Ch.13Chapter 13: The Imperial Grobent Academy of the Halkin Empire

# The Halkin Empire.

An enormous empire occupying one-third of the vast central continent.

The current Emperor, Gehrt von Halkin, was not only a conqueror but also a man who loved everything about this continent.

He possessed the dreamer’s temperament, believing that all races existing on the continent could live together peacefully and harmoniously.

That’s why he eventually built the Academy.

An academy where all races could gather, get to know each other, and learn from one another!

He believed that if this institution functioned properly, it wouldn’t be just a dream for all races to understand and coexist with each other.

Of course, this didn’t include monster races hostile to humanity, such as orcs or nagas. Those were targets for subjugation.

The Chancellor of Grovint Academy, Baldur Kontis, fully embodied the Emperor’s dream.

He was a 7th Circle Mage of the Empire whom the Emperor trusted implicitly, and had even served as Chancellor of the realm.

For Baldur, who had grown weary of politics, the Emperor suggested the position of Academy Chancellor, which Baldur accepted.

It had been twenty years since then.

Grovint Academy had grown to become the continent’s finest academy by universal acclaim, and as it produced excellent talent, other kingdoms hurriedly built academies of their own.

Teaching students was certainly rewarding work.

Quality education had made the Empire even more powerful.

But now, the Chancellor was at his wit’s end due to the largest event ever to occur since the academy’s founding.

“Hmm… what am I to do about this…”

The Emperor had decided to open the academy to all human-friendly races across the continent starting this semester.

He believed now was the perfect time to realize the dream he had held.

The reason for the Emperor’s decision was the friendship treaty with the Barbarians, who had been the most problematic race.

Emperor Gehrt, a conqueror who loved peace, gladly accepted Kwan’s proposal.

Many of his subjects warned against trusting the Barbarians, but to no avail.

As proof of his sincerity, Kwan was even sending his own son to the academy.

There was no justifiable reason to refuse, even for political purposes.

Using this as a starting point, the Emperor sent envoys to all other races across the continent.

He invited them to gather people as a testament to peace and to learn about each other’s cultures.

The request from the mighty Halkin Empire’s Emperor was practically a mandatory order.

No one could predict how this Emperor with a Janus-like face would react if they refused.

Reluctantly, the leaders of all races who received the Emperor’s message decided to enroll their children in the Imperial Academy.

The Chancellor carefully reviewed once more the list of important new enrollees for this semester.

First, the Emperor’s youngest daughter, Elias von Halkin.

The youngest daughter of the neighboring Duron Kingdom, Siloin de Duron.

Similarly, the youngest daughter of the adjacent Jerian Kingdom, Alota de Jerian.

And numerous youngest daughters sent from many other kingdoms.

Ah, occasionally there were third, fourth, or even fifth sons as well.

Additionally, there were notable names among the commoners that couldn’t be ignored.

The youngest disciple of the Tower Master, the youngest disciple of the Sword Saint, the youngest disciple of the Fist King, the youngest disciple of the Spear Emperor, the youngest disciple of the Bow God…

And most importantly, these races:

The Elven Queen’s youngest daughter, Arias Silverwood,

The Dwarven United Tribes’ Vice-Chief’s youngest daughter, Taryn Jeph,

The Beast-folk King’s youngest daughter, Yuria Lycant,

The Mermaid Sea Kingdom’s youngest daughter, Roshulin Tian,

The Fairy Queen’s youngest daughter, Lati Tinker,

The Dragonkin King’s youngest daughter, Solphin Drakan,

And finally, the instigator of this situation, Barbarian Kwan’s youngest son, Balt Gerungtu.

After checking the list once more, the Chancellor muttered to himself in disbelief:

“Damn it all! Why are they all youngest daughters?!”

It seemed that upon learning the Emperor had invited all races across the continent, everyone had withheld their heir sons and sent only daughters who would cause minimal impact if lost.

After all, student deaths at the academy were quite common.

The kingdoms that sent sons probably didn’t have daughters.

Even the Barbarians who caused this situation did the same.

As far as he knew, Kwan had 12 sons.

Sending the youngest meant he wasn’t of high importance.

But the Emperor sending his own youngest daughter showed just how serious he was about this.

The Emperor’s love for his youngest daughter was well known.

Looking at the list, Chancellor Baldur felt a throbbing headache.

For a 7th Circle High Wizard like him to suffer from a headache showed just how serious the situation was.

“Haah… what will become of the academy…”

But he simply couldn’t find an answer.

Chancellor Baldur decided to leave it to the heavens.

‘Oh gods, why do you test me so in my twilight years…’

***

“Balt! Are you going to use teleport directly to the Halkin Empire?”

Though he had planned to eat and rest a bit, Lamrpo had already taken care of everything, so there seemed no need to delay.

“Yes, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Upon arriving at the teleportation station, the security checks were quite thorough.

When he presented his admission permit, the guards’ attitudes became respectful.

After stepping onto the magic circle, a mage in impressive robes asked Balt and Lisa a question.

Seeing him, Balt was reminded of something.

