Riddles of Lenia

Chapter 6

Greetings, peasants!

I am the great Duke Stenhouse!

...

The great Duke Stenhouse's cousin...

I'm deeply sorry for being such an unimportant character.

But isn't it at least fun to pretend?

Duke Quinton Stenhouse and his family carry the trait of gratitude. That sounds fancy and all, but in the end, it just means that we properly pay our dues. 

Shouldn't it be a matter of course to pay back your debts?

The duke of Stenhouse's responsibility is to be the head of Lenia's treasury. He decides how much to tax the people and where to ration the funds. The previous dukes have always operated on the premise of someday returning the money to the people. 

That's why Lenia is the first country to have a public schooling system that allows even the poorest of commoners to receive at least a basic education. 

There's also a merit system in which the best performing students earn scholarships to send back to their families. Even the students who don't do so well are taken care of. The students are provided meals and small allowances, and for those without proper homes, they're given dormitories. 

There's no reason for children to work anymore, and it raises the students' capabilities, letting them seek better jobs after graduation.

This schooling system was created and continues to be managed by the Stenhouse family. It's how the dukes have chosen to give back to the people who have had to sacrifice their own earnings to the country regardless of consent. 

Even if a country needs taxes to run, it's not good to ignore the needs of the citizens, after all.

All common children are expected to attend schooling from the age of 5. For younger children from especially underprivileged families, there's a small nursery attached to every school, and parents are allowed to leave infants and toddlers in the care of experienced teachers in exchange for working for the schools. 

It seems a bit tyrannical at first, but it allows the families to have a stable job, and they can work knowing that their children are safe.

At 16, the first year after a noble's debut, all children are required to attend a 3-year college. There are various colleges specializing in many areas, and children are allowed to choose which field to enter. 

There's The Elfheim School of Magic Research, focusing on developing new technologies based on fairy magic, The Draconian Knighthood College, raising knights and soldiers in the studies of martial arts and offensive magic, Griffin's Institute of National Arts and Sciences, producing scholars specializing in non-magic research of their choosing, and The Caladrius School of Health and Medicine, educating much needed doctors and pharmacists to create new treatments and improve public wellness. 

Well, that's just to name a few. Personally, I plan to attend Elfheim.

I'm still technically a noble, so I don't need to attend primary school with most of the children, but we're still required to start attending college after our debut. Oh, nobles and commoners attend school together.