Nonetheless, Damien was now fully ready for the academy, and whatever trouble might arise there.
Three days.
That was how long he had left before heading to the academy for the first time in this life.
He didn’t have to worry about his part-time job either, since Sophie surprisingly gave him a one-week leave to prepare for the academy.
Damien found it a little odd for her to give such a generous leave, and he could also remember the strange expression on her face when she gave the leave.
He didn’t press too hard on the matter, but he could tell there was something going on, which he would make sure he got to the bottom of.
Time flew by quickly after that.
And just like that—three days passed.
The morning sun hung lazily over the horizon, casting long streaks of light across the city streets.
Damien now stood in front of a fairly large black chariot, its polished surface gleaming faintly under the morning light.
Two massive black horses were hitched to the front, snorting softly as faint mist escaped their nostrils.
Damien’s gaze shifted toward the creatures, studying them in silence.
The horses were massive—easily larger than any horse he had ever seen back on Earth. Their muscles rippled visibly beneath their smooth, jet-black coats.
Each movement of their legs carried immense strength, and even the simple act of them shifting their weight caused the ground beneath their hooves to crunch faintly.
Their hooves were thick, hard, and pitch black — like solid steel plates hammered into perfect form.
Their manes were thicker too, rising higher than a normal horse’s, flowing like dark waves every time the breeze brushed through them.
It was immediately clear these weren’t normal animals.
These were D-rank beasts—creatures tamed and bred specifically for travel and speed.
Known across the kingdom for their unmatched endurance, they were prized mounts for nobles and high-ranking officers.
Their stamina allowed them to travel vast distances without rest, and their speed rivaled the wind itself.
Watching them, Damien couldn’t help but feel mildly impressed.
Still, before he could move, a voice suddenly came from his side.
"We’re here... s-sir."
The voice trembled slightly, though the speaker was clearly trying to hide it.
Damien turned his head slightly, his eyes landing on the armored knight standing beside him. The man bowed stiffly as he spoke, his right hand stretched out toward the chariot in a gesture of respect—though the motion was anything but graceful.
Even without trying, one could easily notice the subtle tension in his posture.
His voice carried a faint tremble, and his expression twitched every few seconds as though he was struggling to suppress something unpleasant.
Damien’s lips twitched lightly as he noticed. He could practically sense the annoyance rolling off the knight’s body.
He was clearly disgusted—disgusted that he had to bow to a commoner.
A scoff escaped Damien’s lips before he could help it.
It wasn’t loud, but it was audible enough.
He could easily tell that this knight was the type who measured worth solely through bloodlines and titles. To him, bowing to someone like Damien must have felt like an insult — a humiliation he couldn’t put into words.
And yet, here he was, doing exactly that.
Nonetheless, Damien didn’t care in the slightest.
Had it been a female knight and preferably a hot MILF, then he would have surely shown a lot more interest.
But since it wasn’t, he could only swallow his annoyance.
Without even looking at the knight’s face, he simply nodded once.
The knight’s jaw tightened instantly. His face twitched again, his ears turning slightly red.
He took that simple nod from Damien as a sign of arrogance.
A commoner acting above his station.
His grip on his sword handle tightened unconsciously, but he didn’t dare say a word.
The orders were clear.
Damien Cross was under the academy’s protection now, and anyone sent to escort him was forbidden from showing disrespect. No matter how much the knight loathed the idea, defiance wasn’t an option.
So he kept his head low and his tone quiet, forcing himself to maintain the illusion of composure.
Damien noticed the twitch in his fingers but didn’t react. Instead, he turned toward the chariot, letting out a quiet sigh.
But to think they would send a knight to pick me up directly...’ he thought, his eyes narrowing slightly.
It was unexpected.
Normally, new students were gathered at the city plaza before being transported in large groups to the academy. For the academy to send a personal chariot—with a knight escort no less—was far from standard procedure.
He only had to go to the village center, where a knight picked him up with another horse before bringing him here, to the chariot that would take him to the academy.
When he first saw the armored knight waiting for him in the middle of the crowded village, he couldn’t help but feel that the whole thing was a bit too excessive.
Still, when Damien remembered the shock plastered across Claire’s and Nora’s faces as they watched from the side of the street, his lips curved into a small, satisfied grin.
Their jaws had nearly dropped to the floor when they saw the knight dismount and address him respectfully. And that was before the knight actually helped him onto his own horse and began escorting him toward the edge of the village.
If that wasn’t enough, the looks on the villagers’ faces were priceless.
Everywhere he looked, there were people frozen mid-step, their eyes wide, whispering to each other in disbelief.
It was as though the impossible had just unfolded before them — the same Damien who used to work day and night, doing lowly jobs, now being escorted by a royal knight in full armor.
And then there was the village chief.
The old man’s face had been twitching so hard it was almost funny to watch. It was obvious that he was forcing himself not to explode on the spot.
Damien had punched his precious son’s face just a few days ago, yet now here he was — being personally picked up by a knight and escorted like a noble to the capital.
However, what could an ordinary village do in that kind of situation except watch helplessly?
’Maybe this excessive act isn’t so bad after all,’ Damien thought.