Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 3. Buying Slaves, Arriving at the Academy to Choose Attendants
With his back bent, Gray led William toward the deepest part of the auction house. The once-noisy auction platform had long since fallen silent. Everyone held their breath as they watched the young prince. Even the dust in the air seemed to have frozen.
“Your Highness, please look. Over here are some rare demi-humans, and there is even an elf as the final highlight…”
Gray pointed toward an ornate cage in the corner. Curled up inside was a slender figure.
“And beside them are some playthings sent from various places, meant for the amusement of nobles…”
“Playthings?”
Knight Tos gave a cold snort, and his gaze turned icy at once.
Although the royal family also kept slaves, they never referred to them as “playthings.” Gray had clearly spoken carelessly because he had seen that William was young.
Gray’s face turned pale. Only then did he realize he had said the wrong thing, and he immediately slapped himself twice.
SLAP! SLAP!
“This lowly one spoke wrongly! Please forgive me, Your Highness!”
William acted as though he had heard nothing at all. His gaze swept across those cages.
Most of the demi-humans possessed Bronze aptitude. A few had Silver aptitude, but cowardice showed through them. Their edge had clearly been worn away.
That elf, however, possessed pure Gold aptitude. Her wings glimmered faintly in the dim light, yet her eyes were hollow, like those of an exquisitely crafted doll.
William caught sight of the price tag beside the cage. The starting bid was one hundred thousand gold coins—enough to build a statue of solid gold and still have money left over. He could not help but click his tongue inwardly.
In the end, his gaze returned to the boy and girl he had chosen earlier.
“How much for those two slaves?” William turned and asked Gray.
Gray hurriedly waved his hands, piling a fawning smile onto his face.
“Your Highness must be joking! Your willingness to visit this shabby place of mine is already the greatest honor this lowly one could receive. How could I possibly ask for money?”
“These two slaves shall be my tribute to Your Highness!”
William did not respond. He pulled a gold coin from his robe and handed it to Tos.
“This gold coin should be enough.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the door.
Tos stuffed the coin into Gray’s hands, who was still trying to refuse it, and said in a deep voice, “Do as His Highness says.”
Then he quickly followed after William.
Holding that heavy gold coin, Gray watched the prince’s figure disappear through the doorway and finally let out a deep breath.
This Fourth Prince might look young, but his presence was stronger than that of many grown nobles.
As Gray looked at the boy and girl in the cages who were about to be taken away, he suddenly had the feeling that these two insignificant slaves might one day meet a very different fate.
The carriage set off again. William lifted the edge of the curtain and looked at the two children being guarded beside the carriage by knights.
The boy still held his back taut, while the girl lowered her head timidly. Yet neither of them wore the fawning smile or numb expression of ordinary slaves.
“What are your names?” he asked through the carriage window.
The boy was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
“A’gu.”
The girl’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s hum.
“…Ling.”
William nodded and did not press further.
A’gu. Ling.
From this day on, they belonged to him.
The carriage left the commercial district and headed toward the Royal Academy. William leaned against the cushioned seat and calculated silently in his heart.
Next, it was time to take a look at the academy.
At last, he had taken the first step toward building his strength.
Outside the gates of the Royal Academy, the stone-paved road had been swept spotless.
Vice Principal Elton, dressed in a neat dark blue robe, stood beneath the entryway with more than a dozen subject teachers. From time to time, they looked into the distance, their faces carrying both tension and anticipation.
“They’re here! I can see the royal banner!” a young teacher suddenly cried out, unable to conceal his excitement.
Everyone turned to look. Sure enough, a carriage decorated with a golden crest was slowly approaching, its wheels rolling across the road with a steady sound.
Elton adjusted his collar and quietly instructed the people beside him.
“Stand properly. Do not make any mistakes.”
“And the children from your families—did you all bring them?”
“Yes, Vice Principal.”
Several teachers quickly answered. Their gazes swept toward the back, where a group of boys and girls in academy uniforms stood waiting. Every one of them stood straight and tall. They had clearly been carefully selected.
