# 74 - 74
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Dawn.
Crown Prince Ferdinand plunged his sword into the ground and took several deep breaths.
Logically speaking, it shouldn't be possible to plant a sword in a stone training ground, but this was a place where the impossible had become commonplace.
This was a special training ground gifted by the Magic Tower right after the late Empress Olivia gave birth to Ferdinand.
No matter how much damage the place had, if there was immense divine power nearby, the training ground would be restored within a day.
The temple praised the Magic Tower for coming up with such a wonderful invention and personally blessed it, but in truth, the current Emperor Alessandro greatly disliked this training place.
The training field itself was evidence of the immense, irrational divine power flowing through Ferdinand's body.
It was impossible to properly maintain a training field that the Emperor despised.
Even if the Crown Prince came here every day, drenched in sweat from training.
“His Highness the Crown Prince.”
In the gloomy training ground covered in shadows and weeds, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.
Ferdinand took a deep breath and turned around.
“Mastered.”
Schultz Schmidt, the crown prince's spirit, was walking towards him.
Cold eyes.
Elegant appearance.
It was said that Schulz-Schmidt, the soul of the Crown Prince, was a unique genius in all existing fields of study.
But his gaze was naturally dry.
As if he was made of sand made of ground gold, he showed no interest in anything other than academic study – he is truly the epitome of a scholar.
But thanks to his handsome appearance, many young noblewomen, noble ladies, and even bridesmaids could not turn a blind eye to this genius, Pnuma.
Schultz-Schmidt was holding a stack of thick books in his arms.
No, let me correct that.
It was a pile of thick exam papers.
“Yesterday’s exam results were almost perfect in all subjects, except for the ancient language.”
“Mastered.”
“So today I thought about increasing the ancient language class by about 20 percent. Does your schedule allow for that?”
“Mastered.”
"Well, they say you can sleep when you're dead. It's okay. You seem competent. You won't fail, right?"
“…I guess I should.”
If I don't want to be compared to that damned “first disciple.”
Shortly after his arrival at the Imperial Palace, Schulz-Schmidt told Ferdinand the following:
“His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Blue eyes sparkling seriously behind his monocle.
“Your Highness will become my second and last student, Schultz Schmidt.”
“Who was first?”
I'll tell you about that later. This person prefers quiet things, in contrast to his outward appearance.
“Contrary to their outward appearance?”
"Yes."
So he must be noble.
Rather, he was a local nobleman.
He didn't ask anything else.
In fact, he wasn't curious.
Ferdinand lived a life in which he was not particularly curious about anything.
“Your mother died because of you. Remember that until the day you die, Crown Prince.”
Because he lived a life in which there was no room for curiosity.
But after Ferdinand became a student of Schulz-Schmidt, he couldn't help but wonder who that dreaded "first student" was.
What kind of monster could it be?
Someone who could solve all the very difficult ancient language problems and academic problems posed by Schulz-Schmidt without uttering a single complaint.
Perhaps he had already taken a monster as his apprentice.
The extent of the study that Schulz-Schmidt requested from the Crown Prince was so unimaginable that it naturally attracted looks of ridicule.
If Ferdinand had not been aware of Schulz-Schmidt's temperament, he would have suspected that Empress Karme had sent him as a hired assassin to kill him through the study.
“You will leave the Imperial Palace within the next six months.”
“…”
“I won’t be able to help you then, and after you return, you will have reached the legal age, so you should finish everything related to studying now.”
That wasn't a mistake.
“It may be a little difficult, but if you are my student, it is possible.”
“Because your first student passed it?”
“Yes. Your Highness, who will be my second and last disciple, will definitely accomplish this as well.”
"…Yes."
That damned first student.
Ferdinand became really curious about Schulz-Schmidt's first student.
What kind of monster could this mysterious person be, the only one among countless students who was recognized as a “disciple”?
But the resentment and curiosity that flared up were only momentary.
“Spring is coming soon.”
Winter is over now.
Ferdinand would come here 365 days a year to strike with his sword, even when he was writhing in pain from the divine power and poison.
So he had a rough idea of when the pink flowers would bloom on the weed-covered training ground.
The reason why pink flowers bloomed here was simple.
