The Beginning of Academy Life
The appearance of the Third Princess Elenora Caldria sent the plaza into an instant uproar. It's the third princess!
Her dazzling golden hair swayed with every step, and her ruby-red eyes radiated an aloof dignity. She hadn't spoken a word upon arriving, yet her mere presence transformed the atmosphere around her. The gathered students, most of them noble heirs, were acutely aware of her status.
"It is an honor to attend classes alongside Her Highness."
"Khuk! Your Highness, if only we could overcome this hell together…."
Students flocked to her, desperate for even a scrap of attention. Kael, however, wondered how long their reverence would last.
They're still full from a proper breakfast at home. Of course they can afford to act like this.
Having arrived early, Kael watched the spectacle from a short distance with the relaxed air of someone who had already secured his supplies. But these people were frantic to forget the hellish reality awaiting them. He was certain that within days, most would forget their respect for the princess entirely. They'd soon be seriously debating whether roadside weeds were edible, turning into wild beasts ready to pounce on any bird or small animal that crossed their path.
"The princess herself has to attend… It really drives home that even the imperial family isn't exempt."
One student muttered in a trembling voice. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
"I heard she's in the magic department. Still, as the princess, she must possess incredible abilities, right?"
A female student who had yet to taste the academy's true nature gazed at Elenora with open admiration.
"But… even Her Highness has to eat the same coarse black bread as the rest of us, doesn't she?"
"Right?"
"Ahaha… yeah."
The half-hearted joke drew equally hollow laughter. Anxiety and despair saturated every chuckle. Having grown up hearing tales of Tartaros Academy's horrors, they were desperately trying to deny that they now stood at its gates.
Princess or not, Irina or not—how long can they last on coarse black bread and water?
Graduates of Tartaros Academy spoke of experiencing true hell while surviving on coarse black bread and water. They had scoured the grounds for any edible plants to supplement their lacking nutrition. The most popular discoveries were dandelion roots and nettles—things anyone could find and consume.
"Attention, everyone!"
A deep, resonant voice suddenly filled the plaza. A professor in a brown robe stood at its center, addressing the students. Kael, who had been heading toward the castle, paused in mild surprise. The professor was coming to fetch us?
He hadn't heard anything about this part of the process. Then again, few people bothered explaining the finer details of this place.
"Welcome to Tartaros Academy. I am Galen Marcus, the professor assigned to guide you. Over the next four years—counting only the time spent here, excluding any external excursions—you will live through the equivalent of thirty-three years in this place, learning survival and growth. Only those who endure that long ordeal will earn the glory of graduation."
Silence fell over the students. The number thirty-three years alone was enough to steal their breath. Professor Galen's final words only fanned the flames of their growing dread.
If only those who endure get to graduate… that means those who can't endure simply die, doesn't it?
Tartaros Academy did not permit withdrawal. The only way to truly leave before graduation was death.
"Um… Professor? What happens if we can't endure it?" one student asked, face pale with worry.
Galen answered with casual indifference. "You die. Don't worry. Spend ten years as a freshman here and you'll witness enough suicides to grow completely numb to them."
The students' faces drained of color. Elenora maintained a calm, expressionless mask befitting her royal status, but Irina had gone as pale as the rest of them.
"Y-you're joking… right?"
"It's the truth. How many years do you think I've served here?"
When the students failed to respond, Galen continued with a detached look. "Fifteen years in the outside world. One hundred and fifty years inside these walls."
"O-one hundred and fifty years?"
"Oh my god!"
The students were stunned by the revelation. Even Kael couldn't hide his shock. Insane. One hundred and fifty years?
Professors at Tartaros Academy received no special treatment when it came to food. They were given only coarse black bread and water, and since no additional ingredients or seeds could be brought in from outside, they shared the exact same plight as the students.
I heard their main diet consists of dandelion leaves, roots, and nettles.
"Everyone, proceed to the castle. Enter through the main gate and do not wander off. You may have eaten breakfast before arriving, but you are required to participate in the morning meal."
Galen's tone left no room for argument. The castle loomed like a skyscraper, its massive main gate forged from black steel. It was clearly a door opened by magic.
Kael, already en route to the castle, fell into step directly behind the professor as he passed. As they walked at the front of the procession, Kael noticed a flash of pink hair beside him.
Irina.
It was Irina Rosengart. She walked with elegant grace, chatting with several female students who appeared to be her followers. Her emerald-green eyes briefly swept over Kael, but she kept her smiling expression perfectly intact and looked away. She ignored him completely, as if he didn't exist at all.
This bitch…
Kael ground his teeth. The way she had humiliated him in high society was bad enough, but she was truly unforgivable. Her beauty was breathtaking, yet remembering what she had done to him made his blood boil with rage.
Fine. If only to make you regret it, I'll rise to the very top of this academy!
Creeeeak—!
The academy's enormous main gate swung open, and Professor Galen stepped inside. Kael followed right behind him. A wide corridor unfolded before them, its marble floors and magically illuminated murals befitting the castle's grandeur. Yet the air felt heavy and cold, like the deceptively beautiful entrance to hell itself.
The students followed Galen's lead toward the dining hall. It was a vast space filled with dozens of long wooden tables. On each table, exactly as announced beforehand, sat a single piece of coarse black bread and a cup of water. At the head table, the headmaster and professors were already seated.
Galen approached the head table and bowed to the headmaster, an elderly man with a haggard appearance.
"Headmaster, I have successfully guided all two hundred first-year students."
The headmaster nodded with cloudy eyes. "Well done, Galen. It's reassuring to see you handle this task so reliably every year."
Galen bowed his head calmly. "Thank you."
Of course, "every year" for those trapped inside Tartaros Academy actually meant a decade of their lives.
The headmaster rose slowly from his seat and surveyed the students filling the hall. His hoarse voice echoed through the space.
"Everyone, take your seats. It is time for our first meal together, marking the true beginning of your time here. Hehe."
The students quietly dispersed to their tables. Kael sat down and glanced toward the head table. In addition to the headmaster, several professors were present—including a burly middle-aged man and, most notably, a beautiful female professor with sky-blue hair. They had prepared dandelion leaf salads beside their coarse black bread and seemed to be brewing dandelion tea as well.
So this is what passes for a complete meal around here.
Kael's eyes fell to the piece of coarse black bread and cup of water on his own table. Most students were deliberately avoiding the bread. Having eaten hearty breakfasts at home, they weren't yet hungry enough to touch what they would be forced to rely on for the next thirty-three years.
Let's find out just how terrible it really is.
Kael tore off a small piece and placed it in his mouth. The rough texture was immediate, like dust crumbling against his tongue.
Ugh, it's fucking disgusting!
Even coarse black bread could be made palatable despite its sourness. This, however, seemed intentionally crafted to be as revolting as possible.
At the neighboring table, students who had tasted it out of similar curiosity were already suffering.
"Ugh, what the hell is this!"
One male student snatched up his water cup and gulped it down to force the bread past his throat. Raised as a pampered noble, he couldn't believe he was expected to eat something like this.
"This is the absolute worst. They expect us to eat this for thirty-three years?"
One of the girls had her face completely scrunched up in revulsion.
Kael nodded at their reactions. I don't know who founded this academy, but one thing is certain. They poured every ounce of their malice into it.