It had been a full month since I left the Pnosis Barony, and I finally set foot in the royal capital.
Seriously, though—why is the capital so far away?
Father had ordered me to travel to the royal capital on my birthday, exactly thirty days ago. The very next day, I began the journey, only to discover just how grueling it would be.
To start, I was traveling on foot. Unlike my previous life, where cars, trains, and planes made travel convenient, there were no such luxuries here. Not even proper roads. The lone path leading out of Pnosis was little more than an unpaved trail, and I lost it multiple times, mistaking it for animal tracks.
Father hadn't lent me a carriage for good reason. With the state of the roads, the wheels would have broken within days. While a horse might have made the journey easier, I wasn't exactly skilled at riding. Walking, as exhausting as it was, seemed the lesser evil.
After a week of trudging along that "road," I reached the largest town in the neighboring noble's territory. From there, I switched to shared horse-drawn carriages, transferring no fewer than thirteen times.
The royal capital was a staggering distance from Pnosis. Assuming each carriage averaged 35 kilometers a day, the trip would have taken about 22 days—a journey of roughly 770 kilometers.
It was, without a doubt, the longest adventure of my 40 years of life, including my past life.
But why had I been sent to the capital in the first place? The answer lay in a certain obligation imposed on nobles of the Lise Kingdom:
"If the Skill bestowed by the gods upon a royal or noble child is deemed potentially useful in warfare, they must spend three years training at the Royal Academy."
Long ago, the Lise Kingdom was embroiled in a war that engulfed the entire continent. The reigning king at the time sought to harness the power of Skills for the battlefield, gathering noble children with combat-oriented abilities into one place for military training.
This initiative eventually became the Lise Royal Academy, originally established as the Royal Training School. That was over a century ago.
Today, the kingdom enjoys peaceful relations with its neighbors, and war has become a relic of the past. Even so, the century-old decree still holds sway, much to my dismay.
Thanks to the reckless lie I told about my Skill—Ignition Pyrokinesis—I had been deemed eligible for admission to the Royal Academy. Truly, my mouth was my greatest enemy.
Ignoring the royal decree wasn't an option. Defying it meant immediate execution. I had no choice but to make the journey.
There was one silver lining: admission to the academy required passing an entrance exam.
About a decade ago, the academy began admitting commoners with exceptional Skills, leading to an overflow of qualified candidates. To manage this, they introduced an entrance exam to select students from the pool of applicants.
For someone like me, burdened with the explosive Brainwashing Skill, being forced to spend three years surrounded by people was a disaster waiting to happen. Failing the entrance exam was my only way out.
"I need to hurry!"
The exam was being held today. My arrival was cutting it dangerously close.
If I was late, I risked being charged with disobedience to the royal decree—an offense punishable by death. I sprinted through the city streets, heading for the Royal Academy on the northern outskirts of the capital.
"So this is the Lise Royal Academy..."
Stepping through the grand gates, I was greeted by sprawling gardens that stretched out before an immaculate white building. While not as grand as the royal castle, the academy's architecture was still awe-inspiring. Despite my lack of interest in enrolling, I couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement at the sight.
"Hey, look at that."
"What's with those filthy clothes? Is that a commoner?"
"I'll never understand why His Majesty allows commoners into such a prestigious academy."
Snide remarks floated through the air.
At first, I thought they were directed at me, but a quick glance revealed otherwise.
Ahead of me, a girl was walking hesitantly, shrinking into herself under the weight of countless stares.
Her patchwork gray dress was threadbare and stained, clearly old and well-worn. Shoulder-length hair, a pale shade of blue, hung in untidy, dull strands that hadn't seen proper care in years. She was small, her head barely reaching my shoulder—a petite girl, likely around my age.
A commoner, no doubt. Judging by her attire, she was probably from a slum. Her poverty stood out starkly in this setting, drawing the disdain of the noble-born crowd around her.
"Hey, you! Filthy commoner!"
Like moths to a flame, trouble descended on her in the form of an arrogant-looking young man.
He wore an ostentatious outfit adorned with gold embroidery and a gaudy crimson cape that screamed bad taste. Five similarly dressed lackeys flanked him, clearly hangers-on eager to bask in his shadow. This was someone from a high-ranking noble family.
The girl froze as the boy blocked her path, trembling under the weight of his scornful gaze.
"Who gave you permission to be here?" he sneered. "This sacred institution is no place for scum like you!"
"B-but… The priest told me to come here right away after I received my Skill…" she stammered, barely audible.
Wait, just received her Skill?
If she had received it within a month of the exam, she should have been exempt from participating until the following year. I'd only been forced to attend because my birthday left me with no such reprieve. The priests in the royal capital would have known this rule, so why had she been sent here?
Her Skill must have been extraordinary.