An Unwelcome Guest

I had given it some thought, considering I enrolled under a false identity for the purpose of assassination.

Should I disguise myself as a perfectly ordinary girl—unremarkable, with a modest circle of friends?

Or, since my masculine habits might slip out, should I use my age or hobbies as an excuse to keep my distance from my classmates and focus solely on my objective?

As it turned out, I didn’t need to worry.

That was a useless daydream.

During the orientation and basic etiquette classes for the first-years, I realized that almost all of the forty or so young ladies already had established social circles.

There were the socialite types who frequented the Imperial Capital.

There were those from the canal or plains regions who already knew each other through local exchange.

Then there were the daughters of the noble alliances from the Eastern Empire.

They were already moving in cliques based on their vast home territories.

In other words, Ariang Aosta was just a “country bumpkin” from a remote mountain village.

Even her fashion sense was lacking; the formal dress Ariang had picked out because she thought it was “pretty” looked nothing of the sort compared to the dresses worn by the capital elites.

Even to someone like me, who knows nothing about clothes, the design looked outdated.

I guess I’m a bumpkin, too.

The fact that I had looked at it and thought, “This looks decent,” proved that I was a provincial soul myself.

To summarize Ariang’s life:

She is the Countess of a strategic mountain border territory adjacent to the Kingdom.

As the leader of the Aosta territory, where over half the population consists of naturalized mountain folk, she is expected to be a strong warrior.

Though she is the only daughter and her succession is guaranteed, the Emperor distrusts her because her border territory belonged to my family—the very house that shook the Empire during the last war.

Because of this, she has never attended a single ball in the capital. If she did, she’d be scrutinized for “dancing and playing” instead of guarding the border.

To counter this, she spread propaganda that she was a fierce female knight and made persistent provocations toward our family, which led to her capture.

It was merely a political show; the provocations weren’t actually that severe.

However, after being taken prisoner, she couldn’t reveal the truth to the outside world.

If word got out, the distrustful Emperor would surely confiscate the territory and hand it over to a distant male relative.

To prevent this, she enrolled in the Sky Castle Noble Ladies’ Academy, leveraging the right to education and graduation status which supersedes even an Imperial command.

So, I had to act the part of a ‘Countess who needs an academy diploma to prove her worth as a knight.’

I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not.

The character is so distinct that it might not help with a stealthy infiltration, but because she’s so different from the other ladies, people might just shrug and say, “Oh, she’s just like that.”

Besides, even if I stand out, I have no friends, so I likely won’t draw much active scrutiny.

“Some of you are daughters of Dukes, some of Counts, some of Barons. You might feel the need to walk on eggshells based on your parents’ ranks.”

I didn’t catch her name, but a senior student from the Imperial class with chubby, innocent-looking cheeks was leading the newly enrolled freshmen.

The freshmen receive about a week of orientation and etiquette training. For those who frequently attended balls in the capital, this etiquette was second nature.

It was the foundation of nobility, so few struggled with it.

“The Academy rules strictly forbid such behavior, and more importantly, the Imperial Princess in the third year absolutely hates that kind of thing. Let’s try not to get on her bad side, okay?”

She spoke like a kindergarten teacher.

“Yes.”

“……”

What’s with this? Why aren’t they answering?

I wasn’t the only one who replied; maybe three or four others did too, but there are forty-two students in the Imperial freshman class.

In the end, only those of us who couldn’t read the room ended up answering.

A few other ladies answered besides me, but the response from the rest was a sneer, as if we had just failed a game of social chicken.

Apparently, this third-year senior from the Imperial class belongs to a lower social status.

Perhaps she’s the daughter of a ruined Eastern noble, or a Baron’s daughter.

Regardless, she just laughed it off and moved on.

“Today, we’re going to look into your desired majors. As you know—well, I assume you knew before coming here—Sky Castle’s primary goal is to train you ladies to be knights, mages, commanders, lords, or central administrators.”

Still, there was no response.

“You can change it later, and if you’re pushed out, you might fail. We also have specialized or artistic tracks, but that’s for later. For now, I’ll take your preferences. Just write your name here and submit it.”

I had heard about this from my siblings’ letters when they were at the academy.

Everyone flocks to the Magic Course.

Sky Castle Academy is, at its core, a Magic Academy.

The city is literally floating in the sky; what else could it be but magic?

Consequently, the application rate for the Magic Course is overwhelmingly high.

I should pick the Knight Course.

I was curious about magic, but pursuing it wouldn’t fit the character I’m playing.

Since it’s crowded anyway, I have no desire to compete there.

Seeing how the freshmen had already formed cliques, I made my decision.

It’s better to just be an outcast.

“Um, excuse me, what major are you planning to choose?”

Just as I had that thought, a lady who, like me, was standing alone asked me a question.

She had no jewelry, and looking at her plain dress, it seemed her territory was short on funds.

She was unmistakably a Baron’s daughter from some minor fief.

“Why do you ask?”

“Oh, well… which territory are you from? Who are you?”

“Isn’t it etiquette to introduce yourself first?”

“A-ah, right. I’m from the Boulanger Barony. It’s… it’s deep in the mountains, so you probably don’t know it.”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“Oh, really?”

It’s a barony located at the highest peak of the Southeastern Imperial mountains.

A town of sheep farmers at four thousand meters above sea level. Occupying it would be a nightmare, but since it has a mountain watchpost, it’s a location where one can observe the movement of large armies.

I had once debated whether or not we should push through it.

