“Phew…”
Yuri let out a sigh.
He was standing at the entrance ceremony of the academy.
“How did it come to this…?”
It had been some time since he arrived in the empire. Somehow, circumstances had forced him to enroll in the academy. Though he was a hero of the Allied Forces, here he was, just a first-year student.
Closing his eyes, he lamented his fate. From a short distance away, a guy shot him a fierce glare.
That was probably his rival.
In another direction, a pretty female student yawned.
She looked like a comrade who would share the hardships ahead.
Before he knew it, the principal’s speech was over.
The students moved to their assigned classrooms. Strangely, Yuri was placed in the class with the lowest aptitude.
He chose a seat somewhere in the middle, hoping not to stand out.
Suddenly, a clear, beautiful voice came from behind.
“Move, will you? I can’t see the board because of you.”
Turning around, Yuri recognized the face.
His eyes widened.
“Huh? What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?”
She frowned delicately.
“Stop talking nonsense and move.”
Yuri stared at her face.
Every feature fit perfectly into that small face. He was once familiar with her, but seeing her again like this, her beauty was almost unreal.
“Ekaterina.”
“You know me?”
She tilted her head, curiosity flickering across her annoyed expression.
Yuri realized.
“This is a damn dream.”
“A dream?”
“Yeah, a dream.”
He was wandering through the world of dreams.
“Since it’s a dream, I’ll do whatever I want.”
Yuri jumped up from his seat and glared at Ekaterina.
“I never thought you’d betray me. You’re really cruel, Yena.”
He called her by a nickname without thinking.
“What nonsense…”
“You bad…”
Yuri wanted to slap Ekaterina’s cheek but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he gathered strength in his finger and flicked her forehead.
It was a prank they often played. But this time, unlike before, he meant it.
He flicked so hard that Ekaterina’s head was torn off.
“Huh?”
He hadn’t intended to kill her, but when her head came off, Yuri froze.
The classmates sitting around all turned to look at him.
They all had the same face.
“Murderer.”
“Murderer.”
“Murderer.”
“Murderer.”
Countless voices echoed as if they were one.
Yuri covered his ears. The echoes were so loud they hurt.
Ekaterina’s headless body began to shake violently.
Then suddenly, a black snake shot out from the severed neck.
“Gasp!”
Yuri jolted awake.
Sitting up, he saw Jared collapsed on the floor, clutching his chin.
Was it a dream?
He recalled what had just happened.
The black snake lunged at him, but Yuri, like a seasoned knight, calmly struck its jaws.
He thought he had hit it well, but when he opened his eyes, he was back in reality.
Muttering the words he hadn’t finished in his sleep, he said,
“Too slow.”
Jared looked at him, bewildered.
“Your Highness?”
“Ah, Jared. That wasn’t meant for you.”
“Who punches while waking up?”
“Someone attacked me in a dream.”
Yuri got up.
His mood was unsettled, probably because of the strange dream. Overall, he felt off.
Was it the alcohol from last night? Or the weird dream?
Thinking it over again, the absurdity hit him once more.
“After all that trouble, suddenly enrolling in the academy….”
It made no sense.
He should have woken up right at the academy entrance ceremony part.
He was truly glad it was just a dream.
“Jared, sorry for hitting you, even if it was unintentional.”
“I accept your apology.”
“Let me tell you about the dream…”
“Oh, by the way, Your Highness, aren’t you going to the academy today?”
“What?”
Yuri looked at him in surprise.
“Why do you ask? You’re definitely going to the academy today, right?”
“Oh, yeah. That’s right.”
Yuri breathed a sigh of relief.
“So that’s why I had such a ridiculous dream.”
He had been invited as a special guest lecturer at the academy.
There was some connection through placing Gote in a rehabilitation clinic, and since he was currently the most prominent figure on the continent, the academy wanted him to give a lecture.
Yuri was more than happy to accept.
“Finally, I’ll get to see that guy’s face.”
“That guy?”
“Edran.”
“Oh…”
The one who sold drugs to Gote and secretly hired Famia.
At first, Yuri had planned to kidnap him, but Edran always brought his family’s guards, probably afraid of Yuri’s retaliation. So they never had a private meeting.
But at the academy, no guards were allowed.
Yuri planned to take this opportunity to have a quiet talk with him.
“While I’m at it, I’ll check on the foreign students from Briole.”
Since they were struggling abroad, it was only right for the prince to acknowledge their efforts.
If they changed their minds and naturalized into the empire, it would be a national loss.
“My jaw hurts.”
“Bear with it.”
Yuri stood up.
“I overslept. We should leave immediately.”
“Yes. Sir Roland has already prepared everything.”
“Well done.”
After washing up, Yuri put on clean clothes. As always, he strapped Guilty to his waist and left the Duforia Hotel.
The carriage was waiting.
Apparently, arrangements had been made, as the coachman greeted Yuri politely.
“I will take you to the academy.”
The carriage swiftly reached its destination.
The academy stood tall in the middle of a vast estate, resembling a fortress.
Through the windows, students could be seen attending classes, and outside on the training grounds, students practiced swordsmanship.
Their level wasn’t bad.
“So this is where I’ll be lecturing.”
Yuri paid the fare and entered.
The tuition was expensive, but the interior was luxurious.
Carpets lined the hallways, and portraits of famous alumni adorned the walls.
The principal came out to greet him.
“Your Highness, thank you for accepting our invitation.”
“And you are?”
“I’m Peter, the principal of the academy.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Peter was renowned not for swordsmanship or magic, but as a scholar. Though he didn’t exude a commanding presence, his round eyes behind glasses were sharp and alert.
