Apocalypse Reborn: Another Again (Chapter 1)

Apocalypse Reborn: Another Again

…

The daughter of the Academy’s headmaster.

It sounded like a nice and neat position when one first heard of it. Not the princess of a kingdom, but someone high enough on the metaphorical totem pole that she couldn’t be touched. A good position that some recluse can use to avoid problems, especially because she spent years in her father’s small mansion trying to get a grip on her new world.

If not for the fact that the recluse managed to overlook it while ravenously trying to find out everything she could about the world.

That the academy headmaster is the unspoken ruler of the academy itself.

That I was their equivalent to a princess.

That the Academy would be more properly called the Empire.

I was the princess of the empire, and I spent my childhood doing nothing but studying and training!

Not doing a thing to connect with the people under Father’s thumb.

Not doing anything to get allies to prevent my future rule from being jeopardized.

Not doing anything to prevent someone from slipping poison into my drinks or a knife between my ribs.

So, when Father suggested I enter the Academy, which the empire used to train everyone with any talent and keep them under control, I had to do it.

 Even though I wanted to stay in my room, surrounded by servants, and just study and train… I had to do it.

I had to go out there, in a world where people looked at me like I was something that they could use or exploit, if I wanted to stay alive.

It sent chills up my spine, and it made my eyes water, but I grit my teeth and forced myself to do it.

Being afraid now would just get me hurt later, so it was time to be a little brave.

…

House Chester’s scion approached me on the first day with his full retinue. The typical heir to a noble house with lands that focused on producing wine and grain. He was blonde with blue eyes and between slender and muscular. A runner’s build. If I could work with him, maybe we could make distilled alcohol with some alchemists. But the way he looked at me when we first met… he could barely tolerate me. All his servants were maids and very pretty, too. 

A womanizer at best. Someone who led a life of depravity at the very worst.

House Borrel came the next day. Their house was focused on military affairs and provided troops and officers to the gates that led out of the empire. He was large and tall with a thick neck and short-cut hair with a scar across his nose. He looked at me like some horse that he didn’t particularly like but he would deal with. He had soldiers dressed up as butlers with him, and they eyed me up like meat. If I want to be with him… I don’t have anything to offer that a couple of scholars won’t be able to.

He was out.

Two routes down, but there were three left.

If there was anything good that came from my childhood years, it was that I didn’t need to train or be educated. My father in this life saw my ability to focus and pay attention and dropped tutor after tutor on my lap. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was a ‘Champion’ amongst the Descendants, but it was easier than I thought it’d be. Not to mention the fact that training steadily allowed me to grow strong ludicrously quickly.

Father told me that I was equal to an average graduate of the Academy, and those guys led whole mercenary companies and fought for the Academy. They engaged one another in combat, while the rest of the army fought. If there was an army with a Champion and one without a champion, the former would win without a doubt. My father made me watch a match between two champions. They devastated everything around them, more like anime protagonists than people, and if they were unchecked, they’d ravage normal armies without issue.

It was a strange thing to consider that even House Borrel’s scion wasn’t stronger than me, despite his looks.

Anyway, I was trained as a Champion at my father’s insistence, and I never saw my mother more than twice a year, so here I was.

A social wreck with the finest education and the ability to ravage armies.

Yippee.

I decided that meeting two heirs in one day was enough and made my way to the library.

I was surprised to find a kid there, at a table, surrounded by books.

Probably a new Champion that got picked up and who was doing the same thing that I did.

Well.

It might feel wrong, but getting into a future Champion’s good graces would let me have a backup plan. At the very least, I’ll have a contact who I could hire to save my life, if needed.

I opened my mouth to greet him, to introduce myself, and found my social tanks empty and unable to fuel a single word.

Then, I reminded myself of all the time I’ve wasted and that I needed a circle to work with.

But opening up a conversation all on my own—wait, I could just ask for a book!

“Excuse me, but may I ask when you’ll be finished with that book?” My words attracted the boy’s attention. He wore a simple male uniform fashioned off a modern suit. How formal wear in this world looked like back home. I had no idea, but I had a feeling that Ancient civilization might’ve been the modern world before it was destroyed. Or, maybe, something similar.  “I’d like the Ruins Volume 5.”

I almost swallowed my tongue when the kid looked at me.

It wasn’t the gaze of a kid. It wasn’t even like a soldier’s gaze. He was analyzing me, looking at me as if I was a threat, and maybe even as if I was some possible ally. Chills went down my spine. My instincts told me that this kid wasn’t someone that I could deal with without thinking. That he was more dangerous than both heirs I just met and that I needed to tread carefully.

And, of course, the fact that there were guards present that I hadn’t noticed and were now ready to kill me.

They wouldn’t succeed, but they were willing to die to try.

Who was this child?

“Usually, I would say that I will be finished with the book by tomorrow, and I’ll be back here tomorrow.” The smile he gave me was charming and boyish. Disarming in the extreme. Practiced, my instincts said, to do exactly that and distract me from his guards. I barely realized that I had been captured for a split second by words and actions alone. A split second that could’ve had me attacked if someone was any closer. “But you are the headmaster’s daughter, correct? Lady Coraline? Allow me to extend my gratitude for hosting me so well by giving this wonderful book to you today.”

Effortlessly, he made a light joke and smiled my way. My stomach did backflips, and I wondered if he was talking to someone else.

But I was being charmed on purpose.

This child was dangerous and someone who could have me wrapped around his fingers.

Thankfully, I didn’t have any pride to speak of.

“Thank you!”

