A year and a half has passed.

I gazed out the window. Brother Zach had informed me that Alicia's father was killed. In the end, I couldn't save him. This was bad. It seemed that I couldn't alter the course of events from the novel. At this rate, I would meet my demise at the age of 17 during my second year of high school. I was preparing to attend middle school in the Royal Capital.

I was already familiar with the story's progression from the novels, but the web novels lacked many illustrations. I didn't even know what Claire, the female protagonist, looked like, or how handsome the first prince was. The novels began in high school, but I was bound to encounter the princes and their guards during middle school, right? Ah, I also needed to avoid the princes at all costs. I wondered how I would manage that. The web novel briefly mentioned how the second prince had been sweet-talking Eli since middle school, but that was all the detail provided!

Choose your upgrade

- Vampiric strength

- Stealth

- improved agility lvl 2

Thinking about the differences from the novels, I glanced at my status again. The choices were still there, but additional information had yet to come up. Vampiric strength was out of the question. I had no interest in becoming anything like an assassin. I definitely did not want to be a vampire, what with the whole blood-drinking thing. As for Stealth, it would make me appear even more like an assassin. The only option was improved agility, but I didn't have the stamina to sustain it, rendering it useless. Perhaps I should keep it for when the need arises. I didn't even want to level up this blessing!

"Lady Eli!" Alicia playfully tickled my ear as I was lost in thought.

"Eek! Stop that! It's ticklish!" I shot her a playful glare. She jumped back, startled, but then smiled and moved closer. She had been like this ever since her father's death. Was this teasing? Was it her way of getting back at me for failing to save her father? Was she simply cuddling me out of fear because she had no one else in this world?

Nevertheless, Alicia also joined me in the Royal Academy middle school section. I should take it as her being cordial with me for now. However, I should review our relationship again when she met the heroine. Her father's debt had died with her father. So, with her earnings as a mage drafted by my father and her work as my personal maid, she had more money than she could ever spend now. More than me, even.

Our County Shadowstep had finally overcome its financial struggles, and we were no longer operating at a deficit. However, it would still take a long time to repay our debt to the kingdom. The cheap and unique wood from the northern forest really sealed the deal. Craftsmen were pouring into our county. But we were still in debt; that's why my payment was only a fraction of what I should have received. Neither of us had much need for money aside from our school expenses, so Alicia's wage was essentially treated as a debt from my father.

A rather fancy carriage was prepared for us. Alicia, dressed as a maid, loaded everything onto the carriage before we set off. The journey to the capital would take a week by carriage. Unlike messengers on horseback who could travel straight and camp outside, carriages stopped at villages for rest. They were much slower. We had the option of using a stagecoach, but my father forbade it after the attack. So, this carriage came with four knights on horseback. Ever since the implementation of traps in the northern gate, We had more knights than we knew what to do with. Fewer people got injured, after all.

"Ah! What village is this?" I asked Jim, our driver, with excitement.

However, my excitement didn't last long. There was nothing of note in this village. If I could even call it a village. There were barely five houses here. The places we visited were merely rest stops, so they only had inns. The food was decent, but our mansion's chef was better. Since I had nothing to do, I decided to tease Alicia a little. I looked at her, and she averted her gaze. She couldn't stand my eyes when I unleashed my mana. When my head followed her eyes, she tried to meet my gaze but blushed and looked down. I stopped soon enough; I needed to avoid teasing her too much. I knew how to control myself now. I gave her some chocolate I had brought from home as a bribe and apologized for my early behavior. She merely said that she didn't mind, and I could glare at her as much as I wanted. Her politeness was uncomfortable, but I learned not to fuss about it.

After a boring seven-day trip, we finally arrived in the majestic Royal Capital, marked by lush golden fields and a stone wall. As I entered the academy, everyone's eyes were fixed on me. I had arrived on time, had I? Teachers and students alike were whispering.

"Welcome to Althemer Academy, the finest institution in the Royal Capital," the caretaker greeted us. I tilted my head since I had no recollection of any other academies in our empire. When seeking knowledge, one usually hired a tutor or attended an academy; these were the two main methods of obtaining education in this world.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Hurry up, servant. Do not waste the time of these esteemed mages!" The caretaker, whose name I had just learned was Lilieth, barked at the serfs. The serfs nodded and promptly followed her instructions as they politely collected Alicia's belongings as well.

I noted that up close, mages were often held in the same regard as nobles. Since I was both a mage and a noble, I expected to be honored, but it surprised me that they also bowed to Alicia.

"There's no need for shouting, Miss Lilieth. Just lead us to our room," I replied, but the curious gazes persisted. "We aren't late, are we?"

"Oh, you're certainly not late, Miss Elidranthia. The lessons commence in two days. I heard that you're an exceptional student, as reported by Richard."

