The Conqueror from a Dying Kingdom, page 20
“Okay. I suppose that’s all right then.”
I was expecting him to tell me that I should’ve kept at it until the very last second, but he must’ve had faith in my intelligence because he didn’t argue.
“Hey, Yuri, it’s been a while,” Galla said to me.
I’d grown quite a lot since the last time I’d met Galla, but I wasn’t the only one—he was more muscular than ever.
“Nice to see you again, Galla,” I said with a bow of my head.
“You answered all the questions already?”
“That’s correct.”
“You might’ve been in the same exam room as my son. Did you see him?”
“It’s possible, but I’m not sure because there were a lot of children.”
“I guess. Be a friend to him if you do see him. He’s not like you, he’s an unruly brat.”
Ugh... Sounds like a pain.
Even Galla’s formal attire couldn’t hide how burly he was, so that unruly brat of his would be a real handful if he’d inherited his dad’s muscles.
“An unruly brat? That sounds scary, but I do hope I can get along with him.” I didn’t really mean what I was saying.
“Make sure you give him what for if he gets out of line.”
Do it yourself instead of forcing other people to discipline your rotten son! I wanted to retort. Instead, I asked, “What’s your son’s name?”
“Dolla Godwin.”
Dolla? Got it. Galla’s son Dolla. That’s easy to remember.
“I’ll make sure I don’t forget it.”
I’m staying far away from that kid.
I turned to Rook. “Well then, father. Can we go home?”
“Huh? Home?”
That’s not what I wanted to hear. He must want to keep eating and drinking.
“Is there a ceremony or something after this?” I asked.
“No, but...”
“Then we should go home. Look, mother doesn’t look particularly well.”
I glanced over at Suzuya. It wasn’t that she looked unwell—if anything, she looked a little threatening. But that had the same effect.
“And I have to admit that the exam left me quite tired,” I continued.
“O-Oh. I suppose we’ll go back then,” Rook said reluctantly. He must have sensed danger when he looked at Suzuya. “See you around, Galla.”
“Sure. Keep working hard.”
“We’re sorry to leave so soon, but please excuse us,” I told him.
“Farewell, Sir Galla.” Suzuya gripped her skirt and lowered her head in the standard female curtsy.
That really doesn’t suit her... It looks wrong when she does it...
After we’d boarded our carriage and returned to our residence, I had dinner and went to bed without further incident. The admission ceremony would happen tomorrow.
✧✧✧
Family members could attend the admission ceremony too, so the three of us boarded the carriage just like the day before.
I’d been intently staring out of the window from the carriage yesterday, trying to memorize the streets of the city where I’d be spending the next ten years or so. But when I did the same today, I noticed that we seemed to be traveling by different roads.
“Are we taking a different route than yesterday?” I asked.
“Didn’t I tell you? The admission ceremony takes place at the royal castle,” Rook replied.
Nope, no one told me that.
“The royal castle? Will Her Majesty be there?”
“Of course. The academy’s students are Shiyalta’s future.”
Wow, okay. I suppose even in Japan, the prime minister attends the admission ceremony at the National Defense Academy. This must be a similar thing.
Today wasn’t just the admission ceremony, I’d be assigned a room in the dormitory in the afternoon too. A dorm room wasn’t strictly necessary for me because the Ho family had a residence in the royal capital, but ordinary knight families didn’t have second homes here. For most students, living in the dorm was the only option. It would have beds for us all, so everyone would have a place there. Whether we actually used it or not was a matter of individual choice.
“Haaah...” I was feeling so down that I wanted to turn truant before I’d even started.
“You’re sighing again?” Rook noted in disbelief.
I didn’t think he’d hear that...
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be... I’m just surprised. I didn’t think you’d mind so much. I thought you’d be excited to be out in the royal capital.”
“I’m going to be lonely while I’m away from you two.”
I felt genuine love for Rook and Suzuya, so I replied honestly. Given how my parents had been in Japan, it felt like this had been my first experience of parental affection.
“And I’m not sure I’ll be able to make friends,” I added.
I can’t imagine being best buds with a brat my own age.
I hadn’t made many friends even when I’d been an actual child, and I hadn’t gotten along well enough with anyone to maintain contact after graduation.
“I’m sure you’ll make a friend or two quite easily, Yuri. You got along with Sham, didn’t you?”
She’s a special case. She’s so smart that I actually enjoy teaching her, and she has a lot of respect for me too. It’s easy to get along with her, but I know she’s one of a kind.
“I know that you’ll miss us, Yuri, but this is something you have to do,” Suzuya told me.
“Yes, mom,” I made sure to sound cheerful.
“Do your best. D-Do...y-your...” she whimpered, suddenly breaking down into tears.
Huh? M-Mom?
“D-Do your...b-best...” she sobbed.
“S-Suzuya? We’re not saying a final farewell or anything, you know?” Rook hurriedly tried to reassure her.
“B-But...w-we won’t see...Y-Yuri as much...”
The thought of not seeing her son is enough to make her cry?
