CHAPTER 39: FREEDOM IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS

It’s the first day of school.

I stand in front of a mirror in my room, silently watching the calm expression on my face as I get dressed. Internally, I feel very excited, but my stoic demeanor does not let any of those emotions leak out.

I remain poised as I put on my high-collared doublet made of deep navy velvet embroidered with silver filigree. My cuffs are lined with white silk and secured by small sapphire cufflinks. A knee-length tunic flows underneath, and is belted with a leather sash that bears my Aditi Household’s crest. My tailored trousers are tucked into knee-high black boots polished to mirror sheen.

As I stare at my reflection, I can’t help but suspect that this is a little much.

Certainly not my style.

However, this is a standard aristocrat’s wear.

’Midnight blue, silver, black, and ivory... not a bad blend of colors...’ I smile, watching as it perfectly matches my raven black hair and olive skin.

Once I finish dressing up, I immediately carry my bag and leave for my first class in the Academy.

In fact, it’s more of an orientation than a first class.

That is such a relief.

An orientation is vital to new students like me who do not have a background in the world of academics. Of course, I have tried my hardest to learn as much as I can, and I have also gained the counsel of my Uncle Damon.

But nothing beats firsthand information from the school itself.

As I walk on the cobblestone road, following the path that connects my Silver Wing in the southern region of the Middle Court to the Inner Court, I notice a few stares from the students who also walk on the same path.

I suppose they find my presence strange, since they do not recognize my family’s crest and cannot place my face.

I hardly came out during the past week, so it’s not too surprising that many of them are just noticing me. I can see them talking to one another, even exchanging pleasantries among themselves, and I wince a little.

I am clearly the odd one in this gathering... but I understand.

Students in the Silver Wing are all members of High Nobility. They are bound to act familiarly, as they probably recognize one another.

Amidst this small crowd of students, I notice a girl looking in my direction.

She is rather short and has a dainty frame, with long silver-like hair and crystal blue eyes. I try not to look in her direction, so I can’t fully confirm it, but it seems she’s really staring.

’How bothersome...’

I ignore her gaze and keep to myself, deciding to go over all the information I have gathered within the week or so in which I stayed in my dorm.

Honestly, I didn’t gain a lot, since I spent most of my time studying.

But, one of the most important things I learned is the Randalorion Code of Nobility—a document which governs behavior, speech, attire, and relations among peers. Every student must adhere to the stipulations within it, and infractions result in the deduction of Prestige Points.

’Prestige Points, huh...?’ I sigh to myself.

This is a rather problematic concept, and that has become very evident the more I think of it.

In the Bronze Wing, dorms are granted according to Prestige Points.

From two-man dorms, four-man dorms, to even eight-man dorms... it is all decided by how many Prestige Points a student has. For new students, Prestige Points are automatically determined by the kind of family they’re from and their scores in the exam.

For example, students from Lower Nobility and High-Rank Knight Households automatically have more prestige points compared to lower-ranked Knight Households or members of the Clergy. The only hope one has to cross this boundary is by scoring well in the exams, but these Lesser Nobles and High-Rank Knight Households usually have sponsors from the High Nobility, which means their scores will undoubtedly be better than those from lower families.

They are bound to get the best rooms, while the other students will settle for less.

It is quite a sad phenomenon, but such is life.

The world is rife with inequality.

I already recognize how privileged I am in this world. Not only was I born into a Knight Household, instead of as a commoner, but I even have my past life’s memories. Without these advantages, I would also be suffering several injustices.

For one, if I didn’t do so well in the Entrance Exams, gaining a scholarship as a result, I would also be experiencing the same unfairness in the Bronze Wing.

Eight people in a room?

Unimaginable!

I don’t know if I would ever be able to survive in such a space.

’But I’m certain the ones subjected to such a fate have very few complaints, all things considered...’ I smile wryly. ’This is still the Royal Academy, which means the facilities are bound to be top-notch. There is also hope to earn more Prestige Points and elevate one’s standing. Even if it isn’t possible, most of these students will happily endure if it means graduating from this institution.’

To most of them in the Bronze Wing, this is a massive opportunity.

A chance to change their lives!

I won’t deny that this is partially my motivation as well, but I differ greatly from them. The thing is, even though I know I don’t want to be a Knight, I haven’t completely figured out what it is I want to do.

However, I recognize the value of this education... so I want to see it through to the end. Plus, learning more in this institution will help increase the worth of my past life’s knowledge.

In addition... I am simply curious.

I want to learn.

This place appears to be the perfect place for me to do so.

Well... it only appears so on the surface.

In actuality, this Royal Academy is rife with quite a few problems. The issue of Prestige Points, which is meant to be an internal system for reflecting moral reputation, is only one of them. The scary thing about it is that losing too many Prestige Points can cause a student to be liable for punishments such as public service and certain other restrictions.

