Edmund smiled in relief at their decision. With their presence at the academy, Edmund felt confident that Leonor and the others’ development would be properly guided.

"There are documents I need to prepare. So give me two hours to get everything ready. You can relax for now," Edmund replied.

Sera and the others nodded. They said they planned to go to a restaurant in the city for lunch. Leonor and the others agreed, and Edmund did not mind.

"In two hours, come back to my office. We’ll head to Ulrich together."

They obediently nodded, said their farewells, and left together.

Edmund finally felt calm and at ease as he began taking sheets of paper and writing on them, documents meant to be sent to the city government department.

In short, Edmund’s recommendation was essentially a city recommendation, proving that the individuals in question were competent for the position.

Normally, obtaining a city recommendation, or what people commonly called a noble recommendation, was not easy.

However, it was mostly just a formality. Any noble with a title above baron could issue such a recommendation.

The higher the noble rank of the person giving the recommendation, the higher the chance of being accepted into the institution.

After finishing the letters, Edmund walked toward the window and picked up a messenger crow.

Its destination was the City Government Department, Edmund’s right hand in handling the administration of Archester City.

He slipped the letters into the cylindrical container attached to the black crow’s back and released it.

The crow immediately flew toward the route it had been trained to follow for years, completely familiar with the path.

"Lord Edmund?"

Someone called from the office doorway. Edmund allowed the person to enter.

The door opened, and Sebastian entered carrying the reports from the discount market event.

"How is the dismantling process going?" Edmund asked.

"Everything is going well," Sebastian replied. "This is the chart showing the public’s enthusiasm for the discount market event."

Sebastian handed the document to Edmund, who opened it and carefully examined it. Sebastian continued speaking.

"There has never been an event like this before. They’re already eagerly waiting for the next one," Sebastian explained.

"We can’t hold it every month. That would only spoil them," Edmund answered.

"I agree, Lord Edmund."

Over the course of three days, a total of 1,200 city residents registered and received their food packages.

The city collected 1,200 silver coins from them, while the city government had to spend 3,600 silver, or around 360 gold coins, for the event.

That meant the city suffered a loss of 2,400 silver, or around 240 gold.

That was the price that had to be paid to buy their trust. Still, Edmund hoped it was worth it.

"Hold the event once every four months, which means three times each year."

"I’ll inform Annie."

Edmund handed the document back to Sebastian. Sebastian accepted it and turned toward Edmund once again.

"And... what about Lady Leonor and the others’ registration process?" Sebastian asked.

"Today, they’ll all go to Ulrich. Sera and the other instructors agreed to register as academy instructors to guide them there," Edmund answered.

"Really? That’s great!"

The man standing before Sebastian fell silent for a moment before nodding in agreement.

However, his thoughts were still restless, worried about Leonor’s condition there.

She would enter as a lowborn student, often looked down upon by highborn students.

Edmund worried Leonor and her friends would become victims of bullying from the nobles.

"Should... I also register as an instructor?" Edmund asked.

Sebastian was utterly shocked. His immediate reaction was to shake his head. He strongly disagreed.

"You can’t and you shouldn’t. Without you here managing the city, the city would lose its leader," Sebastian answered.

Edmund had thought about that as well. Even though he worried about Leonor’s condition, he also had to consider his current responsibilities.

As the ruler of the city, Edmund obviously could not tie himself to a job like academy instructor.

He still needed to focus on controlling the city and maintaining its stability.

"If only Father were here, he could probably replace me for a while," Edmund replied.

"Three years is not a short amount of time, Lord Edmund."

"Besides, it would be much better if you didn’t interfere too much," Sebastian continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Lady Leonor and her friends will be at the academy, the best place to improve their growth and maturity. If Lord Edmund interferes too much, she could become overly dependent," Sebastian explained.

Edmund narrowed his eyes and stared sharply at Sebastian.

The man immediately realized his mistake and lowered his head, apologizing for interfering in Edmund’s affairs.

Still, Edmund did not completely ignore Sebastian’s advice. Everything his butler said was entirely true.

"I’ll visit occasionally if there’s an important event at the academy," Edmund explained.

"That’s the best choice for you, Lord Edmund."

"Alright."

"For now, I should prepare to escort them. Someone from the City Government Department will arrive with the noble recommendation letters for the five instructors."

"I’ll go to them directly and pick them up," Sebastian explained.

