Chapter 1: The Slum Student and the Duke’s Daughter

Here we go again.

Levi thought this as he stumbled forward, falling to the ground.

He had been caught completely off guard, kicked down by someone, and almost immediately, a foot pressed onto his back. Two scoundrels had ambushed him: one delivered the kick, and the other instantly followed up to pin him down.

Then, a third person appeared directly in front of him. The moment he lifted his eyes, his vision was filled with a pair of slender legs clad in short boots.

“Well, well, well, isn’t it the top student from the slums? Why are you sprawled on the ground like a frog, hmm?” The sharp, condescending voice of the slender legs’ owner drifted down from above.

“I’m just lying here sunbathing, isn’t that Miss Dumpty?” Even with a foot on his back, Levi managed a smile. “Blocking my path on this road—are you trying to confess your feelings to me?”

“Still just as foul-mouthed, aren’t you?” Camilla kicked Levi’s temple. “Do you want me to tear that wretched mouth of yours to shreds?”

“My apologies, but I don’t think we’re quite compatible.” Though blood seeped from his temple where her dance shoe had grazed him, Levi maintained a polite smile.

The more they wished to see him bow his head and beg for mercy, the less he intended to grant them that satisfaction.

Camilla Dumpty was the pampered daughter of the Dumpty family. Though he lacked a precise understanding, Levi knew generally that Camilla’s family wielded considerable influence in this city.

Camilla attended this academy, and her family had specifically arranged for a servant’s daughter to accompany her and attend to her needs. Yet, Camilla found this insufficient.

She had further bribed two students from commoner families to serve as her bodyguards and lackeys. Reportedly, she had promised these two followers that her family would secure them public positions in the future.

It was said that Camilla’s father was a viscount. Though without a fiefdom, he held an important position within the city. Even the smallest scraps of power that fell through their fingers were incredibly precious to these commoners.

The two lackeys who had ambushed Levi were these very individuals. They were Miss Camilla’s loyal enforcers, specifically tasked with dealing with students who had slighted Camilla or whom Camilla simply found displeasing.

Levi was one such student, fitting both categories, making him a perpetual thorn in the young lady’s side.

Camilla’s targeting of him had begun approximately six months prior.

The initial conflict stemmed from Levi intervening when Camilla was bullying other students. After that, Camilla publicly mocked and ridiculed him, only to be met with such sharp retorts from Levi that she gnashed her teeth in fury. The seeds of their animosity were thus sown.

Camilla’s acts of revenge and malice against Levi gradually escalated. Levi’s unwavering refusal to yield only fueled Camilla’s rage further.

“The faculty questioned me. You’re the one who anonymously reported me to the school, aren’t you?” Camilla interrogated Levi, looking down at him.

“You run rampant in the academy; plenty of people want to report you. Why are you so certain it was me?” Levi retorted.

“Because you’re the only one here with guts but no brains! You idiot, reporting me? Do you think it will work?” Camilla scoffed loudly. “Principal Nabo and my father are old family friends.

People are not all equal. No one here can punish me for what I do! As for a stray dog like you, without even a family name, I can deal with you however I please. Do you believe me if I say I could have someone beat you to death and bury you right now, and no one would investigate?”

“Straight to murder, how terrifying. Could this be…” Levi feigned nervousness, pausing dramatically. “…a proposal for a lovers’ suicide?”

Camilla’s brow furrowed, a blue vein throbbing on her forehead like a venomous snake.

“Break his hands,” she ordered coldly. “Crush his fingers!”

One of the lackeys immediately lifted his foot, ready to carry out the command. They harbored no fear of the consequences, having done this countless times before. The Dumpty family’s power could easily shield them from any repercussions.

Each time they performed such tasks for Camilla, they felt as if they, too, possessed the same privileges as her.

‘It seems I’ll have to fight back,’ Levi thought.

“What are you doing?!”

A sharp cry echoed from behind. Both lackeys stiffened simultaneously, turning to look in the direction of the voice. A golden-haired maiden had appeared at the path’s bend, glaring at them with an imposing expression.

Without a moment’s hesitation, both lackeys turned and fled. They were well aware that this maiden was not someone their status allowed them to offend.

“You two useless fools! Get back here!” Camilla tried to call them, but it was no use.

The weight on his back gone, Levi seized the opportunity to sit up. He didn’t turn his head, for he knew exactly who had come to his rescue simply by her voice.

“Miss Dumpty, could you please explain exactly what you are doing?” The golden-haired maiden strode closer.

Faced with her direct gaze, Camilla instinctively averted her eyes, yet her verbal aggression did not diminish. “Isn’t this… Jeanne, the adopted daughter of Duke Alençon?”

She deliberately emphasized the words ‘adopted daughter’.

Jeanne Decker, known as Jeanne of the North, was the adopted daughter of Duke Alençon, a grand lord of the Empire and the Duke of the Northern Marches.

Duke Alençon was a top-tier Paladin, a “Radiant Lord” who guarded the northern borders of the Empire—a figure far beyond anything Camilla’s father could ever compare to.

However, Jeanne herself was of commoner birth.

According to legend, Duke Alençon had discovered the fourteen-year-old Jeanne organizing villagers to resist barbarian raiders in a border village. Impressed by her spirit, he took her in as his adopted daughter.

