Chapter 45
Even under a state of war, the academy does not close.
Because the discussions on the establishment of the academy had settled down for the time being, First Princess Elysia was giving me a tour.
A stone lecture room. A professor standing on a high platform. Orderly lined up desks. The students are all sons of good families. Limited to the lineages of nobles or high-ranking clergy.
Everyone silently runs their pens, and no one interjects. When the lecture is over, they bow and exit in an orderly fashion. Even out in the corridor, there are no voices of debate.
“…It is perfect,”
I said. Elysia nodded proudly.
“This academy is the best on the continent.”
“Yes. It is complete.”
After a slight pause, I continued.
“Too complete.”
Her golden eyes moved slightly.
“What do you mean by that?”
I looked at the school regulations posted on the wall.
Discipline. Silence. Absolute respect for the teachers.
“When do you ask questions?”
“After the lecture, upon obtaining permission.”
“Upon obtaining permission, is it?”
I let out a small breath.
“In that case, inquiry will not be nurtured.”
It was a quiet voice, but it was clear.
“Learning begins with inquiry.”
Elysia fell silent. I continued.
“Everything is too orderly here.”
Elysia looked at me.
“It is precisely because they are all sons of nobles that order is maintained. However,”
I looked back at the lecture room.
“The same family standings, the same education, the same values. Aren’t their perspectives too similar?”
Elysia‘s steps stopped slightly.
“In my ideal,”
I chose my words.
“I would incorporate time for debate into the lectures.”
“Into the lectures?”
“The teacher only speaks for half. The remaining half is spent letting the students speak.”
Elysia furrowed her brow.
“Would that not result in disorder?”
“It will.”
I said it flatly.
“However, new ideas only emerge from chaos.”
The wind blew through the corridor.
“The current academy has become a ‘place to learn correct answers’.”
Elysia‘s black hair swayed.
“But originally, it should be a ‘place to doubt correct answers’.”
Under a state of war. Those who support the nation are not permitted to make mistakes. That is exactly why silence becomes a virtue. I continued.
“One more thing.”
I pointed to the manuscript on the desk. All the same school of thought, the same interpretation.
“Is there a place to voice dissenting opinions?”
“…Officially, there are likely few.”
Her answer was delayed.
“If only those of a similar lineage learn, their thoughts will also become similar.”
I said quietly.
“That gives birth to stability. But at the same time, it also gives birth to blind spots.”
“Blind spots?”
“Blind spots are the premises that no one doubts. The things that are not doubted are the greatest when they collapse.”
Elysia widened her eyes a little.
“If they are to support the nation, you should nurture human resources who can speak out.”
A long silence. A bell rang.
Elysia slowly exhaled.
“…Reform breeds backlash.”
For an instant, she lowered her gaze.
“I had always been concerned about it…”
I remained silent.
“…However, the professors will not stay silent.”
“I suppose not.”
It was an immediate answer.
“Therefore, do it in stages. First, establish just one debate lecture based on selection.”
A beat.
“Even among the sons of nobles, purposely mix different lineages. And if it produces results, expand it.”
Elysia looked at me.
It is not an ideal. Nor is it emotion. It is a talk of structure.
“…I spoke out of turn.”
I finally realized. This academy is the pride of the great power. I touched upon its very foundation.
But Elysia smiled quietly. Her golden eyes softened slightly.
“No. You direct inquiry at the things we have thought of as a matter of course.”
At those words, I gasped slightly.
Because I had prepared myself to be reprimanded.
The afternoon light stretched across the stone floor. The academy is still quiet. But deep within that silence, certainly, a single crack had entered.
And that was not a collapse, but the beginning of reform.
Elysia’s Perspective
It was just as we were about to descend the stone steps of the academy.
I immediately noticed a group approaching from the front.
—That is. Seeing the face of the man standing at the front, my memory connected. A Marquis in my father’s good graces. The person who had led the delegation when the treaty was concluded.
