Having stepped up onto the platform, Hwaryeong sensed Isil behind her turning her head back and spoke to her.
“...What is it, Isil? Don’t tell me he ran away?”
“No, he was trying to run away, but someone else caught him.”
“...I suspected as much from the moment he smiled playfully at our threats, but to think he truly tried to flee.”
Hwaryeong let out a faint sigh as she recalled Jin, who had waved both hands at them with a mischievous grin.
Jin Prah.
The eldest son of Count Prah, a great figure among the nobles of the Empire.
The Count Prah family, whose terrifying influence accounted for roughly one-tenth of the Empire’s food supply, was a name that proudly vied for first or second place among the important imperial families Hwaryeong had learned about first.
So when he had calmly introduced himself as Jin Prah, she had pretended otherwise, but how shocked had she been?
One of the people she had come to Academia for had approached her of his own accord.
If one compared the Prah family to the beastfolk, they possessed enough power that even if they established an independent kingdom somewhere, the neighboring kingdoms would not dare invade lightly.
For food was, in essence, no different from the lifeline.
The fact that a single family was responsible for one-tenth of the entire Empire’s food supply meant, in other words, that if they harbored other intentions and refused to release food for even a single year, they had enough influence to spark popular uprisings all across the Empire.
That was why, when Hwaryeong first heard information about the Count Prah family, the first thought that came to her was: Why has the Emperor of the Empire not eliminated the Count Prah family and turned their lands into territory directly under the Emperor?
In truth, how many old beastfolk kingdoms had disappeared that way?
If food ran short, it led to popular uprisings, and in the end, the king would lose the hearts of the people, be murdered by his closest retainers, or be torn limb from limb by the starving masses.
As her thoughts reached that point, Hwaryeong suddenly recalled a question and answer she had shared a few days before entering Academia.
‘Uncle, then why have those people called the Prah family not been annihilated by the Emperor? From the Emperor’s perspective, a family with such immense power must be a considerably troublesome existence.’
‘Because only they obtained the rights to cultivate the Haidin Mountains, fertile land capable of producing an endless supply of food. They have the protection of the fairies, so only the Prah family can develop the Haidin Mountains without any interference.’
‘Fairies... you say?’
‘Yes, Ryeong. To the west of this Empire lies a vast forest that even such a powerful nation cannot advance into. Humans call it the Great Forest of the Fairies. They possess a power that even the mighty Empire cannot easily touch.’
In Hwaryeong’s memory, her uncle cleared his throat briefly and spoke again.
‘The Empire crossed the sea to various continents, even broke through that Mudap Desert, and reached the lands of our beastfolk, subjugating several kingdoms. Did not the kingdom that was strongest at the time shrink into a minor state because of its war with the Empire?’
‘...Because of that, we beastfolk failed to unite and were divided once more.’
‘Yes. But life is full of unexpected fortune and misfortune. It is also true that thanks to the Empire invading the beastfolk homeland, our Hwa family, which was on the verge of annihilation, was able to escape unharmed. From now on, the Empire is our home. So if you go to Academia this time, you must form ties with someone connected to the Prah family, or to a powerful family of equal standing.’
Hwaryeong’s uncle, and the grand general of a kingdom that had now vanished, spoke with a serious gaze to his cousin’s daughter, the daughter of the family head.
‘In particular, a family that handles food is an important family directly tied to the survival of our Hwa family, which has many dependents. To the Emperor and the Empire, our Hwa family are outsiders. Even a hundred years would not be enough for us to fully assimilate into the Empire. So during that time, even if friction arises with the Emperor, you must create ties with powerful families that can allow the Hwa family to survive.’
‘...Is that why you are sending me to that school called Academia?’
‘Yes. You are the traditional successor who inherited the martial arts of the Hwa family, the very martial arts that raised me to the position of grand general, and you are the heir of the Hwa family. There will be many who wish to build a friendship with you. Among the countless pebbles that approach you, you must carefully select the jade stones for the sake of the family and form bonds with them. That is the path by which our Hwa family will live.’
And so, Hwaryeong’s uncle had looked at her with faith in his eyes and nodded firmly.
And yet.
“...I am not certain whether that was the right choice, Uncle. To think the eldest son of Count Prah’s family would be such a frivolous person.”
“...Hm? What did you say?”
