Chapter 16

“The issue of exile has been settled for now, so let’s start talking seriously about the admission matter,” Marquis Ludwig said leisurely, exhaling smoke.

The office was filled with a hazy smoke. Every time I see him, he never seems to drop the magic herb from his mouth. At this point, isn’t he seriously addicted to it?

…Well, I guess I’m not one to talk.

Feeling awkward, I looked down at the magic herb I was holding. Half of it had already burned away, leaving a subtle warmth at my fingertips.

Magic herb—such an unfamiliar term rolled around on my tongue.

Every time I see it, I can’t help but think the name doesn’t sound great. It’s not like the plant actually contains magic or anything.

It’s just that magicians started using it because it clears the mind, and at some point, it got called “magic herb.” So why not just call it tobacco? That’s a much more familiar term for me.

“So, how much do you know about the academy and special admissions?” he asked.

“Not much. Just what you told me back then,” I replied.

I have a rough idea thanks to the game, but I can’t be sure if that information is accurate. The settings and world-building I know are pretty fragmented and biased.

Well, the game wasn’t exactly generous with its explanations of settings or lore.

Who would’ve thought even the monsters had backstories?

“…Then it’ll take some time to explain,” he said.

“Are you sure? Shouldn’t we start preparing to leave soon? Honestly, I don’t even know what to prepare.”

“I already had the servants gather the necessary items. They should still need some time to finish, so I’ll explain in the meantime.”

The service is top-notch. Meeting Marquis Ludwig might be the biggest stroke of luck since I got reincarnated.

Not knowing what kind of person the Lord of Randenburg, the administrator of the Berengeiria Barrier, would be was the biggest gamble in my plan.

If he had been a violent man who would kill me on sight just for being from Ka`har, I would’ve had to abandon everything and flee.

In that sense, Marquis Ludwig hitting the jackpot in this high-stakes gamble was a blessing.

…Though I still don’t know why he’s so kind to me.

He maintains a formal tone, keeping his distance, but at the same time, he teases me, scolds me lightly, and cracks jokes.

He seems to coldly assess my usefulness, but he also subtly takes responsibility and looks out for me.

Even his warnings feel more like advice.

Anyone watching might think I’m his daughter.

Though his actual children were all killed by Ka`har, so that’s probably not it.

Marquis Ludwig put down the magic herb and began his explanation.

I set aside my doubts and listened attentively.

—

“Let’s depart, Princess Hasalleur,” Nigel said from the coachman’s seat, pulling the reins.

The two horses startled, snorted, and slowly began to pull the carriage.

Nigel’s horse was prepared by the Marquis’s household, so it was probably used to pulling carriages, but the horse I brought along was likely doing this for the first time.

Still, as if to show the pride of the eastern horses, it moved forward without complaint, bearing the weight of the heavy carriage.

The metal-clad wheels clattered, shaking the carriage up and down.

The travel carriage bearing the emblem of the Randenburg family gradually picked up speed as it crossed the wide road.

—

The luxurious interior of the carriage was quiet and steady.

There were soft cushions, but they couldn’t possibly provide this much shock absorption.

Given that it’s a carriage from a Marquis’s household, there must be some magical enhancement I don’t know about.

I relaxed into the comfort of civilization, savoring the tranquility.

Magic really is amazing. The Ka`har people ride horses their whole lives and probably never experience this kind of luxury.

It’ll take a little over ten days to reach the capital. I guess I can study the Empire’s language in the meantime.

I took out the book Nigel had gifted me and started reading.

At the very least, I need to overcome illiteracy before we arrive.

“Remnant Academy… years ago, the first Emperor, Carolus the Great… military institution… nurturing talents… deployed to the Imperial Army…”

The book, titled *The History and Tradition of the Academy*, was painfully boring.

Most of the content was either stuff I already knew from the game or things the Marquis had told me.

But since I knew the general outline, it was perfect for practicing the Empire’s language by deciphering the words.

I stifled a yawn, mumbled the contents, and flipped the pages.

—

“Your body seems to have mostly recovered now,” Nigel declared five days later, after checking my injuries every morning.

Indeed, since last night, I’ve felt a surge of energy, as if my body had returned to its pre-training state.

“Then, can I start learning the Empire’s swordsmanship now?” I asked.

I was itching for it.

Since I couldn’t show my face to people, I’d been cooped up in the carriage for four days and nights.

When I absolutely had to go outside, we’d stop the carriage in a secluded spot, and while Nigel kept watch, I’d get a brief breath of fresh air.

At least at night, there were hardly any travelers, so I could stay out a bit longer.

