I'm an Ordinary Returning Student at the Academy-Chapter 106

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

Chapter 106

Winter passed and spring arrived, marking the start of a new semester at the academy.

I became a sophomore, Selena nervously transitioned to grad school, and both Eloise and Lav officially became ‘fresh’ freshmen.

Of course, they were quite different from the actual fresh-faced freshmen, but they were freshmen nonetheless.

And then—

“Hey, fifth-years.”

“Stop it, Karl.”

“Impressive, fifth-years.”

“Stop it!”

“The best, fifth-year.”

“Gaaaaah!”

I’m not making fun of my dear friends. As a sophomore, I’m simply calling them fifth-years.

Honestly, they are fifth-years, right? Selena’s in grad school, those two are fifth-years, and I’m a returning student.

This is just a fact-based title, not teasing. Absolutely not. Nope.

“So, how many classes do you have to take this semester?”

“All four of us have three more classes.”

Three classes. Hmm. In that case…

“What? Then it seems like you won’t have much class time during the week?”

“Roughly. Tuesday and Thursday are free days.”

Oh my. Not Monday or Friday, but Tuesday and Thursday are free days.

This is crazy. How can they be so unlucky?

Or maybe the professors teaching in those classes intentionally scheduled them only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

“By the way, Karl, are you going to the freshman orientation this time?”

“Me? Why?”

“Why? The sophomore is the one who leads the way in welcoming the freshmen. Don’t you remember? It was the same when we first entered as freshmen.”

Who’s teasing who now? I took a leave of absence and went to the military less than two months after entering as a freshman.

After that, I was busy rolling around on the battlefield, yelling ‘Help me!’

How could I remember any freshman orientation? I was too busy praying not to get shot.

…But now that Shulifen mentions it, I think I have a vague memory of it.

Hmm, the orientation. It was mandatory for the new freshmen, and while it wasn’t mandatory for the upperclassmen, it seemed like almost all the sophomores came.

Thinking about it, it makes sense.

They were finally welcoming their first juniors after being the youngest themselves. It was their first time becoming seniors, so they must have been full of anticipation.

‘Even I still remember my first junior after being the youngest for so long.’

He was a lucky guy. Although he lost an arm, he at least survived and returned home.

I wonder if he’s doing well. Sometimes I want to hear from him, but it feels awkward, like meeting each other would bring back those difficult memories.

Anyway, the freshman orientation is a party mainly for freshmen and sophomores.

Fourth-years, busy with graduation, rarely come, and third-years tend to discreetly leave after making sure the freshmen and sophomores are having fun.

“It seems like not many upperclassmen came. But sophomores have to attend? I don’t remember that being the case. There’s no reason I have to go.”

“That’s true, but what if you, of all people, don’t go? You need to think about the juniors too.”

“I agree with Shulifen. Honestly, more than half of the freshmen are probably expecting a lot from you, Karl. They must be dying to meet you.”

Wilhelm’s words were met with enthusiastic agreement from Alexander and Joachim.

And I know that they’re not just saying this for no reason.

Honorary medals aside, my reputation in the noble world has skyrocketed.

This spring, my sister became the Crown Princess, and my father became the Crown Prince’s father-in-law.

And I became the brother-in-law of the future emperor of this empire.

On top of that, I myself became the heir to the County of Friedrich, destined to one day join the ranks of the empire’s nobility.

It’s no wonder that I’ve caught the attention of the social circles.

‘Plus, the talk of engagement and marriage is coming from none other than the Marquisate of Nafplion.’

That alone is enough to attract the interest of the freshmen, most of whom are nobles.

They’ll probably try to talk to me or get to know me at the orientation.

Now, add to that the various medals I’ve received and the connections I’ve made while receiving them.

For example, the Radiant Church, or even the four fifth-years right next to me…

“Wait a minute. You guys aren’t planning on going, are you?”

“Huh?”

“The freshman orientation. You’re not thinking of going, are you?”

Just to be sure, I asked, and they all cleared their throats, ‘Ahem.’

‘Are these guys crazy? Are they out of their minds?’

“Come on. Even if you have a lot of free time, don’t go. Please. My friends.”

“But why? We don’t have many classes, so we have nothing to do, Karl!”

“Then how about doing something more productive during that time, like reading books or taking care of family business?”

“Meeting the sons and daughters of other families is also quite productive.”

“That’s right. The academy is a place of learning, but for nobles, it’s also an opportunity to get closer and build relationships.”

Aha. I see. You guys sound like some country bumpkins. You’re the heirs of families that couldn’t be more well-known.

