The glorious Glorenstein Academy.

I stood in front of a vast entrance. Brick walls ran as far as I could see on either side and in front of me stood a giant metal gate that could stop anyone who even thought about sneaking into the academy. If the gates didn’t, then the magical barrier over the academy certainly would.

I had tipped and sent the coachman away so I could walk to the academy, and it turned out to be the correct decision.

My eyes scanned the buildings from top to bottom. I was in awe of all the distant buildings I could see. The glorious Empire’s glorious flag fluttered in the wind that caressed the peaks of the glorious Glorenstein Academy.

Despite my words, I was not a nationalist. Please do not misunderstand.

The academy’s walls stretched wide, but the grounds inside stretched wider. Grand arches and pillars adorned the buildings, while the stretch of the campus’ serpentine stone roads had no end in sight.

“Hello!” I reached the gates and smiled at the guard. There were other guards on all the gates and some more patrolling, but only one stood outside. The guard scrunched his brows as he nodded. He looked like the type that did not want anyone to bother him, so I got straight to the point.

“I am supposed to join as a professor soon. Here is my introduction letter.”

The guard accepted the letter and scanned through it.

“I’ll have to confirm this inside,” he said. “Please wait here.”

“Absolutely. Go ahead.”

The guard dashed away, and I was left alone. I started tapping my feet on the ground, since it was too quiet. To be honest, the fact that the academy was on its term break did not bother me. As much as I wanted to spit in the Grand Commander’s morning tea, spending a month alone wouldn’t be so bad.

The logistics of taking in students from all over the world right after the end of the war was nothing to scoff at; even more so when said students were the scions of their countries.

If there were ten civil servants involved in making the academy picture perfect for them, five were likely suffering from severe sleep deprivation and five from extreme fever and fatigue, and all ten were likely considering suicide.

Compared to such people, my situation was rather fun! Not only could I sit back and relax, but I could also laugh at their faces.

After some time, the guard returned, along with another person.

A man adjusted his round spectacles as he rushed over. I had seen the file of everyone in the Academy. This man with a scholarly build was the Head of the Teaching Faculty, and the Vice Principal. Someone high up in the academy hierarchy.

He was also someone I didn’t know.

It was time to make a new friend!

***

Six peaceful years at the academy, full of promotions and achievements, had not prepared Richard Benett for the events this year had in store.

He was assigned the task of making sure the academy could accommodate the people—students, civil servants, and teachers—on their way here, and it was nothing short of the biggest ordeal of his life. This person right in front of him was one of those.

He knew little about the man except his name and what he could see: Black hair, a gentle smile, and an impeccable dressing sense. This was Ethan Kalenice, a member of the Kalenice County in the southern parts of the empire.

Richard had heard he was a soldier. Mr. Ethan joined the infantry at sixteen and was now an off-duty Major at twenty-four. The climb in rank would be absurd on most days, but it wasn’t unheard of after a war. Many climbed far above what Ethan did.

An accomplished militant—that would be Richard’s impression of the man.

If only the Prime Minister himself had not recommended him to be the professor for that special classroom.

The fact that all the diplomats had readily agreed when his name was mentioned was just the cherry on top.

Richard Benett might have been a scholar, but he was no fool. This guy in front of him was not someone to ignore. Richard Benett bowed and greeted the man with all the courtesy he would show an important person.

“It is an honor to meet you, Major Kalenice. I am Richard Benett, head of the teaching faculty. I hope there was no problem in your travel here—”

Richard feared offending a man with far-reaching influence. When a reply did not come his way, the fear grew.

Richard was slowly looking up when Ethan planted his hands on Richard’s shoulders.

“Don’t be so stiff, Richard!” Ethan said with a bright smile that seemed almost infectious. “Can I call you that?”

Richard nodded, half in surprise.

Ethan patted his shoulder and urged him to walk along, as if the guest had become the guide and the guide had become the guest. He took Richard through the doors and into the academy.

“You are the head of the teaching faculty. You are my senior here.”

“Ah, no…you don’t have to—”

“I understand,” Ethan said with a bright smile. “It might seem tough to treat me as a subordinate and awkward if I act like one. Let’s take it easy like good friends, yes?”

“Oh, sure.”

The remark might have seemed arrogant, but Ethan’s tone never let that thought settle in. He seemed genuinely concerned. Richard was confused. The war veteran he had expected was a rugged, cold-hearted hero—not this friendly man with the demeanor of a cheesecake.

Ethan looked the type to charge into the frontlines and be the first to get killed.

“It must be tough with the sudden changes, right?” Ethan asked. “You guys must have so many things to be on top of. If one thing fits, another falls.”

“Yes…that is true…it has been a major headache to accommodate everyone. Oh, I don’t mean you—”

“Haha, not at all!” Ethan patted Richard’s shoulders again. His gaze went down to Richard’s hand, and with a grin, Ethan whispered.

“You look young to be married. Engaged?”

Richard blushed.

“Yes.”

“Childhood sweetheart or something?”

Richard’s blush grew more prominent. He had climbed higher in rank through the years, and it had become normal for people to be formal and respectful. They were all distant.

This was the first time he had met someone pushy, yet it did not annoy him. If anything, Richard had always wanted to talk with someone genuine.

“We met in school when I was young. I don’t get the chance to go meet her these days…”

“That’s terrible. If it’s any good news, the start of the term is just a month away. You’ll have a chance soon!” Ethan reeled back at his own words. “Wow, isn’t a vacation supposed to be that chance? Funny that you would be more relaxed when class starts.”

A chuckle left Richard.

In no time, Richard had blundered his queen and exposed the king on his chessboard to Ethan.

The head of the faculty began complaining about everything around him while the new professor listened and cheered him on. The conversation neither droned nor turned gloomy. Richard felt heard, and it spurred him to speak more.

The short walk had turned into a tour of the academy filled with laughter.

“Oh, shit! I was supposed to show you to the principal’s office, Ethan.”

Ethan only smiled in response. The silence for the next month was going to be boring. He had done well in getting rid of it from the start.