CH 2

The meaning of being the top seat at Liberion Academy is significant. It is because the top student in the grade signifies the strongest person of their age in the empire. The Academy is well aware of this meaning and did not hesitate to invest. They provided the largest room in the dormitory as a single room and also offered a private study room, etc. It is meant to show other students that there is a difference between the top student and those with lower grades. Of course, the second and lower-ranked students also discriminated against those with lower grades, but they did not treat them differently to the extent of the top student. “Hmm…” I entered the dorm room that was provided to me. I almost let out my amazement, but I managed to hold back my sigh. The room that the Duke of Astria used was also quite large, but this room was even bigger than my room back home. It was so big that I thought it wouldn’t be too cold if I used it alone. As I looked around the room, the knight who was carrying my luggage came in and placed the luggage in a corner of the room and stood tall at attention. What is he doing standing like that? It’s not like we have any business to attend to. We’ll probably go back to my family’s estate after the entrance ceremony anyway, so he can leave early if he wants to. “Go back to my family’s estate.” When I said this, the knight looked slightly surprised and asked, “Back to your family’s estate?” “Right, we don’t have anything else to do anyway.” The knight paused for a moment, then bowed to me. “I will go back to the estate.” said Knight Bellium. “Okay then.” I gestured to the knight to leave. He opened the door and tried to leave the room. However, he paused and just lowered his head. “I greet the star of the Empire, the First Princess.” A blonde woman was standing at the door. She was a woman with pure white skin and brilliant golden hair. She gestured gracefully and lightly tapped the door with her hand, greeting the knight. “May I come in?” She had a mischievous smile on her face as she knocked on the door. The woman in front of me is someone I know well. She is one of the main heroines of ‘The Academy’s Top Wizard,’ the First Princess of the empire – ‘Rie Von Ristonia.’ If I have a nickname of “forever second seat,” Rie always maintains her third place, overshadowed by me and the protagonist. However, she was the most influential person in the academy. She always wears an inscrutable smile and her charisma, which only comes out when needed, always overwhelms the audience. People always surrounded her, and the Princess used them well to expand her influence. Was there a story of the Princess coming to find me? No matter how much I say I’m an expert in this game, I don’t know the entire backstory. Since the story progresses from the protagonist’s perspective, I wouldn’t know anything beyond the protagonist’s knowledge. “I greet the First Princess of the Empire.” For now, I calmly greeted the Princess with courtesy. “You don’t have to greet me like that. We are fellow students here, after all.” The Princess replied politely with a smile on her lips. Her words were correct. The school rules stated that regardless of status, everyone was equal. However, that did not mean there were no conflicts caused by status differences. Of course, all such conflicts were resolved when the commoner protagonist became the top student… “I understand. But may I ask why you’ve visited me all of a sudden?” “I came to say hello since we will be seeing each other often as fellow students.” That’s what she said, but it probably wasn’t the only reason. The Princess is not someone who moves around without thinking. She is a person who plans and considers everything carefully, so there must be another reason for her sudden visit. -Rie hates the Astria family. The Astria family is the most powerful dukedom outside of the royal family. The reason Rie came to this academy is to strengthen her imperial power. After establishing her own faction, she intends to treat them as her loyal followers even within the royal family. The academy is not only a place of learning but also of society. Here she can solidify her faction. Moreover, Rudy Astria was also trying to create a faction centred around himself so she kept clashing with him. That’s a story for later, so they are not relevant now. However, the Princess showed rejection of ‘Rudia Astria’ from the beginning of the game. She seemed to be ordinary in front of others, but I saw her trying to suppress her impression many times behind the scenes. From those scenes, I could tell that the Princess disliked ‘Rudia Astria’ even before coming to the academy. Then why did she come to see someone she dislikes so much?” “Please tell me the reason why you came.” “Oh, I just wanted to get closer to you. Do you doubt my sincerity?” It could have been a rude thing to say, but Rie smiled as if she found it amusing. Judging by her reaction to my straightforward question, it seemed like she just came to explore. Although I have seen her in the game for a long time, it is our first meeting as characters in this new world. “My lord, I will take my leave now.” The knight must have thought it was rude to eavesdrop on our conversation at the entrance, as he bid us farewell and left the room. Rie looked around as the knight left the room. “Come to think of it, did Duke and Duchess Astria not come?” “Both of them were too busy with work and couldn’t come.” “Hmm… is that so?” She made a disappointed expression. It felt like she was acting. The Duke of Astria is not an ordinary person and is an of axis of the empire. If the Duke moves, the Princess would know. “Isn’t it about time for the entrance ceremony to begin? I should start changing into my school uniform.” -It means leave now There isn’t a good thing about continuing to talk to her. She’s probably the one who hates me the most in the academy, so it’s a relief that she didn’t catch any of my weaknesses. “That’s right. I should go to the entrance ceremony now.” The Princess smiled and opened the door, “See you later.” See her later? No way I’m going to meet her. Even if I don’t want to get involved, I’ll get involved no matter what. There’s no need to remove the veil from the beginning. Besides, it wouldn’t be easy to meet the Princess in a place where hundreds of freshmen are gathered.

