The Prince's Observation (1)
The luxurious dormitory within the academy grounds. In the high-end lounge prepared to satisfy the vanity of high-ranking nobles—particularly those from influential families—or to accommodate distinguished guests from outside, a thunderously boisterous laugh echoed through the air.
“Bwahaha! If I’d known the academy was this lively, I would’ve come here to study or whatever it is you do! Ahahaha!”
“…I don’t speak for the academy, but allow me to apologize on its behalf.”
Prince Rial had heard about the large-scale disturbance that occurred that morning and afternoon—the so-called Alchemy Riot—and after learning the details, he couldn’t stop laughing.
“In an academy where nobles make up the vast majority, the students and even the professors get riled up, tearing apart materials and books for experiments, claiming territory, and staging a sit-in? The famous Reina leads a suppression operation like a military campaign that lasts an hour? And the ringleader gets caught hanging from a tree, unable to move? Ah, I should’ve seen it up close!”
“…The Alchemy Department tends to attract students from families without much standing. Birds of a feather, as they say.”
Cardio said this, but Prince Rial only laughed.
“What exactly defines ‘without standing’?”
“It’s tradition, of course. My own family has been with the kingdom since its founding.”
“In other words, the ones without standing stirred up the entire academy and caused a huge ruckus. That’s what bothers you?”
“Precisely. Honestly, I don’t understand why they insist on making such a scene when they could’ve done things quietly and with dignity.”
Cardio smiled gently as he sipped his tea. Prince Rial pondered for a moment, downed his own tea, then chuckled.
“This side actually prefers it that way. It’s rather amusing how our tastes are complete opposites.”
“Tastes?”
“It’s entertaining, isn’t it? Commoners, the lowest of the low, minor nobles without pedigree, fallen aristocrats… watching them struggle and raise hell to break free from the circumstances they were born into.”
Prince Rial closed his eyes.
“It’s like a fish that’s leapt out of the water, thrashing desperately to return to the depths. Fighting to survive, to live even a little more like themselves, flailing their tails with everything they have as they push forward.”
Prince Rial opened his eyes. With clear interest written across his face, he spoke.
“I quite enjoy watching that sort of thing. Most realize their dreams exceed their station and accept it. Some can’t even admit that much and fall into ruin. A smaller few seize the hidden light within them. I think that’s worth seeing, don’t you?”
“I don’t believe I can fully grasp Your Highness’s refined hobbies.”
“Similar to how I can’t understand your side. Well, that’s what makes conversations between people so entertaining.”
The prince fell into brief thought. Cardio quietly regarded him before speaking.
“We’ve developed a much-improved chimera since last time. I’ll replace the ones I sent you previously. I plan to have them ready for your pilgrimage schedule.”
“Mm. I’ll look forward to it.”
Prince Rial rose from his seat. Then, as if remembering something, he asked Cardio,
“Come to think of it, I heard the academy has various departments. Which one do you belong to?”
“Noblesse Studies. It’s the department that teaches the long history of Vespian nobility, etiquette, decorum, and political conduct. Professor Conder is in charge.”
“An interesting subject. I’ll take note of it.”
The prince rose lightly, as though he might start dancing at any moment. Watching him, Cardio tilted his head slightly.
“Taking note… Does that mean…?”
“I’ve still got a few weeks before I return, and sitting around drinking tea and wine all day is starting to feel rather dull. I thought I might audit a class or two.”
“I’ll assist you. First—”
“I don’t want to trouble a friend that much. Besides, I never planned to stick around any one place for long anyway.”
With that, the prince walked straight out of the lounge. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he quietly asked,
“More importantly, are you confident?”
“About what?”
“Beating Eisen’s golems.”
Cardio let out a small laugh. Sipping his tea with elegant poise, he replied quietly,
“Abathus has never failed. We were merely pushed back. We are not so incompetent as to lose to some upstart who only succeeded through repeated failures and sheer luck.”
“Capable, then. You’ve invested heavily, so I’ll cheer you on. But let me say this in advance…”
Prince Rial smiled as he spoke.
