"Please look forward to the eighth volume of Seventh!"
That was the advertisement!
The season is spring.
The elementary school entrance ceremony was much more subdued than I had imagined.
I had heard that there were many noble children gathered from all over the empire.
So, I thought they would hold a grand entrance ceremony in a building that could accommodate tens of thousands of people. However, they divided the students into different ranks and held separate ceremonies for each group.
---That's why it was so subdued.
The first school building I was supposed to attend is a prestigious one, even among elementary schools.
It's worth the large donation we made, and I'm being treated well right from the start.
"Money really is everything in this world, isn't it?"
The man who scolded me for my muttering was probably from a family that also made a large donation. He is Kurt, the heir of the Exner Baron family.
"Reiam, be quiet or you'll get in trouble."
"You're as serious as ever."
Kurt, who trained with me at the Reizer Viscount's house, is the same age as me, so we're in the same grade.
He aims to be a serious but corrupt lord, a cerebral type who thinks about how to squeeze as much as possible from his subjects.
He also has a license in the major sword technique called Aaren Swordsmanship.
He has a good face and is tall.
He had grown even taller over the years.
He looks like a good young man, but inside, he's a villain—quite an interesting guy.
I look around.
"Still, everyone here seems so important."
Looking around, everyone seems wealthy.
Kurt says it's natural.
"Getting into the first school building is impressive in itself. There are many students who can't get in here, no matter how much they want to, because of things like tradition and talent."
Entering here with the power of money, I must be a pretty bad guy, right?
But so what? In this world, you can usually get what you want if you have money.
In the midst of this, my eyes are drawn to a girl.
"Hey, a real-life blonde with a straight bob."
There was a girl with long blonde hair styled in a straight bob.
She had a straight back, giving off the impression of a young lady.
Her blue eyes were slanted, her face was small, her lips were fresh, and she had a strong personality.
For her age, her chest was quite large, and I can expect more in the future.
Her waist was slim and well-toned, and she had a good figure.
She had the right curves in the right places.
"She's a duke's daughter, isn't she?"
"A duke?"
"Yeah, she's famous, don't you know? Rosetta Sere Claudia. She's from a family of female lords, but I don't know much more than that."
There are so many noble families in this world.
In the empire, dukes are branches of the royal family, but there are a lot of them.
I can't remember all of them, but I knew her name.
"Claudia—now I remember the name."
"A family that can have a woman as the head, and she's their only daughter."
"An only daughter, huh?"
Being an only child is very dangerous in this world.
Why?
Because if you die, your bloodline can easily be cut off.
Of course, if your parents are still alive, they can have more children, but being an only child is still dangerous.
"If so, she's probably the second most important person here, right? The first is that guy, isn't it?"
I shift my gaze, and there's a man with straight, long blue hair.
He looks like a typical noble prince.
His name is Wallace—the 120th prince of the empire.
---On the other hand, he comes from a family with too many children.
120th? What is that?
The duke has an only daughter, and the prince has at least 120 siblings.
There's no way you need that many.
It's not my business, so I won't comment on it.
But, to have such important people gathered here.
The effect of the large donation is already showing, and that's a good thing.
The problem is that I can't bring servants from home.
I'm starting to feel homesick for Tensho.
The second school building.
This is the building for students who receive special treatment.
It's separate from the other buildings, almost like a quarantine area.
In the student dormitory near the second school building, a welcome party for the new students was being held.
But---
"Good, dance more!"
"Bring more drinks!"
"Hahaha!"
---They were calling in prostitutes to dance and being served by the servants they brought from home.
Luxurious food and drinks were lined up on the tables.
The new and old students were drinking, eating, and making a lot of noise.
The central figure was Derrick Sera Berkeley, a third-year student at the elementary school.
He had brown hair, a flashy outfit, and an unhealthy complexion.
He was thin, with only his belly sticking out.
He was drinking like he was taking a bath.
"Hey, you first-year brats! Follow me, and I'll make your life good."
Derrick, like Reiam, is the head of a noble family, a baron of a border province.
But he had a lot of money.
After all, he's a member of the Berkeley family.
Reiam, who is also a noble, is a pirate hunter, while Derrick is known as a pirate noble.
"Derrick, you're the best!"
"I'll follow you for life!"
"Cheers to Derrick!"
When the first-year students responded, Derrick drank happily.
"Still, it's pitiful how poor these guys are. They can't even come to the second school building and have to study seriously at the elementary school."
He was mocking the idea of studying at the elementary school.
The second school building is where students who have paid large donations and receive special treatment are crammed in.
Forcing them to be educated with other students would cause too many problems, which is why the empire is dealing with it this way.
One of Derrick's followers reports on the new students.
"Derrick, I heard that Reiam is in the first year."
"Huh? Who?"
"Reiam. You don't know him?"
Derrick, annoyed by the follower's words, hit him on the head with a wine bottle.
The bottle broke, and wine and blood splattered everywhere.
"Who do you think you're talking to like that! Hey, beat this guy up. He's our next play target."
He was bullying under the guise of "play."
The student who was targeted clung to Derrick's leg, crying.
