Academy (4)

At the time, the Velos Academy cadet selection examinations were being broadcast live.

"...Why are there so many documents and records about the Eastern Continent?"

The professors who had not participated in the selection examinations were astonished as they looked through the Empire's information on the Eastern Continent.

"If we combine the information the Empire already possesses with the newly added information on the Eastern Continent, it seems we could conduct all sorts of research."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! The quality of these materials is almost excessive!"

Aside from the scholars who had previously conducted research in the Empire.

The professors newly selected through this academy faculty appointment examination were in a state of tremendous excitement.

The documents and records the Empire already possessed were already beyond belief.

But now that they had been combined with information from the Eastern Continent, it was impossible not to be dazzled.

"Every single document has even been treated with preservation magic, raising its durability to an extreme level...."

"Haha, for the Empire, that is only natural."

"Amazing. Truly...."

The professors who had been born in the Empire looked fondly at the newly appointed professors, but they were also astonished.

'Are you saying this level isn't standard in other countries?'

'They must have studied in a terribly impoverished environment.'

'They'll get used to it soon enough.'

What kind of environment did other countries conduct academic research in, anyway?

While the new professors kept exclaiming, "The Empire is different,"

"Some of this information is the sort of thing one would think only royalty possessed. It was truly passed down for generations... and they tried not to release it anywhere...."

One of the new professors unconsciously blurted out his candid thoughts while looking through the Eastern Continent materials.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I've been to the Eastern Continent a few times, and starting with the Kingdom of Taewon..."

The new professor who had voiced his thoughts tried to continue speaking, but

"...."

a sudden thought that crossed his mind made him clamp his mouth shut.

The Empire had abducted the royalty of the Eastern Continent on a large scale not long ago.

The whereabouts of those royals were still unknown.

It was not as though the abductions themselves were unproblematic, since Taewon had declared war first.

But it was strange that not a single rumor about what had happened to them after their abduction had circulated within the Empire.

It felt like seeing a house that had been cleaned far too thoroughly.

'What on earth did the Empire do with those royals it abducted?'

Information treated as classified throughout the Eastern Continent had begun pouring out the moment the royals were abducted.

Could this really be a coincidence? It absolutely could not be.

But.

"Professor Edlin, doesn't it make the atmosphere awkward when you stop halfway through your sentence? You should finish what you were saying."

"Ah! Ahaha! I-I was just saying... that the materials the Empire possesses were things I had only heard about secondhand when I traveled to the Eastern Continent in the past... something like that!"

"I see."

Professor Edlin had enough tact not to say that thought aloud.

The Empire had somehow brought back every bit of information about the Eastern Continent.

It was a problem in itself to entertain strange thoughts at this point.

Taewon had been the one to declare war, and the Empire had merely responded to that declaration in an exceedingly gentlemanly manner.

'I'm an imperial citizen now too... Perhaps it's because I come from a weak country, but even things like this frighten me.'

Perhaps it was because he was still unfamiliar with living as a member of a great power.

Professor Edlin smiled awkwardly and resumed sorting the materials.

"The three rounds of the Velos Academy cadet selection examination are now complete. We can consider the comprehensive evaluation finished. All that remains is the fourth-round assessment of specialized knowledge and the fifth-round in-depth interviews."

Meanwhile, the cadet selection examinations proceeded steadily.

Just how many extraordinary rough diamonds would be selected for Velos Academy's inaugural class?

As the professors wondered about that.

"...No, this problem is way too difficult."

"Even if it only covers theory... this makes no sense."

"The Empire's magitech engineering knowledge is really at this level? This is supposed to be basic?"

The cadets who had applied for the academic track were solving the examination problems with gloomy expressions.

The level of the questions was excessively high.

At the extreme, there were even prospective cadets who learned new theories by looking at the examples in the questions.

The Empire's baseline general knowledge was beyond imagination.

Did they really intend to select cadets at all?

While they were beginning to wonder that.

Tap.

"I'm finished, but may I put my head down?"

"...I-I finished too, so... may I put my head down? I don't want to be suspected of cheating...."

Geniuses began appearing one after another.

+++++

[ Numerous talented individuals have begun showing off their presence. ]

[ Geniuses have begun gathering at Velos Academy. ]

[ They will compete with and encourage one another, becoming even brighter stars. ]

[ Talented individuals are astonished by the Empire's standards. ]

[ Those talented in martial arts are appalled by the level of the Empire's knights. ]

[ Those talented in academics are astonished to learn the level of the Empire's basic general knowledge. ]

[ Geniuses believe they are exceptional, but do not think they are capable of surpassing the Empire. ]

[ Geniuses are less likely to cause trouble. They have realized that they are frogs in a well. ]

"The messages never stop."

The Velos Academy cadet selection examination lasted about a week,

and its goal was to thoroughly analyze the prospective cadets' levels and potential during that period.

Under the order to select genuine talent, even if it resulted in zero successful applicants,

the painstaking process of separating the gems from the stones continued throughout the week.