His late mother, the former Empress Olivia, loved pink flowers.
Since the Magic Tower had dedicated this gift to Empress Olivia's son, they planted pink flowers as well.
Empress Olivia passed away from this world during her favorite season.
This is why Emperor Alessandro hated spring more than anything else.
Spring was also the season in which Ferdinand was spanked more than ever for no reason.
Although the frequency has decreased significantly since Schultz-Schmidt became his soulmate.
Perhaps it was also because Schultz-Schmidt was so harsh in making him study all day.
The abuse took time, but Schulz-Schmidt had to catch Ferdinand all day studying the ancient language, reading academic journals, and researching a treatise on governance.
Even though he slept at dawn and woke up at dawn every day, it was a thousand times better than being subjected to senseless abuse.
jingle.
Looking at the exam papers he received, it looked like he would have to study until dawn again today to barely finish.
“You always study without much complaining.”
“If I complain, can you lower it a little?”
“Of course not. My first student has always adhered to this teacher’s academic workload without complaint.”
Rather, a slight smile appeared on his face as he said this.
That cold guy.
At the time he was feeling frustrated in various ways because of that damned first disciple who didn't know his face, name, or identity.
Footsteps could be heard.
“His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Ferdinand's red eyes turned back.
“His Majesty the Emperor calls for you. Please go.”
Although they said it was the Emperor who called, it was the Empress's employees who showed up.
They treated the Crown Prince with more kindness when Schulz-Schmidt was present.
Originally, they couldn't show disrespect to Ferdinand openly, but they became somewhat more polite, one might say.
So, normally, even if the Crown Prince's arms were full of something, they would have pretended not to see and just bowed their heads politely, but now they extended both hands respectfully as they did to other members of the royal family.
But Ferdinand did not take a single glance at their hands and started walking.
Schulz-Schmidt also started walking, following the servants who were confused and hurried to catch up with him a little late.
Thanks to his genius image, he enjoyed a high status even among the nobles who visited the Imperial Palace, so the servants could not effectively restrain Schulz-Schmidt.
First, the Emperor who summoned Ferdinand did not specifically order them to bring him alone.
“I have come, Crown Prince.”
Emperor Alessandro, who had barely responded to Ferdinand's greeting, saw Schulz-Schmidt following him and smiled warmly instead.
“Schulz-Schmidt brought Noma too.”
Although it seemed as if the father and son had been replaced by a stranger, which made him want to smile bitterly, Schultz-Schmidt maintained his usual expressionless demeanor.
He gave the appropriate salute and straightened his back.
“Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Before, you wanted to own a mountain in the Le Romans region.”
"This is correct."
This was something he requested several years ago.
The emperor should, of course, give gifts to princes on their birthdays.
But Emperor Alessandro never prepared gifts for Ferdinand.
That was true.
The Emperor has never celebrated the Crown Prince's birthday even once.
It was known to everyone that Crown Prince Ferdinand was being treated badly.
Therefore, Ferdinand's birthday celebrations were hardly enough for appearances. Also, the gifts he received from visiting nobles were not of high quality.
It's always been this way.
But three years ago, the Emperor, who was in a particularly good mood for some reason, asked Ferdinand on his birthday if there was “anything he wanted.”
Instead of asking to celebrate his son's birthday, this was exactly the kind of feeling one might get when throwing a bone to a dog on a leash.
But Ferdinand had already experienced too much coldness to be affected by such things.
So he calmly asked for the “Loromance Mountain” which he had been busy planning to obtain until then.
“Why this particular mountain? It has no mines, and it is just a small, insignificant mountain in a remote corner.”
“Don’t all members of the royal family receive a mountain as a gift when they are born, as a blessing from the land? That’s why.”
"To pick something so shabby. Damn. Fine."
Even after saying that, the Emperor did not give him the mountain.
As if it was just a passing whim caused by the drink.
But Ferdinand wasn't expecting that either, so he continued to work steadily towards obtaining that mountain in the Le Romance Region.
“That land is a worthless little mountain, but it is within the Fraser range.”
Emperor Alessandro clicked his tongue as he unexpectedly brought up the subject of that mountain again, even though he seemed to have forgotten about it.
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