Chapter 49

The Imperial Academy was divided into five major faculties.

The Military Faculty, where students learned swordsmanship, various weapons techniques, and strategy and tactics.

The Magic Faculty, focused on the study of magic, spirits, and alchemy.

The Humanities Faculty, which specialized in general academic studies.

The Engineering Faculty, dedicated to various technologies, especially magical engineering.

And finally, the Arts Faculty, where students studied literature, music, visual arts, and other forms of art.

Among these five faculties, the most popular by far were the Military and Magic Faculties.

Graduating from either of these faculties at the Imperial Academy practically guaranteed a successful career.

Top students from these faculties were appointed to Imperial public offices or were provided with research laboratories at the Mage Tower, so countless talented individuals applied, and competition was fierce.

It was unheard of for an Imperial Legion Commander—the highest military rank in the Empire—not to be a valedictorian from the Academy. Similarly, one of the Mage Tower elders was once considered less intelligent but diligent simply because he had graduated as salutatorian, which illustrates the intense competition.

That said, the other faculties were by no means easy.

The Humanities Faculty was a well-trodden path for aspiring civil servants, and the Engineering Faculty was essential for those who wanted to develop new technologies and open successful businesses in the capital.

But the Arts Faculty was different.

While music majors had better prospects, those studying literature and visual arts faced tougher circumstances.

Music was relatively popular because large theater troupes existed in every region of the Empire, and music was an essential element at noble gatherings, so there was steady demand.

However, those studying literature and visual arts had to rely on noble patronage or endure a meager existence.

The main sources of income for literature graduates were commissions from the Imperial Family or the Mage Tower for translating ancient texts or writing epic poems.

For visual artists, it was mostly commissions for noble portraits or occasional murals.

But demand was limited, and there were powerful alternatives, so most artists struggled to escape poverty.

Wealthy nobles would often enroll their less talented children in literature or visual arts programs at the Imperial Academy as a way to save face.

The competition was less fierce, making it easier to get in, and with money not being an issue, the goal was simply to broaden their social network at the Academy and earn a diploma for appearances.

“This is a problem. Professor Saint, who was in charge of the visual arts, suddenly resigned. How will we fill the vacancy?”

“He also resigned from his position as the Imperial Palace’s official painter due to personal reasons, so there was no way to stop him.”

The Arts Faculty faced a major dilemma just before the start of the new academic year.

Professor Saint, who had been responsible for the visual arts department, had suddenly resigned.

Given his personal reasons, there was little they could do to retain him, and finding a replacement was nearly impossible.

Saint was one of the most renowned painters in the Empire, serving as the official painter for the Imperial Palace.

It was safe to say there was no one who could truly replace him.

In fact, fewer and fewer people were pursuing careers as painters.

With the invention and popularization of the magic camera, even commoners could easily take photographs, so there was little demand for expensive paintings.

Only nobles with excess wealth occasionally commissioned portraits for fun.

“What about Jerome? He graduated at the top of our visual arts department.”

“He’s famous for the new lecture building that was built at the Academy when he graduated.”

In the more popular faculties, graduation rankings were strictly based on academic performance. But in the Arts Faculty, which was less mainstream, graduation rankings were often determined by donations.

Since it was difficult to objectively evaluate skill in the arts, these tricks were hard to prevent.

Moreover, the donations from wealthy graduates were used to provide scholarships to less fortunate students, so everyone turned a blind eye to the practice.

However, while the top graduation spot could be bought, a faculty position could not.

The position of professor, tied to the honor of the Imperial Academy, could not be filled by someone without true ability.

“What about that person?”

“Who do you mean by ‘that person’?”

“I’ve heard that the most famous artist in the Empire right now is Rupert Somerset, an emerging star.”

“Ah! Now that you mention it, his artwork is truly exceptional.”

Claude, the head of the Arts Faculty, suddenly lit up.

Though he was a literature major and not an expert in visual arts, even he had to admit that the illustrations in the fairy tale books and manga recently popularized by Rupert were outstanding.

To be honest, they even seemed superior to those painted by the previous professor, Saint.

With that level of skill, there would be no objections to appointing Rupert as a professor at the Imperial Academy.

However…

“But isn’t he supposed to enroll in our Academy this year?”

Claude remembered sending an acceptance letter to Rupert’s family, the Somerset Counts.

“We recently received a letter stating that he will not be attending.”

This was unexpected.

