NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26
Thwack!
Honestly, the sensation of feeling someone’s gaze is just a subjective interpretation by the person feeling it. Nobody’s shooting laser beams from their eyes. The so-called gaze is just light reflecting off the sun, not some magical illumination coming out of my own eyes.
Cue dramatic music
Unless it’s a midnight eagle or some kind of wild cat, there’s no way that light would be visible through a person’s eyes.
So, strictly speaking, the reason my neck feels prickly is probably just my own thinking! I was aware of Claire’s presence sitting behind me and Alice.
If Claire didn’t recognize me at all, I wouldn’t be this worked up. I might feel a bit gloomy, but I’d probably just be satisfied that Claire has grown up well and let it slide. There’ll be more chances to bond in the future.
Of course, as a character with a stone-face, I can’t just suddenly act friendly, but isn’t there a cliché where these emotionless, indifferent characters eventually start to express more emotion? At first, they wouldn’t react to what others say but then, as they mingle with friends, their expressions gradually crack, and they even start laughing!
Perfect!
Thinking about mingling and having fun with characters I like makes me excited already. Plus, imagining the shocked expressions of my friends when I finally smile!
For this, I have to keep maintaining this stoic character for a while, though.
Well, I’ve been sticking with this concept for over ten years, so it shouldn’t be too hard.
Silence…
There was a strange tension in the classroom.
Probably because of what happened in the hallway earlier. Alice pointed out that I didn’t properly greet the Crown Princess.
They must have seen everything afterward too, but these kids had also witnessed Alice not bowing in front of the headmaster before.
So, instead of choosing to deal with one of us, they might be thinking of watching a bit longer to see ‘how Alice prefers to handle things.’
And if anyone acts overly ridiculous, it could leave a bad impression on someone who is speculated to be the next Emperor. Although in other classes, it may be a storm of chatter among the Duke and Count’s kids, you still can’t just equate dukes or counts with the Emperor!
Moreover, since Alice hardly attends balls or gatherings, no one in class knows her personally. It’s not strange for the whole class atmosphere to feel stiff. The commoners’ class is probably a lot more lively.
Tick tick tick
The classroom was so silent I could hear the second hand of my pocket watch ticking until the creak of the sliding door broke that silence.
By the way, the door is a sliding one and the reason the desk arrangement oddly recalls Japanese manga-style classrooms is because the developer of this world’s original game is a Japanese company. The hallway has a touch of steampunk Victorian style, but the classroom feels so out of place!
Seems like the others weren’t too concerned about that, though.
“Hmm.”
The teacher who opened the classroom door looked a bit flustered by the frozen atmosphere and stopped in front of the door for a moment before entering, clearing her throat like, “Uh, that was nothing!”
She was a young teacher.
In fact, this was her first class as a teacher. Unlike Winterfield’s granddaughter who took on the other noble class B, this teacher had a gentle and serene aura and wasn’t a military type.
But she wasn’t just some average person either. She was the daughter of the Duke!
Carolyn Northwood. A ducal family governing a territory somewhat distant from the Imperial Capital. Though somewhat removed from central power, they still had royal blood in their veins.
With slightly curly, light brown hair and similar light brown eyes, plus slightly droopy eyelids, she appeared somewhat ditzy. To add to that, her uniform looked weirdly baggy like she was wearing middle schooler’s attire. Though there was a remarkable figure hidden beneath that baggy outfit, she usually hides it under such a loose attire.
By the way, she’s not a controllable character, but there’s a romantic route with the main character… I guess she could be considered a heroine of sorts in the main story? To be honest, she’s more of a ‘supporting character who could technically end up as a love interest.’
To control class A, which is filled with high nobility and royal connections, a member of a similarly powerful family needs to be the homeroom teacher. Although Winterfield was perfectly capable of taking charge of class A, it was Carolyn who ended up with the class due to her rather rebellious nature that wouldn’t heed her grandfather’s words… that’s how it’s set in the original story.
Even though she’s a neat and proper teacher with the blood of a duke, she just graduated from university and started her job, and she’s not too far off in age from us.
The very moment she walked into the classroom, spotting two Crown Princesses sitting right up front near the teacher’s desk, it’s no surprise she looked a bit intimidated.
Moreover, due to the presence of those two princesses, the atmosphere in the room was completely frozen, and one girl in the back was staring daggers at one of the princesses.
Just imagining the suffocating tension is dizzying; I can’t imagine how Carolyn feels in this situation.
Silence…
Finally, Carolyn, stiff as a board in front of the open classroom door, seemed to snap back to reality and started to move.
Keeping her head lowered slightly, fixated on the floor, her walk looked almost pitiful.
It seemed like she desperately wanted to avoid eye contact with both princesses—
—Unfortunately, to line her gaze with the attendance sheet at the teacher’s desk, she would have to make eye contact with us for just a moment.
“Um, everyone?”
Oops.
I accidentally let out a muffled laugh when she opened her mouth.
Yet no one in the class laughed. If even one person had burst into laughter, Carolyn might have felt less embarrassed, but the fact that nobody laughed was only pushing Miss Northwood further into a corner.
“I—I’m…”
But she couldn’t back down just because she was a rookie teacher.
No matter how green she was, being an academy teacher still means she’s representing her family’s name. If the nobles hear that she lost face, that would tarnish the reputation of the Northwood Duke family.
