chapter 24
Lazy afternoon tea time. I was frowning at the paper on the table. Finally, he sighed, crumpled up the paper, and tossed it into the trash.
“Ah, annoying! Why do I have to write something like this?!”
“You are going through a lot, young master.”
Katyusha puts a new piece of paper on the table. At the top of the paper was written in the most hateful letters: ‘Speech of the Freshman Representative’.
“Katyusha. How did you find someone to write for you?”
“I’ve been calling here and there, but most of them are not confident.”
“Am I the only one who can’t write school speeches? Fools.”
I sighed for the number of times today. Katyusha poured black tea into a teacup.
“Before the speech, it must have been a fulcrum for the prince-nim’s request.”
“On the contrary, shouldn’t you come to ask for something? There is no ambition.”
The speech in the original work was the job of the student council president. Was it a scene that showed the worldview in earnest by explaining the rules of the knight academy? I thought about using it as is, but I couldn’t remember. It wasn’t even a very funny scene.
“Can’t you think of something Mustafa?”
“Because I’m not very good at writing.”
“Because I don’t know how to write. Sorry for not being of any help.”
The two, who said they couldn’t help, seemed strangely relieved. A little bit annoyed
‘Why should I worry about something like this in the first place?’
A little irritation led to anger at the current situation of having to write a speech or something. There were several times of rejection, but ‘the Crown Prince is entering the school and another student is giving a speech as a representative because of the iron-blooded hierarchy… … (Hereafter omitted)’ and asked what to do. I don’t mind the Sangvis hierarchy or whatever.
‘The hierarchy… … . Yes, it’s a hierarchy.’
As I was pouring out curses in my heart, something flashed. I grabbed the pen again and scribbled the speech down on paper.
Where are you going to f*ck me right?
Time passed and two days before the entrance ceremony at the Knights Academy.
“… … Is this big thing really movable?”
“okay. It is much faster than a carriage.”
We stood in front of the first completed train at the station. In the original work, there was a scene where Eugene was barely hanging onto the back of a train, so I thought it would open before the entrance ceremony, and it actually was.
‘The development of science and transportation in this world is a bit erratic.’
The first iron-blooded train was something that seemed to have been made by applying mana or something to a normal steam locomotive. It was a look that was hard to describe, something you would see in a western movie, but also more advanced than that.
‘I wasn’t particularly interested in railroads in the first place. In any case, it must be more comfortable than a carriage.’
I looked around the train and found a quiet Mustafa earlier. Mustafa was staring intently at the train with a look on his face as if he was moved. He had suffered from motion sickness all along, so he was glad that he didn’t have to ride the carriage. I think people who get motion sickness on the train will do it.
“I… … So how can I ride it? Are you going upstairs?”
“It can’t be. Go through the door over there. Come to think of it, did I have a private room for myself? I only supported you a little bit.”
After walking a bit to find a private room that was said to have been prepared, a station attendant immediately spoke to me. Following the guidance of the station attendant, we arrived at a guest room with a large room in its entirety.
“This… … It’s just like a hotel. Are you resting here and moving forward when you start?”
“No, go whole. I just need to rest here.”
“… … That’s awesome. It’s like magic.”
Katyusha was genuinely impressed. Then, he looked around as if he was surprised, saying that he had never thought of such a large thing moving as a whole.
Developed science is indistinguishable from magic. I don’t think this is all that great, but I guess I’m the only one.
“Aren’t you shaken? I just brought the medicine.”
“It’s my first time riding, so I don’t know. You’ll know once you get on it.”
I sat down on the bed. It was surprisingly soft compared to the wagon I used to ride. At least my butt doesn’t seem to hurt.
the train departed
Even if it was faster than a wagon, it wasn’t that fast. The scenery flowing outside the window was very relaxed compared to that of today.
“… … This is the Sangvis technology, it is terrifying.”
“It’s so fast and barely shakes, it’s amazing.”
Staring at the leisurely flow of scenery, Mustafa couldn’t help but admire. Katyusha sat next to her and couldn’t take her eyes off the window.
“The era of flying through the sky on a machine might come soon.”
Seeing that, it became a little funny, so I said it in a teasing way.
“no way. Anyway, wouldn’t that be too much?”
“Then shall we make a bet?”
“… … If the prince asks you to make it, it really looks like it will be made.”
“I’m kidding. It will take at least a few decades to come out. This is enough for now.”
Even so, it is irrational to try to make an airplane. That’s enough for now.
“Ugh… … . I kept looking out the window, and I felt a little sick.”
Katyusha looked out the window with a slightly pale expression. I told him to sit down and rest, got up from the bed he was sitting on, and turned his gaze to the scenery outside the window.
‘I wonder if Eugene is going to knight academy by now.’
Not only Eugene, but also those who would become colleagues in the Revolutionary Army would all be heading to the knight academy.
‘Originally, I wouldn’t have been there in the meantime.’
The beginning of the ‘Knight Academy’, which corresponds to the first part of the Iron Blood Revolution, was not far off.
Knight academy is a knight training institute consisting of a four-year course.
During the four-year training period, the Knight Academy ranks the students in terms of strength, magical power, and intelligence.
And there is no grade retention or expulsion based on grades. At the end of the four-year training period, you graduate with a certificate of each rank without questioning or questioning.
In other words, it can be said that the goal of the students of the Knights Academy is to achieve the highest rank possible within a four-year course and graduate.
