Arian was glad he could sleep well after a tumultuous day during which he had learned so much and dealt with even more unfortunate situations.
Had he thought staying in the academy would be easy and boring, by now, he thought it was the hardest thing he had ever done.
He was exhausted, and it wasn't made better by the fact that teacher Javis came storming into his room before the sun had even risen above the desert.
Maloc and the guards had tried to restrain the teacher, but he was fuming.
While Arian considered his punishment for Pidgeon just, teacher Javis said it was too harsh and demanded for Arian to take it back. Furthermore, he found it disrespectful that Arian had commanded Pidgeon to stay outside without informing the school immediately.
Apparently, Pidgeon was now in the infirmary, suffering from frostbite or something along those lines- Arian was still too furious to care about the boy's well-being.
Luckily, the conflict could be solved peacefully by Maloc reminding Javis thoroughly that the prince was above his station and could punish him however he saw fit. It seemed like the deputy wanted to be favored by the prince again.
This alone pleased Arian greatly. He was glad the internal conflict with his deputy was easily solved. So much so that he went back with his punishment and reduced it to the original three days.
Teacher Javis was still not happy with this outcome, but accepted it. He didn't want to test Arian's goodwill too much.
Later, during breakfast, Arian ate a plain-tasting mush that barely filled him, before he went back into his room, since the students had subjects like writing and reading, which Arian deemed not worthy of his time.
Instead, the prince tried again to brush his hair, since the mat on the back of his head was still present. He thought that in the morning, when everything was still relatively fine, he would have more motivation. But he gave up after an unsuccessful session.
Again, he was happy to wear a veil when he headed back to the main hall for lunch. This time, as if to underline his status and to help the students forget his embarrassing act from yesterday (which by now the whole school knew of), he wore the most expensive gown he owned.
It was embroidered with an intricate pattern of gold, with some diamonds sewn in. Arian knew his robes were worth more than the complete school, and somehow this fact pleased him greatly.
Of course, he wore his heavy golden tiara, too. The one that was adorned with red rubies.
After lunch, Arian visited the lesson of teacher Braxton again. This time, the students finally learned about the ranking system, which determined a beast's power.
The lecture focused heavily on familiarizing the students with the difficult names. The main task was to write each of them correctly. So Arian felt like he was visiting a writing lesson.
Maybe I wasn't completely wrong before traveling here, when I thought this whole ordeal would be rather boring, Arian thought, as teacher Braxton explained the different ranks for what felt like the thousandth time.
"There are seven ranks. Rank seven for the weakest beasts, rank one for the strongest."
Then teacher Braxton turned to the blackboard and wrote down the different names for each rank.
"The seventh rank is called 'Puny', reserved for the weakest beasts. But don't be fooled by the name. The powers they have are still incredible. Plus, compared to beasts of higher categories, they are way easier to tame. That's why almost all beasts the academy provides are from this rank."
Arian couldn't agree less. The beasts you guys have are all stupid and an insult to the rank 'Puny', the prince mocked. But no one asked him, so he kept his opinion to himself and listened.
"The next category is 'Dainty'. These beasts are not much different from the 'Puny' ones. But their maintenance might be a bit trickier, and their powers a bit more useful. Our school allows you to tame such beasts as well, but only very few students manage that. Even our teachers aren't bonded with these beasts, as they are much rarer than beasts from the seventh rank. Actually, only our principal, Teacher Javis, is bonded with a beast of this rank."
While the students were impressed, Arian was surprised that Teacher Javi's beast was of the sixth rank. No way it deserves to be so high up in the ranking system, Arian thought as he remembered how the beast was intimidated by his presence alone. It's definitely too weak to be a 'Dainty' beast.
"Then there is the fifth rank: 'Customary'. For normal folks like us, such beasts are basically demigods, but for the nobility, this rank is merely normal and nothing special. Our school does not tame beasts of such a high rank. Only people with a noble background have the luxury to tame these beasts."
"The next category is 'Accredited'. Beasts who belong to this rank are not so common anymore, even for nobility. Taming them is very tricky and might even take years. But the biggest difference is: From this category onwards, beasts are intelligent enough to understand human language. Some can even say a word or two themselves."
Again, the students were impressed, as a murmur went through their ranks.
Arian could only wrinkle his nose. You're acting as if these beasts were some otherworldly creatures. Even though beasts from this rank are still very common and nothing to fuss about. Actually, they are rather weak.
"The third rank is 'Essential'. From now on, because the ranks are so high and beasts who belong to these categories are so rare, my knowledge on them is very slim. All I know about 'Essentials' is that they are called like this, because they are essential to win a war. One of them on your side and you have basically won the fight."
Arian didn't like this description. Since many people he knew were bonded to 'Essentials' and it didn't make the war against the wild beasts any easier or faster. But he got where teacher Braxton was coming from. From the perspective of a commoner, they probably made a large difference.
"Then the second rank is 'Inimitable'. For us to even see such a beast is unattainable. They are very rare. Only the highest nobles are able to tame these."
"And the highest is 'August'. Well, these beasts are beyond our imagination- beyond anyone's imagination. Their power is unattainable. They are literally gods to anyone. The only one who has ever tamed a beast of this rank is Divine Emperor Belenus van Elod, Prince Arian's father. And from what teacher Nora has told me, he already told you more about him than I ever could."
Teacher Braxton's gaze flickered to Arian, looking for confirmation.
Arian nodded slightly, letting the teacher know he had explained everything correctly.
Of course, Arian knew this was a very shallow explanation, so he imagined the students would have many questions.
But instead of asking about the different ranks and their nuances, the students complained about the complicated names.
Arian realized, none of these words were part of their vocabulary. He tried not to be shocked. By now, I should be used to their lack of education. Why am I still bothered?
Arian was annoyed with himself. He already hated himself for proving Maloc right. He had let down his guard too easily around these commoners. He had answered their questions too thoroughly, and he had disgraced his bloodline by talking to a commoner personally.
Sadly, Arian could do nothing except regret his past actions and swear that he would do better in the future.
Arian's resolve was immediately put to the test when Satori raised her hand and asked if there weren't beasts that could rise in rank.
Teacher Braxton shook his head. "Not that I know. Why do you think something like this is possible?"
"I've overheard nobles talk about it. So I was sure it would be possible." Satori's shoulders sank in disappointment.
But then she turned around and bowed. "Your Highness, do you know something about it?"
Yes, I know something about it. How could I not, when it's the very reason why beasts bond with humans?
But he couldn't tell them. Not after he had just come to the conclusion that he was too nice with these commoners. Hadn't he told them enough?
Especially when the teacher didn't know more, why should he answer?
It was the logical conclusion to just say nothing, and yet again, Arian wanted to explain it. Because it was such key information in beast taming.
Wasn't this why he was here, to help the students? And wasn't this information teacher Braxton should know as well?
I could just explain it shallowly, just like Braxton explained the different ranks, Arian figured.
But just as Arian wanted to sign the answer to Maloc, his deputy started talking.
"Sorry, the prince doesn't know anything about it." His tone was firm.
Arian stared at his deputy. He just gave an answer without asking the prince for permission. He even said something very different from what Arian would have liked him to say.
When Maloc's face turned back to Arian, the prince signed him a clear message.
"I'm not okay with your behaviour right now."