Chapter 24: You Were Born In the Wrong Year

“What are you so shocked about? You’re the same age as Her Highness Nora, so it goes without saying that you’ll be going to the academy together with her.”

“No, I get that, but what do you mean by I’ll have to accompany her?”

Roel asked with a pale face.

After Carter’s explanation, Roel finally understood what was going on. While Saint Freya Academy was a place to learn, the students gathered there were nobles from different countries, so it was inevitable that they would form cliques with those from the same country.

Nora, as the princess of the Theocracy, couldn’t possibly be left alone and isolated. So, the nobles who were of the same age as Nora would all be attending Saint Freya Academy together. The plan was to improve their clout and avoid being bullied by others.

To put it simply, it was basically just them protecting their royalty.

There was no explicit rule saying that the nobles should perform this duty, but everyone would do so anyway. It was a good opportunity to get close to the princess… and it was free.

As the most prestigious academy in all of Brolne, Saint Freya Academy’s enrollment fees were exorbitant, even by the standards of nobility. Some of the lesser houses wouldn’t be able to fork out the money for their children to enroll there. However, in the year that Nora was enrolling, the royal family would be providing scholarships for students who were going to attend Saint Freya Academy.

I know that life is tough, but as adults, it’s our responsibility to pave the way for the next generation! Education is a must!

Have you heard of Saint Freya Academy? It’s the greatest academy of the entire Sia Continent, the best education that your child can get! Don’t worry, I know that you’re poor, so I’ll fork out money for your children to go to school!

Oh right, it just so happens that our princess will be attending that school this year too. Ahahaha, what a coincidence, right? Cough cough… You get what I’m saying, right?

It was at this point that those poor nobles would humbly accept the generous donation while offering great compliments for their royal family. Then, they would return back home and tell their rascals to listen to the princess and serve her like a lackey.

This strategy ensured every single member of the Theocracy’s royalty had their own following inside the academy. All they had to do was give a shout and a massive army of followers would be rallied before them. In a sense, this was a guarantee for a wonderful school life free of bullies.

Of course, as one of the Five Eminent Noble Houses, the Ascart House wouldn’t lower itself to become lackeys over mere school tuition. Roel would be heading to Saint Freya Academy together with Nora as an aide to help manage her group of followers.

This was actually a pretty decent position since he would be able to make use of this opportunity to recruit young elites and, at the same time, get the royal family to owe him a favor. Besides, being able to build close ties with a member of the royal family while at school could have long-lasting benefits.

There were many situations where close aides of the successor to the throne would eventually be promoted into influential positions, working closely with the crown to help manage the country.

“I was still a little worried about this initially, but now it seems like everything should be fine. Given how close you and Her Highness Nora have become from your first meeting, I believe the two of you will be able to work very well together! Prince Kane and I are delighted by how things turned out.”

Carter’s optimistic attitude formed a stark contrast with Roel’s despairing face. This situation remained till the end of dessert time, when the trio finally returned back to their rooms to rest after a long day.

…

Roel didn’t head to sleep right away. Instead, he sat on his chair and pondered over everything that had happened earlier in the day. Putting aside the encounter with Nora for now, he did learn a lot about this world through the discussions regarding transcendents and Origin Attributes. Some of the more inexplicable details surrounding the game finally began to make sense.

He tried to analyze his current position, and he felt that things were still quite dangerous for him. For one thing, the fact that the strong power he had exerted in the game that turned out to be from an evil cult not acknowledged by the Theocracy had left him feeling quite uneasy.

Just where in the world did the original Roel learn that from? Carter’s Origin Attribute was Brolne’s Wisdom, so it definitely was not something passed down through the family’s heritage, and as of yet, Roel hadn’t managed to get in contact with any evil cult members, so far…

… which meant that he would probably meet them in the future.

It was likely that there was some event waiting in the future that would lead him astray.

The sense that something ominous was going to happen didn’t sit well with Roel, made him feel a little jumpy. He felt that he urgently needed to raise his fighting prowess in order to deal with whatever he would have to face moving forward.

I shall send any evil cultists that knock on my door fleeing for their lives!

Having made up his mind, Roel began looking for ways to raise his fighting prowess, but he soon realized that before reaching Origin Level 5, the power of transcendents usually grew with age, and this was highly dependent on talent.

It was only after reaching Origin Level 5 and obtaining an Origin Attribute that one could use external means to raise one’s Origin Level.

So, the issue that Roel faced now was how he could ensure that he grew up properly along with his Origin Level. The convention in this world was to either practice spells or train one’s body, but so far, he had failed to persist in either one.

Practicing two incomplete, basic-level spells didn’t interest Roel, and the so-called noble swordsmanship classes were mostly just for show. The teachers that Carter brought in were said to be ex-royal guards of the Theocracy, but it would appear that Roel simply wasn’t cut out for this.

It was due to a lack of talent and diligence that resulted in Roel’s pathetically weak state. This would have to change from now on!

He would allocate a portion of his time every day to practicing that darned middle-finger spell and would start training up his body as well. He would have to change his attitude toward his swordsmanship training too.

And of course, he would put the cheat key he’d been given to full use too.

【Lobor Enhancement Serum Type II

A one-time use item produced in the Lobor region, which has been mired in war for many years. One thing to note is that the ‘one-time use’ refers not to the item but the soldiers consuming it.

Side Effects: Accumulation of heat in internal organs, shortening of lifespan

Price: 500 Gold Coins】

“…”

Roel was rendered utterly speechless by this unreliable item inside the Gold Coin Shop, but the reason why this item caught his eye was due to the presence of a complementary item right below.

【Lobor Cooling Serum

A noble invention indeed, the ray of hope for humanity! Loborians finally don’t have to burn their intestines over their own medicine anymore! It’s such a perfect fit with Lobor Enhancement Serum Type II that some call this item the miracle of the gods! This is an item that is used to raise the talents of youths, and satisfied customers claim that it tastes marvelous when consumed together with Lobor Enhancement Serum Type II.

Side Effects: Freezing of bloodline (When consumed individually)

Side Effects: None (When consumed with a 1:1 ratio with Lobor Enhancement Serum Type II, after the mixture settles at a brown-red color)

Price: 1500 Gold Coins】

Looking at the description of the cooling serum, Roel finally managed to calm down a little. Nevertheless, there was still a displeased frown resting on his face.

“Feels like an unscrupulous marketing tactic.”