The Emperor's Arrival
The first few days after arriving at the National Academy had simply flown by like the blink of an eye.
Assigning my dorm and receiving the supplies I would need for my new life had consumed an entire full day.
Rooms here were strictly reserved for two students per suite, and Teraden and Blanser had been placed together while I was given the room right beside theirs.
As I waited inside, curiosity growing about who would share my space, someone knocked on my rusty door just a short while later.
Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.
The footsteps were oddly distinctive. When our eyes met, he bowed his upper body in perfect courtesy.
“It is an honor to meet you.”
A gentle, mid-low voice.
Hair that had begun to lose its golden luster.
Eyes as deep as the ocean, impossible to read any emotion in them.
Half a head taller than me, with limbs that stretched gracefully.
The uniform that clung to his frame had a certain harshness, and his pointed shoes tapped out a steady rhythm against the floor with every step.
Though his height matched Blanser’s, the aura he carried felt far more mature, the exact opposite of Blanser’s hot-headed energy.
Beside him floated a peculiar sphere that glowed with its own light, drifting gently. What on earth could that be?
He carefully removed the snake-like scarf wrapped around his neck, which looked both broad and soft, then introduced himself in a calm, concise tone.
“Amerk Junior. Son of the Mechanical Duke.”
I hesitated. I had no idea who the Mechanical Duke even was, but I smiled politely.
“Pleased to meet you.”
How could I have known a small villager like me would ever cross paths with the Mechanical Duke?
The shock came from the fact that this boy was also only fourteen, the same as Blanser.
Why was a fourteen-year-old already so well-developed?
With introductions concluded, it was nearly time for bed. A scream suddenly erupted from the adjacent room, and Teraden arrived carrying a pillow, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.
“I can’t sleep a wink because of that snoring of his. Mind if I crash on the floor for a bit?”
Even someone as light-sleeper as Teraden had to be suffering from Blanser’s snores.
I couldn’t very well let him sleep on the floor, so I asked Junior if it would be all right if we switched rooms.
“Of course, it’s fine.”
He accepted without hesitation.
Switching rooms, we entered Blanser’s space. He had already woken up and greeted me with a smile.
Since he had only just woken, he kept trying to chat me up.
“Brother, aren’t you curious?”
“Mm? Curious about what?”
The wooden bed creaked loudly every time he shifted restlessly.
“Why did I go to all that trouble to follow you all?”
“I don’t know. Why do you ask?”
“….”
“What?”
“Khh… khhh…”
“Hey, are you actually sleeping?”
This idiot…
* * *
“You! What the hell happened?!”
Teraden stared at something in utter disbelief.
Blanser, standing beside him with a broad grin plastered across his face.
I wondered what could have shocked him so deeply. When I looked, it was the new student IDs freshly issued to all students that day.
Name: Aran Blanser
Age: 14
Grade: Pre-Academy, preparatory class
“Fourteen, for real?”
Teraden tugged at his hair in disbelief.
“Brother Teraden, do you really think my words were a lie all this time? You promised to keep your end of the deal. You didn’t forget, did you?”
‘Hahahaha! Who’s the gullible fool here? If I really was fourteen, I’d be doing handstands all day long for you.’
“Haha, sure. It’s a promise, after all.”
Teraden twisted his face in frustration and stood in the handstand position exactly as promised.
“Whoa! Where are you, Brother Teraden?!”
“That’s enough, already!”
Blanser had tormented him the entire day, finally settling the score from our first meeting.
After that, for the next couple of days we toured the academy’s grounds, the days blurred with endless activity. But once classes officially began, the wait grew unbearably slow.
On the eve of the entrance ceremony, Teraden once again sought me out.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Ahem. Sorry, mind crashing on the floor again tonight?”
Room switching between students was originally against the rules, and the first time we were caught, the instructors scolded us harshly.
But Crow’s Duck, who had been watching silently from the side, shot the instructor one piercing glance, and the rule instantly changed to conditional permission.
“Brother, are you asleep? Brother?”
“What is it?”
On the night before the ceremony, which had kept us all running late with preparations, I should have been exhausted. Yet Blanser kept talking into the wee hours.
“Aren’t you excited, Brother? It starts tomorrow.”
I wanted to answer, but fatigue pulled me under into a deep sleep.
