For the rest of the day, Klarion and his escorts had made their way down the dirt road in the direction of Thorn’s Reach. While the road was nothing like those that were back in the city he had grown up in on Earth, it still made for an easier journey than traveling through the forest. Despite the faster pace they were setting, however, the fight against the Forest and Night Goblins had delayed them to the point they would arrive at the settlement with the gates already shut for the night. Rather than wait outside the walls, Alesin said they would stop alongside the road at a place she and Rolfun had camped at when they had begun heading to the location where Klarion was due to appear.
For Klarion their impending arrival at Thorn’s Reach was both a source of excitement and dread. He was more than a little bit curious to get a sense of what the Empire was really like. Part of it was also the fact he was growing tired of the simple trail rations and stews that Alesin had been making for them at night. They were good, and he had said as much to his sun elf escort, but he would give anything for a good sandwich. The prospect of other kinds of food had occupied him during the last hour of their journey. Though he had to admit to himself, part of the reason he had sunk him thoughts into imagining what kinds of food there would be at Thorn’s Reach was to avoid thinking about what he was dreading.
That soon he would be leaving Alesin and Rolfun behind to enter a world that he was only barely beginning to understand. His escorts, his friends, had already been making it clear how abnormal he was. Combined with his apparently high rank, which he still had no real concept of, the potential he supposedly had would quickly set him apart as not only someone who could grow into an asset to the Empire, but also a target for the other nobility around him. And he would be going into that situation blind, with only himself to rely on, as Alesin and Rolfun would be parting ways with him once their escort mission was complete. So he thought about food instead.
Some hours later, they finally came across the site that Alesin had mentioned. A small stream lay between the forest and cleared area alongside the road. Indicating that they had arrived, Rolfun began unpacking their tents, while Alesin moved about preparing a fire to cook dinner. Apparently stew again.
“Do you need help with anything?”
Both Alesin and Rolfun paused in their work to smile at each other before turning to him.
“That is kind of you to ask, Klarion,” Rolfun said, clearing the ground of sticks and rocks for the two tents to be set up. “But this your last night out here in the wilds. You should just enjoy it while we set up.”
“It is nice to travel with a young lord who doesn’t demand everything, however,” Alesin chimed in, attention focused on setting up a firepit. “Just relax for a few. We have a bit of a different lesson for you tonight.”
Nodding, Klarion found a spot to sit down out of the way. Trying to follow their advice, he directed his attention at the forest that surrounded the road. It was just as dense as what they had been traveling through to this point, but it seemed almost a bit more peaceful. Probably because of how close it was to Thorn’s Reach and the garrison it held.
Soft birdcalls came from within the trees, the birds themselves seeming to be just out of sight. The wind blew gently, the trees swaying in the late afternoon light. Raising his eyes, Klarion gazed up at unfamiliar stars. A completely different view from what he had experienced back on Earth, the sky was beginning to fill with pinpricks of light far in excess of what had been viewable from Volksturm. It was an enjoyable view, but he once again thought about exactly how far he was from home and those he cared about. His family. His friends. Were they already frantically searching for him after his abrupt disappearance?
Those thoughts kept him occupied until Alesin called him over to join her and Rolfun for dinner. Pulling his eyes from the stars above, he pushed himself up and walked over. It was stew again, just like he had guessed before. He took the offered bowl and began to eat.
“There won’t be any sparring tonight,” Rolfun said, about to start on his second bowl of the stew. “No practice with Alesin either. We have something more important to talk to you about. Your last set of lessons.”
Klarion swallowed a mouthful of his stew. “On what topic?”
“If I may be blunt?” Alesin asked. At Klarion’s nod, she continued. “While we have been doing our best to prepare you as best we can to survive the violence that you might face in the Imperial Academy, that won’t be enough by itself for you to survive. You need to know how to behave like a noble as well.”
“Something that you are really bad at,” Rolfun added with a laugh. “Though we have appreciated how easy this escort mission has been. So thank you for that.”
