Initially I was going to do a double release for this week to make up for missing last week"s release but…….I hadn"t realized how d.a.m.n long Chapter 88 was. As it is about Melly"s first day of school, there are a…plethora of details, with exquisite descriptions that I needed to translate. To be honest, the level of description made it a bit dull to translate, but I did my best to make the translation as understandable as possible. Please keep in mind that my translation is very liberal, as I strive to convey what the author means to say in English, rather than the j.a.panese word for word. Because the j.a.panese word for word would make for very awkward and almost nonsensical English sentences. Some of the sentences in the RAW were just very strangely worded, even for j.a.panese, but I tried my best to make sense of them. I hope it makes sense to everyone when they read it.
For those curious regarding the difference in length from the usual chapters (which you"ll probably sense while reading), Chapter 87 was 4 pages of translated text, while Chapter 88 is 10 pages. Yes. 10 pages. I don"t think it will be like this for future chapters, as this tends to happen only when the author decides to give an information dump, but if it does, I will likely take an extra week to translate chapters of this length in the future. Or two, if the content is (honestly speaking), as dull as this chapter was……(not that I hate Melly or anything, but I found the level of ‘detail" in this chapter to be exceedingly painful to translate).
In any case, I hope everyone enjoys the chapter! My apologies for the mini-rant.
CSWH Chapter 88: My Entrance into the Academy ……and then, a few days after that tea party.
I boarded the horse carriage that was heading towards the Academy.
As I recalled the hectic days since the ball up until today as the carriage shook, I soon arrived at the Academy in no time at all.
This Academy that existed near the Capital was a place that only gathered the sons and daughters of n.o.bility.
Along with providing a place for them to devote themselves to their studies, it was a place for high society, allowing n.o.bles to heighten their unity.
Upon arrival, I left my luggage to Anna and headed towards the auditorium.
On the way, I discovered Rui.
"How do you do, Rui?"
Even after I had successfully pa.s.sed Aurelisama"s training for n.o.ble ladies, I continued to visit the Armelia Ducal House about once every three days.
It was simply because I felt that I hadn"t learned enough, and spending time with Aurelisama was fun but…….since I had my hands filled with responding to invitations recently, I was completely unable to go anymore.
Although I did contact them by letter during that situation, I received a reply from Aurelisama saying that I need not mind it.
It seems that I have caused those of the Armelia Ducal House a bit of worry.
"I see………I believe things should calm down once you"ve enrolled in the Academy, but please remember to take care of your health."
"Yes. I shall."
As we were in the view of unrelated people, we had to be careful and speak in a more polite manner, but it was quite irritating.
To begin with, if all those other people would just disappear, then I"d be able to happily prance around at our first reunion in a while.
"That uniform suits you."
Rui quietly approached and whispered into my ear.
Hearing Rui"s words, I felt my cheeks grow warm…….my face was probably red right now.
"Thanks, Rui……..that uniform also really suits Rui too. You look very gallant and dreamy."
Other people probably won"t be able to hear us at this distance, so my speech also became a bit rougher.
"Ah, thanks……"
As we had such an exchange, the two male students that Rui had been speaking to prior to coming to speak to me approached.
"Rui. You need to start preparing soon."
"……come now, Druna. You shouldn"t intrude."
The youth with greenish blond hair reprimanded the red-headed boy that he called Druna.
Hearing their exchange, Rui and I reflexively made wry smiles.
"Allow me to introduce you. This is Druna Katabelia. And the one over there is Philip Sagitalia. They"re my cla.s.smates. Both of you, this lady here is my fiancée Mellice Reese Anderson."
I lowered my head together with my greeting.
And then, when I next raised my head, for some reason the sight of the two of them frozen in a stupified manner entered my eyes.
…….what seems to be the matter? I tilted my head and silently sought out Rui"s help, exchanged glances with him.
Rui sighed in a fed up manner and opened his mouth.
"Druna, Philip."
He had only called their names, but that allowed them to return to their senses as their bodies twitched.
"……do excuse me. Mellice-sama"s beauty was so great that I simply could not think of any words…….I am Philip Sagitalia. We met previously."
As he said that, he reverently took my hand and placed a kiss on the back of it.
Philip Sagitalia……opening up the list of n.o.bles in my head, I guessed that he was the son of Count Sagitalia, the Minister of Finance.