To move an army through those mountains just to occupy a fief with a few dozen soldiers and maybe two or three knights… anyone who has ever over-immersed themselves in the history of the Three Kingdoms knows that’s a suicidal move.

I had simply ignored it and passed by when it was foggy.

“Your clothes.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a territory that raises mountain goats; surely you could produce enough patterns using wool thread. Do you not have any other outfits?”

This young lady from a poor family was wearing a formal dress that anticipated her future growth.

It felt like a middle schooler wearing an oversized uniform meant to last until their third year.

If it’s a mountain fief, they should have plenty of dairy; people there are usually tall thanks to the protein power, but did this girl not eat properly?

The dress was even worn out.

It looked like a hand-me-down.

To the commoners, it might be a sign of a lord who hungers alongside his people, earning their respect, but here…

Then there was Ariang—me—who was a head taller and quite old to be enrolling in Sky Castle.

In other words, the ladies who didn’t form cliques—myself included—all had lackluster dresses.

The hierarchy was already being decided by clothing.

“Ah, that’s…”

“If you ever want to wear armor, I’ll lend you some later, so wear that instead.”

“My name is Ansie.”

“I see.”

“You’re much older than me, aren’t you, Sister?”

“Yes. Now, could you please let me be in peace?”

I’m relying on my crossdressing and my face, but acting like a friend is a chore.

There are people I’ll have to force myself to get close to for information, but those would be the people who were attending this school when the incident happened.

Not the freshmen enrolling now.

Making a friend isn’t a bad idea if someone suspects me based on spy identification rules like, “Why do you have no friends?”…

But this Baron’s daughter, Ansie, is honestly of no value.

“The Lady of Boulanger.”

“Ah, y-yes!”

The senior lady, who was taking preferences in order, called for Ansie.

Ansie submitted her papers for the Magic track, filled with a young girl’s dreams and hopes.

“Ariang Aosta.”

I was called next.

The Magic Course pile was overflowing with papers from the other ladies.

The Knight Course and the Territory Management Course—the latter of which is only used by failures—had not a single paper.

Next to Magic was the Administrative track.

Demand for that had increased ever since a Princess was designated as the heir to the throne.

Even so, it couldn’t hold a candle to the overwhelming number of applicants for Magic.

Should I go against the grain? I hesitated for a split second.

Then, I placed my paper in the Knight Course pile, which didn’t have a single sheet yet.

“Hm?”

The chubby senior was smiling so wide her cheeks seemed to squeeze her eyes shut, but her eyebrows twitched when she saw me.

“You are Countess Aosta, a freshman?”

“Yes.”

“You should already be a knight of the Imperial Household. You’re taking the Knight Course?”

Ariang isn’t just a noble lady; she holds the status of a Countess.

While other ladies have a claim to a title, Ariang actually possesses one.

And every title-holder is, by default, a knight of the Emperor.

It seemed to create a sense of cognitive dissonance for the senior—like a former student who already passed the civil service exam coming back to study for it again.

“I wish to become stronger.”

“Hehe.”

The senior, who had been smiling all along, covered her mouth and let out a laugh.

Out of forty-two students, thirty chose Magic, eight chose Administration, and three chose Command.

Exactly one person chose the Knight Course, and not a single soul applied for Territory Management.

Looking at the results, the chubby senior spoke up.

“The Magic Department is great. But it will be difficult for all our first-year ladies to make it in there. There will likely be a competitive exam.”

A murmur broke out at the mention of an exam.

Of course, it had nothing to do with me.

“Our Empire faced a crisis due to division during the last war. So, if possible, I’d like you to reach an agreement through cooperation rather than competing with your friends. Why don’t you have a discussion and then submit your preferences again? I’ll step outside.”

Since the Magic Department was full and couldn’t meet the quota, she was telling us to coordinate among ourselves.

An exam would be the fair way to decide, but she wanted us to adjust it voluntarily?

I have a bad feeling about this.

The moment she stepped out, a Duke’s daughter in the most lavish dress stood up.

“Don’t you think those ladies who aren’t up to snuff should just back down gracefully?”

“Indeed. Isn’t it usually the duty of those below a Viscount to fight on the front lines on behalf of the Counts or Dukes they serve?”

The ladies known to be from Duke and Marquis households began to exert subtle pressure.

In short: those without the rank should just get out.

Barons are often promoted from the cavalry commanders of Counts, and they traditionally serve as the vanguard or cavalry leaders for high-ranking Counts.

So, she was telling the daughters of those families not to seek magic—where they can stay warm in the back and provide fire support—but to go out and lead the vanguard or ride as knights.

At those words, several Barons’ daughters stood up and moved their papers from Magic to other tracks.

They mostly moved to Administration or Command, but Ansie, the Boulanger lady, glanced back at me sitting next to her and moved her paper to the Knight Course.

Why does she keep looking at me and smiling? It’s bothering me.

Once the changes were finished, the senior returned.

“Is everyone done?”

“Yeees.”

“Hmm, it’ll be easier to distribute them this time. Once the classification is done, I’ll tell you the preliminary results. Don’t go to the dorms yet; stay here for a bit.”

The senior collected the application forms and left again. Shortly after, a group of students in formal wear burst into the classroom.

They were wearing purple accessories shaped like the Imperial Amethyst Palace on their ears and temples.

“Are the Duke’s daughters here?”

“……”

“Could you please answer me?”

“Yes.”

The lady who had made the comment about the vanguard and forced the Barons’ daughters to change their major stood up as she answered.

It was at that moment.

Slap!

“Ack!”

“I believe I made myself clear, didn’t I?”

It was a school that taught physics through physical force.