Edmund smiled and nodded, feeling grateful for the help. "Thank you, Sebastian."

Sebastian understood immediately and left the room alone. Edmund remained there, pouring another glass of wine, the last glass before the bottle was completely empty.

If I don’t go... how can I protect Leonor?

His hand clenched tightly, his breath grew heavier, then he lifted the glass and emptied it in one swallow.

The problem continued haunting his mind, but Edmund was certain he would eventually find a solution.

After an estimated two hours, Sebastian returned to Edmund’s office carrying five scrolls containing the noble recommendation letters for the five instructors.

Edmund accepted them and read one carefully. The noble recommendations were legitimate and could be used later.

"Thank you. Prepare two horse carriages. They’ll leave in two hours."

"I’ll do it, Lord Edmund."

There were now ten documents on the desk in total. Five belonged to Leonor and the others, while the remaining five belonged to the instructors.

Edmund had prepared everything. All that remained was to travel together with them to Ulrich.

Before two in the afternoon, Edmund saw Sera and the others arrive and enter the Aschwin Mansion.

Their destination was obvious: Edmund’s office.

Outside the mansion, two horse carriages had already been prepared to take them away.

Sera opened the door and saw Edmund standing beside his desk.

"Is everything ready?" Sera asked.

Edmund turned and handed the documents to them. Leonor and the others’ documents were held by their teachers.

"Yes. Let’s go."

Sera nodded and led everyone toward the front yard. Sebastian was already there, waiting for their departure.

Edmund walked out last, greeting Sebastian and asking him to make any visitors wait for his return.

"I’ll do it, Lord Edmund."

He entered the first carriage, and the carriage quickly departed from the Aschwin Mansion and Archester City.

Edmund sat directly beside Leonor, whose face looked filled with excitement, eager to experience life as an academy student.

"Leonor," Edmund called.

"Yes?"

"You’re going to become an academy student soon. I only have one message for you. Behave yourself and never tell anyone that you’re my younger sister," Edmund said.

"I understand," Leonor replied. Edmund smiled faintly when he saw how quickly the girl obeyed his command.

The journey from Archester City to Ulrich City did not take long, only around one hour.

Throughout the trip, Leonor kept asking Sera about academy student life.

Sera smiled and explained everything Leonor needed to know. Edmund listened quietly without any objections.

Their conversation made them fail to notice how close they already were to Ulrich.

The city gates had come into view, and Leonor grew even more excited.

"That’s Ulrich. Livden Academy is there."

"Woahh," Leonor exclaimed in amazement.

Although the city was not as large or magnificent as Archester, she could see countless teenagers walking along the sidewalks with their parents.

The luxurious Aschwin carriages immediately attracted everyone’s attention.

Many prospective students were fascinated, assuming the future student inside the carriage was Clara Aschwin.

The two carriages parked in front of Livden Academy, where two registration booths stood for students based on their categories: Lowborn and Highborn.

From the way they dressed, even a fool could tell which people were nobles and which were commoners.

The line for lowborn student registration was far longer, stretching all the way beyond the gates.

That was perfectly normal. Livden Academy was the only prestigious academy in the Archie Territory.

Many students and families were risking everything so their children could enter.

The academy buildings resembled magnificent cathedrals, and the atmosphere of magic and swords became obvious the moment Edmund’s carriage entered the academy grounds.

Staff and instructors wore elegant blue-and-white uniforms that looked slightly luxurious.

Faintly, Edmund could hear mocking shouts coming from the highborn registration line toward the lowborn line.

Though sad and painful to witness, none of the lowborn families dared to fight back.

The teenagers and their parents turned to stare at the noble carriage. Everyone knew who the Aschwins were.

They understood how influential Count Aschwin was within the Archie Territory.

The carriage doors opened, and Leonor stepped out together with the others.

Sera guided Leonor toward the registration booth, acting as Leonor’s temporary guardian while she stayed at the academy.

Even her name would be changed. Leonor was forbidden from using the Aschwin family name to ensure her safety.

She would only be known as Leonor.

The last person to step out of the carriage was Edmund, Viscount Edmund himself. Cheers and applause erupted immediately.

His face remained cold and firm. He had no intention of greeting them because his only goal was to meet the Headmaster of Livden Academy.

"Where are you going?" Sera asked as she turned toward him.

"I’m going to meet the Headmaster of Livden Academy. There are several matters I need to discuss with him."