Do Your Own Revolution

#041.

Though I hadn’t particularly looked forward to it, the school life I’d been waiting for had finally begun.

Of course, just because I started school life didn’t mean my life genre suddenly drifted into an academy story.

If you want to know why, just take a look at this school’s daily schedule that was distributed upon admission.

[05:50 Wake up with a wake-up call. Change into workout clothes after making bed]

[06:00 Assembly at the parade ground in the center of school. Roll call and physical training on an empty stomach.]

[07:30 Brief wash-up, change into uniform, inspection, and salute to portraits of past emperors.]

[08:00 Breakfast]

[08:30 Quarters inspection followed by theoretical classes.]

[12:00 Lunch break.]

[13:00 Practical training and magical power development training. Combat ability improvement through peer sparring every Friday.]

[16:00 Bath and weapons maintenance followed by personal time.]

[18:00 Dinner.]

[19:00 Review theoretical class content in study hall followed by free time.]

[21:00 Evening roll call.]

[21:30 Lights out]

Looking at it again, it still takes my breath away.

How is this a schedule for kids’ school? It’s just a military daily routine.

As evident from this rigid schedule, students admitted here had no chance of a bright and lively school life.

It may be called a school, but in reality, it’s no different from a military base.

“Training complete! Return to quarters!”

“Thank you for your guidance!”

With those resounding commands, another day of training came to an end.

“How was training today?”

“Instructor Kirel is really scary. I heard he’s exclusively in charge of second years, I don’t know how we’ll manage…”

“Is this the tactical exam cheat sheet? Thank you, Senior!”

I watched the students gathering in small groups, laughing and chatting.

Even though it was a military academy, interaction between students wasn’t completely forbidden.

The Imperial Youth Military Academy was established for the early education of noble children.

After completing grueling training, it was natural for there to be warm consolation and tight bonds between peers and seniors who had gone through the same hardships.

‘But that’s just the story for noble children who legally entered this school.’

The students admitted here weren’t only of noble birth.

There were also commoner children who received magical power development surgery and were lucky enough to awaken magical power.

Such children also entered the Imperial Military Academy and…

Had to endure being nobles’ playthings for four years.

“Get down! Get down! I said get down lower!”

“How dare you crawl in here with your common blood and taint the school’s legitimacy?!”

Looking from a distance, it was quite a sight.

Crawling between legs, licking boots.

Watching the thoughtless abuse of young children under the pretext of ‘etiquette training,’ a deep sigh naturally rose from my chest.

‘No wonder a revolution broke out.’

Let’s think about this.

Until just two years ago, this was the empire where the Revolutionary Army tried to take the Emperor’s head.

And now the Emperor himself is desperately trying to appoint non-nobles.

In such a situation, commoner magical power awakeners chose to enter the military academy instead of joining the Revolutionary Army?

From the empire’s perspective, these would be quite promising talents.

But when these children enter the military academy with high hopes, the first thing they face is licking noble students’ boots? Being treated like trash for being ‘lowborn’?

Even I would join the Revolutionary Army out of disgust.

Just look at their expressions as they crawl on the ground.

Even at a glance, you can see the disillusionment and shock on their faces.

“Funny, isn’t it? The magic nobles who boast about leading the empire are destroying its future with their own hands.”

What?

I was just thinking to myself, but did someone read my mind?

Turning towards the voice, I saw a tall boy with cold features glaring down at the courtyard below.

“You’re Eugene Lorentz, right? The one adopted by Major General Keiren Buckenheim.”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

As I answered somewhat awkwardly, the boy extended his hand to me.

His long blue hair that covered his back was quite striking.

“I’m Feilun, second year. It’s an honor to meet the famous person who saved His Majesty the Emperor.”

Feilun.

Since it was a name I was familiar with, I immediately shook his hand.

“So you’re the second son of the Duke of Nachtval.”

Feilun Lu Ross Nachtval.

He was one of the legitimate heirs of the Duke of Nachtval, the second seat among magic nobles.

When I mentioned his house, he shook his head with a sigh.

“Let’s not talk about my house. Watching that scene makes me want to drain all the noble blood from my body.”

“…That’s quite a dangerous statement if others were to hear it, isn’t it?”

“That’s why I’m saying it here. There’s no one around you.”

Oh, this senior.

He’s hitting a sore spot right after meeting.

Thinking that, I looked around me.

As he said, among the students gathered in groups, not a single one was willing to be with me.

Two months since entering the military academy.

I entered with the grave mission of finding talented individuals who would later join the newly created [Special Magical Power Unit]…

And became a loner without making a single friend.

‘How did things come to this?’

During the entrance ceremony two months ago, I was quite a famous figure at this school.

Though adopted, I was still technically a member of House Buckenheim, the first seat among magic nobles, and I had the achievement of saving the Emperor from the Revolutionary Army’s attack.

Being of common birth was a bit of an issue, but they probably calculated that there was no harm in becoming friendly with me.