“I heard the Fourth Prince has come to choose attendants.”
A white-haired magic teacher lowered his voice as he spoke. “This is an enormous opportunity. If one can catch His Highness’s eye, then their future prospects…”
He did not finish the sentence, but the envy in his eyes was impossible to miss.
In the Kroll Kingdom, becoming a royal attendant practically meant placing one foot inside the center of power.
As they spoke, the carriage came to a halt before the academy gates. Knight Tos dismounted first and lifted the carriage curtain. William’s figure appeared at the entrance.
He wore a well-tailored silver formal outfit. His golden hair was especially striking in the sunlight. Though only six years old, he already carried a calm and composed bearing.
Elton hurriedly led everyone forward and bowed deeply.
“We welcome the arrival of the Fourth Prince at the Royal Academy!”
William stepped down from the carriage. His gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on Elton.
“There is no need for such formality, Vice Principal.”
“I have come today to look over the academy’s students and choose several attendants.”
“Please come inside, Your Highness!”
Elton quickly stepped aside to lead the way.
“The students of our academy are all talented youths selected from across the kingdom. There will surely be some who suit Your Highness’s wishes!”
William nodded and stepped into the academy.
Teachers and students on both sides bowed one after another, their eyes filled with curiosity and reverence.
His gaze swept over those boys and girls, and halos of talent flowed through his vision.
This place truly was far better than the outside world. Silver aptitude could be seen everywhere, and there were also four or five with Gold aptitude. Among them, one red-haired boy possessed a halo of dazzling brilliance that faintly showed signs of surpassing Gold.
William’s heart stirred, but his face remained calm.
“Take me through each class,” he said to Elton.
Elton immediately agreed and led William toward the teaching building.
William followed behind Elton, walking through the corridors of the Royal Academy.
Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows, casting patches of brilliant color across the floor. The air carried the scent of ink and old books.
Each time they passed a classroom, he slowed his steps and looked inside through the windows.
The students sat upright and proper. Even when they noticed the gaze from outside, they merely straightened their backs further and focused even more intently on the textbooks or magic array diagrams before them.
Their teachers had already informed them. They knew why the Fourth Prince had come this time.
In the eyes of those students from commoner backgrounds burned a restrained longing.
To become a royal attendant meant escaping the fate of the lower class. It was a far more tempting opportunity than any reward.
William’s gaze swept across one young face after another before settling on the halos above their heads.
Bronze and Silver aptitude made up the majority, with Gold coming next. Sky aptitude was scattered here and there like pearls buried in sand, appearing only in a few corners.
As for light above Sky, not every classroom had one. Often, several classrooms would pass before he found a single one.
“That boy in the blue shirt.”
He suddenly stopped and pointed at a student by the window who was working through magic formulas.
Knight Tos immediately stepped forward and wrote the name onto a sheet of parchment.
“Third year, Kyle.”
“And that one practicing the basics of swordsmanship.”
William looked toward the neighboring swordsmanship classroom. A tall, slender girl was swinging her sword in repeated strikes. Her movements were so standard they were almost rigid, and the Gold halo above her head was stable and heavy.
“Second year, Lina.”
Elton followed at William’s side. Watching him accurately point out those students who had already stood out in their daily performance, he was inwardly astonished.
This little prince seemed to possess astonishing insight. Every person he selected was one of the academy’s prized seedlings.
After making a full round, William took the parchment that Tos handed him. Seven names had already been listed on it.
His fingertip brushed over the writing, and after a moment’s thought, he said, “I want to meet these people personally.”
“Please come with me, Your Highness. I will summon them to the reception room at once,” Elton said hurriedly.
William nodded and turned toward the end of the corridor.
The door to the reception room was pushed open, and seven boys and girls entered one after another, their faces carrying both tension and expectation.
William sat in the seat of honor. His calm gaze swept across them before he slowly spoke.
“When I choose attendants, I do not ask about your background. I care about only one thing—loyalty.”