Chapter 167: The Academy’s Special Program…?

The king’s gaze lingered on my father a moment longer than it should have—neither annoyed nor approving. Just… resigned, as if he’d expected the interruption.

The prime minister sighed, straightening his papers. “Lord Arden,” he said, voice polite but strained, “perhaps you would allow your son to speak for himself.”

My father lazily swirled his wine. “Ah? But I did let him speak.” He waved in my direction. “He just hasn’t gotten to it yet.”

Several dukes coughed to hide their amusement. Vredemann D’Arclight, however, only shifted his gaze to Vance—cold, measured.

“Your behavior remains as unbecoming as ever.”

My father’s smile widened. “And you remain as stiff as a funeral statue, old friend.”

Old friend?

That was news to me.

The room quieted. The king raised a hand. “Enough.” The single word cut cleanly through the tension.

His attention returned to Evelina and me. “We are not here to revisit old rivalries,” he said. “We are here because two first-year students accomplished something several royal battalions failed to do for years.”

The prime minister leaned forward. “Indeed.” His pen resumed its steady tapping.

“Corvus Raven was not merely a dark mage,” he said, eyes shifting between us. “He was a former imperial operative.”

Lesser nobles shifted. Evelina’s fingers tightened.

Ah. So that part hadn’t been public.

The king went on, calm as ever. “Which means his defeat… raises certain questions.”

Not accusations. Questions. A crucial distinction in rooms like this.

“How exactly did the two of you manage it?”

“I’d like to add something, Your Majesty.” Evelina raised a hand. “I wasn’t actually part of the fight itself; I was only part of Lord Arden’s team at the time.”

At first, it struck me as strange. Why would she willingly admit she hadn’t defeated one of the strongest mages on the entire continent? Well, she had two reasons. First, she’d rather avoid the backlash of being accused of stealing my achievements. Second, it would make people far less wary of her, making it easier to continue with her other plans.

Reputation was valuable, but even Evelina knew how to manage it.

“It doesn’t matter to me. I’ve read the reports—you’re the one who saved Arden and helped heal him to full recovery after they lost track of you. That alone is enough to warrant your shared recognition.”

The king spoke; he was far more generous and forgiving than I had expected.

My father even smiled at his response, tapping his fingers against the arm of his seat. “Having a girl nurse you on the battlefield, Cael? You really are my son.”

“I’d rather you not call my daughter ’a girl,’ Marquis Vance.”

“It’s a factual statement, Duke, not something meant to downplay her.”

“Enough, you two.”

The prime minister spoke. “Let’s be done with the small talk, shall we? We, of all people, know we’re not just here to squabble and discuss their victory. Right, Your Majesty?”

“Of course, regardless of the exact circumstances, the result remains impressive.”

His eyes drifted briefly toward both our fathers.

One of the dukes nodded enthusiastically.

“Indeed, Your Majesty, the city is already celebrating, and the academy’s reputation will soar,” one duke said, while another chimed in.

Somewhere down the table, Azrael Frostmere’s name was murmured—the headmaster was no doubt enjoying all this.

The king turned back to us. “For that reason, the crown has decided on two things.” The room went quiet.

“First, both of you will receive royal commendations for your actions.”

Predictable. Polite applause followed.

“Second,” he continued more gravely, “beginning after the academy is rebuilt, you will both be assigned to a special program under the academy—a program jointly overseen by the crown and Headmaster Frostmere.”

“You may consider it… advanced training,” the prime minister added with a thin smile. “I hear even the imperial prince and his bastard brother will be joining.”

The queen finally spoke at the mention of Julius, the emperor’s bastard son.

“Can we please not bring up the emperor’s affair with Duke Minsul’s concubine?” She glared at the prime minister.

“Of course.” The prime minister rose from his chair and glanced toward Duke Minsul, who was seated at the edge of the table. “I apologize if I sounded rude.”

“No offense taken,” Duke Minsul replied. Of course, he wasn’t offended. That scandal alone had brought him a fortune, and it hadn’t even involved his wife—only a concubine.

My father lifted his glass. “Well, glad that’s solved. But back to the special program… that sounds quite fun.”

Vredemann didn’t share the sentiment. Evelina’s fingers tightened around mine—barely, but enough.

“Can you reconsider, Your Majesty? This would take too much time off my daughter’s hands.” Vredemann asked, but was immediately shut down.

“This is under imperial orders, you know how stubborn the emperor can get.”

Something in the room changed then. Not politics or idle curiosity. The nobles were watching us more closely, as if we’d just become far more interesting pieces on the board.

We weren’t just students anymore.

We were probably on track to leave the academy a few months in advance, as long as we did great.

*** After the Meeting

They dismissed us almost as soon as we walked in. It seemed the meeting hadn’t been held just to welcome us; it was also an excuse for the kingdom’s strongest players to have a quiet discussion about current issues.

And through the door, I could overhear some of it.

“Shadow Society.”

“The Whitestrake annihilation.”

“D’Arclight influence.”

The last two were unfamiliar to me, but if I had to guess… this definitely had Evelina’s fingerprints all over it.

“If you two would follow me, I’ll show you to your reward for your achievements.”

An imperial guard appeared in front of us, clad in full steel plate, his face hidden behind a barbute helmet.

He led us to a room just off the sanctum, where a lone desk stood against the wall with a small lockbox set neatly on top.

He wasted no time unlocking it, revealing a deed of land with our names written directly on it.

“This is the core of the special program you two will be assigned to, in addition to your usual academic duties. And, in the emperor’s own words: ’What better way to train future rulers than by giving them land to rule and practice on?’”

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