Chapter 24: Teaching Subjects in Another World
After introducing Leaf, I headed to the dining hall for breakfast. I was hoping to run into Jun, Neese, or Sanner, whom I met yesterday, but unfortunately, I didn’t see them. I thought about how nice it would be to have dinner together later as I made my way to the academy.
Today’s lessons included political science and economics in the morning, followed by rhetoric in the afternoon. It seems these subjects are essential for the eldest children of noble families. It’s yet another reminder of how unique this world is.
I hoped to attend some classes with Jun and the others, but I still knew little about their backgrounds or what they were studying. I planned to ask them more if we could share dinner tonight. Leaf would likely enjoy spending time with them too. Perhaps I could invite them to my room for a tea party—something Leaf would be thrilled about. I decided to consult Emma about organizing it.
Thinking about the tea party, I realized I would need to prepare tea leaves, snacks, select the right utensils, and plan how to extend the invitation. While my tutor, Secreta-san, had drilled proper etiquette into me, I’d spent so much time cooped up at home that I’d never had the experience of hosting or welcoming guests. I felt a bit guilty, but I considered using this tea party as practice.
Lost in thought, I arrived at the classroom and began preparing for the lesson. Soon, a rather intense-looking teacher entered, and the class began.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
“Huu…”
After the second class of the morning ended and the teacher left the room, I let out a sigh, feeling drained. Even though I had learned that this world was different from my previous one through lessons with my tutor, Secreta-san, attending classes with other students at the academy was still a culture shock.
Though I had studied under Secreta-san for about a year, most of my memories—sixteen years—came from my previous life as Reiko. As a result, I often found myself thinking in terms of that life’s norms.
Take the first class on political science, for example. In Reiko’s world, politics was often associated with being “dirty, corrupt, and ugly,” largely thanks to television and newspaper reports. But here, the first thing the teacher said was that without political science, “purity, righteousness, and beauty” couldn’t be realized.
Additionally, while I had learned about the separation of powers—judiciary, executive, and legislative branches—in my previous life, in this world, the foundation of politics was said to rest on force, wealth, and information. Initially, I thought this was an overly simple or even brutish approach, but after hearing the reasoning, I found myself begrudgingly accepting it.
Without force, you can’t enforce justice. Without wealth, even lofty ideals won’t feed anyone. And without accurate information, correct decisions cannot be made. These three pillars were deemed essential before the separation of powers even came into play.
As for economics, it was the first time I had studied the subject. Once again, I was hit with a small wave of culture shock. I had learned about the gold standard in Reiko’s time, but in this world, the main system was something called the “grain standard.”
Grain standard? I couldn’t help but think, What is that? But the teacher explained it by contrasting it with the gold standard. While gold doesn’t spoil and can be hoarded indefinitely, thereby stagnating economic flow, grain, on the other hand, spoils. Therefore, people are forced to invest or spend it before it goes bad, maintaining the fluidity of the economy.
It was a somewhat convincing argument, though it felt like attending a questionable company seminar.
Learning new things was enjoyable, but since I kept comparing them to the common sense of Reiko’s world, my brain struggled to keep up. It left me mentally fatigued.
As I stood up, thinking it was time for lunch, I was startled by the sudden presence of Diva-sensei looming over me.
“Is there something you need, Diva-sensei?”
I asked, keeping a poker face despite my heart skipping a beat at the unexpected encounter.
“I heard from other students that you’ve been using a spirit.”
Diva-sensei furrowed his brows as he questioned me.
‘The rumors have already spread from just yesterday… or rather, that’s fine, but why is Diva-sensei here…’
“Yes, I am indeed with a spirit, but I am not using it; we are friends.”
“I see. In any case, while I do not know what kind of spirit it is, the academy needs to ascertain the details of this spirit before deciding whether to permit its presence. Therefore, after today’s classes, you are to report to my office again.”
With the second day in a row of being summoned to Diva-sensei’s office, all eyes were on me, and I could hear whispers about me.
“Understood. I have classes until the first period of the afternoon, so I will report to your office afterward.”
“Make sure to report.”
Once again, I was given a stern reminder. Am I really seen as someone who would try to escape…? Well, if I could, I would want to…
Diva-sensei said this and then left. I watched his back for a moment, but since attention was on me, I quickly left the classroom.
What should I do… If I try to have lunch in the academy’s cafeteria, it will only attract more attention due to the earlier incident. So, I decided to return to the dormitory and have my meal there. Since few people would return to the dormitory for lunch, I would be able to eat in peace.
Thus, I had lunch in the dormitory cafeteria and prepared for the afternoon classes.
The afternoon class was Rhetoric. It was a subject I had never heard of during Reiko’s time. From what I had heard, it involved debate, presentation, and improving communication skills to guide the audience’s emotions. It sounded like the kind of dubious seminar you might find at a shady company, and it seemed like something that could be dangerously misused. However, it turned out that it was taught precisely to prepare students to deal with misuse by foreign agents and other threats.
Hearing this made me realize how peaceful the world of Reiko was compared to the seemingly peaceful yet precarious situation of this world.
Without studying subjects like political science and rhetoric, one cannot survive as a noble in this world. I had imagined nobles from Reiko’s time through novels and comics as merely arrogant and selfish. However, in this world, nobles must study a great deal and put in significant effort to maintain their status and position. Neglecting this would quickly lead to the collapse of their status and the loss of their noble position.
As I contemplated this, the bell announcing the end of the class rang out.
‘Well, the afternoon classes are over. I need to head to Diva-sensei’s office now…’
I gathered my belongings and stood up, heading towards the chapel where Diva-sensei’s office was located.
