By Zephyria 
The talk about loved ones was about loved ones, but what was more important to me right now was the letter I received from my blood relatives.
Not wanting to rush through it, I had only glanced at the names written on the envelopes a few times before the beginner swordsmanship class began.
When I mentioned I would spend the entire afternoon reading the letters, my companions at lunch let out exclamations of surprise.
“Mikael seems quite… family-oriented.”
“Aren’t most people like that?”
“Hmm. Of course, I’m grateful to my parents, but… we’re not that affectionate with each other… Maybe it’s because I don’t have siblings.”
“I really like my older sister too, but, ugh, not as much as Mikael.”
“…”
Ivan shook his head silently with a pained expression, and everyone burst into laughter.
Ivan had previously bought a lamp that glowed in broad daylight, intending to give it to his twin brother. In return for the lamp, he had received last year’s calendar.
The heated debate over who had purchased the more useless item ended when they learned of Alan Holmes’s thoughtfulness in meticulously writing down last year’s family events on the calendar.
It was Ivan’s glorious and comical defeat.
Each person began to share stories about the senders of the letters they had received.
Marianne Philodendore had once stood with her older sister, holding hands, facing me before her sparring match with Edwin began.
Recalling a face that strongly resembled Marianne’s, I listened to her various stories. She mentioned being two years younger than her sister and that her two younger siblings seemed to have a talent for magic, causing her to worry about tuition fees.
I found the story about her family, the Barony of Philodendor, being involved in the distribution of magical artifacts interesting and decided to remember it.
Demian Christopher was the eldest son of the Earldom of Christopher, a neighbor of Shayden Rose.
I took the opportunity to casually ask how Demian and Shayden had become close.
They were the same age and were expected to inherit territories of similar size, so it seemed their families had known each other and met frequently since childhood. This, they said, had forged a strong bond.
Demian added that he had one younger sister, and he was worried because she had been showing signs of moodiness lately.
Ivan Holmes was the fourth child of a Viscountcy, and his twin brother Alan Holmes, who worked in the administrative department, was the fifth.
His older siblings had already grown up; the eldest sister was married, the second sister was traveling in a distant kingdom, and the third brother was working for the country.
His parents were elderly, so the eldest sister managed the family, and his brother contributed to his tuition, allowing him to attend academy classes. I found his cheerful remark about having to write back to his third brother’s letters regularly quite amusing and pleasant.
Jenny said her parents worked on a farm, not in the capital.
Her unusual intelligence caught the attention of her neighbors, who advised her to take an exam. Thanks to them, she came to the capital alone.
She also revealed that after studying for a year, she had passed the entrance exam for Shierun Academy.
She mentioned that she met her parents once a year and was fortunate not to have to rely on them, as she received sufficient tuition and scholarships from the academy upon admission.
While I knew several commoners had been admitted to Shierun Academy, I had never deeply considered it, so Jenny’s story was utterly fascinating.
Sensing my interest, Jenny hesitated for a moment before explaining her situation in more detail.
The other companions beside me listened attentively, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary, so I also listened quietly.
“The illiteracy rate among commoners in the Sierran Empire is lower than that of commoners in the Five Kingdoms. However, because the land is so vast, the cost of travel between regions by carriage is expensive, so it’s common for people to live their entire lives in the place where they were born. If I hadn’t been an only daughter, I would never have dreamed of studying abroad in the capital.”
With that, Jenny began to share various stories about the lives of commoners.
She explained that while most nobles played with numbers on paper and commanded people under the guise of doing business, most commoners worked diligently from morning till night before going to sleep.
Working five days a week was only for those in better circumstances; farmers and fishermen, for example, worked every day without designated holidays, resting only when they had spare time.
Jenny grew up watching older neighbors show deference to younger nobles. Seeing this, she too wanted to become someone who commanded respect, so she began reading and studying at a young age.
She also mentioned that graduating from the academy alone would grant her a Single Ascent Title, but graduating with excellent grades would earn her a higher Single Ascent Title and settlement support funds.
Hearing her say that her current dream was to have her parents come to the capital in their old age to be supported by her, instead of them working continuously, I was greatly impressed.
Her filial piety was dazzling.
“Before entering the academy, I received a lot of help from my parents. They supported my living expenses so I could dedicate a full year to my studies, and though they didn’t say it directly, I know how difficult their year must have been.”
“…Hmm.”
“Still, I feel proud now that I can send a portion of my scholarship to my parents. Not many people my age earn this much money already.”
