Princes.
Princesses.
In general, anything with the word "imperial" in it was bound to possess a noble and dignified power.
However, in the empire, things were a bit different.
The imperial family... was surprisingly large.
"Doesn’t the current emperor have over a hundred children?" Even if being part of the imperial family was prestigious, having the emperor’s direct descendants number in the triple digits was a bit of a problem.
At that point, even if Yi Han sneaked into the imperial palace, the emperor might mistake him for one of his own children.
Just as Yi Han had to live his life diligently as punishment for being born later than his brothers, the emperor’s children were no different.
If you weren’t the firstborn... you had nothing.
In some ways, it was even harsher than Yi Han’s situation.
At least in the Wodanaz family, the head of the household remembered and cared for his children’s names.
But the imperial family members had to build their lives on their own without such attention.
Of course, even a rotten fish is still a fish, and the imperial bloodline held considerable power in front of commoners... but the ones around here were from prestigious families within the empire.
They had no need to bow and scrape to some unheard-of prince.
Take Yonel Meikin, for example—his standing was better than most imperial family members.
So why was Yonel going out of his way to accompany the prince?
"... Is he a bit foolish?" Yi Han thought, knowing Yonel would be furious if he heard that.
Indeed, looking around, there were a few boys and girls mocking Yonel.
They sneered, asking why a noble would stoop to serving a prince.
The pride of the empire’s nobility was no less than that of the imperial family.
In fact, when it came to the great nobles, even the emperor couldn’t treat them carelessly.
"Alright. I understand."
Yi Han accepted Meikin’s proposal. 'It’s not a bad deal.' The one being mocked was Meikin, not Yi Han, who had just accepted the offer.
And there was no need to pick a fight with the prince just because he wasn’t particularly impressive.
In life, getting along with people often paid off later.
"... Thank you! I’m so relieved!" Meikin smiled brightly, like the sun.
His joy made Yi Han curious.
"Why?"
"Three people have already rejected my offer."
"......"
Yi Han felt a slight regret for not rejecting Meikin’s offer.
Prince Gainando was the 97th prince.
There were rumors that he might actually be the 101st, given the number of siblings born around the same time, but Gainando insisted he was the 97th.
Clearly, he didn’t want to go into triple digits.
Aside from that, Gainando was quite immature for an imperial family member.
At 15, he was considered an adult, but not everyone matures at the same rate.
It was clear he hadn’t yet realized that the value of being an imperial family member wasn’t that great in this school.
"Did you hear, Yi Han?? That guy rejected my offer!"
"Yeah. Yeah. I heard."
"How dare he??"
"Maybe he doesn’t know how noble you are."
"What’s noble?" Gainando looked at Yi Han with confusion.
Yi Han stared at Gainando for a moment, then nodded with a gentle smile.
At that moment, Yi Han’s opinion of Gainando dropped a notch, but Gainando didn’t notice.
"Noble means having a high and precious status."
"Ah. That suits me."
"Right."
"Anyway, he rejected my offer and is talking to Adenart! It’s so insulting...!"
Adenart.
The student Gainando pointed to, Adenart, was also an imperial family member.
Probably the 43rd or 44th princess.
'The atmosphere around her is completely different.' Long, flowing silver hair and striking blue eyes.
An intelligent and elegant face.
The princess could make the surroundings feel chilly just by standing silently.
Such a dignified aura naturally earned her respect from the noble-born students.
Moreover, Adenart probably... 'Didn’t have to send someone to call others like Gainando did.' Even if the noble children were proud, they wouldn’t be so rude as to ignore an imperial family member who spoke to them directly.
If Gainando had just gone and talked to people himself, he might have gathered a crowd.
"Will you take care of him later?" Gainando asked Yi Han.
Compared to his peers, Yi Han was tall and sturdy.
It was only natural since he had been training in swordsmanship.
Even though they had gathered to become mages, among the boys and girls who hadn’t yet learned a single proper spell, fists still spoke louder.
Of course, Yi Han had no intention of fighting for Gainando’s pride.
"Gainando."
"Yeah?"
"Noble beings don’t have others do their dirty work."
"It’s not dirty work, it’s punishment..."
"Anyway. Noble beings don’t do that. Think about it."
"Hmm."
Gainando made a thoughtful expression.
Now that he thought about it, it did seem a bit undignified.
"So, Yi Han. What do you think I should do?"
"Forgive them generously."
"... Anything else?"
"Challenging them to a duel is also an option."
"Hmph. I’ll forgive them generously."
Not wanting to duel, Gainando quickly made his decision.
Yi Han saw a positive trait in Gainando then.
He was simpler than expected.
"Wow. You’re amazing. You even broke Gainando’s stubbornness."
Yonel spoke with a surprised expression.
Yi Han asked curiously.
"Why do you move around with Gainando?"
"He’s my cousin."
"Even so, you don’t have to listen to everything he says, do you? With the Meikin family’s status..."
Before he could ask more, a booming voice echoed through the hall.
-You’ve been chatting enough, you iron-headed fools! You can stop now.