But to avoid any potential issues, we avoided small towns and cities altogether, camping out and handling all meals and lodging inside the carriage.

It was originally designed for such purposes, so even setting up a tent and…

It’s much more comfortable than the Ka`har days, so that’s a relief.

Thanks to that, unlike when Nigel and I started off looking neat, we were pretty messy by now.

Whenever we saw a sparsely populated forest, we’d go in and wash ourselves with stream water at night.

But usually, it was just wiping ourselves down with a towel.

We didn’t even think about washing our clothes.

…It seems like since I got possessed, I’ve had no connection with the word hygiene.

Nigel pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes. It seems like it’s about time. But since sweating too much would be a problem, it’s better to lightly practice swordsmanship theory and basic stances during the night for now.”

“Hmm. Yeah, that sounds good. Let’s do that. I don’t know anything about swordsmanship, so learning from the basics would actually help.”

There might be swordsmanship lectures at the academy, but there’s a world of difference between going in knowing the basics and going in completely clueless.

“You said you don’t know swordsmanship? Then what was that fight back then…?”

Nigel seemed a bit surprised and trailed off.

Well, thinking about how I looked back then, it’s no wonder he couldn’t imagine that was the movement of someone who knows nothing about swordsmanship.

But that really wasn’t swordsmanship.

It was just a fighting method relying on instinctive reaction speed, dodging what needed to be dodged, attacking when there was an opening, and pushing forward fiercely with strength and speed.

Not swordsmanship, but a fighting method. To put it a bit more formally, it was closer to martial arts.

It only looked like swordsmanship because I was holding a sword at the time, but it wouldn’t have made any difference if I was holding a different weapon.

If I didn’t have a weapon, it would have looked like martial arts.

“That was just fighting instinctively, relying on my physical abilities. I don’t even know how to properly hold a sword. No one taught me.”

“…I see. Then we can start with how to properly hold a sword in the evening.”

“Yeah. Thanks in advance.”

After sending Nigel back to the coachman’s seat, I took out a book and started reading again.

“After the special admission system was established, discussions continued on whether to respect the relativity of their cultures… The Empire, after much deliberation, decided to partially accept their demands… Therefore, special admission students are allowed to maintain their unique ethnic attire within the academy…”

Thanks to enduring headaches and continuously using the translation magic necklace, I had somewhat gotten used to the Empire’s language.

The words imprinted in my mind by the translation magic remained like remnants even after the magic was lifted, supposedly enhancing learning efficiency.

A learning method that turns illiteracy into native-like proficiency in just half a month.

Truly something impossible without magic.

—

After that, I learned about swordsmanship from Nigel every night.

As Nigel said, since sweating too much would be a problem, we only covered the theory and posture correction, leaving the practice for later.

“Yes. Basically, you hold it like that. If you want to accurately pierce the enemy’s armor, you grip the blade with one hand…”

There were more ways to hold a sword than I thought.

Depending on the situation, it was necessary to change the grip, and Nigel explained in detail the situations for each grip method.

“A sword isn’t something you swing like that! That’s why it breaks so easily!”

I learned the basic stances for swinging and thrusting a sword.

It had to be a clean line without twisting, with the sword’s path and the blade’s tilt perfectly aligned.

In my case, relying solely on strength and swinging wildly caused the sword to misalign, putting excessive force on the blade and making it break easily.

“The essence of Empire swordsmanship is utilizing the crossguard, the part near the blade’s base, to the fullest. As I showed you last time…”

I learned the basic principles of Empire swordsmanship.

It was something about the principle of leverage, saying to use the part near the hilt to deflect the opponent’s blade when defending.

The blade’s base and hilt could also be excellent weapons.

…He actually aimed at my left arm and head with the hilt’s end.

“Not just the sword, but martial arts using arms and legs are also important. You seem to use your left arm for defense and strikes, so having a secondary weapon would be useful. Like a dagger, for example…”

I learned the basics of martial arts for attacking with arms and legs instead of a sword at close range.

Since the Ice Blade seemed tricky to use casually, having a dagger would definitely be convenient.

“Empire swordsmanship is basically for fighting humans. If you’re up against non-human enemies… in that case, just fight the way you usually do.”

I was advised not to use it against non-human enemies.

Trying to deflect attacks would be futile due to the overwhelming difference in strength.

—

Six days later, the silhouette of a massive city finally appeared beyond the horizon.

The triple-layered walls surrounding the city, bathed in the evening glow, shone in a reddish-gold, displaying their majestic grandeur.

It was the capital of the Kal Ros Empire, Exra-shapel.