The Second Son of the Ducal House
Kael had once been an ordinary modern man before his reincarnation. Born into this new world as the second son of House Aberwin—one of the most prestigious ducal families in the Caldria Empire, with a thousand-year history of power—he had grown up wanting for nothing.
The family estate was luxurious, and his father’s authority towered over the empire. His older brother, Jerard, was the undisputed heir. His relationships with his older sister Seriana and younger sister Lilia were civil enough. At the very least, none of them had ever tried to kill him.
Since I’m a reincarnator, shouldn’t I have some kind of special perk? With that hopeful thought, he had shouted for a status window more times than he could count. Nothing.
He had tried it endlessly since childhood, even clinging to the faint hope that it might appear once he grew older. But now that he had reached twenty, Kael had completely given up on the idea.
His dreams of mastering the sword and magic to carve out a legendary name across the continent had been abandoned long ago. Unlike Jerard the swordsman or Seriana the mage, he possessed zero talent for either. He had only bothered learning the absolute basics required for a noble’s education—enough so he wouldn’t be completely humiliated.
Even then, his magical knowledge was limited to fundamental theory and countermeasures, while his swordsmanship had never once produced aura. As a result, he had been quietly scorned and dismissed in social circles for years.
Still, life as the second son had been comfortable. But there was a reason the nobles of this world insisted on producing so many children.
“Kael. You will enroll in Tartaros Academy.”
It was an order from his father, Duke Aberwin.
“Tartaros Academy?”
Kael froze, momentarily stunned. The name alone was synonymous with terror throughout the empire. Every noble child grew up hearing horror stories about the place. He had always known this day might come, but now that it had arrived, pure dread surged through him.
“The enrollment has already been processed,” the duke said flatly.
“Having been born with the blood of House Aberwin, you must fulfill your duty to the family. Even when other houses mocked you for your incompetence, it was this family that protected you. You have enjoyed its benefits. Now pay the price.”
Kael closed his mouth. There was no argument against the concept of familial duty.
“You need only go there in body,” the duke continued, hammering the final nail in. “As you know, Tartaros Academy is a place where every noble family or higher in the Caldria Empire must send one child. Even His Majesty the Emperor has decided to send the Third Princess this time. You are aware of this.”
Kael nodded silently. Just like the mythological Tartaros of his previous world, this place carried the dual image of imprisonment and hell. For the nobility, the name was practically synonymous with terror.
By decree of the empire’s founding emperor, every noble house was required to send one biological child. Refusal meant the complete stripping of the family’s title—an edict that not even House Aberwin could escape. Ancient kingdoms that had once defied this law were said to have been destroyed by famine, plague, and natural disasters of every kind.
And you can’t even bring personal belongings!
The only items permitted were clothing and weapons. Food and daily necessities were strictly forbidden. A single bag was allowed, but only if it contained clothes. Meals consisted solely of one piece of coarse black bread and water. Until graduation, students had no choice but to survive on that vile bread alone.
Worse still, time inside the academy flowed ten times slower than outside. One year in the outside world equaled ten years within. Students would be forced to endure decades of that hellish bread. Vacation was only two months every four years by outside time—barely eight months of freedom across thirty-three internal years of suffering.
Once enrolled, students could not leave before the designated vacation period. The only way out before then was as a corpse. Withdrawal was not permitted. If a student failed to return after vacation, the academy’s autonomous system would forcibly summon them back. Thirty-three years of torment was mandatory.
The sole mercy was that aging was measured by outside time. In theory, one’s lifespan increased tenfold. Yet the nightmarish environment ensured almost no one actually wanted to go.
It’s horrific. Kael wanted nothing to do with the place.
“I… understand. But must it really be me?” His voice trembled as he asked, though he already knew the answer.
Jerard was the family heir. Having awakened and mastered aura as a swordsman, everyone already acknowledged him as the future master of House Aberwin. Seriana had made a name for herself in the Magic Tower. Lilia was focused on her bridal training, preparing for a strategic marriage. None of them had any reason to be sacrificed.