(I see. I wonder if his pretext is that he came to see the state of the academy.)
I stepped forward just one pace ahead of the Prince. I intended to introduce him.
However. He first bowed deeply to me.
“Your Highness the Princess. I am glad above all else to see you in good health.”
A perfect bow. Flawless. Then, his gaze slid towards the Prince.
“Your Highness as well, you remain unchanged.”
“It has been a long time.”
—Oh? I blinked slightly.
(You knew him, I see.)
A tone of voice that did not break form. A quiet smile. He said, “It’s been a long time.” Meaning, he wasn’t just incidentally present at the place where the treaty was concluded.
I decided to watch over the two without saying anything.
“That treaty was truly magnificent. Maintaining equilibrium by increasing traffic rather than by military force. It is a wonderful concept.”
The Third Prince shook his head slightly.
“It is still just the beginning.”
…Right. A treaty is paper. It only has meaning when it is operated. That temperature is exactly because he understands that.
The Marquis nodded with satisfaction.
“How goes the establishment of the academy?”
The question was soft, but also had a probing color.
The Third Prince answered.
“There are difficult aspects, but I wish to make it good.”
He tells no lies. Nor does he speak only of ideals.
After staring at the Third Prince for a moment, the Marquis nodded slowly.
“If we have those words from you, it should be sufficient.”
I remained silent beside them.
The Marquis muttered softly.
“…As I thought.”
The Third Prince asked back.
“What is it?”
He gave a bitter smile.
“If only a person like Your Highness were in our country, I thought.”
—Oh my, oh my. Is that not a joke?
“That is an excessive evaluation.”
“No. It is my true feeling.”
For a moment, a pause fell.
“The Royal Family is about bloodlines, but what moves a nation is thought. …Your Highness, who possesses thought, is a treasure.”
I moved my gaze slightly.
Those words are praise, and at the same time, a confirmation.
“Both the treaty and the academy.”
The Marquis continued.
“Your Highness designs a path to win without fighting. People do not wish to let go of such a person.”
The Third Prince answered quietly.
“I am a person of my country.”
At those words, the Marquis smiled with satisfaction.
“That is also a shame.”
A shame. Yes, indeed. For you all.
I thought quietly. The Marquis is calculating.
How much profit it would be if that Prince were in our country.
But at the same time, he should also understand.
How dangerous it is to desire a prince of another country. The more excellent a human resource is, the more their value crosses borders.
That is exactly why—one must not desire it lightly.
I just smiled with a face of knowing nothing.
“Excuse me!”
Shattering the silence of the corridor, an Imperial Guard dropped to his knee.
Elysia‘s brow furrowed slightly.
“Speak.”
“An urgent report from the front lines. Upon receiving a report that the enemy retreated from the hill, we advanced, seeing it as a good opportunity. However—”
The Imperial Guard’s throat gulped slightly.
“It was a feigned retreat. The enemy lay in ambush upstream and lured us in.”
Elysia‘s brow furrowed slightly.
“Receiving the enemy’s counterattack, the upstream was suppressed. The bridges have been dropped, and our units are on the verge of being divided.”
The air froze.
“Being defeated piecemeal is also… a matter of time, I believe.”
The blood drained from Elysia‘s face.
“…How, will we regroup?”
Her voice was calm, but it was ever so slightly hoarse.
“A military council will begin. I must return in haste. Princess, this is as far as I can guide you. Excuse me.”
Just as she was about to turn on her heel.
“It may be presumptuous of me, but,”
I said quietly.
“Could you please allow me to attend that military council as well?”
Elysia looked back.
“This is our country’s war.”
“I am aware.”
I did not back down a single step.
“However, to just watch an ally in trouble right before my eyes… does not suit my nature.”
A moment of silence.
“If permitted, I wish to let you allow me to think together with you.”
There was no calculation in that voice.
Elysia lowered her eyes slightly—and said.
“…Let us go.”