And the results were now appearing through the system messages.

"I wish we had built several academies, so we could keep the talented applicants who failed to become members of the inaugural class from going to other countries."

"Do you mean we should divide them by level?"

"Yes, that would be better. I hadn't thought of that."

If I had known so many people would flock to the academy, I should have built several of them in advance.

Since we had been spending such busy days, shortcomings only became apparent once we got into the finer details.

But.

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, Wand Number One! I, Theo, anticipated something like this and finished selecting sites in advance... and even completed the foundation work at those locations."

"You even completed the foundation work?"

"Yes, that's right. To be precise, there was some unused land... I wasn't planning to use it for an academy, but I thought something new might be built there someday, so I pulled out a few wands and put them to work separately."

"If the foundation work is already finished... then putting the giants, dwarves, and beastmen to work... along with the elves... should produce another academy in no time."

"Precisely."

Theo had provided flawless support in this area.

'We'll need at least three more academies. There are simply too many applicants... We can't send them to other countries.'

Now that talent had gathered, we needed to make active use of it.

To that end, the most important thing was preventing a talent drain.

"With so many young talents gathered, we should provide as many conveniences as possible to keep them from leaving the Empire."

"We won't even need to provide them. After spending a few days in the Empire, they'll realize how absurdly different it is from other countries. And if we offer them additional conveniences? It will be all over but the shouting."

Everyone who took the Velos Academy examination received an examinee pass, regardless of whether they passed.

This pass allowed them to use various facilities throughout the Empire at low prices for a very short period.

And the moment the prospective cadets used it, they would find it impossible to leave the Empire.

"On a hot summer day, the moment they experience the comfort of cooling magic operating in an inn... they'll never be able to return to another country."

"I agree."

"The trains let them travel all over the Empire with an unbelievable level of convenience, too. They will never leave the Empire, Your Highness!"

It was a moment when all the plans were falling perfectly into place.

And with everything in that state, time passed quickly.

About a week after all the examinations had ended.

"A ceremonial address feels awkward, though."

"If Your Highness does not give it, who else could? The cadets would be delighted if the Empire's Little Sun offered them a few words of encouragement."

The day of the entrance ceremony drew near.

'It's strange to think that so many people are lined up just to see me.'

I was used to standing at the front when a battle began.

But standing up to give an address on the day of the academy entrance ceremony felt awkward.

I never imagined I would be the one giving a principal's words of wisdom.

'I suppose I can finish quickly.'

++++++

After the extremely eventful entrance examinations came to an end,

roughly a thousand cadets of Velos Academy's inaugural class gathered in orderly rows before the plaza.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is coming out in person."

"...I hear he's unbelievably handsome."

"I can't even imagine how strong he must be."

"To think we get to see the Empire's Little Sun with our own eyes. This is truly incredible."

The cadets were incredibly excited.

Passing the examination was already cause for celebration, but the Crown Prince was coming in person to encourage them as well.

It was a succession of happy moments, enough to make them wonder whether they were truly allowed to enjoy such luxury.

Murmur, murmur.

The Crown Prince had yet to appear in the plaza.

The cadets maintained their orderly formation while voicing their various feelings,

and as a result, the plaza quickly became noisy and bustling.

And at that very moment.

"You all seem happy, so it's nice to see."

The Crown Prince appeared before the podium without a sound or announcement, gave a faint smile, and casually remarked,

"...."

The atmosphere died instantly, as though someone had poured cold water over it.

The Crown Prince had said it purely because he found the sight pleasant.

'He's saying that if this much is enough to make us happy, we aren't qualified to be cadets.'

'He's terrifying. So terrifying.'

'Is that person really human like the rest of us? Even with his power restricted to the extreme... how can someone with such an impassable wall separating him from us exist?'

'His Highness the Crown Prince must dislike noise. Let's keep our mouths shut and stay still.'

The moment they saw the Crown Prince's aura, all the cadets were frightened as though they had made a pact among themselves.

From his red eyes to the way he seemed to be suppressing an obviously powerful presence.

The moment they saw it, even the cadets who were renowned as the best of the best instantly lost all their nerve.

The confidence and arrogance they had built up as members of Velos Academy's inaugural class collapsed in an instant.

Of course, the Crown Prince had no idea what was going through the cadets' minds.

[ The academy story has begun in earnest. ]

[ All the characters required for the main story are present within Velos Academy. ]

[ You have been granted the perk for founding an academy. ]

[ The perk 'Fortuitous Encounter Sensor' has been granted. It detects signs of fortuitous encounters within the academy faster than anyone else. ]

'Good.'

I smiled inwardly as I watched the new system messages appear.

At the same time, I turned my gaze toward a certain place.

'I hope there are plenty of good mods related to the academy.'

I believed the possibility of demonification occurring in earnest while Mirne was attending the academy was extremely low.

'I need to get everything I can out of this.'

During that time, I needed to thoroughly exploit every fortuitous encounter at Velos Academy.