Although the New Year’s festival welcoming the new year has ended, the empire’s weather remains chilly.
It’s still too early to welcome spring.
Epherna stepped into the academy to go through the admission process in this weather.
“There was no need for you to come in person, you know.”
“I wanted to show some respect.”
“Do you realize there’s less than a week left until enrollment?”
The headmaster of Lurun Academy, Solendril Clearie.
The elder of the Clearie Shamans, handed Epherna an enrollment document meant for the royal family.
“I thought this wouldn’t be used again in my generation after the Second Prince, but if this is fate, so be it.”
Royalty can only attend the academy for one year, so a special enrollment document is prepared for them.
“Seeing as you’ve come now, I assume you intend to move into the dormitory right away, and are you planning to join as a professor?”
“Indeed.”
Ern, after much deliberation, decided to stay at the academy as a professor. Although he wanted to insist on enrolling as a student, it became impossible as his fame as a hero spread too widely.
“Oh, now that I think about it, I forgot to consider your engagement when assigning dorms. Shall I assume you both will share the same room?”
“Yes, we will.”
“You answer more calmly than I expected.”
“It’s the dormitory provided by Lurun Academy for royalty. It won’t be cramped, and there should be multiple rooms.”
This was something Ern and Epherna had agreed upon in advance.
If Ern was to work as a professor, they would naturally spend a lot of time apart. Therefore, they needed to be together at least after academy hours.
‘It does concern me a bit… but there’s no helping it.’
After Epherna filled out the enrollment form, Ern consulted with Solendril about which subject he should teach as a professor.
While Ern didn’t mind teaching any subject, many of the subjects Solendril suggested were beyond his capabilities.
“How about the theory of the Taoist Imaginary World?”
“What kind of class is that?”
“It’s a class where you speculate on the minds of scholars who followed Taoism thousands of years ago and observe the philosophies of that era.”
“And what about the ‘Theory of 100 Kicks’? What is that?”
“Many students have recently developed an interest in unarmed combat. I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to create a class as a demonstration.”
After hearing about a few more classes, Ern frowned as the Taoist Imaginary World and the Theory of 100 Kicks seemed to be the best options.
“Are there no normal classes?”
“Do you think there would be? The good classes were snatched up by other professors long ago. You should have come sooner if you wanted one.”
“You couldn’t have saved even one for me…?”
Ern sifted through the remaining classes and eventually chose one.
The History of War.
“This seems to be the best option. Why is there no professor assigned to this?”
Isn’t history a subject that many professors would want to teach?
“It’s only been seven years since the recent war ended. The curriculum hasn’t been fully sorted out yet.”
“Ah… I suppose that makes sense.”
The Empire, which waged war on multiple fronts, has a complex and intricate history.
Given the complexity, it’s understandable that organizing it would take time.
Though it seemed strange that it hadn’t been sorted out even after seven years, Ern had no intention of delving into the matter further.
“Will you take it?”
“Yes.”
If the problem was that the curriculum wasn’t organized, it wouldn’t be an issue for Ern. He was a hero who survived the long war and was one of the leaders of the secret forces, knowing even the stories that couldn’t be recorded in history.
“Now that you’ve decided, you may go.”
“Thank you. This is the Academy City, so there’s much to explore. Enjoy the remaining five days.”
*****
When they left the Academy, they were greeted by the sight of the wide Academy City. Lurun Academy is situated on land that has been turned into an academy district, with facilities nearly equivalent to the capital, designed to cater to many students.
“This could rival the Much-Sector.”
The abundance of facilities seemed endless.
Ern marveled, turning his head to take it all in.
He and Epherna were on their way to a clothing store to get uniforms.
Other incoming students had applied and received theirs long ago, but since Epherna’s enrollment process started late, she had to get her uniform separately.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long to get the uniform.
Her noble status as a member of the royal family ensured that the highest-quality uniform was prepared as soon as she stepped into the store, and it fit her perfectly.
