come to think of it, they came from a small village in a minor fiefdom, so it's quite impressive that they received this level of education.

In any case, I was sitting alone, separate from the groups.

Since I wasn't there yesterday, I didn't know anyone, and no one approached me.

The princess didn't acknowledge me publicly, and Manuel, of course, pretended not to know me.

My roommate, Piarr, was completely ignoring me.

It seemed that all the efforts I made last night had vanished in a day.

‘Still, I got to hear many stories yesterday.’

Where he was born and raised, how he came to the Royal Academy, and even his ability.

I heard many stories.

* * *

He was born in the fiefdom of the Count of Soart.

“I was born and raised in a small village in the fiefdom of the Count of Soart….”

“Where is the Soart fiefdom? Hmm. Do you know the Argosia fiefdom? Or the Messia fiefdom? Ah, you know Messia. It's right below the Messia barony.”

I didn't know much about the Soart fiefdom, but I knew the Messia barony well.

It was a place I visited before coming to the capital.

The place where the baron, infatuated with the second duchess's ability, tried to kill me, or rather, did kill me.

Was it a coincidence?

In any case, I kept this information in mind.

“Fortunately, my father was the village chief, so my cousin Mirisa and I could learn to read and write properly, unlike others.”

“How did you get your ability? I'm not sure. I thought it was a bit strange, but I lived a normal life until a passerby noticed my cousin and me and suggested we might have inheritance abilities.”

Was it the 'passerby' I heard about in my previous life?

There was something off, but I kept it in mind for now.

“My cousin and I have similar abilities. It's a kind of amplification ability. During the entrance test, they called it a buffer ability.”

As he spoke, Piarr raised his hand.

Mana gathered in his hand.

Crazy!

I was shocked and stepped back.

“Why are you doing that?”

He looked at me with a puzzled expression.

His hand, where the mana had gathered, was faintly glowing.

“It can slightly enhance other people's abilities and extend time. Some people call it a storage. Anyway, it's not a great ability, so I applied to the Administrative Department. I think I need to learn more about my ability at the academy.”

Well, he wouldn't have been admitted to the academy with a self-destruct ability.

My shocked expression ended the conversation. Fortunately, it was time to sleep, so we could gloss over it, but I was really surprised.

* * *

As I was piecing together the various suspicious elements in my mind, the general education class ended.

The next class was another general education class, "Introduction to Inheritance Abilities."

“The students gathered here are mostly those who have completed their awakening.”

The middle-aged female professor scanned the lecture hall.

Her voice wavered slightly when she said “mostly,” but of course, all the students, including me, pretended not to notice.

After all, there was only one person in this lecture hall who wasn't an ability user.

It was Princess Aisha, sitting in the center.

She was only 10 years old and still a few months away from her awakening day.

Normally, one would enter the academy after awakening, but Princess Aisha broke this tradition.

Of course, as a royal and a princess, she would eventually awaken. However, there was no reason for her to break the tradition and enter early.

I had asked the queen about this when I met her.

“Kathrin has returned, and the atmosphere in the royal family and the capital is becoming complicated. It's better to finish the academy as soon as possible. Besides, if she enters this year, she will be in the same class as you, which is even better.”

The king was ill, and the succession struggle among the princes was intensifying. So, the plan was to send her to the academy to divert attention, now that her aunt Kathrin had returned.

It seemed like a reasonable plan.

‘If it weren't for me, they would all have died at the opening ceremony!’

Then, was the opening ceremony terrorist attack aimed at the princess? That's why Kathrin and the head knight were so busy.

Hmm, if they knew it was dangerous, why didn't they cancel the admission and just return to the palace?

Or did I prevent the terrorist attack, so they didn't feel the danger?

The thought made me chuckle ironically.

It seemed the situation was thoroughly complicated. If not handled properly, it could get even more tangled.

Ultimately, there was more reason to find out who was behind it.

The next class was not much different from the history class.

It covered the types and dangers of abilities, the importance of nobles using inheritance abilities, and loyalty to the royal family.

It turned into a kind of moral education rather than a lesson on inheritance abilities.

‘Surely, this kind of class won't last the whole semester, right?’

It wasn't a major course, but I had some expectations. If this kind of class continues, I'm not sure what I'll learn.

‘Surely, the academy isn't just about socializing, right?’

If so, I would have to look forward to the knight classes.

With a sigh, the Introduction to Inheritance Abilities class ended, and with it, the morning classes.