“Hey! Brother! Wake up!”
Ugh, who’s calling me?
“You just barely got it right? Move aside. Watch me. Hah! Knight—Ang!”
Whoosh!
“Haaak!”
A heavy weight slammed onto my body so suddenly that my eyes flew open in shock.
When I looked up, Teraden was grinning above me.
“It’s starting soon! Get ready.”
Ready for what? Oh right, it’s already morning.
I threw off the blankets and sat up. Teraden and Blanser were already fully dressed and waiting.
They had clearly been looking forward to this day more than anyone else.
As we stepped to the window, warm sunlight filtered through the neatly drawn curtains.
Colorful birds outside sang with full throats, as if celebrating our arrival.
I should have been tired from the late-night talk with Blanser, yet my body felt lighter than ever.
What a good start.
* * *
“Ha ha ha! What a pleasant surprise, Your Highness Crow’s Duck.”
“Ah, Mr. Amerk. I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you properly last time; I was in such a rush. Still as hale as ever, I see.”
“Ha ha ha! What can I say? I only have this sturdy body to boast of. But why has the Emperor come to visit? Didn’t you oppose the admission of His students during the noble assembly?”
Amerk’s question left Crow’s Duck sighing deeply.
“My disciple wandered into the trap of the Seven Pillars and ran off in secret. Seeing him so eager to stay with the children of that cursed lineage, I decided to let things be.”
“Ha ha ha! With the Emperor’s own disciple here, my son won’t feel lonely. Truly a blessing.”
“What are the two of you laughing so heartily about?” The Emperor had arrived at the academy and asked Crow’s Duck and Amerk that question.
“We greet the Emperor.”
“It’s been a while, Emperor.”
“I was informed beforehand that you are here, Your Highness. Excellent. Please join us in conversation; I’d love to be included.”
“Ah, I was just speaking with my son over there.”
Amerk pointed to a boy standing apart from the others in the hall, where many students chatted excitedly, each trying to make friends. The boy remained completely alone, lost in his own world.
Thanks to his handsome features, girls stared at him in a daze while boys tried desperately to catch his eye. But Junior’s aloofness repelled all advances.
No one dared to approach him first.
“How old is that boy?”
“Seventeen, Your Highness.”
“Pfft!”
Crow’s Duck nearly spat out his tea.
“Seventeen? You mean one of the Seven Pillars?”
“Mr. Amerk and Madam Natalie aren’t even past their sixties, yet you’re calling them seniors?”
“Ha ha ha! My wife and I have an incredibly harmonious relationship. Heh heh!”
“That boy really is seventeen? He looks much younger.”
The Emperor wanted to point out that His own disciple looked even younger, but he swallowed the words. What if I angered Crow’s Duck?
“Despite lacking an awakened Ineung, he is already so capable. His character is also flawless. Madam Natalie’s upbringing must be extraordinary.”
“Praise makes even whales dance,” Crow’s Duck replied, praising his own wife and son. Amerk’s booming laughter filled the entire guest hall.
“If that boy also inherits Madam Natalie’s Ineung, the next generation’s strongest will surely be his. Even without Ineung, the Cheneung and mechanical power he received from Amerk should be enough to secure a seat among the Seven Pillars.”
‘I doubt even my own son could easily defeat him.’
“The Emperor’s generous words honor me greatly. Yet I worry. Look there.”
Amerk’s gaze turned serious. Junior stood perfectly still, expression blank, blinking only occasionally. The earlier laughter had vanished from Amerk’s face, replaced by deep concern.
Several boys who had tried to befriend him gathered courage and approached, but Junior replied with polite, curt answers. Most of them, disappointed, eventually left.
Junior’s face showed no trace of emotion.
“Now look over there.”
Amerk’s finger pointed to Blanser and the children of the Arirang clan, laughing heartily as if the world were theirs.
“I hope my son finds his own path here, one where he can be honest with his emotions and live only for himself. May he discover something truly precious.”
After a while, a group of officials emerged from the main building.
As they drew closer, the courtyard fell silent. Everyone turned to watch.
The dean blew twice on the machinery before him to check its status, then smiled kindly and began to speak.
“Huff… What a warm sunshine for starting something truly worthy. Now, let us proceed with the entrance ceremony.”