A week has passed since the academy entrance ceremony.
In the second grade, class 1, Fides made a lot of friends.
Thanks to being a prince, he received a lot of attention from the very first day of school.
Even though they were young, some kids watched him closely like adults, but Fides was completely oblivious to the hierarchy based on status or power.
He treated all the kids equally and was so lively that he quickly became the center of the class.
Among them, he especially became close to kids who were energetic and enjoyed passionate play, just like him.
Today, after the most exciting physical education class, he was hanging out with his close male friends.
“It’s time for writing class now… I don’t want to go in.”
“Playing outside is much more fun than reading and writing.”
As kids their age usually do, sitting still and concentrating on studying was nearly torture.
Reflecting this trait, the younger grades in the elementary division had many active classes, yet the kids still had complaints.
Fides agreed with them.
Physical education was the most fun.
He heard that when he moves up to middle school, he gets to learn swordsmanship too.
He wanted to grow up quickly and hold a sword.
‘I want to be like Dad.’
Ironically, he ended up hearing more stories about his dad after leaving the royal palace than he did while living within it.
Seeing his dad from someone else’s perspective, not just family.
A person known to the world as Judas.
The tale of how he rose from commoner to the greatest knight in humanity felt almost like a fanciful story.
But Fides believed it was real.
He admired his dad even more.
“But doesn’t Fides feel tired?”
“He doesn’t seem to sweat much even after every PE class.”
“Uh? Not really.”
It was tiring, sure.
He sweated and felt out of breath.
But compared to playing around in the royal palace with Yuel, the spotted puppy, and the knights, it was manageable.
Seeing Fides’s calm and unflustered response, the other kids thought, ‘He really is a prince…’
And since he was Judas’s son, it made sense, and it wasn’t a completely inaccurate stereotype.
In fact, Fides had inherited his father’s physical abilities, making him stronger than his peers.
“I don’t want to study…”
“Before coming to the academy, I hated studying at home the most.”
Just then, a kid suddenly froze, looking surprised.
Everyone turned to see what was going on, following his gaze.
Fides did too.
At the end of it stood a group wearing school uniforms.
But the vibe was not good at all.
“Those are our classmates, and beside them… those are the fourth graders?”
The second graders from his class were cornered in a secluded spot.
Surrounded by the fourth graders.
The students wore identification neck chains that made it easy to see their grade.
He could faintly hear their conversation.
“Bums on free scholarships. How shameless to come here.”
“They say if you’re poor, your personality is filthy. Hey, it’s because of you that we hardworking noble kids lose out. Got it?”
Even though Eliya told them to get along, the concept of discrimination wasn’t something that could just disappear.
Especially those who felt uncomfortable with students on scholarships and discriminated against them.
Only a handful of people at the academy could verify on paper who entered on scholarships.
Still, it wasn’t impossible to sniff out.
The timid demeanor characteristic of scholarship students.
The way they carried themselves, having not learned etiquette. Observing those traits could provide clues.
“……”
The kids simply tried to ignore them.
No, they tried to.
“Fi-Fides?”
Fides boldly approached them.
One of his friends urgently grabbed his arm.
“L-Let’s just go…”
“Why?”
“…Uh, why do you think that’s…?”
They didn’t dislike their classmates on scholarships.
Thanks to Fides being a unifying center, the second-grade class got along fairly well.
But inserting themselves into that situation was a different matter altogether.
It was scary.
Of course, since the fourth graders were two years older.
But Fides wasn’t scared.
Something unacceptable was happening right before his eyes, and that was wrong.
The rules his mom established at this school wouldn’t allow for such behavior.
If that was all, he had more than enough motivation to act.
Leaving his silent friend behind, Fides stepped forward.
He confidently inserted himself between them.
“Stop it.”
“…Huh? Who are you?”
“You can’t do that at the academy.”
“Who’s this kid? Do we know him?”
“I don’t know. He’s a second-grader, right? Is he one of their friends?”
Fides couldn’t quite grasp the context and tilted his head.
How being a second-grader and knowing those kids mattered.
“You clearly don’t look like a scholarship bum… Don’t act all high and mighty, just go. Do you know who I am?”
“At the academy, you can’t discriminate based on status…”
“Just go.”
One of the fourth graders pressed his finger against Fides’s chest.
But something strange happened.
The fourth grader was pushing, but so was Fides.
He awkwardly stepped back.
‘What’s this kid… his body feels like a rock.’
Meanwhile, Fides was confused.
‘Are we playing now? Out of the blue?’
He often played with his dad or the knights, pushing and pulling, and tumbling over.
Was this akin to that?
While he pondered how to respond, the second graders were already trembling.
