BXBX NOVEL Chapter 9 - Volume 1
Volume 1 Chapter 3 part2
Holfault Kingdom’s royal capital was placed at the center of the continent.
That location held a dungeon since the olden days, causing monsters to gush forth. Yet at the same time, that dungeon is goldmine of resources for its output of demon stones.
It’s become a source of income and materials for the kingdom, and is the primary factor for why it rose up into a powerful nation.
The continent is very large, and doesn’t have just one or two sites for pumping water from the sea. There are numerous spots where water is being drawn, and the soil is rich.
The floating island draws up seawater and spreads it throughout the land. I’m not sure how they filter the salt water, but since it’s just part of the lackluster setting, there’s no point in paying attention to it.
It’s known as a beautiful continent that harmonizes with nature.
The scale of the royal capital is very large.
I believe that the population of the urban district alone reaches a million people.
It’s a modern town with things like a sewer system and electricity.
Such a place is where nobles attend the academy.
A small floating island located slightly away from the urban district became a harbor for airships, and is where incoming airships anchor.
I was on an airship that my household purchased, the type that was fifty meters large.
The latest models of airships have a deck laid out at the top, but the rest is covered in armor. Its form resembles a submarine.
My older brother was yawning while carrying travel bags.
“It’s nice to come here directly from our house. We don’t have to transfer flights like on regular air services.”
Beforehand, he had to transfer flights between home and the academy.
My older brother, and the second son, is a third year student at the academy. My older sister and the second daughter, “Jenna,” is a second year student. A city slicker sister that follows fashion, dyed her hair brown, and bought a slave after realizing that the household had money.
He was a skinny, yet muscular beastman demi-human with cat ears, and he wore a suit more elegant than what I had.
“I would have preferred a more extravagant airship. I hate how my friends have a luxury liner, and yet I only have this cheap-feeling thing.”
I wanted to say that this wasn’t her airship, and that if she didn’t like it, then she didn’t need to ride on it.
My older brother averted his eyes, seeming to have the same thoughts.
“Even though our mother is upright, when it comes to these girls, it’s a different story.”
My older brother and I carried our traveling bags and headed towards the boarding terminal for an airship of the regular air service, and then my older sister followed afterwards with her slave carrying her luggage.
“One moment, did you guys hear what I said? Leon, if you still have money, then give me some. Your older sister’s entertainment expenses are not something to laugh at.”
Ignoring the noisy animal that was my sister, I talked to my older brother.
“Brother, are you dissatisfied with me being the only one going to the advanced class? If you want, how about I say that my achievements were actually your doing?”
“I wouldn’t stoop so low as to take the credit for your achievements, brother. I don’t want to go to the advanced class anyways. As you know, only those kinds of women are there.”
Both of us looked behind to see our sister still mumbling complaints.
“...She had the nerve to buy an expensive slave using my own money. How scum-like.”
When I murmured that in annoyance, my sister’s slave glared at me.
It seemed his cat ears twitched and had heard what I said.
My brother placed his hand on my shoulder.
“You’ve been burdened with going to the advanced class. You have my sympathies.”
Going to the advanced class means being of the status where one receives a fitting education or has slaves. Therefore, rich households make a display of themselves by having fancy slaves accompany their daughters.
On the other hand, if a boy pointlessly tries to walk with a fancy woman slave accompanying him, he’ll receive cold looks.
...What a cruel world this is.
My brother gave his words of gratitude while a little embarrassed.
“Well, thanks to you, I can study without taking a part-time job. Now if I could only find a partner, then I’d be very grateful.”
“Then, I think I can help with──”
“I won’t ask for anything unreasonable. Whoops, it’s easy to get lost at the terminal, so there’s a need to memorize it.”
Guided by my brother, I moved to the terminal of the regular air service, and confirmed that there were many other students heading to the academy.
Most of the people that use the airship harbor are from the knight up to the viscount households. It seems that earl households and above have exclusive harbors prepared for them by the city, and that’s where they get on and off of.
In terms of my previous world, it would be closer to call it a bus terminal or a railway station rather than an airship harbor. It has a closer impression to that than of a harbor.
One has to wait until the regular air service arrives.
When our sulky sister behind us was in a panic for some odd reason.
My brother put his hand over his forehand.
“What’s wrong?”
My brother points to a crowd of people.
“They’re followers of duke households.”
Upon looking, a grand group of people cutting in line caught my attention. There was group of females followed by beautiful slaves behind them. Then there were boys after them.
My sister made an unpleasant expression.
