Episode 49
“Dad, I’m trying to decide which department to join at the academy.”
“The academy…?”
“Yes.”
Elonia casually brought up the topic during lunch with Artius.
Artius froze mid-slice, his fork hovering over his plate in surprise.
“Why are you already thinking about the academy?”
“I’m considering early enrollment.”
“…”
“I wasn’t planning on asking for your permission anyway, so don’t bother objecting. Just help me decide on a department.”
Elonia nonchalantly snatched the piece of meat Artius had cut and popped it into her mouth.
Artius, snapping out of his daze, continued cutting his meat.
He seemed a bit deflated, but Elonia continued, unfazed.
“I’m debating between the Magic Department, the Swordsmanship Department, and the Academic Department.”
“The academy…”
“Honestly, I think the Magic Department would be the best fit for me, but I don’t want to give up on swordsmanship and academics either.”
“Early enrollment…”
“Are you even listening?”
“Seven years apart…”
Artius continued to mutter to himself, lost in his thoughts.
Elonia, unable to bear his absentmindedness any longer, slammed her hand on the table.
“Ugh, come on! It’s not like I’m going off to die! And there are holidays, it’s not like we’ll be completely separated!”
Artius flinched at her outburst.
Then, his eyebrows drooped, and he put on his signature pitiful expression.
“But isn’t it too early?”
“Who said I’m going right now? Llewellyn enrolled at ten. Even I know it’s too early for me right now.”
Besides, she had no desire to stand out by enrolling at five years old.
She was already the Empire’s only princess. Enrolling at her actual age would be enough to attract attention. Enrolling at five?
She could only imagine the chaos that would ensue.
Attention-seeking children might dream of early enrollment, but not Elonia.
Artius sighed in relief.
“Anyway, now that you’ve dismissed that ridiculous idea, can you help me decide?”
“Elonia, you excel in all areas, so you’ll do well no matter which department you choose.”
“I know that. Which departments did you and Mother graduate from?”
She was suddenly curious.
Since Lucid Academy was a mandatory educational institution, both Artius and Philemon must have attended.
“Your mother graduated from the Theology Department, and I graduated from the Academic Department.”
“Oh.”
The world was unfair.
A Sword Master who graduated from the Academic Department?
If Elonia were an ordinary Swordsmanship student, she would be green with envy.
Aaron, who had been standing at a distance, approached and whispered in Elonia’s ear,
“For your information, His Majesty also enrolled early, at the age of ten.”
“What?”
“Aaron Archer…”
Artius glared at him, his full name rolling off his tongue like a threat. Aaron quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Elonia narrowed her eyes.
“What? You enrolled early, and now you’re telling me not to? Are you kidding me?”
“…I thought you were going to enroll right now. And you said you weren’t asking for my permission.”
Artius, his expression softening, mumbled excuses, averting his gaze.
As usual, his attempts were futile.
Elonia’s stare could pierce through steel.
Artius quickly cut another piece of meat and placed it on her plate, trying to change the subject.
“The meat is especially delicious today. They must have gotten a good batch. Eat up.”
“…”
Elonia, her gaze fixed on him, stabbed her fork into the meat with a loud clang and chewed aggressively.
Artius, defeated, slumped in his seat and returned to the topic of the academy.
“…If you think the Magic Department is the best fit, then that’s fine.”
“But early enrollment requires a preliminary interview. How did you pass?”
“It’s nothing special. Just give them the answers they want to hear.”
Ah, so that’s why Llewellyn passed.
Another piece of the puzzle fell into place.
Llewellyn might be a mischievous child, but he knew how to charm adults and get what he wanted.
“I did a mock interview with Llewellyn, and he said I need to work on my approach.”
Artius’s eyebrow twitched.
He looked as if he wanted to reprimand Llewellyn for daring to judge his daughter.
Elonia glared at him.
“It’s your fault for raising me like this.”
“…Cough. Hack.”
It was Sarah and the maids who had raised Elonia, not Artius.
But Artius, burdened by guilt, choked on his food.
“Anyway, do you have any insider tips for the interview?”
The little rascal, not content with criticizing his parenting, was now trying to extort information from the Emperor.
Aaron, watching them, thought,
‘Your Highness, you’re going to make him cry.’
He had always thought Philemon was the only one who could make Artius cry.
But now, he suspected Elonia had surpassed her.
Artius, composing himself, replied,
“I don’t have any specific tips, but I can share what I remember.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“I want to visit the academy.”
“Again?”
Artius asked in surprise, his expression laced with concern.
‘Well, last time she snuck in and caused quite a commotion.’
Elonia had almost forgotten about that unpleasant experience, but it wasn’t the academy’s fault.
Besides, seeing was believing.
It was better to visit the academy and decide for herself than to keep agonizing over it in the palace.
“I didn’t get to see much last time since I snuck in.”
“But… are you sure it’s a good idea?”
“What’s the worst that could happen? This time, I’ll be going as the Imperial Princess, with proper guards and everything.”
“Well, if you say so…”
Artius was about to agree.
But then he added,
“Should I come with you?”
“You?”
What nonsense was he talking about?
Elonia turned to Aaron.
“Aaron, isn’t Dad busy these days?”
“That’s…”
Aaron stammered, avoiding her gaze.
Elonia turned back to Artius, who was now wearing a serene expression, as if he hadn’t just glared at Aaron.
His silence was an answer in itself.
“You’re busy. Do you really have time for this?”
Artius’s eyebrows drooped at her question.
