The teacher for Berlene 3 was Volter, a former diplomat, whose main subject at the Academy was originally international politics.
He raised an eyebrow at the two new students in his class but didn't show any particular interest.
Nellis didn't care about Volter's attitude, but Megara tried to catch his attention with a few fantastic smiles, only to become shocked and disinterested when he didn't respond.
When Volter handed out a long Berlene text to the students, Megara started talking to Mahradi Onim with a cold expression.
"Escel ma tendros suain?" (Does he dislike you?)
Ren looked at the text for a moment, then asked Nellis, resting his chin on his desk, in the sacred language used by priests.
"This person?"
Nellis replied in the same language.
"Yo nasabe parent." (I don't know.)
Ren's eyes narrowed into a crescent shape. He found it amusing that the child could respond in the sacred language.
He had learned the sacred language from a young age due to his family environment, but for ordinary nobles, knowing a few phrases in the sacred language was considered cultured.
Nellis's response was unexpected, and Ren's eyes sparkled with interest.
From the moment he saw her, Nellis was different from the other new students.
She knew things that even upperclassmen didn't know, and she knew things that even they didn't know. But despite being so smart at such a young age, she didn't show off. It was as if she was truly exceptional, not just pretending to be.
"Why does he dislike you?" Ren asked in the sacred language.
Nellis was annoyed.
"I already said I don't know," she replied in the same language.
Ren hummed and continued to stare at her, but Nellis ignored him and read the text.
A short while later, Volter gave instructions to the students in Berlene. Then, after observing them for a bit, he suddenly asked in Imperial language.
"Is there anyone who can tell me what the first instruction I gave meant?"
A few upperclassmen raised their hands. Volter pointed to one of them.
"Arthur Pendleton."
Nellis knew Arthur well. His father was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and his mother was a noble from Berlene, so he would likely excel in diplomatic work with Berlene after graduation.
Arthur replied in a clever tone.
"You instructed us to summarize the text."
Volter didn't indicate whether Arthur's answer was correct or not and turned to the students with a strict expression.
"Then, let's hear your answers. Who will go first?"
Again, several upperclassmen raised their hands. Volter chose the one in the lowest position.
"Megara Rikeandros."
Megara seemed to regain some confidence when Volter called her name. She spoke in a humble tone.
"Livingston Kinsey tried to improve the windmills in Galia but failed due to lack of budget and was killed by the local residents."
Volter's expression didn't change. He looked away from Megara and asked Nellis in Berlene.
"Et ton, du ahisare pensla?" (Do you think so too?)
Most of the students thought Megara had answered perfectly and were admiring her, so they didn't pay attention to Nellis's response.
However, Ren's eyes narrowed, and Nellis replied briefly in Berlene.
"Ka d'vandra." (Maybe so.)
It wasn't a good answer.
If she agreed, she should have done so clearly, and if she disagreed, she should have given a different answer. The majority of the students in the classroom were old enough not to show their discomfort openly, but they clearly thought Nellis was strange.
The idea that Nellis was arrogant and jealous spread to more than half of the students, and they thought that her answer was proof of that.
"Doken?" (So, what's your answer?)
Volter pressed on, still expressionless. Nellis met his gaze and replied calmly.
"Livingston, the ambassador to Galia, tried to improve relations with the local residents through popular policies, but there were limits to the support from his home country, and when the allocated budget ran out, he was killed."
"That's wrong!" Mahradi Onim exclaimed, but some students in the classroom nodded in agreement. Megara's eyes narrowed.
Volter slightly raised his chin.
"Nellis Truede, what was the first instruction I gave?"
"You instructed us to explain the story in the text."
"Is your answer different from Arthur Pendleton's?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you're a diplomat, sir."
In Imperial language, the phrase "summarize the text" meant to only discuss the content within the text. However, the phrase "explain the story in the text" meant that logically inferred information could also be included. In Berlene, there was no distinction between these two expressions.
Both answers would have had the same meaning in a normal situation, but Nellis focused on the vocabulary used by Volter.
The vocabulary used by Volter belonged to a category of words that were particularly important to distinguish in diplomatic situations, so there must have been a deliberate meaning behind it.
As a diplomat, one wouldn't just analyze the information presented by the other party; they would need to provide their own inferences and interpretations, which was what "explain" meant.
When a student from a humble background pointed out the nuance that the diplomat's son had missed, Volter smiled for the first time since entering the classroom. It was a very brief moment, but it was clearly a smile of satisfaction.
"Why do you learn foreign languages?"
The students realized that Volter wouldn't just correct wrong answers on the spot but would publicly compare them to others. The class fell silent, and Arthur Pendleton hesitantly replied.
