The Tutor from the Borderlands

"Excellent," Sonia said in a flat voice. She flexed the hand that had been gripping the wooden sword and gave a small nod.

"Reaching this level in just three months is commendable. At the very least, you should avoid failing the practical exam."

That was enough. My original goal had only been to train enough not to flunk out. I tossed the wooden sword aside and let out a long sigh. My hands tingled. Every muscle screamed. There wasn't a single spot from my calves upward that didn't feel like it had been carved open.

I popped a mint candy into my mouth and washed it down with sports drink. Seti simply stared at me with a blank expression.

"How..." Seti muttered before she could stop herself. She knew a little about swordsmanship herself. The movements Idel had just displayed were anything but ordinary. They belonged to either a master or a madman.

He even beat Sonia in what was supposed to be practice.

Sonia was a combat-specialized android. That was only natural. Dealing with a scoundrel like me required a baseline fighter's instinct. Yet I had deflected her blade.

The thought didn't last long. It must have been luck.Seti concluded it was nothing more than a fluke. I had only been holding a sword for three months at most. My fundamentals were too weak to produce any meaningful performance. And even if I had pulled it off by ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chance, there was no guarantee I could replicate that same physical display in the actual exam hall. In the end, the student who had trained consistently would win. Fleeting tricks had no place in the Stellarium entrance exam. The admissions officers were not fools.

"Hey, little sis!" I swaggered over with a grin. The air around me reeked of heat and sticky sweat. Seti wrinkled her nose and took a step back.

"Stay away. You're filthy."

"This washes off... But did you see that? I wasn't half bad just now, right?"

"Not really?" Seti answered curtly.

I didn't mind. I was in a fantastic mood. "Sonia, you know what day it is, right? I'm ordering fried chicken."

"Haa... Young master."

Sonia scratched her head, picked up the wooden sword, and gave me a light tap on the skull.

Thwack!

A dull sound like striking a drum rang out. I let out a choked groan and shuddered.

"I don't recall any discussion about ordering chicken."

"What? Hey, that's not what we agreed on!"

"There is no need to place an order while shouldering expensive delivery fees." Sonia dusted off her hands and continued. "Please tidy up at your leisure. Frying chicken takes considerable time."

Sonia swept her hair back and turned to leave. Her expression was almost human in its subtlety. The corner of her mouth had risen by the tiniest fraction—so slight you wouldn't notice unless you looked very closely.

What... what the hell?

Seti's face went slack. What on earth happened between those two...? She stared blankly at Sonia for a moment, then turned her head. I was silently cleaning up without a single complaint. ThatIdel, of all people.

The god of wisdom, Cartesia, apparently wants me to dismantle the forces of the other Outer Deities as quickly as possible. Well, the Outer Deities aren't exactly on the best of terms with one another ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyway. For me, it was a welcome development.

I invested roughly half the phron I'd gained into Thought Acceleration. The result was computational speed that rivaled a machine. It felt like I'd installed a supercomputer inside my skull.

I could now think and make decisions roughly nine times faster than an ordinary person. This ability had played a major role in blocking Sonia's strikes. It would suffice for the time being.

I gnawed on the fried chicken Sonia had prepared and considered my next move.

"The practical is solid enough. Time to prepare for the interview. I'm thinking of hiring a private tutor. That should be fine, right?"

Sonia nodded. "Having the interview content reviewed by someone who actually passed is the most effective approach. Please proceed as you wish, young master."

I cheered inwardly. Four months of effort had apparently earned me a decent amount of Sonia's trust. Satisfied, I wiped my grease-slick hands and picked up my tablet. I browsed the tutoring site.

The interview questions were treated as classified even in the original novel. That meant I had to personally coax someone who had taken the exam to learn the general tone.

"Whoa."

As I scrolled, one fact became immediately clear.

"The tutoring fees are ridiculously expensive."

"It is an academy that guarantees your market value the moment you enroll."

"Still, earning ten million credits a month seems excessive, doesn't it?"

"If you pass, young master, you will attain precisely that level of prestige."

A society even more obsessed with academic pedigree than Korea. Still, being the scion of a wealthy family was some consolation. I kept scrolling.

Still expensive, but half the rate of the other tutors. The fact that he also worked part-time as an academy assistant probably explained the lower price. Either way, it didn't matter. My mind was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠already made up.

"You're choosing this person?"

"Yeah."

"The price is far too low. Moreover, the surname is one used on the frontier planets. He is almost certainly either ill-tempered or lacking in skill. It seems unreliable. Would you not prefer someone else?"

"It's fine. I'm going with him."

I half-listened to Sonia while opening my account. I could state with absolute confidence that there would be no disappointment.

The Union maintained an unspoken caste system. Those who lived inside the Ether Belt were treated like royalty. Land prices—if they could be called that—were absurdly high. Major families such as the Rheinland and Adelwein clans all kept their primary residences within the Belt.

By contrast, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠people from the frontier zones were regarded as inferior. Monsters swarmed those regions and the influence of the Outer Deities ran strong. The inhabitants went mad easily. Large stretches of uncharted territory meant poor security. Children could not grow up wholesome in such an environment. In short, it was the slum of the universe.

Edward Meyer had been born and raised in exactly that kind of place. He was a freshman who had only just scraped into Stellarium the previous year.

Is this because I was born in a lowly place? Seriously?

Edward lamented his humble origins as he stared at the tutoring site. Positions were listed, yet none had matched. The money he earned as an academy assistant wasn't even enough to cover next semester's tuition.

He felt anxious. Yet he couldn't look for other work. No kind-hearted employer was willing to hire a frontier-born boy who hadn't even graduated from Academia yet. So he kept lowering his rate. Ninety million, eighty, seventy... all the way down to fifty million credits. Still, no students appeared.

It was because of his surname. The frontier had its own distinct family names. Federal law made changing them nearly impossible. Like a permanent tag, it clung to him and blocked his path at every turn.

Maybe I should just become someone's adopted son...

While Edward was sighing and scrolling through the listings—

Edward's eyes flew wide open.

"Finally!"

He let out a joyful shout. Any student would do. He could finally pay next semester's registration fee! He hurriedly pressed the acceptance button and clicked the student's profile.

[Idel von Rheinland]

The bright smile on Edward's face crumpled like poorly rolled gimbap.

"Rh-Rheinland?"

First, it was shocking that one of the top-ten most prestigious families in the galaxy had chosen him as a tutor. But then—

"Idel Rheinland?"

Of all the children in that family, it had to be the infamous Rheinland Rascal. Edward rubbed his eyes and stared hard at the screen. The letters refused to change.

"Of all the rotten luck..."

Edward let out a heavy sigh.

Who was Idel von Rheinland? A scoundrel so notorious that virtually everyone in the galactic cluster knew his name. Golden trash—good family, zero substance. The power-tripping that awaited him was painfully easy to imagine.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

If he'd known, he would have checked the name before hitting confirm. But mutual agreement had already been established. Backing out now would mean the canceling party had to pay a penalty fee. Edward didn't have that kind of money.

"...Huu."

Tuition. His only goal was tuition. Don't think about anything else. Whether he got cursed out, had vases thrown at his head, or worse, he would endure. He only had to last until the fifty million credits hit his account.

Edward gathered his interview materials and past exam questions, then packed his bag. Since he also worked part-time at the academy, copying documents was simple.

Let's at least see what the guy looks like. If he's truly trash, I'll teach him the bare minimum, take the money, and get out of there.