“If you lose there, even I won’t be able to suppress the other ministers’ opinions. So do your best to win.”
“You needn’t worry.”
With those final words, Prince Rial waved and left. Afterward…
“I don’t like this.”
Cardio’s true feelings slipped out.
The news that the competition between Eisen and Cardio had spread as an official academy-wide event, along with word of Prince Rial’s class observation, reached everyone the very next day.
****
The academy was in an uproar. Just as Headmaster Calliope had declared the day before, the battlefield that had once been between me and Abathus alone had now expanded across the entire academy.
Reina and the Knight Department students, who had been running laps around the academy grounds for morning exercise, posted notices everywhere. When notices also appeared in the dining hall—the place students frequented most—the academy streets began buzzing with lively discussions.
“When I saw it last time, the Cyclops was definitely impressive. They’ve already started mass production, and I heard the Phoenix County is even forming a dedicated unit…”
“Even so, the Abathus County might still be better. Their scale of influence is on another level. They just had bad luck and missed their chance. By now…”
The students were largely divided into three groups. The first, naturally, were those who appreciated the coolness of golems. The second, unfortunately, were those who rated chimeras higher. The third needed no explanation—they were simply indifferent.
Amid these three factions, even the professors were seriously debating which side was superior. Thanks to this, unlike yesterday’s chaos, the academy streets were filled with lively chatter. As I simply walked around, I could hear various conversations.
“…If it’s high risk, high return, then obviously…”
“No. If you help that lunatic and get marked by Abathus, your family could go under.”
“Even setting that aside, if you’re lucky, there’s a chance you could catch the eye of the Nexia or Phoenix families…”
“Why are they whispering like that, even turning their backs?”
Chewing through the steamed potato I was holding, I walked through the crowd. When I arrived at the workshop I always headed to, Noel greeted me with a smile.
“Ah, you’re here, Lord Eisen.”
“You got here first.”
Usually I was the first to arrive, but today Noel had come to the workshop ahead of me. Noel smiled as he spoke.
“We had exams today. Ours, that is. The questions were easy, so we finished quickly.”
“So that’s why Mina and Erica couldn’t come right away.”
As Reina had announced last time, today was the day she’d set for the exam. Realizing things were getting bigger, we’d decided to get this annoying matter over with quickly. Because of that, instead of taking the test in a regular classroom, we’d gone to a specially prepared location…
“…But do exams really have to be entirely essay-based like that?”
“Essay questions are standard, aren’t they?”
Noel looked puzzled, but I honestly felt uneasy. It was supposed to be an Alchemy Department exam, yet the questions only briefly touched on the easy material from the beginning of the lectures. The rest was something else entirely.
—From the perspective of the Alchemy Department, describe the policies that must be implemented to secure tax revenue, the methods involved, and the necessary technologies.
—From the perspective of the Alchemy Department, describe measures to increase agricultural production and the countermeasures, in as much detail as possible.
—Write down any countermeasures you can think of for the increasing number of spies, and describe applicable technologies from the perspective of the Alchemy Department.
“Anyone can see these aren’t Alchemy Department questions.”
They’d added “from the perspective of the Alchemy Department” in tiny print at the end, but no matter how I looked at it, it was just an obvious attempt to cover their tracks. When I asked if the exam papers were wrong, they said the headmaster personally submitted the questions, that they varied by person, and that I could just write whatever without worrying—so I did, but it still felt off.
“Lord Eisen?”
“No, it’s just that the exam questions were strange.”
“Ah… Well, that could happen. Since you’ve become a lord, Lord Eisen, the questions might’ve been adjusted slightly… I’m sure of it.”
He seemed to know something. But seeing Noel look slightly apologetic rather than angry, I figured it at least wasn’t anything bad for our side.
‘He gets angry when our side is treated unfairly, after all.’
Noel had given me good advice and taken my side several times by now. Something this minor, I could overlook. If it went too far, I’d bring it up first and discuss countermeasures—I wouldn’t just let it slide. And honestly, the instruction that I could “write whatever” was basically the same as saying any answer would be accepted for points.
