Traveling by carriage takes a long time.
I left the village in the spring when I turned twelve, around April, and it seems it will take about four months to reach the royal capital by carriage.
It takes about a month for the entrance exams and preparations at the academy.
So, the academy starts in September.
It seems to follow a similar schedule to schools in America.
There are slightly more holidays, which is apparently to accommodate nobles coming from distant places.
And… I was surprised to learn that class placement is determined by entrance exam rankings.
I thought there might be some kind of magical sorting hat, given this is a fantasy world.
But no, there isn’t anything like that. Magic here is strongly geared towards combat techniques. There’s hardly any magical tools useful for daily life.
So… it’s based on grades?
Seriously?
Isn’t that problematic for noble authority?
For example, if a member of the royal family ends up in the lowest class, won’t their prestige suffer?
When I asked the teacher about this, she said that the ducal and royal families can enter without exams, and their ranks aren’t determined.
So, it’s like how members of the Japanese imperial family could enter military academies without exams.
Well, that makes sense for royalty.
But still, is it okay to rank nobles below marquises?
When I questioned this, the teacher replied:
“Well… you’re underestimating the nobles a bit. They do have authority, but they can also set it aside when necessary. They possess the grace and rationality to do so.”
“Hmm?”
“Considering national interests, not being able to properly evaluate valuable magicians due to noble ranks would be a bigger problem.”
I see.
I learned that in the past, talented magicians held back their abilities because of their noble ranks, and conversely, high-ranking but weak magicians caused confusion on the front lines.
Because of such past events, the academy now evaluates purely on ability, regardless of noble rank.
“So, the academy is purely merit-based.”
“Yes. Of course, once they graduate, they will be bound by noble hierarchies again… but within the academy, ability comes first.”
I see.
That makes things easier.
Also…
“So, if I beat up a cocky guy, I won’t get in trouble?”
I half-jokingly asked.
“As long as it’s the result of a legitimate duel, there’s no problem.”
Really?
“Nobles are fighters, so strength is paramount. If you lose in a fair fight, it can’t be helped.”
Ah…
It’s just like the samurai in the Sengoku era.
Come to think of it, I almost forgot, but the nobles in this country are quite foolish despite the knowledgeable Margaret-teach.
They borrow money from foreign countries to play war games, and if they stand out in these games, they celebrate it as ‘honor!’
So, if they lose fairly, that’s one thing, but they absolutely want to avoid disgrace through cowardly acts.
Maybe this merit-based system is because it’s considered uncool to disguise a loss.
I understand that in a world like this, honor is crucial.
In modern society, even if you bear the disgrace of being a murderer, if you serve your time, you can still get a job and live in society. Reputation isn’t as important.
But in this world, nobles hate to have their honor tainted above all else.
In my village, the treatment of serfs and tenants was terrible.
Honor equals human rights, I guess.
It was always puzzling to me, but in this country’s history, there were cases where clearly outmatched nobles rebelled against the regime only to submit later…
That was to show they fought bravely and were honorable warriors, right?
From a modern perspective, fighting a hopeless battle is pointless, but in this “honor-first” world, being seen as an honorable person based on religious values is more important than winning or losing.
I see, that actually makes them easier to deal with.
I thanked the teacher for the explanation.
“Well, even though that’s how it is in the academy, it changes once you become a noble.”
“What do you mean?”
“Humans aren’t purely logical. Some will hold grudges even if they lose a fair duel.”
I see, so that’s how it is.
“I was quite outstanding in the academy, but in society, I’m rather disliked…”
During our conversation, the carriage continued to rattle along…
“Well then, I’ll take my leave here…”
We parted ways with Margaret-teach at the territory of the Margrave of Carenheit.
Ada and I will continue on to the academy in the royal capital with a carriage arranged by the Carenheit family.
“Teach, thanks for everything. You were a great help.”
“No, it was my pleasure! I’m the one who should thank you, Exas-sama, for the generous gratuity and the game console! I also learned a lot from our conversations. Thank you very much!”
With that, we said goodbye to our home tutor, Margaret-teach.
Hmm, there weren’t any erotic developments at all.
I’ve recently gone through puberty myself, but nothing happened with teach.
Ada… well, maybe a bit?
If she said I could, I might?
But somehow… even with my newly awakened teenage body, I don’t feel any desire for the dirty women of this world.
Teach is one of the better ones, but… in my mind, she’s in the comedian category…
I’ve taught Ada magic to keep her body clean, and we bathe together every day.
Plus, I made sure she eats well, so her figure is good, and her skin and hair are beautiful.
In contrast, the women of this world are malnourished and filthy.
They don’t even seem human.
So…
I don’t think I can handle brothels due to hygiene concerns.
They probably have STDs too.
I’ll have to find and raise an apprentice-cum-mistress myself!
