The Royal Academy of Pendragon.

Also known simply as the Academy.

A place of learning and a sanctuary of knowledge where the future leaders of the kingdom are educated, the Academy teaches a wide range of subjects.

Not just swordsmanship and magic, but also medicine, statistics, astronomy, blacksmithing, and so on.

If you look closely, they even teach some odd things you might not expect, bringing the total number of subjects taught at the Academy to over thirty. There might even be more than that.

However, even with so many subjects, the quality of the instructors or professors teaching them is never lacking.

Why else would it be called the Royal Academy?

To carry the royal name, it would be an insult to compare it to other academies.

That’s why the faculty of the Royal Academy consists of exceptionally capable individuals. As they are responsible for educating the future of the kingdom, their skills and experience must be second to none.

But...

“…Is that the guy?”

“The rumors were true?”

“No way.”

“Should we try to get on his good side?”

“Forget it. He’s probably in a bad mood right now.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

It was a simple gathering held before the Academy's entrance ceremony—a kind of presentation for the teaching staff, meant to provide introductions and a basic explanation of their roles while also giving the instructors a chance to familiarize themselves with one another.

While they mingled and made acquaintances, their curious gazes frequently darted toward one man.

Unlike the groups of people chatting together, this man sat alone like a noble wolf, quietly eating steak.

They already knew who he was and what his identity was.

“That’s Lihan, right?”

“The White Silver Lion, huh. I never thought I’d see something like this in my life.”

“Agreed.”

Some of the more senior professors murmured his name.

Knight Lihan.
A current active knight dispatched to the Academy as an instructor.

It wasn’t their first time seeing a knight, but seeing an active one—especially a young knight—at the Academy was a first.

What did it mean for him to be young?

It meant he was in his prime, when his aura techniques were at their peak, when his vitality was at its most dynamic.

But for such a person to become an instructor meant he was missing out on the most active period of his life.

Because of this, people tended to avoid him, thinking he must be displeased with his situation.

Though it might be called a demotion, or a temporary assignment, it didn’t mean he was weak. Professors saw him as a potential danger and subtly distanced themselves, avoiding any risk.

It was simply a matter of wisdom.

Well...

‘Do they think I’m some kind of poison?’

Even though they tried to be discreet, their actions didn’t escape his notice, and Ihan smirked.

Humans, honestly.

‘Playing cute, aren’t they?’

He wasn’t particularly upset. Being feared was better than being ignored, after all.

He took another bite of steak.

One week earlier, the sudden news of Ihan’s assignment had been a big issue within the knight order, and for once, the knights felt some pity for him.

…It might be hard to understand at first.

How could a task like teaching the future leaders of the kingdom be seen as a punishment?

Wasn’t this, by all accounts, an honorable mission?

But that’s a perspective held by someone who only knows one side of the story.

What was the White Silver Lion knight order?

They were the royal knight order, sworn to protect the royal family.

The pride that came from guarding the glorious royal family was a source of unmatched honor in this kingdom.

To abandon that prestigious duty and become a mere instructor?

It wasn’t a bad position, per se, but it was the kind of post you’d offer a retired knight. For a young knight in their prime, it was like a bolt from the blue.

So yes, this was indeed a serious punishment.

At a time when he should be honing his skills and aiming higher, he was now forced to teach a bunch of rookies.

There was no greater loss than that.

That’s why it wasn’t so strange for the knights to feel sorry for him.

However, the person in question…

“Oh, so that’s how they’re framing it? Well, it makes sense if they want to tie everything together. That woman really is cunning.”

“You disrespectful fool, how dare you speak about the princess like that.”

“Oh, you know a bit about the situation, huh, old man?”

“I can only make some guesses.”

“Hm, as long as I get paid properly, right?”

“…That’s the reaction I expected, but I was hoping you’d show a bit more disappointment.”

Even though Baltar knew Ihan wasn’t too attached to the knightly profession, he still felt it was a shame to see Ihan be so indifferent.

If Ihan had had any passion for the knight order, he would have already risen to a high position.