Yet, the Duke had not bestowed a noble surname upon Jeanne, and he had a biological son who was a legitimate heir. This meant Jeanne could not inherit any titles.

Thus, in Camilla’s eyes, even with the title of the Duke’s adopted daughter, a commoner remained a commoner.

“Answer my question.” The maiden was utterly unmoved by Camilla’s taunts, merely repeating her query calmly.

Her plain words carried a military-like gravitas.

Under her pressure, Camilla barely managed to maintain her composure, retorting, “Do I have an obligation to answer you? Don’t think you can really protect this boy. Don’t get picked up by a rich family and start thinking you’re a true noble!”

The maiden said nothing, simply keeping her gaze fixed on Camilla’s eyes. She stopped directly in front of Camilla, her tall frame a full head above the other girl.

Several seconds passed before Camilla finally began to crack. She let out a cold snort through her nose, then turned and walked away. “What an unlucky day. Farewell.”

The golden-haired maiden watched her depart before turning to Levi, who was still seated on the ground. She extended a hand. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Levi waved her off, covering his injured temple as he stood up. “Thank goodness you showed up when you did.”

“You… are injured?” Jeanne noticed blood seeping through Levi’s fingers.

“Just a minor scratch, I’ll wipe it and let the blood dry.” Levi replied dismissively.

“Don’t move.” Jeanne produced a handkerchief.

Levi was about to refuse, but Jeanne gently moved his hand away and pressed the handkerchief to his wound. A red stain quickly spread across the fabric, threatening to soak through.

At that moment, a faint glow emanated from Jeanne’s palm. Levi immediately felt a warm current pass through the handkerchief, and the pain in his wound abruptly vanished.

When Jeanne removed the handkerchief, the wound had already healed, new skin having grown over it.

“Thank you, truly worthy of a certified Paladin.” Levi touched his temple, confirming the bleeding had stopped.

“I’m only just beginning,” Jeanne said with a slight, embarrassed smile. “Once you advance to the Capital Holy Academy and become a Bishop, you’ll also have the opportunity to receive blessings.”

“With my background, becoming an ordinary priest and scraping by might be possible, but aspiring to be a Blessed one feels like a pipe dream,” Levi chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Not everyone gets an opportunity like yours, Jeanne.”

“If you don’t try, how can you be certain you won’t have such an opportunity?” Jeanne smiled and shook her head.

The Royal Southwest Holy Academy, where Levi was enrolled, was a feeder academy for the Capital Holy Academy. In the Empire, every province had at least one seminary jointly funded by the royal family and the Holy Church.

The academy’s curriculum primarily focused on theology, but it also covered a wide range of other subjects. Most students who graduated from these local academies had the chance to become civil servants or clergy, securing respectable employment.

For the vast majority of commoners in the Empire, this was considered an excellent path. For the heirs of influential local nobles and wealthy families, such a degree was merely a bonus, its absence having little impact.

Nevertheless, nobles and the wealthy spared no effort in sending their children to these academies, which consequently transformed these local seminaries into de facto noble schools. Over half of the students came from these affluent local families, with commoner students becoming a minority.

A self-taught individual like Levi, who had climbed out of the slums, was an even rarer sight.

The reason these academies were favored by local nobility was that annually, the capital would allocate a certain number of spots to each provincial academy, allowing a select few of the best students to advance to the Capital Holy Academy.

In the eyes of most Imperial citizens, the Capital Holy Academy was a golden ticket to high society. More than half of the Empire’s major figures in military and government, as well as high-ranking clergy, had studied at this institution.

Within the Capital Holy Academy itself, selection and competition continued.

There was a higher academy within the Holy Academy called the “Ivory White Tower,” which only admitted a small group of the most exceptional students. These students would be formally knighted as Paladins and consecrated as Bishops, granted the honor of wielding divine miracles.

These Blessed individuals, endowed with special abilities, were highly sought after by both the Church and the Royal Army.

For commoners and minor local nobles seeking to make a name for themselves in the Empire, securing admission to the Holy Academy for their children was undoubtedly the most efficient route. However, the Capital Holy Academy only recruited through specific channels.

The most reliable path for the general populace was to transfer from a local seminary.

Camilla’s viscount father evidently held the same ambition when arranging Camilla’s enrollment. Levi, too, had considered advancing his studies to secure a better future for himself.

However, Jeanne would not have considered advancing, as she was already a student at the Capital Holy Academy. Moreover, she was a formally knighted Paladin, a person already blessed with the power of Holy Light.

She had not risen through a local academy, nor had she gained entry through Duke Alençon’s direct recommendation. At fourteen, she had first joined the knightage and served for two years, eventually being recommended into the Capital Holy Academy by the military.

It was said that a strategy she proposed to her superiors had helped the knightage achieve a great victory against barbarian raiders, earning her the right to study at the Holy Academy through her merits.

After two years of study at the Holy Academy, she was selected for the “White Tower” and became a Paladin.

She had been invited to the local academy as a guest lecturer, providing a series of Q&A sessions for senior students. Her lectures specifically introduced the Holy Academy, aiming to inspire more students to strive for it and to help qualified students prepare in advance.

For someone like Levi, still climbing the foothills, Jeanne had already reached the mountain peak, an unattainable vision.