A Narrow-Eyed Nobleman Is Always Misunderstood

Episode 5 – Preparing for admission to the academy (fixed)

The next morning. Nina and I, who had spent the day at the Madron Hotel, boarded a carriage prepared by the hotel.

This carriage was a free service provided to customers who stayed overnight at the Madron Hotel.

The term “Free service” Means that the three gold coins I paid for my stay included the service fee.

Seeing such additional services provided, it was indeed worth paying the high price for using this place.

Anyway, Nina and I had to go to the Royal Academy, so I knocked on the window connected to the driver’s seat a couple of times.

“Customer. Where can I take you?”

Then, as if the coachman had been waiting, he opened the window and asked us where we were going.

“Please go to the main entrance of the Royal Academy.”

“Yes. All right. We will take you to your destination in a comfortable and fast way.”

I said let’s go to the Royal Academy, but the coachman naturally started driving the carriage without asking which way to go.

I mentioned the Royal Academy as my destination, and seeing that he didn’t ask me where to go and that he would take me comfortably, I could tell that this coachman was very talented.

Is this really a coachman hired by a luxury hotel?

Coming to think of it, it was a place that paid this much, but there was no reason to use a coachman with no skills.

Anyway, “Hey!” With the words of the coachman, the carriage began to slowly move forward.

In the carriage heading towards the Royal Academy, my destination, I was thinking about the entrance exam.

The Royal Academy was not an educational institution that one could enter simply by receiving an admission letter.

The letter of acceptance to the Royal Academy from the imperial family was just a formality.

Entrance to the Royal Academy will be covered in the entrance exam, according to the words of His Majesty the Emperor Bregern I, the founder of the Breggern Empire.

[Only those who have the qualifications to learn should have the opportunity to learn. However, the qualifications for learning do not discriminate between high and low social status, so anyone with the qualifications to learn can have the opportunity to learn.]

This is a part of the speech the founding emperor gave on the day he ascended the throne, and this became the founding principle of the Royal Academy.

Thanks to these words of the founding emperor, the Royal Academy was established as an educational institution where even commoners could enter and study, not the exclusive property of the nobility.

In other words, anyone who had the qualifications to learn would be given the opportunity to learn by entering the Royal Academy.

And, it was the ‘entrance exam’ that proved the qualifications to learn.

Come to think of it, I will be entering the swordsmanship club in the martial arts department. What kind of exam will I have to take?

“Come to think of it, didn’t I say that the entrance exam for the Royal Academy is divided into the aristocratic section and the commoner section?”

As I looked out the window and thought about how to take the entrance exam, Nina asked me a question.

Nina asked me about the way the Royal Academy’s entrance examination was conducted.

“Hmm? How does Nina know that?”

“The madam gave me some books to help the boy on his way to the Royal Academy. According to what I read there, the entrance examination for the Royal Academy is conducted separately for the nobles and the commoners, and this is to protect commoners from possible misconduct by some nobles.”

“What is the specific difference between the tests for commoners and nobles?”

“Because there is a marked difference in the level of education between commoners and aristocrats, it is said that they are in fact about the same as babies who have just started walking and teenagers who can run on their own. So, it is written that commoners pass even if they only know how to do the basics to some extent, and that nobles are evaluated based on more stringent standards.”

As expected, Nina is amazing. Books with admission regulations written on them must be very boring and there are a lot of them, but to read them all and memorize the contents.

Maybe Nina is smarter than me?

“Awesome. It’s really great. Nina. Then, can you tell us about the entrance examination process for the martial arts department and the swordsmanship department?”

“Yes, boy. The Royal Academy martial arts and swordsmanship exams are divided into three major categories. The first test is to see if the body is equipped to handle a sword.”

Summarizing what Nina said, the first test seems to evaluate some sort of physical ability.

All weapons, not just swords, increase or decrease in power depending on the user’s physical ability.

It is an obvious truth that a person with superior physical ability can handle a weapon better even if they use the same weapon.

Thus, the Royal Academy side was looking to see if this person had the physical condition to use the weapons handled by the department he applied for without difficulty.

Now that I am a sword expert master, I thought I would pass the first test without incident.

“Okay. Then what is the next test?”

“The second test is to see how well you wield a sword.”

The second test Nina told me about is how well you handle a sword.

As expected, even in this test, I am a sword expert master, and if nothing else, through sparring with my father, I have grown to the point where I can’t lose to anyone when it comes to handling swords.

“So, is this the final exam?”

“Yes, boy. The final test is a separate test for those who used mana in the second test. In fact, it is written that the pass or fail will be determined by the second test, and that the special test will not affect pass or fail.”

Hmm, then it’s safe to say that I passed. It is because he has the ability to use mana, or aura, along with a body that can freely use swordsmanship.