You’ll have plenty of time to chat in the coming years.
"!" The same voice they had heard at the main gate earlier sounded again, and a massive skull appeared in the center of the hall.
A skull with blazing eyes, radiating immense magical power.
'A lich!' A great mage who had overcome death by becoming undead.
That was a lich.
Yi Han had only heard rumors about liches but was seeing one for the first time.
The other students also buzzed with curiosity.
-I’ll give you one question.
Why do I call you iron-headed fools?
Adenart raised her hand.
Gainando glared at her, displeased.
-Speak.
"... Because the symbol of us new students is steel."
-Excellent.
I’ll give your dorm 10 points!
"Is there such a thing?"
-Of course not.
If you want to become mages, learn to see through lies first.
Realizing she had been tricked, Adenart’s face turned red.
-Indeed.
Your first-year symbol is steel.
Just as the second-year symbol is bronze.
Steel is hard, its quality varies depending on how it’s made, and it’s versatile.
Truly a metal befitting you first-years.
"Ooh..."
"Indeed."
The gathered boys and girls marveled at the headmaster’s words.
-You’re fooled again! You fools.
Your symbol is steel because there’s nothing in your heads.
That’s why you’re iron-headed! If you don’t believe me, knock on your heads.
You’ll hear a nice sound.
"......"
"......"
The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned icy.
Many here had never been insulted like this before.
But no one dared to argue.
The headmaster’s presence was overwhelming.
'Impressive.' Yi Han took a deep breath.
Since the headmaster appeared, the magical density in the area had skyrocketed, making it hard to move.
It felt like diving into the deep sea.
'But...
I think I can still move.
Yeah.
Somehow, I can move.'
As Yi Han shifted his body, the headmaster turned his gaze toward him.
-...?
A curious look.
Yi Han immediately straightened his posture and stood upright.
He had come here to earn a diploma and connections—he couldn’t afford to be marked by the headmaster in his first year.
-Perhaps I’ve been too harsh with my words to the future of the empire who’ve come a long way.
The headmaster’s voice softened.
Some felt relieved, but Yi Han wasn’t fooled.
'He’s definitely a bit crazy.' They say becoming a lich makes you lose something, and the headmaster had clearly lost a few things.
Yi Han recalled a professor from his past life during his graduate school days.
That professor had a similarly crazed look in his eyes... 'No. Actually, this lich might be better than that professor.' Thinking that, the headmaster seemed somewhat manageable.
-Now! For you, the finest chefs in this academy have prepared a feast since yesterday.
Though modest, I hope you enjoy this meal and relieve the fatigue from your journey.
After the meal, warm blankets and beds await you in the dorms...
At those words, a couple of chubby boys drooled.
What kind of feast would it be? Western empire-style, perhaps—chicken coated in flour, fried with oil, butter, onions, salt, pepper, and wine, simmered to perfection.
Or maybe a gratin drenched in béchamel sauce.
Right now, even a thick slice of cheese and butter on white bread would be satisfying.
Or perhaps Eastern empire-style—fresh fish marinated in spicy sauce and grilled over charcoal.
Eastern-style noodles were considered cheap food, but after the long journey, even that would be welcome.
But no food appeared on the massive table in the hall.
"???"
-Fooled again, you fools! When will you wise up? How do you expect to become mages?
'Is he insane?' A few sensitive freshmen teared up at the headmaster’s harsh words.
-Now, I’ll tell you the rules.
This academy is the cradle of mages.
And the greatest driving force to nurture mages is desire!
With those words, a shabby cloak, a worn-out staff, and a bundle of tattered clothes appeared in the air.
-This is the uniform you’ll wear.
As soon as he finished speaking, black, hard bread and cold rice balls appeared in the air.
-This is the food you’ll eat.
"This... this is too much...!" Someone shouted without thinking, and the headmaster responded with glee.
-Yes! That’s the reaction I wanted! Does that food look too unappetizing? Learn magic quickly and get better food with your own hands! Do those clothes and staff look like trash? Learn magic and get new ones with your own hands! This academy will give you whatever you desire!
"......"
Yi Han was stunned.
He had heard that Einrogard was harsh, but he hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.
In short, the school’s motto was: If you’re unhappy, improve your magic skills quickly!
'Is this even allowed?'
"Hmph. We can just bring stuff from outside."
One arrogant student muttered with a flushed face.
The headmaster grew even more excited and shouted.
-Yes! That’s the reaction I wanted too.
First-years are forbidden from leaving the academy! Don’t even think about asking upperclassmen to get things for you! You won’t even see upperclassmen for a while!
"......"
"......"
-Dismissed! Iron-headed fools, good luck! Become great mages!
Yi Han thought he heard someone mutter, "You bastard."
The headmaster didn’t even bother to respond.
Prince Gainando stomped his feet in frustration after the headmaster disappeared.
"How is this acceptable?? How dare they treat someone of our status like this? Yi Han! Aren’t you angry? Do you think people can live wearing rags and eating pig food??"
"Huh? It’s fine, isn’t it?"
"......"