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An Otherworldly Scholar - 124
🕑 Added 2024-05-10 00:25:04 +0000 UTCElincia and I watched the rest of the first round of eliminations from the comfort of a padded seat next to Prince Adrien's throne. In front of us, and hidden from the spectators beneath us, there was a board full of the most exotic delicacies: grilled meats, bowls of fragrant nuts and dried fruits, fish cubes floating in different sauces, small roasted birds, steaming loaves of bread, and bowls of fresh fruit. A servant handed me a small plate with an even smaller metallic toothpick. I was at a loss for a moment, but Elincia poked a piece of meat with the little toothpick and brought it to her mouth, shielding her dress with the small plate.
I imitated her. Despite being the Governess in a town far from important urban centers, Elincia was a master of table manners. Mister Lowell had prepared the orphans to rub shoulders with the upper ranks of Farcrest society, so they knew how to handle themselves in a situation like this. I pinched a piece of grilled meat, and a wave of familiar flavors hit me.
I must’ve put a face on because Prince Adrien laughed.
“Surprisingly good or surprisingly bad? Which one is it? ” Prince Adrien raised his cup of wine—a shiny silver cup with golden decorations.
“It’s good, perfect. It just reminded me of my homeland,” I said, appealing to [Awareness] to help me distinguish each flavor. It wasn’t a tall order, but I didn’t want to fumble my words in front of the prince. “Salt, black pepper, rosemary, and a hint of oregano and turmeric, if I’m not mistaken.”
Prince Adrien looked at the old sommelier out of the corner of his eye, and the man returned a barely noticeable nod. I couldn’t help but feel as if Prince Adrien was sizing me up in some unspoken way.
“Have you ever tasted black pepper and turmeric, Miss Governess?” Prince Adrien asked. His exchange with the sommelier passed almost unnoticed as the timing of the conversation was barely interrupted.
Elincia shook her head. “Black pepper is too expensive for a commoner to buy. Even wealthy merchants only buy it for commerce. It’s my first time hearing about turmeric. I think I can taste it, though. The food is delicious.”
“I’m pleased to hear that the food has met your expectations,” Prince Adrien said, picking a second piece of meat.
I couldn’t help but feel I wasn’t off the hook yet.
“You are an interesting fellow, Robert. For a caretaker, you have quite the palate. You don’t seem used to interacting with nobility, yet you have better manners than some people in this room,” the Prince said, glancing at an old baron who stuffed his little plate with a leaning tower of fish and sauce. “When Tauron told me about a local orphanage with enough kids of age to participate in the tournament, I expected something different, Robert. Farcrest is a tiny Skeeth pen for someone like you, no offense,” he added, looking at Elincia.
“No offense taken. I have avoided telling Rob how much he clashes with the environment here so he wouldn’t flee to the capital,” Elincia pointed out with a polite bow. She carried on the conversation surprisingly well for someone with the [Bad Reputation] title.
Prince Adrien laughed, although anyone could interpret his words as an invitation to work in the capital. I wondered if he still wanted me to be his Spymaster.
“I appreciate the compliment, Prince Adrien, but I don’t understand why are you telling me this,” I threaded carefully.
Prince Adrien hadn’t offered me a deal without running a background check. He knew I was from far away, and I had landed in this place after a portal incident. That was why Prince Adrien decided to employ me; I lacked any allegiance other than to the orphanage. He knew, however, that I desired to remain at the orphanage.
“Relax, I’m not trying to poach you,” Prince Adrien laughed between sips of wine. “Contrary to all the rumors and whispers, I didn’t kill my brothers and uncles. Before becoming the heir, I was just the middle child of a powerful family, which meant I got the privilege to travel the continent, visit faraway lands, and meet interesting people. Listening to stories is kind of a hobby of mine, but after traveling so much, it is hard to find new ones. People are more similar than we want to admit.”
I somewhat agreed with Prince Adrien. I hadn’t kept track of how many times one of my students showed me a video of their orange cat causing feline mischief, but it was more than I could count with my hands. Yet every one of my students was unique.
“So, what’s your story?” Prince Adrien asked, glancing across the arena to the pavilion where my kids chatted with Team Nara and Istvan Kiln.
“I was an educator before arriving in Farcrest, so it only seemed logical to continue teaching on this side of the portal. Chance wanted me to meet Elincia before I could learn about the Imperial Library,” I said.
Prince Adrien nodded as Lord Herran's illegitimate sons and daughters comfortably beat a small team from the Jorn Dukedom. I naively believed our team would have the best point difference, but I was wrong. Team Herran scored fifteen points over their four matches.