Raising the rank is simply taking classes and exams, but with the exception of intellect, it was always considered to secure the minimum basic rank.
The main method used to raise the rank was ‘Challenge for a higher rank’.
That’s why at the knight academy, the challenge continued every day. It was said that just by surviving and graduating, some level of ability was guaranteed.
‘That’s right, it’s a Sangvis system.’
Following the staff’s guidance, I entered the VIP waiting room and looked outside the window at the students preparing for the entrance ceremony.
Excluding the bewildered freshmen, looking at the students of the knight academy neatly dressed in uniforms moving in an orderly manner, it would not be strange to mistake this place for a military base rather than an educational institution.
“… … I’m talking about it now, but to be honest, I don’t have much confidence in doing well.”
“If you do what you normally teach me, there will be no problem.”
I patted the nervous Mustafa on the back and encouraged him. Katyusha said she would prepare a room to stay in advance, so she went downstairs with her luggage, so she wasn’t there.
“thank you. By the way, did you prepare your speech well?”
“You dare to ask such a question after being encouraged.”
I was dumbfounded and sighed. Then he took out the brief outline of the speech he had written in his pocket, looked over it, and put it back into his pocket.
“It’s about pouring out what I want to say in moderation.”
“You look like a prince.”
“I don’t know if it’s a compliment or an insult. If it’s insulting, I’ll punish you later.”
I was joking around with Mustafa to unwind when an employee knocked on the door. I sighed, opened the door, and responded to the call.
I stood on the podium From the nervous freshmen to the skilled upperclassmen, the students of the Knights Academy could be seen at a glance.
The eyes of the students looking at me, the crown prince, were very diverse.
From longing, expectation, and fantasy to suspicion, fear, and contempt.
‘I know roughly what kind of atmosphere it is.’
At least I could be sure it wasn’t friendly to me.
“How much do you guys know about me?”
I started the first sentence of my speech with a question, not a greeting or anything. The already quiet auditorium became silent as if frozen.
“There freshman, anything is fine, so tell me.”
When no one spoke, I pointed my finger at the freshman closest to me and asked.
“Hwa-hwa-hwa, the only child of His Majesty the Emperor!”
The freshman looked around in bewilderment, then closed his eyes tightly and stuttered.
“Good job. Then tell me about the back there.”
“He’s the one who inherited the brain power of lightning strikes!”
“Then next.”
I’ve been asking freshmen about me for a while. And among the students, I pointed my finger at the student who was not very friendly to me and asked.
“… … I heard that you were kept in captivity until recently.”
Bravely, he made a rather radical statement.
“I know you well. next.”
I pointed at a rare female student nearby.
“Now, I heard that he has a brutal personality, De… … . sorry!!”
“That’s an interesting opinion. Does anyone have anything else in mind?”
I smiled and asked again. The students started to mumble.
The orderly atmosphere of the beginning no longer remained, and everyone shared stories about me with the people around them.
The moment when the voice reached its climax——.
Quaang!
I hit the podium. The top of the podium, which must have been made of expensive wood, was distorted to the shape of my palm.
“What you say is true and false.”
I spoke softly to the students who had become quiet in an instant.
“But none of that matters.”
The students all looked at me at the remarks that completely denied the previous question and answer.
“What is the most important thing in Sangvis?”
No answer came back. I sighed and continued.
“Can’t you even answer this? it is strength You don’t need anything but strength to prove yourself.”
I pointed my hand at myself and confidently looked down at the students.
“If you are dissatisfied with the fact that I am the crown prince, if you want my position.”
That’s how I am to all the students at the Knights Academy——.
“Come and try it anytime. I’ll accept it. Is that the Sangvis method?”
Provoked to attack.
This was my freshman representative speech that came after annoyance.
A self-indulgent speech that is nothing more than self-promotion, only to quarrel with all the students in the school.
The old-timers behind the scenes who asked me to give a speech must be in a pitiful state where they can’t even get angry at me, the crown prince, even though they are enraged by now. With that thought in mind, I turned around… … .
“… … It was a good speech.”
“Maybe we have forgotten the Sangvis spirit.”
For some reason, they were applauding in an emotional atmosphere.
“… … ha.”
It was a completely uninteresting reaction that was different from what I expected. I was thinking of blowing some sh*t to the old people who were blushing and squirming. Rather, just like that? Aren’t your sensibilities too twisted?
“I object.”
The moment I sighed and was about to step down from the podium, I heard a clear voice from behind.
“hmm?”
I turned around and looked at the students. The red-haired male student standing in front of them was looking straight at me.
It was a male student who was clearly distinguished from the other students who belonged to the student council in the red uniform of a 4th grader, and among them, wore a sword-shaped medallion on his shoulder, meaning student council president.
“This is the student council president of the Academy of Knights, Proud of the Enma.”
I would have thought that there would be people who use such a self-titled name other than the four characters of the windstorm. Isn’t it embarrassing?
“I think the Crown Prince’s spirit is good. However, our knight academy has its own rules. Violation of that is unacceptable.”
I looked at the kkondaes in the back. Everyone stood firm with their mouths wide open as if they were embarrassed by the behavior of the student council president. I laughed at the unsightly figure I wanted to see.
“okay. good. Let’s listen to some stories.”
Happily, it seems that something is about to happen to relieve the accumulated irritation.