With their udon finished and their stomachs full, Rei, Iskeld, and Seto continued down the main street. Before long, a cluster of structures appeared near the heart of Gracial, situated on a sprawling estate. Rei didn't need to guess what it was, given his reason for visiting the city.
“So this is the Officer Academy.”
“It is. ...Normally, Duke Quento—Lord Ronald—would have been looking forward to meeting you himself, but he’s occupied at the moment. He simply doesn't have the time to spare.”
From Iskeld’s words, Rei understood that Ronald was the Duke's given name—Ronald Quento, Maruka’s father. He had a vague idea of why the man was so busy.
“Ah... I take it it's regarding the enforcement of discipline?”
“Yes. There are many problematic individuals to deal with, and Lord Ronald is having quite a difficult time. Because of that, you likely won't meet him until tomorrow evening at the earliest.”
There was a clear sense of familiarity in the way Iskeld spoke Lord Ronald’s name. From his demeanor, it was easy to see the respect the fierce man held for the one he served.
(Then again, he is Maruka’s father. And looking at how much Gracial has flourished, there's no doubt Duke Quento is a capable ruler. Running a city larger than Gilm without any shortcomings is impressive in its own right.)
Usually, those in power were disliked by their subordinates to some degree. However, in the time since Rei had entered Gracial, the number of people he’d heard speaking ill of the Duke was surprisingly low. Of course, it would be hasty to assume the Duke had universal support based solely on that, but as far as Rei could see, those who felt grateful toward Lord Ronald were certainly in the majority.
(My impression of the King's Faction was pretty bad before this, though.)
In Rei's mind, the King's Faction was defined largely by Keep, who had been his most recent headache. Furthermore, the shameful behavior the King's Faction had displayed during the war with the Bestia Empire last spring remained vividly etched in his memory. Due to those circumstances, Rei's image of the faction had been overwhelmingly negative. He understood they weren't all like that, especially considering people like Maruka, but the bad apples left a strong impression.
“Well, whatever. I understand I won't meet Duke Quento until tomorrow, and I get that I'm here to serve as an instructor. But why have we come here now?”
“Hmm? Naturally, it’s because you’ll be living here for the duration of your stay.”
“...I'm living here? At the academy?”
“Yes. There is a staff dormitory, so I intend for you to stay there. Originally, we planned to prepare a mansion for you, but Lady Maruka told us that you wouldn't care for such a thing.”
“Out of curiosity, what kind of mansion were you planning to give me?”
“Well, the first proposal was for a rather large estate. After all, we’ve dragged you into the King's Faction's internal mess. The person who made the suggestion wanted to ensure you lacked for nothing... but Lady Maruka insisted that Rei would find such a place more of a burden than a comfort.”
Rei inwardly thanked Maruka for the intervention.
(She really came through. If it had been a mansion like that, I would have turned around and left... well, maybe not quite, but I definitely would have had to find a separate inn.)
To begin with, Rei had no desire for a life where he was constantly waited on by maids and butlers. It would be a lie to say he had zero interest in luxury, but he knew he wouldn't be able to mentally relax with strangers hovering around him at all hours. If it were someone he trusted, that would be a different story, but being tended to by total strangers wasn't something Rei enjoyed.
However, living in a dormitory brought its own set of concerns. The biggest one was...
“It's true that a dormitory is better than a mansion. ...But what about Seto? Surely I can't have Seto stay in the dormitory with me?”
“Guruuu?”
Recognizing that they were talking about it, Seto let out a low cry and turned its anxious eyes toward Iskeld. Iskeld seemed to have already grown accustomed to Seto's presence. He smiled at the Gryphon, reached out, and patted its head.
“Don't worry. Many people bring their tamed monsters or personal horses to the Officer Academy. We have tamers and summoning magic users among the ranks here.”
“I'm glad to hear that, but tamers and summoning magic? ...This is an Officer Academy, right? I assumed you were only training knights.”
“That's not incorrect. Many students aspire to be knights, and many do join the Duke Quento Knight Order after graduating. However, a certain percentage of our graduates become adventurers every year.”
“...An Officer Academy?”
Wasn't he supposed to be an instructor for an academy for officers? To Rei's questioning look, Iskeld nodded without a hint of hesitation.
“It’s called an Officer Academy, but that is the reality of its students.”
“I'm surprised the nobles don't complain. The nobles I know would usually say things like, 'As if I could study with commoners!' or, 'I'm here to become a knight, so why must I study alongside lowborns aiming to be adventurers?'”
“...What kind of nobles have you been dealing with? I won't deny that such people exist, though.”
If anything, the current enforcement of discipline was being carried out precisely to sweep away such narrow-minded nobles. Of course, those being purged were limited to those who had gone too far, like Keep. The goal was that seeing such people removed might convince those who had acted arrogantly until now to change their ways. Rei, for his part, didn't think nobles would change their attitudes quite so easily.
“I've met all sorts. Naturally, there were some I liked. But there were also people like Keep, who caused this whole mess. Though...”
“Though?”
“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”
He stopped himself before saying that such nobles weren't unique to the King's Faction—if anything, they were even more common in the Noble's Faction. Iskeld surely understood that such people existed within the Noble's Faction as well, but Rei saw no reason to go out of his way to say something that would put Elena's faction at a disadvantage.
