Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Even a Treacherous Subject Has His Uses
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On a spring morning, Beonald, who had finally turned eighteen this year, was inspecting his appearance in the mirror while wearing the uniform issued by the Academy.
The sleek, black-based uniform boasted a refined elegance that would make any Academy student proud, and the trousers and shoes were impeccably neat.
It particularly complemented Beonald's glossy black hair and blue eyes so well that it looked as if it had been tailored for him from the start.
"You look truly splendid, Lord Beonald."
"Of course, whose master do you think I am? It suits you well too."
"You didn't need to have a new outfit made for me as well..."
"Nonsense. If a knight needs a sword, armor, and a horse, then a maid naturally needs a maid's uniform suitable for the season. When summer approaches later, I'll have another set made for you then. You'll need at least three basic types: for spring/autumn, summer, and winter."
Sain, too, had been newly outfitted not in the maid uniform she used to wear at the Callermain Earldom, but in something clean and easy to move in.
On top of that, it was only natural to have several pairs of shoes prepared, not just dress shoes but boots as well. Beonald was already thinking of having clothes made for her to wear while cooking or doing other tasks.
'Hmm~ Once things settle a bit more, maybe I should teach her a mana breathing method? I need to see if she has any talent.'
"I'm sorry for being late, Lord Beonald!"
"It's fine, Heidi. You're here now. Hmm~ It suits you well too, of course."
"Thank you."
In Heidi's case, since it would be problematic to wear armor when entering the capital city outside of wartime, she was outfitted in a black suit that easily signaled her role as a bodyguard.
Thanks to her tall stature and robust build, she now exuded an intimidating presence greater than most men, radiating the sharpness of a predator. Yet, in front of Beonald, she instantly transformed into a shy, gentle cat.
"Do you like the clothes?"
"Yes. They're comfortable to move in too."
"I placed a special order to ensure they wouldn't tear easily. Ah, and regarding the helmet you wanted, I was told to visit the smithy. It's good for regular training and for concealing your gaze."
While she wouldn't wear full armor, a helmet could still be considered part of fashion. It was beneficial for training as a knight, useful for concealing her gaze while on bodyguard duty, and offered many other advantages, such as helping in psychological confrontations with opponents who might underestimate her because she was a woman.
'Plus, it's good to be able to monopolize this lovely appearance.'
"Ah, and Lady Selina is sleeping. She stayed up all night researching and fell asleep late."
"...I told her to regulate her sleep schedule consistently. But I can't really say much since I don't always follow that advice myself."
Whether mages or alchemists, once they began their research, they would lose track of time and become engrossed. Pulling all-nighters was common, and sometimes they would even forget to eat and drink, collapsing from exhaustion.
Of course, Beonald wasn't that obsessive, but he thought it best to let Selina sleep. With that, he officially left the house.
"Alterio, take good care of us!"
Piiiiiiii!
Now fully grown into an adult, Alterio had become a griffin so large that he could easily carry Beonald, Sain, and Heidi all at once when unburdened by armor.
While Heidi held the reins and steered Alterio, Beonald held Sain close to prevent her from being thrown off by Alterio's swift pace as they galloped, quickly arriving in the capital.
"Oh, are you finally enrolling today?"
"Yes. That's correct, Captain of the Guard."
"Congratulations, Lord Beonald. May you become the future of the Empire!"
"Haha, I'll do my best."
Thanks to diligently making trips to the capital and leaving a good impression throughout the past autumn and winter, Beonald's party passed through the gate and entered the city without any special hindrance.
They then headed straight to the smithy to pick up the helmet Heidi would use before proceeding to the Academy.
"We're starting to see more people now. Heidi, drive carefully. And try not to get too close to the carriages."
"Yes, sir!"
With the new semester beginning, a massive crowd thronged the vast square, consisting not only of returning students but also numerous new students enrolling in the Academy this time, along with their parents.
And Beonald's party, arriving on a griffin—a very unusual sight—attracted countless gazes.
"Wow, what's that? A griffin?"
"I heard there's been someone riding a griffin around the capital lately..."
"Impressive. Where did he tame that? Can it fly?"
Murmur murmur...
Heidi and Sain felt a bit burdened by the people's stares, but Beonald was actually enjoying the attention.
Stealing everyone's gaze and being the center of attention—wasn't this the pleasure of being a noble?
The narcissism stemming from the pride of being superior and special. The envy and admiration felt from the gazes directed at him! A noble who disliked this couldn't truly be called a noble.
"That punk, must be loaded? Dressed in a 'black uniform'..."
"Where on earth did he come from?"
"If he's in a black uniform, he must be in the commoner faculty... What an arrogant bastard!"
And where there were admiring gazes, there were also gazes filled with jealousy, inferiority, and other negative emotions.
The students wearing 'white uniforms' glared at Beonald, who was majestically parading on his griffin, with evident displeasure.
The Academy distinguished between the commoner faculty and the noble faculty by the color of their uniforms: white for the noble faculty and black for the commoner faculty.