Honestly, you don’t have to go.

Just admit that you’re bored and want to go! Then I’ll sigh and say, ‘Fine, do whatever you want.’

* * *

“…Freshman orientation?”

Exactly two days had passed since Selena started her grad school life.

And she already looked tired.

“Are you okay, Selena?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine. I was just up until dawn reading papers.”

[TL/N: The term ‘Papers’ might change in the future as I get more context.]

“You’ve already started reading papers?”

What? Don’t tell me her advisor is already making her work hard? I can’t stand this…

“Calm down, Karl. Don’t make such a scary face.”

“But it’s too early to start reading papers.”

Selena shook her head.

“No, it’s not that. I wanted to read them. I’ll have to look through them eventually, and it’s better to adapt quickly.”

“…Is it very difficult?”

“Yeah. The recent papers are okay, but the older ones are in rough shape. Plus, the words they used then and now are a bit different, so I have to study that first.”

The hellish grad school.

Even other places, even the military, give new recruits at least a minimal adjustment period. But not there?!

Or maybe they think Selena is such an excellent student that she’ll adapt quickly, so they threw her a high-difficulty quest right from the start—no, that can’t be it.

Selena herself said she chose to do it, not because anyone told her to.

“Anyway, the freshman orientation. Yeah, that’s right. I went there when I was a sophomore too.”

“What do I do there?”

“Huh?”

“My only experience with the orientation was as a freshman, and even that’s hazy. Now I’m going as a senior to encourage and congratulate the freshmen, so I wanted to know if there’s anything I should be careful of.”

“Uh… I can tell you, but… didn’t you ask the four of them?”

The four of them? I could have asked them, but who would trust those guys?

Selena is a hundred times better.

“Hmm. Honestly, Karl, you won’t have much to do there. The student council will be leading the orientation, and they’ll probably be grateful if you just sit there.”

“That would be a relief.”

The problem is, it probably won’t be that simple.

Think about it. Will the student council leave me alone? Or will they somehow put me in front of the freshmen and say, ‘Look at this! This is your senior! Praise him!’ or something like that?

I’d bet my medal on the latter.

And for the record, I’m not trying to lose my medal. That’s how confident I am.

“Have a good time. Be sure to welcome the freshmen. And… be careful of Eloise and Lav, Karl.”

Her words felt sincere, so I replied without hesitation, ‘I will.’

* * *

A new semester at the Imperial Academy. And the start of a new school year.

The first event is the freshman orientation.

Those who were freshmen until a year ago welcome their new juniors, and the freshmen get a good opportunity to start their new relationship with their seniors on a positive note.

Whether they knew each other from outside or not doesn’t matter.

If you make a good impression here, you can start off well or continue even better.

Noble or commoner, it doesn’t matter.

At least within this academy, seniority matters.

It’s a place where everyone, regardless of status, worked hard and took the same exam to get in.

If you start discussing levels here, you’ll fall into that trap yourself, so naturally, it doesn’t happen.

‘So this is what it’s like.’

Sipping her drink, Lefia confirmed that there was nothing to worry about, as she had feared.

The Imperial Academy.

A strange place where the sons and daughters of prominent noble families mingle with students from commoner backgrounds.

It’s the first place where they come face to face in a world with a clear social hierarchy.

Despite the rumors, Lefia had assumed there would be discrimination.

She thought the nobles would stick with nobles, and the commoners with commoners.

Because that’s how it was in her home country, Lasker.

There were similar educational institutions, but they strictly separated nobles and commoners, teaching them differently and providing different classes.

But the Empire was different.

It had to be different.

The real power that protected the Empire ultimately came from the commoners.

Although a class system existed, it wasn’t a structure where it could be used as a weapon.

‘Is this why the Empire was able to grow much faster than any other place?’

Lefia glanced towards where the sophomores were.

“Senior Karl! We’ve heard so much about you!”

“Hahaha. Thank you, juniors.”

“We’ll work hard to be like you, senior!”

“To be like me, you have to join the military… Ah, I’m just kidding, so please don’t take it seriously.”

Perhaps Karl wasn’t just praised for his incredible achievements, but also for achieving them as a ‘soldier.’

Among the nobles who had fulfilled a certain level of duty, his actions were truly overwhelming.

He had rights, but he was someone who took the initiative with a righteous heart.

‘What an amazing person. What a wonderful senior.’

Lefia thought to herself, just as she was about to take another sip of her drink.

“Your Highness.”

[Translator – Angel Dust]

[Proofreader – Prototype]

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