"I……I am honoured to be able to meet Mellice-sama, the daughter of General Gazelle…….I am called Druna Katabelia, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Like Philip-sama, Drunsama similarly placed a light kiss on the back of my opposite hand.
He was the son of Count Katabelia, and if I am recalling correctly, then his father should be a minister in the military.
"Thank you for your courteous greetings. Please take care of me in the future."
After I had returned their greetings, as expected, I did not receive any response in return.
"……Rui-sama. Now that I think of it, like Drunsama said, it should be about time but……."
"Ah, yeah…….that"s right. Sorry, but I"ve got to make the final checks for the entrance ceremony…….I"ll come to see you again."
"Yes. I will also come to visit as well."
Rui dragged along the two who were still as stiff as statues, and hurried into the auditorium.
Having been left on my own, I carefully examined the exterior of the auditorium.
This Academy has five main buildings……..the study centre, auditorium, dining hall, library, and the dormitory.
If you went straight through the entrance on the ground floor of the study centre, then you would reach a rectangular cloister that appeared as though it carved out the interior of the building.
A number of arch-shaped pillars were lined up along the corridor, bringing about a majestic atmosphere. After pa.s.sing through the hallway, there was an auditorium where all sorts of events were held, such as the entrance and graduation ceremonies, as well as ballroom parties. In addition to that, the dining hall and the library were located just past the hallway.
The study centre was in between the girl"s dormitory on the west side and the boy"s dormitory on the east, and it was possible to reach through a long pa.s.sageway that connected the centre to each dorm.
After I had taken several steps, I motionlessly gazed at the scenery.
Before my eyes was the rectangular cloister that was right in the middle of everything……the courtyard encircled by hallways.
In contrast to the dimly lit hallway that had white as the base colour for its design, I found that the bare lawn, illuminated by the light of the sun in the sky, appeared far more brilliant.
I absentmindedly stood in between the pillars, gazing at the courtyard and the building opposite to me. Eventually, sprinkles of students started to gather at the auditorium.
It"s about time, huh. -I thought, as I joined the wave of people and entered the auditorium.
The auditorium was wide enough that even when holding the entire student body, it still had plenty of room to spare.
A platform had been built deeper inside, and further above it was stained gla.s.s window endowed with many vivid colours.
The new students were sitting down in the seats packed at the front in the order that they arrived in.
"…….welcome, my dear students. From the bottom of my heart, I congratulate all of you on your enrollment."
As soon as the entrance ceremony began, the Academy"s Princ.i.p.al began his address.
In summary, he hoped that together with working to deepen our knowledge, we would grow as people and contribute to the country…….something like that.
After the princ.i.p.al"s address ended, the orientation began.
With that timing, from some reason, Rui went up on stage.
Why is he……? -just when I thought that the answer was explained by the teacher chairing the orientation.
The Academy had a student organization known as the Student Council that worked to bridge the gap between students and their supervising teachers. In it, it seems that Rui worked in the top position as the student council president.
…….earlier when Druna said, "You need to start preparing soon", he must"ve been talking about this, I figured.
After the entrance ceremony had finished, Rui explained various important points regarding our future life in the Academy.
Seeing his majestic appearance, one could hear both voices of admiration and shrill shrieks all throughout the student seating.
Naturally, in order not to interrupt his explanation it was kept at a suitably low volume.
Noticing his popularity made me feel happy and proud……but I also felt a faint sense of jealousy.
Like that, the orientation also ended, and we moved to the building where the cla.s.srooms were located.
The Academy"s courses included scholarly studies, knight studies, theology studies, as well as lady studies.
Tasmeria"s national language and history were a common subject across all the courses. The entire student body was divided into mixed cla.s.ses from different courses, and common lectures were attended with one"s cla.s.s, while the other cla.s.ses unique to one"s course were taken with their respective course members.
It was possible to take lessons from another course as well if one desired but……fundamentally speaking, the students of the lady studies did not attend the lessons from other courses.
……and the opposite was also true.
There was no way the students from other courses would take the lessons for lady studies……in other words, the only times when men and women would be in the same lecture was during the common lectures.
Incidentally, the division of the mixed cla.s.ses supposedly did not take status nor grades into consideration but……who knows how much of that was the truth?