“Do you have any desire to give it your all now? If so, I’ll speak to the princess and have the assignment canceled.”

Baltar had the authority to make that happen, so he offered the suggestion.

“No thanks.”

“…Couldn’t you at least think about it for a second before answering?”

Seeing the situation unfold like this, it was clear Ihan had no intention of refusing the assignment, and Baltar could only click his tongue.

And now, in the present…

Ihan found himself in the position of having to complete courses and other tasks in preparation for teaching, doing studying that didn’t suit him at all. His head was aching.

‘They better not hold back on paying me.’

Though he maintained a calm expression, he wasn’t thrilled about being dragged into this by Princess Isis. She must have been confident that he wouldn’t refuse.

But she’d better be prepared.

If she tried anything funny after promising to keep her word...

‘At that point, we’re no longer siblings.’

Ihan was confident.

He would definitely make sure to get back at her if she tried to betray him.

Even if she was the heir to the kingdom.

When Ihan returned home after the day’s curriculum, he found three letters waiting for him.

One was from Jake.

As expected, Jake, with his keen sense, didn’t bother asking about his well-being, but instead, since he seemed to know that the secret mission was related to the Academy, he simply wrote a short message: Do your best.

The next letter, in contrast, was from Yord. Despite not knowing Ihan for long, Yord wrote a long letter filled with concern, mentioning how he planned to petition the commander on Ihan’s behalf, saying things like, I will try my best to help you, so...

…What’s wrong with this guy?

“Did I hit him too hard last time?”

I didn’t hit him in the head, though. What the hell?

Feeling a bit awkward, Ihan moved on to the final letter.

This one didn’t have a name or address on it. It was simply a blank white sheet of paper. But catching a faint whiff of perfume, Ihan knew exactly who it was from. He placed the paper in a large bowl of water and soaked it, revealing the writing.

Ihan, my reliable adopted brother, if you’ve received this letter...

It began with an elaborate greeting and was filled with poetic expressions and refined phrases.

As expected from royalty—what a tedious letter.

Summarizing the long and fancy contents:

‘She’s going to keep her promise, so I just have to do my part.’

The letter was filled with phrases like, I believe in you, I trust your judgment, and so on, but none of it made much of an impression on Ihan.

For most people, receiving such praise from Princess Isis would be considered an honor to be cherished for generations, but for Ihan, it was nothing more than an annoying display of interest.

After reading the letter’s contents, the paper dissolved in the water. Thorough destruction of evidence, how thorough of her.

“She’s always been good with alchemy and magic, huh.”

Ihan burned the envelope with his lighter. It caught fire easily.

“…Where should I start?”

The entrance ceremony was in four days.

That’s when he would meet all the important figures.

However, the princess hadn’t given him any specific instructions on how to deal with them.

According to her letter, she was leaving everything up to his judgment.

Maybe it was because she knew how much he hated being ordered around.

So, with everything left to his discretion, Ihan pondered how best to proceed while writing down his thoughts on a blackboard.

It was a habit he’d developed in his previous life as a non-commissioned officer, writing down thoughts to organize them whenever he received unreasonable orders from his superiors.

An ironic habit, to be sure.

But at this moment, it was proving quite useful.

Having sorted his thoughts to some degree, Ihan realized what his first task would be.

“I have to make sure they come to me first. And if there’s one thing protagonists in romance or regression stories have in common, it’s curiosity.”

Curiosity killed the cat.

And as if to prove the saying true, protagonists in romance and regression stories were the type of lunatics who couldn’t help but deliberately throw themselves into dangerous situations just to satisfy their curiosity.

No matter how many times they were kidnapped, stabbed, or found themselves in perilous situations, they never stopped.

They were like people afflicted with a disease that prevented them from resting unless they personally got involved.

So…

“Let’s get this started.”

Ihan wrote something underneath the names of two people on the board.

He wrote what he believed would bring out their true nature and create the most ridiculous situation.

“Hm, not bad.”

A refreshing smile naturally spread across Ihan’s face.

There was something incredibly satisfying about passing the suffering you’d experienced onto someone else.

Written clearly on the board were the words “Survival Training”.