The thought that some people studied for two or three years just to enter the academy made me ponder.
When my camping class companions decided to write replies to their family letters in their respective rooms, I also returned to my room.
I sat at my desk, intending to read my blood relatives’ letters carefully, but my head felt dizzy, so I opened the large window and let in some fresh air.
My room was on the fourth floor of the five-story dormitory.
This was a privilege I received because my paternal grandfather held the title of Count, and my father held the title of Viscount.
I had never experienced financial hardship since I was born in this land. I knew the tuition at Shierun Academy was expensive, but I had never given it much thought.
The common people of the Central Plains often went hungry.
Except for those in high office and wealthy merchants, the majority of commoners lived day by day, cultivating land and hunting while avoiding the eyes of the authorities.
If they became desperate, they might turn to the Black Road, become bandits, or pirates. It was a way of thinking that if one was about to die, one would kill others to survive.
Even in the Central Plains, I never lacked for anything due to bearing the name of the Namgung Family. Although the coins in my pocket were silver, not gold, I never went hungry.
When I entered an inn, I often ordered inexpensive dumplings and noodles, but I never hesitated to give a large dumpling to beggars.
I once had a friend who was a monk who had studied at Shaolin.
He said that everything in the world was the will of Buddha. He claimed that Buddha resided within the heart of a starving child, and also within the official passing by in a grand carriage.
This sophistry, that one’s karma from a past life was insufficient for the present life and that one’s karma from a past life was too great and had to be lessened in the present life, merely observed the desperate lives of the hungry without saving them.
Here in Shierun, the distinction between the noble and the commoner is also clear.
It was because the gods here clearly distinguished and judged who was noble and who was not.
Were they not now worshipping as a god someone who, in an attempt to revive their beloved, abandoned everything when they were not satisfied?
Thinking how peaceful and tranquil Shierun was compared to the Central Plains, I wondered if this was truly the will of Buddha, seeing the distinction between the precious and the not-so-precious.
I suddenly wondered why I was born in this land when I left my life in the Central Plains.
If being born into such a precious land with a precious body was due to accumulating virtue in a past life, I would have gladly accepted it. But I could not recall any good deeds that touched my heart, making it all feel difficult.
Pondering whether I was born this way because I had accumulated virtue, or if I was born this way to accumulate virtue, I returned to my desk with the window still open.
It was because I realized I could not treat the people most precious to me now with indifference.
The scratchy sensation of the quill pen, dipped deeply in ink, felt solid, unlike a brush, as I began to write my reply. The unfamiliar sensation made me hesitate even to write a single greeting.
❖ ❖ ❖
I spent the weekend studying, as always.
It was May, the last month of the first semester of my first year, and also the month for final exams. However, having already gone through midterms once, I was not as flustered as before.
I was inwardly grateful for Maelo Sanson’s method, which did not involve theoretical exams, and decided to take all his classes next semester as well.
Even if there were exams, I intended to follow Professor Sanson, who was a Hwagyeong master, closely. It was truly fortunate.
In magic class, Professor Angela Sting announced that she would test how smoothly I could perform ice-binding spells for the final exam. I bowed my head deeply to express my gratitude.
By this time, thanks to Professor Angela Sting’s help, I could already conjure ice-binding spells somewhat clumsily on my own, so I felt less worried.
The elective World History exam would be conducted in exactly the same way as the midterm. Rubel pointed out several potential exam questions, so I decided to focus my studies on those.
Shayden, who saw this, later remarked that he felt inclined to support Prince Rubel, even if he didn’t ascend to the throne. I strongly agreed.
As for the Imperial Genealogy class, there would be no more cancellations like before, and weekly quizzes would be held, so paying close attention to the handouts would suffice.
Still, I was glad that Professor Agridgent, who had been looking frail every day, seemed to have recovered his health and was walking around upright.
Alchemy and Camping Class would also be completed by submitting assignments, just like the midterm. Jenny had meticulously taken notes and copied them for us, so I could start the assignments without taking extra time.
The children, who had agreed to complete this assignment first in the first week, spurred me on with their collective energy. I felt grateful once more for having met such good teammates.
The exam format for Mana and Aura classes was also the same as the midterm.
Now, I no longer feared memorizing set passages verbatim. However, I still relied on Shayden and Demian’s help when answering the given questions.
I had expressed my concern about how to repay their constant help, and their reply that simply being close to them was helpful brought me joy.
And so, that hectic month flew by like an arrow.