“Not a problem,” he said with a smile of his own. He put his bowl down. “So I’m guessing tonight you are going to share with me some tips on how to better pass as one of them?”
“One of you, Klarion,” Alesin corrected him gently, setting aside her own empty bowl. “You are a noble, though you don’t feel like one in truth yet. Knowing you,” she gave a fond smile, “that will take time. But you should still have a general idea of how it all works and the expectations of you. Which is what we will be covering tonight.”
In the hours before it was time to get some sleep, Alesin and Rolfun took it in turns to tell him everything that they thought he would need to know about the nobility of the Empire in the hopes of better preparing him for the years ahead. Alesin began by explaining that the nobility, contrary to how they were on Earth, were not just figureheads byt served real roles in the Empire, be it in the military, government, or economy. She emphasized that every noble, regardless of rank, was expected to pledge loyalty to the Emperor, uphold the values of the Empire, and to contribute in some way to its security and, if possible, its expansion. Rolfun had then added that the power to accomplish this came from personal strength, alliances, and ruthless pragmatism.
“Make no mistake, Klarion,” Rolfun said leaning forward, casting his long shadow of him. “If you don’t learn how to fight, and fight well, they will tear you apart. You need to understand that no one is going to come to help you. Your family is too busy against too many threats to keep more than a cursory watch over you, and the Academy instructors are solely responsible for teaching, not intervening in conflicts between the students. The System might give you strength, but you will need to earn every scrap of power on your own. If you don’t, chances are you will just end up another dead noble.”
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When Klarion had pushed for further details, all that the half-ogre had said was that he would learn more as a student of the Imperial Academy. While Rolfun had refused to elaborate, from Earth’s own history Klarion already had an idea of what he meant. In the past, the kingdoms and empires of Earth had often been plagued by corruption and abuses of power, infighting raging unchecked by authority in many cases. Of course, when the more modern systems of governance had begun to emerge, it had just been different people engaging in corruption and abuses.
Klarion had then asked how he should navigate the Imperial Academy, Alesin had taken back over the conversation, launching into a presentation of social etiquette and the game of politics. Given their own lack of rank, Alesin and Rolfun only knew the proper behaviors and expectations for their own positions in society and the military of House Blacksword, but they did reassure Klarion that he would be taught everything he needed to know while at the Imperial Academy. While they were not able to teach him themselves, they did take pains to emphasize that any class focusing on these things should take priority until he grew confident in how he was to interact with others.
Klarion could already see it now. When he would need to bow; to whom he was to salute; how to navigate conversations without giving offense; and how to drink tea with the proper finger extended. There was a different finger that he had in mind for that. He was not looking forward to it. But he would do what he needed to do in order to survive.
Alesin had pulled him out of his musings by stressing that appearance was also extremely important in the Empire. Even the lowest of nobility was expected to maintain dignity and control in their interactions with others. Showing emotion, even in response to danger or insults, would be seen as a weakness. While Klarion nodded along, he couldn’t suppress a mental wince. This was one area he already knew he was going to mess up. He had never been very good at concealing his emotions.
Their explanation of the game of politics was something he could understand a bit better. Not that he had much experience in it himself. Rolfun once again gave advice that was more cynical in nature than what Alesin was telling him. Both pushed for the importance of forging alliances, but the half-ogre warned him that most interactions with the nobility would be transactional. Friendships were rare, and even trusted allies could turn on him if they had opportunities for personal gain.
“Klarion,” Alesin added, trying to drive the importance of what they were sharing home to him, “the Imperial Academy is not just a school. It is the first arena that you will be in that alliances might be made or destroyed, where the powerful will prey on the weak. It will be the first part of a world where House Blacksword’s enemies will see you as a target.”
