---Thirteen Days Later, Academy Entrance Exams---
The following days were a hive of activity as our party conquered as many dungeons as we could manage. Twenty-six dungeons were effortlessly vanquished, shattering the Guild’s previous record for the same time period. Our progress was so outlandish that several prominent adventurers filed formal complaints, claiming we were falsifying our conquests. However, the loot we brought back spoke for itself. To quell the unrest, the Guildmaster placed our rank-up exam on hold for the time being.
“Any news on when the Guild will vacate that hold order?” I asked Luxion, who had been monitoring the situation through the local network. “The relics I’ve been pulling have bottomed out since our first conquest. All I’m getting now is crap with no real value. Seriously, who decided a microwave was a fitting reward for slaying a Kobold Knight?”
<Your frustration is understandable, Master. Unfortunately, the Guildmaster is still struggling to quell dissatisfaction among the nobility. The loudest voice among them is Marquis Frampton; he holds you personally responsible for the death of his grandson.> (Luxion)
“Great… another annoyance gunning for me,” I muttered as the main gates of the Academy came into view. “If my memory is accurate, Marquis Frampton leads the second-largest political faction in the Kingdom. Killing him would draw too much attention, so we’ll just observe his movements for now. The moment he slips up, I want to be the first to know.”
<I will dispatch drones to monitor the marquis and his allies. Best of luck on your exams, Master.> (Luxion)
With that, my AI companion fell silent and resumed monitoring our surroundings. Last night, he had clarified that he would not provide any help on my exams. He believed I should earn my spot in the student hierarchy with my hard work, not by using underhanded means. I agreed with him, so he would take a backseat for most of today.
As I stepped onto campus, I looked around at my home for the next three years. Since its formation, the Academy had required that all its students live on campus. It was sold as a way to foster camaraderie among the nobility, but in reality, it was for a much darker reason. Given our nation’s problematic past, the Crown wanted a way to keep nobles from turning traitor, as Duke Fanoss had. The Academy became a place where the Crown could showcase its might and hold "hostages" from noble families to ensure compliance.
“Excuse me, young man. Are you one of the incoming first-years?” a younger woman with glasses called out from behind a large folding table. “If so, please come here so I can verify your identity and check you in.”
Solaris and I complied with her request, walking across the worn cobblestone courtyard to speak with her. The rhythmic, metallic thud of Solaris’s footsteps seemed to drain the air out of the surrounding conversations. I presented my Guild ID as proof of my identity and glanced around at the other first-years.
Most of them were flanked by servants carrying expensive luggage or were busy preening in their finest silks. They looked soft. They looked like people who could never command a battlefield or wield a blade. With two of our neighbors being active enemies, our country needed leaders, not peacocks.
‘I understand now why the Guildmaster and the Palace are so worried. If this is our nation’s best and brightest bunch, we are fucking screwed,’ I thought, disgusted. ‘It’s no wonder the Principality is preparing for war. I’d do the same in their position.’
“Thank you for verifying your identity, Lord Aremus,” the woman said, returning my ID. “Please proceed to the Great Hall at the center of campus. That is where the testing will be held.”
I turned to walk away, but she abruptly caught the edge of my coat.
“Apologies, but there is one more thing,” she added. “Typically, students are required to take three different exams to determine their placement. However, the Adventurer’s Guild and the Palace have sent instructions to grant you full marks on the magic and physical exams. Once your written exam is finished, you are free to leave.”
“I appreciate you telling me,” I replied as she released her grip.
With her job done, the woman called out to the next first-year. I made my way to the center of campus, where two distinct groups had already formed. One was composed of Baron and Viscount children, while the other held Counts and above. Instead of participating in their political games, I opted to sit alone on a bench near the door, with Solaris standing guard beside me.
---Fifteen Minutes Later---
As the testing period approached, a burst of loud cheers and shouting rang out from the Academy entrance. The celebrities of our first-year class had arrived, along with their full entourages.
“Make way for Prince Julius Rapha Holfort!” a boisterous boy shouted, wildly waving his arms to garner attention. “Your future King and his close friends have arrived. Make way!”
Solaris and I watched as the crowd parted. Behind the enthusiastic herald, I glimpsed our illustrious Crown Prince. Julius, along with his four cohorts, was casually strolling through campus, basking in the praise of the fawning crowd.
‘If only these fools knew Julius was a complete idiot,’ I thought, recalling the plot of the original story. ‘He’ll cause our nation to fall into chaos and toss aside his beautiful fiancée just to chase after some flat-chested bitch he meets on campus.’ Since I had a good idea of what was about to happen, I decided right then to forewarn his fiancée so she could try to stop the bleeding.
