“Phew......”
Garahevi let out a sigh as though he had aged ten years in the span of ten minutes.
Even then, he anxiously looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
After all, there was a high likelihood that the person he had become involved with this time, Lloyd Schultz, was a hidden scion of the Imperial family.
'How can someone's luck be this bad?!'
Taking reasonable compensation to raise the grades of hereditary nobles' children.
It was already one of the Academy faculty's open secrets for a side job.
It was so openly practiced that they even took turns in secret, so as not to overlap and make one another lose face.
Of course, the professors in question were naturally full professors. There was a hierarchy even among side jobs.
'Why the hell is an imperial royal good at studying?!'
The higher one's status, the less one clung to trifling skills like studying. They could simply hire someone who was good at it.
And royalty was not merely of somewhat higher status.
Setting aside the complex structure of power, every noble in the Empire deferred to royalty without question.
Yet he had not only raised the difference in their stations with such a royal, but had also dared to try and lower his written placement-test score.
Garahevi dearly wished he could bite off the tongue he had possessed five minutes ago.
'Still, the conversation went well enough.'
Fortunately, Lloyd Schultz was absurdly flexible in his thinking for an imperial royal.
Not only had he not taken issue with Garahevi's attempt to openly threaten a member of the Imperial family, he had readily agreed to yield the placement-test top spot.
Perhaps that was because he was a hidden royal whose existence was not publicly known.
To survive to that age as a hidden royal, one could not possibly be inflexible in one's thinking.
There had been a price, of course.
Top-tier grades in the Magic School's general courses that Academy first-years took, and the right to give the new-student representative's speech at the entrance ceremony.
'It did go well, right......?'
Considering that even Graysong Silva, the subject of the request, would receive no more than the one-time benefit of being the placement-test top scorer.
Garahevi could not shake the strange feeling that he had been made a sucker of.
'No, I should not be greedy anymore.'
The fact that Imperial Guard Knights had not immediately hauled him away for insulting the Imperial family was already cause enough for gratitude.
As Garahevi walked along, lost in thought.
“Oh, you are back.”
The other full professors who had been waiting for him greeted him when he arrived at the faculty research office.
“Did the discussion go well?”
“Of course it did. I looked at the admissions papers, and Lloyd Schultz is nothing more than gentry—practically a commoner.”
“And both of his parents are already dead, I hear?”
“Could someone like that possibly refuse when told he might be expelled from the Academy?”
The instant he looked at his fellow side-hustlers, who were disparaging Lloyd Schultz without knowing anything.
'Wait. If I play this well......?'
Garahevi's eyes glinted sharply as he spotted an opportunity.
They did not know that Lloyd Schultz was a hidden royal.
Perhaps Garahevi himself was the only person in the entire Academy who knew.
While they remained under that misconception and freely disparaged Lloyd Schultz.
'What if I alone take good care of him for four years......?'
A hidden royal was still royalty.
And the fact that he had survived this long meant that, rather than disappearing to keep him quiet after graduation, he would likely land a position somewhere.
When that happened, a few crumbs might fall to Garahevi as well!
It was certain to be a far sounder plan for his future than taking pouches of gold coins that hereditary nobles handed him.
“Ah, yes. Everything was resolved very smoothly.”
That was why Garahevi smiled with a more tranquil expression than ever.
“As we discussed beforehand, Graysong Silva will be the top scorer on this placement test.”
“As expected of Professor Garahevi!”
“I would not call it compensation, but I intend to arrange for Lloyd Schultz to give the new-student representative's speech at the entrance ceremony instead.”
“The entrance-ceremony speech? Is it not customary for the placement-test top scorer to give it as the new-student representative?”
“It would seem Graysong Silva of House Silva...... Ahem. is not the legitimate eldest son.”
“Ah, I understand. He wants to be the top scorer but not receive too much attention. Something like that?”
“It is always a pleasure speaking with a professor who understands so quickly.”
“Ahaha, you flatter me.”
At the other professors, who were so myopic that they were satisfied with the trifling change tossed to them by hereditary nobles drowning in money.
He gave a very warm smile.
Chapter 04 - Entrance Ceremony
Can I smash down the main gate to the Academy's Knight and Magic Schools and still get admitted at this rate?
(Image of a perfect placement-test score)
Do you know who I am?
The Imperial Solarian Academy's “top incoming student.”
Ah, I'm already torn between riding a horse and swinging a staff. Haha.
Anonymous: Are you a noble?
Original Poster: Nope. This seed is a commoner.
Anonymous: Haha, you're screwed.
Anonymous: Where does a lowly commoner think he gets off taking the top spot?
Original Poster: ?
Anonymous: Did you know that most Academy professors take spending money from the nobles who got their children admitted?
Original Poster: Are they not all younger sons or bastards?
Anonymous: Ah, haha. They're still my blood, so they have to come in first.
Anonymous: If you are not of noble birth and your grades are good, your affinity with most Academy professors will hit rock bottom.
Anonymous: Are you still going with the Academy seed? REROLL. NOW.
***
Just as coming first in the polls does not mean winning an election.
I had no interest in being first.
What mattered more was what benefits I could gain from the situation I had been given.
'By that measure, yesterday was handled very neatly.'
Professor Garahevi's attitude had been so transparent that I could practically see through him.
He had pretended to be concerned for me, but what he really meant was that they had decided on first place in advance, so I should cooperate.
