Freshman Welcome Party
Winter was fading, and spring had arrived. A new semester had begun at the Imperial Academy.
I had become a second-year student, and Selene looked visibly tense as she had become a graduate student. Eloise and Lab had officially become 'fresh' new students. Of course, they weren't exactly like the real fresh new students from the same batch, but since they were new students, we could pass on that.
And then came the next part—
"Hey. Fifth-year."
"Knock it off, Karl."
"Amazing. Fifth-year."
"Stop it!"
"The best. Fifth-year."
"Kyaaak!"
I never teased my proud friends. I was calling the fifth-years seniors as a second-year.
Honestly, they were fifth-years, right? Selene was a graduate student, those guys were fifth-years, and I was a returning student. It was just a title based on facts, not teasing at all. No way.
So, how many lectures do I need to take this semester?
We all need three more lectures.
Three lectures. Hmm. Then...
So, it seems like there won't be many times I have to attend lectures per week?
More or less. First, Tuesday and Thursday are off days.
Whoa. Not Monday or Friday, but Tuesdays and Thursdays off. I can't believe my luck.
Or maybe the professors who are teaching those classes deliberately scheduled them only on weekdays.
By the way, Karl, are you going to the freshman welcome party this time?
Me? Why?
Why not. The second-year seniors who are welcoming the new students at the front are the ones who should go. Don't you remember? When we first entered as first-years, it was the same.
Who is he teasing now? I took a leave of absence after just two months of entering as a first-year and went to the military. After that, I was busy begging for my life on the battlefield. How could I remember about the freshman welcome party or whatever it was? I was too busy praying not to get shot the next day.
...Still, hearing Schlippen say that, I vaguely remember it.
Um, the freshman welcome party. New first-years had to attend, and upperclassmen didn't have to, but second-years mostly came.
Thinking about it, that makes sense. It was their first time as seniors, so they were full of expectations.
'I had it too, as the youngest, my first time meeting my juniors.' He was a lucky guy. Even though he lost an arm, he survived and came home.
I wonder if he's doing well. Sometimes I want to hear news about him, but it feels awkward because every time we meet, the moment we almost died together comes to mind.
Anyway, the freshman welcome party is a party mainly for first-years and second-years. Fourth-years are busy with graduation so rarely come, and third-years mingle with new students and second-years, playing it by ear.
"It seems the upperclassmen didn't come much. But are second-years mandatory? I don't think so. There's no reason I have to go."
"True, but if you don't go, what about the others? You should think about your juniors too."
"I agree with Schlippen. Honestly, more than half of the new students are expecting a lot from you, Karl. They're dying to meet you."
Wilhelm's words, Alexander and Joachim enthusiastically agreed. And I also know that the Four Idiots aren't saying nonsense.
Forgetting about the Medal of Honor or whatever, in the noble world, my name has skyrocketed.
This spring, my sister becomes the Crown Princess, and my father becomes the father-in-law of the Crown Prince. And I will become the brother-in-law of the future Emperor who will rule this empire.
Moreover, I will become the lord of Friedrich County and enter the ranks of imperial nobles in the future, so the eyes of high society will definitely be on me.
'And the place where betrothal or marriage rumors are discussed is not just anywhere but the Marquisate of Naplio.'
That alone is enough to attract the attention of the new students, most of whom are nobles. They will probably try to talk to me or make connections at the freshman welcome party somehow.
Additionally, the various medals I've received, and the connections I've built while receiving them. For example, the Bright Light Church, or right here, these five fifth-year guys...
Wait a minute. You guys aren't going, are you?
"Huh?"
"The freshman welcome party. You aren't planning to go, right?"
Just to be sure, I asked. The guys did a fake cough 'huh.'
'Are these crazy guys? Are they sane?'
"Come on. Even if there's time, don't go. Please. My friends."
"Ah, why! There are no lectures, so what am I supposed to do, Karl!"
"Then, instead of that, read books or take on family duties, something more productive."
"Meeting the children of other noble families and noble ladies is also sufficiently productive."
"Yes. The academy is a place for learning, but for nobles, it's a good opportunity to build closer connections."
Ah, I see. It sounds like they're talking about some rural noble families. But they're actually from well-known families, and even more, their successors.