They had touched the prince without recognizing him.
Imagining what would happen next was beyond comprehension.
“This is…!”
On the other hand, the prideful fourth grader attempted to shove Fides away.
Fides simply stared at the approaching hand.
The slow hand moving toward him reminded him of the games with his dad and uncles.
‘Like this, he liked it.’
It was a game he had experienced before.
He grabbed the oncoming hand, stretched his other arm out vigorously, drawing a circle outward.
It was a technique to twist the opponent’s wrist and shoulder to gain control.
When he would do this to the large men, they always laughed and shouted.
“Haha! Fides won!”
Fides thought the fourth grader would react the same.
Instead, a scream returned.
“AAAH-!”
Fides was more surprised.
He hurriedly let go of the hand.
Moreover, the sensation he just held was incredibly soft.
Completely different from the adults.
The gifted physique he inherited.
Since he could run, he had played tumbling games with the knights, the best fighters in the empire, alongside Judas.
When his experiences and conditions met, he tried to transcend ordinary understanding.
Everyone watched with wide eyes.
One of the fourth graders opened his eyes wide.
In any situation, his sharp and lively golden eyes.
That fierce gaze was surely reminiscent of a famous national hero.
“…Wait. I think he might be a prince.”
“What…?!”
Seeing the fourth graders turn pale, Fides frowned.
Despite warning them multiple times about not discriminating based on status, this was the result.
Just as Fides opened his mouth, the fourth graders took off running in panic.
One with a twisted arm fell, losing strength in his legs, and ended up bawling right there.
The others abandoned their fallen friend and fled faster.
Watching them, Fides scratched his head.
“…What was that about?”
*
Eliya’s impression after hearing the whole story was short and cold.
“Has it been too long of a peaceful era…?”
If you treat them well, they should reciprocate well, so that everyone can smile.
Yet, there are always those who take advantage of such situations and act brazenly.
Even if they were educated firmly at home, such incidents still wouldn’t have happened.
Judas examined Fides closely.
“Is that really all that happened? They weren’t like, er, hitting you or anything, right?”
“Mm.”
“I see… that’s a relief.”
Indeed, Fides appeared unscathed.
Even the encounter with those boys seemed completely unbothering to him.
He didn’t realize that playing roughly with the knights would come in handy in situations like this.
Sometimes his son could be overly simple-minded, but he was always honest and had a straightforward character.
Judas gently patted Fides and reassured him.
Eliya slowly nodded in agreement.
“I’m really glad you weren’t hurt… Thank you for being honest with us. You weren’t surprised? It must have been scary.”
“Mm. I’m okay.”
“You’re strong. Very reliable and handsome.”
While Eliya was doting on Fides, Judas expressed his gratitude to the homeroom teacher.
“Thank you for telling us straightforwardly.”
“Oh, no, it’s my job.”
Boys grow up fighting.
But when it’s your own child, it’s a different story.
You’d prefer them not to fight at all.
Especially, physical conflicts should be avoided even more.
This wasn’t a fight; it was one-sided violence against a second grader.
Such things must never happen.
While Judas simmered with anger, the homeroom teacher added,
“I should have informed you earlier. I’m sorry; it seems I wasn’t careful enough to prevent this, Your Majesty… Oh no, I mean, both of you and please, to the children as well…”
“It’s an incident that happened out of nowhere, so what’s to be done.”
In that moment, Judas felt a chilling gaze on him.
As the conversation stretched on, Eliya shot a glance towards him.
He could feel it without even having to look.
The homeroom teacher was a young woman.
“Well, then we will take Fides with us now.”
Judas hurriedly said his goodbyes and, following Eliya, left the classroom with their son.
As they were turning to leave, Fides called out.
“Dad.”
“Hmm?”
“Why did those older boys act that way?”
“Hmm…”
“And I told them not to do that, but I was told I was friends with them, so just go. I just told them not to do the wrong thing…”
Fides seemed to find it incomprehensible.
Why would someone intentionally do something pointless that could bring harm, and why dismiss someone trying to correct wrongdoings?
Judas and Eliya could see the worry in their son.
Pride, vanity, distorted self-esteem, unfulfilled human greed.
There were quite a few topics to explain, yet none were perfect.
Still, it was difficult to lay such concepts on a nine-year-old.
Eliya stroked Fides’s head while taking the lead for Judas.
“There are kind and righteous people like Fides in the world, but there are many who are not.”
“So those older boys… are just like that?”
“They probably have their reasons. However, just because they have reasons doesn’t mean a good person like Fides should suffer or make concessions.”
“Mm…”
Fides still seemed to struggle with the difficult conversation.
