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.
Andโฆ 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 isnโt anything like that. Magic here is strongly geared towards combat techniques. Thereโs hardly any magical tools useful for daily life.
Soโฆ itโs based on grades?
Seriously?
Isnโt that problematic for noble authority?
For example, if a member of the royal family ends up in the lowest class, wonโt 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 arenโt determined.
So, itโs 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:
โWellโฆ youโre 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.โ
โHmm?โ
โConsidering national interests, not being able to properly evaluate valuable magicians due to noble ranks would be a bigger problem.โ
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.
โSo, the academy is purely merit-based.โ
โYes. Of course, once they graduate, they will be bound by noble hierarchies againโฆ but within the academy, ability comes first.โ
I see.
That makes things easier.
Alsoโฆ
โSo, if I beat up a cocky guy, I wonโt get in trouble?โ
I half-jokingly asked.
โAs long as itโs the result of a legitimate duel, thereโs no problem.โ
Really?
โNobles are fighters, so strength is paramount. If you lose in a fair fight, it canโt be helped.โ
Ahโฆ
Itโs 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 โhonor!โ
So, if they lose fairly, thatโs one thing, but they absolutely want to avoid disgrace through cowardly acts.
Maybe this merit-based system is because itโs 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 isnโt 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 countryโs history, there were cases where clearly outmatched nobles rebelled against the regime only to submit laterโฆ
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 โhonor-firstโ 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.
โWell, even though thatโs how it is in the academy, it changes once you become a noble.โ
โWhat do you mean?โ
โHumans arenโt purely logical. Some will hold grudges even if they lose a fair duel.โ
I see, so thatโs how it is.
โI was quite outstanding in the academy, but in society, Iโm rather dislikedโฆโ
During our conversation, the carriage continued to rattle alongโฆ
โWell then, Iโll take my leave hereโฆโ
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.
โTeach, thanks for everything. You were a great help.โ
โNo, it was my pleasure! Iโm 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!โ
With that, we said goodbye to our home tutor, Margaret-teach.
Hmm, there werenโt any erotic developments at all.
Iโve recently gone through puberty myself, but nothing happened with teach.
Adaโฆ well, maybe a bit?
If she said I could, I might?
But somehowโฆ even with my newly awakened teenage body, I donโt feel any desire for the dirty women of this world.
Teach is one of the better ones, butโฆ in my mind, sheโs in the comedian categoryโฆ
Iโve 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 donโt even seem human.
Soโฆ
I donโt think I can handle brothels due to hygiene concerns.
They probably have STDs too.
Iโll have to find and raise an apprentice-cum-mistress myself!