With that said, I disengaged immediately and left with the book in hand.

That child was someone that I needed to avoid!

…

House Clapham’s heir seemed like a reasonable enough choice for an ally. Mostly because they were under my father’s thumb.

I asked my father for people who could support me, and he immediately obliged with a clerical family’s son.  He was a mousy, quiet boy with good grades who was ready to do whatever I said. Having him around was more for the sake of showing that I could lead, rather than any merit that he had, though. Some people would look down on me for getting help, but it worked with my past as someone who preferred books and staying out of the limelight.

With the straw-haired boy following along, I managed to summon the will to attend various after-school get-togethers.

It ranged from small tea parties to practice duels and even events hosted by houses on behalf of good relations.

Each one was a headache. I had to wear a different outfit to each one to showcase my family’s wealth. Mother came through for me and sent a whole wardrobe and servants to deal with makeup and presentation. Jason was good enough at etiquette to take the lead, so I just had to nod and curtsy while he did the introductions. For the most part, I did my best to converse with people, get a feel for things, and rub shoulders without looking too desperate.

I never saw the child in any of the parties, and I wondered if he was just always in the library.

But an errant, passing statement regarding him reached my ears.

He was apparently a ruler of two ancient castles from beyond the Academy’s reach. Ancient, magical castles that could make golem soldiers and provide food and water to large amounts of people. He got the first one because a warlord/champion found him worthy of it, and the second one he took from the Children of the Elm, which were Fae-like creatures that abhorred all other life on the continent. Despite his looks and his charm, he was a warlord that had the loyalty of at least three Champions, and he was here to learn all that he could before returning to his realm.

Father didn’t mention him as a threat, so I could only guess that he was taking to the lessons well, especially since he was apparently a bit of an Ancient enthusiast with how much he was delving into the ruins all around the Academy.

They were all scoured long ago, but he was still visiting them, so I could only guess that even warlords had their quirks.

Anyway, time passed a bit, and I slowly formed a little clique around me.

Enough for me to summon the courage to approach one of my potential husbands in the future.

House Randall was the head of the sole, true army under the Academy’s command. A force of over ten thousand professional soldiers. Shock troops, mages, and an aerial knight all supported by steadfast infantry. Mercenary forces on retainer gave that core army of the Academy flexibility, but in truth they were weapons added to augment the sheer force that the army could provide. Not only that, but there were detachments and reserve forces that could be called up or rapidly retrained to bolster the number to nearly three times over.

If I could secure House Randall’s aid, if I could marry the house’s heir, then my future would be assured.

So, I prepared my first tea party and sent an invitation to him.

I learned as much as I could of him ahead of time. Not just his preferences in tea and pastries, but also in his goals. He didn’t attend the Academy proper but instead trained in a military school that was adjacent to it. He was not a Champion, but a general who would lead them and regular people. His grades said that he was a good student, and with a little bit of father’s help, I confirmed that they were earned rather than bought.

He went to the red-light district often along with his classmates but went to higher-end establishments and didn’t ‘share.’

Outside of that, he and his family didn’t have any ongoing engagements.

I had a feeling that Father wanted me to find him on my own.

Though as I waited for him to arrive, sitting and sipping lightly on a cup of tea to calm my nerves, someone passed by.

Someone who I couldn’t ignore.

“Lady Celia.” I stood up and gave a curtsy, while she returned a bow. She had a plaid skirt and blouse on as well as a dress jacket. A girl’s private school uniform. If she wasn’t such a stickler for the rules, I’d bet that she’d be wearing pants. Her hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail, and she seemed more serious than her profile had depicted. She was the leader of the Guardians of the Moon, a military faction that persisted since the destruction of the Ancients and who had holdings in our north. Multiple houses with multiple powerful Vampire Lords. If she could muster the wealth to meet the demands their honor set forward, she could call upon them all. A force that could overturn the whole continent, and now they had an Ancient castle that provided wealth steadily and deliberately. “It is an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is mine, heiress of the Academy.” She returned the curtsy and met my gaze. A confident smile played across her face. She stood with an honor guard of knights in shining armor. How many of them were normal people and not undead with countless years of training, along with unnatural strength and durability? I knew better than to assume that they were not all. “I’m enthused to find myself in the same year as you. I look forward to working with you in a few decades.”

The way she mentioned decades was the same way I would say months.

Past the youthful and beautiful visage, I had to remind myself that this young woman was older than me.

“I am glad to hear that. I am also pleased to know that the Guardians have acquired their own ancient fortification. Are you working towards another after your forces have recovered?” I inquired, and she seemed surprised. She probably suspected that the Academy wouldn’t be pleased with a ‘threat’ to their power. However, the Guardians were just too honorable and straightforward for that to be a worry. “Mayhap, you could match the so-called King of Wisdom’s fortifications in number?”

The moment I mentioned the child I’ve been avoiding, Celia’s confidence wavered.

Not something I would’ve noticed in my past life, yet it set off alarm bells in this one.

“It would take more than I currently have, but seizing another Citadel could even the odds greatly. Jack is more than he appears to be. I believe even now he works to ally with the Conquerors and add their Citadel to his set. That will empower them both.” I froze at her words. Multiple Ancient fortifications under the same control made them more powerful? Celia must have noticed my surprise. “You were unaware of that? “The King of Wisdom’s holdings in Citadel output alone are almost thrice my own. Even united with the Conquerors, we can barely match him.”

That would mean… that would mean…

One Citadel supported with enough people was enough to equal the Academy’s industrial output.

That meant the kid I met had almost three times the industry that we did!?