As I pondered about that, I glanced at my cla.s.s that was listed on the leaflet that had been given to me when I exited the auditorium and went to my cla.s.s.
About half of the students had already arrived, and a number of them were my acquaintances.
……Prince Edgar was also amongst them.
And next to him were the sons of Count Dilitri and Marquis Dungley, with whom he had friendly relations with. As expected, it seems that a certain degree of consideration was taken when dividing students into cla.s.ses.
……if that"s the case, then the reason why I was in this cla.s.s was certainly…….because of Father"s name.
As I was surveying the cla.s.sroom, my eyes met with Prince Edgar, so I gave a light nod in greeting before randomly sitting in an open seat.
Not long after that, the teacher entered the cla.s.sroom.
"Everyone, congratulations on your enrollment. I am the tutor for this cla.s.s, Eldoran. It"s a pleasure to meet you. As you will all be in the same cla.s.s for the next three years, I believe that everyone should take turns introducing themselves. Well then, let us start from the front of the room on the right."
Like the tutor said, everyone started taking turns to introduce themselves.
Everyone started with their name and then followed with their family name. After that, they added a couple words, making a rather safe greeting.
I imitated the rest and made a safe greeting.
Around the time that everyone had finished giving their greetings, the door opened and someone who appeared to be a staff member appeared and exchanged a couple words with Eldoran-san.
"…….thank you very much everyone. Well then, the preparations for the school tour are complete, so I will now guide everyone around the school. It will be a bit of a walk, so please be understanding."
After that, everyone stood up and then started to follow after Eldoran-san in groups.
"From the first to third floors are the general cla.s.srooms. Rui-san explained it earlier during orientation, but the cla.s.srooms used for each course are different. Please go to the cla.s.sroom of your next cla.s.s during break times. If there is a cla.s.sroom change or a lecture is cancelled, there will be a notice posted on the board over here."
The layout and furnishings of each cla.s.sroom was exactly the same. The only thing that differed between them was the alphanumeric characters carved into the plates hanging above the doors of the cla.s.srooms.
"The fourth floor is where the special cla.s.srooms are, namely the laboratories for physics, science, as well as biology."
As an example, Eldoransan opened one of the doors, and place inside the room were a number of eerie-looking equipment for experiments.
Biology, physics, and science were elective cla.s.ses for the scholar course.
On average each year there weren"t many people who chose to take them, but for second or third-born n.o.ble sons who did not have inheritance rights, aiming to become a scholar in the future was one of their available options.
As such, those who had such interests in the Academy would be able to fully-immerse themselves in such studies.
…….although it seems there were only one or two students who had that sort of enthusiasm.
In this country, those who held the most knowledge would enroll as teachers, which was quite a waste.
From the viewpoint of those enthusiastic students, having fewer people in the cla.s.ses was probably quite fortunate.
Even from the viewpoint of the teachers, the fewer students that they were in charge of, the more time they could spend on their own research, so it was quite the deal for them.
After that, we once again returned to the first floor and began walking in a clockwise direction through the corridor.
"This library is in charge of this country"s largest book collection. There are some rare books inside, so the security is also strict. First off, use of firearms in this building is completely prohibited. Also, it is prohibited to take out any books, with the exception of the books on this shelf. Although in one section, all of the rare books are connected to chains, so it is impossible to carry them away."
We pa.s.sed through the person standing on guard at the entrance and entered the library.
Inside, the bookshelves towered above us, all the way to the ceiling, storing books without a single gap between them.
The old-fashioned scent of paper tickled my nose.
Indeed, a number of books had chains on them, and all of them were connected to the bookshelves.
In addition, for the books that weren"t attached to chains, it seems that everyone who went in and out of the building had their bags or any kinds of purses inspected, without any exceptions, so bringing them out would likely be quite difficult.
Exiting the library, we once again continued down towards the left side.
There, we saw the auditorium that the entrance ceremony was held in earlier.
"Here is the auditorium where everyone"s entrance ceremony was held earlier. The ball at the end of the year is held here as well."
The tour regarding the auditorium ended with the simple explanation as we pa.s.sed through it.
Returning to the corridor, we continued down the left side, and then stopped in front of the entrance of the next building that appeared.