“No, just talking to myself.”
At Isil’s question, Hwaryeong let out a light sigh and shook her head to clear her mind.
Then she lifted her head again and approached the three students looking at them.
As Hwaryeong drew near, the woman standing on the far left among the three students opened her mouth.
She had her hair tied back, a deep blond color that did not appear among beastfolk.
“I wanted to see what kind of bold people would dare be absent from the entrance ceremony on the very first day, but I never expected them to be beastfolk.”
When she spoke, the large man standing in the center scratched his neck and replied.
“Indeed. Thanks to you, a considerable portion of the gazes directed at me have lessened, so I am grateful.”
“Why? Are you feeling relieved that you’re not the only one here who isn’t human?”
“Ahem! That truly strikes at the heart of the matter. As expected of the child of Duke Jevitz, famed as a genius.”
“...You really do flatter people strangely. Even hearing your flattery doesn’t make me happy at all.”
“Hrm, hrm. This worked well on my own kind. How peculiar.”
The blond woman, looking at the huge man scratching the back of his head with an awkward expression as if she found him absurd, gestured toward Hwaryeong and Isil.
“You can stand in any empty spot over there. The professor definitely told us there would be five of us, but only the three of us were standing here, so do you know how awkward it was? Well, most of the attention went to this big fellow anyway.”
When Hwaryeong and Isil silently stood in the empty spots according to her gesture, the blond woman began introducing herself.
“Nice to meet you, red-haired beastfolk young lady and silver-haired young lady. I am the adopted daughter of Duke Jevitz and the first-year representative of the Faculty of Law, Yul Jevitz.”
“Hrm, hrm. This one is Hrun, from the Southern Continent across the sea. I am the first-year representative of the Faculty of Theology. I did not think another non-human besides myself would enroll, but I hope we non-humans can get along well with one another.”
“Right. I talked to this Hrun, and he doesn’t seem like a bad kid. If you get close to him, maybe he’ll help you when a fight breaks out?”
“...A fight, you say? Nothing of the sort.”
The huge man who had introduced himself as Hrun waved his enormous hand at Yul Jevitz’s words, displaying humility.
“This one has never once fought since the day I was born. I would only be a hindrance. And resolving situations through violence is not good.”
“What are you saying? You’ve got fists thick enough to fracture at least two or three people with one light swing. And with a build like yours, if you just stood silently behind someone, the situation would probably end without a fight.”
“You overestimate this one far too much.”
“...I’m Nut.”
While Yul Jevitz and Hrun’s back-and-forth continued, the man standing on the far right, hidden by Hrun’s bulk, spoke.
The man who introduced himself as Nut opened his mouth.
“...I have no surname. And I’m the first-year representative of the Faculty of Relic Studies.”
“Hey, what kind of self-introduction is that lifeless? A person’s impression is decided by their first impression, you know. If you greet people in such a limp tone, no one will want to be friends with you.”
“...That is what I want.”
“Ugh, how gloomy.”
At Yul Jevitz’s words, Nut shook his head weakly and looked at her with eyes that said he did not care what happened.
“...I hate places like this where people’s eyes gather in the first place. And since everyone else besides me is overflowing with personality, at least one of us has to be gloomy for there to be balance.”
“What balance?”
“The balance of the world.”
“...I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Nut looked at Yul Jevitz, who was staring at him with round eyes, and calmly uttered words that, had Jin Prah heard them, he would likely have shuddered and reacted by saying, “Ugh, that’s so edgy.”
“Ehem! Anyway, it seems we’ve finished our introductions. Could we hear yours as well? We’re all representatives of our respective faculties, so it would be nice if we got along.”
“...And thus another new hierarchy is created.”
“Don’t mind what he says. You there, the pretty one with silver hair. Could you introduce yourself first?”
“...Me?”
“Yes. What’s your name?”
“I am—”
Clack!
Just as Isil opened her mouth at Yul Jevitz’s urging.
The lights in the auditorium went out, and a single beam of light descended from the ceiling, illuminating the front of the platform where they stood.
Dududung!
Immediately afterward, along with the sound of a massive drum ringing several times, a figure could be seen slowly walking into the light.
Step, step.
With the sound of fine shoes striking the wooden platform, a gray-haired man who had entered the light opened his mouth.
“We will now begin the Academia entrance ceremony.”