Elonia finished her meal, issuing a final decree.
“You stay here and work.”
She was going alone.
The little Emperor had once again protected the working hours of countless officials in the palace.
***
Elonia sent a letter to the academy, expressing her desire to visit.
The headmaster’s reply stated that a visit after the entrance ceremony would be too disruptive, so Elonia decided to visit before then.
The long-awaited day finally arrived.
“Greetings, Your Highness. I am Endymion, the headmaster of Lucid Academy. Welcome to our esteemed institution.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for welcoming me, even on such short notice. I’ll be leaving the tour to these students, so you don’t have to worry about me.”
Llewellyn, Alberich, and the two knights struggled to contain their laughter at Elonia’s mature tone.
‘Just you wait.’
Elonia gritted her teeth, maintaining her serious expression.
But they weren’t the only ones trying not to laugh. The headmaster was also struggling.
Elonia, embarrassed, quickly added,
“We’ll be exploring on our own, so you can get back to work.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please, let me know if you need anything.”
The headmaster bowed and excused himself.
The professors at the academy, adhering to the principle of equality under education, used only their first names, abandoning their family names.
Perhaps that was why he hadn’t been obsequious, even towards the Imperial Princess. Elonia approved.
“So, where do you want to go first?”
Llewellyn asked.
Lucid Academy was divided into four campuses, with the main building as the center.
Elonia thought for a moment before replying,
“Where’s the closest one?”
“The Swordsmanship Department is the closest from here.”
“Then let’s go there first.”
Alberich, the top student of the Swordsmanship Department, led the way.
The Swordsmanship Department, with its focus on practical training, had impressive training grounds.
“Ethan, you graduated from here, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I graduated from the Swordsmanship Department.”
“Oh, so how does it feel to be back?”
“It’s quite nostalgic. Most of it is exactly as I remember.”
Ethan murmured, his eyes filled with sentimentality.
The truth was, there wasn’t much to see besides the training grounds, the locker rooms, and the showers.
According to Ethan and Alberich, there were hardly any classroom lectures, so the classrooms weren’t worth visiting.
Next, they headed to the Academic Department.
“The Academic Department library is quite impressive. They have a lot of rare books.”
Llewellyn boasted, puffing out his chest.
The Academic Department building had a calm and scholarly atmosphere.
The dark wood-paneled library was elegant and had a soothing effect.
After a brief tour of the Academic Department, they headed to the Magic Department building.
The Magic Department building was shaped like a towering spire.
It almost resembled a small magic tower.
“The Magic Department kids are sometimes worse than the Swordsmanship Department kids. They’ve actually destroyed more buildings than us. That’s why they have a bigger training ground.”
Llewellyn rambled on.
Apparently, the Magic Department and the Academic Department often clashed.
They were both filled with intelligent individuals, each proud of their respective fields, leading to frequent arguments and disagreements.
“So, El, don’t go to the Magic Department.”
“I’ll do what I want.”
“But why?”
“It’s my decision.”
“But still!”
Elonia ignored Llewellyn’s whining and entered the Magic Department building.
She climbed the spiral staircase and entered an empty classroom.
The classroom was surprisingly neat and organized.
It was minimalist and functional, reflecting the practicality of mages.
Elonia picked up a random book from the bookshelf and flipped through it.
Ricardo peered over her shoulder.
“Oh, the orthodox education isn’t bad. The efficiency of these formulas is quite impressive.”
“I agree.”
“Huh? Sir Ricardo, didn’t you learn magic at the academy?”
It was publicly known that Ricardo held the rank of a junior baron.
Ricardo, without missing a beat, smoothly fabricated a story.
“Oh, I wanted to attend the academy, but my father was only a junior baron, and that rank wasn’t eligible for mandatory education. And our family was struggling financially, so I had to teach myself swordsmanship and magic. Self-teaching has its limits, of course, but luckily, I met a benefactor who taught me.”
“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Don’t worry about it. Thanks to not attending the academy, I met a great teacher. And now I’ve passed the knight exam, received a junior baron title, and become Your Highness’s knight. I’m living the dream. Life is good.”
‘That lying scoundrel.’
Llewellyn looked at Ricardo with a mixture of amusement and pity, but Elonia was truly impressed.
He could lie so convincingly, even inventing a whole backstory.
He was the complete opposite of Elonia, who was terrible at acting.
“So, the only one left is the Theology Department, right?”
“It’s a bit far from here.”
“How far?”
“About a 30-minute walk. The Magic Department needs a large space, and the Theology Department prefers a quiet and secluded location.”
“I see.”
Elonia nodded.
The Swordsmanship Department and the Magic Department were the loudest and most chaotic departments.
The Theology Department would be constantly bombarded with noise complaints if it were located nearby.
Elonia wasn’t particularly interested in the Theology Department and considered heading back, but she decided to visit it since they had come this far.
“Let’s go then.”
Just as she was about to leave the classroom,
“Stop right there.”
“?”
An old man with cloud-white hair stopped her, his face creased in a frown.
He looked like a professor from the Magic Department.
Elonia had decided to show her true hair color today.
Everyone in the academy had been informed of her visit.
She had assumed no one would dare to stop her.
But she was wrong.
Elonia, her expression puzzled, asked,
“Are you talking to me?”
Why did she always encounter trouble at the academy?
Elonia sighed inwardly.
Ricardo and Ethan quickly stepped forward, blocking the old man’s approach.
But he ignored them, his gaze fixed on Elonia.
He muttered,
“That mana… Chelon Heilan…”