Even if it wasn’t as good as the Sword Master’s Aura Blade, since he could pull out a Sword Aura equivalent to it, he would of course pass the second test.

Then what was left was a separate test for the person who used mana in the second test.

“So, what is the final exam?”

“The final test is to measure the potential of the person who handles mana. In the case of a person with high potential here, the Royal Academy intensively manages them, and in the case of the swordsmanship department, they are said to be eligible to apply for the Imperial Knights in the future.”

I was quite surprised by Nina’s last explanation.

You’re saying you’re eligible to apply for the Imperial Knights?

As far as I know, the Imperial Knights are the knights who serve the emperor closest, so they go through a thorough verification process, not selection, and make an offer to someone who has passed the verification, and if that person accepts the offer, they become the Imperial Knights.

Unsurprisingly, most swordsmen joined the Imperial Knights, because receiving an offer from the Imperial Knights meant that their skills and character were verified.

I could see that the Royal Academy really cares about talented people in that it gives the qualification to ‘apply’ to the Imperial Knights, which can only be entered by offer.

“That’s amazing. Qualifying to apply for the Imperial Knights.”

“Yes. Young master. However, so far only two people have come out with the potential to apply for the Imperial Knights.”

“Really? Who are those two?”

“That is the current leader of the Imperial Knights, His Excellency Barito Encherus, Marquis of Sebatia, and your father, Count Dittorio Harun Meidern.”

I was very surprised by Nina’s explanation.

Because, the Marquis of Sebatia and my father were very close friends.

“And, the current head of the Department of Martial Arts at the Royal Academy is said to be the Marquis of Sebatia.”

“Ha ha ha. Is that so… ….”

I don’t know if I should laugh at this or cry.

My father is a sword master.

And my father’s friend is the leader of the Imperial Knights and a swordsman who looks at the master at the upper level of the sword expert.

And as my father’s son, I am a swordsman with a sword expert master who can become a sword master once he attains enlightenment.

What if the Marquis of Sebatia found out about my status?

‘Oh, you mean Dittorio’s son? That friend raised a son well! Good! You won’t let me roll hard! I’ll roll it properly until I become a sword master!’

Wow, just imagining it is terrifying.

I have to hide my skills somehow.

The moment I get caught, I might be dragged by Marquis Sebatia and start training in hell until I become a sword master.

And then, with your own power, will you graduate early and take me to the Imperial Knights?

No.

You can’t do that.

My colorful and rosy academy life is collapsing!

“Bocchan?”

I have to hide my skills somehow, but are there any good artifacts?

Damn, damn, damn! If I had known this would happen, I would have bought an artifact that hides mana.

“Brother! What are you doing? We are here!”

“Oh, Nina. Sorry. I was doing some thinking.”

It seemed that he had been thinking about how to escape from the Marquis of Sebatia, not knowing that he had arrived.

“I’m sorry. Getting off was a little late because I was lost in thought.”

I got off the carriage and apologized to the driver.

Anyway, it was true that I was wasting his time.

“No. Sir. Please use our Madron Hotel again next time.”

Fortunately, the coachman didn’t care, he left a message promoting the Madron Hotel where he worked, and drove away.

As the carriage pulled away, I turned my head and saw a door decorated with ornate decorations and luxurious patterns.

Beside the door was vertically engraved the words ‘Royal Academy’ in the common language of the continent.

“This is the Royal Academy! Huhu, are you really excited to see what will happen here in the future?”

I walked towards the main gate of the Royal Academy.

“Stop! You cannot enter this place unless you are a student enrolled in the Royal Academy’s Nobility Department!”

As I entered the main gate of the Royal Academy, a guard reached out to stop me.

“Here is your acceptance letter.”

When I handed him the letter of acceptance, he confirmed it.

“Confirmed. Prince Alberto. Welcome to the Royal Academy. The book sign is literature, the sword sign is martial arts, the wand is magic, and the bottle and hammer are practical. Just enter the building with the sign of the department you wish to enter.”

“Huh, thank you. Then… ….”

“Ah, there is a separate building for employees of those entering the school. Let me guide you.”

“Thank you. Bocchan, please do your best.”

“Thanks Nina.”

After the greeting, I parted ways with Nina and walked towards the building with a sign with a sword on it.

There was no separate door at the entrance to the building, and a long hallway was connected.

As I walked down the hallway, a gymnasium appeared.

There were three people standing on top of the gymnasium, each wearing a different outfit.

One was wearing leather armor, the other was wearing the full plate mail worn by normal knights, and the other was wearing armor with golden patterns engraved on it.

“Welcome. A freshman who applied for the Department of Nobility Department. Please tell me your support department.”

A man in golden armor stepped forward and spoke to me.

The academy entrance exam started from now.