In the end, the “useless” Kael had been chosen.
“Jerard and Seriana are the future of this house. Lilia is selecting her marriage partner. Since they are all fulfilling their roles for the family, you will carry out the minimal duty required of us.”
Kael felt a bitter taste in his mouth. This was the treatment he had always received. Last year, he had even received a broken engagement from Irina, the young lady of House Rosengart.
“I have no intention of marrying an incompetent man who can’t handle either a sword or magic.”
Her cold words had spread throughout high society, turning Kael into a laughingstock. The family had shielded him then, but now they were demanding repayment for that protection.
“Perhaps… are there no illegitimate children? If the family has any other offspring…” Kael squeezed out one last desperate hope.
“There are none.” Duke Aberwin cut the hope down with a single stroke. “My blood flows only through the four of you.”
Kael lowered his head. His father was not the type to lie. He let out a sigh.
“What did Mother say?”
“Your mother considered it fortunate that it was you instead of Lilia.”
The duke’s tone was indifferent. Kael laughed coldly inside. What cold-blooded parents. He had never expected anything from them anyway. As the incompetent child of the family, he was the only one who could be sent.
“Understood. When must I leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. Bring only a sword and clothes. Books or paintings might be permitted, but there is no need to take them.”
“Yes.”
Resigned, Kael returned to his room and packed. A few changes of clothes and the plain steel sword issued by the family. The rules of Tartaros Academy were not made by humans, but by the academy itself. The self-aware system known as Tartaros had existed longer than the empire’s history, placing it beyond even the authority of the academy’s headmasters.
Thirty-three years…
Kael shuddered as he imagined the endless stretch of time inside. A life sustained only by coarse black bread and water. He couldn’t picture himself surviving it. He didn’t even want to think about it. But he had no choice. Refusal here would mean being cast out with nothing.
The next morning, Kael left the mansion carrying only a small bundle. He wasn’t certain he could survive on coarse black bread and water. Yet he had no other options.
It’s still better than becoming a beggar.
Comforting himself with that thought, he stepped out of the family home. None of his family came to see him off. Jerard was training, Seriana was at the Magic Tower, and Lilia was probably absorbed in her bridal studies with their mother.
They might not even know I’m leaving today.
Kael smiled bitterly. This was his fate. This was his place.
“Please board, young master.”
At least they had prepared a carriage to take him to the portal leading to the academy. The portal connected directly to the massive gate that served as the entrance to Tartaros Academy. Stepping through the faintly glowing portal, Kael found himself facing an enormous gateway.
The portal in the capital delivered entrants precisely to this gate. The moment he stepped inside, he would be trapped within Tartaros Academy for four years of outside time.
I don’t have a choice, do I?
Suppressing his hesitation, Kael stepped through the gate.
He stood in a vast plaza. Endless plains and forests stretched into the distance, and a colossal castle reminiscent of a skyscraper loomed ahead. That was where first-year students of Tartaros Academy would attend classes.
And then, floating before him, was a rectangular window.
The status window he had shouted for hundreds of times since reincarnation—hoping for the so-called “reincarnator’s perk”—the window that had never appeared, was now displayed before his eyes.
You can purchase items from the Shop Window.
The main products are goods from Earth.
Receive compliments to gain experience. As the ability level rises, restrictions on summonable items will be lifted.
Purchases are calculated using points.
1 compliment grants 1 point and 1 experience.
Say “Open Shop Window” to display the item list.
> Duke Aberwin compliments you: “That bastard has left for the academy. For the first time, he’s actually useful.”
> Duchess Aberwin compliments you: “It’s truly fortunate that Kael went to Tartaros Academy instead of Lilia.”
Kael blinked at the sudden status window. This was the Special Ability granted to every student upon entering Tartaros Academy. Yet veterans all claimed the abilities given were only those useful in combat. He had never expected something like this.
A shop window?
With his heart pounding in anticipation, he opened it.
“Open Shop Window.”