Villainess and the Stalker - Chapter 4 - Academy's Situation

Chapter 4 : Academy’s Situation

「This is your room.」

The room showed by headmaster was a spacious room that was located at the end of the third floor of the building which was annexed to the academy. Rather, this room was clearly a little bit TOO spacious to be the norm. If we’re speaking of academy dormitory… then shouldn’t it be narrower in size with a few people living together? Like, the dormitory room should only have beds and study desks, and would give the feeling that it existed only for sleeping and studying.

Or at least that was the case with most of the academies in other countries. Even the more advanced academy used the same system for their dormitory. Yet, apparently it was not the case with this academy. The dormitory room of this academy was spacious enough that it could be used for small-scale private party easily. Really, when I saw this room, all I could think of was ‘What a luxurious room’.

Maybe my expression was too obvious, but the headmaster only need to take one look at my face before he guessed my thoughts, making him start explaining to me.

「This academy has a long history, hence the majority of the building were old one. And that makes the room allocation for students took a long time since many of these old rooms are constructed for nobles. Well, long time ago, only nobles attended this academy after all. So, these rooms are built for those high ranking nobles. It’s not like I am deliberately giving you a luxurious suit. It’s just, while we could reconstruct the room to be a more normal sized one, it would take too much time to do so. Not to mention many high ranking nobles still lives in this section almost every year. That’s why this section is left as it is even though it’s a little inconvenience and not suiting to the general standard.

「So the reason I….. Received the same treatment as those nobles…」

I was troubled over what to say. However, the headmaster assured me.

「I want you to understand our situation. It’s not like I give you preferential treatment you see. It’s just by the time your entry to this academy is finalized, the dormitory is already jam-packed with the other students. The only room that’s left is this one. So, I hope you can bear to live in this room.」

「I see, so it really can’t be helped… Even so, will I….. Live alone in this room? 」

「It seems you will. Why? Feeling reluctant? Nothing can beat a spacious room you know. Your neighbour won’t hear anything even if you caused a loud explosion in the middle of training your magic」

As expected of headmaster for him to be able to laugh it off, speaking of which, it seemed that he did such a thing in his youth. With this type of room. So…if he used to live in this sort of room when he was young, he must be someone with a considerably high social position huh. If that was truly the case, it wouldn’t be strange if he used this room in his student time.

Nevertheless, he was unexpectedly lively for (assumedly) one of high status in this Kingdom. So…to be polite…should I say that he had an interesting personality…?

Anyhow.

「I just…. Have no wish to stood out…. I feel that using this room will make me quite conspicuous.」

The other students might think that it was strange for a foreign transfer student to be given this kind of room. Especially if we went by Helios Kingdom social class system. It seemed likely that I would be marked.

Naturally, I who had been abandoned by my grandfather, didn’t care about things like status anymore. Well, at least, not as much as before, but still, it didn’t mean that I’d take the initiative to incite some sort of trouble.

My current goal was to graduate from this place without causing any kind of trouble. Then the next step was to somehow found a decent company somewhere to employ me. [ED: Ettu…a kingdom filled map…with company? And not something more medieval sounding?]

Fortunately for me, I was quite adept in regard of sorcery. And, since it was almost impossible to find someone to be a sorcerer unless a mutation happened or that person being related to noble family, I wouldn’t have had any trouble in finding an employment just based on my talent to use sorcery.

Even if my grandfather had abandoned me, I should be able to survive this ordeal and led a normal life. And, the first hurdle was to safely graduate from this academy. The fact that this academy was quite famous one was also add plus factor for its alumnus.

Well, though it was true that I had no intention to create any problems, still the chance that some sort of trouble would come my way and got me involved was not that low. I guessed I would just think on the solution when that happened.

「Well, there’s no problem in this regard too. Anyone have to use the east stairways in case they want to go to your room. And people normally uses the west stairways or the central one when they want to go to their respective rooms. Besides, no one would want to go to their own room through the east stairways, since the room in front of the second floor of that stairways is the dorm manager’s room. I expect that you won’t meet the other students when you come out of your room.」

He explained. And from his explanation, I could see that this room was allocated to me after various considerations. This fact was rather reassuring in my case.

「I’m glad then. My luggages are…」

Although he said that my luggages would be delivered by janitor later, I was rather worried about it.

「It should be delivered by now… let’s see」

He looked around the room as he said that, and sure enough, my luggages had been placed beside the bed in the inner part of the room.

