Chapter 28: Classes

Mary nodded and sat right next to him before speaking up.

“I’m sorry for Dennis’ earlier remark. He doesn’t know how hard for a talentless commoner to enter Knight Academy. Don’t take his words seriously.”

The corner of his lips twitched.

‘She doesn’t hold back at all.’

Raven simply shook his head and answered.

“I’m not even bothered by his words. After all, there is some truth in his words, too.”

“It’s good that you understand, Raven. Many commoners in our Class think they are highly talented just because they have some wealth.” Mary muttered and soon stood up.

"If you need any help, you can come and ask me anytime.”

Saying so, she moved towards the front bench to sit along with her friends.

On the other hand, Raven quietly sat on his seat and observed the classroom.

Some kids remained in their seats quietly like him, while a few already started getting along with each other and even formed groups.

A few minutes later, an elderly man in his seventies entered the classroom and introduced himself as a Teacher of Tactical Warfare.

For the next two hours, he taught them the basics geography of Darkcross Town and even introduced tactics during battles.

The second Class was called ‘Chivalry and Honor.’ The one who taught this Class was a middle-aged man in his formal black attire named William. He explained about the Knight’s rules, courtesy, loyalty towards the lord, and so on. He even told the knights how they should act when meeting a noble and how they should walk, and even went on about how they keep their gazes low.

Then, it was a lunch break.

Once the break was over, Raven saw Teacher Elizabeth entering the classroom and stood up to greet her.

Other students also followed his movement and greeted her.

““Good afternoon, ma’am!””

“Good afternoon, students.” Elizabeth nodded with a smile while looking at the students and sat on the wooden chair placed in the front.

At that moment, two 13 to 15-year-old young girls entered the classroom and carried a bunch of notebooks in their hands.

“These are?” Elizabeth asked with a frown.

“Professor Reid asked us to place them here, ma’am.” One of the young girls responded.

“Oh? Leave them on the table.”

After hearing Elizabeth’s words, they placed the notebooks on the iron table and hurriedly left.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth quietly observed everyone and spoke.

“Sit down.”

Saying so, she took a large notebook from her leather bag and started flipping the pages before talking.

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Elizabeth, as you can see; I’m not from the Empire. But I’ve been staying here for quite a long time and am eligible enough to take classes about Etiquette.”

“Before going into detail about this ‘Etiquette’ Class, can someone tell me how many types are there?”

Mary instantly raised her right hand and volunteered herself.

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“Oh, I’m expecting some good answers from the Noble Lady of this Class. Go on, Mary. Tell us something.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Mary nodded her head and answered.

“Etiquette is about how someone should behave in social gatherings, banquets, and parties, and also how to greet, introduce, and even converse. Sometimes, even the language slang will show one’s social Etiquette.”

“Oh? Not bad!” Elizabeth commented with a nod and slowly turned her attention towards another student.

She patiently asked everyone’s opinion on Etiquette and finally focused her attention on Raven.

“What do you think, Raven?”

Raven nodded his head before standing up and started to answer.

“Etiquette isn’t only about social Etiquette, ma’am. There are various types like dining etiquette, communication etiquette, business etiquette, travel etiquette, cultural Etiquette, and so on. My sister once said that even completely learning about dining etiquette took her six months. So, I think we will be learning all these etiquettes in detail during the next five years.”

“Hmm, you did your homework correctly. But I’m not only here to teach you guys about basic etiquette but also how to interact with a Nobleman and even Royals. For example, when you enter the circle of nobles, you should not only show courteously, politeness, and honesty but also show cunningness and cautiousness. Knights like you are a Noble’s pride and strength. Your every action will affect the lord you will be serving, so you guys must listen to my classes attentively and become true Noble knights at the end of the fifth year. Yes, a Noble knight, not some wandering knight who knows nothing about Etiquette but only fighting.” Elizabeth said calmly.

At that moment, a small kid named Dante became curious about something and asked.

“Teacher, does that mean we have to choose to serve a Noble Lord once five years over?"

“Not you guys, but the Noble Lords will be the ones doing the choosing. And you can indeed choose not to serve any lord, but that might backfire a bit. After all, I heard that Nobles are prideful people and hold grudges, too.” Elizabeth’s words made his face go pale.

For the next two hours, Elizabeth explained a lot about Nobles and Etiquette and ended the Class.

As soon as Elizabeth left the Class, a blonde-haired young man, around 25 years old, walked into the classroom. He was a bit muscular, had sharp azure eyes and a round face, and appeared to be around 175 cm tall. Unlike the other teachers, he wore a casual brown shirt and pants and also held a wooden sword in his hand.

Once he entered the classroom, all of them stopped chatting and looked at him in nervousness.

“I’m Reid Hooper. I’ll be your Knight Training Instructor for the next five years and will be responsible for all the basic disciplines, too. Don’t be too stiff.” While speaking, he walked towards the iron table, picked up the bunch of notebooks, and started distributing them.

“The one I’m giving you right now is the ‘Basic Knight Training Manual.’ My first mission to everyone in this classroom is to study this ‘Basic Knight Training Manuel’ and form a circle in your heart at the end of the second year. Of course, I’ll be helping you in detail about what this training manual is, how it works, and so on. But even geniuses will take more than a year to achieve the first circle. I heard that even the Mysterious Sword Princess took a total of four years to reach Third-Circle Apprentice Knight, so all of you must work harder.”

At that moment, Raven raised his hand and asked.

“How does this training manual help increase our Knight level, sir? Will it be able to increase our physical strength?”

Reid raised his eyebrows and soon nodded.

“Good question. This training manual allows you to create a ‘mana circle’ within your heart. I’ll give you a detailed explanation about how to create a mana circle later. Anyway, once you create a mana circle, you’ll be able to gather mana from the surrounding air and store it within your heart region. Although it won’t increase your physical strength in the beginning, you won’t be fatigued easily and will have an easy time controlling your breath and movements. The more you increase your circles within your heart, the more extraordinary you will become.” He paused for a moment and soon asked.

“Any more questions?”

At that moment, a black-haired young girl raised her hand and asked.

“How many circles do I need to create to become an Official Knight, sir?”

“Apprentice Knight, Official Knight, and Elite Knight, all these three come under a single rank called ‘Mortal Knight.’ As long as you create a single circle within your heart, you will be considered an Apprentice Knight. To become an Official Knight, you must create four mana circles in your heart. But advancing from an Apprentice Knight to an Official Knight is not an easy matter. Some of them take years or even decades to achieve that stage.” Reid paused for a moment to gather everyone’s attention and soon asked.

“Does anyone of you know the main reason for this?”

“Affinity?” Raven responded.

“Affinity indeed plays a crucial role in one’s advancement, but there is something else too.” Reid picked up the distributed Knight Technique manual from the front desk and continued.

"It’s the rank of the Knight technique. Take this basic Knight technique as an example. You can only improve up to Third-Circle Apprentice Knight using this technique and might need even a decade to reach the third circle. It is the lowest technique called the common rank knight technique. The next one is called Uncommon, then Rare, and so on. The higher the rank your Knight technique has, the progress of your advancement will become higher. That’s why most of the graduated knights choose to serve a High-Rank Noble Household rather than stay in a rural place."

For the remaining Class, Reid patiently listened to every student’s question and answered them one by one.

By the time the Class ended, Raven noticed it was already evening!

At the same time, the long school day also came to an end.