Am I The Villain?

25.

I followed the boy along to the academy. Along the way, I kept pestering him with questions after questions.

"How do I get in? Is it free? How's the entrance exam? Is this nationwide? Is it a restricted school? At what age are the students? How long is this school? Who made it? When?"

Surprisingly, the boy answered each of my questions a best as he could patiently.

To keep it short : there is no actual education system in the empire, only in the capital. There's no tuition fee but the entrance exam is brutal and competition is fierce. It was made just 30 years ago as part of the "Future Foundation Project" by the Empress herself. The academy accept any capable students aged bellow 20 and they graduate after 6 years. The classes are divided by age group, so there are no bizarre case of a 25 years old studying in the same class as an 8 years old. There are some exceptions where bright youngsters can be put in the same class as the older students.

"Wow.. that was interesting, thank you." I genuinely gave my gratitude while smiling.

The boy blushed and scratched his nose, "Ehehe, it's not much."

We're now walking on a noticeably wider road now. Ahead of us in the distance is a large building with an exquisite architectural design. It's "mathematic" to say the least. Each shape of its structure is calculated and sharp. Oddly futuristic and quite out of place when compared to the medieval era buildings surrounding it.

Around us, students wearing uniforms are also walking toward the building. The crowd of students quickly amassed and filled the wide road. There are also fancy carriages riding up the road.

Th̕è͝y̸͘͘ ͞͏lơ͢҉o̡k͏ ͠͠d̸e̷͢͜l̴̶i̵̵̡c̀io͠ừ̕s̕͢͏ . S̛͜o҉̧ ̨f́͜r̵̛eşh͏̡ a̶n̸͝d̀ ̢͝y̕͝o̸̢͝u͟n̵҉̧g̵͜..̶

No, no, no. Calm down. Deep breath. You can do it.

Phew! It's been a while since she reared her ugly head. Go back to your corner, monster! We're normal human!

"Those are the nobles," the boy said while pointing at the carriages, "they make up most of the student body here. Us commoner are the minority."

"Nobles from only the capital?"

He shook his head, "From all over the empire. This academy is built and maintained by the Empress herself. Notable graduates can secure a job inside the Royal Court, which is why every nobles sent their kids to study here. They're also here to look for marriage candidates considering this academy is where talented nobles congregate."

That make sense. Having an educated spouse would be great, and getting hired by the Empress is probably a huge honor here.

As we are closing in on the large gates leading inside, a sole horseman suddenly cut in front of us and stepped down from his horse. He entered the guard outpost at the gate while shouting in panic.

"Emergency order from the Empress herself! Look out for a white haired girl wearing a blindfold!" He loudly declared to the guards inside the outpost.

Ah... That's right...

The monster who held the moon in place is taking a stroll around the Capital where thousands of souls live. Of course they would panic. Hahaha.

I turned my head toward the boy only to meet his stern gaze, "Well, it's nice meeting you... um.."

"Milo. I take it they're looking for you?"

"Aaahahaha.... that's right. I'll see you later, Milo!" I waved him goodbye and walked inside the outpost.