Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Sky-High Tuition Fees
Idnia polished the shoes until they gleamed.
‘She’s amazing at this!’
Normally, a noble young lady would never have lifted anything heavier than a spoon, but Idnia’s skill was extraordinary. She quickly polished Mari’s shoes, hung her clothes neatly on the hanger, and with just a glance out the window, managed to dust off everything completely in no time.
“Now, shall we have breakfast? Do you need any support walking?”
“Oh, no. I can walk just fine. Thank you, Duchess.”
“Call me Idnia. We’re roommates, after all.”
“Excuse me? No, how could…”
Mari was flustered.
This dazzlingly beautiful girl, from a noble family, didn’t hide her status but still allowed Mari to use her name.
“Then may I call you Mari?”
“Oh, I-I’m honored…”
“Just Mari. And you call me Idnia.”
“Oh, understood.”
“Shall we go to the dining hall, Miss Mari?”
“Yes, Miss Idnia.”
“…Drop the ‘Miss.’”
“If I drop it, others will scold me. Miss Idnia.”
“Ha… then I’ll call you Miss Mari. Mutual respect, agreed?”
“Uh… yes, sure…”
Mari from Astraea was still in awe.
“Then let’s head to the dining hall. Though I have a feeling breakfast won’t be easy…”
Idnia thought of the saying, “Words become reality,” as they walked to the first floor of the dormitory.
At breakfast, students trudged into the dining hall.
Behind the dormitory square, the hall leading to the gallery filled with students who looked almost like zombies. Everyone suffered from muscle aches from the sudden forced march the previous night.
Half of them hadn’t even washed during the night or morning maintenance time. Their hair, nails, and clothes, once groomed by servants, were now messy, resembling a field of rats gnawing at vegetables. It was laughably pathetic.
This was probably exactly what the academy faculty intended.
“Alright! I’ll assign the seats. Today, I’ll serve the food myself, but next time you’ll carry your trays and serve yourselves.”
Breakfast was under the control of the communist succubus queen, Sadia.
“Quickly, take your seats. No chatting during meals! Nobles must sit mixed with commoners! Mix the genders, not the dorms! Mix everything!”
Sadia used life magic to float the trays with food. The meal consisted of chunky vegetable soup, hard bread, and milk. Compared to the previous night’s tea party, which had been meager but still decent, today’s breakfast was the height of minimal effort. No sugar, no sweetness at all.
Sugar was expensive in this world, but most academy students came from wealthy families and were practically addicted to it. A sugar-free diet shocked everyone.
“Eat this?”
“Anyone refusing? Raise your hand.”
Who would raise their hand? Surprisingly, a few naïve students did.
-Energy Drain!
The students’ energy was drained, and Sadia shone brilliantly once again.
“Gaaah!”
“Ugh, I’m hungry!”
The students screamed as their energy was sucked away.
Then, surprisingly, Boreas dormitory head, Karl Gustav Oxbach, stepped forward.
“What are you doing? No matter your status as a professor, punishing students outside of regulations is unacceptable. If accumulating 5 penalty points triggers punishment, then this Energy Drain is being applied arbitrarily, outside the rules!”
No one could argue with him. Oxbach cited the rules and challenged Sadia.
“Ah, Oxbach. You dare question me? Not just today, but from now on, academy meals are designed efficiently to feed large numbers.”
Everyone gasped. This meant all future meals would be equally minimal. The previous night’s tea party had been leftovers from a welcoming party for visitors, not regular fare. They would have to endure a medieval sailor-style, sugar-free diet all semester.
“But I can offer you special condiments. Heard of ‘the market is the condiment’?”
Of course, everyone had heard of it. They just never had the chance to try it.
“My Energy Drain isn’t punishment—it’s a seasoning to make your meals taste better!”
Despite Sadia’s audacious claim, Karl opposed her firmly.
“I accept poor quality due to feeding large numbers. But draining students’ energy when they don’t consent? Energy Drain could kill someone if misused. This is not allowed at Dunais Academy!”
“Oh? Rebellious, are we? Do you know I dislike royalty and high nobles?”