「Yeah, over there.」

「You’re right…. But, is that all? 」

「Yes, is there something strange about it? 」

「No, it’s just that for a noble, you only have a few luggage. It’s rather unexpected since the other nobles crammed an entire coach full with their luggages.」

Certainly, my luggages consisted only of several clothes, daily necessities which I used since long time ago, and few books that I love. There were no other addition. And it seemed, from headmaster perspective, it was just too little coming from a noble. [ED: Well, true…at this point I’m thinking that you’re not a noble. I meant…just several changes of clothes? Really?]

「Is that so？ Though this is plenty enough for me…. It does make me wonder what does the other noble actually bring along with them?」

「Majority of those nobles luggages were tableware and mountain of clothes. Well the commoner’s side was more similar to you, but the nobles side were…a little too much.」

He didn’t look like he really thought that way. I thought when I noticed that his tone had a little bit of sarcasm in it. He might want to tell me that it was okay to bring necessary things for your study, but it seemed unnecessary things were frowned upon. At least from his perspective. And from his perspective…it seemed like he thought that those guys brought way too much already.

Nevertheless, I was more curious about other things I got from his words than those nobles’s personal problems. Thus I asked the headmaster about it.

「Commoner, is it? If I’m not wrong, almost half of the students are commoners.」

I didn’t have anything like discrimination against the commoners.

Honest.

Rather, I thought that this academy had a wonderful, rational, and advanced system. At least, in this aspect I thought that was the case.

After all in other countries, there were many obstinate academies where they wouldn’t even opened their doors towards the talented individuals if they didn’t come from a certain background. Ergo, showing their respective countries stance in the matter as well. Though, the situations were not that bad in countries where there was little differences in status between its people or those with no differences of status for their people.

But realistically speaking, excluding a talent just because that person was a commoner was an absurd decision. I thought rather than doing that, it would be better if the noble’s sides took proactive approach to unearth such talents. That way those talents would be put in its rightful place and they would be grateful to you too for the support.

Thus, the system adopted by this Helios Royal Sorcery Academy, just in this regard alone, nicely fitted with my idea.

「Uhm. That’s right. It started 200 years ago when Olivia-sama, who later on became a Duchess because she fell in love with Duke Tieria, was missing, Although at first it was the arrangement of the King of that era to find her, he kept the system that he made because he found how useful it was. And, even until now the system is still kept intact because of its usefulness, which was also my point of view, since it has more benefits than disadvantages.」

The Olivia who headmaster talking about was a legendary figure who came out in the story that was geared toward children.

Nevertheless, it didn’t mean that she was a fictional character in the story, she was a real person.

Originally, she was the biological daughter of his majesty. However, due to her mother being involved in the chaotic harem, she vanished without a trace right after her birth.

The king of that time couldn’t find her whereabouts no matter how hard he tried. In the end, he ended up relying on the advice of a famous fortune teller.

And, the fortune teller told him.

‘She was brought up by a certain commoner and grew by their side.

When she grew up, she would be back, carrying with her a powerful magic that originated from the Royal family.’

It was those words that the fortune tellers told. And, believing in this divination, the King at that time prepared for the time she would return to his side. Thus, he decided to open the door of Royal Sorcery Academy for the commoners.

And, ten years later, Olivia in fact knocked on the door of Royal Sorcery Academy by herself. In there she got caught into a few troubles, solved it, then met and fell in love with her classmate who happened to be the next head of Tieria ducal house, Axel Tieria. This guy found her origin as a royalty and in the end married her.

It was a tale of a successful life of a person. In fact, it was the dream of every girl. However, it was no mer tale. It was a historical fact.

As a proof, the system, which was created just for her sake, had continued on until now. It was the best evidence for this tale to be the historical fact.

「But, well… I think Olivia-sama will be sad if she lives to see the current situation of this academy.」

Headmaster expression warped when he said that.

「The “School Tradition” over here is that severe, is it.」

「The conflict between commoners and nobles is the biggest problem of this kingdom. This academy is a small reflection of that situation… We, teachers, were obliged to stop when we found a dispute but…. The being called students are just. You know the rest right? 」

「They hide it.」

「Exactly. I do have my fair share of pranks during my student days. So I’ll pretend I don’t see anything if it’s just the level of prank. But, the matter that happen in the academy right now…..just can’t be ignored」