"Here is the dining hall. The seats are divided by dorm on the left and right sides. The side on the right when you enter is for the men"s dorm, and the left side is the women"s dorm. There is no particular seating plan for individual seats but……generally speaking, the seats furthest in are where the third years sit, the middle is where the second years sit, and the first years are closest to the entrance."
Perhaps because the dining hall had a high ceiling, the inside felt very s.p.a.cious.
In a position far above eye-level, there were stained gla.s.s windows inserted at set intervals, dying the sunlight with vivid colours.
The walls were adorned with numerous portraits of Academy staff.
"On weekdays, lunch and dinner will invariably be served here, so if you do not plan on eating in the dining hall, please contact them in advance. There are no such arrangements for breakfast and holidays, so it is not necessary to specially give advance notice if you do not plan on eating here. Incidentally, breakfast is from 6:00 to 8:00, lunch is from 11:00 to 13:00, so you are free to eat it at any point during those times. Dinner starts at 19:00 exactly, so please pay attention to that."
The seating consisted for 4 long and narrow tables, with seats surrounding them placed at set intervals.
The table setting resembled that used for a dinner party, except it being on a much larger scale, so it was quite intimidating.
"Lastly, I will be guiding everyone to the chapel."
We once again returned to the study centre and exited from the front entrance.
And then, soon after we started walking towards the gate, a chapel surrounded by trees came into sight on our right side.
In the centre, deep inside the chapel was a platform to worship G.o.d, and then facing that platform were simple pews lined up in rows for worshippers to use.
Many of the pillars here and there had fine carvings of the angels of heaven that served G.o.d, or saints who had been formally recognized by the Darryl Faith……however, they were arranged in a way that did not give much of an impression.
A composed and dignified, yet gentle atmosphere floated about. Being in this peaceful s.p.a.ce gave a strange sense as though my heart was being cleansed.
We exited the chapel without anyone saying a word, and then once again returned to the study centre.
"The leaflets with the information explained by the student council president have already been distributed to everyone"s rooms. For the next week, you will be allowed to try things out, and if you decide to take a cla.s.s outside of your course, please submit a form to me. On that note, that is everything I have to say. After this, both the men"s dormitory and women"s dormitory will have their own tour and explanation of regulations."
Pa.s.sing by Eldoran-san as he exited was a pair of people – one man and one woman.
"I am William. I am both the dormitory leader for the men"s dormitory and the treasurer for the student council."
"My name is Laura. I am the dormitory leader for the women"s dormitory, and have the honour of working as the secretary for the student council."
Following after the two of them, the cla.s.s was divided by gender.
Walking down the long connecting pa.s.sage, we arrived at a building that was a tall as the study centre.
Soon after we entered through the entrance was a reception desk.
"When you leave the dorm, please leave the key to your room with the receptionist here. When you return, tell them your name and room number, and the key will be returned to you. Also, I believe you have already received the explanation regarding the library, but it is possible to borrow one section of the books. When you wish to return it, you may give it to the receptionist and it will be considered as returned. In addition, if you feel unwell or need to take a break from cla.s.ses due to circ.u.mstances at home, you can similarly tell the receptionist and it will not be a problem. Other things such as sending letters or purchasing educational materials for cla.s.s can be done here as well. The list of things that may be purchased here can be found on top of the reception desk or on the desk of each of your rooms, so please take the time to confirm it. It is prohibited to make unreasonable requests of the receptionist, like asking them to stock things that are not on this list……unfortunately, there is someone that does that every two to three years, and they end up suspended from school as a result."
I was somehow able to imagine the image of someone making unreasonable requests of the receptionist.
……up until now, they"ve managed to live at home without any forms of inconvenience…….for students that a.s.sume that they will be able to live that same sort of life in the dorms, the first and closest outlet for their frustrations is undoubtedly the receptionist.
"In rare cases there are those who boast of their family"s influence to the staff members and attempt to place pressure on them through that, but as soon as it is identified that they are doing so, they are given an even greater punishment, so please be careful of that…….to begin with, this Academy was established under the King"s order, and is backed by the royal family, so all of the staff members here have sworn to remain faithful to their duties to the Kingdom alone, and will not bend to any forms of pressure. Additionally, the staff members are watched by us members of the student council as well as an investigation group that is dispatched by the Kingdom at regular intervals……as such, they will not easily yield to any power."