“I never thought you’d actually come. The swordsmanship students are especially looking forward to your lecture.”
“Swordsmanship department…”
Yuri thought of Gote, whom he had hospitalized, and Dale, who had lured him to the Duforia Hotel—both from the swordsmanship department.
He couldn’t imagine Dale learning swordsmanship at all.
Curious, Yuri asked,
“Do students get expelled if their skills are really poor?”
“No, not at all. They just continue training in the lower-level classes.”
“I see…”
“Why do you ask?”
“I once saw a student in the swordsmanship department who was so weak, it was hard to believe he was learning swordsmanship.”
“Hahaha…”
The principal laughed.
“I can’t say there aren’t such students. They’re poor kids pushed into it by their families.”
“Understandable.”
“Shall we head to the lecture hall?”
The principal led the way upstairs.
On the third floor, they passed through a large door into a vast auditorium. The audience seats stretched all the way up to the ceiling, surrounding the central stage.
Yuri nodded.
“Spacious.”
“Yes. All students from every department are expected to attend.”
“Will everyone fit?”
“Absolutely.”
Yuri smiled.
“When does the lecture start?”
“After the current class ends, we’ll gather here. There’s a waiting room over there. Would you like a private space to rest?”
“No, I’ll stay here.”
“Understood. Other lecturers will be arriving soon.”
“How many in total?”
“Two others.”
“Got it.”
Behind the stage was a spacious room for lecturers to rest.
As soon as he sat down, Yuri confessed,
“There’s a problem.”
“What is it?”
“I haven’t decided what to talk about.”
“Excuse me?”
“What should I do?”
“Then why did you accept?”
“You have to come here first before I can kill or beat Edran.”
“You accepted the lecture for that reason? Your Highness…”
Jared chuckled dryly. Then Roland, standing nearby, gave serious advice.
“Just talk about your experiences in the Allied Forces, mix in some lessons, and make it sound like you found deep meaning. Treat it like life advice.”
“That’s a good idea. Roland’s surprisingly cynical.”
“Oh, no. Just trying to help Your Highness…”
At that moment, a commotion arose outside. It sounded like staff talking to someone, then the door opened.
“Why do I have to give a lecture here?”
“Please understand. You already accepted…”
“I told you I won’t do it.”
“Sorry, but it’s too late to cancel now…”
“I said I’m not doing it. Is there a problem?”
“No, sir.”
A mage in robes entered.
He looked to be in his forties, and his stern personality was evident in his appearance.
His brow was furrowed, and when he complained, wrinkles spread across his forehead.
“How much do you think they’ll understand my lecture…”
Then his eyes landed on Yuri.
He narrowed one eye.
“Who are those kids?”
“They seem to be the other lecturers…”
“The academy has really gone downhill.”
Yuri tilted his head.
Since the interview in the Monthly Empire, he hadn’t been involved in such disputes.
Was there really someone in the capital who didn’t recognize the face that had graced newspapers and magazines?
Jared whispered.
“Looks like your eyesight isn’t so great.”
“Oh, really?”
“You keep squinting every time you speak. It’s because you can’t see properly.”
“I just thought you were making a sour face because you’re grumpy.”
“That’s true too. You’re both hard to look at and bad-tempered.”
At that, the wizard snapped angrily.
“What are you whispering about?”
A man standing beside him nervously approached Yuri.
“Um, the wizard is… not in the best mood right now.”
As he spoke, his eyes widened when he saw Yuri.
“Huh? Prince Yuri Briol?”
“That’s me.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect the prince himself to be the guest speaker. It’s an honor to meet you. I really enjoyed your interview.”
“Thank you.”
The wizard narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on Yuri.
Yuri turned to the man.
“Why doesn’t he wear glasses?”
“He’s pretty stubborn…”
“Hey, you!”
“Yes?”
“Come here.”
After realizing who Yuri was, the wizard seemed to decide to just ignore him. Instead of complaining loudly, he sat down and started pestering the man beside him.
The man just lowered his head and answered quietly.
Yuri patted Jared on the shoulder.
“You should count yourself lucky to have a good boss.”
“Yes…”
Yuri sat with Laurent and Jared, chatting about the lecture, while the wizard grumbled alone in the corner.
Jared whispered, “I asked one of the Academy staff earlier. Apparently, he’s famous in the capital. He’s a human from the Mage Tower’s imperial branch, but his students keep dying.”
“Is he skilled?”
“Just about expert level. Rumor has it his lectures are boring. But he loves giving them—always bragging about himself.”
Jared chuckled quietly as he spoke.
As they talked, a commotion started outside. The sound of many footsteps echoed through the building. It seemed the Academy students were taking their seats one by one.
Soon, the dean entered the waiting room. As the door opened, murmurs filled the air.
“Today, we have two speakers scheduled. Now, the first will be…”
Yuri raised his hand. He wanted to finish his lecture first and then spend some quality time with Edran afterward.
But the wizard raised his hand too.
“I’ll go first.”
“But I raised my hand first.”
“Does that really matter?”
“Then what does?”
Yuri stood up, and the wizard flinched slightly.
The dean stepped in to mediate.
“Ha ha, please don’t argue. I’ll just flip a coin to decide…”
After the coin toss, the wizard was chosen to go first.
With a flourish, the wizard flicked his robe and strode confidently to the podium.
Yuri’s eyebrows twitched. He stood up.
“Prince, what are you doing?”
“Curious.”
Yuri said, “I want to see what that wizard has to say. Want to come along?”
“Sure.”
Yuri left the waiting room with Laurent and Jared.
In an instant, all eyes in the lecture hall turned toward Yuri.
The wizard’s face twisted in displeasure as he stood on the stage.