Frankly, what was there to write about these questions from an alchemy perspective? I just wrote down whatever administrative policies I knew off the top of my head, listed technologies that seemed helpful, and added things like “If we don’t have this tech, we’ll have to make it” before finishing.
“Well, I’m glad it seems like the exam went well for you.”
“I’m not worried about Mina, but I wonder if Erica did okay.”
“Erica’s just a bit naive, not lacking in education, so she’ll be fine.”
As Reina had said, the exam was closer to checking what we’d gained over the past year given how much we’d been running around. As long as our scores weren’t too low, we’d pass without issue.
“The academy was really noisy today. Was everything okay?”
“Yes. Since the announcement was only made today, there was no reason for them to give us a hard time right away.”
Currently, within the academy, Noel, Erica, and Mina were recognized as the most representative pro-golem faction—in other words, our side. Speaking up about those exam questions would be tantamount to declaring they were on our side.
“The Alchemy Department was already following Lord Eisen from the start, and from what I’ve heard from people I know, the Magic Department sees this as an opportunity to explore connections between the life magic used in chimeras and the magical techniques in golems, so they’re viewing it positively either way. The Knight Department is split about half and half, apparently.”
The Knight Department had the impression that Professor Reina was favorable toward us, but the split made sense. The jobs most likely to be replaced by golems first were those of knights. While some, like Professor Reina, wanted to adapt quickly, others—like the knights who’d sided with Prince Guilford during the Cyclops’s debut—would want to drive out golems by any means. In that light, even a fifty-fifty split was quite a lot.
“The academy’s almost split in half.”
“Well, we should just think of it like a sports day competition.”
Like dividing into red and white teams to compete—that’s how I had to look at it. Since the headmaster had already gotten involved, it wasn’t like this was our fault. From the academy’s perspective, they seemed to think this would be good stimulation for the students, so the conclusion was simple.
“We just need to do what we’re supposed to do.”
Originally, our situation was basically just maintaining the status quo. The academy had simply amplified the stage we were already trying to build—that was the simple story. And there was benefit in that too.
“Today, I should test-fire that thing.”
Thanks to the alchemy department guys rushing over yesterday, saying it was a waste to disband, we’d managed to complete something. Looking at the shield equipped with the gatling gun I’d developed as a long-range suppression weapon for the Knight model, I couldn’t help but smile.
“…Lord Eisen, you’ll get scolded if you shoot at Mains’s Gate again.”
“It’s not like I can shoot at a building instead.”
“Then… hmm…”
From the look in his eyes, Noel wasn’t trying to stop me so much as thinking we should get permission first. The appearance was a bit odd, but honestly, nothing was better for test-firing than Mains’s Gate. It was sturdy, there was no risk of it breaking, and it prevented collateral damage. Wasn’t that reasonable enough?
There was a high chance Professor Reina would beat me up, but on the other hand, if I got beaten up and helped her out, that would be the end of it—so really, I should just do the test-firing right now before—
‘Ah, I need to hold back. My head.’
…Still, if Professor Reina got truly angry, it would be dangerous, so before I felt my life was in danger, I should get permission first. Just as I barely managed to pull my thoughts back to normal and Noel read the atmosphere and sighed in relief—
BOOM!
“Are you in there?!”
“Who is it?!”
I’d only just managed to calm my pleasant thoughts when an uninvited guest appeared. Hiding my displeasure, I turned toward the voice. In that moment—
“Oh, Prince Rial…?”
“We meet again!”
The Golden Sun Prince had arrived. Keeping my guard up at his thoroughly delighted expression, I quietly asked,
“What brings you here? This place is…”
“Don’t ask the obvious, my friend!”
The prince shouted with an oddly comfortable expression. Then he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.
“…That’s…”
“You heard, didn’t you? That I’d be going around observing classes! As I declared, here I am!”
The prince entered with light steps, as if he might start dancing. And then—
“To the Alchemy Department class, where golems are made.”
With a low voice saying “I’m counting on you,” he slung an arm over my shoulder and brought his face close. The Golden Sun Prince beamed brightly.