“It seems a great number of prestigious nobles are going to enroll, and their followers also make up a large group.”
The heir and daughters of the duke households called out to their followers who were people under their household’s guardianship or classmates involved that were waiting for them. They’re there to protect the heirs and help them out.
In the future, those followers will be people that support high-ranking nobles. Though it’s assumed that the academy treats students equally...the reality is that nothing but influence matters.
“I see...so they’re henchmen that get cocky because there’s a boss in town?”
My brother and sister panicked after I said that.
“Y, you idiot!”
“Are you an idiot?! Hey, are you actually an idiot?!”
The two were worried about whether the followers heard what I said. Then, they were relived after the followers didn’t turn their attention towards us.
“Those demi-humans with good ears may have heard it, though. You should be more alert. Things would’ve gotten serious if they had heard you.”
I apologized in light of my brother’s warning.
“I’ll be careful in the future.”
My sister was getting irritated.
“You really need to be careful. I won’t forgive you if you cause trouble for me.”
...Can this animal only think for itself?
Then, an airship that was like a small bus had arrived, and stopped by our harbor.
◇
The academy was in the royal capital.
It was able to reserve a large plot of land in a place with a large population density, making the school buildings large and the scale of the student dormitories vast as well.
My brother headed towards the dorms for the regular class, but I headed towards the dorms used for the advanced class.
...I’m feeling down.
The student dorms were unthinkably extravagant, the entrance was pretty much like a hotel lobby.
There’s even someone at a reception desk, and the people working here are pretty much like hotel employees. They wore uniforms, were thoroughly trained, and were operating briskly.
“Wow, it seems just like it did in the game”
It’s a gorgeous student dormitory. That’s the impression that came out of me. Though some would say that this is their long-awaited academy, it doesn’t change that this is prison for me.
In the game, the dormitory interior appeared as a background.
I’m not really that excited.
I went to the reception desk to know what room I would be using.
“It seems you are Leon Fou Baltfault. Your room will be over here.”
The staff member explains on a map of the dorms and hands me a key.
“Be sure to look over the rules inside of your dorm. Afterwards, if you have any questions, then voice out to one of the people in charge.”
The way it was explained in an uninterested manner oozed with the sense of this being just a job to the person.
Upon which, I was pushed aside by a student who came in from behind and wanted to talk to the reception desk.
“Hey, guide me to my room.”
Surrounding the student with the very big attitude were boys that seemed to be followers. It seems that the person is from a rich viscount family.
The staff member, hearing the person’s name, silently nodded.
“Welcome! I will show you the way at once. Now then, I can carry your baggage.”
It was clearly different from how I was treated.
What an academy this is. Perhaps it’s because of this being the world of an otome game, or perhaps it’s because of this being a society of nobles...but there’s some genuine preferential treatment going on here. It’s also affected by one’s popularity in the class, but the scale of their household and their influence have a big impact on the matter. Despite the academy singing praises about equality, there’s clearly a difference in how people are treated.
“I want to go home already.”
I headed towards the corridor of my dorm while raising a complaint, and arrived at the dorm I was going to use for three years.
I unlocked the door and entered the single room, but it wasn’t that wide.
The room had been cleaned, and my luggage had been sent and placed here already.
When I opened a box and set it down in the room, I noticed that there were things like notebooks and textbooks for the academy, so I placed them on my desk.
“So this is where I’m residing for three years...”
I flipped through a textbook. Textbooks concerning magic are difficult, so I can’t understand what’s being written in here right now.
This is the world of a game, and yet I’m fed up with things like this. I wanted a gentler world.
[Since you’ve arrived, I’d like it if you released me quickly.]
A voice called out from inside the bag I brought. When opening the bag and taking out what’s inside, Luxon appeared and surveyed the room.
“Ah~, my bad. I forgot.”
[...As expected of my master. Your ability to remember is something praiseworthy.]
I continued to tidy things up while listening to this thing’s sarcasm.
“So, how was your cruise?”
[All surfaces of my main unit are in excellent condition. I have no impression of the cruise. Though my only surprise is the magic technology, it’s still at a level reproducible by science...I will continue investigation magic technology in the future.]
In other words, there was something noteworthy about it.
“So you’re an AI that can’t be honest. Are you a tsundere?”
[Oh? Are you trying to seek a womanly part within me? Unfortunately, the concept of gender does not apply to me, so I cannot respond to your feelings, master.]
I mustn’t get angry at this thing.
I was ready to punch it, but I took a distance and returned to tidying up everything.
Upon which, I heard a knocking sound.