"You mean Richard, my older brother? Didn't he graduate from here several years ago? He only finished his high education last year."

"We maintain contact with promising students, dear. As long as you don't make foolish mistakes like Fiona or Alucard, you'll be fine," Lilieth warned me. But Alucard was simply fleeing from unfavorable battles, and Fiona's affair hadn't even been proven yet.

"She is Elidranthia? The bandit slayer? She's smaller than I thought," I overheard whispers in the corridor.

"Sorry for being petite, alright! Who said that?" I grumbled internally as I glared around, searching for the culprit. But everyone was looking at me.

"Don't worry! My mistress is cute!" Alicia suddenly hugged me from behind. Her soft, developing curves enveloped my head. Anger surged within me at the unfairness of the world. We were the same age! How could she have grown up faster than me? She was starting to resemble my sister than my friend!

"Eekk!" Some students scattered when I inadvertently released my intimidating aura. I immediately withdrew all my mana. Thankfully, only a few students had locked eyes with me. After Lilieth, the dormitory manager, took me to our room, she left. She had offered separate rooms for both me and Alicia, but strangely, Alicia had refused. Was she scared of being bullied by other noble kids?

I had some time before school started the next day. When I asked around, it seemed that my reputation had preceded me and was greatly exaggerated. I was already famous in this school since a year ago. They talked about how I had killed hundreds of bandits all by myself. Moreover, there were rumors that I drank the blood of the poor bandits or that I was blessed by a forest monster because I had survived the assault alone. Some even claimed that I had eaten the flesh of my mother and grandfather when I was lost in the forest.

Of course, I denied all those accusations. When I was attacked in the middle of a forest before I turned ten, I had simply hidden in a compartment inside a carriage. I didn't kill hundreds of bandits; there were only a dozen. I never practiced cannibalism of any kind, nor was I blessed by monsters. I did have the Blessing of the Killing Star, but I kept that bit of my personal information a secret. I was relieved I hadn't chosen Vampiric Strength. Now, I found myself contemplating my next choice. Should I opt for Stealth, after all? The constant curious gazes were beginning to get on my nerves.

School started on Monday. The lessons were something I had already learned from books and the math was straightforward for me. In magical studies, Alicia and I were moved to a special class where we could complete the entire magical curriculum in two years instead of the usual three. Apparently, the fundamental lessons of magic, taught by Alex, lasted for a year in this school. It was more challenging for students with less than level 6 talent to learn magic.

In this accelerated class, the second prince of the empire, Ludwin Seraphim, was present. It didn't take me long to recognize him since he was always referred to as His Highness, the Second Prince of the Empire. So, he was a mage, too? When I looked around, fewer mages were present than I had hoped, with less than 30 people in this class.

"Hey, Eli! You're mages from the frontier, right? Have you killed monsters?" some students asked me. This was it! This was what I had been dreaming about—chatting with friends at school. The topic was a little concerning, as I didn't want to be seen as a murderous kid, but since this was a fantasy setting, I guessed it couldn't be helped.

"Of course. We've killed monsters before. Mages fired their spells from the top of the gate while the knights held them back!" Alicia stole my thunder.

"I see. Well, did you know about the phone magic tools that have been employed by the wind mages recently? I heard they were going to make something that can be used even by commoners!"

"Why do you still use knights? My house is currently training archers with mobile magical cannons. Knights are outdated nowadays. We could imbue a feystone inside a tube. Even a commoner could use it!" Another piece of gossip reached our ears. I agreed. Since I'd read the webnovels, I knew for a fact that they were talking about flintlocks but with magic feystones. The knights who used it would be named Magic Archer Knights, not musketeers. The days when knights swung swords would soon be over.

The lesson didn't interest me much. I hadn't come to this world to become some genius scientist or the greatest OP hero. I was here to make friends. I'd already marked a few people I wanted to befriend. There was Safira, a water mage girl with a talent level 7, and Nana, a fellow dark mage girl with a talent level 6. They seemed like kind girls. The other girls rejected me, either because they had patrons with their own lords, like Alicia, or simply didn't like me because I was just the fifth child of a count.

Ever since the dawn of magic tools, dark mages were no longer outcasted. In fact, the government protected them almost as well as others because they were valuable in the police force for interrogating criminals, and they tended to be better at charging feystones. Did I want to join the police or the Secret Service? The answer was no. The only other occupation available was an entertainer or a feystone battery.

"Alicia, how many have you killed? How much were you paid at Shadowstep?"

"Damn it! Let me kill some monsters in your territory! I'm so jealous of fire mages!"

Unlike me, who only had two friends, Alicia seemed more famous. Almost all the students, and even the second prince, greeted her. But why?