So I'm a Snake, Who Cares?

The Emerald School is undisputedly the most prestigious academy in the Solion Kingdom.

That's not to say every student enrolled is a genius.

However, they are all talented enough to be called prodigies at the very least.

The lower their talent, the higher their social status tends to be.

High social status in the kingdom doesn't just mean being well-fed and wearing expensive clothes.

It means eventually having the power to determine someone's life with a mere gesture.

Their parents are either powerful figures, mighty mages, renowned scholars, clergy members, or warriors.

These exceptional children enroll at Emerald School.

They study under distinguished professors.

Even just one year brings significant learning and changes.

By the third year, the atmosphere is different.

The misfits and weaklings have long since been filtered out.

Emerald School's curriculum wasn't just about sitting at a desk and studying.

There was also practical "training," and those third-years ahead had all gone through it.

First off, they're older.

Being in their growth period, they've grown at least a span taller.

While first-years wore tense expressions, the third-years exuded confidence.

Some watched with smiles, while others whispered and giggled amongst themselves.

"See that tall guy? He's the son of the Platinum Knights' Commander."

Nemi Raiters whispered.

The boy she pointed to with her pen stood a head taller than the others.

With his broad chest muscles, he could pass for an adult just by his build.

"And next to him, that girl with slanted eyes. Yeah, the one with her hair slicked back. Her mother is the famous Thorn Witch."

Not all first-years were tense.

Nemi Raiters, for instance, was whispering with slight excitement.

Rania, who was listening, wasn't particularly nervous either.

"How do you know all this?"

"All this? This level of information gathering is natural for an aspiring journalist."

While Nemi's father, Baumet Raiters, was known as "a worthless journalist who'd sell his soul for gossip," he was apparently respected by his daughter at least.

But there was someone more famous among those third-years than the knight commander's son or the witch's daughter.

The Second Prince, Leon Adenes Solion.

There was no need to ask Nemi who he was.

Somehow, you could just tell.

He wasn't particularly tall.

But his appearance stood out from the start.

It was due to his intense, sun-like golden hair.

It was different from Amain's cream-colored blonde.

A peculiar golden color with healthy orange undertones.

The exact same hair color as the current king.

His straight nose and long-lashed eyes made his thoughts difficult to read.

His firmly set lips revealed a strong personality.

He wore gold buttons symbolizing royalty and a red cape on his back.

The red cape was quite eye-catching, but it suited him perfectly.

"The prince. Prince Leon. The Golden Prince."

He looked younger than expected for someone nicknamed the 'Golden Prince.'

Perhaps two years older than Prince Phili.

But he appeared much more stable than the neurotic Phili.

The other third-years almost seemed to be his guards. Continue reading on empire

Nemi wrote down her first impression of the Second Prince in her notebook.

'Looks dignified, handsome. Seems to have already won over the third-years? Need to investigate.'

Then she glanced at her first-year classmates.

She couldn't help but smile.

The comparison seemed almost too stark.

They looked scared even though the third-years hadn't said anything yet.

Most students, including Bex, were like that.

Only Rania, Cal, and Amain maintained their composure.

The Third Prince's expression was particularly worth noting.

Nemi reviewed her notes about the Third Prince.

'Bad temperament, very timid, rodent-like nervousness? Severe dark circles.'

While not particularly nutritious information, it was a memo that well represented the Third Prince's personality.

Some contents could get her arrested for lèse-majesté if shown to others.

Nemi added one more line.

'Extremely afraid of the Second Prince.'

It was already well-known that the Second and Third Princes had a poor relationship.

But there are various types of bad relationships, and Phili's expression told the story.

He couldn't even look at the Second Prince's face.

He would steal glances, but whenever the Second Prince turned this way, he quickly averted his gaze.

Clearly showing fear.

Seeing Phili like this, the Second Prince smirked mockingly.

Nemi, catching this subtle dynamic, felt elated.

'This is interesting!'

Indeed, her dream of becoming a journalist was right. Specifically, a journalist for a magazine covering celebrity gossip.

"That's quite unreasonable of you."

"Aren't you the one being unreasonable? There's no reason we can't use the instant dungeon for first-year lectures."

"Still, it's customary for higher years to have priority."

"Never heard of such a custom."

The professors' voices grew louder.

The instant dungeon was one of several mysteries housed within Emerald School.

In the school's backyard, there was a small cave leading underground.

Around the cave was an intricate magic circle made of gold and tiles, reportedly at least 1,000 years old.

The purpose of this magic circle was to transform the cave's interior into a dungeon.

It didn't just create mazes or traps, but properly replicated actual dungeons from somewhere in this world.

According to analysis by mages including those from the Magic Tower, it was ancient magic that couldn't even be replicated today.

The interior changed every fortnight, and originally which dungeon it would become was 'completely random.'

But now they could manipulate the magic circle to adjust the dungeon's difficulty.

The suspicious cave that used to claim dozens of casualties yearly now claimed fewer than ten.

Since then, it began to be used for education at Emerald School.

"We have His Highness the Second Prince..."

"You keep mentioning the prince."

Professor Obern Grimoire spoke coldly.

"We have a prince on our side too. And as a professor, I have a duty to teach my students what they need."

It seemed like that Professor Obern wouldn't back down.

"I submitted the usage application before the semester even started. Use it next time for your class. That should be fine, shouldn't it?"

But seeing that cold professor growling and confronting like this.

Somehow, the first-year students felt reassured.

Especially Prince Phili.

The Second Prince's position was much higher than the Third Prince's.

But Obern acted as if he didn't care about such things at all.

"Your Highness."

Just then, Nemi Raiters approached Phili and whispered.

"W-what is it?"

"You know, that professor isn't an easy opponent either."

The young professor confronting Obern, you mean?