Trying to understand his situation and pondering was a good sign.
It was far better than accepting things blindly or turning a blind eye.
He was thinking for himself and beginning to grow up.
Judas felt proud of his son and patted his head.
“Fides, did you ever feel like you wanted to hit those older boys… or anything like that?”
“Mm.”
“…That’s a relief.”
He thought that young as he was, if someone touched him, he wouldn’t have hesitated to send at least one of them packing.
‘It’s fortunate he doesn’t inherit that part of me.’
Ultimately, Fides did the right thing.
Thus, his parents had every reason to praise him.
“Well done, Fides. You did well today.”
“Yeah. Most importantly, you protected your friends. Very reliable. Good job.”
Fides’s head, heavy with thoughts, lightened.
He had done well and received praise.
That was enough for now.
“Mm!”
Beaming brightly, Fides said goodbye to his friends, while Judas and Eliya whispered quietly among themselves.
“Eli, what will you do about it?”
“Expel all involved perpetrators. I’ve given enough opportunities. In this environment, with this level of treatment. If they can’t handle that, then that’s just their own fault. I’m not going to babysit them.”
As both an emperor and the highest authority at the academy, Eliya crafted the future of her domain.
“And I’ll have to inspect the accounting records of those kids’ families.”
As an emperor, Eliya had the supernormally legal authority to intervene in those subordinate regions.
And sometimes, she would instruct the knights to investigate the crimes of questionable families.
It was rare to find someone without dirt in their past.
Especially the more powerful or wealthy they were.
Eliya aimed to deal with this incident with a heavy hand.
“They should pay for disrupting order and atmosphere by breaking the rules. With that money, we can improve the treatment of scholarship students. If we set an example, perhaps such incidents will decrease in the future.”
“I agree.”
Judas decided to leave it to Eliya and refrained from taking the matter into his own hands.
As much as he wanted to intervene, excessive retaliation could end up causing tension across the academy.
Just the fact that Fides wasn’t hurt and wasn’t scared made it bearable.
The fact that two individuals with transcendent power and authority chose not to enact personal punishment was practically a favor for the offenders.
The idea that Fides had been exposed to such a situation was chilling.
It would send shivers down the spine of other parents as well.
The students threatened today also had parents.
Those parents, lacking power or strength, might feel even more sorrowful.
Judas and Eliya wanted to eliminate such incidents from the world their children would live in as much as possible.
Extreme measures, treatment, it was all just for that reason.
The preschool and elementary divisions ended around the same time.
The difference being that the preschoolers had nap time in the middle.
Anyway, now they were going to pick up Spei and Donum when someone blocked Fides’s way.
“Um…”
It was his classmates.
More specifically, the scholarship students surrounded by the fourth graders.
They seemed to have something to say, but they appeared uncomfortable blocking the path of royal blood.
Fides’s parents subtly shifted to the side.
Only then did the children feel a bit relieved.
“Th-Thank you for helping us…”
They came to express their gratitude.
At the time, they had been stiffened in shock and intimidation.
“If it weren’t for you, we might have gotten beaten.”
“Thanks to you, really. Thank you so much.”
Fides went silent for a moment.
It felt strange.
It was an emotion he had never felt before.
He had received compliments before.
But this kind of recognition was new.
It wasn’t mere praise.
He had accomplished something, done what was right, and been recognized.
Yes, this was complete recognition.
Unlike the unconditional love he received from his mom and dad.
There’s no way to compare the two.
Both held their own value.
However, this appropriate acknowledgment received under specific conditions felt exhilarating and fulfilling.
Fides eventually smiled.
“What’s with all this?”
Then other second-graders approached.
These were his friends who had only watched earlier when he stood up.
They apologized for not stepping forward together, and Fides shook his head.
Seeing this scene, Judas felt a peculiar déjà vu.
Eliya playfully bumped her forehead against his shoulder.
“Looks like things turned out well?”
“…Indeed.”
There was a time when he had a similar experience, albeit with a different age and vastly different results.
He hoped Fides wouldn’t have to go through the same matters he did.
And he would ensure he wouldn’t.
With an unwavering and unbreakable trust and background, he would support and protect Fides.
“Things turned out well.”
“Mm. I hope he continues to grow like this.”
“He will. Definitely.”
As Fides greeted his friends, saying he would see them tomorrow, his face radiated a smile never seen before by Judas and Eliya.
Pride, achievement, and the satisfaction of having accomplished something filled his little face, which was beautiful to behold.
And on that day.
Fides decided to shape his own future.
He wanted to be someone who corrects wrongs.
But that dream seemed a long way from becoming a reality.
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