It was a proposal I found rather familiar, having lived as an orphan for practically my whole life.
So I agreed.
'Being admitted to the Academy as its top scorer has no meaning anyway.'
There was not much difference between entering first or last in a place filled with younger sons, bastards, and all sorts of others.
Those from hereditary noble families appeared to engage in invisible competition for the sake of appearances, but that was none of my business.
Of course, that had allowed me to sell the card I held for quite a high price.
'I had been wondering how to deal with my grades in the Magic School's general courses.'
An irregular who had chosen the School of Administration despite being more than capable of entering a top school such as the Knight or Magic School.
That was the image I intended to build until I graduated from the Academy. That way, I could catch Solarian III's eye.
I had been wondering how to secure grades in the Magic School's general courses that first-years were required to take.
Then Professor Garahevi of the Magic School had appeared at just the right time.
I could not have asked for a more dependable relief pitcher.
'And I will make an impression on the Emperor much sooner than I expected.'
Remarkably, Solarian III was scheduled to attend the Academy's entrance ceremony.
From my experience playing the game, he had always done no more than briefly show his face at graduation, so this was completely new information.
Perhaps I could start a snowball toward the core of power even sooner than I had expected.
And above all else.
Achievement Unlocked!
Perfect First Step: Earn a perfect score on the Academy entrance placement test
Your Persuasion and Divine Power increase as a reward!
Those affiliated with the Academy view you more favorably as a reward!
Bonus Stat Status
Persuasion 1
Divine Power 1
Additional effects unlock upon reaching a certain value.
For the first time since I had possessed this world, the status window displayed a notification worthy of a status window.
Persuasion was an indispensable stat when playing the Chancellor seed.
The higher one's Persuasion, the more dialogue choices one could select when dealing with haughty nobles or other races armed with racial-supremacist ideology.
Now that I was a possessor in this world, I was not holding conversations by selecting dialogue options.
Still, it would probably manifest as genuine nobles taking the words of a gentry like me more seriously.
'But why does an Academy-seed achievement give Divine Power?'
Divine Power was certainly important when playing the Cardinal seed.
It could deal powerful bonus damage to monsters or demons, and if one had magical talent, one could even use sacred magic exclusive to priests.
The disappointing part was that I was neither of those things for the moment.
Even so, the fact that additional effects would unlock once it rose past a certain value was tremendously exciting.
High Divine Power would surely help when persuading the Emperor, that nonstop suspicion machine, or preventing the holy war later on.
Lastly.
“Oh, good morning!”
“Good morning.”
The increased affinity of those affiliated with the Academy.
I could feel its effect immediately, just from the gate guard greeting me with a bright smile despite seeing me for the first time.
“......You there, student. Straighten your shirt collar.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Yet he pointed out the attire of the freshman behind me with an expression fierce enough to put a Vajra guardian to shame.
It was an achievement reward practically comparable to a low-level hypnosis app.
As I headed to the Academy, enjoying countless greetings along the way.
[This is an announcement from the administrative office. The entrance ceremony will begin shortly, so honored guests and students currently on campus, please gather in the Great Hall. I repeat......]
The campus announcement, amplified by a magical device, echoed at a moderate but clear volume.
Yesterday had been the day of the written placement test, while today the entrance ceremony and practical placement test were scheduled to take place.
Normally, holding the written and practical placement tests one after another would have been the natural course of events.
Just as, when something strange happens in world history, one can usually point at England and find the culprit.
In a class society, when something unnatural happens, one can usually blame those “high up.”
'So the Emperor says he's coming right now, and you're going to postpone the entrance ceremony?'
People high up did whatever the hell they pleased.
Remarkably, there was actually no reason for them to do it.
They were people high up because they could act as they pleased for no reason and nothing went wrong for them.
And Solarian III, the highest among those high up, would never have given advance notice that he was merely coming to attend the Academy's entrance ceremony.
'He did not, which is why the schedule got tangled up like this.'
Memories—not exactly fond ones—surfaced of the Grade 5 aides in the Great Han Party making a group chat, sharing the schedules of the lawmakers they each served, and somehow cobbling their routes together.
In any event.
Before heading to the Great Hall, I took a quick walk around the area and went over both my entrance-ceremony speech and my plan.
'At this point, Solarian III should be hard at work strengthening his power.'
At the first-year point in Jjam Academy, the bad-ending event known as the nobles' war did not occur.
In other words, the great nobles still spoke louder than the Emperor.
Solarian III, a nonstop suspicion machine, must be twisting himself into knots day and night to maximize Imperial authority, worrying about a rebellion that could erupt at any moment.
'I prepared a speech that will make Solarian III ecstatic to hear.'
Naturally, the speech I had prepared was full of things the Emperor would like to hear.
That was how I could climb as quickly as possible into the core of power, and further still, to Chancellor.
Politicians are parrots who only say what their supporters want to hear. Anyone who made half-baked statements of conviction had long since been voted out.
[Honored guests and students, please proceed to the Great Hall.]
I smiled as I felt the manuscript of the new-student representative's speech I had written night after night.
My heart was pounding at the thought of how far I could roll this snowball with a single speech.
If Solarian III was the man I knew, he would surely be unable to sit still after hearing it.
***
Later that same evening.
“Lloyd Schultz, in the name of His Majesty the Emperor, I place you under arrest.”
I was taken away by Imperial Guard Knights.