As I expected, noble children with their noses in the air approached me.

‘Eugene Lorentz! Though your birth is humble, you have the merit of saving His Majesty! You’re qualified to join us!’

‘Yeah, go fuck yourselves.’

‘W-What?!’

I flatly rejected their proposal.

Of course I would.

Who in their right mind would accept when they’re saying nonsense like ‘You’re a lowborn worm, but we’ll specially recognize you as a noble!’

Honorary noble? I wouldn’t take it even if they gave it to me.

After firmly rejecting the noble seniors’ recruitment attempts, next came the non-noble seniors who were being oppressed by the nobles.

‘We understand your situation well, Eugene! You must have suffered a lot being used as a tool by the nobles!’

‘Ah, yes…’

‘We carry similar wounds! The continued exploitation and unchanging empire! You must have entered here wanting to change such an empire! We understand completely!’

The upperclassmen patted my shoulder with voices so energetic it seemed excessive.

Though there was an unsettling feeling creeping up from their tone, I still thought I could get along with these people reasonably well.

If we could share the grief of being non-nobles, our relationship would deepen accordingly, and it would be much easier to find useful talent among them.

But why didn’t I end up associating with them, you ask…

‘In that sense, how about it? Why don’t we have a deep discussion about this [Theory of Imperial Reform] and [Shackles of Obedience]…!’

‘Instructor—!’

Because these bastards weren’t seniors, but Revolutionary Army spies.

…Really, it’s still ridiculous thinking about it now.

I wondered where the Revolutionary Army officers I met in the main story learned their military science, and it was here?

In the end, the upperclassmen who approached me were dragged away by military police rather than instructors, and I, who ended up causing seniors to be expelled… became a traitor to non-noble students.

‘This can’t be, Senior, Senior was expelled…’

‘How could you get such a good person expelled, you devil! So you were in league with the nobles after all! Right?!’

‘You dirty bourgeois who oppresses the exploited masses!’

Hey, you crazy bastards.

Your senior was a Revolutionary Army plant.

And you who spoke last, your statement sounds quite revolutionary? Should I call the military police again?

“Haah…”

…Anyway. After experiencing these two incidents, no student at school would speak to me.

A duck egg that neither joined the noble faction nor associated with non-nobles.

An outsider who wasn’t subjected to abuse but didn’t have anyone to hang out with either.

It was a shitty situation that could only make me sigh.

If there was any consolation, it was that school life had become extremely relaxed because of it.

“Well, no need to be so discouraged. The problem isn’t you, it’s this school.”

Feilun’s gaze was fixed on the dormitory garden where the abuse was in full swing as he said this.

“The nobles are busy looking down on the commoner class, and the imperial citizens’ anger towards nobles has reached its peak. Though His Majesty the Emperor is working hard on reforms by appointing non-nobles… this is like pouring water into a bottomless jar.”

There was a hint of resignation in Feilun’s voice as he spoke.

“…You’re quite scathing. If you think that way, wouldn’t it be better for you to step in directly, Senior?”

“I was quite active until last year. Thanks to that, I ended up in a similar situation as you.”

Seeing his bitter smile, I could roughly guess what happened.

He probably stepped up directly to stop the abuse, but it didn’t end well.

A traitor to the nobles for siding with commoners, a hypocrite to the commoners for showing patronizing kindness.

After being rejected by both sides like that, he must have become an outsider like me.

“…And what I need to keep an eye on are outsiders like this.”

“Hm? What did you say?”

Just as Feilun was about to ask about what had unconsciously slipped from my mouth—

“Ten minutes until evening roll call!”

At the sound of the instructor’s whistle, the seniors who had been harassing the freshmen rushed out of the hall.

The instructors who had been teaching children for decades couldn’t possibly not know what the upperclassmen were doing to the freshmen.

This was how they controlled things before the ‘etiquette education’ went too far.

“Oh my, it’s already time to go.”

Senior Feilun, who had been sitting beside me, patted my shoulder.

“It’s been a while since I met a junior who thinks alike. Let’s meet often.”

“Yes. It would be my honor.”

“Already flattering me. See you later!”

As the senior ran down the hallway with a casual wave, I also turned around and walked to my quarters.

‘Thanks to him, I’m getting some direction now.’

My main purpose for entering this school was to find talented individuals who would join the Emperor and Keiren’s faction to change the empire.

However, what kind of talent should I look for?

My meeting with Feilun just now had somewhat resolved that question.

‘There’s no need to think too hard about it. I just need to find people similar to me.’

Outsiders who feel disgusted with the empire ruled by magic nobles but don’t sympathize with revolution.

Those were the talented individuals I needed to find.

“Still, I never dreamed I’d meet him here.”

I thought about the senior who had waved at me.

Feilun Lu Ross Nachtval.

The fact that the first useful talent I met was one of the boss monsters from the original work—it was truly unpredictable.