If this world stuck to the original storyline, the daughter of an impoverished Viscount family, Marie Fou Lafan, would make her move on the Crown Prince today. That girl knew the main plot points of this world’s story and intended to use her knowledge to secure a cozy life for herself. She didn’t care that her dream would doom the country; Marie only cared about herself and the comforts her stolen future would provide.
“Prince Julius, please wait a moment!” a fiery, red-eyed woman with blonde hair shouted, rushing over with several of her subordinates. “Have I done something to upset you? When we last spoke, we agreed to arrive at the Academy together. Instead, you changed your mind at the last minute and didn’t bother to tell me.”
With an annoyed look, Julius glanced back at her with disdain. “I agreed to no such thing, Angelica. You were the one who decided that for us. We may be engaged, but that doesn’t give you the right to dictate my schedule. While we are at the Academy, I want to be treated like a normal student—not as the Crown Prince or your fiancé. Please keep that in mind.”
“But I…” Angelica began, hesitating as her confidence wavered.
“You heard what he said, Angelica. Just accept his decision and move on,” one of Julius’s close friends said, folding his arms behind his head. “Take a page out of his book and enjoy your time at the Academy. Once our time here is done, it will be nothing but work, work, work…”
Julius’ other friends turned their annoyed gazes toward Angelica, forcing her to accept his decision. With the matter settled, the five men continued walking toward the Great Hall, while Angelica and her subordinates hung back a few yards. As they drew near, the staff inside opened the door for the first-years.
“Take a seat anywhere you like and await further instructions,” the Headmaster said, stroking his scraggly, gray beard.
I rose to my feet and began walking toward the door. Just as I was about to cross the threshold, Julius’ bootlicker asked me to wait a moment.
“You must be from the countryside, right?” he asked, trying to feign politeness. “You may be unaware of this, but nobles should allow those of higher standing to enter before them. Please step aside so the Prince and his entourage may enter.”
I turned to look him in the eyes and spoke loudly enough for everyone around us to hear. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but while we are on campus, rank and titles are meaningless. Normal noble decorum is optional here, except in specialized classrooms. Moreover, didn’t the Prince just instruct everyone to treat him like a normal student?”
Flabbergasted by my words, he and those around us opened and closed their mouths like fish out of water.
“Haha!” the Headmaster laughed, unable to contain his amusement. “You are correct, Lord Aremus. On Academy grounds, noble rank and titles hold no power. That said, it would still be wise to heed normal decorum rules. After all, these men and women will be your noble peers in the future.”
“I realize that. However, respect should be earned, not given,” I said, glaring coldly at the sheep before me. “If you find the Prince’s behavior appropriate, don’t bother conversing with me. Any man who humiliates his fiancée in such a manner is not worthy of respect.”
I turned and walked through the doorway without another word, leaving my future colleagues in utter shock. A short distance away, Angelica subtly smiled with approval.
‘So that is Lord Aremus,’ Angelica thought as people began shuffling inside. ‘Father asked me to gauge his character and see if he is worthy of joining our faction. I understand now why he has taken an interest. Few men would dare scold the Crown Prince publicly—and he did it in front of the entire class. Quite an intriguing man.’
---Fifteen Minutes Later---
Once all the first-year students were seated, the Headmaster began his explanation of the exams. As I had been previously informed, the testing was broken down into magic, physical, and written components. This allowed the school to assess our current abilities accurately and offer course suggestions for the upcoming semester. Our scores would also determine our room assignments, with the top twenty male and female students receiving their own private rooms.
“Before the written exam is passed out, I must warn you: countermeasures have been put in place to prevent cheating. Anyone caught doing so will be immediately expelled from the Academy without exception,” the Headmaster warned, his voice echoing through the hall. “As future leaders of our nation, you must be held to the highest standards. Anything less would be a disgrace to the founders of our kingdom.”
<The founders of this nation were backstabbing cowards, not upstanding men. It disgusts me that their treachery has been overridden with such falsehood.> (Luxion)
Relieved that I was in the back corner, far removed from my peers, I subtly told my AI friend to keep his trap shut. He could bitch about the founders after I finished the exam.
With the warning given, a small packet of paper and writing utensils descended from above. The Headmaster gestured for us to begin. I filled in my name on the cover and opened the packet, unsure of what to expect.
Question 1: Who are the Founding Families of the Holfort Kingdom?
Question 2: What are the four major schools of magic, and what are their eight known subsets?
Question 3: If your territory has an annual income of 470,000 Dia, how much of that belongs to the Crown?
Confused, I flipped through the pages. Out of the two hundred questions, less than ten percent had anything to do with actual academics. The rest tested our knowledge of kingdom law and lineage.
