ALL NOVEL 175 – The Beautiful Girl of the Academy
Chapter 175 - The Beautiful Girl of the Academy
After class, we headed to the cafeteria. I had to split up from Chloe, who went to fetch Kinue.
"You seem to be pretty popular, Edmund," I commented.
"Ah, Nathan, you're mistaken, my friend. I just follow the good old rule of being friendly with everyone," he replied with a smile.
Friend?
As we walked down the corridor, several people waved at Edmund, greeting him warmly.
"I have this dream of forming my own special squad of knights one day, to impress my old man."
I noticed that while some people greeted us, others avoided eye contact the moment they saw me walking beside Edmund.
Am I scary? I’m trying to be friendly...
"Why do people avoid looking at me?" I asked, confused.
"Are you kidding, haha?" Edmund burst into laughter, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I didn’t get it.
Edmund seemed to pick up on my confusion by the look on my face.
"Let’s just say, my friend, that you’ve been blessed with your appearance. Notice it's mostly the girls who look away. I’m good-looking too, not going to be modest about that. But you..." He gave me a once-over and then looked straight ahead. "You're on another level. But I make up for that with charm, and it works. You should try it one day; you'd have girls swarming you."
I glanced down at Cylla, the cat, who was staring up at me with narrowed eyes.
I’d definitely be in trouble if I tried that...
"Better not," I responded.
Edmund chuckled again.
"Once you’ve been here long enough, when the social barriers drop, you’ll see people start to approach you more."
"Is there really such a strong social divide between high nobles and common nobles?" I asked.
I had never paid much attention to it before.
"Of course there is. We’re nobles of ancient lineage. Our families have been stewards of these lands long before the Founding Empire even existed. The other nobles became politicians, but we were born into this. They have to fight to maintain their positions as barons, counts, and so on. We, high nobles, will never lose our standing, and we’re far more talented in magic than most."
There are two kinds of nobility: political nobility and nobility by wealth. Edmund was talking about the political kind. Some families are privileged to hold lands and have tended to them for generations, while my family rules over an entire territory, with everyone in it serving as our vassals. To put it simply, high nobles are like kings and queens, while the lower nobility occupy ranks beneath us. Even though Aunt Margie is a Duchess in all three kingdoms, she’s regarded as a queen in our territory.
I’ve never really cared much about who’s noble or common.
"By the way, I made friends with a student from another class who mentioned the Student Council. They’re planning to visit us during one of our combat lessons soon. I bet they’ll try to recruit us," Edmund explained.
"It has its perks, making friends with people from other classes," I noted.
"The recruitment will be different from what the headmistress did. We’re soldiers of Apsalon Academy, but the council will try to recruit us to serve in the kingdom’s army. I heard they even train students who are interested."
Apsalon Academy was the perfect place for military recruitment. Everyone here had exceptional magical talent. Serving in the kingdom’s army wasn’t mandatory, but a voluntary service. It only became obligatory during major crises, but fortunately, we lived in peaceful times.
"I'm thinking about accepting their offer, but only if it's for a special team. There's no way I'm starting out as a Recruit Knight," Edmund said.
"Is there any real benefit to starting training with them now?" I asked.
Edmund paused for a moment, considering.
"When we graduate from the academy, we automatically receive the rank of Recruit Knight, which takes most mage soldiers years to achieve, and for many, it's the highest promotion they ever get. If they’re offering us a position now, it means we’ll be entering with a higher rank than just Recruit Knight. Especially if we get into the Asalon Knights team, we could be promoted by the end of our studies," he explained.
I remembered my time in the army.
Climbing from soldier to general was a real struggle, especially under the training of Professor Ares. That God of War had an insane training regimen.
I glanced down at my uniform and let out a small laugh.
If Ares saw the fine clothes the students of this military academy wear... he'd probably kill everyone.
We arrived at the cafeteria and grabbed our food.
“Nate! Today I want fish,” Cylla said.
As my familiar, Cylla had the right to a meal, but she always liked to ask for different things.
“I think you’re getting old, my friend, haha,” Edmund teased.
“Old?”
“You’ve got a long white strand in your hair.”
Damn it...
I just played it off with a laugh as we headed toward a table and sat down. My hair had grown a bit, and the longer strands were starting to stand out.
"I'm glad we're finally getting released from the confinement period today, and we'll be able to spend the weekend at our house in the city," Edmund commented.
The academy allowed students with homes in the city to spend the weekends with their families. However, during the week, there was a strict curfew. The academy had a rigorous military regime, and we weren't allowed out on weekdays, especially since, as we progressed through the years, we'd have nighttime activities.
“Is your family staying in the city too?” I asked.
"Just the servants and my stepmother. I tried to visit them during the week, but our district is too far away, and it wasn’t worth the trip.”
I found his words a bit odd.
“Stepmother? Did your mother... pass away?”
"Of course not," he laughed. "My father just has a few wives."
"I see."
Who in their right mind would want more than one wife? One must be more than enough work.
I glanced at the cat, happily munching on her fish next to me.
I still have a soul wife...
"I'm thinking of training this afternoon before heading out. Want to spar with me? I’ve been curious to fight you ever since I saw you take on Professor Beatrix."
Just as I was about to answer, I noticed the students around us whispering, many casting glances in a specific direction.
“No way…” Edmund murmured.
“What is it?” I asked, trying to see what he was looking at.
“One of the most beautiful girls in the academy just entered the cafeteria. Even the princesses of our kingdom don’t usually eat here. Their servants, who also study at the academy, usually prepare their meals for them.”
It’s true. I almost never see the princesses outside of class. Syvis is the only one I’ve ever seen eating here.
Edmund tracked her every move with his gaze, clearly captivated. I wasn’t nearly as interested, partly because my view was partially blocked by a pillar, but also because of another reason...
A certain cat was glaring at me.
Cylla had her eyes on everything, and I could feel the weight of her jealous stare.
“She’s coming this way. Looks like she’ll sit at a table near us. I’ll start a conversation. Let me show you how it’s done, my friend. We’ve got these good looks; might as well use them,” Edmund said confidently.
He's saying all this with Cylla right here... this guy's insane.
I stroked the cat, trying to keep the peace.
She knows it’s him talking, right? Not me.
“Oh! She’s coming to our table,” Edmund said, nudging me with his elbow.
The girl was getting closer, but I still couldn’t quite make out who it was.
“Excuse me, may I sit here?”
As soon as I saw who it was, I felt a wave of relief.
“Of course, Kinue,” I replied.
She took a seat, and I internally sighed, grateful to have dodged the jealous gaze of a certain dragon.
Cylla, realizing it was just Kinue, resumed her meal, calm once again.