The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

A Special Day with the Mare

Here's the thing about mares. Looking at them critically, they were hierarchical classes that only serve to rank the students. In truth, a Sinus Fidei with the right qualifications can be assigned to a course that only Imbrium would mostly attend.

Frankly, the mares are simply there to mirror the statuses found outside the Academy walls. However, instead of being born to a specific class, the students all start at the same point, and merit will reward them with a higher rank.

This theoretical process is all good and all, but because of the weirdness that is the Test of Waning, the students have all become hostile to this way of doing things.

People ask, "Is it really a meritocracy if the gauge is highly ambiguous and suspiciously biased?"

Well, the anger at this injustice is all the more heightened by the benefits each ring member receives. Sinus Fidei gets a good amount of allowance each cycle and a roof to cover them whilst they sleep in the dormitories. For the commoners, it was already a hefty deal. I mean, one gets to learn and even receives food and shelter for it.

Alas, greed will always be a factor in such things.

When a Sinus Fidei ranks up to Frigoris, the allowance more than doubles and the dormitory provided becomes much, much better. When a Frigoris becomes an Imbrium, the allowance is comparable to the annual income of a minor noble family, and these allowances come every cycle, which almost always comes around twice a year. Likewise, the dormitories the Imbrium receive are more like lavish suites fit for the wealthiest classes.

However, when an Imbrium becomes a Cognitum, only legendary rumors could ever describe the treatment they are given. With only a handful existing per cycle, a layman could only imagine the benefits they receive. Maybe an allowance worthy of lower kings? A small castle for each member, perhaps? After all, the Academy does have a wide annex of castles and spires, with most probably left in disuse due to the years of decreasing number of talented mages.

On the other hand, I am both a Sinus Fidei and a Desiderii...

If what they have said is true and the Mare Desiderii is the fifth and last mare in the hierarchy, then I am an abnormality who belongs to the weakest and strongest mares at the same time.

But after moving on from the delusions of such grand thoughts, one begs the question: What benefits should I receive from a hidden mare?

And so, I am off to the Castle Desiderii today.

Well, they have actually told me to come today for a "special event", of which I have absolutely no idea about. Regardless, I was here to both learn more about the mare and to do some incognito research on Tabitha, Joren's mother.

Clutching the parchment on my hands, I used it as a guide and let my feet take me where I wanted to go.

I was holding onto the map Tora had given me during the Advancement Ball. While hardly anyone ever cares where a student of the Academy goes to, it was still important to keep a low head when it comes to the Mare Desiderii. Because I couldn't be found sneaking off to Castle Desiderii on class days (and much more, in broad daylight), I was given a map that showed an intricate network of underground passages only known to my fellow mare members.

However, because I couldn't immediately enter the subterranean passages through the Sinus Fidei dormitories (because there were none), I had to make my way to another building, hoping that I would find an entrance easily.

I had chosen a building which was older than most. It was considerably far away from the hustle and bustle of Academy life, but I felt that it was safer to sneak myself through the entrance inside this old castle than anywhere else. Frankly, its desertedness gave it a rather spooky feel...