A royal carriage dropped us off inside the main gates of the academy. The ride had taken a good portion of time, pulled by horses to the other end of the kingdom. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but feel relieved at the contents of the assignment.

Edwin was to drop into one of the classes and give a speech about the kingdom’s support towards the liberal arts, magic, and you name it. The headmaster was to meet us after. Then, we were to ride the carriage back to the estate, which marked the end of my working day.

I stood behind the crown prince, walking in stride with him, as he marched our way towards the entrance of the actual building. It was a grand stone-bricked establishment with banners of numerous kingdoms hanging from its arches.

An embassy of political diversity – that’s what Serlon explained it as. That was the cover of it. A fool knew that it could not be freed of such influence because of its location. The concept was for appeal, most likely.

All around us, students paid little notice of our arrival, simply clearing a small pathway for us to slip through. The students carried brown satchels, contents protruding out with quills and scrolls. Young magic users, sword carriers, and those with their heads in books strolled past us.

Groups of students rushed along the pathways, hurriedly rushing to their next class. I only paid little attention to the conversations of those humans closer to this body’s apparent age.

“Professor Rowell gave a pop quiz on hierarchy today!” A female voiced, somewhere in the cluster of teenagers.

“I have a whole list of potions to learn by my next class.” Another student complained. All the conversations fell into similar territory.

Edwin approached the entrance, waving over to the checkpoint officer stationed in front of the welcome arch, who nodded in response.

He slowed his pace, now walking beside me, as he navigated through the crowd. We stopped in front of a large wooden door with a small viewing window, and Edwin knocked peeking through.

From the other side, a man dressed in a blue robe walked over to the door, opened it for the prince, and bowed.

“Crown Prince Edwin. Welcome to my classroom,” The bearded man rose, extending a gesturing hand into the classroom.

I followed, closely eyeing the bearded man, who made note of the sword and crested armor that I wore.

“Please, Professor Rowell. You know that this academy has ridden itself of political affairs. You do not need to bow,” Edwin urged, taking the robed professor by the shoulder.

The professor smiled, “Please allow me, Crown Prince Edwin. Political affairs may not occur here, but my loyalty is always with the sun.”

The Trane Royal Family was often called the sun. This was something that I noticed in my brief time working.

“And to that, I am glad, Professor Rowell.” Edwin reminded him, the two walking up to face a lecture room filled with curious students.

I kept my place, standing by the door, and scanning the crowd for any suspicious students. But all I could make out were the starstruck faces that couldn’t peel their eyes off the Crown Prince.

Politically exempt? Such a task was impossible when the building was located within Trane's walls. The visit from the Crown Prince himself proved that.

Edwin cleared his throat. The room stilled to a silence.

“Greetings, I am Crown Prince Edwin of Trane. As a member of the royal family, I wanted to give the sincerest acknowledgment to all the individuals sitting in this class. Without educated individuals, we humans would never know peace from the fight against the demonic race.” His voice echoed throughout space.

Wow. Okay. I guess we’re going there.

“Professor Rowell was one of my main educators during my time in the academy. I can vouch for his teaching abilities myself. He may give the hardest pop quizzes, but they helped me learn so much,” He lightly chuckled, bringing a smile to Rowell’s face.

A burst of faded laughter sounded from the room of students. I caught a few that only groaned at the statement, obviously not agreeing.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“My visit here pertains to reminding the students of Trane’s academy that you are the future of humanity. I hope that you can utilize all the lessons and memories that you gather here,” Edwin concluded, grandly proclaiming to the room of tired students.

I’ll admit. Although it was surprising, there were times were the Crown Prince acted to his title. The hint of the foolishness of his typical behavior was nowhere to be seen.

Right now – at this moment – He was not Edwin, the human fool – but the future king of the kingdom.

Professor Rowell stepped up, clapping, “Thank you, Crown Prince Edwin. As faculty members, we appreciate the support from the royal family. As always, we’ll open up the session to a handful of questions for the prince. Even though inside these academy walls, political power does not reach, think carefully.”

In other words, the human professor was telling his students to respect Edwin’s title without violating the academy’s rules.

A smart move. Even if the walls of the academy protected you, outside these walls still lay the Kingdom of Trane. In front of the students was the human that would become the next ruler.

Keeping good relations with a powerful figure was proper etiquette, even if they had not known the true foolishness of the prince.

A thief. A daytime kidnapper. A dumbass.

Without hesitation, several hands shot up in the air. Eager students raised their hands to ask the young prince of the kingdom.

The professor pointed at a young girl with spectacles, sitting in the front, “Your Highness. You mentioned that you used to be a student under Professor Rowell. What was your course of study here?”

