Kingdom of Lies

by Yuri Kitayama

  At Celia’s signal, Rio glanced over all the questions. From Amakawa Haruto’s perspective, the sheet was full of questions that were far too easy for him.

  “I’m done.”

  Rio solved all the questions in less than half a minute. His concentration on the paper had distracted him from noticing Celia’s look of astonishment.

  “They’re all correct...” She’d probably been checking his work as he went, as she was able to give him her assessment immediately.

  “Then that means I won’t have any problems with arithmetic. I need to learn the letters next, but there are more of those than numbers, right?”

  “Eh? Ah, yes. Right...”

  “Is something the matter?” Rio asked, puzzled at Celia’s short answer.

  “Nothing’s the matter... You’re just really fast at mental calculations.”

  “Is that... so? Isn’t everyone else in the class at this level?”

  “No. Only Her Highness, Princess Christina, is at this level. Roanna’s also rather fast, but not as fast as you,” Celia said with a stiff smile.

  That was when Rio realized the mistake he had made.

  He had assumed that the most prestigious academy in the kingdom would have students of fairly advanced academic abilities. After all, the students themselves had bragged about their prowess and how they had already learned the basic operations for the entry examination. That was why Rio had mistakenly thought that this much was easy for their level.

  “Well, I used to do calculations in my head often. My mother said it would come in handy someday.” Rio faltered for a second before making up an excuse on the spot.

  “Is that... so...” Celia looked at Rio doubtfully, but Rio ignored her stare.

  “Do you know if there are any books for children learning to read, Professor?” he asked instead.

  Celia pondered for a moment before answering. “...There are. I’ll give you a list; you can borrow them at the library on your way back,” she answered with a small sigh.

  “Thank you very much.”

  “It’s fine, this is part of my duty as your instructor. So... how was your first day at the academy? Let me know if there’s anything you’re unhappy with,” Celia asked with a teacherly look of concern. The events that happened during today’s break flashed in Rio’s mind, but he didn’t feel the need to report it to Celia. It was only his first day here, and the others involved were only children, in the end.

  “No, it was fine.”

  “Really?”

  Rio nodded his head plainly, which seemed to surprise Celia. She looked as though she had more that she wanted to ask, stumbling over her next words.

  “Umm. I was just, you know, wondering if you made any friends...” she eventually asked, hesitantly.

  “Friends? No, I didn’t want to overstep myself by acting overly familiar with the nobles,” Rio stated calmly. Celia seemed a little upset at that.

  “Well, yes, I suppose... you’re right. That would make things difficult,” she sighed. Rio tilted his head in confusion.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing, I just wished I could do more to help you make friends. You know how relationships between nobility can get complicated... There are some children who fuss over their superiority, so I have to watch what I say or they’ll be unhappy,” Celia grumbled.

  “Aren’t you a noble too, Professor?”

  “Well, I suppose that’s true,” Celia sighed with a bitter smile.

  “I don’t really have a problem with it. I want to focus on my studies more anyway.”

  “Ahaha...” Celia laughed awkwardly at Rio’s blunt reply. “That’s what makes you so mature — or boring, I should say.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Yes. Noble children may seem precocious, but they’re all just attention-craving children at heart. But you... you’re different. You seem to make your every move based on whether you deem it necessary or not.”

  “...That makes sense.”

  “Well, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. It’s just that you’re more independent than I was expecting, so I’m at a loss for what to do. ...Sorry for saying something so weird.”

  “No, thank you for thinking about me.” Rio bowed his head deeply. The other instructors were unlikely to have treated him as kindly as this.

  “Like I said, it’s my duty as your teacher. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to come see me. I don’t know if I’ll be any help, but I can at least hear you out.”

  “Okay.”

  Rio returned Celia’s warm smile with a soft one of his own.

  ◇◇◇

  After borrowing the books from the library, Rio returned to the dormitory tower on the academy grounds. His room assignment was on the top floor; it had a great view, but the climb up the stairs made it an unpopular leftover selection. And it was in this room that Rio would spend at least the next six years.

  While many of the high-ranked royalty and nobility commuted from their own residences in the capital, the dormitory tower was still a facility that accommodated nobles. The rooms were spacious — easily over 350 square feet — and all essential furniture was provided. A personal maid could either be brought from home, or one could be hired from the academy for a determined price. It truly left nothing to be desired.

  Rio moved a chair next to the window and gazed at the outside scenery; it was still evening, and the sky was tinted a rosy red. The dormitory tower of the academy sat on elevated land that overlooked the capital of Beltrant, allowing him a view of the city and surrounding farms. That being said, most of the scenery in his field of view was wilderness and nature. A dense, overgrown forest spread widely before huge towering mountains, leaving the area of human civilization very small.

  It would be impossible to see this kind of scenery in Japan.

  The events in the days that followed the return of his memories had been so bewildering, he hadn’t had the time to consider what had happened to him properly. Now that he finally had time to himself, he became strangely emotional as all sorts of feelings surged within him.

