The day after, Joshua had assumed his roommates would be bombarding him with questions; but, to his surprise, the two of them were quiet. You might even call it peaceful.
Icarus was deep in his thoughts yesterday and only returned around midnight. Agareth, too, walked out with a shocked expression and didnât show his face until the next morning. Joshua didnât get a chance to bring up the bet, even as a joke.
However, I have no intention of continuing this charade. Joshua sneered.
Right now, Joshua was in a rather spartan room: it contained a desk, a chair, a bookcase, and nothing else. Instructor Kane had called Joshua into his study before classes.
âAsh pen Frederick. What is your true identity?â Seeing Joshua stay silent, Kane continued. âItâs best to look through the student roster and other records. The Frederick estate, in the countryside, is now owned by Viscount Hookâitâs the âHook estateâ now. It says here that Viscount Frederick suffered financial troubles and barely kept his noble status. Five years ago, he sold his entire estate to Viscount Hook.â
Kane had probably pulled this information from the âImperial Nobility Listâ. In certain libraries, a list of Imperial aristocrats were available to everyone who needed themâespecially members of the Imperial family. Naturally, it took note of where a family lived.
That said, it didnât go into detail; the risk of the information being exploited by an enemy was too great. Despite the scarce information, Kane had managed to deduce quite a lot.
âThe son of the illustrious Sten family was felled in a single strike, by the son of a fallen noble nobody even knew the name of. Even I couldnât see what you did, or how you did it.â Kaneâs experience with swordsmanship extended far beyond the sphere of a B-Class Knight. His sword was known for forcing his peers to fold beneath its crushing weight.
âYour identity makes less sense the more I think about it. Viscount Frederick, the head of your family, vanished ages ago; regardless, he was not a well-known Martial Artist. He doesnât have any reputation for swordsmanship or spearmanship anywhere on the continent.â
Kane stared at Joshua with narrowed eyes.
âIâll ask you once again. Who are you?â
âI am⌠Ash pen Frederick.â
Kane bit back a retort and the two spent a long moment in silence.
âSometimes, high-ranking nobles or royals from neighboring countries enroll in the Academy with hidden identities.â Kaneâs eyes probed Joshua for a reaction, but Joshuaâs expression was unchanging.
âAsh pen Frederick.â
âYes.â
âTo be honest, I donât give a damn what you think. This situation doesnât sit well with me. Even as a sparring session between students, it still involves the Sten family. This could have ended much worse. Belittling the Sten swordsmanship in front of the noble children is an entirely separate issue.â
âI take full responsibility.â
Kane gave him a questioning look.
âIâll carry it all.â
âYou say youâre gonna take full responsibilityâŚâ Kane smiled bitterly. âThere was a guy who felt the same as you, last year. Shimizu kun Douglas was his name.â
âDouglasâŚâ The familiar name made Joshua tilt his head.
âThe most important thing to remember is that this isnât a problem you can address on your own. Even among students of the same rank, thereâs hierarchy and cliques. You shouldnât be surprisedâfamily is everything here.
âAmaru comes from the Sten family, and that placed him in certain circles before he even arrived at the Academy. They will see this as a challenge.â Kane looked Joshua straight in the eyes. âDo you understand what Iâm saying?
âFrom now on, those children will bully children from humble households. That means you. Theyâre afraid of what you did to Amaru and theyâll worry that theyâre nextââ
âI only have one question,â Joshua interrupted. âSplitting the students into âsocial classesâ, disregarding the abuse and intimidation taking place behind closed doorsâis this what a teacher, an adult, does?
âI donât think thereâs anything left to learn from a teacher like you.â Joshua got to his feet. âIf you leave it alone because youâre afraid of the immediate consequences, their behavior never stops. Ever.â
âAsh pen Frederick.â Kane addressed Joshuaâs departing back. âYou know, thereâs a lot of things that are impossible to change, no matter how hard you try.â
âThereâs no such thing as âimpossible.â Not trying is for cowardsâand I assure you, I am not one.â Joshua seized the doorknob.
âUnless you intend to do something at the AcademyâŚâ Joshua halted in the doorframe as Kane spoke. âIf all you want is to complete the compulsory education, then I would advise you to take an easier route. You can join the Imperial Knights, itâs the same as mandatory education. With your strength, the admission test will be easy.â
Then I wonât have to waste six years here once Iâve figured out Brontoâs new power. Even if he skipped grades, his stay at the Academy would be four years at minimum. On the other hand, the Imperial Knights were bound to serve for ten years. Kaiserâs proposal was long goneâJoshuaâs pride would not allow anything else.
Of course, itâs not like thatâs the only method. Joshua recalled the letter heâd sent Kaiser the day before he left the Duchy and chuckled to himself.
He often sneered when he thought about Kaiser.
âWhat do you think?â Kane pressed on, assuming that Joshua was thinking it over. âEven if youâre already enrolled in the Academy, you should be able to pass the exam with just a little effort.â
âI have no desire to squander my time in a place like this.â
Kaneâs face brightened. âThenââ
âBut. I have no wish to flee like that. Iâm not afraid of anything. Excuse me.â Joshua bowed his head slightly and walked out the door.
Kane stared at the empty doorway.
âIâm a cowardâŚâ Kane stared at the warm sunlight streaming through the window. âWould you agree, Shimizu?â
âThe warp gate is so useful.â The man who just exited the warp gate took a look around. âItâs been a long time, Arcadia! Ah⌠Actually, itâs been a couple of years.â
âHic!â A young man dressed in a brown wizardâs robe hiccuped, drawing the manâs attention.
This is insane. Shawn, the young wizard in charge of the warp gate, snorted to himself and looked away. He was amazed by what he was seeing.
The Magic Tower controls all the warp gates on the continent. It was one of the Towerâs most important assets, and it certainly enforced the Magic Towerâs influence on the continent. Avalonâs knights were just as cautious of the wizards as the wizards were cautious about them.
Shawn was struck by a wave of dizziness and had to clamp his mouth shut to stop himself from swearing. In the deep shadows of the travelerâs blue robe, a little lightning-bolt pattern shone through.
Thatâs Steropesâs pattern. Who is this manâŚ? Could it be the one heâd heard so many stories about? The idea was enough to make his body tremble.