Honestly, you don't have to go. Just say honestly that you're going because you're bored, and I'll answer with a sigh 'Yeah, do as you like.' !
*
“...Freshman welcome party?”
Exactly two days after starting graduate student life, and Selene already looked tired.
"Are you okay, Selene?"
"Ah, yes. I'm fine. Just stayed up until dawn yesterday reading theses."
"You've already started reading theses?"
What? Did I suspect it, but is the advisor really pushing Selene hard? This I can't stand. My inner sword might start roaring...
"Calm down, Karl. Don't make that scary face."
"No. I thought they were making me read theses from the start."
Shaking her head, Selene.
"That's not it. I wanted to read them because I wanted to see them. After all, I'll have to look at them later, and more importantly, it would be better to adapt quickly."
"...It's really hard?"
"Yeah. Theses these days are okay, but the old ones are in bad condition. Moreover, the words used now and then are different from the old ones, so I have to study that first."
As expected, hell university. But elsewhere... Even in the military, they give a minimum adaptation period when starting as recruits, but here?
Or perhaps Selene is an excellent student and will adapt quickly, so they gave a tough quest from the start. But Selene herself said she chose it herself, not because someone told her to.
Anyway. The freshman welcome party. Yeah, that's right. I went to that place when I was a second-year too.
"What do I do when I go there?"
"Huh?"
"My experience as a freshman at the welcome party is all I have, and more importantly, it's vague. Now I'm not a freshman, but as a senior encouraging and congratulating the new students. If there's something I need to be careful about, I wanted to hear it."
"Um... I can tell you, but I didn't ask the four of them?"
The Four Idiots? I could have asked, but why trust them? Selene is a hundred times better.
"Um. Honestly, Karl, you probably won't do much when you go. After all, the student council will handle the welcome party directly. You can just sit quietly and they'll be grateful, I think?"
"If that's all, it would be really fortunate."
The problem is, it doesn't seem like that's all. Think about it. Would the student council guys just leave me alone? Or would they somehow put me in front to show the new students 'Look! This is your senior! Praise him!' or something similar.
I bet on the latter. I have one medal. Oh, by the way, it's not because I want to give up the medal. It's because I'm that confident.
"Have a good time. The new students will be well received. And... um. Eloise and Lab be careful. Karl."
Because the words felt sincere, I answered without a second's hesitation.
*
The new semester at the Imperial Academy. And the start of a new year. The first is the freshman welcome party.
For those who were freshmen a year ago, this is the time to welcome the new juniors, and the new students get a good opportunity to start a good relationship as seniors.
Whether they knew each other from outside or not. Either way, it's good. By showing a good side here, they can start well or continue better.
Whether noble or commoner, anything is fine. At least here at the academy, year is important.
They all came from the same tests, working equally hard to be equal in status. If we talk about levels there, we might fall into the trap ourselves, so naturally, such things don't happen.
'So this is the place.'
Lepia sipped her drink, confident that there was nothing to worry about.
The Imperial Academy. Strangely, a place where children from prominent noble families and commoner students mingle. The first place where they face each other closely in a world with clear status.
Although rumors say otherwise, I thought there would definitely be discrimination. I thought nobles would only associate with nobles, commoners with commoners.
Because in her home country Lasquer, that's how it was. There were similar educational institutions that strictly separated nobles and commoners, teaching differently and receiving differently.
But the Empire was different. It had to be. The real power to protect the Empire ultimately comes from commoners. Even though there is a class system, it couldn't be used as a weapon to swing wildly.
'Is this why the Empire has grown much faster than anywhere else?'
Lepia glanced at the second-year seniors.
"Karl-senpai! I've heard a lot!"
"Hahaha. Thank you, juniors."
"I'll work hard to become like senpai!"
"To become like me, you have to enlist in the military... Ah, it's a joke, so please listen seriously."
Perhaps Karl wasn't just someone who achieved tremendous feats. Maybe he was praised for building it with the body of a 'soldier'.
Among nobles who pay a certain level of obligation, his appearance was overwhelmingly impressive. Since he had rights, wasn't he the one with the most righteous heart, acting first?
'What a great person. What a wonderful senior.'
Thinking that, Lepia was about to take another sip of her drink.
"Your Highness."