Struggling to maintain her composure, Carolyn finally shouted out, but her voice was thin and high-pitched, lacking any strength.
“I’m Carolyn Northwood! The daughter of Duke Northwood!”
Silence…
Of course, there wasn’t a significant response to that. There are twelve dukes in the Empire.
Among the prominent heroines in the main story, two were dukes, and if you count all grades, there are sixteen kids from dukes.
That’s right.
The Empire is so vast it could promote a hierarchy just with the title ‘duke’. While leveraging the status of being a duke might work for a single student, presenting it in class with two dukes seated right in front is a bit underwhelming.
Above all, there are two princesses sitting right in front of this Northwood noble daughter.
“M—my pleasure to meet you!”
And as I observed Carolyn, I couldn’t help but smirk.
I was the one who had conquered every heroine to create a video for “a lazy person who doesn’t want to go through all that.”
Of course, I’d seen the kiss scene between Leo and Carolyn.
I’ve seen the event where they tricked the homeroom teacher Winterfield into wearing a bikini at a pool party.
Though she’s full of flaws, she’s portrayed positively in the game.
Carolyn’s commitment to her new teaching role is genuine and determined.
In the later part of the story, when the Empire falls into civil war due to the Emperor’s global war strategy, Carolyn puts her life on the line to protect the students. No, she intended to safeguard all minors under the Northwood name, not just the academy students.
And she succeeded boldly. At least, until the latest installment.
Though she appears a little clumsy being a first-time teacher, her character is impeccable in terms of personality. That’s the image I have of Carolyn.
So it’s only natural her first impression would be good.
Though I thought that inwardly, my expression remained as impassive as ever.
Silence…
After Carolyn’s greeting, the class lingered in silence for a moment before—
Clap, clap.
Someone finally started clapping, breaking free from the quiet.
The sound of applause came from beside me.
That’s right. It was Alice initiating the applause.
Listening to the slow clapping, I joined in, and then soon enough, the rest of the class gradually followed suit until the entire classroom was booming with enthusiastic applause.
Glancing at Alice, I noticed she had a slight smile on her face.
Seeing Alice’s expression seemed to ease Carolyn’s tension somewhat, as she placed a hand on her chest and let out a tiny sigh of relief.
Well, I guess it’s a relief to know that Alice didn’t give Carolyn a ‘scary’ first impression.
*
Even though the academy is a four-year program, surprisingly, it’s not modeled entirely after a university. It feels more like a mix of three years of middle school and three years of high school. The higher education institution, or university as known in this world, is separate.
So there’s no teacher who just spends the first few minutes introducing themselves and then dismissing the class.
Especially if the person in front is an incredibly passionate history teacher.
And Carolyn Northwood was such a teacher.
It might actually have been slightly unfortunate for the students that the first period happened to be Carolyn’s responsibility.
However, nobody dared to take Carolyn lightly, engaging in chatter or outright sleeping during her class.
Because the Crown Princess seated at the front was studying diligently.
The atmosphere of learning is often determined by the leading student of the class. If the one who could be the class leader disregarded their studies, the other students would likely lose focus too.
Though, since the imperial class also intertwines with the class system, it’s still hard to predict how things would go.
In the original story, class A tended to maintain a good atmosphere for academic study.
“…And that’s how the Empire of Azernar was born.”
The first class covers simple content. It starts with the founding myth of the Empire that nearly everyone knows, discussing how the Empire merged with neighboring kingdoms and the extent of its territory when it was first established.
Most of those seated here likely knew this already since it was part of the academy entrance exams.
But still, they’re all just fifteen years old.
To delve into more complex topics later, it’s necessary to go over the basics. Furthermore, there are even foreign students among the new entrants.
Just as Carolyn finished her remarks, the bell rang perfectly in time.
In the original work, I assumed the bell was timed just to signal the end of the class, but considering Carolyn finished her explanation right as the bell rang, it seems she must have deliberated a lot about how to proceed before coming to school.
“Today’s lesson ends here. Does anyone have any questions?”
No one raised their hand.
They probably didn’t want to waste even the ten-minute break.
“Then we’ll conclude today’s class. See you again this afternoon.”
Having noticed the tension dissipating considerably during the lesson, Carolyn smiled slightly before leaving the classroom.
…But still, she didn’t do a salute or anything. It would’ve suited her!
Well, such a scene didn’t appear in the original work either. Maybe the writers thought that ‘Western-style freedom’ could be defined by whether or not formal greetings were included in a situation.
Though the school system is wholly based on Japanese school themes.
“Not as hard as I thought.”
With the atmosphere lightening, Alice commented, almost in relief.
“Since it’s the beginning of the semester, they start with confirming what everyone already knows. There might be students who could flunk the imperial history portion.”
There’s no failing in the entrance exams for the academy.
“Hmm, is that so?”
Alice seemed pretty relaxed, clearly thinking she could handle this level.
…In fact, it’s not just that, she’s likely one of the best students in this school.
Did I over-exert myself in showing off my skills?
“Have you been well?”
While I was deep in thought, someone unexpectedly greeted me with an overly formal greeting.
That voice…
“Ah, Charlotte!”
Charlotte—!
I was horrified as I turned to see Alice call out to Charlotte with an exuberant voice.
At least, she wasn’t losing her cool expression!
No, wait a minute.
Charlotte?