Prince Adrien gave a half-hearted applause after the Master of Ceremonies announced the end of the fight. He seemed more interested in my story because he turned around on his throne to face me as soon as the ceremony ended.
“Interesting. You knew about the Imperial Library, yet you decided to stay here. Any other Scholar of your capabilities would have decided to go to the Library and pursue a Prestige Class like Sage, Tactician, or Tinkerer,” Prince Adrien scratched his face with a pensive expression. “Considering your decision to stay and the number of titles you have, I can only assume there must be schools for commoners with a sizable number of students in your homeland.”
Prince Adrien's assumptions hit the nail on the head, which was strange considering the kingdom's educational philosophy: find the natural talent and have them level up as much as humanly possible. There was a reason why Holst paid so much attention to Firana but barred Ilya from attending his classes. Firana had the traits, the surname, and the natural disposition towards fencing. Those three characteristics were passed on to her by her family. In comparison, Ilya’s talents didn’t appear in her Character Sheet, so Holst hadn’t bothered looking for them.
“Am I correct?” Prince Adrien asked.
“Y-yes. We have schools for citizens with hundreds of students,” I replied, not using ‘thousands’ to avoid revealing the city's actual size.
Prince Adrien smiled. “I’m glad your nation is nowhere near my domain.”
Public education required tons of resources and logistics, but I wasn’t sure if that was what Prince Adrien meant.
Before I could ask why, the Master of Ceremonies announced the next match. The Imperial Academy cadets led by Holst against Lord Gairon’s team. I left my plate on the table and focused on the arena. This match was the first and only high-profile combat of the day. Lord Gairon, Lord Osgiria, and Lord Herran were among the three great dukes, and the Imperial Academy was the royal family's elite armed forces.
The nobles around us stopped eating.
“The loser of the fight will have their reputation smeared, while the winner will get all the credibility,” Prince Adrien whispered, letting his cup on the table and leaning forward.
“Preceptor Holst is confident the cadets will win the tournament,” I pointed out as the Imperial Academy team entered the arena: three humans, one half-elf, and a harpy with yellow and gold feathers dressed in black uniforms. None of them seemed thrilled about being there. I remembered what Holst had told me. They were about to be expelled.
“We will see,” Prince Adrien replied.
I wondered why the Imperial Academy hadn’t sent their best cadets. If I had to guess, it was some sort of political mess regarding the high ranks of the Academy not liking the current heir to the throne. I was curious, but my sense of self-preservation was stronger this time. I preferred to stay away from any extra political intrigue.
Both teams met in the center, and the aides carried the System Shrine Fragment wrapped in its copper nest. [Awareness] helped me distinguish the diminutive System prompts. Lord Gairon’s team was a mix of martial and magical classes.
Knight Lv.9
Berserker Lv.9
Duelist Lv.6
Champion Lv. 7
Aquamancer Lv.9
A shiver ran down my spine. Those were a set of solid classes. Berserker, Champion, and Aquamancer were Advanced Classes, while Knight and Duelist were Basic Classes with outstanding attributes.
The Imperial Cadets weren’t as surprising.
Sentinel Lv.6
Fencer Lv.3
Brawler Lv.4
Monk Lv.2
Illusionist Lv.1
The cadet with the highest level was the harpy. She was only level six.
“Are they at risk of being expelled because they didn’t level up enough?” I asked.
Elincia told me that people usually reach level ten during the first year after obtaining their classes. Reaching level twenty took three to five years. Then came the dreaded first soft cap, which slowed the leveling process dramatically. It had taken Elincia about eight years to reach level 24, but she had to split his time between the kids, gathering materials, and advancing her class.
The cadets seemed far from the desired level.
“I’m prohibited from revealing the Academy methods,” Prince Adrien said, scratching his jawline. “But… I wanted to reward you for your help during the feast. After all, the dukes decided to stay at farcrest because of your… investigative skills.”
It wasn’t hard to read between the lines; Prince Adrien begged me to ask. I wondered if the information was as valuable as adding a Transmuter to the ranks of the royalist faction.
“If Your Majesty is so kind as to indulge me, as a Scholar, I would love to know more about the Imperial Academy,” I said.
Prince Adrien grinned.
“I can’t say no after such a contribution to the royal family affairs. The Imperial Academy methods are a state secret, and cadets are subject to a Silence Hex for it, so don’t go around broadcasting it,” he said as Holst and Lord Gairon chose the pairs for the match. “During the first year, cadets are forbidden from leveling up. These cadets aren’t at risk of expulsion because of their level but their performance.”
