Chapter 106

Chapter 106

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

Chapter 106

Winter passed and spring arrived, marking the start of a new semester at the academy.

I became a sophomore, Selena nervously transitioned to grad school, and both Eloise and Lav officially became ‘fresh’ freshmen.

Of course, they were quite different from the actual fresh-faced freshmen, but they were freshmen nonetheless.

And then—

“Hey, fifth-years.”

“Stop it, Karl.”

“Impressive, fifth-years.”

“Stop it!”

“The best, fifth-year.”

“Gaaaaah!”

I’m not making fun of my dear friends. As a sophomore, I’m simply calling them fifth-years.

Honestly, they are fifth-years, right? Selena’s in grad school, those two are fifth-years, and I’m a returning student.

This is just a fact-based title, not teasing. Absolutely not. Nope.

“So, how many classes do you have to take this semester?”

“All four of us have three more classes.”

Three classes. Hmm. In that case...

“What? Then it seems like you won’t have much class time during the week?”

“Roughly. Tuesday and Thursday are free days.”

Oh my. Not Monday or Friday, but Tuesday and Thursday are free days.

This is crazy. How can they be so unlucky?

Or maybe the professors teaching in those classes intentionally scheduled them only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

“By the way, Karl, are you going to the freshman orientation this time?”

“Me? Why?”

“Why? The sophomore is the one who leads the way in welcoming the freshmen. Don’t you remember? It was the same when we first entered as freshmen.”

Who’s teasing who now? I took a leave of absence and went to the military less than two months after entering as a freshman.

After that, I was busy rolling around on the battlefield, yelling ‘Help me!’

How could I remember any freshman orientation? I was too busy praying not to get shot.

...But now that Shulifen mentions it, I think I have a vague memory of it.

Hmm, the orientation. It was mandatory for the new freshmen, and while it wasn’t mandatory for the upperclassmen, it seemed like almost all the sophomores came.

Thinking about it, it makes sense.

They were finally welcoming their first juniors after being the youngest themselves. It was their first time becoming seniors, so they must have been full of anticipation.

‘Even I still remember my first junior after being the youngest for so long.’

He was a lucky guy. Although he lost an arm, he at least survived and returned home.

I wonder if he’s doing well. Sometimes I want to hear from him, but it feels awkward, like meeting each other would bring back those difficult memories.

Anyway, the freshman orientation is a party mainly for freshmen and sophomores.

Fourth-years, busy with graduation, rarely come, and third-years tend to discreetly leave after making sure the freshmen and sophomores are having fun.

“It seems like not many upperclassmen came. But sophomores have to attend? I don’t remember that being the case. There’s no reason I have to go.”

“That’s true, but what if you, of all people, don’t go? You need to think about the juniors too.”

“I agree with Shulifen. Honestly, more than half of the freshmen are probably expecting a lot from you, Karl. They must be dying to meet you.”

Wilhelm’s words were met with enthusiastic agreement from Alexander and Joachim.

And I know that they’re not just saying this for no reason.

Honorary medals aside, my reputation in the noble world has skyrocketed.

This spring, my sister became the Crown Princess, and my father became the Crown Prince’s father-in-law.

Selena is a hundred times better.

“Hmm. Honestly, Karl, you won’t have much to do there. The student council will be leading the orientation, and they’ll probably be grateful if you just sit there.”

“That would be a relief.”

The problem is, it probably won’t be that simple.

Think about it. Will the student council leave me alone? Or will they somehow put me in front of the freshmen and say, ‘Look at this! This is your senior! Praise him!’ or something like that?

I’d bet my medal on the latter.

And for the record, I’m not trying to lose my medal. That’s how confident I am.

“Have a good time. Be sure to welcome the freshmen. And... be careful of Eloise and Lav, Karl.”

Her words felt sincere, so I replied without hesitation, ‘I will.’

* * *

A new semester at the Imperial Academy. And the start of a new school year.

The first event is the freshman orientation.

Those who were freshmen until a year ago welcome their new juniors, and the freshmen get a good opportunity to start their new relationship with their seniors on a positive note.

Whether they knew each other from outside or not doesn’t matter.

If you make a good impression here, you can start off well or continue even better.

Noble or commoner, it doesn’t matter.

At least within this academy, seniority matters.

It’s a place where everyone, regardless of status, worked hard and took the same exam to get in.

If you start discussing levels here, you’ll fall into that trap yourself, so naturally, it doesn’t happen.

‘So this is what it’s like.’

Sipping her drink, Lefia confirmed that there was nothing to worry about, as she had feared.

The Imperial Academy.

A strange place where the sons and daughters of prominent noble families mingle with students from commoner backgrounds.

It’s the first place where they come face to face in a world with a clear social hierarchy.

Despite the rumors, Lefia had assumed there would be discrimination.

She thought the nobles would stick with nobles, and the commoners with commoners.

Because that’s how it was in her home country, Lasker.

There were similar educational institutions, but they strictly separated nobles and commoners, teaching them differently and providing different classes.

But the Empire was different.

It had to be different.

The real power that protected the Empire ultimately came from the commoners.

Although a class system existed, it wasn’t a structure where it could be used as a weapon.

‘Is this why the Empire was able to grow much faster than any other place?’

Lefia glanced towards where the sophomores were.

“Senior Karl! We’ve heard so much about you!”

“Hahaha. Thank you, juniors.”

“We’ll work hard to be like you, senior!”

“To be like me, you have to join the military... Ah, I’m just kidding, so please don’t take it seriously.”

Perhaps Karl wasn’t just praised for his incredible achievements, but also for achieving them as a ‘soldier.’

Among the nobles who had fulfilled a certain level of duty, his actions were truly overwhelming.

He had rights, but he was someone who took the initiative with a righteous heart.

‘What an amazing person. What a wonderful senior.’

Lefia thought to herself, just as she was about to take another sip of her drink.

“Your Highness.”

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]