"S-Sorry, Derrick! Please forgive me!"
"Shut up!"
Kicking the student, Derrick sat down on the sofa, panting.
When the student was taken away, the room suddenly became quiet.
While the servants were cleaning up the broken wine bottle, Derrick looked dissatisfied.
"This is boring. Hey, tell me about that Reiam."
"Y-Yes!"
In the midst of the music, only the voice of the student explaining could be heard.
"He's Reiam of the Vanfield Earl. He's known as a pirate hunter for defeating famous pirates like Gorez."
Derrick raised an eyebrow.
"A pirate hunter? Is he my enemy?"
To Derrick, who was called a pirate noble, Reiam, who was known as a pirate hunter, was only an enemy.
Another student tried to please Derrick.
"N-No! He's not your enemy, Derrick!"
Derrick laughed.
"Right! He's just a country noble getting ahead of himself."
Then Derrick remembered.
"By the way—His Highness is also enrolled this year, right?"
"Yes! Prince Wallace is enrolled!"
Derrick smiled slyly.
(If I can make that guy kneel before me, it would be quite fun.)
Derrick thought this year's first-year students would be fun to play with, considering his disrespectful thoughts towards the royal family.
In the classroom of the first school building.
The entrance ceremony was over, and it was now homeroom time.
"I'm John, your teacher from today! Call me Mr. John!"
Standing at the podium was Mr. John, who looked more like a drill sergeant.
Isn't my teacher clearly not suitable for special treatment?
As I was wondering that---
"Hey, you there!"
"Me?"
The blue-haired prince, Wallace, stood up.
Looking closely, he was wearing something like a piercing.
"What's that decoration in your ear?"
"This? I bought it in town before the entrance ceremony. It suits me, doesn't it?"
The prince gave a completely foolish answer.
The head maid had warned him, but he seemed to be a problem child.
"Wallace, this is a place where you learn the basics of being a noble. Do you really think such accessories are necessary?"
"Huh?"
The prince looked around---nobody else was wearing anything like a piercing, but many were dressed in ways that made you want to shake your head.
There was a male student named Tom with a tornado hairstyle, and you had to wonder if he was sane.
It was frustrating just to look at him.
However, Mr. John didn't say anything to him.
---Perhaps it's the power of money?
The head maid had said that by the time you get to the 120th prince, their value is questionable.
Honestly, there are still a lot of princes and princesses, aren't there?
There are so many that they don't seem to be valued much.
"Wallace, 100 push-ups."
"Wait! It's just an accessory! Besides, I'm---"
"I know. You're a prince. But you should understand that you're expected to behave appropriately as a member of the royal family. 100 push-ups!"
Is this military-style education?
However, he doesn't say anything to me.
He doesn't say anything about Tom's hairstyle either.
---Money is truly great.
"This is wrong!"
Mr. John was cold to Wallace, who complained while doing push-ups.
"You're the one who's wrong. What do you think this elementary school is? Now, let's continue the homeroom. First, I have something to tell you. This is not your home. Life in the dormitory is a communal one. You are expected to take care of yourself."
Everyone looks unhappy---but this is a world with fully automatic washing machines.
They are far superior to those in my previous life, washing, drying, and even ironing your clothes.
You just put them in and take them out.
In such a situation, being told to do everything yourself isn't really that strict.
"No whining will be tolerated here. What we expect from you is to become a noble worthy of the next generation of the empire."
You can't become a proper noble with just this.
Is this the level of the elementary school?
"During homeroom, I will teach you the basics of life here. Irregular living is not allowed here. You should be prepared for that."
Living a regular life---are we in elementary school?
But, it might be a bit difficult for the people here.
"First---"
However, I was surprised by what Mr. John said next.
The life at the elementary school I imagined was---different.
Wallace Noa Alberight is a prince of the empire.
But---he is just one of hundreds of princes.
When Wallace returned to the dormitory, he collapsed on his bed, feeling sore all over.
"Everyone is making fun of me."
When you're a prince like Wallace, who is treated as just one of the crowd, you don't have any backing.
If your mother is a great noble or if you have a single-digit succession rank, you still have a chance.
Up to the thirties, you might still have some backing.
But for the rest---anyone in the hundreds and beyond is treated roughly.
Wallace himself doesn't have much awareness of being a prince.
After all, he has only met his father, the emperor, a few times.
Even in the harem, he was treated as just one of the crowd.
"Still, the elementary school is a much harder place than I thought. I feel like giving up."
Wallace has received education, but the elementary school is still strict.
A few days after the entrance ceremony.
Wallace, who caught Mr. John's attention, was being scolded for everything he did.
"Getting up at five in the morning is ridiculous."
After getting up, he had morning training and had to be ready for school by seven.
His schedule was packed from morning to night, and he was exhausted when he returned.
Most of all, the martial arts training was tough.
He was learning the basic martial arts of the empire, but even for Wallace, who knew Aaren Swordsmanship, the content was challenging.
"---Can I achieve my goal in such an environment?"
Wallace has a dream.
It is---to become independent and free.
For that---
"I can't give up. I will---definitely succeed in flirting here!"