'Hmm, that's right. This is more like it. It brings back memories.'
These gazes of envy, anger, and inferiority directed at him, a noble at the peak!
Receiving this nostalgic stimulation after so long, Beonald looked around at the white-uniformed students sending him those looks.
Those blatant stares that clearly resented a 'black uniform' daring to act presumptuously. He had a feeling they wouldn't leave him alone, but that only made it more interesting.
'Moreover, this has filtered out quite a number of useless ones.'
That gaze felt from the distinctly white uniforms, that overt discomfort at a commoner being presumptuous. It was natural for nobles, but one shouldn't harbor only anger without assessing the other's capabilities.
Even if displeased or offended, one must possess the gaze and attitude to observe calmly.
The ones muttering among themselves, looking at him with only contemptuous stares and chewing him out fervently, were just run-of-the-mill nobles.
'You can know the parents by looking at the children. And bloodline doesn't lie. Hmm, but still... there are indeed a few with good eyes.'
Confirming that there were some worthwhile individuals among those gazes, Beonald entrusted the griffin to Heidi to wait and headed to the entrance ceremony hall with Sain.
The entrance ceremony was held in a separate auditorium, with the events conducted for all new students from both the noble and commoner faculties combined.
The total number of enrolling students from both faculties was around 240. The noble faculty had about 100, and the commoner faculty had about 140.
'That's a small number for the capital's population. Did they really sift through them that fiercely? Hmm~'
Since he was specially recommended for admission anyway, it wasn't his concern, but he wondered if there were any real gems among those so rigorously filtered.
Then, the process continued tediously: introductions by the so-called Dean and other elders, explanations of what classes each faculty would offer, introductions of the professors who would work there, curriculum overviews, and so on...
'The program is... a basic three years, right? And then the usable ones will either become capital bureaucrats, enter noble households, continue research at the Academy, etc. Paths diverge... What should I do...'
[His Majesty the Emperor will now enter.]
While he was thinking, a voice amplified by what seemed like a magical artifact announced the Emperor's arrival, accompanied by the grand performance of an orchestra.
The Emperor of the Callem Empire, escorted by the Imperial Knight Order, walked up onto the stage from behind. At sixty-five, his hair and beard had already turned stark white, proof of the hardships endured in these turbulent times.
However, his eyes still hadn't lost their light, and seeing the intense will burning within them, he likely wasn't a tyrant or a foolish ruler to worry about.
'Whether that's good or not remains to be seen...'
In a past life, he would have considered such an Emperor quite troublesome.
Since he was distinctly of the 'noble faction,' a strong-willed Emperor with real power in place would have been very bothersome and irritating.
But this time, since he had tasks assigned by the Goddess, becoming a 'capable minister in troubled times' to build national power based on the Callem Empire and then assisting the Hero didn't seem like a bad plan.
'To begin with... I don't know where the Hero is or who they are, but when the time comes, a sign will be given, I suppose. Anyway, the Emperor seems to be a sane human being.'
[First, congratulations on your admission, students of the Academy. You have reached this point through fierce competition and proving yourselves, but unfortunately, this is merely a new starting point. The world today...]
While Beonald was lost in thought, the Emperor began his congratulatory speech. Between phrases, he observed the students who had enrolled this year.
From his perspective, the composition seemed no different from the students he saw every year.
As always, commoner students looked at him, the Emperor, with tears of joy as if they had used up a lifetime's happiness, while the noble students, familiar with his face from various events, looked bored, as if wishing their neighborhood grandfather would hurry up and finish.
'But no one knows yet. There could be gems within here that, once polished, will shine brilliantly.'
Over a decade since the Academy's founding. Looking at the prosperous and powerful imperial capital and its directly governed territories made it clear.
All that power was achievable because they discovered a tiny number of talents here and placed them in the right positions.
As he continued his speech, imprinting the faces of future raw gems in his mind, the Emperor spotted Beonald and paused his gaze.
'That child... must be the one Sir Rephart mentioned.'
A stature taller by a head than his peers, a solid build, and outstanding looks. Standing among the commoner faculty students, most of whom were seeing the Emperor for the first time and were shedding tears of emotion or feeling awestruck, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
'...Seeing him in person, I think I understand a little why Sir Rephart recommended him.'
In the Emperor's mind arose an old saying he had heard long ago: 'Sometimes, a gem possessing beauty perfected from the very beginning emerges miraculously, not a raw stone that needs polishing on the ground to shine.'
From that boy in the black uniform, the Emperor sensed a dignity, elegance, and weight that simply couldn't belong to an eighteen-year-old youth. He had to struggle to suppress the smile rising to his lips.
'Indeed, one must judge people by seeing them directly. Hoho.'
Even a great treasure can only be appraised when it reaches someone who knows how to use and discern it. All the various eyewitness accounts and reports about Beonald that had come up until now were merely supplementary.
Seeing him directly, the Emperor felt he understood Sir Rephart's mind. He firmly etched Beonald's appearance and face into his memory and concluded his speech.