After that, the carriage arrived at the Academy without further incident.
Let me give you a little background on the place.
Etherdam Academy, a sanctuary of learning that bore the name of the nation itself, was where the country's nobility gathered. Those set to inherit their family estates were forced to enroll, and even those who weren't heirs could enter without issue provided they could cover the tuition and dormitory fees.
Classes were divided based on peerage and social standing. Anyone inheriting a title of Baron or higher—or anyone from a family ranked Earl or above—was placed in the Special Class without exception. Everyone else went to the General Class.
To put it simply, the Special Class was for people who might actually marry into royalty, and the General Class was for those who wouldn't.
On top of that, if a commoner was recognized as having extraordinary magical aptitude or knowledge, they were granted special admission under the status of a Sage's Disciple. This was the so-called "Commoner Slot." There was no General Class for them; they were placed directly into the Special Class.
In the Otome Game, the Heroine occupied this very position.
Personally, I figured that since the curriculum was the same regardless, the General Slot would have been fine for me. However, the system operated strictly according to the traditions of the Ancient Sage. It was all a bit vague and nonsensical, wasn't it?
Anyway, back to the main point.
To be honest, the Special Class Alicia used to belong to was filled with nothing but enemies. That’s why, if possible, the "correct route" for us was to end up in the General Class. If we stepped into the Special Class, we’d inevitably be dragged into the protagonists' chaotic academy life.
Despite being from the Abandoned Land, I was still a Margrave. By status, I should have been destined for the Special Class, but since discrimination against the frontier was rampant in the Royal Capital, my placement in the General Class had been effectively guaranteed.
As for Alicia, even though she was from House Oldwood, she was currently under the protection of House Brave. She was being treated with such coldness that she wasn't even permitted to bring servants—a requirement for living in the Special Dormitory.
I assumed she would be in the General Class with me.
Or so I thought, but somehow, we were both dumped into the Special Class together.
"This is wrong! Everything about this is wrong!"
"Stop that!"
Alicia scolded me as I repeatedly slammed my forehead against a desk—thud, thud, thud, thud.
"The furniture here isn't as sturdy as the stuff back at your manor!"
Furthermore, I had assumed we would be sent to separate dorms, but for some reason, we were directed to an old Western-style mansion located slightly apart from the Special Dormitory grounds. Alicia had apparently been told the same thing, and the awkwardness of bumping into each other at the front door was beyond words.
'I will endure whatever they say to me. So, please, make sure you refrain from any impulsive behavior.'
'If anything happens to you, even if it’s the Girls' Dormitory, I'll come charging in.'
'Absolutely not. You'll get expelled.'
That was how we were supposed to have parted after making our resolutions. To be forced to face each other again just a few minutes later and take up residence under the same roof... just what had happened to the Academy's standards of public morals?
"From what I’ve gathered, it seems Sebas reached out to my family," Alicia explained.
"Sebas did?"
"Yes. There was a letter waiting for me when I arrived here."
Living in the Special Dormitory without servants was functionally impossible. The facility was designed with the assumption of staff being present; even the Heroine went through the trouble of commuting from her family home in the Royal Capital.
Sebas's letter laid it out:
As far as House Oldwood was concerned, they couldn't allow their daughter to drop to the General Class, no matter how much of a failure she was. However, they couldn't allow her to return to her studies with a full retinue as if nothing had happened, either. The other nobles would have seen it as a sign of weakness.
So, Sebas had made a proposal.
If she was forced to live out her academy days as a public disgrace, House Oldwood could claim they had handed down a fitting punishment, which would satisfy the other noble houses.
Thus, after some expert maneuvering and excuse-making, it was decided that this mysterious, abandoned mansion would serve as our substitute dormitory.
"I'm being treated like a toxic pariah," Alicia said with a strained smile.
"No, isn't this the perfect chance for a comeback? Honestly, I think it’s the most convenient setup possible."
In a way, I felt a shadow of kindness from Alicia's parents. If she had gone back to her old life, she would have been a "living shame" regardless, and living alone in the Special Dormitory would have been far more miserable. Besides, if she could graduate with top marks in the Special Class, it would help mitigate her past failures.
"Plus, it's easier for me to protect you here. And I don't think living like this will be much different from how things were at the manor."
I hadn't expected even Sebas to be able to solve the dormitory issue, but I had to admit he’d done a masterful job.
"You're right. You're absolutely right! I need to pull myself together!"
Nodding firmly at my words, she slapped both her cheeks.
"Right. We need to start by cleaning these rooms. It looks like they haven't been touched in years. Honestly, this place is filthier than your manor."
"Hey, was that comparison really necessary?"
"At least it’s better than comparing it to your actual bedroom, isn't it?"
"Wait, what?"
I didn't like the way she was starting to sound exactly like the servants back at House Brave. Not one bit.
"The daily necessities seem to have been delivered in advance, which is a relief. I'll leave the heavy lifting to you."
"Got it."
Since the dorms were likely to be high-stress environments, having a private space where we could actually relax was a massive advantage.
"Oh! Come to think of it, there’s a backyard, isn't there? Maybe I should grow some vegetables here too? No one's going to come check on us anyway, so it should be fine, right?"
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Wow, she really had grown resilient.
Still, starting a "retired" life the moment we enrolled? Well, it wasn't the worst thing in the world. At least we wouldn't have to deal with the protagonist's crowd more than necessary.
I looked over the letter, thinking Sebas had done a good job for once, when characters written in Magic Power began to glow faintly on the page.
Brave-style Magic Script. A secret code invisible to anyone without specialized training.
'—I have hidden contraceptives in the Young Master's room. Good luck on the battlefield.'
That man was annoying even through a piece of paper. Didn't he have anything more important to tell me? What a waste of space.
Or so I thought, until I saw another line of text further down.
'Young Master, the most I could manage was arranging for the two of you to live together. I have convinced the Academy that you have ties to House Oldwood and belong in the Special Class, but for a son of House Brave to actually enter the Special Class, you must pass an entrance exam. The test is a pure trial of strength, so please do your best on your own.'
I see.
If Alicia stayed in the Special Class, it would be bizarre for me to remain in the General Class. I didn't know what kind of exam they had in store, but if it was a contest of raw ability, then passing it was the only option for someone of the Brave bloodline.