Even if the Arts Faculty wasn’t as popular, it was still part of the Imperial Academy, and people usually jumped at the chance to attend, sometimes even paying to get in. Yet Rupert had declined after being accepted.

In any case, it was a relief that they wouldn’t have to deal with the disaster of a student being appointed as a professor.

“But he’s still so young.”

The age for entering the Imperial Academy was typically 15, but it was customary to enroll at 17, the age when one was considered an adult.

Rupert was also set to enroll at 17 this year, which was concerning.

The youngest professor in the Academy was in his late twenties, and even he had caused controversy when appointed due to his age.

Seventeen? The backlash would be immense.

‘But in terms of skill and reputation, he’s the perfect candidate.’

Claude, the head of the Arts Faculty, was deeply troubled.

“Alright! Let’s start by removing these blackout curtains.”

Since Rupert had collapsed and was confined to his room, the workshop was livelier than ever.

For the time being, they didn’t have to start any new projects; they only needed to print additional copies of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist Volume 4, which left plenty of free time.

“Ugh… so it really is daytime.”

Sunlight streamed brightly into the workshop.

The workers, bathed in the brilliant sunlight, shed tears of joy.

‘It’s still the middle of the day, everyone!’

A memory of Rupert, who would claim it was still midday despite the passage of hours, flashed through their minds.

The craftsmen had lost track of time while trapped in the workshop, only to find that it was always pitch dark outside when they finally finished and went home.

But now, they could finally say goodbye to those days.

With Rupert out of commission, the workers set about restoring the workshop to normal.

“We need to modify this door as well! The fact that it can only be locked and unlocked from the outside makes it feel like a prison!”

After taking down the blackout curtains, the craftsmen immediately dismantled the door’s locking mechanism.

Now, no one would be able to lock them in from the outside to prevent their escape.

It was a relief that they would no longer have to endure the nightmare of Rupert cheerfully drawing inside while being trapped like prisoners.

“I’m not a fan of this bathroom either!”

Rupert had installed a bathroom in the corner of the workshop, claiming it was for efficiency so that workers wouldn’t lose time going back and forth outside.

But in reality, it was a cruel measure to prevent the craftsmen from sneaking out under the pretext of using the bathroom.

“Why don’t we demolish it and turn it into a break room?”

“Good idea! I’ll get a hammer!”

Rupert’s training had greatly improved the craftsmen’s skills.

In no time, they had dismantled and cleared out the bathroom, working with the efficiency of seasoned construction workers.

“And these potions! We need to hide all of them.”

“Wait… aren’t those actually pretty useful?”

One of the new hires, Jensen, whom Rupert had personally selected during a recent interview, questioned the idea of hiding the vitality potions that Rupert had purchased in bulk.

While others had opposed hiring Jensen, calling him a troublemaker, Rupert had insisted that Jensen was the perfect addition to the team.

“What? You think these are good?”

“Well… after drinking them, I felt more energized and in a better mood.”

The craftsmen stared at Jensen as if he were crazy.

They had suspected something was off when Jensen unhesitatingly followed all of Rupert’s instructions, but now he was even praising Rupert’s obsession with vitality potions.

Was there some sort of unspoken connection between crazies?

The craftsmen all shared the same thought as they looked at Jensen.

After the workshop renovation was complete, the sun was beginning to set.

The sky turned a deep red, casting a warm glow over the workshop, and the craftsmen stopped their work.

“Alright! Let’s get some dinner. We need to fuel up if we’re going to work the night shift.”

As they headed to the dining hall, discussing what might be on the menu today, the craftsmen suddenly paused, realizing something strange.

Why were they planning to have dinner?

There was no Rupert to keep an eye on them, and they had already finished all their work.

“Do we really need to stay?”

“But we’ve finished everything we had to do, haven’t we?”

“Maybe we should do some research…”

Without realizing it, the craftsmen had become conditioned to Rupert’s relentless work schedule.

Even though it was time to go home, they couldn’t bring themselves to leave.

The door was modified, so they could leave at any time, yet they hesitated.

“I… I’m going to leave. I’m going home.”

“What… what! Are you really going to leave while the sun is still up?”

Despite the shocked reactions from his fellow craftsmen, the man didn’t stop.

His face was set in determination.

“Going home before sunset is a normal part of life.”

—If the young master is watching… please understand. I just want to enjoy the simple happiness of having dinner with my family.

Creak.

Finally, he turned the handle on the door.

It was the moment the door opened.

“If I don’t see you tomorrow, let me say this now. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening!”

And with that, he left for the day.