ULDEM 7

chapter 07…

On Friday, there was an International Relations class that the Administration and Knight departments took together.

For the Administration students, it made sense, but some Knight students might have wondered why they were sitting through it.

The reason was simple. Although it was called “International Relations,” the class actually covered the history, culture, and politics of countries around the world.

After learning about the major powers that dominate entire continents, the class moved on to the next step:

• Administration students focused on diplomacy.

• Knight students focused on war.

The Seidel Royal School was originally built as a kind of military academy to defend the capital from enemy armies and monsters. From that time, this class was one of the required subjects for Knight students.

About 200 years ago, the Administration department was created and admitted many noble students. Since then, it became a shared class between the two departments. It had a long history and tradition.

Even though it was a shared class, there was some quiet competition among students. Not because it was required, but because of the professor’s recommendation letter.

Administration students aiming to become bureaucrats would do anything to get Professor Keron’s recommendation, which was only given to the top five students of the entire grade.

Tislin’s grades were around fifth or sixth place, so if she tried a bit harder, she could aim for the recommendation—but she wasn’t passionate enough to study extra for a recommendation she didn’t need, since she wasn’t aiming to be a noble bureaucrat.

Unlike bureaucrats who needed exams and recommendations, nobles only needed their birth or land from marriage to secure a domain.

“…Today, we’ve learned about our protectorates: the Duchy of Luxen, the Principality of Seben, the Principality of Blios, and the Principality of Hort. I mentioned that there are no eternal allies in international relations, but for now, these four countries can be considered our allies.”

Reality wasn’t that simple. But Professor Keron had a reason to say this. His nationality was from the Duchy of Luxen, not Cassidy-Manorca.

If a Luxen-born professor called the protectorates “vassal states,” it could be interpreted as Luxen being dissatisfied with Cassidy-Manorca. Similarly, if he said the relationship between the protectorates and Luxen wasn’t always friendly, it could be seen as suggesting Luxen might break away.

‘It’s all political talk,’ Tislin thought cynically as she stared at the familiar professor.

“Now that we’ve studied allies, it’s time to study our enemy.”

The professor wrote a single word on the board in elegant handwriting:

“Parfanan.”

Even the letters looked decorative and strange.

It was the name of the great empire that had divided the continent and ruled the north for centuries. The empire’s authority remained, even after it became a corrupt enemy.

“Parfanan. This is our enemy. Not a fictional opponent for war games, but the country we’ve been at war with for the past fifty years.”

The professor’s voice was sharp. Students sitting casually straightened their backs automatically.

“We can make mistakes with allies. Mistakes among allies can be corrected. But mistakes against enemies can only be paid for with your life. That’s why Parfanan is a country you must know better than any other.”

Without giving the students a chance to sigh, Professor Keron put up a large map on the board.

It was a map of the continent they all knew, but it felt unfamiliar.

Familiar countries like Cassidy-Manorca, Ortus, Haly, and Lingon were all at the bottom of the map, partly hidden behind the podium. Instead, the center was taken up by a massive land divided into four parts: Parfanan.

“Parfanan is divided into the capital, Bamlus, and four administrative regions. Each region is ruled by a governor sent by the emperor, called a ‘duke.’ They are not the hereditary dukes we know. They could be actual dukes, higher-ranking nobles, or even commoners.”

The four dukes were well-known. Cassidy-Manorca people were most familiar with the “Southern Duke,” who had died a few years ago.

“Each administrative region, or principality, is about the same size as all of Cassidy-Manorca, and the economy is similar. Some areas were conquered early in Hezra’s reign, but even without them, Parfanan is overwhelmingly large.”

Even listing just the facts made it sound like praise. The power in the professor’s tone made it feel that way even more.

Tislin shifted slightly, glancing back at Arkin Rudera sitting alone in the last row. He didn’t even have a book on his desk; it was obvious he was just sitting there. The seat next to him was empty.

‘Couldn’t come because of the Knight Order… doesn’t concern me.’

She forced her attention back to the professor.

Professor Keron was from Luxen and had taught Adeline before, so he knew Tislin, Damien, and Arkin Rudera. He shouldn’t notice Tislin sneaking glances at Arkin.

Luckily, he seemed focused on the lecture and didn’t notice.

‘Same as always,’ Tislin thought. Nothing had changed since he taught Adeline. His strictness, like giving recommendation letters only to the top five, remained. Adeline had cried about not wanting to attend class at least seven times. Probably one week after another.

“Before Tyrant Hezra went mad, Parfanan ruled half the continent and was undeniably the center of the world. Now, it’s our greatest enemy. I can’t emphasize that enough. But I know some of you will only half-listen, so…”

Uh-oh, this doesn’t sound good.

“I’ll give you a group project. This will replace your midterm exam.”

After just one month of class? Tislin groaned softly. Sierra, sitting next to her, tapped her hand lightly.

‘Together?’

‘Of course.’

They exchanged a glance and refocused on the professor.