“Indeed. That’s correct. Professor Rowell had been one of my main educators during my time at the academy,” He explained, wearing a welcoming smile toward the student, “Due to my occupation in life, I studied political affairs and dabbled in war strategies.”

The answer pleased the student, who jotted down notes on a strip of paper.

Professor Rowell pointed at a student in the back, who stood up in his chair to meet Edwin’s eyes.

“Your Highness. Is it true that you have the Dragon troop under your command at the estate?” The young boy shouted, desperate to make his voice heard from the back.

I glanced over at Edwin, curiously waiting for his answer. It was the same story that I had heard from that murderous potion master but hearing it from another solidified the tale further.

We met eyes. Edwin glanced over to my spot against the wall, before turning his attention back to the student.

“Yes. I am honored to have such a troop under my command. This privilege can only be accounted to my late grandfather’s contribution to the war.” He answered humbly, but the student’s curiosity didn’t fizzle so soon.

The boy raised his hand, pointing over to me. I raised my eyebrow.

“Your Highness. Wouldn’t that mean that the guard over by the door is of that same troop?” The student asked.

Soon, I felt the stares of the entire lecture room pinning on me. If I weren’t on duty, that kid would be dead.

Edwin worriedly met my eyes once more, his expression sporting a nervousness that only we both understood. My temper was well-known throughout the estate, at least a little. If anyone knew, it was the Prince himself. I could only credit this trait to the mixture of demonic and draconic blood running through my body.

I couldn’t help myself with outbursts. Luckily, I was trained and experienced well enough to know when to hold back. If anything, I knew how to compose myself in a room of distinguished figures.

So, I only waited for the prince’s response.

“...That is correct. My guard, here, is newly recruited by the lead guard of my protection,” Edwin managed the situation, sounding almost relieved at my lack of backhanded insults.

The insults were there – despite my lack of verbalizing them.

Unaware of the situation, the Professor looked up at me, stepping up to the podium.

Like an ignorant fool, he chimed in, “Your Highness. If you allow it, would your guard be willing to answer a few questions for the students? As you may be aware, some of these students are combat track. They’ll be entering similar fields after graduation.”

Fuck me.

As if asking permission, Edwin glanced over, his gaze lingering for a second longer than it should have.

It was a complicated situation. I just shrugged, sighing as I began my trudge toward the podium.

“...Of course. I’ll allow him to answer a few questions…” Edwin spoke. Professor Rowell stepped down, allowing me to position myself next to the prince.

I directed my glaze amongst the room of young faces. They were the same age as the identity that I was currently maintaining, except that it was apparent of the differentiation of raising.

Besides those that applied with skills recommendations, I was under the impression that most of these humans came from lavish lifestyles. Unlike what Jamie had mentioned previously, I wouldn’t have fit in here.

I say that, but I was a dragon anyway. I don’t exactly “fit in” anywhere when it came to human lands. But it’s not like I was here by choice.

“I’ll take two questions only. I am on duty as the Crown Prince’s escort, which is something that I cannot skip over.” I announced to the crowd.

The same student in the back immediately asked his question, blurting it out without getting called on, “How did you get scouted into the guards at your age? It takes years for applicants to be considered and pass proper examinations!”

Did it? That explained the murmurs around the estate when I was employed at first.

“...I took the military examinations for the combat section with a travel companion. After the tests ended, I was approached by the head guard with an offer.” I answered, “I’m not from the area, so I can’t provide any information about how the qualifications are normally done. For that, I apologize.”

Except, I’m not actually sorry. Why would I? To a human? Pfft.

Finally, the student sat down, I spotted another nearly toppling over the seat in front of them with their hand raised.

“You,” I pointed, “You’ll be the last question that I’ll answer.”

“As someone appointed at the top of the kingdom’s guards, what was your reason to train as hard as you did?” the student asked, a collected silence filled the room, waiting for my answer.

A reason to train? Did I need one? Did I even have one? After all, my only purpose had been to rein in victory for my father’s sake.

Now? Well, now…

“I guess, you could say that it’s the only thing I have ever known. What other reason should I have – if it’s not to fight,” I alleged, pausing to add one final comment, “To answer your question clearly, I suppose I could say that I had no other choice but to live the life that I have.”

I stepped back, elbowing Edwin. My time being questioned was over.

“...Ah. Well, I want to thank my guard for answering questions. The troop’s guidelines are strict, so I’m thankful that you took the time to spark the curiosity of the students. For the students thinking about taking the exams, I’ll look forward to seeing your faces at the opening ceremony. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Your Highness. Everyone that concludes the Crown Prince’s time in this class. Let’s humbly thank him for sacrificing his valuable time for us.” The professor announced, turning to bow to the prince.

“No. Thank you for having me, Professor Rowell. It was a pleasure to talk to everyone today.”