In the first swordsmanship class, I seemed to have made a decent impression. The knights who taught me back then never pushed me this hard, so every parry felt like I was dying. Actually, thinking about it, maybe it was because I looked so pathetic that everyone viewed me favorably, despite my lack of real skill or talent. ‘The Imperial Princess is at least a hard worker,’ they must have thought. As a result, in every class I attended, everyone started observing me, glancing over while pretending not to. What choice did I have? I’d signed up for all five courses. It wouldn’t do to slack off in the others just because swordsmanship was tough. So, I had to grit my teeth and work hard in the remaining classes too. Thankfully, they were all subjects I’d either already learned to some extent, had some familiarity with from my previous life, or found genuinely interesting. First, horseback riding. “Ha, hiya! Uh? Ack! Ca-calm, calm and, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” “Your Highness! Yes, like that, calmly, calming the horse is the priority. Some ba— uh, it seems they mixed in some... less agreeable horses with the ones the students usually ride.” “I-I’m dying...” “Indeed, falling from a horse could have resulted in such an event for Your Highness. We’ll need to find a new stable master.” “No, there’s no need for that. I mean, he made a mistake, but whoa, whoa. A little, ah, thank you. Phew, anyway, if we find a new one, they might make the same mistake. Just... educate him a bit.” Frankly, I felt the chilling touch of death for a moment there. Those crazy cowboys from lands overflowing with space, resources, and trillions in defense spending might enjoy this sort of thing, but not me. When the horse started bucking wildly, I genuinely thought I was going to lose my mind. For a moment, my body defied gravity, suspended and swaying violently from side to side. It was insane. It’s a good thing the instructor grabbed the reins halfway through. Otherwise, I could have easily been thrown and broken something. Next up, martial arts. “While Your Highness’s strength is still somewhat lacking due to your young age, despite the blessing of Mana, your technique is already quite impressive. Particularly your joint locks; you could even found your own school.” “Uh, but they didn’t really work, did they?” “Well, that’s because you still lack strength. However, your joint locks... if you manage to connect with them, they’d be impossible for trainees at this level to break free from.” He then added that my lack of strength was the biggest and most fundamental issue. Since I needed to wait for my body to develop, he couldn’t teach me much more for now. It’s a good thing I’ve watched a lot of MMA, mixed martial arts. Of course, I didn’t just watch; when it came to joint locks, which only require controlling your strength, I’d ‘practiced’ a lot with my friends as a kid. Drawing on those memories, I ended up receiving exaggerated praise for mastering joint locks—the most powerful techniques in unarmed combat, according to MMA, the fighting style I’d based my moves on. Still, it was a relief. If I had to take swordsmanship, horseback riding, and martial arts seriously, I might not have had any energy left, even at this energetic, elementary-school-kid age. Next, mathematics. “Hmm, I believe this will be a very interesting match.” “Huh? Huh? But Professor, you already know all this stuff. It’s just, you know, moving things from left to right, and this is just... plotting points and drawing lines with it...” “Indeed. As the professor, I do know this.” He looked at the students, most of whom wore bewildered expressions that seemed to say, ‘What the hell is that?’ A few shining stars were diligently taking notes. Oh, oh dear. When was the coordinate function introduced in history? Wasn’t it during the Renaissance? I knew equations, equations existed way back in BC, but wasn’t it different for coordinate functions? No, wait? Descartes wasn't from the 18th or 19th century, was he? When was he around? Wasn’t he a Renaissance guy? Thinking about this world's context, wouldn't this be something not everyone would know? That small, or perhaps not so small, display of mathematical thinking was quite the reaction. A twelve-year-old suddenly bringing up something only a professor would understand... it was certainly something. Then, philosophical debate. “So, I’m saying, why is law-abiding behavior based on order superior to interpersonal relationships? Understanding relationships and acting accordingly is more sophisticated than just following rules.” “The very idea that you can break the law because of interpersonal relationships is flawed! It’s just, you know, uh? Avoiding conflict with others.” “Even if you are the Imperial Princess, I cannot stand by while you place blind obedience to written rules and fear of punishment above morality and ethics, above interpersonal relationships!” “But I told you earlier! Following rules because of punishment and having a law-abiding spirit are different!” “And I told you earlier! Those two cannot be separated!” “No! A law-abiding spirit manifests even when you’re unlikely to face consequences, in other words, even when no one's watching! And punishment can sometimes be applied in ways that contradict the law, depending on the situation!” “That's why understanding interpersonal relationships is important! You need to understand what kind of person someone is, whether your relationship is coercive, oppressive, or equal, to make those judgments! How can the consequence come before the premise?!” It was quite the match. Swordsmanship and martial arts demanded the most strength, horseback riding the most boldness, and mathematics the most inquisitiveness, but the craziest people were definitely in the philosophy debate class. I mean, how could they raise their voices like that at a twelve-year-old, while