  “This really is another world...” Rio murmured with a sigh.

  He had never heard of the kingdom of Beltrum before. The stage of civilization was far too different from Earth, and — most importantly — magic existed as though it was completely normal. It was like the world of some fantasy-themed game.

  He wanted to believe it was a dream, but it wasn’t. This was neither Japan nor Earth.

  “I died. That’s right... I died. I’m dead... Ha... haha...” A dry laugh burst forth from Rio.

  The melding of Haruto and Rio’s minds had allowed his stream of consciousness to stay constant, making it harder to feel the reality of Amakawa Haruto’s death. But saying the truth out loud had made an indescribable feeling rise within him. Right now, he was not Haruto, but another person named Rio — the only one in this world who knew who Amakawa Haruto was. That thought alone made him want to return Earth very much.

  He missed his family... And he wanted to see Miharu once more. He dreamed of the day he could see her and tell her his feelings. Was this emotion what they called being “homesick”?

  But there didn’t appear to be a way back to Earth. He didn’t even know why he was reincarnated — and there was no way for the dead to come back to life, anyway. The only thing left for Rio in this world were his precious memories of his mother and the rage he held for the man that stomped on them. The only thing left was reality.

  Wasn’t that so ruthlessly unjust?

  Rio grinded his teeth together as he narrowed his eyes at the scenery outside his window. The evening sun was setting far on the horizon, painting the extraordinarily beautiful sky. Seeing that made Rio vow in his heart to keep living.

  There was no way he could stop now. Coming to a standstill meant that Rio’s life would lose meaning.

  He refused to die in a place like this, knowing nothing and accomplishing nothing... As if he’
d give up. He’d live on, strongly and stubbornly.

  That’s what he decided. It was a vow that Rio had made once before, but now he was making it once again with the memories and personality of Amakawa Haruto inside him. But it would be a long, tough road, and Rio didn’t understand just how harsh it could get.

  How fragile, fleeting, and empty the road in front of him was.

  ◇◇◇

  Hordes of small, uniform-clad children were gathered on the outdoor proving grounds of the Royal Academy of Beltrum. Rio was among them.

  “As nobles, you must have at least a minimum knowledge of martial arts,” said a brawny man that stood in front of the students.

  Rio was currently in his martial arts class.

  The male students all held a wooden sword and shield in their hands, while the female students had wooden staves.

  “Continuing on from our last lesson, today we will be learning about form. Repeat the form I taught you last time for ten reps in one set, for five sets. Do them slowly and check how you move. Once you’re done, form groups of two and check your partner’s movements for five sets.”

  At the instructor’s orders, the students began to move — the male students in particular swung their wooden swords enthusiastically.

  “Rio. I’ll teach you personally since you don’t know the forms yet. Follow me.”

  Rio obediently followed the instructor. They headed for an area away from the rest of the students and stood face-to-face a moderate distance apart from each other.

  “Have you ever held a sword before, Rio?”

  “Yes. Technically,” Rio admitted. Strictly speaking, the one that he held was a katana. The katana his grandfather owned in his previous life.

  “Hm. I see. Then, first, I’ll review how well you can use it. Try and land a blow on me with that sword. Come at me when you’re ready,” the instructor said, holding his sword up.

  What an action-oriented man. Rio’s mouth twitched in a wry smile at the simple progression of the conversation. This instructor believed in talking through the body rather than words, however his posture was very practical and refined, even from Rio’s perspective. His skill was authentic.

  But... what should I do? Rio pondered as he adjusted his grip on the sword. He didn’t understand the principles yet, but he could probably land a hit if he strengthened his physical abilities with magic essence. He had confidence in doing that, but the instructor would definitely notice that something strange was going on if a child with no magic training showed movements more advanced than an adult’s. And if that happened, he’d have to explain himself.

  It’s probably best to just do it with my natural strength. Let’s get this over with.

  Once Rio had decided, he held the sword ready. Though he had never held a shield at the same time as a sword before, he improvised.

  “Is that a stance of your own style?”

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “I see. You seem to have talent.” The instructor grinned. In the next instant, Rio took off running straight for him.

  Approach, then cut. That’s what swordcraft boiled down to. As though embodying that mantra, Rio approached the instructor and swung his sword with a test swing. The instructor easily received the sword.

  “Hmm,” he murmured as though he was impressed, staring at Rio’s grip and blade control on the sword. “Good grasp of the sword. Your wrist won’t hurt that way.”

  Rio concluded that this man had excellent observation skills, fitting for an instructor. It wasn’t easy to hide the basic techniques he had already learned. That being said, his posture was a bit unique due to his unfamiliarity with holding a shield.

  Rio swung the wooden sword again, and again, and again. But the instructor handled them all with an elegant deftness. Of course. There was no way a child could compare with an instructor in a duel — in both strength and speed. He’d have to rely on his technical ability if he were to have a chance at landing a blow, but using all the techniques he learned from his grandfather in his previous life would also be considered abnormal. Well, I doubt he actually expects me to land a blow. Rio assessed the situation calmly.