The staff members supervise the students, while at the same time, the student council, as well as the entire Kingdom investigation group, audits the staff members back, huh……
If a close relationship between students and teachers form, then the significance of this Academy as an inst.i.tution for education will shake at its very roots. Therefore, such a strict form of management was probably established.
"On this side is the medical office. There will always be a doctor stationed here, so if you ever have any concerns regarding your health, please come here to consult them."
The medical office with white as a key colour in its design was on the right when you turned after facing the reception from the front.
Three beds were placed inside of it, and near them were two shelves that held numerous unknown medicines.
And then immediately on your left after entering was a desk for the doctor to use, and presently there was also a doctor wearing a white gown on standby.
Laursan first gave the doctor a small nod in greeting, and then left the room quickly so that we would not get in their way. After that, we continued deeper into the building.
"Over here is the bathroom. It is possible to use the bathroom in the evening from 16:00 to 19:00, or from 21:00 to 22:00. Each room also has its own simple bathroom. Past this is the restroom. Also, it is possible to do the laundry in the washing area in the bas.e.m.e.nt. That being said, there is no need for students to do their laundry themselves. There is a white bag located inside your desk that has your room number on it. If you put your laundry inside of it and leave it in your room, the employees of the Academy will retrieve it while cleaning each room and return it the next day.
After her explanation ended, we went back on the path we came from and this time went to the opposite side of the reception.
"The cafeteria is on the other side of the reception. It is possible to obtain light meals and all sorts of drinks from there."
There were a few round tables with long legs and a number of chairs.
It seems that rather than eating here, it was intended for us to bring the food back to our rooms.
"That is all for explanations regarding the ground floor, are there any questions?"
No one opened their mouths to respond to Laursan"s question.
After scanning the crowd to confirm there were no questions, Laursan climbed the stairs that was at the side of the reception. After ascending the stairs, we arrived at a room that resembled a saloon.
"Here on the first floor is the lounge. Please feel free to use it at any time."
A large number of sofas were placed inside of it, with side tables placed between them.
On the floor was a cute carpet with a floral pattern, while on the wall had a cute, yet beautiful religious painting with a light pink background.
"If you go up those stairs, you will arrive at the floors with all the private rooms. Everyone has already been contacted with their private room"s number in advance."
Ahead of where her finger pointed, as well as diagonal to it, were a number of stairs leading upwards.
"If there is ever something you need to discuss, the dormitory head"s private room number is 201, so please feel free to come and talk. Sometimes there may be complaints regarding noise, so please get along and keep things in moderation. Additionally, you are permitted to eat and drink inside your individual rooms. Visits from males, no matter what sort of relationship you have with them, are not permitted, so please keep that in mind. Further details regarding other rules can be found in pamphlets like these which are provided in each of your rooms. Please read through it at least once. That is all for the tour of the dorm."
After we finished clapping for Laursan, all of us first year students naturally dispersed.
Receiving my key from the receptionist, I entered my private room: 215.
Thanks to Anna having already entered the room once and unpacked my luggage, there weren"t any particular tasks that I needed to do, so I was able to relax.
In the centre of the room was a single queen-sized bed, while near the window was a study desk and near the door was a dresser.
Within the vicinity of the door was a closet, and between the door and the opposite side was another door. Past that other door was a bathing area.
Just in case, I glanced through the pamphlet containing the rules that was on the desk like Laursan asked.
…….from now on, I"d have to live a life where I basically had no servants around.
Though to begin with, in my case I was able to do things myself even without servants so it wasn"t a problem. To begin with, the cleaning and laundry would be done by the Academy"s employees, so the only thing I really had to do myself was dress myself.
If there was a ball and you wanted to leave the preparations to a servant, it was possible to call a female servant, and in those cases it seems there is a lodging facility for the exclusive use of servants a distance from the female dorm.
After reading the regulations and checking the facilities inside the room, it was just about time for dinner, so I left the dormitory and headed towards the dining hall.
Everyone arrived at the dining hall at the designated time, and sat in their respective seats.
It appears that dinner was done in a format with one large dish, and each table had various large platters filled with things like hors d"oeuvres to desserts placed right in the middle of the table. I sat in a random seat and enjoyed the meal. After that, I bathed and once my preparations for the next day were complete, I quickly retired to bed and the first day ended.