Grand Duke of the Heibern House

＜Episode 47＞

There was still time until the admission date listed on the letter of recommendation. Thanks to the chaos horse’s tail, it arrived quite early.

Thanks to this, Ruin found an inn, had a quick meal, and then went out on the street.

‘okay. I remember.’

Looking at the intact scenery of Lemadel’s royal castle, Ruin felt new. It was exactly the same as in the long memory.

‘These ignorantly intertwined roads are the same.’

Basically, Lemadel Night Castle is a castle built solely for defense, carved out of a huge hillside.

Thanks to this, the inside of the castle had no choice but to be very cramped, which created synergy with the atrocious population density.

Stairways intertwined like a maze between numerous shops make this a city like hell for first-time travelers.

The reason why the Lemadel royal family built the capital city in such an ignorant way was because of the ‘Alcan Empire’, the absolute loser that dominated the continent.

Lemadel has endured the imperial invasion and persecution for a long time of a thousand years.

If it had not been for the absolute iron fortress, Lemadel Night Castle, the kingdom would have already perished many times.

‘… … .’

Ruin was silently gazing at the panoramic view inside the royal castle.

This iron fortress, which even the gigantic empire couldn’t tear down, was brutally destroyed by the ‘Army of the Evil Emperor’ in just 15 days.

Neither the iron-blooded knights that Lemadel Kingdom was proud of nor the lofty royal mage tower could not stop the legion.

In fact, at the time, Ruin had no special attachments or feelings toward the kingdom or family.

Because I did not know then that the destruction of the kingdom and the family was only the beginning, that it would happen to all living people.

An army of evil that swept the continent in an instant like an epidemic that could not be stopped by human power.

Amidst the terrible ruins, the hellish war with the Legion continued for more than a hundred years.

‘The remaining years… … .’

There is only twenty years left until the Legion is revealed to the world.

Of course, it may be a long time for some people, but to Ruin, it felt as short as an instant.

But I was relieved.

A dark Harlem who ran away from his family and arrived.

The self of the past, lying in a shady basement and waiting for the day to die, was no longer in the world.

He came back with all those terrible experiences and future disasters engraved on his old soul like a stigma.

Gyrobel, who had made an evil deal with her because of her curiosity toward evil, has already come out into the world like this.

So many things will be different.

Everyone was willing to make sacrifices for such a different future.

“after… … .”

Ruin toured the inside of the maze-like castle for several more days, recalling complicated old memories.

After packing up the inn’s luggage, they arrived at the center of the castle a week later.

After getting out of the maze-like streets, my vision finally opened up with the bright sunlight.

“Here.”

Two minarets rise above the sky.

Beneath those two huge spires was a huge academy in an antique style.

This Royal Academy is the cradle of true national power that carries the future of Lemadel Kingdom.

Even just by looking at the outside view, I could clearly feel how much this kingdom was devoted to nurturing talented people.

When Ruin showed the letter of recommendation for admission to the guard of the royal academy, the massive door of the academy slowly opened.

cooong-

At the sound of the door opening, several eyes focused on Ruin, but soon they dispersed, perhaps losing interest.

Ruin was indifferently scanning the prospective cadets who were chatting around the hall.

“oh! This is the ‘sword of sorrow’ you’ve only heard about! What an honor!”

“Your knowledge is not normal to know this.”

“Isn’t it the sword with the best reputation among the Mithril swords? Besides, I know where this stuff came from… … .”

“Shh. be careful. This is the academy.”

“Ah, that, that’s right.”

Annoying noises coming from all over the place.

Observing them carefully, Ruin’s face was getting more and more distorted.

Unlike himself, those boys holding blue scrolls in their hands are prospective cadets of the Knights Faculty.

In the large hall, there were an overwhelming number of prospective cadets with blue scrolls than those with red scrolls in their hands.

‘What the hell were you thinking? Who is that old man?’

Here and there, prospective cadets eager to reveal their aristocratic wombs.

When children from aristocratic families want to show off their presence, they use the most primitive method of gilding each other.

That’s how Ruin knew right away how meaningless the oath he made with the wise man Egios was as soon as he arrived at the academy.

‘wait?’

Only then did Ruin discover that most of the colors of the seals printed on the prospective cadets’ scrolls were yellow.

Ruin observes the shape of the seal more carefully.

‘… … Rencia?’

Now I see, isn’t the pattern stamped on the yellow seal the shape of the Phoenix, the symbol of Hirenciaga?

Ruin’s head starts pounding.

This is not the academy’s regular admission season.

Then it means that all the prospective cadets gathered here are substitute cadets… … .

Most of those sub-cadets came after being recommended by Rencia, the most influential person in Lemadel?

‘under… … .’

That means that most of them are nobles with close ties to the Rencia family, or at least the children of influential people who can line up with the Rencia family.

‘okay. That’s right.’

In fact, Egios’ request was questionable from the beginning.

The power order of young boys is rather more thorough and primitive than that of adults.

Because this academy is all the world they have experienced.