“I can respect a professor’s rule-based punishment. But personal punishments are refused. We are not toys! We are the future of the empire!”
Sadia glared at Karl, but he held his gaze. Every student admired his courage, even Sadia herself.
“Hmph… impressive. If I could, I’d give you points. But no, Karl. You misunderstand something.”
“What is it?”
“You are indeed toys for the professors!”
“What!”
Karl cast a defense spell, but Sadia’s Energy Drain ripped through it and struck him.
“No… no!”
The stoic northern noble, the so-called Northern Duke, fell to his knees. He struggled, but could not resist the great magic Energy Drain.
“Hehe. I like it, Karl. This is not punishment but a reward! To make your bland meal a little tastier. Now, enjoy your breakfast. Time is passing.”
The startled students hurriedly began eating.
‘Truly, the Five Great Criminals of this empire…’
Idnia realized that these academy students were sacrifices for the criminal elite. Even Karl had been humiliated; it would take extraordinary effort to stand again. Fortunately, other Boreas dorm students helped him to his seat, where he sat dazed and awkward.
“Did you see that?”
“Unbelievable! Attacking the heir of a sovereign margrave family?!”
“Not just any margrave family. The Lion of the North, master of the Black Iron Warrior Corps, Oxbach.”
“Sure, it felt nice when energy was drained…”
“It’s lucky that hunger was the worst outcome. Normally Energy Drain could kill someone.”
“Why would the professor make us sit like this?”
Even with Karl’s defeat, all students obediently sat mixed by rank, gender, and dorms, nibbling at the tasteless meal.
‘Is she trying to spark love across ranks? Even if they’re teens, sitting together won’t make them fall in love.’
Idnia, aware of Sadia’s personality from the game, was amused at her shallow scheme.
Some students blushed at sitting with the opposite gender.
“Ah, it’s fine. We’re all struggling here anyway… hungry, food is terrible… let’s at least introduce ourselves.”
They exchanged greetings nervously.
‘Ah, it works. Adolescents really are predictable.’
Idnia saw the effectiveness of Sadia’s ridiculous plan and marveled at teenage psychology.
Students, starved, ate reluctantly, but much bread remained. The flavorless vegetable soup could be drunk, but the bread, even softened in soup, was still hard.
Idnia kept the leftover bread, thinking it could still be useful as flour.
After breakfast, exiting the hall, students saw servants gathering in the dormitory square.
Even after just a half-day, students ran to their servants as if returning from battle to greet family. A reunion scene like a homecoming.
“Daaanilia! These professors… are crazy!”
“Dragon and succubus queen… huh? She teaches like that, isn’t it good?”
“Calm down, sir. Yes, yes.”
“Why only one servant?”
“The academy limits one servant per student. So they couldn’t bring much.”
“No snacks?! Academy food is terrible! No treats either!”
“That’s prohibited. Food can’t be brought in due to risk of spoilage and food poisoning.”
“What nonsense! If they worried about food poisoning, improve the meals! Academy food looks like a breeding ground for it!”
Students were shocked by the bizarre rules. Not only is basic food sugar-free, but bringing snacks is also banned. Malice seemed intended.
“You can go out to buy food, right? That’s allowed?”
“Yes. There’s a shop. But you need 5 store points to go out.”
“What?!”
Previously, students split between caring about store points or not. A diploma from the academy alone could guarantee employment. The internal store points were trivial compared to gaining real magical skills. But realizing that 5 points allowed outings lit a spark in students’ eyes.
The wealthy students, separated from their servants and families for even half a day, clung to them and filled the academy like a marketplace. Among them, a notable black horse stood out.
Idnia’s servant, Heukrang, had brought Heukpa.
“Master! Over here!”
“Heukrang, you brought Heukpa too?”
“Yes, all necessary textbooks, spare academy uniforms, and a standard empire wand, all second-hand and cheap.”
Heukrang unloaded the items. The sacred horse of the Holy Tribe, now a pack animal, seemed content to serve.
“The village under the academy is expensive. Pure rip-off. Probably academy taxes it. One siling per day for lodging and meals.”
“Wha… one siling?”
Idnia was shocked by the amount.