"Is it not to communicate with people from other countries?"
"Basically, that's correct, Arthur Pendleton. But you're nobles. If you want to communicate with people from other countries, you can hire an interpreter or use the common Rundian language, which would allow you to communicate with nobles from any country on the continent. So, why do you need to learn another country's language?"
In the frozen silence of the classroom, Nellis replied smoothly.
"It's to gain an advantage in diplomacy."
"That's correct."
Volter looked at Nellis with a glint in his eye. The students could see that he was pleased with her.
As a renowned figure in the diplomatic world even in his retirement, if Nellis wanted to enter that field in the future, she would likely have an easier start than others.
"You learn foreign languages to gain an advantage in diplomacy. Don't just gloss over words. Analyze the meaning behind the information, not just the information itself. If you just 'sort of' understand, diplomacy will fail. Nellis Truede knows this, which is why she can take the same class as you."
His last words brought a significant change to the classroom atmosphere.
The phrase "she's smart" had a different connotation when used to describe Megara, implying that Nellis was showing off in front of the other students.
However, Volter's comment meant that Nellis would be helpful to her classmates.
He knew that if he appeared to favor one student, the others would resent him, so he stopped just short of that.
Nellis smiled inwardly.
As the crown princess, her main job had been diplomacy. She had even had a brief, personal encounter with Volter himself due to a diplomatic dispute with Berlene.
That's why she had applied for his class this time. She hadn't expected Megara to follow her, though.
"But, teacher..."
Megara raised her hand, her face calm once again. She asked in a sweet, sugary voice.
"Isn't Nellis's interpretation itself incorrect?"
"That's right."
Mahradi Onim quickly agreed and began to scold Nellis.
"She's a new student and from a rural village, so it's understandable that she has some shortcomings. But shouldn't she be taking classes that suit her level? Is it right for her to take up the time of upperclassmen when she can't even interpret simple words correctly?"
"What?"
Ren sat up straight for the first time since entering the classroom. His sharp gaze made Mahradi flinch, but he soon regained his courage and glared back.
"What? It's true, isn't it?"
"Who was it that didn't know the Berlene diplomatic term just now?"
"I don't believe it. How could she possibly know that? Arthur didn't even know, so you must have taught her, Ren Payel."
"Why would I teach her that?"
"I don't know. Maybe you're just trying to suck up to her because no one wants to get close to you?"
Ren's eyes gleamed coldly. A charming, yet menacing smile flashed across his youthful face, a sign that he was angry.
"That's something I'd say."
"What?"
Mahradi was no match for Ren. His face turned red as he burst into anger, making others feel uncomfortable.
Nellis looked at Megara with an unreadable expression, while Volter watched her with sharp eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Can't you understand what people are saying? If you don't understand, then just say so."
"Hey, Ren Payel..."
"Tous, arete." (Both of you, stop.)
Ren shrugged nonchalantly, and just as Mahradi was about to explode, Volter intervened to calm the situation. Then, he asked Nellis.
"Kernha du pensla a discu prrebiene?" (What do you think about the conversation just now?)
"Ka n'me derange pas, sieur." (It's none of my business, sir.)
Nellis's calm response made Mahradi look frustrated, but Ren seemed completely unbothered.
Ren thought that this was an issue between himself and Mahradi. Mahradi had been targeting him from the start, it seemed.
"Mahradi Onim, Ren Payel. Both of you have forgotten that this is class time. Come see me during lunch as punishment. And Nellis Truede, explain why you interpreted it that way."
"Yes."
The students' gazes focused on Nellis as she walked to the front of the classroom.
She was used to this kind of attention, so she didn't show any signs of nervousness that a typical new student would. In fact, she seemed to be receiving the praise she deserved.
The large blackboard on the wall was magically controlled, so even a short person could write on it easily using the teacher's wand. Nellis received the wand from Volter and wrote several Berlene words on the board, along with their Imperial translations.
"Your handwriting is nice."
Arthur Pendleton expressed his admiration in a louder voice than he intended. When he received Mahradi's resentful gaze, he shrugged. What?
He had just said what he thought. To write with such skill and elegance, one would have to practice writing for years. He himself was known for his beautiful handwriting, but it wasn't as good as Nellis's. Moreover, writing on a magical blackboard was not an easy task for a beginner.
Megara bit her lip when she saw one of the words Nellis had written.
'Kanje: Ambassador.'
The word that Megara had mispronounced as "Kinsey" was actually pronounced "Kanje" in Berlene, and it meant "ambassador" in diplomatic terms. The Imperial name "Kinsey" itself was derived from that word.
And the word that Megara had translated as "windmill" actually meant "a continuous flow within a certain range," which was a completely incorrect translation in this context.