"Alfred, are there any other rumors about me aside from what Prince Shin had said?"
"Ah, young master... you shouldn't be asking things like this."
Wei An sighed and just gave up on the topic; he didn't want to argue since he was quite tired.
I could always just find out some other way anyway.
"Let's go back; I feel quite tired."
"Of course, young master." Alfred gave a small smile and waited for Wei An to stand up.
Moments after, Wei An also stood up, yawning a bit and then finally walking; Alfred followed behind him as always. Wei A started walking back to the dorm, not looking if Alfred followed behind. He then unlocked his room and plopped onto his bed.
"We'll continue exploring tomorrow; for now, let's rest."
"Did young master forget? Tomorrow will be the opening ceremony for students; of course, you only need to attend some if you do not want to go."
"Ah... alright, I guess. You can leave now."
After Alfred left, Wei An cursed in his mind since there were a lot of things that needed to be done for tomorrow.
Hah... This is making my head ache. I need to get some sleep.
Wei An had fallen asleep after a few minutes; he guessed it was the lack of sleep from the previous days, so he just let his body rest.
___________________________________________________________________________________
The day arrived, and Alfred had Wei An woken up; after eating his breakfast, he washed up. After he got out of the bathroom, he then changed into the academy uniform.
Hah. I expected the uniform to look tacky, but this is unexpectedly good?
The uniform had a white jacket with black accents; it was worn with black trousers, and the outfit had a belt with a star-shaped buckle. The outfit had a golden trim, a fringe, and buttons that were golden.
This body really does suit everything.
Wei An stared at the mirror for a while until finally going out. While walking, Alfred informed him about the ceremony and which events he had to attend. Of course Wei An would rather stay in the dormitory, but this was something mandatory to get into the academy; after all, the semester hadn't started, and the real test had only just begun.
When Wei An arrived at the ceremony venue, there were round tables set up for the students. He sat down in his assigned seat and looked around; there were only a few students there. Some were in groups of their own, and others were standing and making friends with each other.
I've been tricked! That old man woke me up early!
A moment after, Wei An saw a familiar mint-haired boy walk by. Shin had sat down next to Wei An; they both greeted each other and talked.
"It's nice seeing you again, young master Wei An. Looks like we'll be seeing each other often."
"Is that so? The rankings haven't been announced yet. How are you so sure, your highness?"
"Well, I just assume we'd be in the same class."
"Well, I would be glad to have you as a classmate if that were the case. What section were you hoping to get into?"
"Well obviously section S. I just hope I do well in the practical exam, although I'm not that great with magic."
"I'm sure you'll do fine; I heard that your highness is good with magic."
"Really? Those are just rumors. Anyway, young master Wei An, I heard you are quite skilled in magic too and that you're good in academics. I'm sure you'll have no problem getting in section S."
"You overestimate me, your highness; I'm sure you are much better than me in terms of those. After all, the academy of magic is in Stalia."
"Haha, well, let's hope for the best."
This guy...he has quite the glib tongue. What does he want from me? He has been trying to flatter me ever since we talked. Well, I guess he doesn't seem that bad, although I need to find out about his intentions first.
Both talked for a while; it was still quite early, and only a few more people had joined the ceremony venue.
"It seems that it's still quite early."
"Right, but it is better to be early than late. My older sister, Rinea von Stalia, used to go here. She warned me about being late and suggested that I go early."
"Really? Is she still attending the academy?"
"Ah, well yes, but she's graduating this year. She told me that there is a tradition where the ceremony starts earlier than what was planned and that those who are late won't be able to attend or will somehow get some sort of punishment."
"Ah, that must mean the people here right now know about this tradition. You are quite well informed, your highness."
"It was only because of my older sister that I knew about this. Let's hope nothing goes wrong, yes?"
"Mn."
_________________________________________________________________________________
About 20 minutes passed since then, and the venue seemed to be somewhat filled. The room was filled with both commoners and nobles; of course, there was an assigned place for each. Like other academies, the classes seemed to be divided.
Hm, I guess this is what happens if you mix classes. Some people won't accept being mixed with commoners, and commoners would rather stay away from snobbish nobles who think they are the best. Well, not like I had any expectations to begin with.
"Hah... the academy should work on the class problem, don't you think? They claim to have equal treatment for all, but nobles and commoners are divided."
Wei An was surprised to hear that from the prince of Stalia. He thought that he would just be one of those nobles who wouldn't care about class issues since he was a prince.
Oh, not bad. Guess this guy is better than I thought?
"Right, but we can't fully blame this on the academy since it's snobbish nobles who are not accepting to be in the same room as those who are less fortunate."
The prince nodded in agreement, quite surprised about Wei An's statement. "Right. It seems like we think the same way, young master Wei An."
"Mn, how could I be compared to you, your highness?"
"Haha..."