The next morning, the guards were there early to escort Jae to the palace. He had packed all his belongings, which were very little, said goodbye to his mom, and now again when they came, she hugged him and sobbed.
Jae couldn't help but feel some warmth for this woman. Even though she wasn't his biological mother and he only knew her for over a week, it was obvious she cared about him deeply, and this made him care for her in return.
Clara was nowhere to be found, but Jae understood. It must be too emotional for her and she didn't want to break down in front of him. He felt very sad and would be missing her a lot.
The guards pointed to the carriage and impatiently told them they had to leave now.
"Promise me you will let him visit me," his mom cried, and the short man nodded.
"He will, don't worry ma'am."
Despite the sadness that his mother felt, she still was proud of her son for being so talented, enough that one single display from him was enough to wow the king.
She hoped he would be lucky in his academy and have ease of life.
Jae entered the carriage and waved at her as they drove off.
In the carriage, the short man droned on about how the king's advisor was the one who saw his display and how the advisor, Lord Ryu, was a hard man to impress because he was a prodigy and one of the strongest mages in all the kingdoms. So whatever he saw in Jae must have been worth it.
"My name is Dio, by the way," he said, introducing himself. "Now, about the academy, I have to tell you some things. Firstly, you need to understand this is an academy for nobles only, so in fact, you will be the only non-noble there. This means you need to put your head down, be humble, and work very hard to impress your teachers and prove that you deserve the spot."
"Okay," Jae said.
"No, I need you to understand this very well. Drone it into your head if you must. You need do three times as much for you to be considered half as good as them, do you understand?"
Jae nodded, peering at the man intently.
"Me and you, we're similar," Dio said. "I'm non-noble just like you, and as a result, it has taken me too long for me to climb to where I've been today. But do you know how I've managed it?
By being twice as good as the next man. Even when I find tasks too daunting or I would rather be slacking off, I force myself to stay focused because my growth and respect in this place depends on that.
Don't join them to be truants. You're not like them. They have powerful people that can clean up your mess. Who can clean up yours?"
"None," Jae replied, the words resonating with him.
"Good," Dio said. Just then the carriage slowed to a stop. "We're here."
Jae looked at the castle. It was large and ancient, but it was very well maintained.
There was a singular statue on top of the roof, of a sitting dragon.
"Welcome to the castle of King Han, the Blue Dragon," Dio announced as they stepped out of the carriage.
"Why is he called the Blue Dragon?" Jae asked.
"You'll find out soon enough," Dio replied with a smirk.
As he stepped into the castle and walked, it was obvious he was respected.
Servants bowed to greet him, maids scurried away, and the noblemen in court greeted him warmly as if he was one of them.
So it is possible, he thought, to have the respect in this lifetime even though I am not a noble.
He decided to take Dio as his mentor from that moment.
They kept turning corridors until they stopped in front of a wooden oak door.
Dio knocked twice and a quiet voice asked, "Who is there?"
"It's Dio, Lord Kyun," Dio replied.
"Ah, Councilman Dio," the voice replied with a new warmth. "Come on in, don't be a stranger."
Dio pushed the door open and they stepped into a large office. At the desk filled with stacks of paper was an old man with a comically long beard.
He looked up at them as they entered. "Ah, this is the boy."
Jae bowed in greeting.
"Respectful too," Lord Kyun said and laughed. Dio joined him.
"Well, nice to meet you, Jae. You are welcome to this castle and to the academy. I would love to see a demonstration of your abilities later." He gestured at the files before him. "But I'm quite busy at the moment, so Councilman Dio would lead you to your room and then the academy."
Jae nodded. "Okay, sir."
Dio bowed as he turned to leave, and Jae followed his steps.
Dio led him to a quiet part of the castle where there were only two rooms. They went to the last one and pushed it open.
"This one is yours," Dio said and turned the key open. "Check it out, drop your load, and come meet me at the entrance and we would go to the academy together."
Jae nodded and entered the room. Dio shut the door behind him and went away.
Inside the room, Jae looked around. It was a small room by castle standards, yet it was way bigger than his room in the hut.
The bed was bigger as well. He plopped onto the bed and it was soft, cushioning him.
"Oh, sweet soft bed," he cried. "No more back aches for me."
He then unpacked his belongings and looked around satisfactorily. It was an upgrade on his old place and he would take it.
He went out to meet Dio.
Dio was busy talking with a lean tall man when Jae got to the entrance, and when Dio saw him, he tapped the man on the shoulder and bid him goodbye.
The man nodded and walked off.l
"Alright Jae, let's go to the academy quickly. Classes have begun already, so you're late both for the semester and today. You know what this means, right?"
"Yes. I need to study harder so I can catch up on missing topics," Jae replied. It was the answer he knew Dio would want.
The reality was Jae didn't need study or any lessons. He had the system to level up, and as long as he was performing lustful acts and fighting monsters, he would get stronger.
Speaking of which, he needed to find a new partner here now that he was separated from Clara. He also had to figure out a way to fight monsters from inside the castle, but he was sure the system would find a solution for him.
They were soon at the academy and it was a nice large building, just like it was expected of a royal academy.