‘Right, this is exactly what a mage should look like…’

“Confirming your destination. Is it Roshalkin, the capital of the Halkin Empire?”

“Yes.”

“Commencing transport. Have a pleasant journey.”

Zap!

With slight dizziness, the scenery before their eyes changed, and they arrived at an elaborately decorated teleportation station.

“Welcome. We are pleased to welcome you to Roshalkin, the capital of the Great Halkin Empire.”

After completing another security check, Balt and Lisa exited and gasped at the magnificent capital of the Halkin Empire.

“Wooooow!!”

“Hmm!”

Wide boulevards, buildings larger and more densely packed than anywhere else, streets filled with people—truly an impressive scale befitting the continent’s greatest city.

‘Wow! This is completely different from the game! It’s incredibly majestic!’

Even though Balt had thought “how can a city be this big?” while playing the game, facing it in reality was truly amazing.

It was fantasy incarnate.

Balt felt his heart racing.

Lisa felt similarly.

Though she was a count’s daughter, Lisa had spent her entire life in the southern region, which was practically the frontier, and her eyes widened at the magnificent sight of the capital.

“Th-this is the imperial capital!!”

Seeing Lisa’s surprised, round eyes, Balt reminded her of something.

“Didn’t you say you needed to contact your father?”

“Oh right!! What was I thinking!! The magic communication center is…! There! Balt, I’ll be right back!!”

With those words, Lisa quickly disappeared.

Balt didn’t need such things. The academy would probably contact Kwan once they arrived.

Besides, Gerungtu didn’t even have a magic communication center.

‘I should head to the academy first, right?’

He wanted to let them know he had arrived safely, but he was also curious about the quest reward.

‘A trait… I wonder what trait they’ll give me… Please don’t be something useless like “Do No Harm.”‘

After waiting briefly, Lisa returned quickly.

Judging by her slightly dejected face, she must have been scolded severely.

Well, her father’s daughter had disappeared with no contact for a month…

After Lisa’s return, Balt headed toward the academy with her.

Since the academy wasn’t far from here, Balt and Lisa decided to walk and enjoy the sights.

While exploring the streets, Lisa, now quite comfortable with Balt, asked something she had been curious about but too afraid to ask.

“Balt, why are you going to the academy?”

Balt answered Lisa’s question casually.

“What else would I do at an academy? I’m going there to learn.”

Lisa was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out.

“Whaaaat?!”

Finding Lisa’s surprised face cute, Balt smiled and said:

“Why is that so surprising? Didn’t you see the admission permit earlier?”

“I-I thought it was a professor’s appointment… Wait a minute! Then how old are you, Balt?”

Balt confidently replied:

“Twenty years old.”

Thud!

That was the sound of shock in Lisa’s mind.

That face at 20 years old? Even if he’d said he was over 40, having not shaved for 30 days, she would have believed it.

“T-twenty? You don’t mean your child is twenty, right?”

“That’s not funny. I have a young-looking face for a Gerungtu… Do I really look that old?”

Honestly, if Lisa called Balt “father” right now, it wouldn’t seem out of place at all.

But looking closely, if not for the beard, his skin was youthful and unwrinkled, so maybe he really was 20.

“No way… then we’re the same age…”

“If you’re upset about using formal speech, you can speak casually too.”

“That’s not the issue here! A twenty-year-old facing ten strong fighters from the 4th floor of the Aura Floor alone? What do I need to eat to become like that?!”

Balt gave Lisa a simple answer.

“My father, Kwan, defeated five experts from the 5th floor of the Aura Floor when he was 15.”

Monsters—this was a race of monsters.

15 years old on the 5th floor? The king called Kwan must be extraordinary, but it was beyond Lisa’s comprehension.

“My goodness…”

Now she understood why her father was so wary of the Barbarians.

But Balt was practically her comrade now.

The quick-to-adjust 20-year-old girl rapidly changed her approach to Balt.

“Then we’re friends!! Or wait? Should I still be formal since you’re a prince?”

“Haha, do as you please. We’re just people, aren’t we?”

At Balt’s words, Lisa grinned and clung to his back, shouting:

“Heehee! I’m the first to become friends with the Gerungtu prince!!”

Balt chuckled and said:

“It’s not that big a deal.”

‘Friends…’

It had been a long time since he’d heard that word. Even in Korea, friends had been a distant concept for Balt.

Being an orphan, he never had friends who truly shared their hearts with him.

Growing sentimental, he walked with Lisa, exploring the imperial city.

With plenty of money, they bought delicious food from street vendors and enjoyed themselves.

Come to think of it, this was Balt’s first time hanging out alone with a girl his age.

‘Not bad.’

Before long, they arrived at the academy.

“Wooow… so this is the academy…”

At Lisa’s admiration, Balt glanced at the academy entrance.

It was not only more magnificent and larger than any building they had seen while walking, but it was so vast that one couldn’t even see where the academy ended.

As Balt was admiring the unexpectedly impressive scale, at that moment—

Ding!

The unmistakable quest completion notification sounded.