fully aware of and acknowledging my status as the Imperial Princess, unless they were crazy? In conclusion, this was the result of having thoroughly utilized my arms, legs, shoulders, thighs, waist, calves, feet, wrists, ankles, neck, jaw, tongue, vocal cords, lips, eyes... everything. “Your Highness, if you speak to the Headmaster, there might be a chance to shop incognito...” “No, I’m not going. I’m tired, Jean-Pierre. I’m dying...” “Knight Jean-Pierre, Olga is tired, so bring her something sweet and delicious. Wise Olga feels much better after eating such things. It doesn't have to be chocolate.” “...Yes, yes. I will procure chocolate for you.” Come Sunday, I was completely wiped out. It seemed this kind of all-out effort wasn’t easy for a twelve-year-old’s underdeveloped body. It made sense. Twelve-year-olds are in sixth grade, and sixth graders follow a routine of 40-minute classes with 5-10 minute breaks, five days a week. But these four-hour classes were different. On average, it was closer to a 1-hour-and-55-minute class with a 5-minute break. That would be tough even for the average college student. Oh, I’m dying, really. I wonder if this will stunt my growth? Math, philosophy, and martial arts—where I’m supposed to focus on growing—were one thing, but swordsmanship and horseback riding seemed to be pushing my physical limits. “Ugh, I wish I could learn these things from a master...” “It can’t be helped, Olga. You are woefully lacking in magical talent. I was truly shocked. To think you couldn’t even perform basic magic...” “Is it that bad, Master?” “Even for humans, this level of ineptitude is extremely rare, perhaps one in ten thousand.” It was a shame. If I had even a sliver of magical talent, even if the outcome wasn't ideal, I would have learned from a master. Honestly, I wouldn’t have worried about being seen as wasting time. Even here, look. They acknowledged my efforts even in areas where I wasn't particularly skilled. However, I do wish a few people would accuse me of using my status to get into the Academy. It would be fun to put them in their place and then have them become my allies later. That's the good stuff, you know? “Should I just take magic classes...?” “The Academy won’t allow it, Olga. You have absolutely no talent for magic. It would be a waste and a nuisance for both you and the Academy.” But wouldn’t magic class be the perfect opportunity to be accused of using my status? That thought briefly crossed my mind. However, I wanted to be falsely accused despite having some skill, not be genuinely unskilled. If someone said, “Your Highness, why are you taking magic classes when you have no skill or talent?” I’d need to be able to show them something, like, “See! I am capable of this much! Ta-da!” That's the kind of lesson I want to teach. “It can’t be helped...” “What do you plan to do, Olga?” “I’ll just have to eat a lot of delicious food, Master.” “Good thinking.” In the end, there wasn’t much else I could do. What other choice did I have? Even if my body was tired, at my age, I could recharge with a good night’s sleep. Dropping any of the other classes besides martial arts, where they practically told me to ‘come back when you’re older,’ was out of the question. Therefore, the most effective way to relieve my stress was to indulge in delicious food. Eating well would also help me grow taller. “I need to eat well to grow well. Ah, I want chocolate.” “Here you are, Your Highness.” “Oh, you startled me! Jean-Pierre, you already got some?” “The Headmaster had it prepared. I confirmed that this amount is acceptable for daily consumption.” The amount of chocolate presented was about half the size of a regular bar. Still, even this much would require considerable effort for those who weren’t nobles in this era. I was struck by the realization that I was living extravagantly. And not just any extravagance, but with food, something that would burden an average household. Of course, it was far too late to dwell on such thoughts. Besides, the “damage” caused by my extravagance probably contributed more to stimulating consumption and economic redistribution. “Mmm, ahh, hehehe...” Ah, this is so good. Heavenly. This wasn’t some cheap chocolate filled with palm oil or whatever. This was pure, unadulterated chocolate, and it was incredibly satisfying. There was a reason I loved it. In terms of gastronomy, most food processing and culinary techniques in this world were lacking, but this chocolate... it was truly something special. “I shall take my leave now.” “Huh? Already? Mmm, already?” “The Royal Guard Knights have requested I temporarily serve as a swordsmanship instructor. They've received permission from the Imperial Palace, and they assure me that the Academy’s own forces are sufficient to protect Your Highness.” Ah, yes, it made sense for the Royal Guard Knights to act as swordsmanship instructors. And learning physical skills from only one person could lead to picking up their bad habits. Having multiple instructors was beneficial. So, it was natural for the Academy to want to utilize the Royal Guard Knights as instructors. It was also the most effective way for me to contribute here. “But Jean-Pierre isn’t a Royal Guard Knight.” “...So I will be going as a drill instructor.” I see. Hmm, it wouldn't do to appear too cooperative. I needed to show some resistance. If things were too easy, people would take them for granted. “Hmm, that makes sense, but they’re still my Royal Guard Knights. And Jean-Pierre is my Guardian Knight. Even if the Academy’s forces are providing security, how can I trust them as much?” “Well, that’s true, but...” “Tell them I’ll think about it. I think I’ll need a day or two to seriously consider this.” “Understood, Your Highness.” Jean-Pierre’s tone held a subtle hint of satisfaction. Did he not want to be an Academy instructor either? I couldn’t tell.

No Fun Academy (4)