Chapter 103- Academy Realm (Part 1)

Chapter 103: Chapter 103- Academy Realm (Part 1)

Chapter 103- Academy Realm (Part 1)

After leaving the palace, the two headed to a distant part of the palace grounds. Since this place stretched for dozens of kilometers in every direction, there were sections that even Rize had never visited before, even if he had heard of them.

The palace itself had a mini-airport for the royal family to take flights to other countries or distant places. Since going to a normal airport could create a lot of unnecessary trouble, they opted to use this private airport for more convenient travelling.

After getting to their assigned plane, Rize checked their surroundings. They weren’t going to travel alone, naturally, as they would be escorted by a highly trained butler.

As for the plane itself, it looked more like a private jet than anything. But its outer shell was fortified with essence, making it harder to damage, alongside a plethora of other features that would make aviation engineers back on Earth weep.

"It looks ridiculous," Rize muttered in awe as he looked at the aircraft with wide eyes. ’It looks so cool.’

Then, when they walked inside, it was even more insane. The plane had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bar, a shower, and even a section to play games with a huge TV mounted on the wall. The chairs were all made out of the Leather of a silver deer, the best there is in the world in terms of quality and comfort.

"You’ve never seen a plane before, Rize?" Venera asked as she sat down on the chair next to the window.

"No, I mean, I know what a plane is, but never seen one up close or gotten in one. This is a first for me." He said as he sat facing her.

"I see. Well, let’s hope your first experience is pleasant. I don’t really like these flashy things, but since we can’t really use normal planes, this should do." Venera said. "It’s definitely quite luxurious."

"Good evening, Your Highness."

One of the butlers walked to them and bowed. "I have been assigned as your personal assistant for this trip. My name is George, Your Highness."

"Nice to meet you, George," Venera said. "I will call for you if we need anything."

"Understood, Your Highness. I shall be in the cockpit with the pilot." He said as he excused himself and walked away.

"Why is there even a butler?"

"To serve food, clean the place, and also for any inquiries about our current location," Venera said.

"This trip is going to take 6 days, no?"

"Yeah. Even though Sagardia is neighboring the Academy Realm, getting to the heart of the realm is the problem. It is quite massive." Venera explained.

’The Academy Realm is the name for the academy and every piece of land within its region. It was called a realm because it was basically akin to a whole different world than anything else.’

The Academy Realm had been founded a thousand years ago, and since then almost every notable figure in history attended and graduated from that place. Its prestige as the maker of the greats was embedded in the consciousness of every single person in the world.

Rich and poor families alike do everything they can to make sure their children attend the academy, as their name being attached to it would grant them a life better than anything they could imagine. It also explains why almost 100 million 17-year-olds were going to attend to simply try the test and see if they could make it.

"We are going to a city assigned for the candidates. Since the test will last quite a bit of time, that city will be our hub for a while." Venera explained.

"An entire city simply for candidates, not even the students themselves. This is really ridiculous." Rize smiled. ’That city is arguably as iconic as the Academy City itself. The number of conflicts and storylines that occur there is insane.’

In fact, the story itself starts there, and the protagonist, Kaiser, will be introduced there. Rize had prepared himself for this conflict, and even wrote an entire plan. But he knew that all of that was almost meaningless now that the future had changed and what could happen became completely unknown.

Rize still kept several notable figures in his head. Kaiser himself, the female protagonists, and, more importantly, the villains of the story. He had met one of the major ones which is Fate Thorinn, but there were other names arguably as dangerous as him.

’The protagonist got his work cut out for him.’ Rize smiled. ’I will finally see his dumb face for the very first time. His first encounter is bound to be Venera, as he will find her fighting a monster, and he will save her life. That is how the original story went. Now, how this one will go is definitely a whole other situation.’

Watching the girl’s face, it was clear that this Venera isn’t the same Venera from the original story, at least not in the sense of his relationship with her. The two were a lot friendlier, and there was no tense atmosphere between them.

’Might even call us close friends.’ Rize thought to himself as he looked at the necklace around Venera’s neck. Ever since he gave her that necklace, she hasn’t taken it off once. He didn’t know how he felt about that, as he never thought she would cherish that gift so much, but it always left a warm spot in his heart.

"So, do we have any idea what this year’s test will be about? Or at least the theme of it?" Rize asked. ’I already know what the test is, but I’m curious if the highest members of society have access to leaks or important information other people don’t have access to.’

"No, the academy doesn’t let any leaks out, not even to us," Venera said. "They’re very strict about that. They have to keep an image of this prestigious institution that doesn’t bend for any empire or clan."

"Makes sense, but I doubt they really don’t ’bend’ to powerful people. Getting the funding necessary to keep their realm running isn’t easy."

’From what I know, students don’t pay a single dime if they enroll in the academy, so all their income comes from massive donations from every involved nation.’

"Of course, as long as there is bias, the rules will always bend to some degree. But, for the most part, they keep things rather fair to everyone, mainly because things being fair gives everyone involved an important tool to use... Prestige." Venera said.

"Prestige?"

"Indeed. Graduating from that institution will always have a bigger meaning than anything else a person could ever achieve in their lives." Venera said. "As an empire, if you have the highest number of graduates from the Academy, you will have an upper hand in future negotiations with other countries and clans. That could alter treaties, deals, and every other political relationship."

"I see..." Rize nodded. "It’s like gaining a trump card that nobody can take away from you."

"Exactly. So, these nations would rather they win this ’fair and square’ to keep its meaning. After all, power is in the hands of who people believe has the power."