Thanks to Maruka, he didn't feel excessive hostility toward the King's Faction, but the fact that Keep existed still weighed heavily on him. While he felt a sense of loyalty toward the Noble's Faction because of Elena, the Noble's Faction still carried more weight in Rei's heart.
...Of course, if the Neutral Faction were factored in, it might be a different story.
“Anyway, let's head inside. It’s quiet now because classes are in session, but if I’m spotted once they finish, it’ll be a hassle.”
“A hassle?”
“Believe it or not, I’m quite a celebrity in Gracial. And it’s not just me. You’re leading a Gryphon, which makes you stand out plenty. If that happens, you’ll definitely get dragged into the mess. Though it would be a different kind of trouble than what I face.”
Rei vaguely understood Iskeld's point. If he were seen alone, there was little chance people would identify him as the adventurer known by Crimson's alias. He didn't have his Death Scythe out, and simply being clad in a Dragon Robe with a concealment effect meant he’d likely just be seen as another novice mage, as was usually the case.
But... with Seto by his side, his identity would be instantly obvious. After all, there was no one else who had a Gryphon as a tamed monster.
(Well, I can't rule out the possibility that there's someone else with a Gryphon who just hasn't gone public. In fact, I'd believe it. There seem to be all sorts of things lurking in the shadows of this world.)
Suddenly, Rei recalled the Holy Light Religion he had encountered in Exil. He hadn't run into them since, but that was likely just because his path hadn't happened to cross with their activities. That said, news of the incident in Exil had spread through the Kingdom of Mireana, and the Holy Light Religion was being viewed with increasing scrutiny. If they hadn't been completely ousted yet, it was likely because people still stood to gain something from their presence.
(Well, part of it is probably because I was in the Bestia Empire. After that ended, I went straight back to Gilm on the frontier. ...In that case, is the Holy Light Religion only active in the Kingdom of Mireana? They probably operate in the smaller surrounding countries too.)
Rei felt a faint sense of foreboding, but then he suddenly felt something warm against his hand and looked down. Seto was gently rubbing its head against Rei's palm. It was as if the Gryphon was telling him to cheer up.
“Sorry, Seto. You're right, there’s no point in me brooding over it.”
“Hmm? What's wrong?”
Iskeld, who had been watching their interaction, asked with a confused expression.
“No, it's nothing. More importantly, we were going inside, right? If staying out here is going to cause a scene, let's get in quickly.”
Even now, people passing by the Officer Academy were casting glances their way. They would first widen their eyes in shock at the sight of Seto, then look relieved upon seeing Iskeld was with it. Finally, they would look at Rei—half of them with expressions of realization, while the other half looked puzzled, wondering why a child was with Lord Iskeld.
Those who looked as if they understood were likely the ones who had heard the rumors about Rei. Those who looked puzzled either knew nothing of him, or knew the rumors but assumed Rei was an associate of Iskeld rather than the owner of the tamed monster.
In any case, under a variety of gazes from the surrounding people, Rei, Iskeld, and Seto entered the Officer Academy.
(If nobles attend this place, you'd think there would be gatekeepers... but there's no one. This is the Duke's territory, so it's not like he can't afford to hire them. Is it intentional?)
Though he wondered about it, he followed after Iskeld. After walking for about ten minutes, a four-story building came into view. It was clear that quite some time had passed since it was built, yet it didn't feel dilapidated. Instead, it gave off a sense of history, likely because it had been so well-maintained.
“This is the staff dormitory where you’ll be staying, Rei.”
“...Hey, Iskeld. It's fine that this is the staff dormitory, but what about Seto's stable? I want to see that first.”
Iskeld looked caught off guard for a moment, as if he hadn't expected those to be the first words out of Rei's mouth.
“Of course I'll show you there too. It's just that the staff dormitory was closer, so I showed you this first.”
“I see. Then lead the way to the stable. ...Just so I know, you have informed them, right?” Rei asked, gesturing to Seto.
Since he was bringing a monster as large as a Gryphon, he figured the caretakers would be shocked if they hadn't been warned beforehand. Of course, Rei’s stance was that most people would become friends with Seto once they spent a little time with it.
(Though Mirene and Johanna both go way too far.)
Shaking the image of the two women showering Seto with excessive affection from his mind, he continued down the path with Iskeld. They eventually arrived at a stable about another ten minutes' walk from the staff dormitory.
“...It’s quite small.”
Those were the first words Rei uttered upon seeing the structure. In fact, the stable before him was by no means large. It was even smaller than the one at the Dusk Wheat Inn. Considering it was the stable for an Officer Academy where many nobles and commoners gathered, he couldn't help but find its size questionable.
“Yes. This isn't for the students; it's the stable for the staff, including the instructors. This size is sufficient.”
“...You keep them separate?”
“That's right. Anyway, let's go. I don't have all that much time myself. Once I’ve shown you this and your room, I'll have an Officer Academy staff member take over.”
With that, Iskeld stepped into the stable. Rei and Seto followed him... and naturally, the person in charge of the stable was surprised to see Iskeld, shocked to see Seto, and puzzled to see Rei, causing a minor stir. However, the reason it didn't turn into a major commotion was likely because there were no other buildings in the immediate vicinity of the stable.