Epherna looked at herself in the mirror, wearing a school uniform for the first time in her life.
“It looks good.”
The overall color scheme was predominantly blue and white. The coat was blue, and the shirt was white, creating a harmonious contrast, complemented by a gold tie and delicate gold embroidery that blended the blue and white perfectly.
Perhaps because she had never worn such attire before?
Epherna’s eyes reflected a hint of confusion.
“Oh.”
Ern couldn’t help but express his admiration at the unfamiliar sight of her.
Although Epherna, as a princess, had worn countless outfits, the appearance of her in a school uniform was quite different from anything before.
“It looks good on you. You finally look your age.”
She looked like a student, like a girl enjoying the school life she had missed out on. Ern smiled warmly at the sight.
In fact, four years ago, Ern had considered sending Epherna to the Academy when she turned seventeen.
For a teenager like her, the Academy seemed the perfect place to make friends.
Though it had somehow been revealed that she was a princess, leading to her early involvement in state affairs, deep down, Ern had always hoped to see her like this.
Epherna’s face suddenly flushed.
It had been four years since she last wore anything resembling casual clothing.
The thought of spending a year in this appearance made her feel a bit nervous.
“And what about you, Mister? How are you planning to dress at the academy? Surely you’re not going to keep wearing that?”
Recently, Ern had been wearing a coat with the Personal Guard’s insignia and other light armor.
It was more functional than stylish, not exactly appropriate for a professor.
“I’ll change into something else. I’ve brought other clothes, so I’ll just wear one of those.”
“…”
Epherna shot him a reproachful look.
*****
The day of the academy’s entrance ceremony arrived.
Ern attended in uncomfortable formal attire rather than his usual light armor.
Epherna was not beside him.
She stood alone in the middle of a large crowd of students.
Even though she was royalty, at the Academy, she would be treated as just another student.
Although the Academy had security measures in place, ensuring there was no need to worry about assassinations or espionage, Ern considered that idea to be nonsense.
Ern carefully observed Epherna’s surroundings, ready to respond to any potential threat.
Even at a distance, it would be easy to close the gap and handle any situation in an instant.
The entrance ceremony concluded without any major incidents.
It was obvious, but it was lukewarm.
While it was expected, something felt slightly off—like a nagging thought that wouldn’t go away.
His instincts, honed over many years of detecting danger, seemed to be ringing alarm bells.
At 9 a.m., when the first class was about to begin, Ern, now the homeroom teacher for Epherna’s class, distributed course registration forms to the students.
The day passed without incident, and classes ended.
On the way back to the dormitory with Epherna, Ern wondered if he had become overly sensitive lately.
Since the New Year’s ceremony, there hadn’t been any significant threats.
‘If anything, I’ve grown dull. There’s no reason to feel this much danger.’
Ern thought.
At that moment, Ern suddenly felt his body waver and stumble.
“…Mister, are you okay?”
Epherna touched his back.
“I’m fine.”
Ern activated his eyes, scanning his body.
The flow of mana was normal, and his physical state appeared unchanged.
That left two possible explanations.
Ern reflected on the strange sensation, drawing on his past experiences to assess his condition.
‘Hallucination? No, this is different.’
This was an aphrodisiac effect.
It wasn’t a drug disrupting his bodily functions.
Instead, it was a magically induced effect that caused his body’s balance to momentarily falter due to a lack of proper defense.
Ern didn’t know who was responsible, but he had a rough idea.
‘These students are really something else.’
Since there’s only one year left, did they start acting from the entrance ceremony?
It seems like there’s some kind of group hoping to provoke something between him and Epherna, who were engaged.
Ern realized that his instincts weren’t overly sensitive and that drastic action was needed.
He spoke up.
“Epherna, I think we should spend some time apart for a while.”
Ern looked back at Epherna to explain the reason in detail.
She looked utterly devastated, as if deeply hurt by his words.