They do not feel the need to hide their clumsy desires because they have not yet experienced the terrible mire of power that is waged at the cost of their lives.

‘Damn old man.’

Luin couldn’t understand.

In his own eyes, the academy’s principle of not disclosing the status of aristocrats was just a pretext to establish a hierarchy.

The identity of an aristocrat that can be revealed only with dining etiquette, no, with an elegant tone, that is the stark reality of the Royal Academy.

But why did the sage Egios make it so that only he could not reveal the identity of the aristocrat, which everyone is revealing?

Even if it wasn’t the Grand Duke, just revealing that he was from the Heibern family could have prevented most of the troublesome things.

It wasn’t just that I was annoyed.

Then, there was a sudden uproar.

“Senior cadets!”

“Third rank cadet!”

Several cadets walk this way.

on their shoulders.

All the prospective cadets were looking in awe at the three blue knots embroidered on their epaulettes.

Knight cadets smirking at the cute prospective cadets and what is so good about them.

The leading cadet leading them, a handsome blond young man, stopped in moderation.

chuck!

“This is Ureas, a 3rd rank knight cadet. Professor Howl Erckard is on a business trip. Instead, I will lead you guys.”

Just then, another cadet was walking from the other side of them.

again again

A girl cadet with striking red hair.

The three knots hanging over her shoulders were the same, but her epaulettes were red.

A third-rank cadet at the Faculty of Magic.

“I’m Adrena, a third-class magic cadet. I will lead you instead of Professor Gary Eldos, who attended the conference.”

Louin was puzzled.

Probability that professors who will lead them will not appear at the same time as so many substitute cadets are entering?

Ruin became even more displeased with such a strange sense of incongruity.

At that time, the knight cadet Eureas approached the prospective cadet who was bragging about it with the ‘sword of sorrow’.

A small voice heard soon after.

“I heard that you are coming to the academy. Actions have been completed as ordered. Did you say half a year?”

“Yes, half a year. That’s enough for our old man to calm down.”

“Let’s go. We will do our best to serve you.”

“hahahaha! okay!”

Ureas straightened up immediately and shouted to all the prospective knight cadets.

“All the prospective cadets called out follow! Hurkell! lukewarm! Hagwell! Stia! Murray… … !”

Those who were called were aristocratic prospective cadets who were gilding each other.

Then, Eureas scattered name tags at the remaining prospective knight cadets.

“Find your own name tag and put it on your chest. The dormitory where you will be staying is also listed on the name tag, so go find it yourself.”

“yes!”

“yes! Seniors!”

Ruin, who grasped the blatant situation at a glance, was utterly absurd.

It is very clear what kind of special treatment the prospective cadets who followed the 3rd rank knight cadets will receive in the future.

As the group of knight cadets all left the hall, third-rank magic cadet Adrena cautiously opened her mouth.

“Well, by any chance, where is the person called ‘Lilia’… … ?”

At her words, the girl who had been quietly reading a book next to the fountain in the center of the hall spoke coldly.

“Stop doing childish things. I didn’t enter the academy just to play an alleymaster like those ignorant bastards.”

“Well, it’s still something I have to do… … Did you say one year?”

“no. I will finish by graduation.”

“Uh, then it’s a bit difficult… … As per the contract… … .”

“I didn’t make that contract.”

Adrena, who had wrinkled her nose while adjusting her glasses, looked around again.

“then… … Mr. Shurie?”

There was a difference in Ruin’s eyes. A familiar name came out of her mouth.

“yes. It is me.”

Shurie’s clothes were dirty here and there, and her face looked tired.

“Shurie-san is also a year old. Please take good care of me.”

“yes. me too.”

Seeing them shaking hands and smiling at each other, it was only then that Ruin understood the whole damn situation.

Most of the sub-cadets were descendants of aristocratic families close to the Rencia family or wealthy merchants.

Among the offspring of such aristocratic families, the academy is a place of refuge or exile for them, in a word, out of the eyes of adults.

The academy of the Lemadel kingdom is a place of exile for noble children who just got into an accident!

‘Then it explains everything they talked about about contracts.’

It was a kind of part-time job that provided convenience to the offspring of noble families for a certain period of time and received compensation.

‘Huh, then the professors too?’

Doesn’t the fact that all the professors didn’t come out here mean that they knew about this situation in advance and condoned it?

‘To think that even the academy has rotted away… … .’

Even the cradle of knowledge, the Royal Academy, had reached a point where it was out of hand.

Ruin instinctively realized that all of this had nothing to do with Rencia.

A yellow pattern stamped on the scrolls of prospective cadets.

Ruin clenched his fists in a crushing smell at the reverberation of the foul smell of interest and that nasty desire.

however.

“Uh, then… … Mr. Luin?”

“what?”

Recognizing Ruin, Shurie widened her eyes in surprise.

“oh! you are?”

Ruin, who had become froze in a daze.

No matter how much he thought about why Adrena was calling him, he couldn’t find the reason.