Professor Keron tapped the map with his fist.

“Parfanan has no contact with us. The goal of this project is to understand what kind of country it is.”

“I have a question.”

“Yes?”

A student from Administration raised his hand.

“What exactly should we discuss? Politics, culture, military… what should we focus on?”

“Anything. Research everything and write it all.”

The Administration students panicked. The Knight students, who knew almost nothing, blinked, thinking, ‘Then can we just write anything?’

“Of course, everyone has different areas of knowledge and interests. To learn more from this project…”

Wait a second…

“It’s best to work with a student from the other department. Two per group. I’ll assign the groups randomly, and you should share knowledge to complete the project together.”

Sighs echoed across the classroom.

“The Knight students are often busy with the order. Does that mean we have to do all the writing?”

Knight students probably had similar complaints. They knew some history and culture of Parfanan, while Administration students knew nothing about the military, so the most important parts were up to the Knights.

Despite the complaints, Professor Keron seemed excited.

“Here are the groups…”

He had a large sheet posted next to the board. Administration students’ names were in front, Knight students’ names in back.

Tislin found her name: Tislin Ermez — Damien Ksanov.

He even drew a line between the names to avoid confusion. Tislin felt dizzy.

“Tis, what are you going to do?”

Sierra’s voice barely reached her. Tislin squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Really? Now?’

Not just now, but right after the engagement and breakup talks?

She worried if Professor Keron already knew about the engagement. If the news had spread among Luxen nobles, being an ex-fiancée wouldn’t go away even after breaking the engagement.

‘No. He’s probably just trying to make it easier for Damien.’

The professor could have avoided giving the project, but he seemed to favor Damien, so he paired him with someone he knew.

‘Pairing?!’

Anyway, it was understandable that he tried to make it more comfortable for Damien, a busy and famous war hero.

Students were busy finding partners. It was actually a relief that Damien wasn’t there. Tislin sighed.

Then someone tapped her shoulder lightly.

Surprised, she turned to see Arkin Rudera gesturing subtly. Tislin, with messy hair like last time, silently asked with her lips:

“And your partner?”

“I’ve mostly finished talking. No need to do the project right now.”

Tislin let out a long sigh. Arkin ran his hands through his messy hair.

“Damien couldn’t come today because of work. Not on purpose.”

“I didn’t think that far.”

“Oh, okay.”

Arkin awkwardly looked around and added:

“I’ll be back tonight. I’ll explain the project to him. You should set the schedule to meet him once, right?”

Since they needed to finalize the breakup quickly, meeting once more was necessary. Tislin nodded.

“I’ll do it.”

Why do professors assume students only take their classes?

After Professor Keron, the other professors piled on assignments too. Tislin spent the whole weekend on projects. As she checked off each task, thoughts of the breakup faded a little.

“Hey, what about the International Relations project? I saw Irina and Kisha at the library, and they were really worried.”

“No need to worry… I’ve mostly prepared.”

In reality, she had only organized the general direction.

‘Good thing I learned Parfanan language.’

Not for the project, but still helpful.

Almost no students knew Parfanan. Who would learn a language from a country with only war, espionage, smuggling, and kidnapping? Just being able to read Parfanan books gave Tislin a clear advantage.

She had planned to visit Damien yesterday, but even thinking about going to the Knight building made her heart race, so she stayed and worked alone. It was the same path she took to see Arkin Rudera.

Sierra had done the project in the morning, but in the afternoon she had a date with a magic student she had met earlier. It went long, so she couldn’t attend. She postponed the date to the next day, so apparently she hadn’t sparked romance with the Knight student she worked with.

“How was the date? Did he complain about postponing?”

“Mm, it was okay.”

Sierra twirled her hair as she answered. Tislin narrowed her eyes.

“Not great?”

“He was fine. Not bad, but not someone I’d want to meet again.”

“That’s not great.”

“He wasn’t charming. He wasn’t bad as a person. But Tislin Ermez, isn’t this the wrong time to worry about dating?”

Hit in the truth, Tislin turned her head to the project. After writing intensely, she finally put down her pen.

“Done?”

“Yes, this one.”

No time to waste. She stacked the books she borrowed and stood up.

“Want me to come with you to return them?”

“No, it’s just a few.”

Tislin carried the tall stack of books to the library.

The library, at the center of the school, was crowded with students working on assignments.

Most were Administration students in similar situations.

There were also Magic students, some lazy, some obsessive researchers who lived in the library or labs.

Sierra had somehow managed to get dates with those types.

‘Maybe I should have gone on dates before the engagement.’

Five years of unrequited love for Damien Ksanov had kept Tislin’s eyes always on him. She had rejected Sierra’s offers to introduce others.

Even if she had dated, it wouldn’t have mattered. Only after the engagement and the chaos that followed did she get serious.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Dates… ah.”

The heavy books on her arms felt light as a hand took them all. Tislin looked up, staring at the familiar low voice.

“Dates?”