That had quickly led to another, uncomfortable part of the lesson. Apparently, worse still for Klarion was the situation that House Blacksword itself was in. While neither Alesin nor Rolfun provided much in the way of detail, reading between the lines, Klarion could tell that the high noble house to which he belonged had become weak as a result of extended conflicts with a number of opponents, both inside and outside of the Empire’s ranks. The Empire was full of families vying for dominance, and the state of weakness in House Blacksword had continued to attract foes seeking to bring it low. Klarion knew he would need to be careful with whom he associated with, and guard his back in all circumstances. He would need to work quickly to build a reputation of strength, otherwise his weakness would attract predators among the nobility.
Even that might not be enough.
According to Alesin, enemies during his time in the Imperial Academy would come in many forms. Noble rivals, assassins, and even disgruntled commoners who say an opening to act. They both said that he would likely have no problems with this latter group, but regardless, by being a noble, he would be a target for the others. Great.
“So, at the end of the day, my chances of survival are very low…”
“No,” Rolfun shook his head, “so long as you take your classes seriously and get some bodyguards, you should be ok.”
“Bodyguards?”
“This is another topic we don’t know much about,” Alesin responded, looking over at her husband who was still shaking his head. “All we know is that all nobles who attend the Imperial Academy graduate with at least a few bodyguards that they attained while there. You will likely be able to do so as well.”
Having bodyguards, while completely outside his personal experiences, was something he was aware the rich and famous used regularly back on Earth. Given his childhood experiences of constantly being surrounded by doctors and nurses while he had been struggling to survive in the hospital, the prospect of people constantly being around him, shadowing his every move, did not make him uncomfortable like it might others on Earth. No, the concern he had about bodyguards was that he would have more people reliant on him, and that responsibility weighed heavily on him.
Too bad he couldn’t simply become a doctor like he had wanted.
When he voiced concerns about the responsibility to Alesin and Rolfun, they hadn’t had any sympathy for him.
“You will have to quickly grow used to it,” Rolfun said, crossing his arms. “As a scion of House Blacksword, regardless of whatever rank you eventually ascend to, you will have authority over commoners and lesser nobles both. You will be expected to act as such at some point. Part of that means you will have lands, and people, that answer to you first.”
Seeing that Rolfun’s words were only starting to stress him out more, Alesin quickly added, “But that is a ways off yet. What you should focus on right now is gaining all the knowledge, strength, and levels you can to prepare for that day.”
“That is what it comes down to then, right?” Klarion asked. “The Imperial Academy is where I will sink or swim, so to speak.”
“It is,” Alesin agreed. “Your time there is where you will establish a foundation for your future.” She gave a small smile of reassurance. “But since you are already aiming to get strong enough to save you family and friends back on Earth when the Integration comes there, you were already planning on giving your best anyway.”
“Right.”
“That being said,” Alesin continued, “you might also consider hiring private tutors once you gain enough funds to do so. Extra training might give you an edge over any enemies you might develop in your time at the Imperial Academy.”
“Well, that was the core of what we wanted to talk to you about. Do you have any more questions?”
“So very many questions,” Klarion said with a laugh. “But nothing I think we can go over tonight. I’d rather simply enjoy the company of friends before the big day tomorrow.”
They both smiled again.
“We can do that,” Rolfun said.
“So, I have been a bit curious,” Klarion said, changing topics. “How did the both of you meet?”
Rolfun blushed heavily, his grey cheeks turning a bright crimson. Alesin laughed hard, glancing at her husband’s reaction to Klarion’s question.
“The first time I saw Rolfun, he was wearing a bright orange and blue dress, wrestling a boar in one of the House Blacksword training pits, while some of his fellow trainees were yelling something about a hairy kiss.”
Klarion froze, shock on his face. “What?”
“I don’t think the young lord needs to hea—”
“What happened next?” Klarion was quick to ask, cutting Rolfun off.
“Well, right as it looked like Rolfun was about to get the upper hand, two other trainees came rushing over to the pit, a pot filled with what I later learned to be melted butter raised high over their heads. They poured it all over Rolfun and the boar and then…”