To the Academy! (1)
“Carmen.”
After finishing my conversation with Kali, I stepped out of the reception room.
I walked over to the adjacent room where Carmen had been waiting quietly and called her name. She sat there frozen, stock-still, without a word.
“Wasn’t too boring waiting all that time?”
“No, it’s fine.”
I led Carmen—who offered a polite bow in greeting—slowly out into the open air.
She insisted it was okay, but she didn’t look it one bit.
Her hands and feet were trembling. Must’ve been nerves. The palace atmosphere weighs heavy on anyone, especially a first-timer.
Under the guidance of a knight standing guard nearby, I took Carmen straight out of the palace grounds.
We walked the streets outside in silence for quite a while.
Eventually, we arrived at the academy’s main gate—the same spot where I’d run into those imperial knights earlier. That’s when I finally spoke up.
“You mentioned last time that you could read, right?”
“A little, yes.”
“Good. Want to give this a read?”
I pulled a single sheet of paper from my pocket and handed it over.
Carmen took the page crammed full of text and read it straight through right there on the spot. Then, as if she’d caught on to something, she jolted in surprise and looked up at me.
“This is...?”
“Finish it?”
“Yes... I did.”
She hesitated.
I couldn’t keep dragging Carmen around like this forever.
It had been tough enough before, but now it was downright impossible.
As I mulled over my options, the academy we’d passed earlier suddenly sprang to mind.
“It’s a recommendation letter authorizing your enrollment in the academy, in Her Highness the Princess’s name.”
She’s strong.
Her speed—so fast you can’t even track it—letting her rip out throats barehanded. That kind of skill isn’t something to take lightly.
But the world beyond the arena isn’t one you can survive on brute force alone.
She lacked that force called common sense, the kind people pick up naturally while living in society.
“Enrollment season’s perfect timing, so I asked Her Highness and got this sorted.”
Most students go to the academy to learn swordsmanship, magic, or some specialized skill, but that’s not what I had in mind for her.
The academy would be her grace period.
A shield to protect her from the world until she could blend in—a temporary reprieve.
“Sign it, and you’re officially academy-affiliated on the spot.”
That’s why I’d dangled it as my first condition to the princess.
Drafting a recommendation letter to get Carmen enrolled.
“Right this instant.”
It was a special recommendation straight from the princess.
Not just a simple endorsement. It vouched for Carmen’s exceptional swordsmanship under the princess’s guarantee, expressing hope that she’d learn all sorts of things at the academy and grow into outstanding talent. Sealed with the royal insignia, backed by a Swordmaster’s word for extra weight.
The academy ignoring it? Probability approaching zero, guaranteed.
“The academy...?”
“Right here. The place I checked out first earlier. Empire’s top educational institution, looks notwithstanding.”
“Can someone like me really attend a place like that?”
“Of course. This recommendation’s your proof.”
Plenty of people far less capable than her in every way got in just for being nobles. Qualifications? She had them overflowing.
“Sign it or don’t—it’s your call. Pick another path if you want. No pressure from me.”
I didn’t want to force it. The second I did, it’d stop being a shield and become a cage.
It was just a path I’d prepared with all sincerity.
“Merely an option. No expiration date, so you can decide anytime.”
I’d deliberately omitted any date from the letter.
Just in case she ever needed the academy, she could seek refuge there whenever.
“And here’s some money. Should be more than enough.”
Funds I’d prepared as a backup.
Pocket change from Lia—generous, as befitting a countess.
I’d be under the princess’s support from now on anyway, no money worries. Better to pass it straight to her.
“I’ve got other business to handle now, so I guess this is where we part ways.”
“...I see.”
“Wishing you all the best ahead.”
“...Thank you.”
Carmen bowed deeply in thanks.
I silently watched her hunched back and offered my own final goodbye.
“Let’s meet again someday.”
“Finished your business?”
“Thanks to Your Highness, I wrapped it up nicely.”
After seeing Carmen off, I returned to the reception room and came face-to-face with Kali again.
She’d apparently pulled some documents from somewhere and was working through a backlog while I was out.
As I entered, she glanced up, set her pen down, and replied to my greeting.
“What have I done to deserve thanks? If anything, I’m the grateful one.”
Me handling Abraxas in exchange for her fulfilling my conditions.
It looked like a fair trade, but the risk fell heavier on my side.
They were terms I’d set precisely to agree to her request—not counting the first one, anyway.
That’s what she meant.
She added it was a relief she was satisfied, then got down to business.
“Per our agreement, I’ve completely buried any info on you. And put measures in place to keep it that way.”
My second condition: total concealment of my identity.
Simple reason—if my Swordmaster exploits overlapped with Ian’s trail, there’d be no escaping the fallout later.
Info already leaked into the world would be tough to claw back entirely, but Kali Aldheim’s influence could make it near-perfect.
“A mask with perception jamming. Old imperial secret force gear. Built with durability, weight, all factors in mind. Unless someone grabs you and pries it off by force, your real face stays hidden.”
“Fine piece of work.”
She said it and tossed me a mask.
Pitch black. No markings, incredibly thin.
Just resting it lightly on my face, it locked in place weightlessly. No vision obstruction, no wobble even when I turned my head.
As expected of something the princess prepared—impressively solid performance.
“What if it breaks?”
“Take it to the Magic Tower. Imperial issue—they won’t dare refuse repairs. Send the bill my way.”
She spoke, then hurriedly wrapped up her paperwork.
Bundled it together, summoned someone nearby to hand it off, then turned back to me.
“Now, time to honor the final condition.”
She stated it matter-of-factly and rose from her seat.
A casual wave for me to stand, then she strode off as if expecting me to follow.
Instinct screamed we were heading deeper into the palace heart—straight to the core.
We slipped into a dim corridor, walked for ages, and emerged at the end.
There stood a lone door.
Flanked by over twenty knights on guard. She stated calmly before it.
“The imperial vault. Brimming with relics and masterpieces from countless artisans.”
My third condition: power to stand against Abraxas.
Excalibur’s ceiling was ridiculously overpowered, but its floor was pathetically low.
The princess could hype my rep or pull strings to hit peaks, sure—but exceptions always lurk.
I needed a way to shore up that floor.
“No limits on quantity or type. Unlike the mask, I can’t grant outright ownership. It’s conditional indefinite loan—up to my coronation day.”
Treasures slumbering in the vault.
Relics flaunting all manner of bizarre powers. Top-tier gear from history’s legendary smiths.
I wanted them. She’d granted it gladly.
“Everything you asked for should be in here.”
Kali triggered something, and the vault door ground open slowly.
No sparkle, no flash—just endless ranks of treasures on display.
She spread her arms toward the interior, flashed a faint smile, and turned to me.
“Go ahead. Pick freely.”