A week quickly passed and it was time for the Academy Orientation.
Lazarus had been discharged a few days after Investigator Mercy visited him. However, since he fainted right after his Integration Ceremony, and had never been his residence before, he had to be shown the way by a few Academy Guards.
No doubt, these people were ordered to keep a close eye on him.
However, Lazarus didn’t mind.
His residence was just like everyone else’s in the Academy. It was a one-room lodging with a bathroom attached to it. This residence stood at the fringe of the Academy grounds, within the Outer Court.
It was also only a temporary measure until the Orientation.
Once that was over and the students advanced to Squire, they would officially be recognized and brought into the Middle Court, where their respective residences were.
At that point, they would be separated into different Wings based on their Sub-Integration.
In essence, Talents had better accommodation compared to the untalented.
The Middle Court also contained all kinds of facilities and leisure centers for its students, allowing even those in different Wings to mix together and socialize—though, practically speaking, that would rarely be the case.
As for the Inner Court, it was where classes would be held.
The Staff Quarters also existed there.
After a several days of being monitored in his one-room temporary lodging, Lazarus was finally left by himself on the day of the Orientation.
He, alongside everyone else, made it to the Grand Hall within the Outer Court.
It was the largest building and also the closest one to the Middle Court. It directly linked to their residences, so once they were done with this session, they would be transported to what would likely be their various homes for the next three years.
The interior of the hall was majestic, lined with brilliant gold and shimmering lights.
Everything appeared clean and resplendent.
Rows of seats waited for the students, each of them choosing positions that they preferred.
There were three segments of arranged seats—right, left, and center.
Although the seating arrangement wasn’t defined, a certain trend was quickly established within the hall. Those with higher talents chose the front row seats, while the less talented found themselves pushed to the back of the vast hall.
Thus, a handsome boy with deep purple hair and a fierce smile sat at the forefront. His position was at the middle segment.
A beautiful but gloomy girl with ashen white hair and pitch-black irises also chose the left segment at the forefront. Finally, a brilliant girl with short yellow hair and a bright smile, did the same for the right segment.
The moment these two took their seats, no one else chose the front row.
Why would they?
During the Integration Ceremony, these three scored the highest.
They had the greatest talents of all!
In fact, the other students chose to sit a few rows behind them, establishing the pecking order right away. Once this hierarchy was established, it would be difficult to get rid of.
Soon, the last of the young men and women trickled into the room. There were already over a hundred of them present.
One in particular slowly made it to the front of the hall.
He had pitch-black hair and crimson eyes. His face was slightly pale, but he didn’t appear sickly by any means. With a handsome face and a youthful gait, he crossed the threshold that the other students had established and also made it to the front row seats.
After some thought, he chose the right segment and sat at seat on the fringe.
The moment he did this, the hall fell into silence.
Everyone gave him an absurd look.
’What the hell is he doing?!’
’Doesn’t he know who those three are?’
’Why is he choosing such a seat with his level of talent? Who does he think he his?!’
These thoughts coursed through the minds of the audience.
They could not believe the audacity of this young man who was, of course, Lazarus.
’How repulsive. So elitism has reached this extent?’ He pretended to be oblivious to the many stares and glares he received, but Lazarus secretly scoffed inside.
It wasn’t that inequality or classism didn’t exist in his era.
Of course, it did.
As long as humans existed, they would find a way to divide themselves into all kinds of factors like race, social class, financial capability, and much more.
In Lazarus’ era, there were also many signs of prejudice, even in the Academy. However, the Historian system only worked based on functionality. Prejudice was based on competence. In essence, actual value and not percieved value.
Yes, talents were taken better care of.
Even Lazarus felt that this was only natural.
However, beyond that, students were never placed above each other until they ’earned’ such a placement. This drove competitiveness among the people and ensured there was motivation to climb higher in the pecking order.
Thus, that discrimination was good. It served a certain goal.
This, on the other hand, was pointless.
’Why would students automatically ascribe seats of honor to more talented people? No tests have been taken to prove competence, yet it seems everyone has accepted their fates,’ Lazarus shook his head as he thought about this. ’It shows these people have no fundamental idea about what it means to be a Historian.’
Naturally, since they were merely Aspirants a few weeks ago, Lazarus didn’t blame them.
’But what are the grown-ups doing? Why aren’t they correcting this behavior?’ He silently groaned, deeply suspecting that even they supported such behavior.
However, such a thing was counterproductive.
’If everyone can so easily accept their place in the Academy, what is the essence of competition? It is only natural for certain people to be better than others at the start, but as long as the weaker party is not discouraged and is instead challenged, there is a possibility of overtaking the strong.’
This sort of thing never made sense.
Not to Lazarus.
If victory was always determined by the strongest, then why was there any need for a fight?
If superiority always went to the smartest, then why were there exams?
’Life is naturally chaotic. Just because you have weak talent doesn’t mean you will remain weak forever. If you work hard and have fortuitous encounters, it is possible to overtake those who have gone ahead of you.’ With this in mind, Lazarus shook off the stares on him and closed his eyes, recalling a few moment in his past life.
He didn’t bother checking the expressions of the three who sat in the front row with him.
The girl to the left completely ignored him, her cold demeanor only growing deeper as she stared at the stage—waiting for the speaker to arrive.
The boy at the center looked at Lazarus for a few seconds, expressing a frown of disapproval while shaking his head. However, this didn’t last very long, as he faced his own matters and didn’t bother with another glance.
The most peculiar reaction was with the girl in the right seat segment.
Her short blond hair danced slightly as she gave Lazarus a fascinated look. She opened her mouth a few times, clearly trying to say something, but no words came out. Thus, she could only stare and smile at him, even though they were mere seats apart.
The action of these three already showed how those who were truly talented didn’t even mind Lazarus’ actions as much as the others did.
It was always the ’inferiors’ who complained whenever someone tried to break the status quo.
Even though they were the ones who put themselves in their own captivity, they didn’t want to see anyone else rise above. Thus, they would point and complain, trying to restrict Lazarus with the same values that they embodied.
This was why Lazarus didn’t even bother with them.
Maybe they were alright with admitting that they can never exceed their current standing.
Some people found comfort in their mediocrity. They believed that their lack of talent or opportunity gave them a reason not to try as hard.
After all, what was the point?
The rich would always get richer, and those who were talented would only climb higher.
As for the non-privileged, they might as well remain in their place.
There were people who genuinely felt this way.
But not Lazarus.
As the silence slowly began to disperse and sounds of heavy footsteps rang in the hall, he slowly opened his eyes and found a tall and beautiful lady standing on stage.
Then, a smile formed on his face.
’So it begins!’