“That’s true, but he won’t be locked away somewhere. We can visit him whenever we want to. I’ll take you to the royal capital whenever you like.”
“Y-You mean it...?”
“Of course I do. Right, Yuri?” Rook looked at me.
S-Sure.
“Of course, mom. I’d be lonely too if you never visited. And I’ll be able to ride eagles by myself before long, so I’ll be able to come visit you.”
“Th-That’s a...relief. Remember, you can come home anytime if you don’t like it. You don’t have to push yourself.”
Ugh. She’s so good to me. It’s making me want to cry.
“All right. If I hate it, I’ll do as you say and come home.”
“That’s good... I’m sorry for being such a hopeless mother.”
A hopeless mother? You couldn’t be further from it.
“You’re not hopeless. You’re my amazing mom. I promise I’ll come to visit you.”
It was the first time I’d ever consoled her like this. I struggled to hold back the tears as I felt my emotions well up inside of me.
II
We left the highway, entered Royal Castle Island, and stopped our carriage in front of the castle.
The island was like a fortress in itself, so there was no wall around the castle. If this had been a traditional Japanese castle, we would’ve had to make our way through the defenses set up within the outer walls before we reached the building itself. However, the castle was much more accessible here.
It also had windows that looked low enough for an adult to break them by hand, and to make matters worse, there were engravings near the ground level that made great footholds for anyone who wanted to try to scale the side of the building. And as beautiful as the wide-open front gate looked, it wasn’t reinforced with any iron plates or rivets. This place wouldn’t hold out if an enemy army reached it; it practically invited them to show themselves in. It was more like a palace than a castle.
But a palace built this tall would make for an inconvenient place to live—a square, flat structure that prioritized living arrangements over defenses might’ve been more appropriate. Maybe they’d built it this way for the sake of creating a landmark. It certainly was stunning, and its height made it ideal for looking down over the rest of the capital, giving the city residents a sense that the queen was always watching over them. It might’ve helped to establish her authority.
The royal capital of Sibiak had been invaded several times in its history, but Royal Castle Island’s defenses had held out each time. Given that the castle hadn’t been the source of actual problems, it may have been ideal for this country.
We disembarked from the carriage and headed into the castle via a large door formed by a single slab of wood. It had been created from some great tree and decorated with fine engravings. Once we were inside, we joined a procession of other attendees.
I’d entered castles and palaces during my travels in the past, but this was my first time seeing one in active use. Knowing that the queen lived and received guests here gave the place a strange feel.
We passed through a front entrance and into a sort of entrance hall. A beautiful woman dressed in sleek formal attire greeted us.
“Excuse me, sir. Are you the Ho family?”
“That’s us,” Rook replied.
“Would you allow your son to come with me?”
Huh? Don’t tell me she’s a kidnapper.
“Why?” Rook mustn’t have been informed about this. He was suspicious of this woman who’d just asked to take his only son without any warning.
“Please allow me to explain,” the woman said before she moved in close to Rook’s ear and whispered something to him.
Suzuya’s eyes narrowed a little as if she had a few things to say about Rook’s infidelity.
“Oh. Really?” Rook said.
“Indeed. That’s why...”
“I get it. Yuri, you go with her.”
What? And let her kidnap me?
“Why—” I began to protest.
“Don’t worry about it,” Rook interrupted. “You’d better hurry. Families and students don’t sit together anyway. Let her guide you.”
“Well, all right then.”
If my dad says so, I’ll have to just follow her.
We moved through the crowd and entered a side corridor. Soon, we’d left everyone else behind.
Not knowing what was happening made me nervous.
Eventually, she led me into a fairly impressive-looking room. I suppose that wasn’t a surprise given that it was part of the royal castle. The sofas, carpets, and hanging pictures were all first-rate. It was just as splendid as the finest guest room back at the Ho manor in Kalakumo.
“Now, please excuse me.” With her job finished, the woman left.
The room wasn’t empty. An old man and woman—who might’ve been a married couple—sat on a pair of fancy chairs. There was also the blonde girl I’d seen in the exam room the day before. The four of us made a good balance, but I had a bad feeling about it all.
“You must be Yuri Ho,” the old woman said.
“Yes.”
“Sit down.”
She must be someone important if she can just boss me around like that. Maybe she’s an academy teacher.
I walked over to the sofa and sat down as I’d been told; I wanted to stay in her good graces.
“I’m the Cultural Academy’s director, Isabeau Marmoset.”
“And I’m the Knight Academy’s director, Revelo Rube,” the old man said.
Oh, okay.
The Marmoset family was the most prominent of the seven witches. And Rube was one of the largest chieftain families in the kingdom—the five families were often simply referred to as the five chieftains.
Since the Rube family was one of a handful of chieftain families, they were on the same level as the Ho family. Their province directly bordered Kilhina, so it stood out to me as an area that drew a lot of attention. If Kilhina fell, Rube’s territory would be the next in line to be crushed.
I’d memorized the names of the heads of all twelve collective families while studying, so I knew that Isabeau and Revelo weren’t them. Each was perhaps a sibling of the head, or another close relative—like an aunt or uncle. Having a member of the Marmoset family as the Cultural Academy’s director was impressive.