‘You have to be kidding me! No wonder this nation is full of idiots,’ I thought, fighting the urge to groan. ‘No use complaining now. I’ll just get this over with and get the hell out of here. My IQ is dropping by the second just sitting in this room.’
I picked up my pencil. In less than ten minutes, I had answered everything correctly. When I was certain it was perfect, I looked toward the Headmaster. He gestured for me to approach the faculty table.
As Solaris and I walked down the aisle, my peers lifted their heads to watch. When I handed my packet to the Headmaster, one of Julius’s cohorts—the red-haired Greg Fou Seberg—laughed at my perceived surrender.
“So, the exam was too difficult for you?” he mocked. “Why don’t you crawl back home to mommy? Idiots like you shouldn’t even breathe the same air as us.”
“That’s comical, coming from someone who is struggling to finish the first page,” I countered, glancing at the blank sheet on his desk. “Since you brought it up, I’ve already answered all two hundred questions. I’m honestly surprised such elementary questions were meant to test us. Their expectations for you and your fellow Neanderthals must be quite low.”
Very confused, Greg looked to his light blue-haired, bespectacled comrade, Chris Fia Arclight.
“He is calling you an idiot among idiots, Greg,” the man sighed, adjusting his glasses. “The fact that you had to ask me for a translation only serves to prove his point.”
“That’s it! You didn’t show the Crown Prince the respect he deserves earlier, and now you’re insulting me? If you wanted a fight, you've got one!” Greg shouted, moving to charge toward the front of the room.
<Rawr!>
Solaris sprang into action, slamming his mechanical foot into the floor while flicking his tail with anticipation. His reaction forced Greg to hesitate—just long enough for Julius to interject.
“Enough, Greg!” Julius commanded, grabbing his friend’s coat. “Let the results of the exam speak for you. This is a place of learning, not physical violence.”
With a disgruntled sigh, Greg took his seat again, glaring daggers at me. I knew the two of us were going to come to blows at some point, and I fully intended to knock him down several pegs.
“Ahem…” the Headmaster coughed, garnering everyone’s attention. “We’ve reviewed Lord Aremus’s answers and have determined he scored perfectly. As he has already passed the other two exams, we are preemptively awarding him first place.”
His statement hit most of the first-years like a ton of bricks. I was sure many of the sheep trying to curry favor with the Prince intended to come at me with vengeance in the other exams. Fortunately for them, I wouldn’t be there to humiliate them further.
“What!?” Greg roared, leaping back out of his seat. “You can’t be serious!”
“I am dead serious, Mr. Seberg. Lord Aremus received a special waiver from both the Adventurer’s Guild and the Royal Palace. I cannot divulge the specifics, but this was done with everyone’s safety in mind,” the Headmaster stated, clearly having expected the pushback. “You are welcome to challenge Lord Aremus if you feel he is unworthy of the waiver. However, neither the Academy, the Guild, nor the Palace will be held responsible for your death.”
Stunned, Greg searched the Headmaster’s face for any sign of a joke. When he realized the older man was serious, he turned to me.
“Well? Are you brave enough to try your hand at fighting me?” I questioned.
As the words left my mouth, an unfathomable amount of bloodlust radiated from me, causing several nearby students to faint. For a split second, I noticed Greg’s gaze shift to something looming behind me. Other than the staff, there was nothing there, so I wasn't sure what he saw. Whatever it was, it invoked a sense of primordial terror, sucking the fight right out of him. Unable to find the will to continue standing, he slumped back into his seat and kept his head low.
“That’s what I thought. Stay in your lane, and I will stay in mine,” I said, suppressing my pressure again and walking toward the door. “Have a good day, everyone.”
Before stepping outside, I used telepathy to speak directly to Angelica. Since we wouldn’t have the chance to speak in private before Marie made her move, this was my only opportunity.
As our minds connected, Angelica perked up in confusion, her eyes searching the room. “Forgive my forwardness, Miss Angelica. This is Leon Fou Aremus. We have not met personally, but I felt obligated to warn you: another woman has her eyes on the Prince and his four cohorts. Her name is Marie Fou Lafan. She is currently sitting a few rows behind you.”
“Marie Fou Lafan?” Angelica repeated internally, her mental voice laced with skepticism. “If memory serves, she is the daughter of a heavily impoverished Viscount house. There is no way Prince Julius would—”
“Heed my warning or ignore it; the choice is yours,” I cut in, stepping through the doorway. “But if you don’t stop their clandestine meeting after the exams, you and the other fiancées will lose your men to her. She may seem like a scared, unassuming girl, but Marie is a viper in disguise.”
My warning delivered, I severed the connection and headed toward the inn. What happened next was entirely up to Angelica.
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