[Lifespan Remaining: 2 days, 14 hours, 31 minutes.]
The journey to Rexford was taking considerably longer than Noct had expected.
Maybe it was the influx of people trying to get into the Capital as Rexford Academy started its school year, but every road heading there was clogged with carriages.
Instead of looking at his remaining lifespan, which just made him depressed, Noct drew his attention inward and tried to complete his class advancement.
And thankfully, it worked like a charm.
[Class: Invoker]
[Class Proficiency: 0%]
Really, after everything that has happened and all of the magic that he used, Noct managed to push his body and mind to the point that all he had to do was finish the job.
Not long after, he could confidently say that he was a 2-Star Invoker. Without the help of a catalyst as well, he might add.
The effects could be felt instantly, as Noct could feel his capacity getting bigger. Even the spells that he had forgotten were starting to return to him, and he felt like he wouldn’t get tired as easily as before.
On the physical side, his stats had improved as well. After all, he would call his system a scam if his physical stats hadn’t improved after taking all that beating from Faust.
[STR: 10 → 15]
[SPD: 11 → 17]
[STAM: 12 → 18]
Now, Noct was confidently stronger than the average healthy person. But compared to those who had trained from birth, his values were still lacking by at least twenty points—if not more.
’Hey, it’s not much. But it’s honest work...’
Suddenly, a knock came from outside the carriage. Before either Noct or Noelle could respond, the door opened, and Aurora climbed inside naturally.
"Move over."
Noct looked toward the seemingly endless line of carriages behind her. "What happened to yours?"
"I became tired of listening to my knights argue over which road would be faster."
"So you’re here to gossip?"
"Kind of?"
Noct didn’t know what she meant, but seeing the ledger she had underneath her arm, he knew that it was something important that she discovered.
"Please tell me you got some good news."
Aurora sat down beside him. "That depends on how much trouble you’re willing to call good news. But the answer is both yes...and no."
She placed the ledger between them and opened it to a page she had marked previously, showing it to even Noelle. "Look at how their money moves. Of course there are the usual bribes and payments to the knights. But there’s something else."
Her finger stopped beside a series of payments made to the same workshop. There wasn’t a name for it, but knew that they operated in Rexford. But once he scanned the amount, Noct realized the payments were absurd.
If he counted the total of what the Baron spent, it would be the equivalent of a year’s worth of mana crystals from the Altaire mines.
"That’s for equipment?" Noelle tilted her head.
"Yeah," Noct confirmed. "Most likely he got the contraption that trapped Undyne from this person here. We need to find this place or person before they build more of those things."
Aurora nodded before turning to the second page. "Speaking about operations out of Rexford, there’s something else. Faust had been donating to an orphanage there."
"Faust?" Noct stared at her. "Really?"
"I had the same reaction."
The payments were smaller than the workshop’s fees, but they were enough to build five completely new orphanages for sure. They appeared regularly, month after month, before abruptly stopping three years ago.
Of course, a place as big as Rexford was bound to have shady dealings because of the succession war. But whatever it was, Noct felt like this was only the beginning.
Aurora suddenly stared at him with a weird expression on her face. "You seem different. Did you manage to advance into an Invoker?"
Noct allowed a faint smile to appear. "Yep. You’re speaking to a 2-Star Invoker in the flesh. The fastest class advancement in Arcadia history, considering it only took me a week to do so."
"That’s not as impressive as you think," The Rosenthal heiress simply frowned. "I know you were sick and at home for most of your time at Rexford Prepatory Academy...but everyone from our class is at least 3-Stars in their respective class."
"What?!"
Though he couldn’t really blame anything other than his circumstances. Rexford Academy was the most elite school, and obviously, those who came with prior training ruled said elite school as well.
Some people never awaken a class at all, but the first three class advancements, Stars 1 to 3, formed the Low Stage. The next three, Stars 4-6, formed the Intermediate Stage. And finally, Stars 7-9 belonged to the Master Stage.
Well, according to the game’s laws, and likely this world’s as well...advancing to your third class was not an achievement to scoff at, especially this young. Your average Joe wouldn’t even make it past their second advancement by the age of forty, but the elite of Rexford already do.
Noct leaned back into his cushion, sulking. "Does it truly matter how many stars your class is? It’s just a number anyway."
"Yes, it does," Aurora sighed at his pouting. "It affects what field expeditions you’re allowed to join as well as—"
"Wait, field expeditions?"
Upon hearing the word, Noct suddenly sat upright in his seat, listening intently. At the sudden interest, Aurora was weirded out, but continued anyway.
"Yeah, all houses regularly organize trips into the Academy’s hunting grounds. The stronger the monster you hunt, the more merit you’ll earn as well. But you can only hunt strong monsters if you have higher Star levels."
"How much merit are we talking...?" Noct asked with much interest in his voice.
"Enough to erase those ninety-one demerits you somehow accumulated before attending a class at all."
Noct really hadn’t thought about this angle before, but maybe coming to Rexford Academy proved more fruitful than he originally intended. "What happens to the monsters afterward?"
"Participating students are allowed to claim one material from the monster, while the rest went to the Academy."
Noct’s eyes lit up instantly. He was so tunnel-visioned on mana crystals that he had completely forgotten the other source of concentrated mana that could extend his lifespan as well:
Monster cores.
So by hunting regularly, Noct would be able to both get rid of his demerits as well as have a way to extend his lifespan. A ’two birds with one stone’ type of situation.
From the other side of the carriage, Noelle sighed, already getting a gut feeling that he was cooking up some kind of mischief.
By the time the carriage passed through the gates of the Royal Capital, the sun was already beginning its descent.
And Rexford was every bit as grand as Noct remembered it.
Large white walls covered the entire city’s perimeter, imposing and grand in scale. So much so that Noct felt like an ant in the vast expanse of the city.
Everywhere on the polished marble street, banners of the Royal Family’s golden crest were displayed boldly, making sure that everyone who entered engraved the name ’Rexford’ deep into their minds.
Even the avenue underneath their carriage appeared excessive. It was broad enough to accommodate several rows of carriages at once, yet remained crowded with people going about their day.
Merchants called from their storefronts, while uniformed knights patrolled the city, and noble carriages rolled through the crowd. Behind them stood rows of pristine white buildings reminiscent of classic Renaissance architecture, all fitted with square glass windows and topped with orange-tiled roofs.
It was the kind of scenery that screamed ’bougie medieval fantasy setting’ at the top of its lungs, not bothering to be discreet whatsoever.
Though Noct supposed that was appropriate.
This was the Royal Capital after all, the crown jewel, the crème de la crème of this country. If there was any place in the kingdom allowed to look this expensive...
This would be it.
Eventually, Rexford Academy appeared beyond the crowded avenue, and...calling it a school really felt dishonest to its scale.
It was an enormous complex of white stone that completely dominated the northern district.
Long, symmetrical wings surrounded an expansive courtyard filled with fountains and a carefully maintained garden. Countless arched windows covered its pale walls while steep black roofs and mighty towers rose above even them.
If one didn’t know, they would’ve guessed that the entire place was actually the royal palace. It was that much of a marvel in architecture and engineering.
Noct simply stared out the window of his carriage, taking everything in.
This was where he would spend the years ahead of him, and this was really where the story truly started. Though instead of feeling excited, a wave of nervousness crashed over him.
Noct didn’t know why, but for some reason, a bad feeling overwhelmed him as they approached the statement piece of the city. And all he could do was sigh softly at it all.
"Please let me have a peaceful school life..."