’Just the public service alone is too disadvantageous. It’ll eat into the student’s time... causing their grades to inevitably plummet. It’ll also bring a lot of public shame and scorn.’ I shake my head and frown mildly.

From what I know, expulsions are rather rare.

I can understand why.

’In such a society like this, public shame is already a powerful deterrent... so there really isn’t any need for much else.’

Apart from the issue of Prestige Points, one major thing I noticed is the Academy’s roster of staff, particularly the teachers. It seems this place is rife with the Nobility, and there is very little room to accommodate anyone else.

I suppose this feeds into the stereotype that only nobles can be academically brilliant.

All our Senior Professors are members of the High Nobility, and even the Junior Professors are either still from the High Nobility or the Lower Nobles. There is only a very small percentage of Knights, but no member of the Clergy.

I’m not really surprised by the latter, to be honest.

The Churches have never really held any power in the Randalorion Kingdom, so the Clergy are undoubtedly at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to high society.

They are the closest to commoners, in actuality.

’In any case, there are more Knights and Clerics as Assistants. However, for the latter, they mostly occupy the Clerical Tutor roles, handling subjects in theology. I don’t know how much they get paid, but something tells me it’s not compared to the others...’

All of this is to reveal that prejudice exists everywhere in the Royal Academy, even extending among the faculty officials. If the staff also face this treatment, how much more the students?

It’s quite a scary thing to think about.

However, I have long prepared myself for this situation.

’I already suspect that those noble professors will look down on Knight and Clergy students, segregating us in class and giving us harsher treatment. At the very least, though... I plan to ignore all of it.’ I clench myself and steel my resolve.

The fact that I could enter this Academy with a scholarship means they value results.

This means meritocracy exists here.

As long as that is the case, then I will simply work hard and forge my path.

Difficult or not—I won’t allow anything to stop me.

That is a promise!

*********

We finally reach class and occupy the Grand Theater—a general hall usually meant for assemblies or large announcements. It can easily occupy thousands of students, though our number isn’t in that range.

I look around and see that we are certainly in the hundreds.

’Two hundred? Three hundred? Perhaps even four...’ I silently nod to myself while taking my seat in one of the several rows. I choose the place close to the edge to my right and remain there while still engrossed in thought.

This number doesn’t surprise me at all.

In fact, I’m surprised by how few we are. If memory serves me correctly, thousands of us took the Entrance Exams in the General Hall alone. We were close to ten thousand, so I expected at least a thousand to pass. But it seems like the Entrance Exams really were immensely difficult.

Those grim expressions I saw after the exam weren’t for nothing.

’As for High Nobility... they had a Special Hall for their exams, and while I don’t know how many of them took the exams, I’m sure all of them passed.’

In the Randalorion Kingdom, there exist only three Duke Households. There are seven Count Households, and seventy-seven Viscount Households. However, the number only drastically increases from that point on.

We have over three hundred Earls and a thousand Barons.

’Baron Romulus, whom our family is affiliated with, is only one of the thousand Barons in the Kingdom. In the world of High Nobility, he is nothing special at all.’

This is how large the Randalorion Kingdom is.

But it is merely a Mid-sized Kingdom, and one that barely qualifies in terms of its populace.

Compared to other Kingdoms, we are rather lacking.

’Even in Knight Households... there are tens of thousands of Mid-Rank Knight Households like mine in this Kingdom. The Aditi Household is really nothing significant...’ I nearly chuckle aloud once I process that information properly.

Before my regression, my entire life was dedicated to this small patch of land, unremarkable in the grand scheme of things, and I treated it like the whole world.

How foolish I feel now.

I look at everyone around me, and I feel even more astounded by my growing realization.

Even a King will be overly concerned with the affairs of his Kingdom, but that Kingdom is only one of several on the Continent. Take the Randalorion Kingdom, for example. The Royal Family and Nobility work immensely hard to maintain order in the Kingdom, securing its borders and ensuring the land’s prosperity.

The Royal Faction and Noble Faction often clash when it comes to matters of public policies or conflicts of interest.

This eventually devolved into the Randalorion Civil War.

I look at all of that now and laugh.

What exactly are these two sides fighting over? Some small patch of land that holds very little worth when being held up to the standard of the world? It feels absurd and childish—almost like two children fighting with sticks.

There are over fifty thousand Kingdoms in this Eariel Continent alone, and while I do not know of the details yet, I know this isn’t the only Continent that exists in this world.

This world is simply too vast.

Why should one restrict oneself to a single area, fighting, killing, and dying, just to preserve one small property? Why should we restrict ourselves and overly get absorbed into the affairs of such insignificant things?

Kingdoms come and go, and life constantly moves on in the endless march of time.

In the end, all shall fade away and return to the embrace of nothingness.

’Freedom is the only thing that really matters!’

I clench my fist and smile in determination—not willing to budge on this realization of mine

No matter what!