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Raei Translations

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The scent of flowers filled the air as cherry blossoms scattered around. The warm sunlight and the fluttering petals remind me that it’s spring. The stiff school uniform on my body also brings back memories of my high school days. It feels awkward, but I look forward to new encounters, just like how my heart used to beat fast in anticipation of the new school year. But the situation now is very different from back then. If I don’t get my act together here, I might die. Contrary to then, studying was optional. But here it’s mandatory. If I try to enjoy my youth without studying properly, I’ll end up with a ‘death ending’. That’s what it takes to study for your life. As the pressure started to build up, my nervousness subsided. I walked through the crowd of people and headed to the venue. It was very crowded with parents and other people because it was the entrance ceremony. As I approached the location, I saw people who looked like students checking identification cards and guiding new students. People other than students were blocked from entering. It seemed too complicated if parents were also present where students were, so they were not allowed to enter. To enter the entrance ceremony, I also presented my ID card there. “Here it is.” The black-haired female student, who was wearing a uniform, checked the ID, “Rudy… Astria?” The student who received the ID looked back and forth between my ID and me. “Ah… so you’re the top seat this year. You can go to the front.” “The front… do you mean ahead?” The student smiled and pointed ahead with his hand when I asked. It was a two-person seat next to the guest seats. Rie Von Ristoria, the First Princess whom I met earlier, was sitting in one of the seats. It was a seat separated for the top student and the second student. It seems that the Princess meant this when she said that we would meet again. I had no choice but to sit next to the Princess. “Nice to see you again” The princess greeted me warmly and I slightly lowered my head and took my seat. Then, the Princess opened her mouth and started to talk about various things. “It seems that there are many outstanding students among the freshmen this year. Like the son of the Northern Marquess, ‘Locke Lucarion,’ or the daughter of the Imperial Family Spirit Chief, ‘Serina Rijnsburgse’…” The people that the princess was talking about were people I also knew. They were not the main characters, but rather supporting characters who were frequently mentioned. Other than that, I was dozing off while listening to the conversation. I wasn’t the type of person who hated talking to others. However, the fact that my conversation partner was a princess made my seat feel like a bed of thorns. Even though she showed a light-hearted appearance, I’m sure she was sharpening her sword inside. “The truth is, there are famous people like that, but… ” The princess pointed at me with her finger. “If we are to compare them with famous people, I would say Rudy Astria or myself are the most famous.” After saying that, Rie smirked in a way that seemed like she could seduce any man in the world with her charming appearance. It made me wonder if a person’s appearance is really that important. Seeing her smile so beautifully, It’s hard not to feel attracted to her. But I can’t let my guard down. After all, ‘Rie Von Ristonia,’ is a woman who smiles and stabs people in the back. As I listened to the Princess’s story, it seemed like the preparations for the entrance ceremony were over. “Ah, now we will begin the Liberion Academy entrance ceremony.” With the words of the emcee holding the microphone, the ceremony began.

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Raei Translations

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“…….That was the welcoming speech from our principal.” The entrance ceremony was no different from that of an ordinary high school. We simply listened to the tedious speeches of the principal and guests. However, since the principal’s speech had ended, it seemed that the ceremony was coming to an end. “Next, we will have a thank-you speech from the representative of the new students.” New student representative? I haven’t heard anything about who was selected as the new student representative. Usually, the student with the best grades is chosen for this kind of representative position, right? “Would student Rudy Astria please come up.” That’s right. I was the freshman representative. I was so preoccupied during the past week that I didn’t receive the news that I was selected. No, I might have received it before I was preoccupied… Various thoughts crossed my mind, but it was more important to overcome the current situation. Without being flustered, I moved up to the platform. When I went up to the platform, hundreds of people were staring at me. I didn’t have many opportunities to speak in front of a few people, but now I stood in front of hundreds of people without a script. I couldn’t afford to make a mistake. I am ‘Rudy Astria’, Arrogant and aristocratic. If someone like me makes a mistake here, my image will be shattered. I calmed my heart and opened my mouth. “I express my gratitude to the principal and to all the guests for their kind words.” The way to avoid mistakes here is not to speak too much. It’s better to be brief and to the point. However, it’s also important not to sound too arrogant. I can’t start like that when I’m already on the path to a bad ending, even given that I’m likely to build a bad image anyway. “Everyone, now that you have entered the academy, please study hard and enjoy your youth.” It was a customary phrase that anyone could say. After saying those words, I remained silent, and everyone looked at me with confused faces. There was an awkward silence that filled the room, and it was the emcee who broke the silence. “Is that all?” I confidently answered the emcee’s question, being as arrogant and confident as ‘Rudy Astria.’ “That is all.” “Um…ahem, the freshman representative, student Rudy Astria.” The emcee seemed a bit taken aback, but continued the proceedings smoothly. I descended from the stage as the emcee continued. On my way down, I met eyes with Princess Rie, and her eyes looked slightly different. The eyes that had looked at me with interest showed sharpness as if hunting prey. And unlike earlier when she was fussing, she didn’t say anything.