  “Good! Well done, Rio. Could do with a little more fire in you, but you’re suited for knighthood!” the instructor beamed. He was as hot-blooded as Rio predicted.

  To be honest, it was a bit stifling.

  “Unfortunately, I have no interest in becoming a knight.”

  “What?! Well, you’ll be at the academy for a long time. I’ll make sure to teach you all the swordcraft a knight needs, so don’t worry.”

  Was that meant to be reassuring? Their conversation wasn’t coalescing at all... Rio swung his sword with a bitter smile. Then—

  “!”

  Suddenly, the instructor launched a swift strike against Rio, who reflexively stepped back to evade it.

  “Oho! So you can react to that,” the instructor murmured in awe.

  “You’re not meant to be the one attacking, sir.”

  “There’s no rule against it! But now I know your strength. That’s enough.” The instructor lowered his sword. Rio followed suit.

  “As a child, you don’t have much speed or power. However, your movements were very refined. You have quite the talent when it comes to handling a sword, but it would’ve been better if you had incorporated your shield into your attacks.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Good. Now, we shall move on to learning forms.”

  “Please, give me your guidance.” Rio bowed his head.

  He spent some time learning Beltrum-style swordcraft from the instructor. As he was rather quick on the uptake, Rio was able to imitate the forms easily after seeing them a few times. The instructor found this amusing, and showed him one form after another, until they lost track of time doing so.

  “Ah, I’d better get back soon. The other students have started finishing up.”

  They walked back to where the other students were. Just then, Rio felt someone looking at him. He glanced over at the direction of the gaze: it was Christina and Roanna. The other students, who were separated from him, had shown no interest in Rio. The boys were trying to show off in front of the girls with their eager sword swings, while the girls noisily chatted away as they watched them.

  “Hmph!” Christina huffed in displeasure and immediately broke their eye contact.

  Next to her, Roanna — who had been Christina’s partner for the practice sets — was in a state of shock as she stared at Rio.

  Were they watching me? Rio questioned in his head.

  But he didn’t really care if they did — it wasn’t as if he was doing anything special.

  He lost his interest in the two girls and looked away from them.

  ◇◇◇

  Thus, half a year passed since Rio’s enrollment into the Royal Academy of Beltrum.

  While he had been a spectacle at first and was often picked on, the other students gradually lost their interest in him.

  They got bored.

  It would’ve been more interesting for them if their taunts had been met with fury and rebellion, but Rio never said anything in return. He always kept his head down, and only ever replied with polite remarks. There were still students who tried to provoke him anyway, but their insults were repetitive and had completely lost their effect.

  The students became indifferent to Rio’s existence, making his presence in the classroom near-invisible, while Rio himself had never wished to connect with the other students, either. Thanks to that, he’d spent his days focusing on his studies and training, He’d sit through his classes during the day, then head to the library after school to study. Once he returned to his dorm, he would swing his sword to keep his movements from dulling.

  Every day was a repeat of that schedule, with the unchanging days passing by. Thanks to that, Rio was able to gradually improve himself, and as a result, the day came for that improvement to manifest itself.

  The Royal Academy of Beltrum
used a two-semester system with an exam at the end of each season. The first day of the second semester was the day the results of the end-of-semester exams were announced. Grades were usually notified to the students individually, but the top ten students and their scores were posted on the bulletin board.

  A large crowd of students had gathered before the bulletin board of the first-year corridor, and they were all murmuring restlessly in obvious confusion and shock.

  “What a joke! That disgusting commoner topped our year?!” Alphonse Rodan — the second son of Marquess Rodan — trembled in fury as he yelled. He was looking at the bulletin board where the end-of-semester results were posted.

  There, Rio and Christina had tied for first place, Roanna was third place, while Alphonse’s name was in sixth place.

  In other words, every first year other than Christina had lost to Rio.

  A lowlife orphan with no family name. An inferior student that couldn’t even read half a year ago. The one everyone had looked down on as a joke. An insect no one had even considered.

  The humiliation was hard to bear, and it was enough reason to question the validity of the results.

  “This is some kind of mistake! He must have cheated!” Alphonse yelled loudly.

  “That’s right!” his friends around him cheered in agreement.

  Alphonse was one of the chosen ones — since infancy, he had been studying to pass the entrance examination into the Royal Academy of Beltrum. The thought of him losing to an inferior, lowlife orphan who couldn’t even read mere months ago was intolerable — and impossible. That was why Alphonse came to the conclusion that there had to be a mistake with the exam results — that Rio had to have cheated.

  Meanwhile, two small girls looked on as Alphonse and the others made a ruckus. It was Christina and Roanna, but their expressions were vastly different from the other students. Christina was glaring at the bulletin board with her usual sulky expression, while Roanna had fallen completely speechless in shock.

  I’m... third? I knew I was no match for Princess Christina, but to lose to a child that couldn’t even read?

  Roanna was certain she’d come second. She’d had absolute confidence in that, considering her own talents and how hard she had worked until now.