The Prince fell silent. Despite the seemingly ordinary method, the puzzle pieces created a clear image in my brain. I understood why Prince Adrien was interested in Zaon and not Firana. The fact that cadets were forbidden from leveling up wasn’t the crux of the matter, but what happened while they remained at a low level.
I smiled.
Any crafting and support class would understand it instantly. There were two ways of improving one’s class: leveling and cultivation. Leveling improved stats, which for non-combat classes were pathetically low. Cultivation, on the other hand, improved the mastery of the class. For combatants, high stats reflected their combat prowess, so leveling was everything. Cultivation was an afterthought, considering they could brute-force almost any opponent with enough levels.
What I did with the kids was the same as what the Imperial Academy did with the first-year cadets: cultivation. My heart rushed inside my chest. It made all the sense of the world. Commoners wouldn’t bother grabbing a sword before getting a class because everyone believed it was a waste of time. The System wouldn’t give them a better class because the measure was the content of their character, not their previous skills.
Only a select group had the mindset to grind their skills to perfection and be accepted at the Imperial Academy. It took a specific personality type to achieve such a feat: obsessed, prideful, unwavering, much like Sir Janus. It was only logical that nobles made up almost all cadets; they were expected to perform to a certain level because of their upbringing.
Beliefs were stronger than more people wanted to admit.
That little piece of information was worth more than all the gold Ginz and I had been funneling out of the noble’s pockets. It made sense for the royal family to keep it for themselves. That way, they could have a monopoly over the best warriors in the kingdom.
“That’s Lord Gairon’s son. Esteffen, sixteen years old, level nine Knight,” Prince Adrien pointed at the arena with his toothpick.
Despite the cold day, Esteffen Gairon was a tall, muscular boy wearing a short blue and yellow robe and sandals. He had curly blonde hair, a turned-up nose, and perfectly aligned white teeth. He wielded a round shield in one hand and a short sword in the other. I couldn’t tell if he wanted me to buy war bonds, join the Alliance, or the Boy Scouts.
The Harpy Cadet stood with the boring expression of a teenager who was ordered to assist with a social event or a family gathering. The all-black uniform didn’t help her to appear any less cranky. I couldn’t help but see a grown-up version of Shu, with her long sunflower blonde hair and golden feathers. Her slender frame matched her weapon choice: a leather shield, a spear, and a short sword in her belt. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her wings as the Master of Ceremonies finished with the formalities.
In the VIP box, the conversation died down, and the nobles focused on the arena. Nobody moved a muscle despite the Knight class being way better than the Sentinel class.
“Fight!” The Master of Ceremonies' voice echoed.
The Harpy Cadet reacted first. She grabbed the spear like a javelin and threw it, the tip gleaming with energy. The spell was so fast I couldn't even notice the moment she channeled her mana. Esteffen raised his shield, but the spear cut through the metal like fabric. He tried to pull out the spear, but it was stuck. He had to get rid of the shield altogether. In an instant, the Harpy Cadet unsheathed her sword and, with a powerful wing beat, pounced over Esteffen.
Before Esteffen could raise his guard, he was two barriers down. The boy’s expression was tainted with fear as the Harpy Cadet continued with her attack. Her style was flawless. There was no delay between her thoughts and movements; it seemed like she let her body move by itself.
Not even Esteffen’s Knight skills were capable of saving him. He summoned a floating [Sacred Sword] and [Sacred Shield], skills similar to my mana blades and shield, giving him three different offensive and defensive options. The Harpy Cadet remained unfazed, dancing around the spells without losing a single barrier.
The nobles were speechless. Only Prince Adrien and the army generals seemed to be enjoying the fight inside the VIP box. There was a reason why Imperial Knights had a quasi-mythical reputation. The difference was overwhelming.
“Esteffen Gairon doesn’t have it,” Prince Adrien sighed. “He will grow to be a Sacred Knight like his father, but he will ultimately be a level-slave.”
The kid wasn’t bad, but the Harpy Cadet was leagues better. I even doubted I was rival enough for her. Other than the piercing shot at the beginning of the fight, the girl hadn’t used a single skill, but the combat was utterly one-sided.
One by one, Esteffen's barriers fell. The Harpy used her wings to jump back and forth and keep her balance during the swift exchanges. She even used them as extra support when Esteffen went on a gambling lunge against her face. The whole fight didn’t last more than a minute or two, but by the end, Esteffen was covered in dust and sweat.
“Is she really at risk of being expelled?” I asked with a trembling voice.
Comments
Cazitron
Nit: "“I appreciate the compliment, Prince Adrien, but I don’t understand why are you telling me this,” I threaded carefully." Don't you mean 'treaded' and not 'threaded'?
Kalmars
Great chapter once again