“I’m Yuri Ho,” I introduced myself.
The girl beside me gave her name too. “Carol Flue Shaltl.”
Now I knew that it was the same girl from back then. Shaltl had been the surname of the imperial family of the Shantila Empire. The Flue in her name was an Ancient Shanish word that meant “four.”
The last empress of the Shantila Empire had birthed twelve daughters—could you imagine? Three of those had died in the chaos following the empire’s downfall, while the surviving nine went on to create their own nations, the nine kingdoms born of the empire’s collapse.
Those nine daughters prefixed the name Shaltl with numbers to indicate who was born first, and they became queens of their respective kingdoms. In other words, Shiyalta’s royal family was descended from the fourth eldest of the empress’s daughters. The royal family of neighboring Kilhina had used the name Toni Shaltl for generations, and they were descended from the youngest—the twelfth—of the daughters.
The girl looked straight at me as if she were struggling to remember where she’d seen my face, but she soon looked away again. Perhaps it was just her natural expression, but it had almost felt like she’d glared at me.
Being stared at by a girl with such pretty features gave me a strange feeling that I was in trouble for something.
✧✧✧
“Yuri and Carol, you have both been chosen as top students, and you’ll have special roles to play during the admission ceremony.”
This old bag couldn’t be for real. My head spun.
Why make me go through all this now? The admission ceremony itself is trouble enough.
“We have an hour until the ceremony begins. In that time, I’d like us to perform a brief rehearsal. You’ll have to memorize a speech, learn the proper way to conduct yourself, and various other things.”
“Please, wait a moment. I understand why you chose Her Highness, but why me?”
Is it because of the family I’m from?
“Because of your exam grade,” the old man told me.
I gave up arguing. There wasn’t much I could say if it was based on my performance.
Figures I’d be the top student. I probably got close to a perfect score. I should’ve gotten a question or two wrong on purpose. Too late now...
“But isn’t Her Highness the top student? Aren’t I just the runner-up?”
I saw the princess taking the Knight Academy exam. We can’t both be in first place. Maybe we got the same score?
“Carol is the top student in the Cultural Academy.”
Huh? But she took the Knight Academy exam. Or did she take both? Was the Knight Academy just her backup plan?
“Yuri, you’re the Knight Academy’s top student,” he explained. “Carol is the Cultural Academy’s top student. It’s that simple. And I’ll warn you now for the sake of your future here: keep your questions to yourself until you’ve been given permission to ask them. I won’t tolerate this at the Knight Academy.”
Now I was getting lectured. I decided I’d better drop the subject.
Grrr...
We headed into another parlor room where a female teacher appeared and gave us scripts.
“Memorize it,” she demanded.
Damn. Why put me through a trial like this when I don’t want to be here in the first place? What did I do to deserve this punishment?
“I’ve memorized it.” Carol handed her script back before even five minutes had passed.
Wow. That’s some memory she’s got.
She glanced over at me.
“Hmpf.” It sounded like a proud chuckle.
Well, that’s kinda cute. She’s really pleased with herself. But I’ll take my time. I’m not great at memorizing things, and if I embarrass myself it’ll reflect badly on Rook. Let’s see...
“We vow, as we enter into the academy...with integrity...to learn the true character of a knight, and devote ourselves to our studies in anticipation of the day that we may take up arms for our queen,” I whispered out loud to myself.
Why’s it have to be so long? It’s sooo looong.
I spent a good ten minutes committing it to memory.
It’s ridiculous that they expect me to remember all this just an hour before the ceremony. What’s wrong with this country’s education system? Do they have no common sense?
“I think I’ll remember it now.” I handed the script back.
“Good. Now, let’s begin. I’ll explain the procedure,” the old woman said.
Phew. Finally, we can practice. There’s not a whole lot of time left.
“When it’s announced that representative students will make their pledges, the two of you will rise from your seats and walk toward the stage. Yuri, you’ll sit near the stage on the left side, and Carol, you’ll be sitting on the right. Both of you will approach the stage at the same time. You’ll begin by rising, facing Her Majesty, and bowing. Then you’ll come to a stop before ascending the stairs. Next, you’ll turn to face the audience and bow to them as well. Once you’re on the stage, you’ll both walk over to Her Majesty. Yuri will give a respectful kneeling bow in the standard indoor style. Carol, please give Her Majesty a respectful bow in the style reserved for family members, as you would normally. Then, you’ll both rise and make your pledges, with Yuri going first. When you’ve both finished your speeches, Her Majesty will offer an extended hand to Yuri, so Yuri will go down on one knee and lightly place his lips to the back of Her Majesty’s hand. With that finished, you’ll both rise, bow to the audience once more, and return to your seats.”
Looong. I’m gonna pass out.
“Now, let’s begin. Forgive my audacity, but I’ll play the role of Her Majesty. Sit down over there.”
This was far more difficult than any punishment I could’ve imagined. I couldn’t help but tremble.
It’s so long...
✧✧✧
“Hmpf. You’re not so special, are you?”
